Olympic Task Force submits final report to government

New Delhi: The Olympic Task Force (OTF), which was formed to bring about an action plan to improve to enhance India's performance in the upcoming Olympics, submitted their final report to the government on Friday.

The eight-member panel, which also includes former badminton ace and presently the national coach, Pullela Gopichand and former Indian hockey team captain, Viren Rasquinha, on Friday met the Union Sports Secretary Injeti Srinivas to handed over the three-fold document. The Sports Authority of India, thus took to their official Twitter account to post pictures and tweet on the same.

The nation, last year, had sent her largest ever contingent of athletes down to Rio for the Olympics. 118 members of which 45 per cent of them were females. They had clinched six medals at the London Olympics in 2012, ergo the target was 12. But all India could return with was just two – a bronze and a silver. Courtesy to PV Sindhu, who became the first Indian female to clinch a silver medal at Olympics, while wrestler Sakshi Malik bagged the bronze through the repechage. Young gymnast Dipa Karmakar too was the highlight of the event, who had missed the medal by only a whisker.

Criticisms showered over as India' poor showdown at Rio revealed dismal training facilities. Soon Prime Minister Narendra Modi set up the OTF to draw an action plan to improve India's performance in 2020, 2024 and 2028 Olympics. Finally, on Friday, the panel submitted the report, which keeps in mind the athlete-centric, coach-led and system-driven approach. It is believed that the report brings forth all the issues not just in preparation for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, but its lays a foundation for the long-term athlete development that the nation requires going for the next two Olympics too.

Olympic Task Force (OTF) met Union #Sports Secretary, Sh. Injeti Srinivas, IAS today and submitted it's final report to the Government 1/3 pic.twitter.com/xR0D2dAgCA

— SAIMedia (@Media_SAI) August 11, 2017

in "Preparation of 2020 #Tokyo @Olympics & @paralympicgames " keeping in mind the athlete-centric, coach-led and system-driven approach 2/3 pic.twitter.com/RszKxsftNW — SAIMedia (@Media_SAI) August 11, 2017

as it lays the foundation of the Long-Term Athlete Development that is needed for #India to win beyond #Tokyo. #Tokyo2020 #SAI 3/3 — SAIMedia (@Media_SAI) August 11, 2017

The most important recommendations among them were – to form an 'Empowered Steering Committee' for Tokyo 2020, the initiation of 'Pradhan Mantri Gold Card' so that athletes and their coaches can avail emergency quotas in booking travel tickets and of course, to start the 24-hour National Anti-Doping Agency helpline to cater to the knowledge of the athletes as to what is legal to use.