After Neeraj Chopra became the second Indian ever to win an individual gold medal at Tokyo Olympics, a video of Prime Minister Narendra Modi suggesting that Indian Army personnel must be trained for such events is being widely shared on social media.
PM Modi's video has gone viral after 23-year-old Neeraj Chopra, who is a subedar with the army, won the first gold medal in track and field in the Olympics on Saturday. He threw a distance of 87.58m in the javelin throw event to win the gold medal.
In the video, PM Modi who was then the chief minister of Gujarat, is heard lamenting the fact that despite India’s vast population, the country has struggled to win medals in the Olympics. The Prime Minister, while addressing the students of Fergusson College in Pune, pitched that newly recruited army personnel interested in sports can be trained for the Olympics.
{{/usCountry}}In the video, PM Modi who was then the chief minister of Gujarat, is heard lamenting the fact that despite India’s vast population, the country has struggled to win medals in the Olympics. The Prime Minister, while addressing the students of Fergusson College in Pune, pitched that newly recruited army personnel interested in sports can be trained for the Olympics.
{{/usCountry}}“Can a nation of 1.2 billion people not win gold in the Olympics? People often heard lamenting and asking this question every four years when the Games are played. I understand there are issues but have we taken any initiative to link (sports) to our education system? Have we given enough opportunities to our youth?” PM Modi asked the audience.
“If only people in the army were given this duty, the newly recruited ones who are interested in sports if trained well can bring 5-10 medals easily,” he added. The video can also be found on PM Modi’s official YouTube channel.
Social media users also referred to this video citing the Indian Army’s Mission Olympics Wing behind the success of the Indian contingent at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. Chopra enrolled with the 4 Rajputana Rifles as a direct entry naib subedar, the army has said. Neeraj Chopra was selected for training at Pune's Mission Olympics Wing and Army Sports Institute soon after he joined the army.
The Mission Olympics Wing initiative by the Indian Army to identify and train elite sportsmen in 11 selected disciplines at five Mission Olympics Nodes to excel in various national and international competitions.