40 lakh rupees sanctioned for Manipur’s weightlifting champion Saikhom Mirabhai Chanu by the Sports Authority Of India (SAI) to train in the United States of America (USA), to enhance her chances of winning a medal at the Tokyo Olympics next year.

Under ‘Mission Olympic Cell’ SAI will send prospective Olympic medalists including Mirabai Chanu for a two-month training programme to Kansas USA, for which Rs 40 lakhs will be funded.

Chanu will be joined by her coach and physiotherapist too.

The overseas training programme is also said to rehabilitate and help recover a long-standing back injury that made Chanu miss the Jakarta Asian Games in 2018.

Union Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju tweeted, ” It’s our endeavour to ensure that our Olympic-bound athletes receive the best facilities. Our weightlifting champion Mirabai Chanu will travel to the USA for her training. She will undergo rehabilitation for a long-standing injury. This is sure to help in her Olympic preparation.”

Saikhom Mirabhai Chanu has won a gold medal at the Commonwealth Games in 2018, and also another gold medal at the World Weightlifting Championship in 2017 in the US. She is a Padmashri awardee and also the winner of the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award in 2018.

Saikhom Mirabhai Chanu selected for training in the US under ‘Mission Olympic Cell’ by Sports Authority Of India (SAI) as prospective Olympic medalists for upcoming Tokyo Olympics.