New Delhi: With just 10 days to go till the biggest spectacle in the sporting world begins, the excitement and anticipation have reached a feverish pitch. Thousands of athletes will descend to France to participate in the 2024 Paris Olympics, starting on July 26 in the French capital.
From India, 118 athletes, including 48 women athletes, across 16 sports disciplines will take part in the Paris Games. Out of the total 118 Olympic-bound athletes, 72 athletes have qualified for Olympic games for the first time.
In the build up to the mega-event, cricket superstar Virat Kohli has urged the Indian fans to get behind its Olympians. Kohli has urged the supporteres to join him in backing the athletes as “they inch closer to the podium with dogged determination” in the quaddrenial showpiece event.
In a video post on social media, featuring star javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra and boxing ace Nishant Dev, Kohli issued a rallying cry by saying that it is time for India to be recognised as a global sporting powerhouse.
“There was a time when the world could only think of India as a land of snake charmers and elephants. Over time, that has changed. Today we are known to the world as the largest democracy, a global tech hub,” he said.
“We are known for cricket and Bollywood, for start-up unicorns and as the fastest growing economy in the world. So, what is the next big thing for this great nation? Well, that will be more gold, more silver and more bronze,” he added.
He then went on to address Indian sports fans, asking them to support the 118-strong group of athletes, who would be aiming to better the country’s best ever performance of seven medals achieved in the previous Games in Tokyo.
“Our brothers and sisters are headed to Paris, hungry for medals. A billion of us will be watching them nervous and excited as our athletes set foot in the tracks and fields and courts and rings.
“Every neighbourhood, every corner of India will hear a chorus of voices chanting ‘India, India, India’. Join me in remembering their faces as they inch closer to the podium with the dogged determination of waving the Tiranga with pride. Jai Hind and good luck India,” Kohli said.
Kohli is currently in London on a break with his wife and daughter after India’s T20 World Cup victory in the West Indies last month. The star batter left for UK after the felicitation ceremony in Delhi and a victory parade in Mumbai celebrating India’s momentous victory. Kohli was seen attending the Krishna Das Kirtan in London with his wife Anuskha.
India’s medal hopefuls
Several Indian athletes are currently training abroad and will head to Paris from their respective bases. The Indian contingent will aim to better their Tokyo Olympics tally of seven medals to record their best-ever medal haul at the Olympics in the 2024 edition. Hopes are high from javelin champion Neeraj Chopra, two-time Olympic medallist P.V. Sindhu and star paddler Sharath Kamal. After a stellar showing at the Asian Games 2022, where India won a record 100 medals, fans are hoping for a strong show at the Paris Olympics.
Besides, javelin and badminton, India’s medal hopes will rest on shooting, wrestling, and boxing. India won six medals at the 2012 Olympics in London before returning with a disappointing haul of only two medals at the Rio 2016 Games. The Asian nation claimed its best-ever haul at the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo with seven medals.
In a video post on social media, featuring star javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra and boxing ace Nishant Dev, Virat Kohli issued a rallying cry for the Indian fans. Sports Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
