Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju is hoping for a best-ever medal haul from the country’s athletes in the Tokyo Olympics. He also warned that the blame would lie with all the stakeholders if India fails to put up a good show in the 2028 Games.
He has said that eight years should be enough for India to prepare its best for the Los Angeles Olympics.
Rijiju said at FICCI’s “Turf 2019″ Global Sports Summit, that if they cannot prepare themselves for something that is far (the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics), then they have to blame themselves in terms of bad policymaking, not setting a direction and channelizing resources.
He also stated that with the time which is in their hands, they must ensure that India is no more a country which is not taken seriously in the Olympics. He will definitely not be satisfied as a sports minister of the country if they don’t win medals.
The minister said next year’s Tokyo Olympics are the immediate target, but organisation needs to be put in place for future events for athletes to perform well.
Rijiju said: “Tokyo is an immediate target with the existing talent. We cannot create champions overnight. It’s not possible to create world champions in a year or two. We have to ensure that the entire organisation is in place.
“Having said that, we have certain existing talents at our clearance, and we have to make the best of it. I hope Tokyo 2020 will be a good platform for India to have a best-ever Olympic performance, but we have limitations. However, there is nothing stopping us from 2024 Paris, and especially the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, which are more than 8 years away”.
Rijiju has also highlighted on the need to do well at international sporting events. He says that as a young nation, they can’t afford to lag behind in the international level of competition. Be it the Olympics, Asian Games or any of the world championships.
He also mentioned: “We are a young nation that’s why we have to set a determined target. In the meetings with the IOA (International Olympic body) and NSFs (National Sports Federations), I had given them a very determined target. It’s not easy but not impossible either.
“We are rising. In the last six months, our ranking and performance have increased. Most of the results I’ve calculated are the best-ever”.
By Tauseef Asif
