2024-07-25 18:09:11
New Delhi: In Paris Olympics, India will not be limited to just the Indian team but many players of Indian origin will be seen showing their talent for other countries. Let us tell you about some players of Indian origin who will be seen playing for other countries.
Amar Dhesi (Wrestling, Canada)
Born in Surrey, British Columbia, Amarveer’s father Balbir Dhesi himself has been a Greco-Roman wrestler. Balbir, who hails from Sanghwal village in Jalandhar, Punjab, got a job in the Punjab Police but in search of a better life, he moved to Canada in 1979. He started the Khalsa Wrestling Club for youth in Surrey in 1985. Amar used to wrestle with his father and elder brother Paramveer. He made his debut in the Tokyo Olympics and finished 13th in the men’s 125 kg category. He won a gold medal in the Pan American Championship a year later.
Shanthi Perera (Singapore, athletics)
Veronica Shanthi Perera, popularly known as Singapore’s sprint queen, is of Kerala origin. Her grandparents were from Vettukad in Thiruvananthapuram. Her grandfather got a job in Singapore and they left India and settled there. Last year, Perera won a silver medal in the women’s 100 meters race at the Asian Games. Perera, who was chosen as Singapore’s best female athlete of the year, will be one of the two flag bearers of Singapore at the Olympic opening ceremony.
Kanak Jha (Table Tennis, USA)
Another player of Indian origin, Kanak Jha, will play for America. Jha’s mother Karuna is from Mumbai and father Arun is from Kolkata and Prayagraj. Both are IT professionals. Jha started playing table tennis from the Indian Community Center in California. Jha’s mother put him in Jainshala and Hindushala to learn Hindi and Jainism. 24-year-old Jha has been a four-time US national champion and has played the last two Olympics. He won a medal in the Youth Olympics 2018. He will play in men’s singles in Paris.
Prithika Pavde (Table Tennis, France)
Prithika’s father was born in Puducherry. He moved to Paris after marriage in 2003 and Prithika was born a year later. Her father, a table tennis player himself, introduced her to the game when she was six years old. She played her first Olympics in Tokyo at the age of 16. 19-year-old Prithika, a student of Chemistry and Environmental Science, will play in women’s singles, women’s doubles and mixed doubles.
Rajiv Ram (Tennis, USA)
The most famous player in this list is Rajeev Ram. Born in Denver, America, 40-year-old Rajeev’s parents were from Bengaluru. Rajeev’s father was a botanist who died of cancer in 2019. His mother Sushma is a scientific technician. Ram once said, ‘I am proud of my Indian heritage. There are not many Indians in tennis. Whatever success we achieve as a group will inspire the coming generation.’ Playing for America, Rajeev has won four men’s doubles and one mixed doubles Grand Slam. He played mixed doubles with Venus Williams at the 2016 Rio Olympics. This time he will participate in the men’s doubles.