Mumbai, Jan 19 (Football News) A title has eluded eight-time champions China in the last four editions of the women's AFC Asian Cup but head coach Shui Qingxia says her side would fancy its chances this time.

China last won the trophy in 2006 after claiming the title for an unprecedented seven editions on the trot from 1986 to 1999. They have finished runners-up in 2008, third in 2024 and 2018.

"As the head coach and also from the point of view of the Chinese women's national team, we wish to do our best and to win the trophy, definitely," said the 55-year-old Qingxia, who will be in her first international match as head coach on Thursday against Chinese Taipei.

"Our wish is to go to the final and win the trophy. Of course, we know this requires a little bit of luck as well." Qingxia is a legend in her country as she is a five-time Asian champion as a player.

While there are a handful of new faces, Qingxia’s squad retains the experienced core of Wang Shanshan, Wang Shuang and Zhang Rui, although regular captain and defensive lynchpin Wu Haiyan has been ruled out of the tournament owing to an injury.

A major boost to the Steel Roses' chances came in the form of Tottenham Hotspur forward Tang Jiali, who has returned to the side after being unexpectedly overlooked for their Tokyo Olympics campaign.

Qingxia said Jiali may not be an immediate starter having played a full match in a 1-1 draw against West Ham United as recently as Sunday night.

"Tang Jiali had a match in England on the 16th, and after discussion between the team we decided that Tang would travel after that match," she explained.

Having won the title thrice in the 1970s and 80s, Chinese Taipei have qualified for the showpiece tournament after a 14-year absence.

"Among the team members from 2008, from that moment we have only two members in the (current) team,” said head coach Kazuo Echigo.

"Everything feels brand new for us, and I'm so excited." Chinese Taipei have never beaten China in over three decades of trying, with their most recent attempt ending in a comprehensive 0-5 defeat during the Tokyo Olympics qualifying.

The current squad is dominated by domestic players, with only two goalkeepers -- Tsai Ming-Jung and Cheng Ssu-Yu -- registered to overseas clubs in Japan. 

Also Read : Asian Cup: Two members of Indian team test COVID positive on eve of tournament

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(Tennis news) The men’s draw saw the biggest casualty yet as the second round began in the 2022 Australian Open. Hubert Hurkacz at no point of time had hopes of making a comeback against Adrian Mannarino and it was also doomsday for Belinda Bencic as she was beaten by Amanda Anisimova. The doubles matches started today in both the draws.

Hurkacz movement around the court was nowhere near Mannarino who fought till the last point of the match. The 10th seed seemed to be very rigid during the rallies as the left hander did not let any service breaks go to vain. Mannarino has never gone past the third round and will be eager to reach when he faces Aslan Karatsev in the next round. Mannarino defeated Hurkacz 6-4, 6-2, 6-3.

Sebastian Korda picked up his first five set victory over Corentin Moutet in a match that lasted for almost five hours. Moutet kept attacking from the baseline with his forehand as Korda kept coming to the net and finished most of his points standing in the front. The world number 100 kept most of his strokes in the safezone while the next gen player had 92 unforced errors. In the 8th game of the deciding set, Korda surprised the whole court with a forced late reaction dropshot which left Moutet staring in agony as the chair umpire confirmed it being a legitimate shot. Korda defeated Moutet 3-6, 6-4, 6-7(2-7), 7-5, 7-6(10-6).

Karen Khachanov was an all rounder in his second round match against Benjamin Bonzi. The Russian hit 46 winners with his forehand causing the most trouble and served 19 aces. Bonzi had his chances to take it to the tiebreak in the third set but an unforced error gave Khachanov a breakpoint and a route to the third round. Khachanov defeated Bonzi 6-4, 6-0, 7-5.

In women’s singles, Tokyo Olympics singles gold medallist Belinda Bencic was beaten in straight sets by Amanda Anisimova. Bencic broke Amanda’s serve in the first game of the match but could only do it twice in the whole match. The 20 year old had 13 breakpoints in the match and could only win 5 of them but it was enough for a first time win against Bencic in their second career meeting. Amanda defeated Bencic 6-2, 7-5.

Victoria Azarenka only needed 72 minutes to beat Jil Teichmann in a one sided match. Azarenka had four breakpoints in the match which she won and Teichmann had 5 of them in the first set but could not convert any. Teichmann was also winning more points in the 1st serve overall but could only win 5 of the 24 second serves and lost 5 consecutive games in the second set. Azarenka defeated Teichmann 6-1, 6-2.

In men’s doubles, the Dutch pair of Robin Haase and Botic van de Zandschulp beat the 15th seeded pair of Jean-Julien Rojer and Marcelo Arévalo in a match that lasted for 2 hours and 40 minutes. Rojer and Arévalo lost 6 of the 7 breakpoints they had as it denied them the crucial points while Haase and Zandschulp had only won 1 of their 2 breakpoints. The numbers were against the winning pair but they played well to take the final set. Haase and Zandschulp defeated 6-7(5-7), 7-6(10-8), 10-8.

In women’s doubles, Rebecca Peterson and Anastasia Potapova beat Nina Stojanović and Irina-Camelia Begu in a 1st round upset. Rebecca and Anastasia served 8 double faults but that didn’t stop the pair in making a comeback in the deciding set to defeat Stojanović and Irina 2-6, 6-3, 7-5.

Also read: Kerber, Kvitova and Isner knocked in opening round of Australian Open

Muscat, Jan 17 (Hockey News) Performing well at the upcoming Asia Cup will give the Indian women's hockey team the requisite momentum for a busy 2022 season, which includes the Asian Games and the Commonwealth Games, says vice-captain Deep Grace Ekka.

Besides defending the title, a spot in this year's FIH Women's World Cup will be at stake for the Indian women in the Asia Cup to be held at the Sultan Qaboos Sports Complex here from January 21 to 28.

India will open its campaign against Malaysia on January 21 and top-four teams from the event will earn direct qualification to the World Cup to be co-hosted by Spain and Netherlands later this year.

"It is important for us to perform well in the tournament as it will set the momentum for us for the upcoming challenges in 2022. It is a packed year for us, and the more games we play, the more we will be able to test ourselves and what we have been working on the training grounds," Ekka said in a statement issued by Hockey India.

Besides India, other participating teams in the tournament are China, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, South Korea and Thailand.

"It is sort of a new start for us. This will be our first full tournament after the Tokyo Olympics as unfortunately, we could only play one game in Korea at the Women's Asian Champions Trophy 2021," Ekka said.

India won the women's Hockey Asia Cup in 2017 to qualify for the 2018 World Cup, where they managed to reach the knockout stages.

In 2018, India also went on to win the silver medal at the Asian Games.

And Ekka believes a successful title defence in Muscat will be key for the team going forward.

"Winning the women's Hockey Asia Cup trophy in 2017 was a turning point for us and it really gave us the confidence that we can perform on the big stage if we play as a team.

"Winning the trophy once again can really motivate our players to perform even better this year and have an unforgettable 2022. It is very important for us to have a positive start," she said. 

Also Read : We want to prove Tokyo wasn't a one day wonder, says women's hockey coach Schopman

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New Delhi, Jan 16 (Shooting News) The National Rifle Association of India (NRAI) has invited applications for the posts of foreign and Indian coaches as well as high performance manager for the country's senior and junior shooters across disciplines.

The tenure of the contract will be till the 2024 Paris Olympic Games from the date of appointment.

The coaching staffs positions have been left vacant since the NRAI decided to terminate the contracts of all coaches last year.

The move followed a review by the national federation in the wake of the Indian shooting team's disastrous outing at the Tokyo Olympics, where they failed to win a single medal, five years after returning empty-handed from the Rio Games in 2016.

"The National Rifle Association of India (NRAI) invites applications from highly qualified and experienced foreign coaches to train the Indian shooting team/national squad for achieving excellence in all major international competitions including Olympic Games 2024," the NRAI said in its advertisement.

The federation is also looking to hire high performance manager for the shooters in rifle, pistol and shotgun disciplines.

"The National Rifle Association of India (NRAI) invites applications for appointment of a qualified and experienced High-Performance Manager (HPM) for its national squad of shooters in the discipline of rifle, pistol and shotgun." The HPM, primarily, will be responsible for monitoring the training and development programme of the shooters to "achieve excellence in the sport to perform" at various international competitions.

All the appointments are subject to approval by the Sports Authority of India (SAI).

Besides, the NRAI has also invited Expression of Interest (EOI) from Indian nationals for the appointment of coaches for senior and junior shooters on contract basis, for the "national squad/Indian shooting team and empanelment of coaches for promotion of the shooting sport and training of shooters at state and district level".

As far as the major requirements for the coaches and HPM are concerned, the applicants must be below 65 years of age and should have played at the Olympics/continental games/Commonwealth Games/World Championships or other continental championships besides having previous coaching experience at the top level with established shooters. 

Also Read : 30 medals for Topgun Shooting Academy at Delhi state meet

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New Delhi, Jan 16 (Badminton News) Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty on Sunday became the first team from country to win the Yonex-Sunrise India Open after toppling three-time world champions Mohammad Ahsan and Hendra Setiawan, here.

The world number 10 Indian pair, which had won its first Super 500 tournament in Thailand in 2019, upset the top seeded Indonesian pair 21-16 26-24 in 43 minutes to make a rampaging start to the new season.

Coming into the match with a 1-3 head-to-head record, Satwik and Chirag dished out a brave effort as they staved off a fightback to reign supreme in the final.

From almost missing the tournament following a false COVID positive result to winning the title, it turned out to be an incredible start to 2022 for the Indian pair, which accumulated valuable ranking points ahead of a busy season, which comprises some big-ticket events such as the Commonwealth Games and Asian Games.

The Indian pair started on a positive note and even through the Indonesian combination clawed back, Satwik and Chirag ensured they are two points ahead at the first interval.

The Indians tried to engage their rivals in rallies and led 18-13 but the Indonesians reduced the deficit to 16-18 before Satwik and Chirag prevailed in the opening game.

Fast-paced but short rallies were the norm in the second game as well as Ahsan and Satiawan grabbed a three-point lead at 9-6 early in the second game.

But the Indian pair again ensured they have the advantage at the break, grabbing a slender 11-10 lead. Sawtik and Chirag maintained the intensity in the rallies after the break to lead 15-13.

The world number two again drew parity at 17-17 but Satwik and Chirag moved to 19-17 when Ahsan erred at net. But Chirag went long next as it was 19-19. Indonesian managed to move to a game point with a tap by Ahsan.

What followed next was frequent exchange of points as both India and Indonesia earned and squandered their advantage positions in equal measure.

After a fierce battle, it was the Indian pair who showed better nerves to emerge victories with the Indonesia squandering five game points.

Satwik and Chirag had won the Thailand Open Super 500 title in 2019, besides reaching the finals at French Open Super 750 the same year.

The duo also claimed the silver medal at the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games, besides winning the Hyderabad Open Super 100 and finishing runners-up at Syed Modi International in 2018.

Satwik and Chirag also played a crucial role in India earning the historic mixed team gold medal in the 2018 Commonwealth Games.

The Indian pair also had qualified for the Tokyo Olympics last year but couldn't cross the group stage despite winning two out of three games. 

Also Read : Want to improve my senior ranking, qualify for Olympics: Tasnim Mir

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Singapore, Jan 15 (Golf News) Indian golfer S Chikkarangappa, shot a two-under 70 in difficult conditions in the third round to move to sole third and within three shots of the leader Rattanon Wannasrichan (73) at the Singapore International, here on Saturday.

While the 28-year-old Chikka, looking for his maiden Asian Tour successes moved up, fellow Indian Khalin Joshi, the first round leader (75), slipped to fourth and was four behind the leader.

Thailand's Rattanon maintained his lead at Tanah Merah Country Club and put himself in position for his second title on the Asian Tour.

Korean youngster, Joohyung Kim (69) played solid on another day of strong winds and was sole second.

Rattanon was 4-under, while Kim Joohyung was second at 2-under and Chikka was 1-under for third. They were the only players under par after 54 holes.

Chikkarangappa, two-time winner on the Asian Development Tour, has been knocking on the doors of a maiden title win for a while, won twice on the Indian domestic Tour in 2021.

He also accompanied Anirban Lahiri as his caddie for the Tokyo Olympics "I learnt a lot from watching the top stars from all over the world. I have been feeling very confident since then. As a for a win, it is not in my control, I can only try and play my best," he said.

"So, when I go out for the final round, that’s what I will do – give my best. It will be exciting to go out in the final group with Rattanon and Kim and I have seen both play." Chikka started the third round with a birdie and was 2-under for front nine but dropped a shot on Par-5 10th for the second day in a row. He made up for it with a birdie on 18th, also for the second day in a row.

Joshi, who shot 67 on the first day, has struggled with the putter for the last two days and hopes to reverse that trend on Sunday.

Rashid Khan, two-time winner on Asian Tour, but who last won in 2014, had a round of 70 and rose to T-14, while Viraj Madappa was T-36 after dropping with a card of 78.

Shubhankar Sharma (77) and Ajeetesh Sandhu (80) had a rough outing and dropped to T-45, while Shiv Kapur (75) and Abhijit Chadha (75) were T-55.

Rattanon, 27, winner of the 2017 Thailand Open, returned a third round one-over-par 73 on the Tampines Course for a two-shot advantage over Kim, who returned a 69.

Thailand’s 14-year-old amateur star Ratchanon Chantananuwat, who was two behind the leader at the start of the day, slipped back with a 76 and is five off the pace. 

