On Sunday, Jay Shah, the secretary of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), announced that the board will support India’s Paris Olympics 2024 contingent by providing Rs 8.5 crores to the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) for the campaign. The Paris 2024 Olympics will commence on July 26 and conclude on August 11.
Shah took to X (formerly Twitter) to announce the initiative and wished the Indian athletes the best of luck. “I am proud to announce that the @BCCI will be supporting our incredible athletes representing #India at the 2024 Paris Olympics. We are providing INR 8.5 Crores to the IOA for the campaign. To our entire contingent, we wish you the very best. Make India proud! Jai Hind! @Media_SAI || @WeAreTeamIndia || @Olympics || #Paris2024Olympics,” he tweeted.
India aims to surpass its tally of seven medals from the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, which included one gold, two silvers, and four bronzes. A total of 117 athletes from India will compete across 20 disciplines at the Paris Olympics.
Currently in Paris, the Indian teams for rowing, archery, and men’s hockey have already arrived. Gagan Narang, India’s Chef-De-Mission, expressed that the contingent is excited and ready to begin their campaign. Narang, a bronze medalist at the 2012 London Olympics, stated, “I arrived here in Paris on Thursday night and have taken stock of the arrangements inside the Games Village for the Indian contingent. Archery and rowing were the first Indian teams to arrive on Friday and have comfortably checked-in. The athletes are slowly settling in and exploring the village.”
He further mentioned the positive mood among the athletes. “The mood is certainly upbeat. We have the Indian men’s hockey team arriving on Saturday. Surely, I am reminded of my heyday at the Olympics as an athlete. While there is a lot of excitement, athletes will also want to get some game time on the competition arenas. We want to make sure the athletes have everything they need ahead of the start of their respective events.”
Narang concluded by expressing pride in the growing number of medal contenders in the Indian contingent. “Each and every athlete in our contingent is capable of not only being on-par with the best athletes in the world, but can also surpass them and bring laurels to the nation. Having a strong contingent puts India on the hot seat as we gear up for Paris,” he added.
