Tokyo 2020: When first batch of Indian athletes will depart for Olympics?

Bengaluru, July 4: In just under a fortnight, the Tokyo 2020 is finally set to take place after a year's coronavirus enforced delay and with the pandemic still on there are many restrictions in place for the Olympic event.

The games begin on July 23 and go on till August 8, but when do athletes from different counrty, especially India, who are sending more than a 100 to Tokyo for the Olympics?

While Indian Olympic Association Secretary General Rajeev Mehta on Saturday (July 3) said first batch of the country's Tokyo-bound Olympic athletes will leave by an Air India chartered flight on July 14, the IOA president Narinder Batra said on Sunday (July 4), the first batch will be sent on July 17.

Mehta also revealed when the rest of the contingent will travel and about the quarantine rules once the athletes and officials reach Tokyo.

"We will have three days of quarantine. The day of arrival is termed as the zero day. After quarantine, we can move around," the IOA official said at an event organised by the YOUTHINK Foundation and Sunshine Senior Secondary School.

"The first batch of the Indian contingent, comprising athletes and officials, for the Olympics will leave in an Air India chartered flight on July 14. The rest of the officials will travel between July 16 and 19," Mehta was quoted as saying in a press release.

"...(but) Team India is all set for the Games, with 115 athletes achieving qualification so far in 18 sports, including a historical first in fencing," he said.

The rocky road to the Olympics

Meanwhile, Batra, who said the first batch will travel on 17th July, further added that the IOA are trying to send them two days earlier to ease the quarantine and training issues.

"As of now our plan is to send the first batch of athletes from India to Tokyo on July 17th but we are trying to send them a couple of days before so that quarantine and training issues will be sorted out. We are in touch with the concerned authorities in Tokyo to get it sorted," Batra was quoted as saying by ANI.

"Our government is supporting us in every way and we are hopeful that everything will be sorted out soon," he said.

So, going by the above reports and quotes, the first batch of the Indian athletes are set to leave for Tokyo in the middle of July at least a week before the Olympic games.

(With Agency inputs)