Agenda Aaj Tak: Kiran Rijiju claims India will be in top 10 in 2028 Olympics

Sports Minister Kiran Rijiju has prepared a road map to give a big shape to India’s medal prospects in the Olympics, which is continuously being implemented.

Sports Minister Kiran Rijiju has prepared a road map to give a big shape to India’s medal prospects in the Olympics, which is continuously being implemented. On Monday, during Aaj Tak’s Aaj Tak Aaj Tak-2019, he claimed that India will be in the top 10 list of medal winners in the 2028 Olympics.

Kiran Rijiju clearly stated that there are no sports cultures in India. We do not see the emphasis that is needed in any sport other than cricket. He said, ‘When the medal comes … just celebrate.’ He said that it takes 8 to 10 years to prepare a player. In this context, we will be able to prepare our medal for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.

The Sports Minister said that the longing for a medal in a large country like India does not suit. We have issued guidelines and it is being implemented. The day is not far when India will emerge as a sporting powerhouse. He said that going to the Olympics is not just playing, a lot of things are responsible for that. Which we have to take steps to strengthen.

Kiran Rijiju said that if a player does not win the medal, no player becomes zero. We made a cash prize to encourage the players. The Khelo India scheme has to be delivered from village to village. Concrete steps are being taken to strengthen sports infrastructure

Rijiju said, ‘We are assessing the performance of our athletes under the Target Olympic Podium Scheme. We are at the halfway stage now, 61 players have qualified for Tokyo. India had a disappointing performance at the 2016 Rio Olympics. Then India had won only two medals.

On the medal prospects related to Tokyo Olympics-2020, Rijiju said that it is too early to say how many medals India will win. It can be estimated in April-May next year. He said, ‘Yes, it can be said that more medals will come than the 2012 London Olympics.’ Significantly, during the London Olympics, a total of 6 medals (2 silver, 4 bronze) came in India’s bag. Next year, the Tokyo Olympics will be played from 24 July to 9 August.