The cream of Indian sports was in attendance as the Olympics bound athletes were given a hearty send-off by the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) here on Sunday.
The unveiling of the ceremonial and competition kit saw the athletes catch the eye in their sparkling attire. They were assured of the “blessings and good wishes” of the entire nation, especially in the address by the Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya and the Petroleum Minister Hardeep Singh Puri.
The president of IOA, P.T. Usha announced a full-fledged medical recovery system at the athletes village for India apart from a “home away from home” set up by the Reliance Foundation.
Acknowledging that the Indian athletes have all the resources and facilities at their disposal in pursuit of excellence in the Olympics, Usha said, “we have no doubt that you will make us proud in Paris. The entire nation stands behind you.”
Hockey players Jarmanpreet Singh and Nilakanta Sharma, shooters Shreyasi Singh and Anjum Moudgil dazzled on stage in the Olympic ceremonial dress, designed by Tarun Tahiliani. The dress would be worn by the contingent during the opening ceremony.
Shooters Anish Bhanwala, Vijayveer Sidhu, Sandeep Singh, Rhythm Sangwan, swimmer Srihari Nataraj, wrester Reetika Hooda, hockey players Jugraj Singh and Krishan Pathak gave a glimpse of the “playing kit”, designed by JSW Sports.
Minister Hardeep recalled the nation’s celebration of the T20 World Cup cricket triumph and expressed confidence that the Indian athletes would handle the “great expectations with great determination to win more Olympic medals” than ever before.
He recalled being in Geneva during the Rome Olympics in 1960 as an eight-year-old and how India had missed winning the gold, but had regained it in Tokyo in 1964.
Appreciating the ceremonial dress, the minister said that India would win a medal in “Fashion Olympics”. He was particularly pleased to state that 12 of the Paris bound athletes were with Indian Oil and five were with ONGC.
Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL) took up the role of the principal sponsor for IOA for four years from the Paris Olympics to the next in Los Angeles in 2028, covering the Commonwealth Games, Asian Games and Paralympics along the way.
Sports minister Mandaviya goaded the athletes to “go with confidence, enthusiasm and the will to win. The 140 crore blessings are with you”.
Recalling his interaction with the athletes at the National Institute of Sports in Patiala, the sports minister said his confidence had gone up about India performing in Paris being “better than ever”.
Olympic medal winners — boxers M.C. Mary Kom and Vijayveer Singh, shooter Gagan Narang and weight-lifter bronze medallist of the Sydney Olympics in 2000, Karnam Malleswari — were also felicitated on the occasion.
“Indian cricket team’s win last night was celebrated by the whole nation. I want to see that celebration during Paris Olympics,” Mandaviya added.
