"India should win medals in double digits at the Paris Olympics" - Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports Anurag Thakur

The Union Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports, Anurag Thakur expects India to win medals in double digits at the upcoming Paris Olympics 2024. In the previous edition at the Tokyo Olympics 2020, India managed to accumulate seven medals, with Neeraj Chopra returning with a gold medal.

With Anurag Thakur at the helm, there has been a rise in the budget for sports in the last few years. The huge investment has led to an improved performance across sports in the country.

Shedding light on the same, here’s what Anurag Thakur told PTI:

"India should win medals in double digits at the Paris Olympics. We have done enough preparation for it. India wish to host the Summer Olympics in 2036, we will bid for that.

"India have the money and the infrastructure to compete with top nations bidding for the Olympics. India is ambitious, India is aspirational and we are developing at a rapid rate," he further added.

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“Prime Minister has changed the outlook for sport in the country” - Anurag Thakur

Anurag Thakur also hailed India’s Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi’s vision of turning sports into a lucrative career option. It is worth noting that all the medal winners in all the Khelo India competitions are now eligible to apply for Government jobs.

"Today, people in India see a career in sport, the PM has changed the outlook for sport in the country. The budget in sports has been made three times it was earlier," Thakur concluded.

As many as 60 Indian athletes have earned qualification for the upcoming Paris Olympics 2024 thus far. The number is likely to rise in the coming days and fans could expect the nation to return with a better tally of medals than the last edition of the Games.

In its latest development, four Indian shooters, namely Esha Singh, Manu Bhaker, Anish Bhanwala, and Vijayveer Sidhu, have secured the Olympics quota in the 25m women’s and men’s pistol categories.