The D-day has finally arrived. Tokyo 2020 was scheduled to be held last year but the Covid-19 pandemic wreaked havoc and kept athletes, worldwide, in a spot of bother regarding the future of the event.
After a year-long delay, Tokyo 2020 has finally got underway on Friday (July 23). The Games’ commencement hasn’t been easy to pull off for the organisers, sponsors and even the participating athletes worldwide. As Covid-19 cases continue to wreak havoc and go up regularly in Tokyo, everyone is hoping for a smooth sail of the entire global event.
While there are several hurdles to overcome in this year’s Olympics, there are high hopes from the strong Indian contingent, which is the largest ever to be sent to an Olympic Games. Ahead of the opening ceremony, the President of India Ram Nath Kovind shared an encouraging note for the Indian athletes.
He wrote, “An entire nation’s hopes and prayers are with the Indian contingent at the #TokyoOlympics. I convey best wishes to you all on behalf of all Indians. I am confident that you all will excel, win laurels and make our country proud. #Cheer4India”
Talking about the Indian team in Tokyo, there are some experienced and superstar athletes who can shine and add to the country’s overall medal tally. Some of them are PV Sindhu, Mary Kom, Manpreet Singh-led Indian men’s hockey team, Sania Mirza, Sharath Kamal, Manika Batra, Ankita Raina, Vinesh Phogat, Bajrang Punia, Deepika Kumari, Vinesh Phogat, Sai Praneeth, Neeraj Chopra, Sajan Prakash, Srihari Nataraj, Maana Patel, etc.
On July 13, PM Narendra Modi had also interacted with the Indian contingent and encouraged them for bringing glory to the nation, ahead of the Tokyo 2020 opener.
The opening ceremony, which will be held early in the evening on July 23 (IST), will see a total of 20 Indian athletes and six officials take part from the Team India squad. Mary Kom and Indian men’s hockey team captain Manpreet Singh will be the flagbearers.
Overall, the Games promises to be a visual spectacle for sports fans with a hope that Indian athletes shine bright in the showpiece event, to be held from July 23-August 8.
