Sports Minister Rijiju and IOA President Batra peg India’s medal hopes in double digit on the occasion of 100 days to Tokyo Olympics

Olympics Ki Asha

special webinar organised to mark 100 Days to Tokyo Olympics

Union Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju (center) , IOA President Narinder Dhruv Batra (right) and IOA Secretary General Rajeev Mehta at a webinar organized to celebrate 100 days to Tokyo Olympics in new Delhi.

Khel Today Bureau

New Delhi: With 100 days to go to the Tokyo Olympics, both Union Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports Kiren Rijiu and Indian Olympic Association President Narinder Dhruv Batra said that India is likely to bag medals in double digits at the sporting event.

Rijiju and Batra were addressing a special webinar organised to mark 100 Days to Tokyo Olympics #OlympicsKiAsha. The event was attended by Secretary-General IOA, Rajeev Mehta, Secretary (Sports), Ravi Mital and Director-General Sports Authority of India Sandip Pradhan, CEO, Sony Sports Network (broadcasters of Olympics in India) Rajesh Kaul and a host of athletes who have qualified for Tokyo, along with presidents and secretaries of various sports federations.

On the occasion of 100 days to the Olympics, the Sports Minister said, “With just 100 days to go for the Olympics, every day is important to all of athletes from here on. We want to make these Olympics very memorable for every athlete. India with its vast population must play a bigger role in the Olympic Movement and that is possible by winning more medals.India must cross double digits (in medals). All the best to all the athletes, there will be no shortage of facilities to any Olympic-bound athletes from SAI.”

Rijiju also complimented the efforts being taken at SAI centres and by NSFs to ensure a secure environment for athletes in the build-up to the Olympics in the wake of the resurgence of the Covid-19 virus, “We need to be extremely careful. SAI and NSFs have created protocols which are being strictly followed. Our Indian athletes are very disciplined and they have been following the rules meticulously.”

Speaking on the occasion, Batra said, “Our sportspersons are single-mindedly devoting their time and efforts to bring laurels to the country. I expect the medal haul to be in double digits this time. NSFs, SAI and TOPS are doing their best to provide the best training and support to athletes to train in India and abroad. We are expecting 120-130 athletes to qualify for the Olympics this year and we expect the Indian contingent to be about 185-190 people, including coaches and support staff.”

The 100 days to the Olympics also marked the launch of a series of special films celebrating the sporting journey of our athletes #OlympicsKiAsha. Rijiju said that by the time the Olympics commences, short films on all our Tokyo-bound athletes will be created and put out so that Indian sports fans can follow the journey of their athletes.

The Olympics will be beamed by Sony Sports on all their channels and on various social media handles of the government so that maximum people can watch it.

What is the status of vaccination for Olympic bound athletes?
“We will start the vaccination process soon so that our athletes are safe. A lot is invested in them and we want to be sure that they are safe.” Rajiv Mehta, Secretary General, IOA said during his speech at the webinar.

How is the safety of athletes being ensured amidst the rise in Covid cases?
SAI has issued a new SOP in view of the Covid situation in the country. The SOP includes regular RT-PCR test of athletes on a weekly basis to monitor their health. Those contracting Covid are immediately being moved to hospitals to ensure best treatment and their complete safety and to isolate them from athletes who are negative. SAI centres where Olympic bound athletes are training have been colour coded in a way that Olympic bound athletes and trainers are not in any physical contact with other people on campus like administrative staff. Further, staggered training timings have been drawn up to ensure physical distancing of athletes, without disrupting their training.