Barely a day after assuming office, new Union Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya reviewed India’s preparations for the upcoming Olympic Games during a meeting with IOA President PT Usha. Usha expressed confidence that India will send a contingent of over 100 athletes to Paris. Mandaviya, who succeeded Anurag Thakur as Sports Minister on Tuesday, met with Indian Olympic Association officials, including Usha, at the IOA Bhawan on Thursday. The Paris Olympics 2024 will commence on July 26.
#WATCH | Delhi: Union Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya meets IOA President PT Usha ahead of the Paris Olympics 2024. pic.twitter.com/bUdOWKafIf
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Sports Minister’s Bold Claim For Paris Olympics
“I today visited the IOA officials for the first time where they briefed me about India’s preparation for Paris Olympics. The government is committed to extend all possible support,” Mandaviya said in a brief address to the media.
The meeting, which lasted over an hour and included new Minister of State for Sports Raksha Khadse, Sports Secretary Sujata Chaturvedi, and Sports Authority of India Director General Sandip Pradhan, provided Mandaviya with a briefing on the country’s preparations for the Paris Games.
“The Sports Minister today visited our IOA along with the Minister of State for Sports and I am so happy that they wanted to know about IOA and about the Paris preparation. We have done everything good this time and I have briefed him everything. We will be in contact every week and I hope that this good for our Olympic athletes,” she said.
“We have done everything for sports persons. Our first preference were the athletes, whatever the players want we have done this time. So we are expecting more medals this than Tokyo. I don’t want to put any number and give tension to the players.
“Already 97 athletes have qualified, and we are expecting around 115 to 120 athletes to represent India in Paris Olympics,” the legendary athlete added.
IOA chief Usha expressed satisfaction with the meeting, noting that the interaction with the minister bodes well for the athletes heading to Paris.
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