‘Mixed team format gives a good opportunity’: Harmeet sets sights on LA 2028 Olympics medal round

New Delhi, Aug 23 (IANS) Indian table tennis star Harmeet Desai believes the new mixed team format at the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics could provide India with a significant opportunity to challenge for a medal, with the country making rapid progress across events.

Speaking in an exclusive interview, the Arjuna Awardee and Olympian said India’s improvement in men’s and women’s singles, doubles and mixed doubles gives the country reason to be optimistic about its Olympic prospects.

“This time there will be a new format in the 2028 Olympics which has never happened before. Mixed team. This time the mixed team format is definitely a good opportunity for the Indian team because our women’s team is also good. Mixed doubles are good. Men’s doubles are good,” he told IANS.

“So in this team event, there will be matches for each event. So this is going to be a very good format for India. And definitely men’s singles, women’s singles, mixed doubles, men’s doubles, women’s doubles. In all these events, India is improving every year. So by 2028, we can definitely aim for a good performance and reach the medal round,” he added.

The Indian table tennis player also welcomed the proposed 2030 Commonwealth Games in Gujarat, saying a major multi-sport event could accelerate the development of sporting infrastructure and participation in the state.

“When we got the news that there will be the 2030 Commonwealth Games in Gujarat. It was very exciting news for everyone. And when there is such a big event, the entire sports ecosystem changes. And because of the upcoming Commonwealth Games in Gujarat, the infrastructure, financial spending towards players, giving exposure, bringing foreign coaches, and many other things change,” he said.

Harmeet also highlighted the facilities at the Naranpura Sports Complex in Ahmedabad, where he recently competed.

“Recently, I participated in a tournament in Ahmedabad, at the Naranpura Sports Complex. When I went to the stadium, I got to know about the facilities and how many different sports arenas were there. It feels very good to know that such sports stadiums are in India, with all the facilities, world-class facilities,” he said.

“And I think that in the coming years, there are 4 more years for the Commonwealth Games, so more such stadiums should be built, so that there is more participation among the youth, and more excitement to participate in sports. And I think because of that, the competition will increase, and the level of Gujarat will go up,” he added.

Harmeet said the growth of Indian table tennis in recent years has been driven by greater professionalism, financial support, corporate involvement and regular competitive opportunities.

“There are a lot of multiple factors. There is more professionalism in table tennis. Everyone has their own team, personal coaches, sparring partners, physiotherapist, physical trainer, dietitian. So this did not happen before. 5-6 years ago, everyone did not have a personal team,” he said.

He added that regular participation in international tournaments has also played a major role in improving the world rankings of Indian players.

“The World Rankings are updated every week. The pressure has increased today. You have to catch up with other players on a weekly basis. Your participation in the Contender and Feeder tournaments has increased. You have to play 18-20 tournaments a year. You have to play tournaments like Contender, Feeder, Smash and Star Contender. The Indian players’ World Rankings have improved a lot,” Harmeet said.

–IANS

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