IndiaThe Indian contingent was pretty satisfied with the food and amenities supplied in the Olympic Games Village, however, the Indian Embassy has been requested to provide 100 or more electric kettles to suit the athletes' need for warm water. At the Village, the kettles have not been kept in the rooms. The rooms will also be cleaned every third day to reduce contact with the housekeeping staff, as the organisers face a massive burden conducting the Games in COVID-19 times.
Recently, during the two days stay after reaching the Tokyo Olympics accommodation venue, the Indian contingent was incredibly happy with the food and amenities offered in the Olympic Games Village, however, the Indian Embassy has been asked to provide 100 or more electric kettles to suit the athletes' need for warm water. At the Village, the kettles have not been placed in the rooms. The rooms will also be cleaned every third day to reduce contact with the housekeeping staff, as the organisers face a massive burden conducting the Games in COVID-19 times.
A large force of Indian contingent arrived on Sunday and has been at the Village for over two days.
The request for the kettle has come from the athletes. They need to drink warm water in the morning. We have requested the Indian Embassy here and it should be arranged soon.
said India's Deputy Chef de Mission Prem Verma, while speaking to PTI on Monday.
According to a team official, the accommodations are immaculate and well kept, but housekeeping has not been done since they arrived on Sunday.
To minimise contact, the Local Organising Committee has advised for cleaning every third day but if someone wants to get the room cleaned daily, they can ask for it. The towels can be changed from the ground floor on a daily basis.
On that front, Verma stated
Food from all over the world, including India, is offered to the competitors.
Indian paddler G Sathiyan spoke with PTI and said that the food and training accommodations have been fine so far, but another team official claimed the 'desi food' could be much better.
"It has been smooth for us. No complaints at all. I had daal and parotta yesterday and it was fine," Sathiyan added.
I would urge the athletes to go for continental or Japanese food. At best, Indian food is acceptable, and at times, it is undercooked. You rather have the local food. It is much better and the seafood being served is very fresh.
Nevertheless, the team official mentioned
Before going for training, the majority of the athletes are given testing kits so that they can hand over their swab samples to IOA officials.
As of now, the number of Indians at the village is little more than 100. We have asked for testing kits for five days but have been getting only on a daily basis which is understandable with the requirement rising as more and more athletes and officials check into the village.
Verma added.
He went on to say more about the food arrangements, "When you come to another country, you should embrace its culture including food. There is nothing wrong with the Indian food being served in the dining hall but one should not compare with what we get back home.
"There is a lot of variety. The dining area covers two floors and proper social distancing is followed with fiberglass separating the seats."
Athletes from India have begun training in preparation for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics
A day after arriving in Tokyo Games Village, Indian athletes began their pre-Olympic training, seeking to live up to the high expectations that have been placed on them during the pandemic-plagued Games.
After completing the COVID-19 associated protocol requirements, the first wave of Indian athletes arrived on Sunday morning and checked into the Games village.
Archers Deepika Kumari and Atanu Das, table tennis players G Sathiyan and A Sharath Kamal, ace shuttlers PV Sindhu and B Sai Praneeth, and Pranati Nayak, the lone Indian gymnast in the competition, all the Olympic-bound athletes began training on Monday.
As archery duo Atanu and Deepika began honing their skills this morning at Yumenoshima Park, paddlers Sathiyan and Sharath Kamal began their preparations in the hopes of winning an elusive Olympic medal in the sport.
Pranati Nayak, a gymnast, began her training this morning under the direction of instructor Laxman Manohar Sharma.
Meanwhile star shuttlers Sindhu and Praneeth worked out with singles coach Park Tae Sang, Chirag Shetty and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy of the men's doubles team hit the courts with coach Mathias Boe.
On Sunday, the sailors began their training, including V Sarvanan, who was the first to arrive in Tokyo.
Aside from Saravanan (men's laser class), Nethra Kumanan, KC Ganapathy, and Varun Thakker, who all arrived here last week, will compete in the sailing event at the Tokyo Olympics.
Rowers Arjun Lal Jat and Arvind Singh, who arrived in the Japanese city on Saturday morning and will compete in the men's lightweight double scull, had their first training session on Sunday in the Sea Forest Waterway in Tokyo Bay under the supervision of chief national coach Ismail Baig.
