For the upcoming Tokyo Olympics 2021, the Indian contingent of javelin throwers including elites like Neeraj Chopra, Shivpal Singh, and Annu Rani will train at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar till the end of the month. The training will be led by coaches Uwe Hohn and Dr Klaus.
All of them arrived in Bhubaneswar on Thursday. Members including Rajinder Singh and Rohit Yadav will begin their training on Friday.
“We are here for the training camp and prior in 2017, I won gold here and have fond memories of the event and the city. We are a team of five athletes and we will commence our training in full swing. With our best efforts we are hoping to do well at the Olympics and bringing fame for the country”, shared Neeraj Chopra, the gold winner at the Asian Athletics Championships 2017.
“Kalinga Stadium that was recently upgraded as per FIFA standards, to host the FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup 2020, will host the Camp for the first time, and we are happy that the Athletic Federation of India chosen Bhubaneswar as the base for the elite Javelin Throw Group, to train for the upcoming Olympic event, This is an important stage and we will extend every support to the team”, said Secretary Sports, Odisha, Vishal K Dev.
Keeping in mind the safety of the players, a detailed Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) has been prepared for the resumption of the team training. The SOP is in strict adherence to the numerous COVID-19 protocols and guidelines. The shift of training from NIS, Patiala to Bhubaneswar comes due to the difficulty in training because of the severe cold conditions in Punjab.