Athletes scheduled to compete on Saturday will skip the ceremony.
The participation of Indian athletes in the Olympic Games opening ceremony will be kept to a “bare minimum” in view of the Covid-19 threat, while only six officials from the contingent will be allowed to take part in the event on Friday. The athletes who have competitions lined up the next day will be discouraged from attending the event, the country’s deputy chef-de-mission Prem Kumar Verma told PTI on Wednesday. Indian Olympic Association secretary-general Rajeev Mehta, who is in the city, said not many will be there keeping in mind the risk of infection. “We will try to have a bare minimum group out there. Kam se kam athletes ko utara jaega. The chef de mission and the deputy chef de mission will decide on the numbers tomorrow but our view is that the bare minimum should attend to ensure their safety in this crucial period,” Mehta told PTI. India is being represented by more than 120 athletes in the Games with the overall contingent size being 228, including officials, coaches, other support staff an alternate athletes in view of the Covid-19.
