Narendra Modi to meet Rio 2016 Olympics-bound athletes; Abhinav Bindra appreciates gesture

Narendra Modi to meet Rio 2016 Olympic Contingent on Monday to wish them well for their performance in the Rio games.

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PM Narendra Modi will meet Rio Olympic Contingent at Manekshaw Centre in New Delhi. (Source: PTI)

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will meet the Indian athletes who will represent the country at the forthcoming Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

PM Modi will interact informally with the sportspersons, and wish them luck for the August 5-21 Games.

“The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi, will meet the athletes who shall be representing India at the forthcoming Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro,” an official release said.

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“Shri Narendra Modi will meet the Olympic Contingent at the Manekshaw Centre in New Delhi on Monday. So far, around 100 athletes from 13 sports disciplines have qualified for the Rio Olympics.

“The Prime Minister will interact informally with the sportspersons, and wish them well for their performance in the world’s biggest sporting arena,” the release said.

The gesture was appreciated and lauded by shooter Abhinav Bindra. He tweeted, “For the first time ever there is a send off by the @PMOIndia @narendramodi for the Olympic Team . What a great gesture , #respect.”

For the first time ever there is a send off by the @PMOIndia @narendramodi for the Olympic Team . What a great gesture , #respect.

— Abhinav Bindra (@Abhinav_Bindra) 3 July 2016

India will be sending its biggest ever contingent in the Olympic Games with more than 100 athletes having already qualified in 13 sporting disciplines. The previous highest was 83 that the country sent in the 2012 Olympics in London.

More athletes are likely to qualify in the coming days, and the Sports Ministry and the Indian Olympic Association are expecting more than 110 to represent the country in the Games.

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Several of the Rio-qualified athletes are currently training abroad and it is not clear how many will be able to meet the PM tomorrow.

The IOA, on other hand, said its senior vice-president has not been invited by the Sports Ministry for Monday’s meeting.

“Tomorrow’s meeting with the PM is being organised by the sports ministry and they should have ensured that the IOA has enough representation. Only the president, secretary general, chef-de-mission and deputy chef-de-mission have been invited by the sports ministry. They should have invited the senior vice-president and joint secretary also,” an IOA official said.