Express yourself in Paris: Kapil Dev's advise to Olympics-bound Indian athletes

NEW DELHI: Former India skipper Kapil Dev, on Wednesday, advised Olympic-bound Indian athletes to express themselves fearlessly at the mega-event starting July 26 and hoped that the country would hit double digit mark on the medals tally.

India will be represented by a strong 117-member athlete contingent in Paris and the country hopes to better seven-medal count it logged in Tokyo.

"I can't really say for anybody but I can just wish them all the luck and hope we should win more medals this year and that's important," Kapil, who is also the president of Professional Golf Tour of India (PGTI) said here on the sidelines of the launch of second edition of the Trinity Golf Champions League (TGCL).

"My advise to all (Indian athletes) would be to go and express yourself. I cross my finger and why not if we believe it (double digit medal haul) will happen."

Kapil, however, refrained from commenting on Indian cricket and newly-appointed head coach Gautam Gambhir.

"If Gautam Gambhir is taking that position (of head coach of Indian cricket team), I wish good luck to him and the team. I hope they do better than what we have done previously. I want to wish the Indian players all the best."

Kapil, who played a lot of amateur event back in the day, hoped that the sport will continue to grow in the country.

"When I started playing cricket, I never thought golf will reach this height. I hope to see golf reaching the heights of cricket one day," he said.

"We just need good sponsors to promote the game. Without sponsors nothing is possible. In 5 years time we should reach there," added Kapil, who is the ambassador of TGCL and also plays in the league.

Buoyed by the resounding success of the inaugural season last year, which featured four teams, TGCL this year will feature eight teams -- seven from India and one from Sri Lanka. The event will be held in Bengaluru from September 2 to 7.

The league is a IPL kind of a venture and will be played in the Ryder Cup format with 20 players in each team, which includes professional, celebrity and amateur golfers playing together.

The winning team will be richer by Rs 30 lakh, while second and third placed sides will get Rs 15 and Rs 10 lakh respectively.

"It's a unique concept, never seen something like this. I hope the prize money for the winners of TGCL will one million dollars in the next five years," Kapil said.

The eight teams participating in this year's TGCL are debutants Wave Riders,

Mumbai Warriors, Chandigarh Titans, Chennai Hustlers, Dakshin Rangers, Lahari Lions,

Golfism and Colombo Lions.