Olympic Tales

India has sent one of their strongest-ever badminton contingents for the Paris Olympics.

The third episode of the Olympic Tales podcast is dedicated to India's badminton contingent in Paris.

In this podcast special, the hosts Akshay Ramesh, Saurabh Kumar, and Kingshuk Kusari are joined by the Badminton Association of India General Secretary Sanjay Mishra. They discuss India's chances in badminton at the Paris Olympics and how it is possible that India might win multiple medals this time around.

India has never won a gold medal in badminton, but BAI general secretary Sanjay Mishra believes that Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty are well-placed to end that drought. Mishra is also confident about Lakshya Sen, HS Prannoy, and PV Sindhu's strong performance in the competition.

In this special episode, the focus is on the intricacies of the BAI and what the association is trying to achieve in the near future. Mishra is confident that BAI will be able to make India a badminton superpower in the next few years, where Indian players will dominate the world tours, and coaches will be highly sought after.

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117 Indian athletes are set to participate in the Paris Olympics. Some believe that India will have their greatest-ever show in the history of the competition this time around. India certainly have athletes to back that claim. Neeraj Chopra in javelin, Nikhat Zareen in boxing and Satwik-Chirag in badminton are some of the biggest names in Paris.

There are other things that make this Indian contingent special. The inclusion of a sports psychologist and psychiatrist is a pathbreaking addition from India's side. This is the first time in the history of Indian sports that the mental aspect of the game has been given acknowledgement and priority.

In the second episode of the Olympic Tales podcast, IndiaToday's Akshay Ramesh, Saurabh Kumar and Kingshuk Kusari discuss the Paris Olympics contingent in detail. A big part of the discussion revolves around India's swing sports - archery and shooting - and how they can influence India's final medal tally in the competition.

They also talk about India's biggest medal hopefuls and the important strides India will make this time on the path to being a sporting nation.

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Produced By: Kapil Dev Singh

Sound Mix By: Sachin Dwivedi

It’s time for the biggest sporting spectacle—the Paris Olympics. The Games will begin on July 26 and run until August 11. As many as 117 Indian athletes, the second-most significant contingent, will be in action at the Games.

In this new India Today special podcast, ‘Olympic Tales’, we debate why it’s not always right to look at the medal count to judge the progress of Indian sports. Are we doing enough to become a sport-playing nation? Are we giving our athletes enough space in the media?

Indian Olympics movement has come a long way. From winning just one medal as recently as 2000 to having huge hopes from the contingent in 2024, the Olympics powerhouse dream is headed in the right direction.

With India looking to host the Games in 2036, it's important that the groundwork starts in Paris. Can India surpass the previous-best medal tally of 7?

In the pilot episode of Olympic Tales, join Akshay Ramesh, Saurabh Kumar, and Kingshuk Kusari as they discuss India in the Olympics.

Produced by Anna Priyadarshini

Sound mix by Sachin Dwivedi