New Delhi, Dec 14 (Sports News) The Sports Ministry's recently-reconstituted Mission Olympic Cell (MOC) has approved proposals from four Indian sailors to train and compete overseas in the run-up to next year's Asian Games in Hangzhou, China.

The proposals from the four Olympians will cost more than Rs 2.75 crore, according to a statement issued by the ministry on Tuesday.

The 49er sailors Varun Thakkar and KC Ganapathy (Rs 1.34 crore), Laser Radial specialist Nethra Kumanan (Rs 90.58 lakh) and Laser Standard ace Vishnu Saravanan (Rs 51.08 lakh) will use the sanctioned money towards travel, boarding and lodging, coach entry fee, coach boat charter and coach salary until the Asian Games.

Besides, the MOC also ratified several proposals which had been approved on an emergency basis. These include Olympic Games javelin throw gold medallist Neeraj Chopra's proposal to have his off-season training in Chula Vista, US and defending women's badminton world champion PV Sindhu's proposal for assistance to engage the services of her fitness trainer at the BWF World Championships in Spain.

The MOC also approved the support extended to the development group of badminton players who will compete in tournaments in Ireland, Scotland and Wales.

The cost of the exposure trip for Shikha Gautam, Ashwini Bhat, Priyanshu, Vishnuvardhan, Krishna Prasad, Ishaan, Saipratheek, P Gayatri, Treesa, Tanisha, Rutuparna and Samiya Farooqi was around Rs 45 lakh.

The meeting held on Monday under the supervision of Sports Minister Anurag Thakur approved Abhinav Sathe as physiotherapist of the Indian men's hockey team until the funding for his fee is given through ACTC.

It was also decided in the meeting to sanction Rs 4.90 lakh for badminton player Aditi Bhatt for three tournaments in Estonia, Sweden and Ukraine and Rs 3 lakh for Lakshya Sen towards the services of his coach and physiotherapist for the world championships.

Skeet shooter Gurjoat Singh's request for ammunition and clay targets was also approved at a cost of Rs 2.23 lakh, the statement added. 

Also Read : Ajay Singh wins 3rd gold for India in Commonwealth Weightlifting C'ships, qualifies for 2022 CWG

News Source : PTI

New Delhi, Nov 11 (Sports news) Tokyo Olympian Nethra Kumanan has won gold in the laser radial event of the Gran Canaria Sailing Championships, one of the European regional open events, in Spain.

The 24-year-old Kumanan finished first in three of the six races to collect 10 Net points in the ILCA 6 event at Gran Canaria last week. Beneyto Lancho and Martina Reino Cacho -- both of Spain -- were second and third, respectively.

Sports Authority of India congratulated Kumanan on the win.

"Sailor @nettienetty clinched Gold in the Laser Radial at Gran Canaria Sailing Championships (European Regional Open Event)," the SAI said in a tweet.

"She won 3 races & finished 3rd and 4th in rest two races. The competition had 20 participants from 3 countries including 3 Olympians." Kumanan had finished 35th out of 44 competitors in the Laser Radial class in her debut Olympics in Tokyo earlier this year.

Also Read : IOC and UNODC take another step to strengthen the fight against corruption and crime in sport

News Source : PTI

Chennai, Sep 9 (Sports news): Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu on Thursday called upon the nation to fix a target to double the medal tally in the 2024 Paris Olympics and also for building "all-encompassing support system" for the young and aspiring athletes.

India's stellar performance at the Tokyo Olympics 2020 had filled the hearts of the countrymen with pride and even more gratifying were the achievements of Paralympians who through their single-minded focus, grit and resilience brought home a record number of 19 medals propelling India into the top 25 at the para games, the Vice President said.

"This is a historic moment in India’s sporting journey and their exemplary performance has not only changed people's perception towards disability but has also kindled hopes of India emerging as a major sporting power," he said while virtually inaugurating the Tiruchirappalli Campus of SRM Institute of Science and Technology from the Raj Bhavan here.

"Let us set a target for ourselves to double the medal count in Paris Olympics in 2024 and lose no time in trying to achieve it," he said and urged all stakeholders, including the private sector, to come together to build an all-encompassing support system for the country's young and aspiring athletes.

"If an enabling ecosystem is created, I am sure, there are many more Avani Lekharas (who won a gold medal in rifle shooting in Tokyo 2020 Paralympics) and Neeraj Chopras (Javelin thrower who won gold medal in the Tokyo Olympics) waiting in the wings, whose talent can be nurtured successfully," he said. Educational institutions like SRM Institute whose student Nethra Kumanan, the first Indian sailor to qualify for the Olympics, should take a lead in this direction, the Vice President said.

