With an exclusive panel discussion titled “Cricket at the Olympics – Dawn of a New Era,” the first-ever India House at the Paris Olympics hailed cricket’s participation in the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. Former India head coach Rahul Dravid, CEO of the ICC Geoff Allardice, and CEO and co-founder of Dream Sport Harsh Jain were on the panel.
The much-awaited occasion took place on July 28, a Sunday. In addition to interacting with the spectators, Dravid watched the tennis match between the French combo of Gael Monfils and Edouard Roger-Vasselin and the Indian pair of Rohan Bopanna and N Sriram Balaji.
The goal of India House is to provide a home away from home for Indian athletes participating in the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris. During the Games, the venue provides them with support and a place to rest and interact. While touring India House, Dravid gave his words of wisdom to the athletes attempting to represent their country with honour.
For those who are unaware, the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) and several other sponsors collaborated to build the India House in an attempt to provide the athletes with the best possible environment. Rahul Dravid’s inspirational presence and words of wisdom must have greatly raised the attendees’ spirits.
For Manu Bhaker, coming back from Tokyo disappointment and taking home the bronze is an incredible accomplishment: Rahul Dravid
A gun malfunction during Olympic qualification in Tokyo left Manu Bhaker devastated. She did, however, recover well enough to take home a historic bronze in the current Olympics. Bhaker finished third in the 10m air pistol competition to become the first Indian woman shooter to win an Olympic medal. This marked India’s Olympic debut in Paris.
At the India House panel discussion, Dravid remarked, “Manu’s story is incredible after the disappointment of the Tokyo Olympics; to come here and be able to get over that and compete and win a bronze is a phenomenal achievement.”
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The Jhajjar native made Olympic history on Tuesday by becoming the first Indian to win two medals in a single competition since independence. In the mixed team 10m air pistol competition, she and Sarabjot Singh took home another bronze for India.