Also Read : Joshi's putter slips but stays second as Chika, Sandhu occupy 7th place

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New Delhi, Jan 14 (Hockey News) The extraordinary performance at the Tokyo Olympics was not a "one day wonder", asserted Indian women's hockey team chief coach Janneke Schopman, who is looking forward to this year's World Cup.

Schopman said after the high in Tokyo, they are now determined to defend their Asia Cup title, which will ensure a direct qualification to the FIH Women's World Cup, to be jointly co-hosted by Spain and Netherlands from July 1 to 17.

The Indian women recorded their best-ever performance in the Olympics last year by finishing fourth.

"Out performance in Tokyo exceeded our expectations but we still have more gains to make to be in the top-6 in the world. We need to keep improving because the girls don't want to be a one-day wonder," Schopman said during a virtual press conference ahead of Asia Cup.

"They want to be right up there and play against the best of the world to their potential." After the Olympics, the Indian women played just one game in the Asian Champions Trophy in Donghae, South Korea last month when they were forced to pull out of the event after one player tested positive for COVID-19.

"Since Olympics we played just one game. The Asia Cup is very important to us as it is a qualifying tournament for the World Cup. There is plenty of stake at place," the coach said.

The top four team from the Asia Cup, scheduled to be held between January 21-28 at the Sultan Qaboos Sports Complex in Muscat, will directly qualify for this year's World Cup.

Schopman said her coaching style is simple: "work on your individual game and try to be dominant" over the opponents.

"As a coach I have a clear philosophy. I would like us to be more dominant when in possession. We need to work our game and strike a balance between attack and defence. The thing which we have learnt from Tokyo is that we need to focus on what we can control and can do ourselves," she said.

"We need to figure out what we are good at on the pitch and see work on our shortcomings." Veteran goalkeeper Savita Punia, who will lead the side in the Asia Cup in the absence of regular skipper Rani Rampal who is recovering from an injury, said Tokyo Games is a thing of the past as a busy season awaits, which includes two big-ticket events -- the Asian Games and the Commonwealth Games.

"The whole year is important for us. We have 3-4 major tournaments lined up including the CWG and Asian Games. Besides we will also make our debut at the FIH Pro League this year.

"Our main focus is to qualify for the World Cup through Asia Cup and then win the Asian Games to directly qualify for the 2024 Paris Olympics," she said. 

Also Read : HI announces core probable group for women's hockey team

News Source : PTI

(Tennis news) Daria Kasatkina has been shining bright in the warm Australian courts. The Russian reached her second semifinal in 2 weeks as she had reached the last four at Melbourne a few days ago. The Russian got her first top five victory in 4 years when she beat Garbine Muguriza at the Sydney Tennis Classic.

Kasatkina had last beaten Muguruza in 2019 and now remains the lowest seeded player left in the draw. The world number 26 placed the ball so well that most of her winners were not even attempted by the Spaniard, the world number 3 took time to build up the point while Kasatkina could instantly find a loose spot and hit the ball exactly in that area.

Muguruza was hitting the ball well but there was no momentum on her side as she was constantly distracted by her opponents' most unexpected winners. Kasatkina will face another Spanish player in the next match as Paula Badosa will be ready for another tough battle. Kasatkina defeated Muguruza 6-4, 6-4.

Badosa’s timing was right on target as she beat Tokyo Olympics Singles gold medalist Belinda Bencic for a place in the last four. The first set saw two players playing one of the best rallies of the year as Belinda took the ball on the rise while Badosa was patient enough to hit the ball well after the bounce. Badosa’s light bend backward while hitting the forehand generates enough power to smash the ball across and Bencic had this forward fall while hitting the ball.

Both of them had different styles but Belinda took more risks as it did not work in the first set as the world number 9 did not take many chances but the forehand winner at tie break was enough to prove her point. Sensing her groundstrokes were not doing enough damage, the swiss player changed her tactics completely and the speeds were decreasing in her groundstrokes. The surprise drop shot caught Badosa completely off guard on multiple occasions. A crucial backhand into the net by Belinda in the eighth game gave the lead to Badosa and she did not again let go of the chance to serve out the match. Badosa defeated Bencic 7-6(8-6), 3-6, 6-3.

Barbora Krejcikova only lost two games in her quarterfinal match against Caroline Garcia as she will next face Anett Kontaveit. Krejcikova won 8 consecutive games in the match as Garcia kept struggling to hit a clean ball on the other side of the court. The unforced errors gave last year’s Roland Garros champion a bagel in the opening set, she took the first two games until the unseeded player won her first game of the match. Krejcikova looked like she won the match even before the ending of the second set as Garcia could never get her form in the match. Barbora defeated Garcia 6-0, 6-2.

Also read: Emma Raducanu falls in opening match at Sydney Tennis Classic

New Delhi, Jan 12 (Sports News) India's Olympic and Paralympic heroes, including men's hockey team skipper Manpreet Singh and para table-tennis player Bhavina Patel, feel there should be an increased focus on physical fitness and mental health of youngsters given the lifestyle changes forced by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Manpreet and Bhavina were speaking at the National Youth Festival's virtual session titled 'Sports - A Unifier for Ek Bharat Shrestha Bharat'.

Tokyo Olympics bronze-medallist boxer Lovlina Borgohain, Indian women's hockey team captain Rani Rampal and Parlympics bronze-medallist high jumper Sharad Kumar were also present for the session.

"Fitness is not just physical. There is mental fitness as well. Everyone should understand that life becomes a lot easier when you are fit. Your health remains good, you stay happy and positive," said Bhavina, who became the first-ever Indian paddler to win a medal at the Paralympics with her silver in Tokyo.

"So, every person should try a become fit. Staying fit is not just for sportspersons but good for everyone," she added.

Since the beginning of 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic has wreaked havoc all over the world.

Educational institutions have resorted to online classes and in such circumstances, Rani said it has become even more important to engage children in physical activities.

"Children are having a lot of online classes nowadays because of the pandemic but I request parents to send the children outside so that they have some physical and brain activity," she said.

"This will help in their growth. I am not saying everyone has to make sports their profession but children should be sent outside to plays so that they become healthy," Rani added.

Manpreet, who led the men's hockey team to an Olympic bronze medal, praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi for promoting fitness among the youth via various schemes like the Fit India campaign and the Khelo India Games.

"If you take out 30 minutes in the day to exercise your body will remain fit and you can fight a lot of diseases," he said.

"Youth is our future and to take a country forward one must invest in youth. Our PM is focussing on this a lot. He knows youth is the future.

"He started Khelo India (Games) and Fit India campaign and the performance that we got in the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics shows that and India’s future is very bright," Manpreet added. 

Also Read : PKL: Bengal Warriors look to bounce back, Pune eye U Mumba scalp in Maharashtra Derby

News Source : PTI

New Delhi, Jan 12 (Wrestling News) Tokyo Olympics silver medal winning wrestler Ravi Dahiya kicked off the India-leg of the Queens Baton Relay for the Birmingham Commonwealth Games with a symbolic run in the National Capital here on Wednesday.

The Queens Baton for the Birmingham Games arrived here on Monday.

"It feels great to be a part of the Baton Relay. My preparations for the Commonwealth Games are going on in full swing and I am confident of winning a gold in Birmingham," Dahiya said.

The Games are scheduled to be held from July 28 and August 8.

Unlike other edition of the Games, this year's QBR will be held as a symbolic event because of the pandemic.

In Delhi, the QBR was attended by Indian Olympic Association officials, including President Narinder Batra and Secretary General Rajeev Mehta among others.

Also present on the occasion was British High Commissioner to India Alex Ellis.

"I am delighted to be here at the start of the Baton Relay in India. The relationship between India and England is very good and sport is absolutely fundamental to it. It is 75th anniversary of India's independence this year and I think sport is one thing that brings both the countries together," Ellis said.

"COVID has created all sorts of complications fro everybody since the last two years. Luckily cases in the UK has peaked and is likely to drop. India is very well prepared for this wave. I am hopeful about a very exciting Games in Birmingham." The QBR will next be held in Bengaluru on January 14 and Bhubaneswar on January 15. It was also scheduled to travel to Ahmedabad on January 13 but that has been cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The baton carries a message from Queen Elizabeth II of the UK. 

Also Read : Olympic medallists Bajrang and Ravi choose to train with Indian coaches till Paris Olympics

News Source : PTI

New Delhi, Jan 12 (Hockey News) Experienced goalkeeper Savita will lead India at the upcoming women's Asia Cup in Muscat as Hockey India on Wednesday named a strong 18-member squad for the event, including 16 players that featured at the Tokyo Olympics. Since regular skipper Rani Rampal is recovering from an injury in Bengaluru, Savita will lead the side in the tournament, which is scheduled to be held between January 21-28 at the Sultan Qaboos Sports Complex.

India have been placed in Pool A along with Japan, Malaysia and Singapore. They will open their title defence against Malaysia on the opening day. They will next take on Japan (Jan 23) and Singapore (Jan 24). The semifinals will be played on January 26 and the final on January 28.

The top four-teams will qualify for the 2022 World Cup, to be held in Spain and Netherlands.

Experienced defender Deep Grace Ekka will be Savita's deputy.

The team includes goalkeeper Rajani Etimarpu and defenders Gurjit Kaur, Nikki Pradhan, and Udita.

The midfield includes Nisha, Sushila Chanu Pukhrambam, Monika, Neha, Salima Tete, Jyoti and Navjot Kaur while the forwardline will see Navneet Kaur, Lalremsiami, Vandana Katariya, Mariana Kujur and Sharmila Devi.

The team also has Deepika (Junior) and Ishika Chaudhary as replacement athletes.

"This is a very important tournament for us and I am happy with the team we have chosen which is a mix of some very experienced players along with talented youngsters who have shown great potential at the international level," chief coach Janneke Schopman said.

"Though we were a bit disappointed with how things panned out for us at the Asian Champions Trophy, we were able to return to camp in SAI, Bengaluru and put in some good sessions of hockey to prepare well for this challenge." In the previous edition held in 2017, India beat China 5-4 in a tense shootout to lift the title.

Indian women's team: Goalkeepers: Savita (C), Rajani Etimarpu.

Defenders: Deep Grace Ekka (VC), Gurjit Kaur, Nikki Pradhan, Udita. Midfielders: Nisha, Sushila Chanu, Monika, Neha, Salima Tete, Jyoti, Navjot Kaur. Forwards: Navneet Kaur, Lalremsiami, Vandana Katariya, Mariana Kujur, Sharmila Devi. 

Also Read : Women's Jr World Cup will be played in South Africa in April, Indoor WC cancelled: FIH

News Source : PTI

New Delhi, Jan 11 (Boxing News) Six-time world champion M C Mary Kom and Asian Games gold-medallist Amit Panghal were among six Indian boxers who were on Tuesday included in the ongoing national camps for women and men in Delhi and Patiala respectively.

Panghal was joined by a fit-again Vikas Krishan, who underwent a shoulder surgery last year after the Olympics, Manish Kaushik, Satish Kumar, and Ashish Kumar in the men's camp in Patiala.

Mary Kom will report to the women's camp at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium here after the inclusion of their names was recommended by the Boxing Federation of India.

The two camps will continue till March 14, the Sports Authority of India said in a statement.

All six of them were not included in the camps conducted in December last year as they had skipped the national championships after the Tokyo Olympics.

"The Olympian boxers will now join the camps, which started on January 3 with only those who had competed in the National Championships.

"With the Commonwealth Games and Asian Games drawing close, Sports authority of India approved the inclusion recommended by the Boxing Federation of India," the SAI stated.

As many as 63 men boxers across different weight categories and 27 coaching and support staff have been in the National Camp in NIS, Patiala.

A total of 57 women boxers, including Olympic Games bronze-medallist Lovlina Borgohain and 25 coaching and support staff are already in the national camp in the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium. 

Also Read : IBA and the International Testing Agency renew anti-doping partnership

News Source : PTI

New Delhi, Jan 10 (Badminton News) Reigning men's singles world champion Loh Kean Yew hasn't got enough time to train after his triumph in Spain, but wants to start the New Year by putting his best foot forward in the India Open badminton.

The tournament is starting here on Tuesday.

The 24-year-old from Singapore, seeded fifth at the India Open, defeated Kidambi Srikanth in the World Championships final and the Indian is expected to be his biggest challenger at the KD Jadhav Indoor Hall along with bronze medallist Lakshya Sen, who is playing in this tournament for the first time.

"There are a lot of good players here and it is not going to be an easy competition for sure. Everyone is coming here to do well... same for me too. I also want to do well and I also want to win this tournament," said Loh, who will open his campaign against Canada's Xiaodong Sheng on Tuesday.

Before going to Spain, Loh had trained in Dubai with Tokyo Olympics champion Viktor Axelsen and Sen and said the young Indian is an extremely talented player.

"He is a very good friend of mine and I actually have a very good relationship and I am happy to see him do well in his first world championship," Loh added.

Singapore's first world champion in badminton, Loh is aware that he would be the player to beat this year after the stupendous run in the World Championship but pointed out that it won't be easy to maintain the same form in every tournament.

"I ended the year on a high so it was a good year... Nobody will always win. The pressure is always there. I just hope that I can play the best and I can perform," he added.

Manu Atri-Sumeeth Reddy withdraw from doubles ----------------------------------------------------- Meanwhile, the experienced Indian men's doubles combination of B Sumeeth Reddy and Manu Atri along with men's singles fourth seed Kantaphon Wangcharoen of Thailand have withdrawn from the competition.

