Sport gear of Paralympians & Olympians a big hit at e-auction of PM's mementos

New Delhi: Badminton rackets used by the Paralympic gold medallist, the javelin which brought India's first athletics gold in the Olympics, and gloves worn by the Olympic bronze medal-winning boxer are among Prime Minister Narendra Modi's mementos which are drawing the highest bids currently on the Culture Ministry website which is e-auctioning them.

The highest quoted bids for the racquets of Krishna Nagar, the Paralympic badminton gold medallist, and that of shuttler Suhas Lalinakere Yathiraj, who won the silver medal at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games respectively have gone up to Rs 10 crore.

The base price of Nagar's racket is Rs 80 lakh while that of Yathiraj is set at Rs 50 lakh.

The fence used by C A Bhavani Devi in fencing at the Tokyo Olympics also received a highest bid of Rs 10 crore while its base price is Rs 60 lakh.

Devi was the first Indian fencer to qualify for the Olympics.

The boxing gloves worn by Lovlina Borgohain, who won a bronze medal in welterweight (64-69kg) at the Tokyo Olympics, becoming the third Indian boxer to win at Tokyo Olympics, has received a bid of Rs 1.80 crore. The base price for the gloves is Rs 80 lakh.

The highest bids for the javelin used by gold medallist Neeraj Chopra in the 2020 Olympics is over Rs 1.20 crore while its base price is Rs 1 crore.

The sharp-shooting glasses worn by Manish Narwal, who bagged a gold medal in the mixed 50m pistol SH1 final at Tokyo 2020 Paralympic games has so far received a highest bid of Rs 95.94 lakh. The shooting glasses were presented by him to the prime minister.

The proceeds from the e-auction will go to the Namami Gange Mission aimed at conserving and rejuvenating the Ganga River. 

Individuals and organisations can participate through the website pmmementos.gov.in between September 17 and October 7.

After the auction ends, the ministry will notify the highest bidders through email.