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Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday urged the countrymen to cheer for the athletes as they aim to make India proud in the upcoming Paris Olympics, which start from July 26 onwards.
Team India will once again take to the field in the multi-sport extravaganza starting from July 26 and concluding on August 11. India will look to outdo its tally of seven medals from 2020 Tokyo Olympics, which included a gold, two silver and four bronze medals. In his monthly radio programme Mann ki Baat, PM Modi said, "My dear countrymen, by this time next month, the Paris Olympics would have begun. I am sure that all of you would also be waiting to cheer for the Indian sportspersons in these Olympic Games. I wish the Indian team the very best for the Olympic Games. The memories of the Tokyo Olympics are still fresh in our minds." He said that the performances of Tokyo won the hearts of the country and following a landmark performance, various players started their mission Paris 2024 by preparing hard for the competition and taking part in overall nine hundred different events across the world. "The performance of our players in Tokyo had won the heart of every Indian. Right after the Tokyo Olympics, our athletes were whole-heartedly engaged in the preparations for the Paris Olympics. If we take all the players together, then all of them have participated in nearly nine hundred international competitions. This is a very big number," said PM Modi. PM Modi said that there will be some firsts in the Olympics this time, saying, "Friends, in the Paris Olympics, you will get to witness certain things for the first time. In shooting, the talent of our players is coming to the fore. Both men's and women's teams have qualified in table tennis. Our shooter daughters are also part of the Indian shotgun team. This time, members of our team will compete in wrestling and horse riding in those categories as well, in which they had never participated before." "From this, you can make out that this time we will see a different level of excitement in sports. You might remember... a few months ago, we displayed our best performance in the World Para Athletics Championship. Our players have also won glorious laurels in chess and badminton. Now the whole country is hoping that our players perform well in the Olympics as well... win medals in these games and also win the hearts of the countrymen. In the coming days, I will also get an opportunity to meet the Indian team. I will encourage them on your behalf. And yes, this time our hashtag is #Cheer4Bharat." "Through this hashtag, we have to cheer our players... keep encouraging them. So keep up the momentum... this momentum of yours will help in showing the magic of India to the world," he concluded. This year has witnessed Indian sportspersons win some big laurels for the country. India secured its best-ever medal tally in World Para Athletics Championships in May held at Japan, with 17 medals, including six gold, five silver and six bronze medals. The 17-year-old chess sensation created history in April as he won the FIDE Candidates Chess Tournament 2024, becoming the youngest-ever challenger to the world title held by Ding Liren after an exciting final round in Toronto. (ANI)
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