However, Sumeeth will be in action in mixed doubles alongside Ashwini Ponnappa with the pair taking on second seeds Rodion Alimov and Alina Davletova in the opening round.

Among women's players, eighth seed Fitriani Fitriani and women's doubles top seeds Jongkolphan Kititharakul and Rawinda Projongjai of Thailand have also pulled out. 

Also Read : Badminton in times of COVID-19: Sindhu, Srikanth eye glory at India Open

News Source : PTI

New Delhi, Jan 10 (Hockey News) Hockey India on Monday roped in Patrick Tshutshani as the new women's team analytical coach, while also appointing Taren Naidoo and Mitchell Pemberton as scientific advisors for both senior men and women's sides respectively, with an aim to build on their historic Tokyo Olympics campaigns.

South Africa's Tshutshani in his previous role was the director of Canada junior women's team. He had coached them to the 2021 women's Pan America Junior Championship title.

He was also the assistant coach of Canada women's senior side. Among his many international assignments since 2009, Tshutshani has worked as an assistant coach for Hong Kong women's team as well.

He has also worked as the assistant coach and head coach of the South African junior women team for the 2016 Junior World Cup and assistant coach for South African Junior women side for the 2013 junior World Cup.

Naidoo, also a South African, will take charge as scientific advisor for the Indian women.

With an experience of nearly a decade, Naidoo previously worked as head hockey sports scientist and strength and conditioning specialist for both South African men and women's hockey teams.

She was also the head sport scientist and performance analyst for the South African women's Tokyo Olympics squad.

Besides, Australia's Pemberton will take charge as scientific advisor for the Indian men's hockey team.

Pemberton was associated with Hockey Australia as the strength and conditioning coordinator for junior men's team. He was also the head of Athletic Performance and Athletic Performance coach at the ACT Academy of Sport and the strength and conditioning coach for Contractor Royal Australian Airforce.

"It's absolutely wonderful to have Taren Naidoo and Mitchell Pemberton on board as scientific advisors of the Indian women hockey team and Indian men's hockey team respectively.

"We are also happy to bring on board Patrick Tshutshani as the analytical coach of the Indian women's hockey team," Hockey India president Gyanendro Ningombam said in a statement.

"We would also like to thank the Sports Authority of India for completing the formalities at the earliest to ensure the new recruits join the respective camps as soon as possible.

"Taren, Mitchell and Patrick have tremendous experience in their respective fields and we are certain that they will help us achieve our goals in the upcoming years." 
 

Also Read : Sreejesh in race for World Games Athlete of the Year award

News Source : PTI

(Tennis news) Ashleigh Barty started the 2022 season with the singles and doubles title at Adelaide International 1. The world number 1 was playing after a gap of three months, she last played at US Open in September. At Adelaide, Barty only dropped a single set against Cori Gauff in the third round and was the only match in which she played for more than 90 minutes.

Barty was expected to win the final when she faced Elena Rybakina who beat Barty’s doubles partner Storm Sanders in the third round. Rybakina had beaten Shelby Rogers in the quarterfinal and looked in good form on her way to the championship match. Both players started well in the match as the Australian made her opponent cover a lot of ground in most of the rallies which Rybakina covered. In the 7th game, Barty broke Rybakina’s serve and then secured the first set.

In the second set, Barty took the first four games as Rybakina could not hold her serve even though she had 6 aces. The 22 year old only lost one point on her first serve in the set but only had 8 of them and lost 11 points out of 17 on her second serve. Barty was consistent on both her serves in the first and second set. She could not do much when Rybakina’s first serve was in but her returns in the second serve cleared the air. Barty defeated Rybakina 6-3, 6-2.

"I feel good leading up to an Australian Open like I have every year," Barty said. "Each and every preparation is unique, each and every preparation is different. So we take it for what comes and what it is, move on, try and do the best that we can in every opportunity, whether that's here in Adelaide or it's in Melbourne.

"It has absolutely no effect on the way that I prepare or the way I'm thinking leading forward just because it's a Grand Slam. Doesn't change for us. We look forward, we do what we can, then we see how we go."

In the doubles final, Barty and Sanders beat Andreja Klepac and Darija Jurak Schreiber in straight sets. Barty and Sanders last played as a pair in the Tokyo Olympics where they lost in the quarterfinal, it was also Barty’s 200th doubles win and is two wins away to make it 300th win in singles. The Aussie pair defeated Andreja and Darija 6-1, 6-4.

Also read: Canada gets the perfect start to 2022 season with ATP Cup victory

Hyderabad, Jan 9 (Archery News) Top Indian archers, including Atanu Das and Deepika Kumari, made first round exits as Sukhchain Singh clinched the senior recurve men's title to lead a Services clean sweep in the National Ranking tournament, here on Sunday.

The 25-year-old Army Sports Institute archer Sukhchain, who has a world ranking of 218, created the biggest upset of the day when he eliminated India No. 1 Atanu Das 6-4 in the round of 16.

Das's Tokyo Olympics teammates Tarundeep Rai and Pravin Jadhav also made first round exits, going down to Dhiraj Bommadevara and Sachin Gupta in shootoffs.

In the final, Singh defeated his Services teammate Rahul Nagarwal 6-2, while Dhiraj won the third place playoff defeating veteran Jayanta Talukdar.

In the women's recurve section, World No. 2 Deepika Kumari suffered one of the shocking defeats of her career when she was eliminated by Telengana teenager Kadire Sindhuja 7-3 in the first round of 16.

Sindhuja however lost out in the second round, going down to Promila Dalmary of Assam 6-4.

Ankita Bhakat of Jharkhand emerged the champion in the women's section, defeating Simranjeet Kaur of Punjab 6-4, while Ridhi of Haryana won the third place playoff.

Rajat Chauhan of Rajasthan and Jyothi Surekha Vennam of PSPB clinched the top honours in the compound men's and women's sections respectively. 

Also Read : Salunkhe, Ankita top qualifications; Atanu, Deepika fall behind

News Source : PTI

New Delhi, Jan 7 (Wrestling News) Not willing to spend a considerable time abroad under a foreign coach, Tokyo Olympics bronze medallist Bajrang Punia has decided to train with an Indian coach in the country to prepare for the 2024 Paris Games.

Not only Bajrang but Ravi Dahiya, the Tokyo Games silver medallist, has also conveyed to the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) that he will prefer to train under Indian coaches instead of hiring a personal coach from abroad.

Bajrang had trained with Georgian Shako Bentinidis while Ravi had Russian Kamal Malikov to help him along with a set of Indian coaches at Chhatrasal stadium.

Bajrang has been trying to hire a foreign coach since his association ended with Bentinidis but his search did not bear any fruit.

Even during his ongoing training camp in Russia, he looked for a coach but noone is willing to come to India, according to the 27-year-old.

"These coaches want me to spend at least 80 percent of the season in their country, a condition which is not acceptable to me. I am willing to spend half the time outside but no one is willing to come to India, so I have decided to train with an Indian coach," Bajrang told PTI from Moscow.

Bajrang did not elaborate why the foreign coaches are unwilling to come to India. "I don't understand what their issue is in comig to India?" Asked who he wants to train with, the two-time World medallist said he is yet to finalise a name.

The 27-year-old Bajrang is employed with the Indian Railways and it is expected that he will hire someone from Railways.

Ravi Dahiya recently began his training at his training centre, where his long time friend and sparring partner Arun Kumar is helping him out. Mahabali Satpal, who has played a key role in shaping his career, is keeping an eye on his training schedule in the morning sessions at Chhatrasal stadium.

"All Ravi wants is one more training partner. We will identify one for him in his category during the Ranking Series event in Gonda," said WFI Assistant Secretary Vinod Tomar said.

Deepak Punia had a Russian coach Murad Gaidarov to help him till the Tokyo Olympics but he was sacked after his ugly scuffle with one of the Games official after the Indian wrestler lost his bronze play-off.

It is expected that Deepak will also prefer to continue his long-time trainer Virender Kumar, who has built a new training centre at Marmurpur on the outskirts of Delhi.

With the country reeling under the third wave of dreaded COVID-19, WFI is also finding it difficult to hire foreign coaches for the national camps.

Iran's Hossein Karim (men's freestyle) and American Andrew Cook (women coach) were both sacked by WFI before the Games for various reasons.

"No one is willing to come to travel to India because of COVID-19 to take up jobs so we will in probability start the national camps in February with the Indian coaches," said Tomar. 

Also Read : Bajrang begins 26-day training camp in Moscow ahead of busy season

News Source : PTI

The sporting industry has evolved leaps and bounds, not just in terms of new advancements for the athletes and coaches but also to create the best experiences for fans. We’ve seen the use of data analysis in the popular Hollywood film ‘Moneyball’ but did you know that analytics are also integral for the holistic growth of the entire sporting ecosystem? From increasing revenue, analyzing player performance to prevention of injuries, analytics has become a central component to not just give competitive advantages but enhance fan experiences.

In this exclusive interview with SPOGO, Megha Gambhir, Co-Founder and CEO at Stupa Sports Analytics speaks about the importance of sports analytics, building experiences for fans and audiences, digitizing sporting events, migrating to other sports, driving organic traffic on social media and future goals.

Q 1) How much of a competitive edge does sports analytics give to an athlete or a team? Do you believe it's a must-have in this day and age?

I definitely believe that it is a must have. There is a saying that smart work is as important as hard work. When you are working smart it gives you much more benefits. That is why I believe that sports analytics are important for the players and the coaches because you are getting the precise information and taking that into practice. They can then work on the specific areas that need improvement and also work on areas where the opponent is weak. It's very important that players get objective feedback through sports analytics. The smart training makes the players better prepared for the matches. I feel that using analytics gives individuals a competitive edge. 

Q 2) How is Stupa Sports Analytics building experiences for fans and audiences?

So far we have been working on multiple segments. One is related to players and coaches which is performance analytics but the other big area is fans who are watching the game through any form of media. Fans of Table Tennis or many other racket sports that are not as popular as Football or Cricket are in dire need of experiences where they can have a visual treat which not only gives them an appealing experience but also gives them a better understanding of the game. When a Football or a Cricket fan tries to watch these other sports he should not be blank without understanding what is happening in the match. We are trying to bring augmented reality and mixed reality using our artificial intelligence, merging it with the live viewing experiences which can help them understand the game and give them a lot of visual enhancement. It makes it interesting and also makes it easy for the viewers to comprehend the games while watching. That is the kind of experience we are building. 

Q 3) How does Stupa enable event organizers to digitize the tournament with automated handling and monetization?

We have built a tournament platform that can manage the entire event starting from registration of players to publishing the results, it can also create the fixtures, analyse the scores and live streaming the event for the audience. Currently many of the sports including Table Tennis don’t have a platform which gives the audience end-to-end solutions, where they can create digital events and perform all the activities online.

With the help of the app, the players will get notified of each change in the event. They can also know the umpires in the matches and get the recordings of matches of all the players from Stupa. The platform which we have created gives out a lot of information so any individual will understand all the aspects of the sport. Even now, many events around the world still use pen and paper for the events. I think we have brought in a more sophisticated platform which enables them to work digitally. Another part we have added to this is to monetize the tournaments by the organisers so that they can generate revenue out of it.

People who are on this platform can watch the live matches, download the videos, get the stats and analytics. This is where a tournament promoter can start monetizing through ads in the live streams, offline videos, and sell the analytics to players and coaches. So the monetizing element can increase the entire trust of the community of organizers and players. Everyone is getting benefited and finally the level of the sport goes higher.

Also read: My main goal is to help my country qualify for a World Cup - Malaysian national cricketer Pavandeep Singh

Q 4) With 25% of Olympian table tennis players already using Stupa Sport Analytics, how quickly are you planning to migrate to other racquet sports such as tennis and badminton?

We do have plans to expand it to other sports. It was an overwhelming moment when we realized that 25% of the Table Tennis players at the Tokyo Olympics were Stupa users. Another major achievement was that they won three Olympic medals, now we have 40 plus world rank players who are using our services. We also have major federations like Germany, Sweden, Commonwealth Table Tennis Federation and we are also signing contracts. We feel there is still a left to do in Table Tennis since there are a lot of inhand contracts and we are also currently working on products for the sport.

The kind of technology we have built can be transferable to multiple other sports. Badminton being the rising market in India, we do want to shift into Tennis as well and will be raising funds in the next few months. As soon as we close our funding the next step is to expand the team into Badminton and other sports as well.

Q 5) How does Stupa help spread viral and engaging table tennis content on social media that drives organic traffic?

Table Tennis has a global market in itself as almost 200 million people play Table Tennis which includes the competitive and the amatuer sector as well. The player market is quite huge and even the audience of the sport is huge, almost 1.6 Billion viewership was received last year which is being reported by the WTT. The market is huge, however, the creative content hasn’t come out to give fans some nice feeds on social media and I feel this is the sector we should work on and gain the trust of the fans. What we have started is very creative in terms of covering tournaments, results and properly creating some fun entertaining content. In the last couple of months we have seen the growth of more than 3 million interactions on our Instagram handle so we feel that the creative content has worked wonders and is helping more people to be engaged with the sport more.

Q 6) As CEO of Stupa Sports Analytics, what are some of your future goals? How do you plan to achieve them?

