The 2016 Summer Olympics will take place in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from August 5 to August 21, 2016.
Record numbers of countries – 206 - and more than 10,500 athletes will take part in this sporting event.
The games will feature 28 Olympic sports with 306 sets of medals.
Indian players have started qualifying for the Rio 2016, but the games are under the shadow of Zika virus.
In January 2016, an outbreak of the Zika virus occurred in Brazil.
The illness causes mild flu-like symptoms, but 80 percent of those infected never actually show symptoms. A potential side effect is believed to be abnormally small heads in newborns, also known as microcephaly.
Three-month-old Daniel, who was born with microcephaly, undergoes physical therapy at the Altino Ventura foundation in Recife, Brazil Source: AP
The government and Olympic association have already announced that there would be daily inspections of Olympic venues to prevent puddles of stagnant water that allow mosquitoes to breed.
Indian Olympic Association is working closely with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and World Health Organization (WHO) to get the most up-to-date information regarding Zika virus.
Indian government’s sports ministry has constituted - Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOP).
TOPS aim is to provide world class training facilities and preparation for potential medal winners for Rio 2016. The scheme aims to provide world class training facilities and preparation for potential medal winners for the 2016 Rio Olympics 2016.
Some of the most prominent athletes who have received assistance under TOPS are Sushil Kumar (wrestling), Saina Nehwal (badminton), Abhinav Bindra (shooting), Vikas Gowda (athletics), Inderjit Singh (athletics), Deepika Kumari (archery), Mary Kom (boxing), Sarita Devi (boxing), Heena Siddhu (shooting), Manavjit Sandhu (shooting), Yogeshwar Dutt (wrestling) , H.N. Girisha (para sports), Sharad Kumar (para sports) and Deepa Malik (para sports).
To understand India’s Olympic preparations and scare of Zika virus, Amit Sarwal talks to Ishwar Nath Jha, Principal Correspondent (Sports) of the New Delhi-based newspaper - The Statesman.
Ishwar Nath Jha Source: Ishwar Nath Jha