On the challenge of employability, Venkaiah Naidu stressed the need to increase employability by focusing on the skills required for the Industry. "Every year, the country produces around 1.5 million engineers, but a survey suggests that only seven per cent of them are suitable for core engineering jobs," he pointed out. Hence, the emphasis must be on building a stronger academia-industry connection and ensuring that creative research results in the application of ground-breaking solutions.

The students on their part should equip themselves with emotional and social skills that will enable them to adapt to a rapidly changing world. "Develop a positive outlook towards life and seek to contribute to the larger cause of nation-building. Strive constantly to use your education for the good of others, society and the nation at large," he advised.

The services of the SRM group in collaborating with the Government on clinical trials with respect to COVID-19, and also in providing affordable and necessary healthcare facilities to those affected by the pandemic were commendable, he said. The Vice President appreciated the vision and leadership of the founder of the group, Dr T. R. Paarivendhar, and said the SRM group's focus on quality education is in tune with the Government's vision in laying the foundation for an Atmanirbhar Bharat.

Tamil Nadu Governor Banwarilal Purohit, founder Chancellor of SRM IST and Member of Parliament T R Paarivendhar, president, SRM IST, Niranjan, and chairman, SRM Groups, Ramapuram and Trichy Campuses Dr R Shivakumar were among those who attended the virtual event.

Also read: Sports Minister felicitates triumphant Paralympians, hopes for better show in 2024

News source: PTI 

(Sailing news) Olympic 2021 Live Update: In the Men's Skiff 49er, Indian pair of Varun Thakkar and Kelapanda Ganapathy had their 10th, 11th and 12th race today in the Tokyo Olympics. They finished 16th in the 10th race, in the next race they jumped up 7 places by finishing 9th and in the last race of the day they ended up placed 14th. They are ranked 17th overall in the event after 12 races.

Also read:  Vandana Katariya's hat-trick gives Indian women’s hockey team a chance at quarter-finals at the Tokyo Olympics

Nethra Kumanan and Vishnu Saravanan have their medal races tomorrow and will look to finish in flying colours. The pair of Varun and Kelapanda have their medal race on 2nd of August and will be the last ones to compete from the Indian team.

(Sailing news) Olympic 2021 Live Update: The sailing events saw all the four Indians competing today in the Tokyo Olympics. Three races were held today in the Men's Skiff 49er, the pair of Varun Thakkar and Kelapanda Ganapathy came 17th in the 7th race, improved in the next by coming 11th and in the final race of the day finished 16th. They are placed 17th overall with three more races to go tomorrow before the medal race which is on 2nd August.

Also read: Lovlina Borgohain: the kick-boxer turned boxer who likes to keep it cool

In the Women's One Person Dinghy Laser, Radial Nethra Kumanan raced in her 9th and 10th race today. She finished 37th in the 9th race and in the next finished 38th. She is placed 35th overall and the medal race is on 1st August.

In the Men's One Person Dinghy Laser, Vishnu Saravanan also raced in his 9th and 10th race today. He finished an astonishing third in the 9th race and in the next finished 15th. He is placed 20th overall and the medal race is on 1st August. He can finish in the top 10 if he is able to repeat his 9th race heroics.

Highs:

1) Indian men’s Hockey team enter quarter-finals after 3-1 win over Argentina

Indian men’s Hockey team defeated the reigning Olympic champions Argentina to progress into the quarterfinals at the Tokyo Olympics. Varun Kumar, Olympic debutant Vivek Sagar Prasad gave India the lead followed up by Harmanpreet  to assure Manpreet Singh’s team that they will at least finish 2nd in Men’s Pool A.

2) PV Sindhu marches on to quarterfinals in Tokyo

In the Women’s Singles Badminton match PV Sindhu looked strong in the round of 16 with a victory over Mia Blichfeldt of Denmark in the Tokyo Olympics. She beat her opponent in 41 mins with a score of 21-15, 21-13 to progress into the quarterfinals. She will face Akane Yamaguchi tomorrow for a place in the Semifinals.

3) Atanu Das progresses to the pre-quarters after defeating Korea's Oh Jin-hyek 6-5

It was a closely contested battle between Atanu Das and Oh Jin-hyek in the men's individual Archery 1/16 Eliminations with very little to separate the two. Both Das and Jin-hyek matched each other point for point without giving anything away but it was India’s Atanu Das who emerged the winner as he beat the former Olympic and World Champion 10-9 in the shoot-off to progress into the pre-quarterfinals.

