New Delhi: Batting icon Sachin Tendulkar gave his best wishes Tuesday to India’s Olympic-bound contingent. Sachin Tendulkar lauded the Indian athletes for continuing their preparations despite the many challenges posed by Covid-19. Over 100 athletes from India have qualified for the Tokyo Olympics, which was delayed by a year due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The event gets underway July 23 amid strict health safety protocols.
“During the pandemic all of us have faced challenges, including our athletes. They didn’t give up and continued with their preparation for the Olympics. I know they are gearing up to give their best performance in Tokyo Olympics,” Tendulkar said in a video shared on his Twitter handle.
“There is milisecond’s difference between win and loss and for that they have been putting in hard work for years and at this moment they need our support and wishes. Let’s cheer for India,” Tendulkar further stated in the video.
See video: https://twitter.com/sachin_rt/status/1412375885831880708
Hockey captain Manpreet Singh and London Olympics bronze-medallist boxer MC Mary Kom will be India’s flag bearer during the opening ceremony. Wrestler Bajrang Punia has been named the country’s flag bearer for the closing ceremony August 8.
The Indian contingent are expected to leave in batches. On arrival in Tokyo, they will have to undergo hard quarantine for three days, before they can step out of their rooms. During those three days, they will have to remain within their rooms. They will also have to undergo RT-PCR test every alternate day.
The hockey (both men and women) and the athletics squads have already been announced by the respective federations.