Asiad just a trailer, Olympics next mission: Army chief

Chief of Army Staff Bipin Rawat on Wednesday said that the performance of army players at the Asian Games is just a trailer and the next target is to improve the country's medals tally at the Tokyo Olympics.

Rawat said that although he expected more medals from the army players, he is confident that those who missed the podium at the Asiad will train harder and bring laurels for the country in future.

"I am sure that these athletes will continue to put in more efforts and give us more and more medals. Asian Games is just a trailer, you will get to watch the full movie during the Olympics and I hope it will be a five star movie. That will be our endeavour for mission Olympics," Rawat told reporters during an army felicitation event here.

"We had 73 representatives of the Indian Army which included 66 athletes. We won 11 medals including four gold and four silver and three bronze medals. I expected some more medals, but I know that they will train harder, and the medal prospects who could not win medals this time will bring medals," he added.

Rawat said that the athletes have asked for more international exposure while interacting with him.

"They spoke to me about the need for more international exposure. They want to compete with the world's best players. This exposure boosts an athlete's confidence," he said.

"We have seen our athletes perform well in home conditions, but they fail in international conditions. That's why international exposure with good foreign coaches will be of great help with only two years left for the Tokyo Olympics," he added.

--IANS

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