India target 12 medals at London Olympics 2012

[sab]

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India target record medal haul at London Olympics 2012

January 2- India's Government has set its team a target of winning 12 medals at next year's London Olympics - four times more than they claimed at Beijing in 2008, which itself was their best-ever performance.

But India has been buoyed by its success at last year's Commonwealth Games in New Delhi, where they finished second to Australia in the overall medals table with a total of 101 medals, 38 of which were gold.

Rahul Bhatnagar, a joint secretary with India's Sports Ministry and currently heading the International Sports Division (ISD), now wants them to build on that momentum in London.

"We will choose certain 'core probables' among the sports persons and focus our resources on them," said Bhatnagar.

"We are targeting 10-12 medals for 2012."

But he knows that just qualifying for some sports in London will represent the height of achievement.

"Being the host country for the Commonwealth Games, we didn't have to enter any qualifying events but that will not be the case for London 2012," he said.

Since India made its debut in the Olympics in Paris in 1900 it has only ever won a total of 20 medals, nine of them gold.

Eight of them have come in hockey and it was not until Abhinav Bindra won the men's 10 metre air rifle in Beijing that they claimed an individual gold.



They also won two other medals in the Chinese capital, bronzes for wrestler Sushil Kumar and boxer Vijender Kumar.

Vijender Kumar who fights in the men's middleweight category, has resisted overtures to turn professional to remain amateur to try to chase gold in London.

He has been receiving sponsorship from Sahara India and won a gold medal in the Asian Games in Guangzhou last year, following up the bronze he had collected in the Commonwealth Games.

"Earlier the coverage of a sport like boxing was limited to a couple of lines," said Kumar.

"Now it has widened to a big story and a large picture.

"We should perform even better in 2012.

"But for that we need more money so that a career in sports can be a lucrative option."

Other major Indian medal hopes expected to compete in London include badminton's Saina Nehwal, shooters Tejaswini Sawant and Gagan Narang and female boxer Mary Kom.

"We are targeting three golds in London in 2012," said Viren Rasquinha, the former India hockey captain and chief operating officer of Olympic Gold Quest (OGQ), a not-for-profit initiative started by billiards champion Geet Sethi and badminton champ Prakash Padukone.

"For 2016 [in Rio de Janeiro], the target is seven or eight golds."

India target record medal haul at London Olympics 2012 - London Flame 2012

Possible???? What do you say friends???

[tanlixiang28776]

Best of luck

[blackops]

it is possible we did a good job in asian games and in cwc so am hopping more than 12

[Butters]

Looking forward to London 2012. Best of luck to all athletes.

[sab]

My expectation is like this-

Boxing:

1)Suranjoy Singh is most promishing. Expect a medal from him. If he does not get over agressive and give equal importance to his defence expect a gold.

2) Mary Kom- 5 times world champion in 48kg category. There is hardly anyone in that category who can snatch her gold.

3) Bijendra Kumar- Must win atleast a Bronze. He is ranked number 1 in his category, but mighty Cuban boxers will be a great challenge for him...

Archery:

1) Dipeeka Kumary- 17 years old girl from Jharkhand won 2 gold in last CWG and gave a tough battle to the South Korean world champion in the Asian Games. I am confident she will make us proud again. Can he defeat the Koreans. Keep finger crossed.

2) Tarundeep Rai won silver in Asin Games. Remeber he lost only to the Korean World Champion in final and it was a tie untill the Korean manged a perfect 10 in the last shot. Why not expect atleast a silver fom him in London.

Shooting:

There are many names who have performed very well recently. India is definately a tough challenger in this event. But a lot depends up on that given day. If things go well, we can expect many medals.....golds too....

Wresling:

After winning world championship, definately we can keep hope on Sushil Kumar...

Athletics:

Only prospect is Aswini Akkunji in 400 m hurdles. It is around 7-8 months she shifted in that event and won Gold in Asian Games. But she need to cut her time atleast by 3 seconds to finish on the podium. She is confident she can. The woman relay team has to cut time by atleast 4 seconds to hope for a medal in Olympic.

Badminton:

If the Chinese were not there we could have been confident a gold from Saina Nehwal. Hope she wont have to face the top chinese players before semi-final...

Tennis:

I can put bet on Rohan Bopanna- Somdev pair....


Hockey:

If they improve their performance and tactics to deny the European opponents to give penulty corners and improve their own conversion rate , they have a chance to win a medal. (Provided they dont have to face Australia early)

[bhagat]

The first steps to an Olympic berth


April 14--Harendra Singh looks relaxed for a man with possibly the toughest job in Indian sports, the coach of the men's national hockey team. At the Major Dhyan Chand National Hockey stadium in New Delhi, where 45 of India's top hockey players are attending the one-and-a-half-month preparatory camp that started on 16 March, Harendra has his task cut out.

India, eight-time Olympic gold medal winners, failed to qualify for the 2008 Beijing Olympics for the first time since their debut at the Olympics in 1928. Harendra's first assignment, with the 2012 London Olympics looming, is to make sure there is no repeat of 2008.

"Not qualifying for Beijing was definitely one of our darkest moments," Harendra says. "But that is history, and we have to learn from it. This team is confident going into the qualifiers. Historically, London represents a watershed moment, since the first Olympics after India's independence took place there in 1948. So we are desperate to compete at the London Olympics."