We started Stupa three years ago and the journey has been a very emotional one for us as lots of ups and downs we have faced but I would say we had more highs than lows because this is what we were envisaging when we initially had the idea. Our future goal was to work in a kind of environment where we completely redesigned and redefined the sports experience for people who were with the sport. By using the latest technologies as currently we are working on deeptech, AI, AR and a lot of other stuff as well. Our future goal is to enhance the experience and redesign the sport for the players, fans, organisers, federation etc. We literally want to create a phenomenal experience for them by solving the problems they are facing in the sport in the sporting ecosystem that we have created. We do want to give the entire sports fraternity, be it Table Tennis, Badminton or Tennis, an experience so that they have the facility to solve their problems and help them through our technological advancements.

(Tennis news) Defending champ Vesely and India’s Bhambri receive direct entry into single main draw for the Tata Open held in Pune. World number 18 Aslan Karatsev and defending champion Jiri Vesely will be eyeing the title alongside seven other Top-100 players as South Asia’s only ATP Tour tournament Tata Open Maharashtra gears up for a much-awaited comeback with an action-packed fourth edition, scheduled at the Balewadi Stadium in Pune from January 31 to February 6.

The Tata Open is one of Asia’s longest running tennis tournaments and will be in its 26th year, as they will return after a year’s break due to COVID-19 pandemic. The Maharashtra State Lawn Tennis Association (MSLTA) will be hosting the prestigious tournament, which is sponsored by Tata Group, in association with the Government of Maharashtra.

The 28-year-old Russian Karatsev had a phenomenal 2021, he became the first-ever player to reach the semi-finals on Grand Slam debut in Australia, bagged two singles titles and his highlight of last year would be defeating tennis great Novak Djokovic, he also went to win the mixed-doubles silver medal at the Tokyo Olympics. Hailed as Russia’s “secret weapon” by teammate and World No. 2 Daniil Medvedev during their team’s 2021 ATP Cup triumph, Karatsev will be eager to carry forward a sensational run and make his mark on debut at Tata Open Maharashtra and by winning this prestigious tournament.

“We are thrilled to announce the return of this prestigious tournament. It has a rich legacy of having top players from across the world participating in it and the upcoming edition will be a testament of the same tradition. Despite the challenges and the pandemic, we are glad to see such a good response with players coming from the world over. We promise to bring yet another edition with a high-voltage action for the fans,” said Prashant Sutar, Tournament Director of Tata Open Maharashtra.      

With a stiff cut off at 149, the country’s premier ATP 250 event will also witness some of the experienced names as well as promising young guns from the tennis world such as Australia’s John Millman, Portugal’s best tennis player of all time Joao Sousa and teenage sensation Lorenzo Musetti.

The 19-year-old Musetti made the headlines last year when he became the youngest player to break into the Top-100. In his short career so far, the young Italian star has impressed everyone with his consistent match-winning performances against the Top-10 players including Stan Wawrinka, Grigor Dimitrov and Kei Nishikori. India’s Yuki Bhambri will also kickstart his campaign in the main draw with a protected ranking. After recovering from an injury, Bhambri is currently preparing for the upcoming Australian Open.

Czech Republic star Jiri Vesely, who ended his 5-year long wait for a singles title in the last edition, will be presenting a strong challenge on his comeback into the city.  Former Youth Olympics champion Kamil Majchrzak, Moldova’s first-ever ATP singles title winner Radu Albot and World No. 62 Gianluca Mager are the other notable names from the acceptance list.

The qualifying draws will take place on January 30 and 31.

Also read: Novak Djokovic confirms participation in 2022 Australian Open

“We had worked really hard to bring back this tournament. I would like to thank all the stakeholders for their continuous support, throughout. We are aware of the challenges ahead but we are ready to tackle them all, strategically. MSLTA have successfully conducted a few tournaments recently and I believe we can pull this off too. Safety of the players as well as others involved is of prime importance to us and, as organisers, we will not compromise on that. We will be strictly following the government’s Covid-19 guidelines to bring yet another successful edition,” MSLTA Secretary Sunder Iyer said.
 

Bengaluru, Jan 3 (Hockey News) Anticipating tough competition at the Asian Games this year, Indian men's hockey team captain Manpreet Singh says the FIH Pro League will be a perfect platform to try out new combinations for the big-ticket event in Hangzhou.

Manpreet had led India to first Olympic medal in 41 years in Tokyo, where the team won a historic bronze.

"Asian Games will undoubtedly be the biggest event for us this year. Surely the competition will be quite tough at the Asian Games as all teams will be vying to make the Olympics cut (by winning gold)," he said.

Gold medal-winning country at the Asian Games, starting September 10, automatically qualifies for the Olympics. India had won a bronze in the Jakarta Games in 2018.

The FIH Pro League matches begin in February and India will play the likes of Spain, Germany, Argentina and England in Bhubaneswar.

"This year is going to be quite exciting with back-to-back tournaments all year long. We begin with FIH Pro League matches in February. After almost two years, we will be returning to our favourite venue in Bhubaneswar where we will play double-headers against Spain, Germany, Argentina and England," he said.

"The FIH Pro League will help us gain some really good match experience ahead of Asian Games. Additionally, it will give us great opportunity to try out different combinations ahead of Asian Games," he said in a Hockey India release.

The players are set to report at SAI Bengaluru for the national camp after a short break following their Asian Champions Trophy outing in Dhaka.

Manpreet said the camp will be important to assess their performances from last year and also plan for the year ahead.

"It was a very good 10-day break for all of us, spending some quality time with our families. I feel we have returned to the camp feeling mentally fresh and ready for the challenge ahead.

"We will be assessing our performances in 2021 with the Chief Coach and support staff and we will also draw up a road map for 2022," added the midfielder. 

Also Read : From Rio 2016 to Tokyo 2020, we have come a long way: Rani Rampal

News Source : PTI

New Delhi, Jan 2 (Sports News) Olympic champion Neeraj Chopra will continue to train with his German coach Klaus Bartonietz, whose contract has been extended till the 2024 Paris Games, the Athletics Federation of India (AFI) confirmed on Sunday.

After winning the historic Olympic gold in Tokyo, javelin thrower Chopra had expressed desire to continue to train with the German bio-mechanical expert.

"We have secured the services of Olympic Games javelin throw gold medallist Neeraj Chopra's coach Dr. Klaus Bartonietz till the 2024 Paris Games," the Athletics Federation of India (AFI) said.

Bartonietz took charge as Chopra's coach from compatriot and former world record holder javelin thrower Uwe Hohn during the youngster's rehabilitation and recovery process after an elbow surgery in 2018.

The AFI also said that the 400m coach Galina Bukharina will also remain at the helm of affairs till the end of this year's Asian Games in Hangzhou, China.

Under Bukharina's watch, the men's 4x400m relay team of Mohammed Anas Yahiya, Noah Nirmal Tom, Arokia Rajiv and Amoj Jacob set an Asian record during the Tokyo Olympics.

The AFI had recently presented the Annual Calendar for Training and Competition to the Sports Ministry. 

Also Read : U Mumba, U.P. Yoddha share spoils in closely-fought tie

News Source : PTI

New Delhi, Jan 1 (Sports News) India's fastest Under-23 sprinter Taranjeet Kaur of Delhi has failed an in-competition dope test conducted by the National Anti-Doping Agency, the source said on Saturday.

The 20-year-old Delhi sprinter has been one of the country's best performing youngsters in 2021.

She won gold in 100m and 200m races in the National U-23 Championships from September 27-29 here, clocking 11.54secs and 23.57secs -- her personal best -- respectively.

Just a week before that, she won 100m gold in the National Open Championships with a personal best time of 11.50secs as well as 200m silver (23.64secs) though many top athletes skipped the meet as it was held after the Tokyo Olympics towards the end of the season.

"Yes, Taranjeet Kaur failed an in-competition test conducted by the NADA," a source privy to the development told PTI on condition of anonymity.

The name and nature of the banned drug as-well-as the competition during which the dope sample was taken could not be ascertained.

The in-competition test could have been taken either during the National U-23 Championships or the National Open Championships, both held in September. If Kaur is found guilty of doping after her case is heard by the NADA Disciplinary Panel, she faces the prospect of getting banned for up to four years -- the maximum ban period of first time dope offenders. 

Also Read : Sports in 2022: Here's what to look forward to

News Source : PTI

New Delhi, Jan 1 (Sports News) The COVID-19 pandemic is far from over but the world seems to be adapting to a life with the dreaded virus and as this churning continues, sports is set to be a major source of joy in 2022 with several big events lined up.

Here is a look at some of the extravaganzas that will be keenly anticipated in India and across the world apart from the usual roster of annual tournaments like the tennis Grand Slams and the badminton calendar.

CRICKET: ====== India's tour of South Africa (December 26 to January 23): An engrossing Test series is currently underway in which India have made a winning start. The three-match rubber will be followed by as many ODIs in which India will get to see K L Rahul assume the leadership role for the first time after a hamstring injury ruled Rohit Sharma out.

ICC Under-19 Men's ODI World Cup in the West Indies (January 15 to February 5): Delhi batter Yash Dhull would be leading the Indian Colts as they look to add a fifth title to the nation's kitty. A total of 16 teams will fight it out over 48 matches in the premier age group showpiece.

ICC Women's ODI World Cup in New Zealand (March 4 to April 3): India would be a contender in the mega-event which was postponed for a year because of the pandemic. It would be a swansong for 39-year-old India skipper Mithali Raj, who would be aiming to leave the big stage with a bang after a stellar career during which she has been nothing short of a trailblazer for women's cricket in India.

ICC Men's T20 World Cup in Australia (October 16 to November 13): Just a year after Australia were crowned world champions for the first time in this format, they would be defending the crown on home turf. For the Indian team, it would be an opportunity to redeem itself after a shambolic preliminary-round exit from the tournament last year.

MULTISPORTS: ========== Winter Olympics in Beijing, China (February 4 to 20): Mired in political controversies due to China's not so flattering human rights image, the Games have already been diplomatically boycotted by superpowers like the US and Britain among others. The athletes, on their part, would try to ensure that their performances remain the focus despite the political drama that is expected to unfold on the sidelines.

For India, who have never won a medal at the winter extravaganza, skier Arif Khan would be the one to watch out for having become the first from the country to qualify in two events -- Slalom and Giant Slalom.

Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, England (July 28 to August 8): A happy hunting ground for Indian athletes, the CWG would be a shade less joyful for the contingent this time with shooting not part of the competition roster. It remains to be seen how India copes with the absence of the sport that has contributed 135 medals, including 63 gold, to the country's tally since making its debut in 1966.

Asian Games in Hangzhou, China (September 10 to 25): India registered its best ever Games performance in the previous edition in 2018 and would be expected to only do better in the backdrop of a stellar Olympic performance.

FOOTBALL: ======= AFC Asian Women's Cup in India (January 20 to February 6): It would be a huge step forward for women's football as the country hosts the premier regional tournament for the first time since 1979. The Indians have decent history to inspire themselves as they have been runners up twice in the event, in 1979 and 1983.

FIFA Under-17 Women's World Cup in India (October 11 to 30): Another ground-breaking tournament for women's football in the country, which was originally planned for 2021 but had to be postponed due to COVID-19. Spain are the defending champions and the Indians would be eyeing to produce some decent performances to raise the profile of the sport in the country.

FIFA Men's World Cup in Qatar (November 21 to December 18): The first World Cup to be played in the Arab world is set to be a winter event with Qatar's punishing summer making it impossible for matches to be held during the usual June-July window. Already under a cloud over allegations of corruption in the bidding process and working conditions of labour engaged for infrastructure development, it remains to be seen whether the quality of football alone would be able to ensure the focus remains on sport.

ATHLETICS: ======= IAAF World Championships in Eugene, USA (July 15 to 24): Another marquee competition that was postponed to this year because of the pandemic. Anju Bobby George remains the only Indian medallist at this biggie with a 2003 long jump bronze and India would be hoping that Olympic gold-grabber Neeraj Chopra's javelin would clinch another landmark medal at this year's world championships.

HOCKEY: ====== FIH Women's World Cup in Spain and The Netherlands (July 1 to 24): The Indian women's hockey team has raised the bar significantly with a gutsy fourth-place finish at the Tokyo Olympics. Rani Rampal and her teammates would be keenly watched as they look to build on the positives of that performance. Their best at a World Cup was a fourth-place finish at the 1974 edition and they had managed to claim the eighth position in the previous edition in England.

SWIMMING: ======== FINA World Aquatics Championship in Fukuoka, Japan (May 1 to 29): The biennial event is an umbrella competition for swimming, diving, high diving, open water swimming, artistic swimming, and water polo. India is not much of a challenger on the medal front but competitors from the country would still look to make a mark by improving their timings. 

Also Read : Five sporting events that you should look forward to in 2022

News Source : PTI

(Tennis news) Novak Djokovic is on the edge of breaking more records in the 2022 season. Djokovic will not be playing at the ATP Cup and will be eager to make his return at the 2022 Australian Open. He has played 62 matches this year and only lost 7 of them including a 27-1 record at the Grand Slams.

Djokovic’s 2021 season was a constant reminder that the next gen will have to pull off a near impossible stunt to take the Grand Slam titles away from the big three. The Serbian won his record 9th Australian Open for a hat trick of victories at Melbourne. Djokovic had an early exit at Monte Carlo as Daniel Evans handed him the first defeat of the season, at Belgrade it was a semifinal exit and Aslan Karatsev did not hesitate in a three setter match.

