Soon you may find some of the Tokyo Olympians and Paralympians in schools near you. The Tokyo Olympians and Paralympians will soon start visiting schools all over the country.
Earlier, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had requested all the Tokyo Olympians and Paralympians to visit at least 75 schools each to inspire the students.
The Sports Authority of India (SAI) and Ministry of Education are now working on tying up to run this mega plan as a ‘Meet the Champions’ programme over the next two years. The school visits by the Olympians and Paralympians would begin from January next year.
News18 exclusively reported the latest development.
To kickstart the programme, a mega event is being planned in December at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi Stadium with the Minister for Youth Affairs and Sports Anurag Thakur and the Minister of Education Dharmendra Pradhan in attendance, along with 1,000 school students and prominent Tokyo Olympians and Paralympians.
The event will be clubbed with ‘Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav’. It is an initiative of the Government of India to “celebrate and commemorate 75 years of progressive India and the glorious history of its people, culture and achievements.”
The Ministry of Culture notes “Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav is an embodiment of all that is progressive about India’s socio-cultural, political and economic identity. The official journey of “Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav” commences on 12th March, 2021 which starts a 75-week countdown to our 75th anniversary of Independence and will end post a year on 15th August, 2023.”
The Indian Olympians secured seven medals (One Gold, Two Silver and Four Bronze) for the country in the just concluded Tokyo games, highest ever tally in an Olympic.
Similarly, the Indian Paralympians secured 19 medals (Five Gold, Eight Silver and Six Bronze) for the country in the just concluded Tokyo Paralympics, highest ever tally an a Paralympic.
Neeraj Chopra, who won Gold in Javelin throw in the Tokyo Olympics, became the first Indian to win Gold in a track and field event in Olympics.
