NewDelhi: India will be sending a 228-strong contingent to the Tokyo Olympics, including 119 athletes, IOA President Narinder Batra said.Out of the 119 athletes, 67 are male and 52 female participants, Batra said during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s interaction with Olympic-bound athletes.
“The total Indian contingent for Tokyo Olympics will be 228. There will be 67 male athletes and 52 female athletes. We are fighting for 85 medal events,” Batra said in the virtual interaction. This will be India’s largest ever contingent of athletes at the Olympics.
“The first contingent will leave for Tokyo on July 17. It will have 90 athletes and officials in total.” PTI PM Modi wishes athletes luck ahead of Olympic Games New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi donned the role of an interviewer during his interaction with some of the known Indian athletes, who will represent India at the soon-to-start Tokyo Olympics.
During the virtual interaction, which was also attended by sports minister Anurag Thakur, law minister Kiren Rijiju, PM Modi quizzed several of the Tokyo-bound athletes about their struggles and motivation to stay to their mission despite struggles. Ace archer Deepika Kumari was the first of the athletes with whom the PM interacted. “Your love for the game started when you targeted mangoes with the arrows. Now you are World No.1. Tell us about your journey,” the PM asked.
“I started with the Indian bow. Despite a few struggles earlier on I got the best of facilities and best coaches and here I am today,” Deepika answered.
When asked to explain how she copes with the expectations, especially after winning three gold medals at the Paris World Cup last month, the 26-year-old ace archer replied: “There will always be expectations but I focus more on my practice and on how I will be performing once I reach there. I focus on these things only”. The PM then called in another archer, Praveen Jadhav, who has worked hard through the sport to change the lives of his parents Ramesh, who was a daily wage labourer in Satara, Maharashtra.
“Sir whenever I was in difficulty I used to think ‘I will become a daily labourer if I return. It is better to stay and work hard on the sport and get better,” Jadhav replied when he was asked how he coped with difficulties.AGENCIES