The world number 1 then met his arch rival Rafael Nadal at Rome in the final as it took almost 3 hours when Nadal finally lifted the trophy. It was the Spaniard’s 28th victory over Djokovic and was trailing by one in their career head to head meetings. Djokovic then got a second chance at home as he won his second title of the season, at Roland Garros the 34 year old became the first man to defeat Nadal twice at the event. Djokovic recorded his 30th victory over the king of clay and went on to win the title after losing the first two sets against Stefanos Tstisipas.

Djokovic then moved on to grass as he was one Grand Slam away from equalling Roger Federer and Nadal’s record of 20 titles. Although he looked a bit hungover from clay madness as he dropped the first set in the opening round against world number 253 Jack Draper but did not drop a set after that until the final. The record books had to be edited as Djokovic won his 20th major.

Djokovic was aiming to repeat Steffi Graf’s Golden Slam in 1988, his hopes took a huge hit when Alexander Zverev defeated him in the semifinals of the Tokyo Olympics. The 20 time major winner was visibly upset in his bronze medal match, even throwing the racquet at one point as the pressure took a toll on the champion. His next stop was at US Open, he got the Tokyo revenge over Zverev in the semifinals but Daniil Medvedev got his for the Australian Open loss. Medvedev played so well that even Djokovic’s cheeky smile disappeared and he lost the opportunity to be in the likes of Rod Laver who was the last one to win a calendar slam four decades back.

Djokovic got the final laugh over Medvedev at Paris Masters but his all year charm was turned to dust at the US Open. Although he was on top this year, the pressure has affected him to the extent that he was in tears in the middle of the match against Medvedev in the final at US Open. The record breaking run came to an end which clearly devastated Djokovic, a similar picture was painted earlier when Federer lost the Melbourne final to Nadal in 2009 as it moved the Swiss player to tears.

The 2022 season has mainly two targets. The first one is to stop the big three from winning any more Grand Slams and the second is for the big three to win a few more until they bid farewell from the game. A few more heartbreaking victories can hurt the big three more than any physical injury as the next gen will be focused on starting a new era and the time has come.

Also read: Sinner and Berrettini boost Italy's chances of maiden title at ATP Cup

New Delhi, Dec 31 (Hockey News) Indian women's team hockey team skipper Rani Rampal feels their memorable run at the Tokyo Olympics has taught the players to perform under extreme pressure.

Speaking on the podcast 'Hockey Te Charcha', the 27-year-old opened up on the team's record fourth-place finish at the Tokyo Olympics, while also reflecting on the year gone by.

"2021 proved to be a good year for us. We could have won a medal at the Tokyo Olympic Games. We will always feel the pain of not being able to do that, because we were so close. It was not hard to accept it at first," she said.

"But we finished 12th in 2016 when we went to Rio Olympics and this time at Tokyo Olympics we finished 4th. So, it has been a big growth for women's hockey." The Indian women's team narrowly had missed out on a historic bronze in Tokyo but recorded its best-ever performance at the Olympics.

"When we returned, the Indian fans appreciated our efforts. We felt that we did something good that fans are giving us so much love and respect. This gives us confidence to do even better in future." She further went on to speak about how the team gained confidence from 1-0 win over Australia in the quarterfinal and felt they could beat World No. 2 Argentina in the semifinal to earn a podium finish.

"I feel 100 percent we could have won the semifinal match against Argentina. We took an early lead in the match and put them under pressure. We executed everything coaches told us but conceding PCs cost us," Rani said.

"But I think it was a huge learning experience for all the players in the team who will get an understanding of how to remain calm in knockout matches of big tournaments. We will surely get better the next time." 

Also Read : Senior women's hockey camp starts with 60 players, list to be pruned down to 33

News Source : PTI

(Tennis news) The third edition of the ATP Cup is due to start from January 1st 2022 as the 16 teams have been divided into four groups. Former champions Serbia will be without Novak Djokovic as defending champions Russia are also without Andrey Rublev, Aslan Karatsev and Evgeny Donskoy. There are strong chances for the third time that a team will get its maiden trophy. Italy seems to be one of the favourites as they have their top players participating. Here are the top four teams to watch out for at the season opening tournament.

Italy: Group B

The strongest team in the event has four players in top 40 including two players in the top 10 and a doubles player ranked in the top 25.  Among the top three ranked singles players, the oldest is Lorenzo Sonego who is 26 as the youngest is Jannik Sinner aged 20. Sinner and Matteo Berrettini will be leading the attack in singles as Simone Bolelli can team up with Sonego or Fabio Fognini for the final blow in doubles. 

They can run into trouble against Daniil Medvedev when they play against Russia other than that Italy can finish as table toppers or can come second behind Russia. Group B will be one of the most competitive as compared to the rest of the groups as France and Australia will take every opportunity they get.

Great Britain: Group C

Britain has a complete set up for singles and doubles as they have seasoned players to stir up trouble. Cameron Norrie alongside Daniel Evans will be on the singles front while Joe Salisbury and Jamie Murray will be up for the doubles matches. Norrie has been the top player on his team this season and if the matches go till the decider then their doubles pair are also capable of making a comeback.

They can face tough competition from Germany as Alexander Zverev will be making the move in singles, Canada can pose problems with Felix Auger-Aliassime and Denis Shapovalov forming a match winning singles combination. Britain will also be facing the US team which can field Taylor Fritz and out of form John Isner in their attack; they also have doubles multiple Grand Slam winner Rajeev Ram and next gen star Brandon Nakashima.

Spain: Group A

Spain will be playing without their hero Rafael Nadal but has Tokyo Olympics Bronze medalist and world number 20 Pablo Carreno Busta who is ranked just one below Roberto Bautista Agut. Their singles squad looks to be sorted but the doubles pair will have to be tested as youngsters Alejandro Davidovich Fokina and Pedro Martinez will have to provide support for the team.

The seniors in the team will have to do double duty as it will get tiring but if their singles matches go well then the workload will vanish. They will be up against Chile in the opening match as Spain will also play against Norway and Serbia.

Argentina: Group D

The team has the oldest players on their side with their youngest player being 29 years old. Diego Schwartzman and Federico Delbonis can be in the singles tie as Federico Coria can also walk in for crucial points. Their senior most player, Maximo Gonzalez aged 38 will be working his magic in doubles with Andres Molteni, the team has work to do but has the strongest chance to top Group D.

Argentina will be facing Greece, Poland and Georgia as their doubles pair will hold the final call on crucial matches. Stefanos Tsitsipas will be on top of Greece as Hubert Hurkacz will do the same for Poland but both the players don’t have enough support and experience like Argentina. The 2022 season will start in grand fashion as 16 countries will battle with each other and one will walk away with the trophy after 9 days of combat on court.

Also read: Novak Djokovic and Andrey Rublev withdraw from ATP Cup

(Sports news) The men’s high jump saw the most competitive lineup this year as the top four men have soared across the same height. Four men from different places around the world have dominated the event this season as all of them have the potential to go past Javier Sotomayor’s record of 2.45m set in 1993. Since then, only two have crossed 2.40m and nobody has crossed that mark in the last 5 years.

Mutaz Essa Barshim has been the top athlete in high jump in the past decade. In 2014 at Bruxelles, he cleared 2.43m which is the closest so far to Sotomayor and Barshim became the second athlete after Patrik Sjöberg to win three medals in Olympics at the event. Barshim won the silver at 2012 London, 2016 Rio Olympics and this year at Tokyo he won the gold alongside Gianmarco Tamberi. At the present he is the only active athlete to cross the 2.40m mark and has done it 11 times.

Tamberi became the first Italian to win the gold in men’s high jump. The Olympic first victory was his first major victory and last won a major championship win in 2019. The 29 year old is yet to jump past the 2.40m mark but has come close with 2.37m in Tokyo, his personal best is 2.38m which came back in 2016 but has been back in form this season.

Maksim Nedasekau also soared 2.37m at the Tokyo Olympics to secure his first major victory at the event. The 23 year old has been one of the youngest athletes this year in high jump but the shortage of experience has not been keeping him low. Nedasekau secured the first ever Olympic medal for Belarus in High jump this year and is one of the tallest competitors standing over 6 feet and 4 inches. He is the only athlete to have jumped 2.37m twice this year as the other three have done it once.

It will be the 29th year in the 2022 season as Sotomayor’s record has been on top, Barshim has the strongest chances of breaking the world record but has come close in the past decade. He will turn 31 next year and is one of the seniors in the event. Nedasekau is the youngest among the top athletes this year, he was on the same level as Barshim and Tamberi at Tokyo and can aim for the 2.40 mark next year.

Also read: Erriyon Knighton and Joseph Fahnbulleh leading the next gen in 200m lineup

(Sports news) The 200m track event saw few new names pop up in the major events, although the records were not broken in the senior category but the chances have split between many. The 20 second barrier was broken 38 times this year with Olympic medalists Andre De Grasse, Kenneth Bednarek and Noah Lyles leading the timings. Noah Lyles clocked 19.52 secs which was the fastest of the season, the Tokyo Olympics 200m final saw the top five men finish under 20 seconds for the fastest Olympic race in the event. The 4th and 5th place saw two teenagers as they are slowly moving towards the podium in the 2022 season. These are the top four athletes who can win their first major title next year.

Erriyon Knighton

The 17 year old is in number 6 of the top timings of the year, he was clocked at 19.84 secs in June at Eugene. He became the youngest finalist in the 200m in two decades at Tokyo, Knighton finished fourth behind Lyles with a timing of 19.93 and was racing in lane 6 just beside De Grasse. The teenager broke Usain Bolt’s under 18 and 20 world record this year; Knighton also clocked sub 20 three times this year and can be a medallist next year if he can run similar to this season.

Fred Kerley

Kerley is the fourth fastest athlete this season with four sub 20 runs. He was earlier a 400m runner but now has switched to the sprints which worked superbly for the 6 foot 3 inch American. At the Kip Keino Classic in Nairobi, Kerley clocked his personal best of 19.76 seconds and has been constantly improving this year.

Joseph Fahnbulleh

The 20 year old is one of the rising stars in the 200m with a ripped body and had a powerful finish at Tokyo. Fahnbulleh was in the 8th lane in the final, he was placed 8th even after the turn and in the last 60m suddenly moved three places to finish fifth with a timing of 19. He showed a strong finish in the end and has three timings of under 20 including a personal best of 19.91 secs.

Terrance Laird

Laird is the fifth fastest athlete of the 2021 season with a timing of 19.81 secs in March at Austin. The race saw him running the first 100 in 10.39 secs but ran the second one in 9.42 secs which was one of the fastest splits of all time. He is 5 feet 7 inches and has had three races under 20 seconds this season.

Also read: Neeraj Chopra's rise in seven-star Olympic show and fall of Sushil Kumar, 2021 had it all

New Delhi, Dec 30 (Sports News) Neeraj Chopra's javelin flew high and did not come down until it had travelled enough to provide a golden touch to India's best-ever Olympic campaign at the Tokyo Games in a momentous 2021 which also witnessed the fall of the great Sushil Kumar.

The manner in which Chopra bossed the field with his 87.58m throw fulfilled the aspirations of a billion-plus nation that had not seen a track and field Olympic champion in its 74-year old sporting history since Independence.

It sent the country into a state of frenzy and turned Chopra into a phenomenon, and it was quite appropriate, too. After all, it was an accomplishment that fuelled the hopes of a nation that has been starving for success at sport's grandest stage.

It gave the current and future generation of athletes the belief that becoming an Olympic champion was indeed a possibility in this country if the right kind of training, exposure and timely financial support is provided.

The second-most populous region of the world rejoiced only its second individual Olympic gold medal since shooter Abhinav Bindra's spectacular show at the 2008 Beijing Games.

The 24-year-old son of a farmer was not alone in creating a moment of reckoning. India signed off with six more medals, won by athletes who did not have much in common geographically but had common traits of perseverance, grit and a burning passion to excel.

A sheen of silver was provided on the opening day itself by a chuckling Mirabai Chanu.

The Manipuri weightlifter carried on her small yet strong shoulders high hopes after her astounding success at the World Championship, and delivered with a stunning lift of 202kg (87kg+115kg) in the 49kg event in Tokyo.

The performance more than compensated for her Rio Olympics' heartbreak when she could not make a single legal lift.

A bunch of passionate hockey players, largely from humble backgrounds, reignited the love for the national sport with their bronze medal that felt like gold after a 41-year wait to see an Indian hockey team on the Olympic podium.

Skipper Manpreet Singh, a livewire on the field, the ever-smiling P Sreejesh and a fierce Rupinder Pal Singh all of them came together to shrug off the 1-7 bashing at the hands of Australia to trample Spain, defending champions Argentina, Japan and Great Britain en route to the semifinals.

Belgium broke a billion Indians' hearts by stopping the Indian team from entering the final but the players did not disappoint in the bronze medal play-off against Germany.

Putting years of physical and mental training to work, the players soaked in the pressure of a high-stake game to emerge deserving 5-4 winners, ensuring that the game of hockey would not slip into oblivion.

The Indian women's hockey team, led by Rani Rampal, scripted its own success story by reaching the medal round despite a hat-trick of defeats in the beginning.

The campaign did not culminate in a medal but the courageous fourth-place finish, after toppling mighty Australia in the quarterfinals, was no mean achievement. It earned the players plaudits and respect.

If Tokyo Olympics was about hockey's revival, the sport of wrestling continued to offer medals at the biggest stage, underlining its consistent growth.

The focus was on star grapplers Vinesh Phogat and Bajrang Punia but away from the limelight, it was Ravi Dahiya who left a lasting impact on the psyche of Indian sports lovers with his phoenix-like rise in the 57kg semifinals against Kazakhstan's Nurislam Sanayev.

