Indian Ambassador to France Jawed Ashraf, alongside France’s Minister of Culture Rachida Dati and International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach, inaugurated an exhibition titled “100 Years of India at Olympics.” The event, held in Paris, celebrates Bharat’s century-long journey in the Olympic Games.
In a post on his official X account, Ashraf highlighted the exhibition’s sponsorship by JSW Sports and highlighted Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s focus on sports development in Bharat. “Inaugurated the exhibition on ‘100 years of India at Olympics’ sponsored by JSW Sports India with Minister of Culture @datirachida and IOC President Thomas Bach. Spoke about PM Narendra Modi’s emphasis on development of sports in national transformation & Bharat’s case to host Olympics,” Ashraf shared.
Parth Jindal, Founder of the Inspire Institute of Sport, also spoke at the event, emphasising JSW Sports’ commitment to promoting the Olympic movement globally. “It is our mission at JSW Sports to further the Olympic movement, not just in Bharat, but in the world,” Jindal said.
In another X post, Jindal expressed pride in partnering with the descendants of Pierre de Coubertin, co-founder of the IOC and the man credited with reviving the modern Olympic Games in 1896.
“Honoured to partner with the descendants of Pierre de Coubertin and sponsor the first exhibit on the co-founder of the IOC… his values of sport, togetherness, and Olympism are something we at the JSW group believe in,” Jindal wrote. He also highlighted JSW’s support for Indian athletes, noting their direct involvement with 30 athletes and indirect support for over half of Bharat’s Olympic contingent.
Looking ahead to the Paris 2024 Olympics, Bharat aims to surpass its record of seven medals, including a gold, achieved at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. The country is also setting high expectations for the Paralympics, seeking to improve on its 19-medal haul from Tokyo 2020.
Bharat has already secured six boxing quotas for the Paris Olympics 2024, with athletes Amit Panghal (51 kg), Nishant Dev (71 kg), Nikhat Zareen (50 kg), Preeti Pawar (54 kg), Jaismine Lamboria (57 kg), and Lovlina Borgohain (75 kg) earning their spots. Tokyo 2020 bronze medallist Lovlina Borgohain, two-time world champion Nikhat Zareen, and Preeti Pawar clinched their quotas at the Asian Games in Hangzhou last year. The remaining quotas were secured during the Boxing World Qualifiers event in June.
The Summer Olympics will be held in Paris from July 26 to August 11 this year, and Bharat’s athletes are gearing up to make their mark on the global stage.
