Tokyo 2020
3 athletes from Odisha's KIIT University to represent India at the Tokyo Olympics
Located in Odisha, the KIIT once again has proved its supremacy in the world of sports, with a total of three athletes from the university qualifying for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
Dutee Chand, Shivpal Singh and Bhavani Devi are associated with the KIIT.
One of the more prominent universities in India, the Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology (KIIT), is well known for its world-class sporting infrastructure and a 400-acre stadium. Despite not being a sports-centred university primarily, the KIIT has produced various international athletes for India over the years.
Located in the city of Bhubaneswar in Odisha, the KIIT once again has proved its supremacy in the world of sports, with a total of three athletes from the university qualifying for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
Dutee Chand
The star woman sprinter and the first openly gay sportsperson from India, Dutee Chand, has been synonymous with the KIIT for a long time and is currently studying law at the university. The 25-year-old will be seen representing India in two events at Tokyo – Women's 100m and Women's 200m sprints. She qualified through the World Rankings quota as she was ranked 44th in 100m and 51st in 200m when the qualification period ended.
Shivpal Singh
A javelin thrower from the state of Uttar Pradesh, Shivpal Singh, qualified for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics with a throw of 85.47m back in March 2020, just before the pandemic forced the entire world into lockdown. The 25-year-old, who studies BBA at the KIIT, will be seen competing alongside the star athlete Neeraj Chopra for a podium finish in Tokyo.
Bhavani Devi
The first-ever fencer from India to qualify for the Tokyo Olympics, Bhavani Devi, is a BBA student with KIIT. Hailing from the city of Chennai, the 27-year-old qualified for the Tokyo Olympics via the continental quota for the Asia/Oceania region.
We are proud to be the only varsity in India to have three of our students represent in the same Olympics - Tokyo Olympics.@DuteeChand @ShivpalJavelin @IamBhavaniDevi
— KIIT - Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology (@KIITUniversity) July 4, 2021
Wishing them all the best for Olympics.#KIITInOlympics pic.twitter.com/0vThwALPMn
Besides the three athletes, the Kalinga Institute will also send a doctor – Sudip Satpathy, as a part of the Indian Olympic contingent to the Tokyo Games in the coming few days.
The 2020 Tokyo Olympics are expected to be held from 23rd July 2021 to 8th August 2021, with all the necessary covid-19 restrictions.