Trailing 2-9 with less than a minute to go, Ravi managed to pin his rival, showing immense physical prowess and mental toughness.

He could not repeat his success in the final against Russia's Zavur Uguev but it was enough to make him an overnight star. After all, he was only the second Indian, who was competing for an Olympic gold, after Sushil Kumar.

While Bajrang too stood on the podium, a bronze medal did not feel like an achievement as he was expected to reach at least the final, given the expectations and hype around him.

Vinesh's Olympic dream, though, was shattered once again with her unexpected second round exit after entering the event as a title contender. There was embarrassment in store for the game when two-time Olympic medallist Sushil landed in Tihar Jail after being accused of murder of a fellow wrestler, Sagar Dhankar.

The way the 38-year old Sushil, the only Indian wrestler to have won two Olympic medals and a world title, played hide and seek with the police before being arrested exposed the murky underbelly of Indian wrestling.

The year also propped up a new star in Anshu Malik who entered the history books as the first ever Indian woman to reach the World Championship final.

Badminton star PV Sindhu's legend grew with a second Olympic medal as she grabbed a bronze despite not being in top form. She is now only the second Indian to have won two individual Olympic medals.

Kidambi Srikanth regained his touch with a historic World championship silver and young Lakshya Sen continued to dazzle but the listless performance in team events was a significant low for Indian badminton in a topsy-turvy year.

Lovlina Borgohain clinched the welterweight (69kg) bronze to ensure the boxers did not return empty-handed from Tokyo.

Hailing from the small Baro Mukhia village in Assam, the 23-year-old became only the third Indian boxer to win an Olympic medal, after Vijender Singh and the legendary MC Mary Kom.

The Indian men's campaign came to a screeching halt after Satish Kumar (+91kg) went down to world champion Bakohodir Jalolov in the quarterfinals. The other four male boxers bowed out after opening-round defeats while Mary Kom (51kg) and Poja Rani (75kg) also bowed out early.

While the country got new heroes to idolise, established cricket star Virat Kohli lost a bit of his aura, even as the team cherished a historic success in Australia and came close to winning a Test series in England.

Kohli quit T20 captaincy at the end of the World Cup and had no plans to leave the ODI captaincy but India's premature exit from the tournament led to the inevitable and the mighty Kohli did not see that BCCI bombshell coming.

Following his sacking as 50-over skipper, dirty linen was washed in public with Kohli and BCCI President Sourav Ganguly contradicting each other on the sequence of events that led to the former's removal.

The early exit at the T20 World Cup was a big disappointment but it marked the end of a successful era under Kohli and Ravi Shastri, especially in the longest format.

The win at Gabba by a second-string side will be remembered for long as Indian cricket enters a new era under Rohit Sharma and Rahul Dravid.

During the year, the Indian senior men's football team won a record-extending eighth SAFF Championship title but for a nation seeking to relieve its glory days of the 1950s-60s, a triumph in a regional tournament is not something it would be contend with.

Veteran Sunil Chhetri went past the legendary Pele and equalled Lionel Messi when he scored the team's opener -- and his 80th goal -- against Nepal in the summit clash of the SAFF Championships in October.

The Indian shooters failed miserably at the Games, where they had gone with a lot of hype and expectations. They produced outstanding results throughout the year but when it mattered the most, they faltered.

Discus thrower Kamalpreet Kaur and golfer Aditi Ashok, though, came up with gritty show. They did not win medals but certainly new fans.

An important factor in India's stupendous success in 2021 was the way the government opened its coffers to support athletes. 

Also Read : Naveen shines in Dabang Delhi's win over Bengal Warriors

News Source : PTI

(Sports news) The World Athletics Indoor Tour Gold at Millrose will be held next month as the big names will compete with each other in the 60m field. Trayvon Bromell has been the fastest man this season in the 100m, he will be competing alongside Christian Coleman who is the current world champion in the 100m.

Christian Coleman will make a comeback as he has been off tracks because of the doping controversy. The US sprinter had missed three out of competition drug tests in a period of twelve months which invited a ban of 2 years but has been reduced. The ban did not allow him to compete at the Tokyo Olympics as he was considered a gold medal contender, the 25 year old has the joint 6th fastest time in history. Coleman had clocked 9.76 secs while winning the World Championship at Doha two years ago, since then he has been widely recognized as the next big sprinter after Usain Bolt but the doping controversy made him sit out of major events as the other athletes took over the podium this year.

Bromell has been the fastest athlete this year although he failed to reach the final of the 100m event at Tokyo. The 26 year old was the first junior to break the 10 second barrier, he had a timing of 9.97 secs in 2014 at 19 years of age. A serious heel injury caused him to lose a few years in the sport but has made a major impact this year with his timings.

Both the athletes have the same personal bests, Bromell clocked 9.76 secs at Nairobi in September which put him on top this year and alongside Coleman for the 6th fastest time overall. Bromell has the chance to shine in the shorter event as he has been quicker in recent times, his best timing in the 60m indoor is 6.47 secs in 2016 which puts him in 20th position of all time.

Coleman holds the record for the fastest time ever in the 60m event. He was timed at 6.34 secs in 2018 which again puts him in top position but he has not competed in the last few months which is a major disadvantage as many other athletes have now come up with timings close to the record. It will be a battle of the next superstar in the making but both the athletes have an equal chance of finishing first, prediction is for Bromell to reach the finish line first but if Coleman passes first then it will be a treat to watch him in the 100m event too.

Also read: Legendary NFL coach, commentator and video game icon John Madden passes away

(Tennis news) Ashleigh Barty will step into the 2022 season as world number one for the third consecutive time, she will be looking for a maiden title here and her third overall when she plays the 2022 Australian Open.

Barty had started this season with a title win at home in Yarra Valley Classic where she defeated Garbine Muguruza in the final. At the Australian Open, the world number one had a surprise exit at the quarterfinal as she was knocked out by Karolina Muchova. She faced another early exit at Adelaide International losing to Danielle Collins in the opening match.

The Australian won the first WTA of the year at Miami, defeating three top ten on her way to the title. Barty then lost to Paula Badosa at the Credit One Charleston Open in the quarterfinal stage but came back to win the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix by defeating Aryna Sabalenka in the final.

The two time Grand Slam winner was looking in control on clay as she reached the final in Madrid taking revenge on Badosa for a place in the final, Sabalenka then avenged her loss in the previous event by beating Barty for the title. Barty then had to retire midway in her event match against Cori Gauff due to an arm injury and again retired hurt at Roland Garros because of a recurring hip injury. She only had two weeks to recover before Wimbledon and it was all she needed as Barty won her second major defeating newly crowned Roland Garros champion Barbora Krejcikova in the fourth round.

The 25 year old came into the Tokyo Olympics with full confidence but the hopes were torn to dust in the first match by Spaniard Sara Sorribes Tormo who knocked out the top seed in straight sets. It did not break her hopes completely and proved it by winning in Cincinnati which was her second WTA 1000 of the season. In the final Grand Slam of the year, Barty faced an early exit when Shelby Rogers scripted one of the most inspiring comebacks of the year. Rogers was down 2-5 in the final set but rallied as the crowds were in full support each time she won a game and then secured the win in the tie break. Barty had won all her previous five matches against Shelby and four of them had come this year.

Barty had withdrawn from the WTA finals Guadalajara saying that she needs rest and needs time to get ready for the 2022 Australian Open. The hip injury had hampered her chances at Roland Garros, though she ended the season in November; the former Big Bash cricketer played 50 matches and won 42 of them. Her best performance at home has been the semifinal finish in 2020, whereas two years later she reached the quarterfinals and next year will be off the blocks to become the first Australian women in three decades to take the singles title.

Also read: Dominic Thiem adds more woes with withdrawal from 2022 Australian Open

(Sports news) Damian Warner achieved one of the best performances in the history of Decathlon at the Tokyo Olympics. This year, he has been breaking records in the overall points category as well as in certain events. The Decathlon is the toughest sport as an athlete has to perform well in 10 events each vastly different from others.

The 10 events are 100m, Long jump, Shot put, Javelin throw, Discus throw, High jump, 400m, 110m, 1500m and Pole Vault. So far only four athletes have gone past the 9000 mark in the event, Warner was the last one to do it as he created a new Olympic record. He won the bronze medal in the 2016 Rio De Janeiro Olympics and can now become the third man to win the event twice at the Olympics. Ashton Eaton was the last person to win it twice at Rio, he and Roman Sebrle held the previous record although Sebrle achieved it in 2004 and Ashton equalled it 12 years later.

Warner holds the decathlon record in 100m, Long jump and 110m hurdles; he ran the 100m in 10.12 secs and jumped 8.28m in the Long jump along with a timing of 13.36sec. All the performances are impressive even for athletes who only specialize in these particular events, Warner would have won the bronze medal at Tokyo in the Long jump event with that jump. Decathlon athletes have come close to the regular standards as each athlete has his own set of events to excel, only few are able to match the regular standards of athletes who specialize in the event.

The 32 year old became the first athlete to break the 9000 mark in Olympics, Sebrle was the first person to cross the mark and did it in 2001. Eaton remains the only man to do it twice, he did it in 2012, 15 and Kevin Mayers did it in 2018. Warner had come close to achieving it in May this year as he fell short by 5 points. Warner has the chance of breaking the world record as he had a 300 point lead over silver medalist Mayers and 400 point lead against bronze medalist Ashley Moloney. Warner finished in the top 10 in 8 events which included three top finishes, in the long jump he was the only one to clear 8 metres and cleared it by a long margin. His jump of 8.24m was far ahead of the second placed Pierce Lepage who jumped 7.65m, in shot and pole vault he was placed 11th.

The two time Olympic medallist will be certainly looking to build the lead in the sprint and jump event. He has been on top in the 400m and in Discus throw, even in the 1500m he was close to the top three finish showing how he has dominated the decathlon event. Warner is certainly the most complete athlete as the winner of the event is deservingly awarded the title, he is close to breaking the world record and the 2022 season can bring the best out in him.

Also read: Erriyon Knighton following Bolt’s footsteps in the 200m

(Tennis news) Garbine Muguruza has had a great season on the WTA Tour, climbing back into the top three of the rankings. Muguruza played 59 matches this year in which she won 42 of them. She started the year ranked 15 and had a gradual rise to the top three.

The 28 year old reached the final in the second event of the season at Yarra Valley Classic, even beating Sofia Kenin on the way to the final where she lost to Ashleigh Barty. At the Australian Open, she reached the fourth round before losing to champion Naomi Osaka. In the next event at Qatar, Muguruza reached her second final in two months but lost to Petra Kvitova in the final. She came back to reach another final in Dubai, beating Aryna Sabalenka for the second consecutive time and then defeated Barbora Krejcikova in the final.

The Spaniard then did not reach the last four in the next 10 events after three finals in the first 5 events of the season. She also could not secure a medal at the Tokyo Olympics, losing out to Elena Rybakina in straight sets. After a gap of almost 6 months, Muguruza won the title in Chicago after beating Ons Jabeur in the final. At the WTA Finals, Muguruza was the second most experienced player after Karolina Pliskova and the senior most player handed her a defeat in the second match. Muguruza lost only one match on the way to win the biggest title of the season.

 "It's been a crazy season with the Olympics involved as well. It has been a year with many challenges, but at the same time, very successful for me.” Muguruza didn't enjoy success at the Grand Slam level in 2021 but still she felt it was the best season of her career.

"I truly believe this has been my best career season, even though I haven't won slam tournaments," Muguruza claimed. "It was a season in which I managed to find continuity in the game, albeit with ups and downs in the result.”

The two time Grand Slam winner was ranked number 1 four years ago and this year she has given herself a second chance to reclaim the top spot. Muguruza struggled at the Grand Slams as she reached the fourth round in Australia and at the US Open meanwhile at Roland Garros she was knocked out in the opening match. At Wimbledon where she last won a Grand Slam, she reached the third round, Muguruza winning the finals title was a stern reminder that next year she can pick up her usual speed at the majors. At the 2022 Australian Open, she will try to avenge her 2020 final loss and lift a crown that can boost her chances of becoming the world number again.

Also read: Angelique Kerber looking to repeat glorious past in 2022 season

New Delhi, Dec 27 (Wrestling News) Tokyo Olympics bronze medal-winning wrestler Bajrang Punia reached Moscow on Monday for a 26-day pre-season training camp scheduled till January 21.

This is Bajrang's first training stint after the performance in Tokyo.

"This is my first training camp after the Olympics and I'm hoping this turns out to be a very good one," mentioned Bajrang from Russia in a statement.

"I've chosen Russia as its wrestlers win the most medals in the Olympic Games and World Championships. I will draw benefit from training with the experienced wrestlers here." The Sports Ministry's Mission Olympics Cell (MOC) approved his trip at an overall cost of Rs. 7.53 lakh.

Jitender and Anand Kumar have accompanied Bajrang as his sparring partner and physiotherapist respectively.

Bajrang is set to compete in international meets including UWW Ranking events, the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham as well as the 2022 Asian Games in Hangzhou, China.

"I have to compete in Ranking Series in Italy and Turkey this February and then the Asian Championships in Mongolia in April. I'm going to give my best as I aim is to change the colour of my medal in Paris 2024," Bajrang added. 

