With the Olympics just round the corner, the pressure to make an impression is mounting. The Olympics are the most important sporting event. Without a doubt, every athlete’s desire is to compete in these games at least once. Getting qualified is the first step toward realising that desire, and it is, without a doubt, one of the foundational steps.

This is a dream shared by all athletes around the world, and it is also a dream shared by Indian athletes. Every Olympics season, roughly 110-120 players from all over India qualify. Qualifying is a significant accomplishment, but it means nothing until you leave a lasting impression on the show grounds. If you do not do well during the event, you will most likely be lost among the 120 qualifying candidates. By performing well, I do not imply that the player must defeat all opponents and win. No, in my opinion, that is not the definition of improved performance.

When I say “perform well,” I’m referring to improving an individual’s performance. They are outscoring themselves. Competing against their prior greatest efforts and surpassing all of their previous selves. This may or may not result in victory; there is no guarantee, but it will undoubtedly demonstrate how much you appreciate the battlegrounds and the opportunity you have been given.

Every qualifying player must demonstrate true sportsmanship, which the nation admires and wishes to see. The Olympics is a massive platform, and as a result, the nation’s hopes are big as well. If you are one of the 120 qualified candidates picked from a population of crores, you are unquestionably the most deserving, and you are the ones bearing the nation’s hopes and dreams on your shoulders. The only way to do credit to the opportunity you’ve been given is to give it everything you’ve got and show everyone that you were the best choice and that you deserve to be recognised, whether before or after the games.

It’s pointless to just qualify if your performance is not fantastic; no one will recognise you and you’ll be forgotten in no time. All you have to do is provide something to look up to for your followers and yourself. Something that, over and over again leads to additional qualifications because, at the end of the day, it’s all about becoming the best version of yourself and leaving a legacy. We must remember that whatever qualification score brought us to this stage must be surpassed in order to prove our value during the event.

This is the main vision that will propel us forward in the public view. Regardless of how many Olympics the country has witnessed, only about 10-15 competitors have left an indelible mark on future generations. This is the direct effect of their outstanding performance. One thing that athletes should remember is that we need spectacular performances, not just high qualifying numbers. If the athlete’s performance is spectacular, he or she may even prove to be a medal contender for the country and receive a lot of praise, but it all depends on the performance. This year, I’m hoping to see some ground-breaking performances. Allow the world to remember India through the Olympics. Wishing everyone well, let us drink up the Olympic spirit and enjoy the games.

The writer is a philanthropist, sports promoter and entrepreneur who runs several NGOs and organisations.

UPPSALA: Tokyo-bound javelin thrower from India, Neeraj Chopra is “ready” to showcase his skills in the upcoming Olympic Games and he is hoping to bank on the recent experience of playing in the international tournaments to give his best shot in the quadrennial event. The 23-year-old, however, has skipped the upcoming Diamond League event in London as he feels the remaining time should be invested in training for the Tokyo Olympics. “We do not have UK Visa and it is difficult to get a UK Visa here at this particular time. This time is more important for training for the Olympics. Hence, I cannot waste my time anywhere else,” said Chopra.

“After Olympics, there are two more Diamond leagues, so I can participate in those tournaments after Olympics also. And the Kuortane Games were good for me, so I thought of skipping the upcoming Diamond League,” he added.In June’s last week, Chopra won the bronze medal at the Kuortane Games in Finland. His 86.79m throw helped him finish behind world number one and 2017 world champion Johannes Vetter of Germany and London 2012 gold medallist Keshorn Walcott of Trinidad and Tobago.

Chopra came into the Kuortane meet on the back of back-to-back gold medals in Europe. His first was at the Meeting Cidade de Lisboa in Portugal with an 83.18m throw and the second at the Karlstad leg of the Folksam Grand Prix in Sweden. “I have a little more than three weeks of time and the competition in which I participate was necessary for me ahead of the Tokyo Olympics. Moreover, I will have the same opponents in the Olympics also, so it was nice for me to get into the groove with international tournaments experience,” Chopra responded to a query.

The Athletics Federation of India (AFI) has recommended Neeraj Chopra’s name for the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award. Having already been nominated thrice on the previous occasion, Chopra feels he needs to outperform in the upcoming Tokyo Olympics to win the award this time. “I have been nominated for Khel Ratna earlier also but I did not win. I feel I have to bring out my A-game to bag Khel Ratna award,” he told.

Talking about Tokyo Olympics, Chopra said, “I feel the D-day will decide as it only matters how you perform on the day of the competition. There are throwers who have a better record than me but then what matters is how we perform on the given date. “The way is my training is going on, I am ready for the Olympics but then it again depends on how that particular day goes, I will give my best and bring a medal for the country,” he added. 

Angel Di Maria might have scored a goal in the Copa America final but all eyes were on Lionel Messi as the legend ended the drought of the first major international title with Argentina.

