New Delhi, Dec. 5, 2025: Union Minister for Youth Affairs and Sports, Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya, felicitated the medal-winning Eventing and Dressage teams on Friday for their historic performance at the FEI Asian Equestrian Championship 2025. The six-member contingent returned from Pattaya, Thailand with five medals across team and individual events, marking India’s best-ever show at the continental championship.
Ashish Limaye secured two medals — a landmark individual gold in Eventing and a team silver — while Shruti Vora won three silvers, including two individual and one team medal in Dressage. The other team members included Shashank Singh Kataria and Shashank Kanmuri in Eventing, and Divyakriti Singh and Gaurav Pundir in Dressage.
Felicitating the athletes, Dr. Mandaviya highlighted India’s rapid progress in equestrian sports. “India is doing well even in sporting disciplines in which we hardly have had a global presence earlier. I laud all of you for the passion with which you have pursued a discipline which has had a limited ecosystem in India. However, this is not the India of 10 years back. You would have witnessed the changes in the sports ecosystem in the last decade. I am assuring you that the Government will remove any hurdle that comes between an athlete and his or her medal. We will create an equestrian-friendly sports ecosystem here in India, so that athletes do not have to train abroad,” he said.
The Minister also reiterated the government’s commitment to establishing a quarantine centre in India within a year — a long-pending requirement essential for horse movement during international competitions.
Shruti Vora, who won three silvers at the championship, praised the minister’s swift action. “When we addressed our concerns, he immediately asked everyone to get working on the equine disease-free zone. He said we need a complete ecosystem, not just a few athletes going abroad. We need the whole equestrian fraternity to be given that opportunity — that they can compete in India, qualify in India, and once they meet the selection criteria, take their horses from India to any other country. Once these systems are in place, everything becomes easier,” the 54-year-old said.
Union Minister for Youth Affairs and Sports, Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya, shared a post on X and wrote: “Champions of Bharat!
Met and felicitated the medal winners of the Asian Equestrian Championship 2025 held in Thailand.
Under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Bharat is reaching new heights in global equestrian sport.”
(Source: Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports via PIB)