With this result, both Deepika Kumari and Atanu Das have now progressed to the pre-quarterfinals of the individual archery events and stand a chance to win medals in Tokyo.

4) Satish Kumar progresses to the quarter-finals with 4-1 win over Jamaica's Ricardo Brown

Satish Kumar convincingly defeated Jamaica’s Ricardo Brown 4-1 in the men’s Super Heavy (91kg) Boxing category to qualify for the quarter-finals. Brown could not keep up with Satish Kumar’s counter attacks as the Indian made full use of his light weight to win the clash. Satish Kumar will now face World Champion Bakhodir Jalalov and the Indian is just one win away from an assured medal at the Tokyo Olympics.

Also read: Day 6: Deepika Kumari outshines others in another disappointing day at the Tokyo Olympics

Lows:

1) Mary Kom crashes out of the Tokyo Olympics after losing 3-2 to Ingrit Valencia

In an extremely close contest between Mary Kom and Ingrit Valencia, it was the Colombian boxer who emerged the winner. She was awarded the fight by three of the five judges, knocking out Mary Kom in the Round of 16.

2) Manu Bhaker looks to shoot up hopes in women’s 25m Pistol in Tokyo

Manu Bhaker finished 5th place with a score of 292 and Rahi Sarnobat was placed 25th with a score of 287.The qualification rapid will be held tomorrow and both of them will try to shoot their way into the finals.

3) Indian swimming competition ends as Sajan exits in 100m Butterfly

Sajan Prakash finished second in heat 2 of the 100m Butterfly event with a timing of 53.45 in the Tokyo Olympics. Even though the timing was impressive, he couldn't make it to the top 16 as he finished 46th overall.

4) Golfer Anirban Lahiri T-8th after Round 1 in the Tokyo Olympics

Anirban Lahiri is playing in his second Olympics and started off strongly with a 4-under 67 in the first round at the Kasumigaseki Country Club. By the end of the first round, the former Asian Tour number 1 was Tied-8th while his countryman Udayan Mane had a difficult day in the office, carding 5-over 76 to be at the bottom - 60th.

5)  Indian Laser sailors find themselves in rough waters but 49er pair takes huge leap in today’s final race

In the Men's One Person Dinghy Laser, Vishnu Saravanan stands 23rd overall with two more races to go before the final. He finished 27th in race 7 and 23rd in race 8. In the Women's One Person Dinghy Laser Radial, Nethra Kumanan finished 22nd in race 7 and 20th in race, overall she stands 31st with the last two races to go tomorrow before the final.

In the Men's Skiff 49er, the pair of Varun Thakkar and Kelapanda Ganapathy pulled off a spectacular performance in the 6th race. The Indian pair stands 17th overall as they finished 16th in the 5th race and came an impressive 7th in the next one.

6) Indian Rowers finish 11th in Tokyo

In Lightweight Men's Double Sculls India finished 11th overall as they came fifth in the final B race in the Tokyo Olympics. Arjun Lal Jat and Arvind Singh campaign ended on a positive note as this is the best ever finish for the country in rowing.

(Sailing news) Olympic 2021 Live Update: The sailing events have almost come to an end as the sailors are preparing for the last few races at the Tokyo Olympics. In the Men's One Person Dinghy Laser, the 7th and 8th races were held today as Vishnu Saravanan stands 23rd overall with two more races to go. He finished 27th in race 7 and 23rd in race 8 and will look to improve tomorrow in the last two races before the final.

Also read: Mirza’s horse ‘Seigneur Medicott’ certified as 'sound in health'

In the Women's One Person Dinghy Laser Radial, the 7th and 8th race completed today, Nethra Kumanan finished 22nd in race 7 and 20th in race 8. Overall she stands 31st with the last two races to go tomorrow before the final. In the Men's Skiff 49er, the pair of Varun Thakkar and Kelapanda Ganapathy pulled off a spectacular performance in the 6th race. The Indian pair stands 17th overall as they finished 16th in the 5th race and came an impressive 7th in the 6th. The pair surprised everyone as they improved over 10 places and if they can continue in the same spirit can also finish in the top 15. They still have 6 more races to go to climb up the ladder and will be looking for positive results in the three races tomorrow to achieve their goal.

Indian men’s hockey team wins 3-0 against Spain

After a humiliating loss to Australia in which they lost by 7-1, the Indian men's hockey team, led by Manpreet Singh, was seeking their second win in the group stages. In their third game today, India went against Spain, looking for redemption.