Harendra took over after the team's Spanish coach Jose Brasa was sacked in November under controversial circumstances--Brasa complained about the lack of infrastructure as well as not having a say in team selection. The camp in New Delhi is the first since then, and Harendra, who was Brasa's deputy, was hastily named chief coach just days before the camp started. India will play their qualifiers on home soil in February.

"We've definitely lost a lot of time, because most of the major teams around the world have started preparing for the Olympics since the Asian Games (in November)," says Harendra. "My main aim is to quickly get the players to their peak fitness level, and build a positive atmosphere in the dressing room."

A major task considering that the game in India is still reeling from a protracted administrative battle, with two different bodies--Hockey India (HI) and the Indian Hockey Federation (IHF)--both claiming control of the sport. The Indian Olympic Association recognizes HI, while the Union sports ministry has sided with the IHF. A Supreme Court intervention was required to allow HI to select the players for the camp.

"The players shouldn't worry or think about off-field controversies and focus on training," says forward Rajpal Singh, who also captained the side for much of the 2010 season. "That's what we are doing here."

At the camp, GPS devices, heart-rate monitors, and a video camera constantly on duty are technologically aiding preparations. The team is also reaping the benefits of a brand new astroturf, as well as spacious air-conditioned changing rooms and a gym, all put in place before the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi.

"My approach to training is a medley of my own methods and the ones we learnt from Brasa," says Harendra. "We are focusing a lot on the one-touch game and our defence, which remains our greatest weakness, especially man-to-man defending. We need an improvement by at least 30-40%. So, to that end, we are paying a lot of attention to the equipment we are using."

Before the Olympic qualifiers, the Indian team will also play the Azlan Shah Cup (India were joint winners with Malaysia last year) from 5 May in Malaysia, and then the prestigious Champions Trophy, featuring the world's Top 8 teams, in December in New Delhi.

"Our focus remains the Olympic qualifiers," says Rajpal, "but the Azlan Shah will be a good practice run for us, and the Champions Trophy will be the perfect preparatory ground because all the top teams will be there. We need to play as many matches as possible to peak for the qualifiers."

Arjun Halappa will lead the side for the Azlan Shah Cup, which will also be a good opportunity for India to judge the calibre of the Asian teams that will be fighting for an Olympic berth against India.

"Delhi was the perfect choice for a long camp, because the weather conditions at the Azlan Shah Cup will be similar," says Rajpal. "The Champions Trophy will be played on these grounds. The Olympic qualifiers will probably be played here as well."

India's record in controversy-ridden 2010 ranged from poor to mediocre. They finished last at the World Cup, but bounced back to reach the final of the Commonwealth Games, where they were thrashed by Australia. At the Asian Games in China, they finished third.

"One of the major reasons for the inconsistency has been the lack of a rotation system," says Harendra. "Whenever the team goes on the field, they need to possess a fresh pair of legs. That makes equal attention and opportunity to perform a prerequisite. If you rely only on 15 players, it's difficult to sustain performance levels in a modern hockey tournament."

Harendra says building a team is a long process, and he will only work at improving the team one step at a time. With the future of the current team and management hinged on the Olympic qualifiers less than 10 months away, Harendra is running short of time.
American Chronicle | The first steps to an Olympic berth

[cross1993]

@sab

Do you mean India plans to get 5 gold medals?
If your plan achieved, this means that India passed Japan and South Korea, you are second in Asia...

I think the Koreans and Japanese do not agree with you. 2010 Asian Games, India is the 6th in Asia.

[ChineseTiger1986]

Then good luck for India and its athletes.

[tanlixiang28776]

@sab

Do you mean India plans to get 5 gold medals?
If your plan achieved, this means that India passed Japan and South Korea, you are second in Asia...

I think the Koreans and Japanese do not agree with you. 2010 Asian Games, India is the 6th in Asia.

South Korea had 13 and Japan 9 golds last time.

[cross1993]

South Korea had 13 and Japan 9 golds last time.

Oh, My bad. But Chinese Taipei and Kazakhstan and Iran is also sports power in Asia.

[Swati Shukla]

10-12 medals is very much possible. All the best.

[sab]

@sab

Do you mean India plans to get 5 gold medals?
If your plan achieved, this means that India passed Japan and South Korea, you are second in Asia...

I think the Koreans and Japanese do not agree with you. 2010 Asian Games, India is the 6th in Asia.

The list I posted on the basis of player's recent performance...

I am very confident about atleast one...Mary Kom..boxing 48 kg (woman)...others have to give their life's best performance to win Olympic gold...

But our shooters are doing well recently...but things can change in events like shooting and archery.....In Asian games they were no where near to their best...

[RayBan]

its good to set targets hope we are providing proper and adequate facilities to our athletes. we have very hard working athletes. but their hard work goes in vain cause of outdated training equipment and no modern coaching methodology. a lot of potential yet to be harnessed.
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.we got our first bronze medal (in an individual event) from karnam malleshwari who practised weight lifting in a gym without any coach.

[Skull and Bones]

Government has to look at ground levels to seek out promising talents. Our performance in Olympics and CWGs is a shame for us, we have a population of 1.21 billion and yet we get satisfied with our meager performances.

[RayBan]

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heck if Chinese can beat the Americans with sheer determination, then even we can do it, just need enough sponsorship and government backing for the sports infrastructure.