Rajnath Singh to felicitate Neeraj Chopra, other armed forces personnel who participated in Tokyo Olympics

Neeraj Chopra during a felicitation ceremony in New Delhi on August 9 (PTI Photo)

New Delhi: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Monday (August 23, 2021) will felicitate gold medallist javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra and other armed forces personnel who participated in the Tokyo Olympics 2020. The Ministry of Defence informed that the felicitation ceremony will take place at the Army Sports Institute (ASI) in Pune.

Rajnath Singh will also interact with the sportsmen of ASI and troops during his visit. He will be accompanied by Chief of the Army Staff General MM Naravane and General Officer Commanding-in-Chief of the Southern Command Lieutenant General JS Nain.

"Indian Army has always been the backbone of Indian sports - from Major Dhyan Chand to Subedar Neeraj Chopra who etched their names in golden letters in the history of Indian sports. The Indian Army's 'Mission Olympics' programme was launched in 2001 as a Key Responsibility Area to raise the standard of sports with the intent to win medals in international events, including Olympics," the Ministry of Defence said.

This is to be noted that ASI Pune is a world-class sports institute of the Indian Army and has reportedly produced 34 Olympians, 22 Commonwealth Games medalists, 21 Asian Games medalists, six Youth Games medalists and 13 Arjuna Awardees.