Also Read : India's Ritu Phogat to face Stamp Fairtex in MMA finals

News Source : PTI

(Sports news) Erriyon Knighton has been on a fast track since the start of the 2021 season. He has broken Usain Bolt’s under 18 and 20 record on the 200m event and is slowly catching up on the 100m event too. Knighton has been one of the top athletes in the men’s 200m this year and came really close to Olympic glory at Tokyo.

The 17 year old became the second teenager after Bolt to run the 200m under 20 seconds. Bolt held the under 18 world record of 20.13 secs in the 200m which he ran in 2003, it was broken this year in May by Knighton when he ran it in 20.11 secs. In the next three months, Knighton went on to improve his timings by a huge margin as in June he broke Bolt’s under 20 record of 19.93 in 200m by lowering to 19.88 secs. The very next day he further lowered it to 19.84 secs as he has been constantly running under 20 secs like the senior athletes.

Knighton became the youngest athlete in the 200m final at Tokyo Olympics, there were two teenagers in the track as he was joined by 19 year old Joseph Fahenbulleh. The junior world record holder became the youngest athlete to make it to an 200m final since 1984, in the final he finished fourth behind Noah Lyles with a time of 19.93 secs.

The age gap has been astonishing in the men’s sprinting field right now. Knighton was born in the year Justin Gatlin won his 100 gold and 200m bronze at Athens. Gatlin is 22 years older than the American teen and will be a sight to watch two generations compete side by side at the track. Knighton has been the 6th fastest this year and the athletes above are at least 6 years older to him. The fastest man this year has been another American Noah Lyles with a timing of 19.52 secs.

The Olympic finalist will be on top with his performances in the last few months especially in the second half. The season 2022 will be eagerly waiting for Knighton to make a mark at the World Championships in the 200m, Bolt’s records have been standing strong since 2009 and next year there might be chances of athletes coming really close. Knighton is halfway there as he has already shaken off junior world records now he has to carry forward that momentum into his senior years.

Also read: Neeraj Chopra grows into a colossus with elusive track and field Olympic gold

New Delhi, Dec 26 (Hockey News) A bronze medal was good enough to write a golden chapter in Indian hockey, which was desperately seeking a revival for long, as Indian men and women teams conjured up an inspirational show at the Tokyo Games which will be remembered for ages.

A historic bronze-winning show by the men's team and an outstanding fourth place finish for the women's team infused fresh life into the game which was in danger of slipping into oblivion.

Defying all odds and challenges thrown by the COVID-19 pandemic, Indian men's team ushered in a new dawn in 2021 by ending a 41-year long wait a medal at the Olympics - a stage which it owned in its glorious past.

The women's team narrowly missed out on a historic bronze but its best-ever show at the showpiece made it even more memorable for the fans who emotionally connect with the game.

The players were confined to a bio-bubble at the SAI Centre in Bengaluru in 2020 but the year 2021 started on a bright note as the Indian men's team fought hard against Germany and Great Britain to finish the four-match European tour with two wins and as many draws.

The upward swing continued as India continued its unbeaten run on the Argentina tour, beating the 2016 Olympic champions twice and drawing as many in four practice games.

The team also won against the Los Leones in the two-match FIH Pro League tie to set the momentum for what eventually turned out to be a watershed year for Indian hockey.

Next came the most important event for the eight-time past winners, the Tokyo Olympics, where India finished second in pool stages, winning four out of five matches.

The Manpreet-led side defeated Great Britain 3-1 in the quarterfinal before losing 2-5 against Belgium in the last four round.

However, India staged a remarkable comeback and earned a 5-4 win over Germany to clinch the much-needed bronze medal.

By virtue of their historic Olympic campaign, the Indians swept the FIH Hockey Star Awards 2021 winning all categories, which created a bit of controversy with Olympic champions Belgium crying foul.

Harmanpreet Singh was crowned the FIH Player of the Year, PR Sreejesh won the Goalkeeper of the Year, Vivek Sagar Prasad won FIH Rising Star of the Year award for the second consecutive time and India's chief coach Graham Reid was awarded the FIH Coach of the Year.

The Olympic glory also earned national recognitions for all the members of the hockey team with PR Sreejesh and skipper Manpreet being honoured with the prestigious Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award, the highest sporting honour of the country, and all other players receiving the Arjuna award for their accomplishment.

The year, however, ended on a bit sad note for India as they failed to defend their Asian Champions Trophy title, finishing third after beating arch-rivals Pakistan 4-3 in the bronze medal match.

The Indian women's hockey team also added to the cherry by achieving many firsts in 2021.

From a historic fourth-place finish at the Tokyo Olympics to achieving the best-ever FIH world rankings to sweeping FIH Hockey Stars Awards 2021 in all categories, the year gone by was nothing short of a fairytale for the Indian women team.

The Rani Rampal-led side, that started the Olympic campaign with three losses, later pulled off, arguably, one of the biggest upsets in world hockey with win over mighty Australia in the quarterfinals.

But as luck would have it, the Indian women missed out on an Olympic medal by whisker after losing 1-2 to Argentina in the semifinals before suffering 3-4 heartbreak at the hands of Great Britain in the bronze medal match.

But the fourth place finish was more than enough to build women hockey's identity in the country.

The fourth-place finish also gave the Indian women's team its highest-ever FIH world ranking, eighth, in August but will end the year a rung below in the ninth spot due to the side's withdrawal from the women's Asian Champions Trophy 2021 in Korea after being hit by the dreaded virus.

However, the Indian junior men's hockey team turned out to be a big let down at the end of the year as it failed to defend its World Cup title in Bhubaneswar earlier this month. The team finished fourth after losing 1-3 to France in the bronze medal play-off.

The year gone by has boosted confidence of the Blue Sticks ahead of two major events lined up next year -- the Asian Games and Birmingham Commonwealth Games.

The self belief is first major prerequisite for success and the two teams now have it in abundance. 

Also Read : Uttar Pradesh crowned 11th Hockey India junior national championship winners

News Source : PTI

New Delhi, Dec 25 (Sports News) Neeraj Chopra heralded a new era in Indian athletics with his colossal Tokyo Olympics gold that acquired him a super star status in the country which had waited for such spectacular success in track and field events for more than a century.

Son of a farmer, a strapping Neeraj, who turned 24 on Friday, immortalised his name in Indian sports history with his gold-winning throw of 87.58m on August 7, the penultimate day of the showpiece.

It was not even his personal best effort but it did not matter as Chopra became only the second Indian to win an individual gold medal in the Olympics after shooter Abhinav Bindra.

Short of top-class competition in the run-up to the Olympics, Chopra was not even a sure-shot medal contender but he out-performed the field by some distance to enter Indian sporting folklore.

Brimming with confidence, hardly showing any nerves, Chopra literally owned the field with his bossy throw, which was listed one of the 10 magical moments of track and field in Tokyo Games by World Athletics.

Who would have thought that a plump kid who took to athletics to lose weight would end up being India's first track-and-field Olympic gold-medallist.

It was India's first gold in 13 years and second after 1980 Moscow Games.

"It feels unbelievable. It's a proud moment for me and my country. This moment will live with me forever," Chopra said after winning the historic gold.

While Chopra's golden moment is a new beginning in Indian athletics, but the year also witnessed the end of an era with the demise of legendary Milkha Singh -- one of independent India's greatest sporting icons who missed an Olympic 400m bronze by a whisker in the 1960 Rome Games.

Aged 91, the 'Flying Sikh' died in Chandigarh, just a couple of months before Chopra's historic feat.

Chopra dedicated his inspirational achievement to Milkha who had dreamt of seeing an Indian winning an Olympic gold in athletics before his death.

"Milkha Singh wanted to hear the national anthem in a stadium. He is no longer with us but his dream has been fulfilled," Chopra said.

It was also redemption time for Indian athletics, mired into doping controversies for long. The sport finally shed the tag to prove that it can win medals beyond the Asian Games and the Commonwealth Games.

Discus thrower Kamalpreet Singh was also in the limelight briefly after she finished second in the qualifying round. She eventually ended in sixth position in the final.

The 25-year-old made rapid progress in recent years as she improved more than 4m to set a national record (65.06m) in Patiala before the Olympics.

The men's 4x400m relay team shattered the Asian record but still failed to make it to the final, underlining how tough competition is in the Olympics.

Avinash Sable was the other Indian who bettered his national record in the men's 3000m steeplechase but could not make the cut for the final while the likes of sprinter Dutee Chand disppointed. Hima Das did not even qualify for the Games.

The sporting world thrown haywire by the COVID-19 pandemic, no one was certain about a medal in the men's javelin throw event except for supremely confident -- rather over confident as it turned out to be -- Johannes Vetter of Germany who came into the Olympics after having seven 90m-plus monstrous throws.

In contrast, Chopra competed in just three international events. The two of them were minor events with local competitors in Europe and Vetter had famously claimed that it would be tough for the Indian to beat him.

But Chopra had the last laugh as he topped the qualification round easily while Vetter struggled to even make it to the final round.

Vetter was eliminated after three throws in the finals while a confident and calm Chopra scooped the gold with a second round attempt.

Such was the frenzy in the country in the felicitation events lined up for him that Chopra had to leave a one such function midway due to exhaustion. His social media following shot up to millions overnight and his brand value skyrocketed. He finally joined camp two months after his Olympics exploits and left for the United States for off-season training.

The year also saw Indian youngsters doing well at the World Junior Championships in Kenya with long jumper Shaili Singh, a protege of Anju Bobby George, and 10,000m race walker Amit Khatri winning a silver each.

Belarusian middle and long distance coach Nikolai Snesarev died at the NIS Patiala hours before a competition while another former athlete, 1951 Asiad medallist and 1952 Olympics marathoner Surat Singh Mathur died of COVID-19.

Legendary coach O.M Nambiar, who nurtured sprint legend P T Usha into a world class athlete, also passed away after he was bestowed with Padma Shree early in the year. 

Also Read : PKL: Naveen Kumar stars in Dabang Delhi KC's win over U Mumba

News Source : PTI

(Tennis news) Paula Badosa had a poor start to the 2021 season as she suffered a fourth round exit at Abu Dhabi and then lost in the first round at the Australian Open. Badosa was ranked 70 twelve months ago and made her top ten debut a month ago. Her rise on the WTA tour has been remarkable and is projected to go higher next year.

The Spaniard reached the semifinals at Lyon where she lost to qualifier Calra Tauson. Her first big jump came at Credit one Charleston Open, she reached the semifinals by beating Belina Bencic in the third round and upsetting Ashleigh Barty in the quarterfinals. Badosa then reached the last four again at the Madrid Open, she defeated Barbora Krejcikova and Bencic on the way before losing to Barty. Her clay dominance continued at the Serbia Open as she won her career first title, the 24 year old then backed it with a quarterfinal appearance at Roland Garros as her rankings shot up.

Badosa climbed up 40 places in three months with four consecutive quarter final or better performances. The Roland Garros quarterfinalist then reached the fourth round at Wimbledon while picking up her first victory at the event, she went on to lose to Karolina Muchova in straight sets. At the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, in-form Badosa had to retire in the quarterfinal match against Marketa Vondrousova due to a heatstroke.

A shoulder injury during the Western and Southern Open forced Badosa to retire in the quarterfinal against Karolina Pliskova. An early exit at the US Open and Ostrava Open made her slip one place below in the rankings. The Indian Wells event was next as Badosa was playing in the main draw for the first time, she beat Cori Gauff, Barbora Krejcikova, Angelique Kerber, Ons Jabeur and set up a final with experienced player Victoria Azarenka. The final went on for three hours and it took two tie breaks as it gave Badosa her biggest title so far, the win pushed her into the top ten.

The 5 feet 11 inch player then reached the semifinals at Akron WTA Finals Guadalajara which took her to 8th place in the rankings. Badosa defeated Aryna Sabalenka, Maria Sakkari before losing the final group stage match to Iga Swatiek. In the semifinal clash of the two Spaniards, Garbine Muguruza came out on top to reach the final and eventually win the title. 

Badosa has been one of the top performers on clay this season. She will be one of the players to watch out for at Roland Garros and has not taken much time to enter the top ten rankings. The two time title winner has a powerful serve and groundstrokes which came into use at harcourts. Badosa is not afraid to take up chances, she will look to start the 2022 Australian Open with a thumping win and get warmed up for the clay season. 

Also read:  Andy Murray receives wildcard for 2022 Australian Open

(Sports news) Justin Gatlin will be turning 40 in two months as he will enter the 2022 season as one of the oldest active sprinters. Gatlin failed to qualify for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics thus missing a third consecutive appearance at the event. He had missed the 2008 Beijing Olympics due to a doping ban which got over in 2010.

The 39 year old has been in the sprinting world since 2003 and has served two doping bans as the first one had come before his professional years. Gatlin was the gold medalist in the 100m at the 2004 Athens Olympics with a timing of 9.85 secs, he also won the bronze in the 200m with a timing of 20.03 secs. Gatlin was on his way to break the world records in the 100m when the second doping ban made him stay away from the competition for a period of four years.

On his comeback in 2010, there were fresh faces in the competition as Usain Bolt and Tyson Gay were dominating the field along with Asafa Powell. Gatlin was four years senior to Bolt who established himself as a strong competitor in 100m and 200m. Gatlin is more of a 100m sprinter although he has top timings in the 200m, consistency has not been the same in the events. In the 100m, he has run under 10 secs on 64 occasions while in the 200m the sub 20 has been achieved 9 times which is comparatively less.

