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Mentally prepared to play without crowd: Sathiyan
Sathiyan Gnanasekaran, one of two Indian male paddlers to have qualified for the Tokyo Olympics, said that he would miss playing in front of thousands of spectators at the Games, adding that they provide the “extra energy” when the chips are down.
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Chennai
Last month, the organiser announced that a maximum of 10,000 local fans would be allowed at Olympic venues. But with COVID-19 cases rising in host nation Japan in recent times, there is little clarity on whether spectators would be allowed at the Tokyo Games.
“We will miss the crowd support. I would love to play in front of a crowd. I feel that it gives me extra energy when I am not at my best. But, we have got used to the new atmosphere. We have played some tournaments over the last year amidst the pandemic,” World No.38 Sathiyan said during a virtual interaction hosted by YOUTHINK Foundation and Sunshine Senior Secondary School on Saturday.
“Crowd does make a difference. It will be a mentally challenging experience to play in front of a few or no fans. But, I have been preparing for it. I am sure that 1.3 billion Indians will be behind us and cheering in front of the television,” added Sathiyan. Meanwhile, Sharath Kamal Achanta, India’s top-ranked table tennis player, opined that the Olympics would provide a ray of positivity in these testing times.
“It is quite a difficult situation for all of us. There is uncertainty about what is going to happen. And, there is a lot of negativity around us. I think that sport brings out positivity and that is the reason why the Olympics should happen. It is really good that the Games has not been cancelled,” said World No.32 Sharath, who will compete in both men’s singles and mixed doubles at the global event.
Other Olympics-bound players such as Bhavani Devi (Fencing), Varun Thakkar (Sailing), KC Ganapathy (Sailing), Dutee Chand (Athletics) and Sajan Prakash (Swimming) also attended the online meet on the Zoom application.
First batch to leave for Tokyo on July 14
Indian Olympic Association (IOA) secretary general Rajeev Mehta on Saturday informed that the first batch of the country’s Tokyo Games-bound athletes would leave for Japan by a chartered flight on July 14. However, Rajeev didn’t reveal the city from which the Indian contingent would depart for the global event. “The first batch, comprising athletes and officials, for the Olympics will leave in an Air India chartered flight on July 14,” said Rajeev. “The rest of the officials will travel between July 16 and 19,” he added. Rajeev also stated that the athletes and officials would undergo four days of quarantine. “We will have three full days of quarantine. The day of arrival is termed the zero day. After quarantine, we can move around within the Games Village.”
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