Prime Minister Narendra Modi will invite the Olympics contingent to Red Fort as special guests on Independence Day. The Independence Day celebrations at the iconic Red Fort in Delhi are expected to be low-key amid the pandemic for the second consecutive year.
The Prime Minister will also meet them personally and interact with all of them, officials have said.
India has sent its largest contingent yet to the Olympics this year with 228 members participating in 18 sports.
So far India has won two medals this year at Olympics. Saikhom Mirabai Chanu claimed the first medal for India by winning silver in women’s 49 kg weightlifting.
The second medal was won by badminton player PV Sindhu who clinched the bronze medal by beating China’s He Bing Jiao last Sunday. This is the second consecutive medal for Sindhu, making her the first woman athlete from India and the second in the nation to achieve this feat.
The Indian men’s and women’s hockey teams both reached the semi-finals at the Olympics. The women’s team face Argentina in the semi-final on Wednesday, having stunned tournament favourites in the what was their first ever Olympic quarter-finals. The men’s team lost to Belgium 2-5 in their semi-final fixture on Tuesday. They face either Germany or Argentina in the bronze medal match on Thursday.
While the Indian shooting contingent was expected to return medals, they had a disappointing campaign with only one competitor managing to reach the final. Wrestlers Bajrang Punia and Vinesh Phogat and javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra are among the medal hopefuls who are yet to begin their campaign.
This year, India has seen the highest number of players qualifying for Olympics, the Prime Minister said this afternoon. “Remember, they’ve achieved this feat while dealing with the biggest disaster in 100 years. There are many games for which we have qualified for the first time, and not just qualify… they’ve given a tough fight,” PM Modi said.
“The confidence and passion of the Indian players is at its peak. This confidence comes when the talent is recognised, when proper facilities are provided. This new confidence is becoming the identity of new India,” he added.
