Anurag Thakur to see off first batch of Indian athletes for Tokyo Olympics

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Minister of State Nisith Pramanik will also be present at the venue.

With the Tokyo Olympics set to commence in a week’s time, a formal send-off ceremony will take place on Saturday at New Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport as the first batch of athletes depart from India to Tokyo.

The contingent of 88 which includes 54 athletes, support staff and Indian Olympic Association (IOA) representatives will be given a formal send-off in an event by Union Minister for Youth Affairs and Sports Anurag Thakur and Minister of State (Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports) Nisith Pramanik.

Anurag Thakur will be joined by the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) President Narinder Dhruv Batra, IOA Secretary General Rajeev Mehta and the Sports Authority of India (SAI) Director-General Sandip Pradhan at the ceremony.

Athletes and support staff of eight sports which includes Archery, Hockey, Badminton, Table Tennis, Judo, Gymnastics and Weightlifting will be departing from New Delhi with the largest contingent being hockey.

"To ensure the safety of the athletes, all dignitaries attending the event will have had their COVID-19 tests done. Only those with negative reports will be attending the event. All social distancing measures have also been put in place on this occasion," said SAI in a statement.

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A total of 127 Indian athletes have qualified for the Tokyo Olympics, which is a record, overhauling the 117 that qualified for the Rio Olympics. The Indian contingent has several promising athletes who are all capable of raising the Indian flag on the podium.

These athletes will try to bring glory to their country in various events through the extravaganza. Tokyo Olympics will take place from 23 July 2021 - 8 August 2021.

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