Vinayak Padmadeo

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, June 11

As the Indian athletes’ preparations for the Tokyo Olympics enter the final stretch, the Sports Ministry and the Sports Authority of India (SAI) are working overtime to ensure that there are no last-minute setbacks.

The Ministry and SAI have told the National Sports Federations to ensure the Tokyo-bound athletes who are training abroad — and especially the medal hopefuls — are sent directly to Japan from their foreign training bases.

“It is relatively safer for them to travel directly to Tokyo from wherever they are training, so we are encouraging all the federations to plan accordingly,” SAI director general Sandip Pradhan told The Tribune.

“We had a few athletes who wanted to come back to get their paperwork in order but we have told them to not bother with those things as we can get it (paperwork) serviced for them,” he added.

Weightlifter Mirabai Chanu — who is training in St Louis in the USA — and wrestler Vinesh Phogat, who is currently in Warsaw, wanted to return to India before heading to Tokyo.

Besides, SAI got Vinesh vaccinated last Saturday, using the good offices of the External Affairs Ministry. SAI is also trying to extend the stay of skeet shooters Mairaj Ahmad Khan and Angad Vir Singh Bajwa in Italy. Their visas are set to expire on July 6 and SAI is in touch with the External Affairs Ministry to get their stay extended so that the duo can fly to Tokyo directly from Italy.

The SAI chief also informed that he has spoken to Hockey India officials to send the teams out of the country as well.

The plan to send medal prospects directly to Tokyo may also work in the athletes’ favour as travelling from a foreign country may exempt them from hard quarantine measures that the Olympics organisers may impose on countries — such as India — that are going through a strong Covid wave.

Spare rooms for sick

SAI and the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) have drawn a contingency plan for any athlete who catches the virus during the Olympics. IOA has booked rooms to accommodate its officials and support staff who cannot be accommodated in the Games Village. A few rooms will be designated for Indian athletes who are diagnosed as asymptomatic. The Sports Ministry would be footing the additional bill. “If any of our athletes are asymptomatic, they can be put in quarantine in those rooms. Of course everything will be done as per Japan’s health protocol,” a source said.