New Delhi, Aug 8 (Agency) Congratulating Indian contingent for their stupendous performance at the Tokyo Olympics which concluded on Sunday evening, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that this is the time to keep working to further popularise sports at the grassroots so that new talent emerges and gets the opportunity to represent India in the times to come. India is coming home with its biggest ever medals haul at a single Olympics with seven medals (1 Gold, 2 Silver and 4 Bronze), bettering the London 2012 Olympics(6 medals, 2 Silver, 4 Bronze) by one medal. “The Indian contingent personified the best of skill, teamwork and dedication. Every athlete who represented India is a champion,” the Prime Minister posted on Twitter. Mr Modi also thanked the government and people of Japan for hosting a well organised games.
“To host it so successfully, in such times, gave out a strong message of resilience. It also demonstrated how sports is a great unifier,’ the Prime Minister said. International Olympic Committee chief Thomas Bach declared the Games closed after the French flag was raised inside Olympic Stadium for the transition to Paris 2024. This Olympics featured 33 sports made up of 339 medal events, with karate, surfing, skateboarding and sport climbing making their debuts.