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Entire India is in the mood to enjoy every moment as Subedar Neeraj Chopra created history by winning the first-ever athletics gold in Olympics. But not many knows that It was Indian Army Mission Olympics Wing that excelled his capabilities and offered top-class training for Tokyo Olympics. Do you know what is Mission Olympics Wing of Indian Army?
What is Indian Army Mission Olympics Wing?
The Indian Army’s Mission Olympics Wing is an endeavor to identify and train excellent athletes in eleven specific disciplines at five Mission Olympics Nodes. The Mission Olympics Wing strives to assist selected athletes in excelling in various national and international competitions.
Mission Olympics Wing has provided the nation with two Olympic silver medals in shooting and is committed to providing many more. Sub Neeraj Chopra’s medal recognizes Mission Olympics Wing’s hard work and dedication.
READ MORE: Meet Subedar Neeraj Chopra – 23-Year-Old Won GOLD in Tokyo Olympics 2021
In 2001, Indian Army top-level officers felt the gap for an appropriate program to nurture the athletes for the upcoming Olympics. Hence Mission Olympics was launched in 2001. Later in 2004 (3 years later), Major Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore won a silver medal in shooting and climbed the podium at Athens. Eight years later, in London, Havildar Vijay Kumar emulated him, winning a silver in the shooting.
Nodes of Mission Olympics Wing
There are five nodes of the Mission Olympic wing:
- The Army Sports Institute (Pune)
- The Army Marksmanship Unit (Mhow)
- The Army Rowing Node (Pune)
- The Army Yachting Node (Mumbai)
- The Army Equestrian Node (Meerut)
They are working towards producing world-class sportsmen in archery, boxing, shooting, weightlifting, wrestling, equestrian, and rowing. It is no surprise that a sizeable part of India’s Olympic contingent at Tokyo was made up of athletes from the Services.
The Army Sports Institute in Pune has transformed the sporting culture of the country. It is a one-of-a-kind, multi-sports institute that offers unmatched training in archery, athletics, boxing, diving, wrestling, fencing, and weightlifting.
Coaches from around the world and in India and skilled physical trainers provide training to the athletes. They are further supported by a team of experts in sports medicine, sports physiology, sports psychology, biomechanics, and nutrition. The institute has a sports sciences centre with contemporary training infrastructure, equipment, housing, and atmosphere.
After athletes from the Indian Army failed to win any medals at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics, preparations for the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo began on a war footing. In the same year, Subedar Neeraj Chopra joined Indian Army as a junior commissioned officer.
In short, the efforts of Indian Army can’t be skipped when celebrating the delirious victory of Neeraj Chopra. Indian Army
The Army has made a determined effort to develop and nurture athletes, providing them with equipment, support staff, coaching, lodging, and suitable nutrition. To put it another way, everything is taken care of, and there is also job security.
Discipline is another factor that builds a true Indian Army athlete.