Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju reveals India's long-term plans for 2028 Olympic Games

Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju has said that preparations have started in full swing to ensure that India finish under top-10 in the 2028 Olympic Games. Rijiju had revealed the long-term plans in an Instagram live session with table tennis player Manika Batra.

 In the previous edition of the quadrennial event in Rio, India could only manage to bring two medals - a silver (PV Sindhu in Badminton), and bronze (Sakshi Malik in Wrestling). At the same time, India has not won the elusive gold medal since the 2008 Beijing Olympics where Abhinav Bindra had finished on top of the podium in shooting.

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'The long term is 2028': Kiren Rijiju

"The 2024 Games is a mid-term goal but the long term is 2028. When I became sports minister I had very limited talents, potential Olympic medalists," Rijiju said. He further stated that in the 2024 Paris Olympics, India will have the potential to bag maximum medals in the Quadrennial Games.

"In 2024, we will have a potential team which can get us maximum medals. But in 2028, I've made my mind very clear we have to be in top-10. And I'm not saying just like that. Our preparation has started," he said. "Junior athletes are our future champions, we have started our preparation in a solid way. We will see results in 2024 and will make rapid progress. But mark my words, India will be in top-10 in 2028. We are creating a conducive atmosphere, support staff towards that," the minister added.

"To create a world champ it will take four to eight years. I've laid the foundation now. We have started junior coaching very professionally. We are providing best possible coaching and technical support. It will require four to eight years to become champion," Rijiju said.

The sports minister added that even during the lockdown, they have cleared all the dues of the athletes. "We have not stopped the stipends. We have released the money for all the junior athletes too. We have cleared all of them and not a penny is pending," he said. 

Meanwhile, all the global sporting events have either been postponed or cancelled due to the global pandemic. The 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games have also been postponed to the summer of 2021 due to coronavirus fear.

(With ANI Inputs)

(Image Courtesy: PTI)