India at Tokyo Olympics 2020: 4 Indian controversies that happened in the build-up to Games

By Godwin Mathew
Modified Jul 22, 2021 12:01 GMT
Rohan Bopanna will not be playing at the Tokyo Olympics
Rohan Bopanna will not be playing at the Tokyo Olympics

India at Tokyo Olympics 2020 will be all set to begin its campaign on July 23. 119 athletes will be participating in 18 sports to win a medal for the country. The road to Tokyo has not been easy. Many athletes have faced a lot of problems before making their cut to the Olympics. Here are a few controversies that happened in the build-up to the Tokyo Olympics.

Also Read: Everything you need to know about the tennis event at the Olympics

# 1 Rohan Bopanna vs AITA

This is one of the most recent controversies to break out before the Tokyo Olympics. Once again it is surrounding AITA and its handling of players. Most recently, Rohan Bopanna came out and said that he was misled by the AITA general secretary about his participation in the Olympics.

According to the ITF, the only Indian doubles pair that could possibly make it to the games was the duo of Rohan Bopanna-Divij Sharma. But the Indian tennis ace claims he was assured by Secretary Anil Dhupar that he and Sumit Nagal had a better shot at the Olympics. Unfortunately, Bopanna's pairing with either of them would not pan out well. The only way any Indian men's doubles pair could qualify was if there were multiple withdrawals.

Nagal, who recently qualified for the Olympics, will be playing in the Men's Singles event. He will face off against Uzbekistan's Dennis Istomin in the first round.

# 2 Seema Punia vs Kamalpreet Kaur

Seema Punia has been one of India's best track and field athletes. The veteran will be heading into her fourth Olympic campaign. Seema's national record was broken by Kamalpreet Kaur after she executed a throw of 65.06 meters in March. She bettered that with another stunning throw of 66.59 meters at the Indian Grand Prix 4 in Patiala.

Watching all of this, Seema Punia questioned Kamalpreet's quick improvement. She demanded a hyperandrogenism test on Kamalpreet because she believed that such an improvement was not possible within such a short period of time.

Also Read: Complete list of Indian athletes qualified for Tokyo Olympics 2020

# 3 India drops Li-Ning as its official kit partner

India recently canceled its sponsorship with Li-Ning, their Chinese kit partner. Chinese companies have faced numerous bans and backlash in the Indian market since the death of 20 Indian soldiers in the India-China border issue last year.

The deal was called off just two months before the start of the Olympics. Since then, the Indian contingent has been receiving many sponsorship deals. MPL Sports Foundation will be the main sponsor for the team. The sponsorship covers the Tokyo Olympics, Asian Games and the Commonwealth games to be held next year.

Speaking to Reuters about the sponsorship deals, IOA President Narinder Batra said:

"We have been negotiating with different firms not just for Tokyo, but also for the future events."

The world's richest cricket board, the BCCI, has also offered 10 crore to support Indian athletes ahead of the Tokyo Olympics.

# 4 Manika Batra wants venue access for her coach at the Olympics

India's star paddler has demanded that her personal coach Sanmay Paranjape be given venue access during the games. As of now, Sanjay can only visit her during the pre-game training sessions. He traveled with Batra as an 'extra official' and was only given a 'P' category accreditation. Only members with the P-TAP [Personal - Training Assist Programme] are given venue access to the field of play. According to sources, Sanmay should be getting venue access as the IOA has already spoken with the organizers to grant him accreditation.

Check Out: Tokyo Olympics 2021 Schedule