Indian Olympic team will be completely vaccinated by early July, ahead of their trip to Tokyo for the Games

Batra’s remarks came only two days after his association dismissed Chinese kit sponsor Li Ning after a public outcry when the jerseys were shown last week.

India’s Olympic team will be completely vaccinated by early July, ahead of their trip to Tokyo for the Games, according to Narinder Batra, the country’s top sports official. After last year’s tournament was postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic, India will send around 200 competitors, coaches, and support staff to the Tokyo Games, which will take place from July 23 to August 8.

“Even though the IOC (International Olympic Committee) maintains it is not required,” the Indian Olympic Association president added, “we had recommended that all national sports federations have their participants vaccinated.”

“However, we want our athletes to be safe, and they should be safe for other people as well. Half of the troop was only partially vaccinated, while the other half had got both doses,” according to Batra. “So the whole contingent — athletes and officials — should be vaccinated twice by the first week of July,” he continued.

Batra’s remarks came only two days after his association dismissed Chinese kit sponsor Li Ning after a public outcry when the jerseys were shown last week.

After a violent border confrontation in June 2020, tensions between India and China intensified. The incident prompted demands in India for a boycott of Chinese goods and services. After that (kit reveal), it went by the public opinion that was developed on social media.

High hopes for hockey – While the pandemic made it more difficult for athletes to prepare for Tokyo, Batra said all competitors faced the same problems, making it a fair playing field for everybody. He stood firm in his prediction that India will win at least ten medals in the Summer Olympics.

In their bio-bubbles or wherever they are training overseas, the athletes have been going on. As a result, it has no bearing on our medal chances.  Four years ago, the squad returned from Rio with only two medals: silver for badminton champion P.V. Sindhu and bronze for wrestler Sakshi Malik.

Batra, who was re-elected as president of the International Hockey Federation last month, did not suggest any sports for gold, silver, or bronze. He did, however, have great expectations for the men’s and women’s field hockey teams. The men’s team, the most successful in Olympic history, has won eight gold medals but hasn’t made the final four since 1980.

Since the sport’s inception as an Olympic event in 1980, the women’s team has yet to win a medal. “I anticipate the men’s team to win a medal, and I consider the women’s team to be a dark horse because they can defeat the world on any given day,” he added.

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