If some country can pull off Olympics, it's definitely Japan: Sathiyan

India table tennis player Sathiyan Gnanasekaran on Monday showed faith in Japan and said the country would successfully host the Tokyo Games this year. The Olympics were slated to go-ahead last year, but it was postponed due to the Covid-19 pandemic and it will now go ahead this year from July 23 to August 8.

"I have been to Japan many times, have played in the Japan league as well. If some country can pull it off it's definitely Japan and I know about their meticulous planning how they prepare for any event. I have full trust in Japan and IOC and they will host a very safe Olympics," Gnanasekaran told ANI.

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Talking about his qualification for the Olympics, Gnanasekaran said: "For me, it's my childhood dream, I saw Olympics on television like 17 years before, the dream has come true. I wanted to be part of the Indian team, so I had started training really really hard, especially after joining Raman sir, it has been a huge amount of hours that I have spent on training."

"It's the most important opportunity of my life but at the same time, I would just enjoy the game as I have always done, go out there and have fun on the biggest stage," he added.

The paddler also talked about how playing without fans in attendance would be hard and athletes will be required to find the push without the audience cheering them on.

"Certainly, that's the most difficult part I would say. Initially, I had thought it would be fine but when I played the Japan league in a huge stadium without fans, I felt a very big difference. Fans give you the push, they give you the extra energy at the very crucial juncture or when the scores are level," said Gnanasekaran.

"I think we are now kind of used to this new normal. It's gonna be hard but I hope I can dedicate the medal to fans even though they are not with us," he added.

Talking about his game and training, the paddler said: "Fantastic. I have been training with my coach, I have been working on my technique, footwork and I am getting match practice as well. I am doing good fitness, I have seen improvement in the last month and I will be all guns blazing for the Olympics.

"For me, attack is the best defence. I was a very defensive player in my childhood days, and then when I started training with Raman sir, I shifted gears and that's where I transformed as a player. I always prefer finding out opportunities where I can attack and score a point against my opponent."

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