Prime Minister to interact with Tokyo bound Indian athletes today evening

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will interact with the Indian athletes bound for Tokyo Olympics through video conferencing at 5 P.M today. The Prime Minister had reviewed India's Olympics preparations last month, on the occasion of 50 Days to Tokyo Olympics. He was apprised about the various steps taken towards ensuring uninterrupted training for athletes amidst the pandemic, participation in the international competitions to win Olympic quota, vaccination of athletes and customised support being provided to them.

In his 'Mann Ki Baat' on All India Radio last month, the Prime Minister had stated that all Indian athletes heading to the Tokyo Olympics have worked hard for a long and urged the nation to come forward and support them. Sharing their struggles and triumphs, the Prime Minister said that our sportspersons can be seen as inspirations.

The event will be attended by Youth Affairs and Sports Minister Anurag Thakur, Minister of State for Youth Affairs and Sports Nisith Pramanik and Law Minister Kiren Rijiju. Our correspondent reports that the interaction by the Prime Minister is an endeavour to motivate the athletes ahead of their participation at the games.

A total of 126 athletes across 18 sports disciplines from India will be heading to Tokyo. This is the biggest-ever contingent India is sending to any Olympics. The 69 cumulative events across these disciplines that India will participate in, is also the highest ever for the country. There are several notable firsts in terms of participation in the Olympics. For the first time in its history, a Fencer Bhavani Devi has qualified for the Olympic Games while Nethra Kumanan is the first-ever female Sailor from India to qualify for an Olympic Games. Sajan Prakash and Srihari Nataraj are the first swimmers from India to qualify for an Olympic Games by achieving the 'A' Qualification Standard in Swimming.