He might not have scored in the finals of Copa America but Messi was in red hot form in the ongoing tournament having scored the joint highest four goals in Copa America 2021. Argentina clinched the Copa America final for the first time since 1993, registering a 1-0 win over Brazil at the Maracana on Saturday. Messi was seven years old when Argentina last lifted the coveted Copa America trophy. Maria’s strike in the tournament’s final gave Messi or his fans the much-needed relief.

Whenever the debate erupted between Messi or any other big player, football pundits always highlighted how the Argentina captain wasn’t able to reap rewards at the big stage. Messi had won everything at the club level, both in personal and team capacity, but missed a major title with Argentina apart from a 2008 gold medal in the Olympics.

For now there won’t be people questioning Messi’s legacy as he has finally won his first trophy with national team. The ‘icon’ Messi would only want Argentina to take the carry forward the momentum to the FIFA World Cup in 2022. Messi and Neymar were also named as the two best players of the tournament just before their teams locked horns in the final. The Barcelona star had five assists in six games to his name before the summit clash kicked off.

World number one Serbian tennis player Novak Djokovic on Sunday won his sixth Wimbledon title.

With this win, Djokovic now has 20 Grand Slams to his name and he is now equal with Swiss tennis maestro Roger Federer and Spanish player Rafael Nadal. With this win, Djokovic has won three Grand Slams this year — the Australian Open, French Open and now the Wimbledon. The top-seed would now look to end the year on a high by winning the last Grand Slam — the US Open.

In the finals of Wimbledon 2021, Djokovic defeated Italy’s Matteo Berrettini 6-7, 6-4, 6-4, 6-3 here at the Centre Court. The entire match lasted for three hours and 24 minutes.

In the final, the first set between Djokovic and Berrettini went back and forth and it stood level at 6-6 with neither one of them looking to give away an inch. In the end, the Italian Berrettini went on to win first set 7-6.

The 34-year-old Djokovic made a strong comeback in the second set, winning it 6-4. As a result, the match was set to at least go to the fourth set.

Carrying his momentum forward, Djokovic won the third set 6-4 and he was just one more set away from capturing his sixth Wimbledon title.

The Serbian did not waste any time and he did not let the opportunity go, and as a result, he won the fourth set and as a result, he won the match.

Ashleigh Barty on Saturday crowned the Wimbledon women’s champion after she defeated Karolina Pliskova in the summit clash. This was the first Wimbledon win for Barty and her second Grand Slam win.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will interact with the Tokyo Olympics-bound athletes virtually on July 13 at 5 pm.

The Prime Minister will motivate the athletes ahead of their participation in the showpiece event. According to an official statement, more than 115 Indian athletes have qualified so far for Tokyo Olympics which will begin on July 23 and will run up to August 8 this year. The Games were slated to be held last year, but the event was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

On Thursday, it was announced that the upcoming Tokyo Olympics will be held without spectators as there was a sudden spike in COVID-19 cases in the region. The decision of barring spectators was agreed on at a meeting attended by International Olympic Committee chief Thomas Bach and representatives of the four bodies, the organizing committee, the International Paralympic Committee, as well as the Japanese and Tokyo metropolitan governments.

Earlier, Japan Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga made a decision to place Tokyo under the fourth state of emergency for the duration of the upcoming Olympics to curb a recent rise in COVID-19 cases. In the 2016 Rio Olympics, 117 Indian athletes had qualified but could not better the medals haul from the 2012 London Games, which remains India’s highest medal tally at a single Olympic Games — six medals. Indian athletes would be hoping to break that threshold in Tokyo.

The upcoming ODI series between India and Sri Lanka is set to be rescheduled after hosts’ team analyst GT Niroshan and batting coach Grant Flower tested positive for Covid-19.

The Shikhar Dhawan-led Indian side was slated to lock horns in the ODI series scheduled to begin on Tuesday but due to the recent cases in the Sri Lanka camp, the tour is likely to start from July 17 or 18.“Yes, the series will be rescheduled. The exact dates will be formalised tomorrow as discussions are on between SLC and BCCI, but it is expected to start around the 17th or 18th. It is a precautionary measure,” sources in know of developments told.

When the Board of Control for Cricket in India president Sourav Ganguly was contacted, he said the upcoming series is likely to be postponed to July 17. “ODI series between India and Sri Lanka likely to be postponed to July 17, due to Covid cases in Sri Lanka camp,” Ganguly told. As per a report , both Niroshan and Flower have been infected with the Delta variant, which is more contagious.Sri Lanka squad was slated to come out of quarantine and enter a bio-bubble on Friday, but will now be forced to spend at least two more days in isolation.

Hence questions are being raised on whether Sri Lanka squad will be able to take the field for ODI series as the hosts board wants to extend the quarantine period of the players. SLC is set to roll out new dates for matches to BCC on Saturday.