On Monday, a 15-strong crew of Indian shooters will also hit the range.
According to the organising committee's protocols, athletes travelling from India were subjected to a three-day mandatory quarantine upon arrival in Tokyo, which was eventually lifted, much to the relief of the country's athletes.
The Indian competitors were allowed to use the common area when they arrived at the Games Village after passing their COVID tests at the airport and collecting their PVC cards.
Because of the growing COVID-19 pandemic in the country, the Tokyo Olympics will ultimately be held under emergency conditions with no spectators even after a one-year delay.
Mirabai Chanu wins India's first medal at the Tokyo Olympic Games
Mirabai Chanu won a silver medal in the 49kg division to end India's 21-year quest for an Olympic weightlifting medal on Saturday, breaking the country's 21-year drought. The 26-year-old lifted a total of 202 kilogrammes (87 kg + 115 kg) to surpass Karnam Malleswari's bronze medal from the 2000 Sydney Olympics. She was able to exorcise the ghosts of the 2016 Olympic Games, where she had failed to log a single legal lift. Shooter Saurabh Chaudhary, on the other hand, was disappointed that he could only place seventh in the men's 10m air pistol final.
Mirabai Chanu, who earned India a flawless start at the Tokyo Olympics on Saturday by earning the country's first weightlifting silver medal in the 49kg category, said it was a dream come true for her and that she would like to dedicate the gold to her country.
It's really a dream come true for me. I would like to dedicate this medal to my country and would like to thank the billion prayers of all Indians which were with me during this journey.
Chanu mentioned in a statement which was shared from her Twitter official handle.
Chanu expressed her appreciation to her coach and support staff, as well as the government, Ministry of Sports, SAI, IOA, Weightlifting Federation of India, Railways, OGQ, sponsors, and marketing firm IOS and Sports Entertainment for their constant encouragement and support.
“I like to thank my family especially for a lot of sacrifices and believing in me. Also, special thanks to our government for supporting me, Ministry of Sports, SAI, IOA, Weightlifting Federation of India, Railways, OGQ, and my marketing agency IOS for their continuous support in this journey.
I would like to give special thanks to my coach Vijay Sharma sir and support staff for their continuous hard work, motivation, and training. Thank you once again entire weightlifting fraternity and all my countrymen. JAI HIND.
she further wrote.
Shortly after her incredible performance, she received accolades from sporting prominent figures such as footballer Sunil Chhetri and gymnast Dipa Karmakar, as well as Prime Minister Narendra Modi himself, who has taken to social media micro-blogging site to congratulate her.
Indian men's hockey team surpassed New Zealand 3-2
The Indian men's hockey team fought some stressful final moments to overcome New Zealand 3-2 in a tough Pool A match here on Saturday, kicking off their Olympic campaign on a strong note.
India's Harmanpreet Singh scored a hat trick in the 26th and 33rd minutes, while Rupinder Pal Singh (10th) scored the other goal for the eight-time world champions, who are presently ranked fourth in the world.
Kane Russell (6th minute) and Stephen Jenness (43rd minute) scored goals for New Zealand.
On Sunday, India will face Australia, a formidable opponent.
Women's Hockey Tokyo: the Netherlands beats India 5-1
In what will be only their third participation at the Olympics, the Rani Rampal-led Indian women's hockey team will attempt to make history in the Tokyo Games.
The Indian women's hockey squad, unlike the men's team, does not have a significant Olympic history. The present team, on the other hand, is capable of setting new records in the women's game.
This group has put in a lot of effort over the last few years and has regularly achieved improvements. There's a terrific mix of veteran players and newcomers, which is fantastic.
Marijne, the coach, told Sportstar.
"In Tokyo, we are looking forward to competing against the greatest in the world. We aim to channel this team's potential and drive into our best performance yet,” he continued.
For the first time in Indian women's hockey history, Rani Rampal and her teammates have already begun the process of qualifying for the back-to-back Olympic Games.
