The National Sports Day in India is commended on 29 August every year. This day marks the birthday of Major Dhyan Chand, the legendary hockey player who won gold medals in Olympics for India in the years 1928, 1934 and 1936. But not many Olympic Medals are won by India nowadays. Assuming the office of Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Youth Affairs and Sports in May of 2019, Kiren Rijiju is already working towards a better Olympic display from the Indian Athletes. A high level 10-member committee has been constituted under the chairmanship of Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju. This Committee has been handed the task of improving the quality and performance of India’s Olympic Athletes. In this article, we are going to cover everything you need to know about it.
Objective
Basically the main objective is to prepare a strategy for bidding of multidisciplinary sporting events in the future and to ensure that the performance of the Indian athletes at the Olympics and other multidisciplinary events are optimised.
For the 2020 Tokyo Games, the committee would provide all the possible support to athletes, facilitate smooth logistical arrangements for their participation, ensure a seamless accommodation and a hospitable environment for the contingent.
For the 2024 Paris Games, the committee would chart out a road-map for the preparation and then continuously review and suggest course correction whenever required.
Basically the main objective is to prepare a strategy for bidding of multidisciplinary sporting events in the future and to ensure that the performance of the Indian athletes at the Olympics and other multidisciplinary events are optimised.
For the 2020 Tokyo Games, the committee would provide all the possible support to athletes, facilitate smooth logistical arrangements for their participation, ensure a seamless accommodation and a hospitable environment for the contingent.
For the 2024 Paris Games, the committee would chart out a road-map for the preparation and then continuously review and suggest course correction whenever required.
Members
The High-level Olympic Committee comprises Olympic medallists and established sportspersons such as –
- Tennis player Leander Paes
- Shooter Gagan Narang.
The other members of the committee include prominent government and sports officials –
- IOA President Narinder Batra
- IOA Secretary General Rajeev Mehta
- Secretary of Department of Sports Radhey Shyam Julaniya
- President of Indian Athletics Federation Adille Sumariwalla
- Boxing Federation of India Chief Ajay Singh
- Talent Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS) CEO Cdr. Rajesh Rajagopalan as convenor
Need for better Olympic Performances
India has only won a solitary gold medal (Beijing, 2008) since the last 9 Olympics. We have never won multiple gold medals at a single edition of the Olympics.
Norman Pritchard is still the first and only Indian Olympic Medalist in Athletics, won in 1900, the second edition of the Olympics. (Silver in 200m & 200m hurdles).
Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju believes that India can become a sporting powerhouse if the country's athletes win more medals in mega-events and inspire the youth to take up Olympic sporting events.
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| Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju |
Rijiju said the ministry felt the need for this committee as there are issues at the Olympic level which are beyond the scope of already functional small technical committees. Some athletes at the Rio Olympics complained about the food and lack of technical support. These difficulties can instigate a lack of concentration which could become crucial at the main event.
"We are a big country; we shouldn't lag behind in any discipline in Olympics. We need to be at the top and not at the back. A developing nation like India must focus on Olympic sports," Rijiju informed reporters when he received the torch of the Special Olympics International Football Championship (SOIFC) 2019.
Conclusion
With just one year to go for the much-awaited Tokyo Olympics, Indian Athletes are bound to be prepared with the help of this committee. This High Level Committee is not an executive committee. It is a committee to ensure that all the preparations are taking place in the right direction. Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju hopes to see all the Olympic athletes hitting their peaks and remaining injury-free right before the games.
This Committee of Olympic medalists and sports officials can go a long way in ensuring improved performances from our athletes.
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Hello, I am Aliasgar Ayaz. I am currently pursuing Economics honours from The Bhawanipur Education Society College. I am an avid follower of sports, majorly football, volleyball and tennis. I love to write about sports and current affairs dealing with our nation as well as international.
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