As cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar joined the Athletics Federation of India in giving India’s 26-strong Olympic squad an online send-off on Tuesday, he urged them to enjoy the pressure and not be weighed down by it during the Games. Tendulkar also told them to never give up on their dream of winning an Olympic medal.
‘A lot of people say there is win or loss in sport but my message is that the loss should be for your opponent and the win for you. You should go for the medal,’ Tendulkar said. ‘Don’t stop chasing your dream and the dream should be the medal around your neck, National Anthem playing and the tri-colour flying high.’
Tendulkar stated that pressure is an athlete’s constant companion in all sports, and that channelling it into better performance is critical. ‘Expectation of people has grown because of your improved performance. That is a good thing. I had always enjoyed pressure or expectation from people. You have to change it to positive energy,’ he added.
The athletic events will take place from July 30 to August 8, with javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra leading India’s hopes.
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