President A P J Abdul Kalam has asked Major Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore to make an assessment of the standard of Indian sport and suggest how the country can win more gold and silver medals at the Olympics and World Championships.
The President 's request to the Athens Olympics silver medallist came soon after the Arjuna awards ceremony in Delhi on Tuesday.
"I have told him that he spent close to two weeks in the Olympic Games village and met many important international athletes. I have asked him to give a two or three-page report on how to bring more gold and silver medals to India," Kalam told rediff.com at Rashtrapati Bhavan.
Rathore, who won India's only medal at the Games from the double-trap shooting, said it was a "tremendous moment to stand in front of the Commander-in-chief of the Indian armed forces and receive Arjuna award from him".
"I felt small standing before the honourable President of India. He is man of outstanding calibre. One can learn a lot from him. He is a source of inspiration for everyone," Rathore told rediff.com in an exclusive conversation.
Asked what Kalam told him when he went to receive the award, Rathore replied, "The President said he wants to have a one-to-one conversation with me."
Rathore, who was conferred the Arjuna award for 2003 for his outstanding showing in shooting, recalled the moment when he received a personal fax message from the President after he won the silver medal at Athens.
"It was an emotional moment for me to receive his personal message. I had been looking forward to meet him ever since my return to India. I am happy with the meeting with the President," he said.
