Deaflympics 2021: Union Sports Min Anurag Thakur sends off Indian contingent; See pics

With the Deaflympics 2021 set to commence in less than a week's time, Union Sports Minister Anurag Thakur sent off the Indian contingent that is bound for Brazil. The mega-event will take place over two weeks, from May 1 to May 15, at the Caxias do Sul.

The sports events included in this year's Deaflympics are athletics, badminton, basketball, beach volleyball, cycling, football, golf, handball, judo, karate, mountain bike, orienteering, shooting, swimming, table tennis, taekwondo, tennis, volleyball, wrestling freestyle and wrestling Greco-Roman.

Anurag Thakur sends off Indian contingency for Deaflympics 2021

As seen in the images below, Union Sports Minister Anurag Thakur, in the presence of Union Minister of State Nisith Pramanik, sent off the Indian contingent that is bound for Brazil. According to reports, the country is set to send their largest-ever contingent of 65 athletes across 11 sports for the 24th Summer Deaflympics 2021.

India's previous performances at Deaflympics

With the Deaflympics taking place every four years, India last competed at the 2017 Summer Deaflympics, which was held in Samsun, Turkey. On that occasion, a delegation of 46 participants was sent for the mega event. In India's 13th participation at a Summer Deaflympics event since making its debut in 1965, the country won a total of five medals (one gold, one silver and three bronze).

The Indian delegation dominated the wrestling events, with Virender Singh winning the sole gold medal for the country in the men's 74kg category. The duo of Ajay Kumar and Sumit Dahiya also won the bronze medal in the 64kg and 97kg categories, respectively.

Elsewhere, Diksha Dagar won the silver medal in the women's individual golf event. However, that was not the end of India's medals as the duo of Prithvi Sekhar and Jafreen Shaik also won the bronze medal in the mixed doubles tennis event. WIth India reportedly set to send their largest-ever contingent this year at the Deaflympics event, fans will hope that the athletes can make the country proud by winning even more medals than they did in 2017.