Charting Indian athletes’ Tokyo path

MUMBAI: The year 2019 is critical for those hoping to make it to the Tokyo Olympics as sportspersons in various sports and disciplines will try to clinch qualification. Though the qualifying programme in some sports started last year and some will be settled in 2020, grabbing an early ticket to the Japanese capital will give participants more time to prepare and put their best foot forward at the Olympics.

India’s Mission 2020 will thus take shape this year.

With many young stars taking centre stage, stakeholders in Indian sports have set the target of winning medals in the double digit at Tokyo — such hopes were dashed in 2016 Rio where India won only a silver and bronze. A serious medal quest can be mounted only if enough athletes qualify, especially in sports where India has improved by leaps and bounds in recent times.

Shooting, which has provided India four medals (one gold, two silver, one bronze), will set the ball rolling with the ISSF World Cup (rifle/pistol) in New Delhi from February 20-28. It offers 16 quota places (qualifying spots for the country).

India have already clinched two berths in women’s 10m air rifle through Anjum Moudgil and Apurvi Chandela, who qualified through last year’s World Championships in South Korea. They are still in the race for the other 14 berths. There will be more chances to qualify through the other World Cup stages and continental championships.

The qualifying process has started in hockey with the FIH Pro League – India are not competing in the series -- while three Hockey Series Finals will be held between April and June. Continental championships for Europe, South America, Oceania and Africa will also be held this year. The Indian teams will be hoping to make it to the qualifying tournaments, to be held in November, through the Hockey Series Finals.

Qualifying in wrestling, weightlifting, athletics, boxing and badminton too will gather pace in the next few months.

HIGH HOPES

India’s medals tally has steadily grown since

1996 when Leander

Paes became the first individual medal winner since KD Jadhav’s wrestling bronze at Helsinki in 1952. Paes’ bronze was India’s first medal since

1980 when the men’s hockey team won the last of its eight gold medals. Four years later, weightlifter Karnam Malleswari won India’s lone medal (bronze) in Sydney and Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore bagged silver in double trap in Athens 2004.

Abhinav Bindra created history by winning India’s only individual gold medal to date at Beijing in 2008 where boxer Vijender Singh and wrestler Sushil Kumar bagged bronze. London 2012 proved India’s most successful Olympics as they won six medals. Though there was no gold, Sushil Kumar’s silver made him the first Indian to win two individual Olympic medals. However, Rio proved a disappointment as only PV Sindhu (badminton silver) and Sakshi Malik (wrestling bronze) won medals.

GROWING NUMBERS

In all, 1,115 participants have represented India in 24 editions, with India winning 28 medals (nine gold). These include the two silver sprinter Norman Pritchard won at Paris in 1900. Though it is not a tally fit for a nation of 120 billion people, there has been some improvement. One reason is that an increasing number of athletes are qualifying and not going through solidarity/hardship/tripartite quotas.

The aspirations of Indian athletes in sports like shooting, badminton, boxing and wrestling have gone up as many more youngsters feel they can win a medal.

2020 OLYMPICS With many young stars in the fray, India would be looking to qualify in big numbers to achieve double digit medal target in Olympics

entries per event or 16 teams in relays. A country can put up a maximum of three qualified athletes.

From July 1, 2019 till June 29, 2020 (in all disciplines except 10,000m, marathon and race walks, combined events and relays for which the period will be from Jan 1, 2019 till June 29, 2020)

By virtue of their IAAF World Ranking at the end of the qualification period.

By achieving the entry standard (A and B) in the qualification period (only for those that fail to get through rankings).

Neeraj Chopra (javelin throw) and Hima Das (women’s 400m). Competitions will be held in men’s and women’s singles, men’s & women’s doubles, mixed doubles

Based on rankings from April 29, 2019 to April 26, 2020, 38 competitors each will be selected for singles and 16 pairs for doubles. The top 16 will get a direct berth (1 per country) while those 17 and below will get in once Badminton World Federation ensures that there is one participant from each continent.

PV Sindhu, Saina Nehwal and Kidambi Srikanth

There is some uncertainty regarding boxing programme at Tokyo as the International Olympic Committee has frozen the qualification programme after launching an inquiry into governance of Amateur International Boxing Association (AIBA). Once it gives a go ahead, qualification programme will be held for eight weight categories for men and five for women.

(180 men and women each)

Competitions will be held in six individual events each for men and women and three mixed team events.

September 1, 2018 to April 30, 2020. Qualifying: Quota places can be earned through World Championships, World Cups, Continental Championships and designated competitions during this period.

Amit Phangal, Mary Kom

Anjum Moudgil and Apurvi Chandela (women’s 10m air rifle).

Manu Bhaker, Anish Bhanwala, Heena Sidhu, Saurabh Chaudhary, Rahi Sarnobat.

288 in 18 weight categories – 12 men and six women.

Quota places could be earned for the country and not individuals through qualifying tournaments from Jan 1, 2019 till May 3, 2020.

Vinesh Phogat, Bajrang Punia, Sakshi Malik

Competition will be held in seven weight categories each for men and women (Maximum eight slots in each section available for one National

Olympic Committee).

Of the 14 contestants allowed in each category eight will qualify through rankings as on April 30, 2020. Five lifters will qualify through the Continental rankings list. One from either the hosts or through tripartite quota. Qualification period: April 1, 2019 to April 30, 2020. One can improve rankings by participating in designated rankings tournaments which are of three types, Gold, Silver and Bronze level. Gold level events include the Continental championships and the 2019 World Championships.

Meerabai Chanu and Lalrinnunga