In Pool A match at the OI Hockey Stadium, India put in a solid effort against world No. 9 Spain, scoring goals through Simranjeet Singh (14th minute) and Rupinder Pal Singh (15th and 51st minutes).

With six points from three matches (2 wins, 1 defeat) and a goal differential of -2, the Indian men have ascended to second place in Pool A. The top four teams advance to the quarterfinals.

Indian boxer Lovlina Borgohain defeats Germany’s Nadine Apetz 3-2 in round of 16 women’s welterweight division

Lovlina Borgohain has advanced to the last 8 after a split decision win over Germany’s Nadine Apetz in the Preliminaries Round of 16 bout in women's Welter (64-69kg) event. In an eventful match at the Kokugikan Arena, Lovlina started round 1 strongly with the judges considering her to be the more dominant boxer. She employed a more counter attacking approach in the second round as Apetz improved her performance, however the split decision went in India’s favour. In the third and final round, Lovlina defended the German’s attacks successfully and won 3-2 after another split decision went in India’s favour.

With just one more win, the queen of Assam will be assured a medal at her debut Olympic Games.

Indians finding it hard to sail through in Tokyo

For the first time, India has fielded four sailors in a single Olympics. Nethra Kumanan became the first Indian female sailor to qualify for the Olympics and is competing in the laser radial event. Vishnu Saravanan is competing in laser standard class, and the pair of Varun Thakkar and Ganapathy Chengappa in the 49er class.

Nehra and Vishnu have 10 races overall and both of them have completed 6 of them. On the other hand, in the 49er class the pair of Varun and Ganapathy have just started their races today and have 12 races in total. Nethra Kumanan is currently placed 33rd after 6 races, she has four more to go and will expect to finish in the top. Vishnu Saravanan is currently placed 22nd and will look to improve on the next four races. The final race for both the individuals will be on the 1st of August.

Indian paddler Sharath Kamal loses to Long Ma in men’s singles Round 3 match

Reigning Olympic gold medallist Long Ma from China defeated Indian paddler Sharath Kamal 4-1 in the men’s singles Round 3 match. In a closely contested battle between the two, especially in the first three sets, Long Ma won the first 11-7 but Sharath Kamal fought back in the second set with an 11-8 win. However, the men’s singles and team gold medallist from the Rio Olympics showed just why he has accomplished it all as he won every set after the second game for a result of 11-7, 8-11, 13-11, 11-4, and 11-4.

India’s Manu Bhaker and Saurabh Chaudhary fail to qualify for medal round in 10m Pistol Mixed Event

After a disappointing Day 4 at the Tokyo Olympics, things didn’t start too well for Indian Olympic contingent as shooters Manu Bhaker and Saurabh Chaudhary failed to qualify for the medal round in the 10m Pistol Mixed Event. The pair finished qualification in the 7th position with a total of 380 points as Manu Bhaker was particularly disappointing, dropping 14 points in two series.

Chirag and Satwiksairaj win the match but fail to qualify for quarterfinals

Indian Men’s doubles team won their match against Britain but missed out on a quarterfinal berth after winning fewer games than the second placed team. Chirag Shetty and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy beat Ben Lane and Sean Vendy in 44 minutes in straight games with a score of 21-17 and 21 -19.

Chirag and Satwiksairaj failed to qualify as they finished third in Group A. The pair started off their campaign with a huge win over the world number three pair of Yang Lee and Chi-Lin Wang of Chinese Taipei in their opening match and lost their next match to world number one Marcus Gideon Fernaldi and Kevin Sanjaya Sukamuljo of Indonesia. Their badminton campaign has come to an end even though their performances were admirable.

Indian shooters knocked out of Mixed 10m air rifle event

Indian shooters D.S. Panwar and E. Valarivan are out of the running for mixed 10m air rifle event having ranked 12th in qualifying. The Indian shooting team were expected to dominate the Tokyo Olympics but their performance has been no short of disappointing.

Both teams are out of the finals after a lackluster performance in qualification, capping off a miserable day for Indian shooters.

Also read: Day 4: A day of disappointments for the Indian Olympic contingent

(Sailing news) Olympics 2021 Live Update: For the first time, India has fielded four sailors in a single Olympics. Nethra Kumanan became the first Indian female sailor to qualify for the Olympics and is competing in the laser radial event. Vishnu Saravanan is competing in laser standard class, and the pair of Varun Thakkar and Ganapathy Chengappa in the 49er class.

