‘Your moment has come,’ Sachin Tendulkar lends his support to Indian team at Tokyo Olympics
The whole country is with you, the cricket legend says in a video message to boost Indian athletes ahead of Tokyo 2020.
Indian cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar has acknowledged the efforts of Indian athletes at the Tokyo Olympics and has urged them to make the most of their moment at the Games.
India will field their largest-ever contingent of about 120 athletes at Tokyo 2020, which will start on July 23 and run till August 8. The opening ceremony will be held at the National Stadium, which is also the main Olympic stadium, on Friday.
“I would like to congratulate Team India’s Olympians who have made it to the prestigious Tokyo 2020 Games,” Sachin Tendulkar said in a video posted by Olympics.com.
“You have worked hard for many years, made professional and personal sacrifices and continued to train despite facing difficult circumstances.”
One such challenge has been the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, which led to the postponement of the Tokyo Olympics by a year. Despite the risks, athletes continued to train in isolation and participated in events to qualify or warm up for the Games.
“But now, your moment has come,” Tendulkar pointed out. “May all of you cherish this opportunity to compete in Tokyo. We are all stronger in this journey. My best wishes to each and every one of you.”
“Poore desh ka support apke saath hai. (the whole country is supporting you),” Tendulkar concluded.
India, whose highest haul at the Games has been six medals at London 2012, won two medals at the last Olympics at Rio 2016.
There are several medal contenders for India this time at Tokyo 2020, including PV Sindhu, Mary Kom, Neeraj Chopra, Bajrang Punia, Vinesh Phogat, Deepika Kumari and several members of the shooting team.