Rajnath Singh to felicitate Olympians from services at Army Sports Institute in Pune

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will felicitate the Olympians from services at Army Sports Institute (ASI) in Pune on August 23, said the Ministry of Defence.

New Delhi:Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will felicitate the Olympians from services at Army Sports Institute (ASI) in Pune on August 23, said the Ministry of Defence on Sunday.

As per the statement released by the ministry, all armed forces personnel who represented India in Tokyo Olympics including gold medalist javelin thrower Subedar Neeraj Chopra will be present on the occasion and Singh will also interact with the budding sportsmen of ASI and troops during his visit.

The minister will also visit headquarters of Southern Command and 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.

Read: PM Modi applauds Olympians in his Independence Day address

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.

ASI, Pune is a unique and world-class sports institute of the Indian Army and has produced 34 Olympians, 22 Commonwealth Games medalists, 21 Asian Games medalists, six Youth Games medalists and 13 Arjuna Awardees. Besides the dedication of these sportspersons, their success is attributed to the hard work of the support staff at ASI.

(ANI)