Also read: I almost had him: Sharath on pushing mighty Ma Long to limit in his 'best' tournament ever

Each of the events consists of a series of races. Points in each race are awarded according to the position the sailors achieve. The individual who finishes first gets one point, the second placed finisher scores two and so on. The last race is called the medal race, for which the points are doubled. Following the medal race, the individual or crew with the fewest total points is declared the winner. 

Nehra and Vishnu have 10 races overall and both of them have completed 6 of them. On the other hand, in the 49er class the pair of Varun and Ganapathy have just started their races today and have 12 races in total. Nethra Kumanan is currently placed 33rd after 6 races, she has four more to go and will expect to finish in the top. Vishnu Saravanan is currently placed 22nd and will look to improve on the next four races. The final race for both the individuals will be on the 1st of August.

With only 48 hours to go the predictions are going up and the world is waiting for the top athletes to clash with each other and bring the best out of each other. In Olympic news after 57 years Tokyo is ready for yet another Olympic games and will be looking to give us records and performances which will provide us enough motivation until the next one is around the corner. This year’s Olympic Games will be an interesting watch as there will be the introduction of new games, Indians are making waves in many sports this time. Youngsters are in large numbers in each event from the country. They will have a chance to deliver for their country and will look to carry the flag till the end. Last year's Olympics in Rio 2016 saw the women bringing the medals home as the men came home empty handed, this time we have a large team and a representation in most of the events. We will be looking at a better or an all time best performance by the team.

Fencing Sabre

C.A Bhavani Devi has become the first in Indian history to qualify for the olympics  in fencing. Her first International competition was when was just 14 years old and two years later she won the Bronze medal in the Asian Championship in the Philippines. She is also the first Indian to win a gold in Commonwealth Fencing Championship in Canberra in the sabre event. Her path paves the way for millions of aspiring athletes, she has set the track and inspired many by qualifying for the Olympics. It will be a huge victory if she manages a podium finish, as she and the sport will get nationwide attention. Like boxing started a few years ago, just a little spark is needed for the games to grow. She will start her campaign on July 26 and will look to slash through fear and  pressure.

Equestrian

Fouaad Mirza is the First Indian in 20 years to qualify at the Olympics in Equestrian. In the 2018 Jakarta Asian Games he won two silvers, one each in individual and team event. He is only the third Indian Equestrian to compete at the Olympics. He is being trained by Sandra Auffarth who  won the Silver Medal at London Olympics 2012 in the individual event, his family has been involved in Horse Riding for the past 8 generations. He qualified after finishing on top in the South East Asia and Oceania Qualifiers in 2019. Athletes like these can do the sport much favour by winning in international stages, and there is no stage bigger than the Olympics. The events will start from the 30th of July.

Judo

Women’s 48kg Extra Lightweight

Sushila Devi Likmabam will be India's lone participant in Judo at Tokyo 2020. She won the Silver medal at the Commonwealth Games in 2014 at Glasgow and later won the Gold in the 2019 Commonwealth Judo Championship. She qualified through the continental quotas as she has a ranking of 46 on the Olympic Games Quota. Winning a medal would get media attention on the deserved sport and help in bringing in more athletes for the sport. Last year too we only had a single participant in judo that was Avtar Singh, there needs to be more awareness about the sport. Sushila will be looking to repeat her Commonwealth heroics and increase India's medal prospects. The Judo matches start from July 24.

Rowing

Men’s lightweight double sculls

Arjun Jat and Arvind Singh

India has been participating in Rowing since the 2000 Sydney Olympics and has sent athletes ever since. In 2016 the country saw its best performance in rowing with Dattu Baban Bhokanal finishing 13th in the Men's Single Sculls. The sport deserves to get more value than it has in the present, Arjun  Jat and Arvind Singh first won their medal in the 2019 Asian championship where they came in second. Both will be making their debut in Tokyo and  will be looking to pull off an upset. The rowing event starts from July 24th and will go on till 29th of July.

Sailing

Women’s Laser Radial

Nethra Kumanan  is the first Indian woman sailor to qualify for the Olympics. She was also the first Indian woman to win a World Cup medal in Sailing when she won the Bronze medal at the 2020 Sailing World Cup in Miami, USA. She qualified in the Massanah Championships while finishing on top. Sailing so far has seen 10 sailors represent in the Olympics, in a country of over 1 billion in population our representation should be a lot more. Other events have seen many representations in the Olympics. She will look to break various records at Tokyo and come back sailing with a medal. The Four sailors making their debut in Tokyo. The sailing event will start from 25th of July and will go on till the 1st of August.

