IOA chief predicts rich haul of medals in Olympics

CHENNAI: With just more than three months to go for the

Tokyo Olympics

, India’s preparations for the marquee event have begun to gain steam in many disciplines.

Indian Olympic Association

(

IOA

) chief

Narinder Batra

exuded confidence that the country’s preparations are on track despite the many challenges posed by the Covid-19 pandemic, adding that he expects India to hit double figures in the medal tally.

It will be an uphill task, given that India won only two medals during the 2016 Olympics.

“Preparations are very much on track. My feeling is that we will end up with around 125-130 athletes making the cut for Tokyo. In terms of medal prospects, we maintain that we should reach double figures,” Batra said on the sidelines of a hockey tournament — Shri NPV Ramasamy Udayar Hockey Cup — in Chennai on Friday.

Asked about the vaccination drive for the athletes, Batra said: “The

International Olympic Committee

’s policy is that you cannot force anyone to take the vaccine. It is an individual decision of an athlete whether to take the vaccine or not. I am personally in favour of having all our athletes vaccinated, but we will not be forcing anyone.”