 Agencies
NEW DELHI, Jan 18: Claiming to be wiser from past experiences, the Indian Olympic Association on Thursday unveiled a slew of measures to ensure "comfort" of its athletes at the upcoming Paris Games, promising that they would not face the stress of logistical challenges during the big event.
The measures include lodging athletes, specifically golfers, close to their competition venue, installing rehab equipment specific to the needs of Indian athletes at the Games village and engaging experts to ensure mental wellbeing of those bound for Paris.
"Learning from past experiences and taking athlete comfort into consideration, the IOA is implementing strategic measures to ensure that the athletes are at their peak performance during the prestigious event," the IOA said in a statement.
So far, 49 Indian athletes, including 17 shooters and the men's hockey squad, have qualified for the July-August Games. The number would go up in the coming months and expectations would be high after the stupendous performance in Tokyo where India won seven medals, including a first ever gold in athletics through javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra.
The IOA said the golfers would not be required to travel too far to get to the course, a hassle that they endured in Tokyo where they were lodged in the Games village, a good 75km from the competition venue. Aditi Ashok, who missed a medal and finished fourth, had cited this as one of the major challenges during her campaign.
"Unlike the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, where Indian golfers faced the unique challenge of daily travel exceeding one hour to reach the golf venue...The Indian golf team will be accommodated in a hotel in close proximity to the golf venue...," the IOA said.
The IOA said this is being done to alleviate the stress of daily travel and allow athletes to focus entirely on their game.
In addition to this, the body said it is engaging with experts in mental wellness and sleep therapy to provide "comprehensive support" to the Indian team.
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