Tokyo Olympics: Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju reveals India's primary target during the Games
The Tokyo Olympics is set to get underway in less than a month, while the Indian contingent will happen to be over 120 athletes strong. However, what would be India's primary target during the Games? Here's what Union Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju said.
FollowAs far as the Tokyo Olympics is concerned, it would be India's chance to dish out its best performance ever while the entire contingent is being backed to put on its best show. Also, experts have suggested that India could enter the double-figure mark in terms of the medal tally for the first time in Olympic history.
However, as India prepares to travel to the Japanese capital, besides honouring the global event with its presence, what would be its primary target? Speaking on the same, Union Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju has revealed that India would not just be going there to participate but come out on top. His response came hours after Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi backed the Indian athletes, during his show Mann ki Baat, to put on their best display.
"I am very proud as a Sports Minister of India that we have such a Prime Minister who is leading from the front and I am also very confident that India will do better in this Tokyo Olympics because our standards are world-class, our athletes are able to participate and compete with the best in the world. We are going to Tokyo Olympics, not for token presence, but we are going there to win," Rijiju was quoted as saying to ANI.
"Medals is a very tricky situation in the Olympics you can't really predict when you have the best of the athletes from all over the world to come together and complete, but I am definitely and confidently saying that India is very much there to compete and to win, we have the potential to win the medals, that is the level of standards in Indian sports now. We are very confident that we should be able to give best ever Olympics performance in Tokyo Olympics," he added.
Rijiju also hailed the athletes for putting on their best in the qualifiers, as India would represent at the Games in some of the sports for the first time. "This is something which we have to cherish. The past Olympics India used to represent in very limited numbers of sporting disciplines, but now, we are going in large numbers of sporting disciplines," he reckoned.
"We are going in some of the traditional sports also and some of the sports which were not very popular in our country. But now, it's becoming popular. This is all because of the way we have prepared, the hard work which our athletes have done and technical team, the coaches and trainers," he concluded.
NOTE: Asianet News humbly requests everyone to wear masks, sanitise, maintain social distancing and get vaccinated as soon as eligible. Together we can and will break the chain #ANCares #IndiaFightsCorona
