PM Narendra Modi to interact with CWG-bound athletes on July 20

Narendra Modi will interact with the country’s Birmingham Commonwealth Games (CWG)-bound sportspersons ‘tentatively’ on July 20 at 10:00 am, via a virtual conference. The Birmingham edition of the Games will run from July 28 to August 8.

The Indian Olympic Association (IOA) has announced a 322-strong contingent for the CWG, including 215 athletes and 107 officials and support staff. TOI has learnt that the Sports Authority of India’s (SAI) Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS) division has sent out mails to the CWG-bound athletes, informing them about the proposed interaction and to keep themselves available for a ‘dry run’ in the lead up to the event.

Various members of the squad have already reached Birmingham over the past few days, depending on their training schedule as worked out by their coaches. Some members are competing at various global locations and would reach the venue directly while the rest of the contingent will leave from New Delhi.

Indian athletes will enter the Athletes Village after its formal opening on July 23. In one of the mails from the SAI’s TOPS division, an athlete relation manager (ARM) wrote: “Dear athletes, coaches & support staff, we would take the moment to congratulate and wish you all the best for representing our country at the upcoming 2022 Commonwealth Games, Birmingham.

With the aforesaid, Hon'ble Prime Minister of India to ameliorate your spirits, is looking forward to interact with the athletes participating in the upcoming 2022 CWG tentatively on the 20th July 2022, 10:00 am via video conferencing. In this regard, you are requested to kindly keep yourself available for the same on 20th July and a few days prior for the dry run.” It's been learnt that sports secretary Sujata