A few of the medal winners from the Tokyo Olympics - including boxer Lovlina Borgohain - are expected to be present at the Wankhede Stadium on Saturday as the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) plans to felicitate them ahead of the Indian Premier League opener.
In August last year, the BCCI secretary Jay Shah had stated that the Board would hand cash rewards to all the medal winners of the Tokyo Games. In a tweet, Shah had also announced that Neeraj Chopra, India's first-ever gold medal winner in athletics will get Rs. 1 crore from the Board, while Rs 50 lakh each would be handed to silver medallists - weightlifter Mirabai Chanu and wrestler Ravi Kumar Dahiya.
The bronze medallists - wrestler Bajrang Punia, boxer Lovlina and shuttler P V Sindhu - were promised Rs 25 lakh each. The men's hockey team that won its first Olympic medal in 41 years was to get Rs 1.25 crore.
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While the initial plan was to felicitate all the medal winners, most of the athletes are currently training abroad or are busy with international commitments.
The Board has now decided to invite the available medal winners and felicitate them before kicking off the 15th edition of the IPL. “A couple of Tokyo medallists will be there for the event,” a source in the Board said, without revealing the names.
Sources close to the athletes confirmed that they have been invited by the BCCI for the event and the ones who are in the country will be present to receive the award.
There will not be any opening ceremony due to the COVID-19 situation.
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