Union Youth Affairs and Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju on Saturday promised to provide "extra care" to Olympic-bound athletes ahead of the showpiece event.
The Tokyo Olympics will be held from July 23-August 8 this year after getting postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic. Meanwhile, the COVID-19 crisis has gripped India and the country has been reporting more than 3,00,000 new cases every day. Rijiju admitted that the athletes are facing challenges in their preparation for the Tokyo Olympics and hence promised to provide them assistance amid the testing times.
"Due to pandemic our athletes are facing complicated challenges while preparing for the Tokyo Olympics. Govt will provide extra care and assistance to our athletes as per their special requirements," Rijiju tweeted. Last month, Rijiju said he is expecting India to bag medals in double digits at the prestigious quadrennial event.
"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," Rijiju said in a statement. "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," he had added.
Also, the Sports Ministers released Rs 5 crore for the creation of the latest laser technology and up-gradation of the facilities at the Dr. Karni Singh Shooting Range to keep the shooters at par with the Tokyo Olympics shooting range. Recently, India not only finished on top of the medal tally in the ISSF World Cup, but also amassed a whopping 15 gold, nine silver, and six bronze medals for a tournament tally of 30 medals.
Moreover, the Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS) has sanctioned weightlifter Mirabai Chanu's visit to the USA in order to speed the preparation up for the upcoming Tokyo Olympics. The Indian weightlifter will work with strength and conditioning coach Aaron Horschig during her stay there.
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