United Progressive Alliance chairperson Sonia Gandhi on Friday declared the 33rd National Games in Guwahati open with an appeal to sportspersons to strengthen unity and amity and spread the message of peace.

The Games were declared open at the Indira Gandhi stadium, at the Sarusajai Sports Complex, after an impressive cultural display and marchpast by the participating states.

Speaking on the occasion, Gandhi said sports unite people and brings out the best in them. She said sports is one arena where people can forget their materialistic pursuit and strive to achieve excellence.

"We learn on the sporting fields that to strive is to accomplish and it is in the sport field that one experiences that the thrill of participating can be as exhilarating as winning," she said.

It is also on sporting fields that friendship is forged and strengthened and wished all participants to display their best and shine in their respective fields of competition.

She also expressed happiness over the presence of large number of women participants and expressed hope that they would bring laurels both to their states and the country.

Gandhi said the National Games is a stepping stone to international events and hoped the participants would bring laurels to the country in the 2008 Beijing Olympics and 2010 Commonwealth Games.