KOLKATA: Kolkata's iconic Howrah Bridge on Monday was illuminated to boost up the morale of the Indian contingent participating in the upcoming Tokyo Olympics.
Indian sportspersons will be participating in 18 disciplines viz., Archery, Athletics, Boxing, Badminton, Equestrian, Fencing, Golf, Gymnastics, Hockey, Judo, Rowing, Shooting, Sailing, Swimming, Table Tennis, Tennis, Weightlifting, and Wrestling.
A total of 127 athletes across 18 sports disciplines from India will feature in the Tokyo Olympics. This is the biggest-ever contingent India is sending to any Olympics. The 69 cumulative events across the 18 sport disciplines that India will participate in are also the highest ever for the country.
Meanwhile, shuttlers PV Sindhu and Sai Praneeth have begun training for the Olympics in Tokyo. Paddlers Sharath Kamal and Sathiyan Gnanasekaran also started their training and they were seen battling it out on the table tennis court.
Indian archers Atanu Das, Tarundeep Rai, Praveen Jadhav, and Deepika Kumari also kickstarted their training on Monday. Also, the flag bearer of Indian tennis contingent Sania Mirza and Ankita Raina are now headed to Tokyo for the upcoming Olympics.
The duo of Sania and Ankita was seen at the Hyderabad Airport on Monday, the Sports Authority of India (SAI) confirmed. Earlier this month, Sania Mirza and Ankita Raina were confirmed to represent India in women's doubles at the Tokyo 2020 after entries were officially announced.
Tokyo Olympics will run from July 23 to August 8. The mega event was slated to be held last year, but it had to be postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.