Men’s

Laser Standard

Vishnu Saravanan started  turning heads by winning multiple medals at the junior national stages, he was the youth national champion in 2016. He won the senior National Championship in 2018 and the very next year continued his winning run by winning the bronze in laser under 21 World Cup in Croatia. He will be looking to bring his form in Tokyo and sail against the wind. He secured his place in the games by coming second in the Mussanah Championships.

49er team

KC Ganapathy and Varun Thakkar won their first medal when they won bronze in the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta. They finished on top in the Mussanah Championships to secure their place in the Tokyo Olympics. They will be in action starting from July 27 and will be interesting to see how events unfold. All the sailors qualified through the same championship and will try to do the same in the games.

Interesting Fact: The 10 second barrier in the Olympics was broken for the first time in the 1968 Mexico Olympics by Jim Hines.

Tokyo, Jul 19 (Olympics news) Indian athletes hit the ground running as they started their pre-Olympic training a day after landing here, hoping to live up to massive expectations in the pandemic-hit Games.

The first batch of Indian athletes arrived on Sunday morning and checked in to the Games village after fulfilling the COVID-19 related protocol requirements.

The likes of archers Deepika Kumari and Atanu Das, table tennis players G Sathiyan and A Sharath Kamal, ace shuttlers PV Sindhu and B Sai Praneeth and lone Indian gymnast in fray, Pranati Nayak, started their training on Monday.

While archery couple Atanu and Deepika started sharpening their skills at the Yumenoshima Park this morning, paddlers Sathiyan and Sharath Kamal too began their preparations in search of an elusive Olympic medal in the sport.

Gymnasts Pranati Nayak also started her training this morning under the supervision of coach Laxman Manohar Sharma.

While shuttler Sindhu and Praneeth trained with singles coach Park Tae Sang, the men's doubles pair of Chirag Shetty and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy hit the courts along with their coach Mathias Boe.

The sailors, including V Sarvanan, the first to reach Tokyo, had already started their training on Sunday.

Also read: Lenny D'Gama to be lone Indian Technical Official at Tokyo Olympics boxing competition

Besides Saravanan (men's laser class), Nethra Kumanan, KC Ganapathy, and Varun Thakker, all of whom reached here last week, will be representing the country in the sailing event at the Tokyo Games.

Rowers Arjun Lal Jat and Arvind Singh, who will compete in men's lightweight double scull and arrived in the Japanese capital on Saturday morning, underwent their first training session under the supervision of chief national coach Ismail Baig at the Sea Forest Waterway in Tokyo Bay here on Sunday.

The 15-strong group of Indian shooters also to hit the range on Monday.

As per the protocols laid down by the Organising committee, athletes arriving from India were required to undergo three-day mandatory quarantine upon reaching Tokyo which was later lifted, much to the relief of the country's athletes.

On reaching the Games Village after clearing their COVID tests at the airprot and receiving their PVC cards, the Indian athletes were allowed to use the common areas, including gymnasium and dinning hall.

After one year's delay, the Tokyo Olympics will finally be held under emergency conditions with no spectators because of the raging COVID-19 pandemic in the country.

News source: PTI

Tokyo, Jul 18 (Olympics news) Excited and cautious in equal measure, the first batch of athletes from India's Olympic contingent arrived in Tokyo on Sunday, clearing the exhaustive COVID-19 related protocols at the airport before entering the Games village on a day when two sportspersons staying there tested positive for the dreaded virus.

All 88 athletes underwent COVID testing at the airport and were found to be negative. They will start training from Monday, the Sports Authority of India (SAI) said in a press release.

"The infection control protocol has been briefed to all the contingent members and COVID testing kits have been distributed to the respective coaches," SAI added.

The delegation was received by Dr Prem Verma, India's deputy chef-de-mission and COVID Liaison Officer at the Games.

The contingent from India, which left on Saturday night after a grand send-off, was joined by the shooters and boxers who were training in Italy and Croatia.

The group travelling from India included archers, badminton players, table tennis players, both the men's and women's hockey teams, and qualifiers from judo, gymnastics, and swimming among others.

They landed in the Japanese capital aboard a chartered Air India flight from New Delhi.

"It was a six hour wait at the (Narita) airport where we underwent COVID-19 tests but that was expected. All came out clear and we have checked into the Games village. All smooth so far," a contingent member told PTI.

The group included stars such as world champion shuttler P V Sindhu, six-time world champion boxer M C Mary Kom, world no.1 boxer Amit Panghal, world no.1 archer Deepika Kumari and TT player Manika Batra among others.

