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Virat Kohli addressed Indian sports fans, asking them to support the 118-strong contingent headed to the Paris Olympics. read more
 "Virat Kohli wishes Paris Olympics bound athletes luck")
Virat Kohli had a message for the Indian population ahead of the 2024 Paris Olympics. Image: Screenshot
Virat Kohli has urged the nation to get behind the Paris Olympics-bound contingent, asking the fans to join him in supporting the athletes as “they inch closer to the podium with dogged determination” in the quadrennial showpiece starting July 26.
In a video posted on X, featuring some Paris-bound athletes like javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra and boxing hope Nishant Dev, Kohli said it is time for India to be recognised as a sporting powerhouse.
“There was a time when the world could only think of India as a land of snake charmers and elephants. Over time, that has changed. Today we are known to the world as the largest democracy, a global tech hub,” he said.
Thank you for your support, @imVkohli bhai. 🙏🇮🇳
— Neeraj Chopra (@Neeraj_chopra1) July 15, 2024“We are known for cricket and Bollywood, for start-up unicorns and as the fastest growing economy in the world. So, what is the next big thing for this great nation? Well, that will be more gold, more silver and more bronze,” he added.
He addressed Indian sports fans, asking them to support the 118-strong contingent, who would be aiming to better the country’s best ever performance of seven medals achieved three years ago in Tokyo.
“Our brothers and sisters are headed to Paris, hungry for medals. A billion of us will be watching them nervous and excited as our athletes set foot in the tracks and fields and courts and rings.
“Every neighbourhood, every corner of India will hear a chorus of voices chanting ‘India, India, India’. Join me in remembering their faces as they inch closer to the podium with the dogged determination of waving the Tiranga with pride. Jai Hind and good luck India,” Kohli, who is currently in London on a break after India’s T20 World Cup triumph in the West Indies last month, said in his monologue.
Most of the Indian competitors are putting the final touches to their preparations and will head to the French capital from their respective bases.
India’s medal hopes will rest on shooting, badminton, wrestling, and boxing aside from the expectations of a second successive podium finish from Chopra, who scripted history with his javelin throw gold in Tokyo.
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English (US) ·