India had a single representative for the Paris Games in 1900. The Tokyo edition of the Summer Games marked 100 years since the Asian nation sent its first official contingent for the Olympics at Antwerp in 1920. India won a record eight gold medals in hockey. Abhinav Bindra sealed India’s historic gold at the Beijing Games. Superstar Neeraj Chopra bagged India’s first-ever track-and-field gold at the Tokyo Games.
For the first time in the history of the international multi-sport event, the Indian contingent will have a sleeping advisor for the Summer Games in Paris. The upcoming Olympic Games will be held from July 26 to August 11. Dr Monika Sharma, who is an expert in optimising sleep for sportspersons’ performance and recovery, will travel to Paris as the sleep advisor for the Indian contingent. The Paris Olympics will have 10,500 athletes from 200 countries or regions.
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‘Olympic village is stressful environment’
“The aim essentially is to develop an environment which is sleep conducive,” Dr. Sharma was quoted as saying by the Indian Express. “The Olympic Village is a stressful environment; not ideal sleeping conditions. We will support and help the athletes in coping with the challenges and mitigate their consequences,” Sharma said. The sleep advisor has revealed that a travel sleep kit for Indian athletes is designed to make them comfortable. “It will have sleep masks, travel pillows and ear plugs, among other things,” she added.
Did you know?
According to the Rings of Fire report, conditions in Paris could be worse than the previous Summer Games held in Tokyo in 2021. The report has issued a warning about the intense heat at the Paris Olympics in July-August 2024. The report warned that “intense heat at the Paris Olympics in July-August 2024 could lead to competitors collapsing and, in worst case scenarios, dying during the Games.”