"Their PVC (pre-valid cards) were also validated at the airport. All athletes coaches and support staff have been conveniently accommodated in the village and all are comfortable.

"They enjoyed their meals at the dining hall and all of them are at ease and relaxed." The Indians arrived on a day when two athletes staying at the Games village and one at a designated hotel were confirmed COVID positive by the organisers, who insisted that they are prepared for some cases given the influx of people in the city.

The Indians were duly masked, some of them even wore face shields as they went through the paperwork at the airport before boarding buses to the Games Village.

The total number of Games-related COVID cases have now risen to 55 as per the OC records.

The Games will be held behind closed doors as infections soar in the Japanese capital, which is recording more than 1,000 cases per day for the past few days.

Despite the scepticism, IOC President Thomas Bach has insisted that the Games pose "zero risk" for the residents of Olympic village and the Japanese people in general.

On Saturday night, Sports Minister Anurag Thakur gave a formal send-off to the contingent at the Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi amid loud cheers, claps and plenty of good wishes.

Also read: Indian shooting team looks forward to first training session in Tokyo

The IGI witnessed unprecedented scenes as a red carpet was laid out for the contingent. Such was the euphoria surrounding the send-off, that the Government of India had arranged for a special Olympic Contingent Clearance immigration line for the Tokyo-bound members.

The send-off ceremony was also attended by Minister of State for Sports, Nisith Pramanik, Sports Authority of India Director General Sandip Pradhan and Indian Olympic Association (IOA) officials, including President Narinder Batra and Secretary General Rajeev Mehta.

Some Indian athletes reached Tokyo a few days earlier from their respective training bases abroad.

India's lone weightlifter in fray, Mirabai Chanu entered Tokyo on Friday from her training base in St Louis, USA.

India will be represented by a 228-strong contingent, including 119 athletes, at the Games.

Four Indian sailors -- Nethra Kumanan and Vishnu Saravanan (laser class), KC Ganapathy and Varun Thakkar (49er class) -- were the first from the country to reach Tokyo from their training bases in Europe. They started training on Thursday.

Besides, the rowing team has also reached the city.

The ones still to arrive include wrestlers, led by the redoubtable Bajran Punia and Vinesh Phogat, tennis star Sania Mirza along with the rest of the team and the athletics contingent, which features strong medal hope javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra.

News source: PTI 

Tokyo, Jul 15 (Sports news) Indian sailors Vishnu Saravanan and Nethra Kumanan on Thursday received their boats which they will be using during the laser class events at the Tokyo Olympics, beginning July 23.

The pictures of the boats arriving at the Haneda airport were shared by the Sports Authority of India (SAI).

Nethra, who will be competing in the laser radial event, could be seen getting her boat ready for training in the picture.

Nethra had been training in Spain, while Vishnu, who will be competing in laser standard class, was in Malta for his preparation.

The duo, along with the pair of Varun Thakkar and Ganapathy Chengappa, who will be participating in 49er class, were the first from country's contingent to arrive in Tokyo on Tuesday.

For the first time in history, a record four sailors will represent India at the Games.

This is also the first time that the country will field sailors in three events. The sailing competition starts on July 25. News source: PTI

Chennai, June 26 : Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin on Saturday announced a purse of Rs three crore to sportspersons from the State, who clinch gold at the Tokyo Olympics.

He also announced a cash award of Rs 2 crore for those winning silver and Rs one crore to bronze medallists at the multi-national event next month.

"The government is duty-bound to encourage sportspersons who distinguish themselves at global meets.

These cash awards will be given on behalf of the government," he said.

Also known as Tokyo 2020, the 2020 Summer Olympics is scheduled from July 23 to August 8, 2021 in Japan after it was postponed to this year due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Speaking after inaugurating a special Covid vaccination camp for sportspersons at the Nehru stadium here, Staliny said, "Team spirit is very important to win in sports. Success can be achieved while working together as a team." Sportspersons like M S Dhoni, Sachin Tenduklar, P T Usha and Karnam Malleswari, who shone in their fields, become icons of inspiration to others, he said and urged the participants to strive hard and fetch laurels for Tamil Nadu.

"The State government will always support and encourage sports," he added.

The vaccination camp was held under the aegis of the Department of Youth Welfare and Sports, Sports Development Authority of Tamil Nadu, Health Department, and Tamil Nadu Olympic Association.

Ensuring that the Sports Department did not remain for namesake, his government has committed itself to fostering sports and promoting sportspersons, he said.

