With just 26 days left for the Paris Olympics, Prime Minister Narendra Modi extended his best wishes to the athletes qualified for the quadrennial extravaganza, and said, "memories of the Tokyo Olympics are still fresh in our minds".
Addressing the nation in the 'Mann Ki Baat' radio programme on Sunday, PM Modi recalled India's impressive show at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and said the countrymen are waiting to cheer for the athletes at the upcoming Paris Games.
"My dear countrymen, by this time next month, the Paris Olympics would have begun. I am sure that all of you would also be waiting to cheer for the Indian sportspersons in these Olympic Games. I wish the Indian team the very best for the Olympic Games. The memories of the Tokyo Olympics are still fresh in our minds," said the Prime Minister.
At Tokyo 2020, the Indian contingent comprised 124 athletes, the largest that the country had sent to the Games. India won seven medals, their biggest haul in a single Olympics -- including Neeraj Chopra’s historic gold medal in the men’s javelin throw.
"The performance of our players in Tokyo had won the heart of every Indian. Right after the Tokyo Olympics, our athletes were whole-heartedly engaged in the preparations for the Paris Olympics. If we take all the players together, then all of them have participated in nearly nine hundred international competitions. This is a very big number," he added.
For the Paris Games, India has a lot of firsts in terms of Olympic qualification. For the first time, Indian shooters went on to secure a quota in every Olympic shooting category. The men’s and women’s teams have qualified in table tennis for the first time. In addition, India will have its first-ever entry at the Dressage event at the Olympics.
"Friends, in the Paris Olympics, you will get to witness certain things for the first time. In shooting, the talent of our players is coming to the fore. Both men’s and women’s teams have qualified in table tennis. Our shooter daughters are also part of the Indian shotgun team. This time, members of our team will compete in wrestling and horse riding in those categories as well, in which they had never participated before," said PM Modi.
The Prime Minister went to acknowledge the achievements of para-athletes at the World Para Athletics Championship and the players who shone in the chess events.
"From this, you can make out that this time we will see a different level of excitement in sports. You might remember... a few months ago, we displayed our best performance in the World Para Athletics Championship. Our players have also won glorious laurels in chess and badminton.
"Now the whole country is hoping that our players perform well in the Olympics as well... win medals in these games and also win the hearts of the countrymen. In the coming days, I will also get an opportunity to meet the Indian team," said PM Modi.
"I will encourage them on your behalf. And yes, this time our hashtag is #Cheer4Bharat. Through this hashtag, we have to cheer our players... keep encouraging them. So keep up the momentum... this momentum of yours will help in showing the magic of India to the world," he concluded.
Over 100 Indians have qualified for the Paris Games so far, including a record 21 shooters.
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