Sports Min Mandaviya lauds India’s Lacrosse gold-winning teams, calls for LA28 push

Union Minister for Youth Affairs and Sports Mansukh Mandaviya on Wednesday felicitated India’s men’s and women’s lacrosse teams following their historic gold medal wins at the Asian Lacrosse Games in Riyadh, urging them to aim for qualification at the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics.

Addressing the athletes, Mandaviya emphasised the importance of determination, exposure and consistency in developing emerging sports like lacrosse.

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“Lacrosse is an upcoming big sport for India. This was your first major international exposure and you have already brought home medals. The focus now should be on working harder, gaining more exposure and making the country proud by aiming for LA 2028 qualification,” he said.

Sharing a video of the interaction on X, Mandaviya wrote that India’s rise in emerging sports reflects the growing strength of the country’s sporting ecosystem under the leadership of Narendra Modi.

Felicitated our lacrosse teams for their commendable performance at the Asian Lacrosse Games 2026 in Riyadh.

Under the leadership of PM Shri @narendramodi Ji, Bharat’s steady rise in emerging sports is a matter of immense pride, reflecting the expanding depth and strength of our… pic.twitter.com/Z9nQUTNlDH

— Dr Mansukh Mandaviya (@mansukhmandviya) March 25, 2026

He added that the government will continue supporting athletes through initiatives like Khelo India, while stressing that passion and perseverance remain key to long-term success.

India delivered a dominant performance at the Asian Lacrosse Games in Riyadh earlier this February, clinching gold in both the men’s and women’s Sixes events. The men’s team defeated Iraq in the final, while the women’s team triumphed over Pakistan.

The achievement is particularly significant given the short international journey of both teams. The Indian women’s side made its debut in 2024, followed by the men’s team in 2025.

Another standout aspect of India’s success was the wide regional representation, with players coming from across the country, including Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Haryana, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, Odisha, Assam, Jammu & Kashmir, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Uttar Pradesh.

The Asian Lacrosse Games, organised by the Asia-Pacific Lacrosse Union, form part of the build-up to lacrosse’s inclusion at the LA 2028 Olympics.

Looking ahead, India will compete in the 3rd Asian Lacrosse Games in Chengdu this April and the Asia-Pacific Sixes Lacrosse Championships in Australia in October, both key qualification events for LA 2028.