Manika Batra lost in Mixed Doubles event along with Pair Sharath Kamla at Tokyo Olympics though qualified to round 2 in singles
The mixed doubles event in table tennis was thought to be one of India's first-ever chances for a medal at the Tokyo Olympics, however 12th seeds Achanta Sharath Kamal and Manika Batra were swept out in the Round of 16 matches on Saturday by World No. 1 combination Lin Yun Ju and Cheng I Ching.
Manika Batra and Sharath Kamal appeared weak in their Round of 16 encounters against the 3rd-seeded combination, who triumphed without breaking a sweat. At the Tokyo Metropolitan Gym Table, the India duo lost 0-4 — 8-11, 6-11, 5-11, 4-11 in just 27 minutes.
Lin Yun Ju, the 19-year-old who is a global superstar and is being keenly observed by opponents, demonstrated his class by smashing winners at will. His quickness was something the Indian duo couldn't match.
India, on the other hand, gave up as many as 27 points on their own serve, which they suffered for against the highly regarded Chinese Taipei squad. Sharath Kamal and Manika Batra got off to a good start in the first game, taking a 5-2 lead, but that was the last time they had the upper hand during the 27-minute match. The final game appeared to be a formality as the Chinese Taipei team sped to victory.
After her personal coach was denied on-court access, India's table tennis star Manika Batra refused to listen to national coach Soumyadeep Roy in her first match at the Tokyo Olympics on Saturday. 62nd in the world, Manika won the match 4-0 against Britain's 94th-ranked Tin-Tin Ho, but no one was in the coach's corner, which drew a lot of attention on social media. Sanmay Paranjape, Manika's personal coach, due to some reason was not permitted to stay at the Games Village with the national squad.
He's staying at a hotel and only has access to the gym for training. The 26-year-old had requested that Paranajpe's credentials be improved so that he could be courtside for her matches, but Manika's request for field-of-play access to her coach was denied by the organisers, according to team leader M P Singh, who is also a TTFI advisor and is in Tokyo.
"After her request for on-court access for her personal coach was denied, she refused to be coached by our national coach. I had to intervene in the matter but she also refused me to take Roy's advice during the match," Singh told PTI.
Roy, on the other hand, was spotted courtside during Sharath Kamal and Manika's round of 16 mixed doubles match. Roy was a member of the 2006 Commonwealth Games gold-winning men's squad and has long been a teammate of India's table tennis legend Sharath. Manika could not be reached for comment.
Now, coming up next Manika Batra will play against the, the world no. 32, M Pesotska from Ukraine at 12: p.m Indian standard time on 25th July .
Manika Batra defeated WR 32, M Pesotska of Ukraine and through to round 3
Manika Batra, a top Indian table tennis player, stunned world number 32 Margaryta Pesotska to go to the third round of the women's singles event at the Tokyo Olympics on Sunday.
After dropping the first two games, the world number 62 from India came back to win 4-11, 4-11, 11-7, 12-10, 8-11, 11-5, 11-7 in a 57-minute second-round match against her Ukrainian opponent. What an incredible comeback she made to enter the third round. Now, coming up next tomorrow Manika will face on the Austrian player, P Sofia, who is world rank 16 currently, which will be tough fight for her.
Indian Pugilist Vikas Krishan Yadav, crashes out of Tokyo Olympics
After struggling with a shoulder injury in the first round, Indian boxer Vikas Krishan (69kg) was out-punched 0-5 and left with a wounded eye by local favourite Sewonrets Quincy Mensah Okazawa as he bowed out of the Olympics here on Saturday.
In the high-voltage brawl, the 29-year-old, Vikas received a cut below his left eye.
During the last sparring session in Italy (before the team left for Tokyo), he injured his shoulder. He got treatment and we had hoped that he would be fine, he started without problem.
India''s High Performance Director Santiago Nieva stated PTI referring to the team''s pre-Olympic training stint in Italy.
"But when he attempted a jab at Okazawa''s body, he hurt the shoulder again and could not use his left hand properly. He fought with one hand today," the Swede added.
On the day, Vikas Yadav was the lone Indian boxer in action. Last year, he defeated Okazawa in the Asian Olympic qualifiers.
M C Mary Kom (51kg), a six-time world champion, and Commonwealth Games silver medalist Manish Kaushik will battle in their first bouts on Sunday.
News Source Credits: PTI