Ahead of the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, set to begin this Friday, renowned sand artist Sudarshan Pattnaik, has joined the chorus of voices to cheer for India as part of the Indian Olympic Fan Army, an initiative by MPL Sports Foundation, to give the Indian Olympic team its very own fan group.
The award-winning artist, known for his larger-than-life sculptures on a wide range of topics, today unveiled a sand installation that aims to inspire everyone to become fans for our athletes in their pursuit of Olympic glory. This sand art on Puri beach features engraving of the various Olympic disciplines as well as hon’ble PM Narendra Modi’s rallying cry of #Cheer4India.
More than 31 million fans from top sports teams and clubs in India like Kolkata Knight Riders, FC Goa, Gokulam Kerala FC, Ultimate Table Tennis, Real Kashmir FC, Shillong Lajong FC and Cricket Fauj, have already joined the Indian Olympic Fan Army.
As our largest ever contingent gears up for the Games, the fan movement aims to rally all 1.3 billion Indians to become fans of our Olympic athletes, who have time and again pushed the boundaries of their sport to bring laurels for the country. While ongoing COVID restrictions will keep fans cheering from afar, the Foundation has planned various virtual activities to energise fans and generate fervour for the Games.