Batra: ‘India should aim for ‘double-digit’ medals in Tokyo’

The IOA president feels that a good show will help the nation gain public support in its bid to host the 2032 Summer Games.

Narinder Batra also gave a thumbs up on the politicians heading NSFs, saying that it’s good for Indian sports. (File Photo)

Indian Olympic Association (IOA) President Narinder Batra on Saturday said that the country should aim to win “double-digit” medals at the Tokyo Olympics and around 40 at the 2024 games in Paris.

The IOA president feels that a good show will help them gain public support in its bid to host the 2032 Summer Games. Batra had recently told the International Olympic Committee (IOC) chief Thomas Bach — when he visited the country in April — that India would bid for 2032 Olympics, 2026 Youth Olympics and 2030 Asian Games.

“Our target should be to win medals in double digits in 2020 Tokyo Olympics and around 40 medals at the 2024 Paris Olympics. This we need as we want to bid for 2032 Olympics. It is difficult to win public support (to bid for Olympics) if we do not do well and win medals in the Olympics itself,” Batra said.

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“We have to plan for 2020 and 2024 Olympics and we have to find the talent in the country. We have to do this together with the national federations as well as the government. We have to work with the government as they are having schemes like Target Olympic Podium Scheme,” he said at a felicitation function of the badminton players, who have won medals at the recent Commonwealth Games (CWG).

He also gave a thumbs up on the politicians heading National Sports Federations (NSFs), saying that it’s good for Indian sports. “60 out of the 66 medals India won in the CWG were by players from NSFs being headed by politicians. Badminton, table tennis, wrestling, weightlifting, shooting to name a few are headed by politicians and they are giving medals to the country,” said the IOA chief. “Politicians heading NSFs are not bad, but they are actually good for Indian sports,” he added.