Tokyo Olympics: President Kovind to host Indian Olympics contingent

On Saturday, the eve of India’s 75th Independence Day, President Ram Nath Kovind will host the Indian delegation to the Tokyo Olympics 2020 for a “high tea.” The Indian Olympic contingent will be hosted at the Rashtrapati Bhavan Cultural Centre in New Delhi, according to an official release from the President’s Secretariat issued earlier this week.

President Kovind will address the nation on the eve of Independence Day after hosting a high tea for the Indian contingent. The President’s address will be broadcast on all All India Radio (AIR) and Doordarshan networks beginning at 7 p.m., according to a release from the Rashtrapati Bhavan.

The Indian team for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics will also be present at the national capital’s Red Fort for Independence Day celebrations a day later. At the event, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will meet and interact with the athletes.

At the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo this year, India won seven medals in total, including a historic gold by javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra. The performance is widely regarded as India’s best ever at an Olympic Games. The country placed 48th overall in the medal tally, its highest position in over four decades.

With Chopra’s 87.58-meter throw, India finally had its first track-and-field medalist after years of stories about being “nearly there.” The 23-year-old javelin thrower became only the second Indian to win an individual gold medal at the Olympics in the process.

Manipuri weightlifter Mirabai Chanu, on the other hand, broke India’s 21-year medal drought in the event by winning a silver medal in the 49kg category on the first day of the Olympics on July 24. Haryana-born wrestler Ravi Dahiya stormed to the final of the men’s 57kg freestyle event, adding another silver to the country’s tally.

PV Sindhu, the world number one in badminton, snatched bronze in the women’s singles event. After a 41-year wait, the men’s hockey team also won bronze. Lovina Borgohain won India’s lone boxing medal at the Tokyo Olympics, taking bronze and cementing her place in Indian women’s boxing history.