Indian athletes getting acclimatised to Athens

With just 48 hours to go for the opening of the 28th Olympiad, Indian athletes are undergoing rigorous training sessions to acclimatise themselves to the conditions in this historic city.

Most of the Indian contingent members, who have checked into the Games village here, have not only visited the competition venues but are also spending considerable time training under the supervision of their coaches.

The shooters, boxers, weightlifters, sailors, the lone swimmer, table tennis players and the badminton players, who were the first to check in at the village a couple of days back, have made good use of the practice facilities available at the venues.

The Indian hockey team also reached this ancient city seeped in history last night after undergoing a rigorous training programme in Germany.

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After a light breakfast, the team left for a practice session at the Helliniko Olympic Complex, venue for the hockey competitions beginning on Saturday. The training was held under the watchful eyes of new German coach Gerhard Rach.

The Indians, who are placed in the tough Group B, will open their campaign against defending champions The Netherlands on Sunday.

The tennis duo of Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi, one of the main medal contenders, joined the contingent today after the Indian Olympic Association officials received them at the airport.

Sydney bronze-medal winner Karnam Malleswari and shuttler Nikhil Kanetkar also checked in later in the afternoon.

The athletic contingent, barring ace long jumper Anju Bobby George, was expected to reach here in small batches from their various training bases in Europe in the next few days.

Chef-de-mission of the Indian contingent Priya Ranjan Dasmunshi and IOA president Suresh Kalmadi will reach here tomorrow.

There have been some speculations about Anju's health after reaching Athens, but a top IOA official categorically denied reports that she was down with fever.

"Anju is fine and is practicing. She has no fever. She is totally focused and is enjoying her stay here", the official said.

The Indian sportspersons have been asked to return to the village by evening so that they can be present at today's flag hoisting ceremony, a special moment during mega-events like Olympics and the Asian Games.

The official said that ceremonial attires for the Indian contingent, for the Opening Ceremony on Friday, have arrived from New Delhi.

The sportspersons and officials will come out in a "Bandgala" Jodhpuri suit complete with the traditional headgear 'Safa'.

"Many of the participants tried out their outfits during the day. They are all excited to be a part of the opening ceremony," the official said.