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Excited and cautious in equal measure, the primary batch of athletes from India’s Olympic contingent arrived in Tokyo on Sunday, clearing the exhaustive Covid-19 associated protocols on the airport earlier than coming into the Video games village on a day when two sportspersons staying there examined constructive for the dreaded virus.
All 88 athletes underwent Covid testing on the airport and had been discovered to be unfavorable. They may begin coaching from Monday, the Sports activities Authority of India (SAI) mentioned in a press launch.
“The an infection management protocol has been briefed to all of the contingent members and Covid testing kits have been distributed to the respective coaches,” SAI added.
The delegation was acquired by Dr Prem Verma, India’s deputy chef-de-mission and Covid Liaison Officer on the Video games.
The contingent from India, which left on Saturday evening after a grand send-off, was joined by the shooters and boxers who had been coaching in Italy and Croatia.
The group travelling from India included archers, badminton gamers, desk tennis gamers, each the lads’s and girls’s hockey groups, and qualifiers from judo, gymnastics, and swimming amongst others.
They landed within the Japanese capital aboard a chartered Air India flight from New Delhi.
“It was a six hour wait on the (Narita) airport the place we underwent Covid-19 assessments however that was anticipated. All got here out clear and we have now checked into the Video games village. All easy up to now,” a contingent member informed PTI.
The group included stars reminiscent of world champion shuttler PV Sindhu, six-time world champion boxer MC Mary Kom, world no.1 boxer Amit Panghal, world no.1 archer Deepika Kumari and TT participant Manika Batra amongst others.
“Their PVC (pre-valid playing cards) had been additionally validated on the airport. All athletes, coaches and assist employees have been conveniently accommodated within the village and all are comfy.
“They loved their meals on the eating corridor and all of them are comfy and relaxed.”
The Indians arrived on a day when two athletes staying on the Video games village and one at a chosen resort had been confirmed Covid constructive by the organisers, who insisted that they’re ready for some circumstances given the inflow of individuals within the metropolis.
The Indians had been duly masked, a few of them even wore face shields as they went by means of the paperwork on the airport earlier than boarding buses to the Video games Village.
The full variety of Video games-related Covid circumstances have now risen to 55 as per the OC information.
The Video games shall be held behind closed doorways as infections soar within the Japanese capital, which is recording greater than 1,000 circumstances per day for the previous few days.
Regardless of the scepticism, IOC President Thomas Bach has insisted that the Video games pose “zero danger” for the residents of Olympic village and the Japanese folks on the whole.
On Saturday evening, Sports activities Minister Anurag Thakur gave a proper send-off to the contingent on the Indira Gandhi Worldwide Airport in New Delhi amid loud cheers, claps and loads of good needs.
The IGI witnessed unprecedented scenes as a crimson carpet was laid out for the contingent. Such was the euphoria surrounding the send-off, that the Authorities of India had organized for a particular Olympic Contingent Clearance immigration line for the Tokyo-bound members.
The send-off ceremony was additionally attended by Minister of State for Sports activities, Nisith Pramanik, Sports activities Authority of India Director Common Sandip Pradhan and Indian Olympic Affiliation (IOA) officers, together with President Narinder Batra and Secretary Common Rajeev Mehta.
Some Indian athletes reached Tokyo just a few days earlier from their respective coaching bases overseas.
India’s lone weightlifter in fray, Mirabai Chanu entered Tokyo on Friday from her coaching base in St Louis, USA.
India shall be represented by a 228-strong contingent, together with 119 athletes, on the Video games.
4 Indian sailors—Nethra Kumanan and Vishnu Saravanan (laser class), KC Ganapathy and Varun Thakkar (49er class) — had been the primary from the nation to succeed in Tokyo from their coaching bases in Europe. They began coaching on Thursday.
In addition to, the rowing group has additionally reached town.
Those nonetheless to reach embrace wrestlers, led by the redoubtable Bajran Punia and Vinesh Phogat, tennis star Sania Mirza together with the remainder of the group and the athletics contingent, which options robust medal hope javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra. PTI