"Athletes need physical endurance and motivation. We had promised in the DMK election manifesto that Olympic Academy will be established in four zones in Tamil Nadu. Our promises will be fulfilled," Stalin said.

The Chief Minister said sportspersons are the pride of the country and the State government would always support them.

He distributed cash incentive of Rs 5 lakh each to six participating athletes -- Nethra Kumanan, Varun Thakkar and K C Ganapathy, who have qualified for sailing at the upcoming event in July, paddlers G Sathian and A Sarath Kamal and paralympian T Mariappan.

Tamil Nadu's C A Bhavani Devi who became the first- ever Indian fencer to qualify for the Tokyo Olympic was already provided the incentive of Rs 5 lakh. News source PTI

New Delhi, May 7 Tokyo Olympic-bound sailors Nethra Kumanan (laser radial), Vishnu Saravanan (laser standard) as well as KC Ganapathy and Varun Thakkar (skiff 49er) will train in Europe ahead of the Tokyo Olympics after the Sports Ministry's Mission Olympic Cell (MOC) on Friday approved their respective proposals.

The total cost of international training for the four athletes is Rs 73.14 lakhs. Saravanan, included in the Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS) after securing his Tokyo berth at the Mussanah Open Sailing Championships in Oman, will train with his coach in Malta for 28 days.

In addition, the MOC has also cleared his proposal to be in Vilamoura, Portugal, for 14 days to train and compete in the Medemblik Regatta. A total budget of Rs 26.46 lakh has been approved for this purpose, a Sports Authority of India statement read.

Kumanan, also inducted in TOPS after Mussanah Open, will train in Gran Canaria, Spain for 28 days. She will compete in the Medemblik Regatta and then train and compete in Hungary. The MOC has approved a budget of Rs 20.54 lakh for her besides air fares.

Similarly, Ganapathy and Thakkar, who too were included in TOPS after the Mussanah Open, will train in Cascais, Portugal for 28 days and also participate in the Medemblik Regatta. The MOC has approved a budget of Rs 26.14 lakh for the duo.

"As with the coaches of the Laser sailors, the coach fee for the 49ers and the cost of chartering boats are part of the budgets," the SAI statement said.

The four sailors created history last month when they became the first from the sport to qualify for the Olympics from the country. News Source : PTI

New Delhi, Apr 22 Olympics-bound sailors Nethra Kumanan and Vishnu Saravanan on Thursday said they would be taking part in the upcoming Tokyo Games without much expectations, treating it as just a learning exercise. In a historic first, four Indian sailors -- Saravanan (Laser Standard), Kumanan (Laser Radial) and Vishnu Ganapathy and Varun Thakkar (49er Skiff) -- made the Olympics cut during the Asian Qualifiers in Oman earlier this month. It's also the first time that India will compete in three sailing events in the Olympics. "We will go to the Games without a lot of expectation. We will see where we stand against the world level. This will be a great learning process for us," Kumanan said in a virtual media interaction, facilitated by the Sports Authority of India. Saravanan said it would be important for them to remain cool like former national cricket team captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni when they compete in the upcoming Tokyo Games. "I will be happy to finish in the top 50 per cent. There's no pressure because we know we're not there yet. We are young and have room to learn more. The whole nation has so much hope on us but we have to be cool-minded like MS Dhoni and do our job," he said. The Indian sailors had a training camp, funded to the tune of Rs 1.29 crore by the Sports Ministry, in Oman for 15 days before the Olympics qualifying event. For the Olympic cycle beginning 2017, the Ministry has extended funding to the sailors through the Yachting Association of India. A sum of Rs 12.11 crore was given as part of the Annual Competition and Training Calendar (ACTC). Asked how she felt after qualifying for the Tokyo Olympics, Kumanan said, "We are excited that finally the Olympic dream has been achieved. It's a huge step to be at the Olympics. "It has brought a lot of light to the sport of sailing and I hope many people take it up. I'm also honoured to be the first woman sailor from India to make it to the Olympics." Saravanan, on his part, said, "Qualification in Oman drained a lot of energy from us. We have trained hard and knew our boat speed is good. The Olympic qualification brought a lot of recognition to sailing and help in years to come. Thanks to the Sports Authority of India for selecting us in (Target Olympic Podium Scheme) TOPS," he said. "It gets expensive at a high level and we want new equipments and the sailing community is producing new equipments every day. We have to train with the top guys and we need lot of budgeting." Kumanan added, "Being in TOPS will provide much benefits for our travelling expenses. We are extremely grateful for this and this will give us an extra incentive to perform our best at the Olympics." News Source : PTI