Tokyo has mostly delivered on that hope, despite some early teething problems.
All of 102, 'miracle' woman Man Kaur ran her way to a track and field gold medal at a world masters meet in Spain earlier this month, and in true never-give-up sportsperson spirit is already in training for her next competition.
"The unfair and discriminatory" rules have drawn sharp criticism from the Indian Olympic Association, which has written to the Games' organising committee requesting it to ensure that mechanisms to prevent COVID-19 do not have any "adverse and detrimental impact" on performance of athletes.
Describing his German coach Klaus Bartonietz as the 'best' for him, Olympic gold-winning javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra on Friday said he would like to continue their spectacular partnership in the 2024 Paris Games as well.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi to cricketers such as Virendra Sehwag and Mohammad Kaif congratulated the athlete for his stupendous feat at Rio.
The Jhansi-born athlete, who was raised by a single mother -- a tailor by profession -- currently trains at the academy of Anju Bobby George in Bengaluru. She is coached by Anju's husband Bobby George.
18-year old Javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra had recently scripted history by becoming the first Indian athlete to become a world champion at any level when he won a gold medal at the U-20 World Championships in Bydgoszcz, Poland on July 23. His 86.48m effort brought India's first World record and the country's first-ever gold in any World athletics championships. An attempt at a wild card entry into 2016 Rio Olympics didn't materialize and Chopra will now be one of India's top medal hopes at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
Rediff.com introduces you to the athletes who have brought India glory in Birmingham.
The women who made India proud in Tokyo are set to be the Independence Day mascots. Invite from the PM has already gone out to these achievers to be guests of honour on August 15.
India's Deepa Malik created history by becoming the first-ever woman from the country to win a medal at the Paralympics when she bagged a silver in the shotput F-53 event in Rio de Janeiro on Monday.
Shaili Singh announced her arrival on the big stage by winning a silver in the Under-20 World Athletics Championships, missing out on a historic gold by a mere 1 cm with a 6.59m effort, in the long jump final in Nairobi on Sunday.
Das is the first Indian track athlete to win a medal in the history of this competition.
Badminton legend Prakash Padukone was bestowed with the Lifetime achievement award at the Sportstar Aces awards function in Mumbai.
The spotlight will be on Neeraj Chopra and Hima Das while Dutee Chand would look to prove a point when India's track and field athletes begin their campaign in the Asian Games in Jakarta on Saturday.
On a night when American Allyson Felix also became the most decorated track and field athlete in Olympic history and Dutchwoman Sifan Hassan's dream of an unprecedented Games treble disappeared, Uganda's Joshua Cheptegei wiped away his 10,000 metres disappointment with an impressive 5,000m win.
The Padma Bhushan was conferred on 17 personalities including N Chandrasekharan, chairman of Tata Sons, Krishna and Suchita Ella of Bharat Biotech, Cyrus Poonawalla, Satya Nadella, chairman of Microsoft, Sunder Pichai, chairman of Google.
Check out the schedule of the World Athletics Championships to be held in Moscow from August 10-18.
The government has announced cash awards of Rs. 90 lakhs for Rio Paralympics 2016 medal winners.
Ekta Bhyan won India's fourth gold at the Asian Para Games by topping the women's club throw event in Jakarta.
A summary of sports events and persons who made news on Tuesday.
Javelin thrower Shivpal Singh makes cut for World Championships
India must start winning medals in "double digits" in the Olympics if it wants to realise the dream of hosting the 2032 Summer Games, Indian Olympic Association president Narinder Batra said.
Besides the duo, 2017 World Weightlifting Champion in the 48kg category, Saikhom Mirabai Chanu and former Asian Games gold medallist tennis player Somdev Devvarman were conferred with the Padma Shri award.
'For years we train for the Olympics and when we are this close, how can we stop training?'
The 19-year-old Indian junior world record holder did not attempt his fifth and final throws due to the injury and his first round effort of 83.80m fetched him a seventh place finish in a strong eight-man field in Zurich on Thursday.
Even with an ongoing pandemic, theatres in many states functioning at 50 per cent occupancy, a quieter social life and fewer movies, Bollywood still managed to pack in plenty of drama and trauma, fun and festivity, love and war into the year.
The absence of top stars took some sheen away but India's record-breaking medal haul and a maiden top-of-the-table finish made the just-concluded 22nd Asian Athletics Championship here a memorable one.
It is difficult to predict who among the Indians will reach the final
Sharad Kumar smashes continental record for gold in men's high jump
Summary of sports events and persons who made news on Saturday
The Planning Committee encouraged athletes to maintain their physical fitness and strictly follow their diet charts. AFI's Planning Committee conveyed its message to athletes during an online meeting with the national campers, coaches and support staff.
He was not handed a provisional suspension as it was not mandatory under WADA rules.
India has just 28 Olympic medals to its credit since making a debut back in 1900.
Shot-putter Tajinder Singh Toor on Monday qualified for the Tokyo Olympics with a new national record at the Indian Grand Prix 4 in Patiala.
In a bid to give increased recognition to their achievements, the medallists from the Rio Paralympics will be recommended for the Padma awards this year by the Sports Ministry.
The Athletics Federation of India has submitted a list of 51 athletes, including the 11 called for trials, for the August 18 to September 2 Asian Games.
Will India finally reach the elusive double-digit mark? Raj Kishore Mishra, former joint secretary at the sports ministry, for one, is willing to stick his neck out on the possibility.
India's Amit Kumar Saroha clinched a silver in men's club throw F51 competition in World Para Athletics Championships in London on Monday.
A three-way voting process will determine the finalists.
Hima Das is nearing her best, having won five successive gold medals in three weeks in Europe.
