Howrah Bridge lit up
Kolkata's iconic Howrah Bridge was on Monday lit up in Olympic clours in a bid to boost the morale of the Indian contingent who will begin their quest for a medal at the Tokyo Olympics which will begin on July 23.
The video was shared on Twitter by the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways wishing all the Indian athletes the best of luck for the impending Olympics.
"Celebrating the Sporting spirit at the greatest sporting arena, Take a glimpse of the dazzling and radiant Howrah Bridge immersed in the colours of #Olympics wishes the Indian Contingent a grand success at #TokyoOlympics," the post read.
Meanwhile, Indian athletes, including the boxers and shooters, hit the ground running as they started their pre-Olympic training, hoping to live up to massive expectations in the pandemic-hit Games.
The Indian shooters also underwent their first training session at the Asaka Shooting Range, getting a feel of the venue four days before the Olympics opens. While shuttler Sindhu and Praneeth trained with singles coach Park Tae Sang, the men's doubles pair of Chirag Shetty and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy hit the courts along with their coach Mathias Boe.
The sailors, including V Sarvanan, the first to reach Tokyo, had already started their training on Sunday.
The first batch of Indian athletes arrived on Sunday morning and checked in to the Games village after fulfilling the COVID-19 related protocol requirements.
As per the protocols laid down by the Organising committee, athletes arriving from India were required to undergo three-day mandatory quarantine upon reaching Tokyo which was later lifted, much to the relief of the country's athletes.
On reaching the Games Village after clearing their COVID tests at the airprot and receiving their PVC cards, the Indian athletes were allowed to use the common areas, including gymnasium and dinning hall.
After one year's delay, the Tokyo Olympics will finally be held under emergency conditions with no spectators because of the raging COVID-19 pandemic in the country.
(with PTI inputs)