Gatlin has defeated Bolt twice in their 10 meetings in the 100m. Now Gatlin faces a challenge for the second time in his career similar to the one he had faced 10 years back. The only difference is now the age gap is even more with the present athletes. Su Bingtian and Isiah Young are the only ones who are in their early 30’s as the rest of the field are in their 20’s which is usually the peak for sprinters. Gatlin also remains quiet during the beginning of races and unlike Bolt does not interact with anyone or the crowd, with a grin on his face and tight closed fists the veteran blows away the track.

Gatlin has been subjected to criticism ever since the doping bans but he has been able to divert all those to emerge as one of the most successful sprinters in the last 15 years. It has been 18 years since the five time Olympic medalist ran a sub 10 race in the 100m for the first time, this year he has run under 10 secs twice with the third one exactly timed at 10.00 secs.

Gatlin will have to follow Kim Collins who used to run sub 10 seconds even when he was 40. The 10 time World Championship medallist has a rigid form while running and takes short strides, a technique which helped him run faster. It is tough to predict what will happen next year as Gatlin four years ago had defeated Christian Coleman who was 14 years his junior at the 100m in the 2017 London World Championships. Age doesn’t seem to slow down the serious faced sprinter, maybe missing the Olympics only fuelled him to do even better in the 2022 season or the younger ones will keep him behind the pack. We will know the results in a matter of a few months.

Also read: Asia’s fastest athlete Su Bingtian flying high after Tokyo final

New Delhi, Dec 24 (Shooting News) The Indian shooters failed miserably when it mattered the most and on a stage where they were primed for success, making 2021 one of their worst years in recent memory.

The outstanding results everywhere else, at other times of the last 11 months, were applauded but they were never supposed to mitigate the extreme pain caused by the debacle at the Tokyo Olympics.

They entered Japanese shores with hopes of winning a handful of medals, but returned empty-handed instead, as the horrors of Rio 2016 revisited, even after a raft of changes had been implemented by the National Rifle Association of India (NRAI).

As the fancied 15-strong squad crumbled under the mighty Olympic pressure, it belied a billion hopes after promising to deliver like never before.

Excellent performances at the rechristened President's Cup (which used to be the season-ending ISSF World Cup Finals) and the Junior World Championships in Lima did bring some smiles back, but the Indian team's horror run at Tokyo remains fresh in the memory.

So bad was the outing in the Japanese capital, that it forced NRAI chief Raninder Singh to express his disappointment even before the campaign was completed.

Singh had talked about a major revamp on the sidelines of the Olympics but who will fall under its purview is something that's still not clear, although he did say that even the administrators' performance would be reviewed by an independent body.

So far, in a drastic move, the NRAI has decided to end the contracts of all the national coaches that were involved with the Indian shooting team. This is being done with an aim to revamp the structure before the start of the 2022 season.

The federation has not revealed the names of those who will be appointed in place of the outgoing coaches, which includes some well-established names who have contributed immensely to the growth of the shooters and the sport in general in the country.

Needless to say, the trigger for this move was the Olympic debacle and the intra-squad factionalism, which also involved coaches. The drama marred the build-up to the Games and came out in the open as the team's disastrous campaign unfolded in Tokyo.

The NRAI got former India shooter and coach Ronak Pandit to train medal hope Manu Bhaker after she fell out with junior national coach Jaspal Rana. It did try to sort things out but some of them, perhaps, remained unaddressed.

The top brass in the NRAI had no qualms admitting that the team was below-par in the biggest multi-sporting event.

They also don't shy away from talking about implementing wholesale changes but, going by the experience in the last two Olympics, there is no doubt that more is required than what is being done currently.

If they stop after only changing the coaching and support staff, the story is not likely to be any different at the Paris Olympics, which is scheduled to be held in less than three years' time.

"Definitely the performances have not been on expected lines and I have spoken of an overhaul of coaching and support staff," Raninder told PTI.

He is well aware that problem is concerning the game's mental aspects.

"I feel something is lacking in getting our shooters prepared for these big occasions, because clearly the talent is there and we have seen it," the NRAI boss said.

Questions were raised about why the shooters were not able to replicate their excellent showing at the ISSF World Cups at the Olympics.

While they faltered at the biggest stage, fortunes swung dramatically in the Junior World Championships in Peru in October, when Indian shooters won medals by the bagful and topped the standings for the first time.

The tournament saw the emergence of new talents such as Delhi's Namya Kapoor, who fired her way to the gold medal ahead of her celebrated compatriot Bhaker in the women's 25m pistol event.

At 14 years, she created an Indian record of winning the gold medal at an international shooting tournament, raising fresh hopes for the future.

India also did exceedingly well at the President's Cup with the likes of young Bhaker and Saurabh Chaudhary once again reminding the world of their abilities with their fine showing in Wroclaw, Poland months after they failed to live up to the expectations at the Olympics.

In Lima, Bhaker became the first Indian shooter to win the highest number of medals (5) in a single edition of the ISSF Junior World Championships. These included four gold medals and a bronze.

The Indian shooters' results, before and after the Olympics, makes it clear that the problem is mental fortitude or the lack of it, at the quadrennial extravaganza.

And the sooner it is addressed, the better it is for Indian shooting.

Moving away from the ranges, there was no change of guard at the top of the hierarchy as Raninder became the apex body's president for an unprecedented fourth time with a landslide victory over BSP MP Shyam Singh Yadav.

The NRAI went ahead with the polls despite the impediments it faced after the petition filed by Yadav in the Delhi High Court, followed by the sports ministry's directive to initiate elections afresh.

There was no stay order from the high court and it was found that the incumbent had a legitimate claim at re-election. 

Also Read : Avani Lekhara bags 'Best Female Debut' honour at Paralympic Awards

News Source : PTI

New Delhi, Dec 23 (Sports News) Sports Minister Anurag Thakur on Thursday said that the World Anti-Doping Agency has restored the accreditation of the National Dope Testing Laboratory (NDTL), which was suspended in 2019 because of its failure to meet global standards.

The NDTL is based in the national capital.

"National Dope Testing Laboratory (NDTL) regains the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) accreditation," Thakur posted on his official Twitter page.

"Restoration of accreditation is a boost to India's efforts to achieve the highest global standards of excellence in sport. This is the result of untiring efforts by GOI (Government of India)," he added.

India is currently third in the WADA's global list of dope violators led by Russia.

"Last week in Parliament, we introduced 'The National Anti-Doping Bill 2021', which is another step in India's quest to become a sporting powerhouse," Thakur said referring to the legislation which give the National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA)powers to conduct raids to nab dope offenders.

The suspension of the NDTL had prohibited it from carrying out any anti-doping activities, including all analysis of urine and blood samples.

The WADA first suspended NDTL in August 2019 for a period of six months and extended the de-recognition period after its inspections showed that non-conformities still existed.

The laboratory's non-conformities pertained to the International Standard for Laboratories (ISL) identified during a WADA site visit, including the isotope ratio mass spectrometry — the analytical technique of choice for confirmation of prohibited substances.

During the suspension period, urine samples collected by NADA were being sent primarily to the WADA-accredited lab in Doha.

The process had made the anti-doping programme very expensive for the country because of the significant cost involved in sending samples abroad.

The COVID-19 pandemic also contributed in slowing down the anti-doping activities in India with NADA admitting to have collected a lesser volume of samples.

After outstanding non-conformities were not addressed to WADA's satisfaction, its Laboratory Expert Group (LabEG) recommended the initiation of further disciplinary proceedings against NDTL in January this year.

The disciplinary committee that was mandated to make a recommendation to the WADA chair then asked for an extension in suspension.

Because of the suspension, NDTL could not carry out any testing before Tokyo Olympics in this year.

"Sending of samples for analysis to Qatar lab involves cost and also delays the result management process," lawyer Parth Goswami, who regularly handles doping related cases, had said in an interview to PTI earlier this year. 

Also Read : Asia’s fastest athlete Su Bingtian flying high after Tokyo final

News Source : PTI

(Sports news) Su Bingtian has been one of the top sprinters in the world over the past twelve months. He is the fourth fastest in the 100m this year with a timing of 9.83 secs at Tokyo Olympics, Su stormed into the final with that timing but came up a bit short of the podium finish. The last Asian sprinter to reach the 100m Olympic final was Japanese sprinter Takayoshi Yoshioka in 1932.

The current Asian record holder has been a regular winner in the Asian Games. Su is also one of the fastest sprinters in the 60 meters and ran a unofficial 6.29 secs in the semifinal at Tokyo which has been the fastest beating Usain Bolt’s run in 2009 when he ran the fastest 100m ever. While the sprinting events have been dominated by Jamaicans in the past decade, now there has been uncertainty in the major events as there are a handful of athletes who have been exchanging the podium finishes.

Su won the Gold at the Shanghai Diamond League in 2017 with a timing of 10.11 secs. He has an explosive start till the 60 meter which if he can hold for another 40 meters can bring his timing down to 9.70 secs. At the Birmingham World Indoor Championships, the Diamond league winner ran the 60m in 6.42 secs which is 6th fastest of all time.

Sprinters usually are short in height, there are a few exceptions, most of them are not tall. Su is 5 feet 8 inches which is perfect for the event, even though he is 32 years old his timings are only getting quicker by each season. The sub 10 second barrier has been broken by the Olympic finalist multiple times, a major change in 2014 has been one of the causes to his form. In the beginning of his career, Su used to start off the blocks with his right foot and for the past 7 years he has been doing the same with his left foot which made a major impact in his timings. The change proved effective in a year as he ran his first sub 10 race in 2015.

China has been in the bottom in the field of athletics at the Olympics. Liu Xiang was the last Chinese sprinter to win a medal at the Olympics, he won the gold at the 100m hurdles 17 years back at Athens. Su can target the World Championships next year as the Paris Olympics are two years away, he is already inspiring many in China and Asia. 

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Lausanne, Dec 23 (Hockey News) Olympic bronze winning Indian men's hockey team will end the year in third spot, its highest-ever, as per the International Hockey Federation (FIH) rankings released on Thursday.

The Manpreet Singh-led Indian team won the bronze in Tokyo Games earlier this year to end a 41-year medal wait for the country. India, who finished third in the just-concluded Asian Champions Trophy in Dhaka, will end the year with 2296.038 points behind Olympic champions Belgium and toppers Australia.

Australia have leapfrogged Belgium in the latest chart following the Red Lions' recent FIH Hockey Pro League draw and defeat at the hands of the Netherlands.

Australia will close the year with 2642.25 points, just 10 points ahead of FIH Hockey Pro League and Olympic champions Belgium, who have 2632.12.

Netherlands (2234.33) and Germany (2038.71) are placed in fourth and fifth positions respectively. The top ten is completed by England (6th - 1990.62), Argentina (7th - 1826.11), New Zealand (8th - 1598.24), Spain (9th - 1532.33) and Malaysia (10th - 1427.18).

The Asian Champions Trophy saw various exchanges of ranking points between the competing teams, although there was little in terms of movement. Champions South Korea remain 16th with runners up Japan still in 17th position. Fourth placed finishers Pakistan continue to hold onto 18th place, while fifth placed Bangladesh have dropped two places to 40.

Among women, India have dropped a rung to ninth spot from the last update.

The Indian women's team, which finished a historic fourth in the Tokyo Olympics, will end the year with 1810.32 points.

Netherlands women will finish the year at the top of the FIH world rankings.

The Oranje end 2021 with 3015.35 points, over 600 ranking points ahead of second placed England (2375.78). Olympic silver medallists Argentina will begin 2022 in the third spot, being just 14 points behind England with 2361.28.

Australia (2334.04) will finish the year in fourth place, with Germany (2126.15) and Spain (1959.62) fifth and sixth positions respectively. Belgium (7th place - 1939.88), New Zealand (8th place – 1821.11), India (9th place – 1810.32) and China (10th place – 1677.96) complete the top ten. 

Also Read : Semifinalists identified in junior hockey Nationals

News Source : PTI

New Delhi, Dec 23 (Badminton News) PV Sindhu's legend grew with a second Olympic medal, Kidambi Srikanth regained his touch with a historic World championship silver and Lakshya Sen continued to dazzle but the listless performance in team events was a significant low for Indian badminton in a topsy-turvy year.

The COVID-19 pandemic expectedly disrupted the international calender with many events either cancelled or rescheduled but Indian shuttlers grabbed the opportunities even though a title win eluded them.

If Rio Olympics silver-medallist Sindhu led from the front with a bronze medal at Tokyo and a silver at the season-ending World Tour Final, Srikanth and Lakshya dished out a year-end special, scooping a silver and bronze respectively at the World Championships.

It was a moment to rejoice as for the first time, two Indian men returned with medals from one edition of the World Championships, a feat that was earlier achieved by Sindhu and Saina Nehwal in women's singles at the 2017 Glasgow event.

However, neither Sindhu nor Srikanth or Lakshya, who had reached the finals at Dutch Open, could go the full distance as India's title draught continued.

The fact that BWF decided to squeeze nine tournaments into 12 weeks after the resumption of the international circuit also didn't help things as many players were left injured.

Sindhu, the 2019 World champion, was subdued at the Thailand leg at the beginning of the year but she soon reached the final at Swiss Open in March before coronavirus forced the suspension of three Olympic qualifiers.

Already assured of a place at the Tokyo Games, Sindhu then sealed her place among the greatest when she added a bronze to the Rio silver medal at the biggest multi-sport extravaganza.

She then took a two-month break and hit a consistent run after her return, registering three semifinal finishes at French Open, Indonesia Masters and Indonesia Open.

Sindhu then sizzled at the season-ending World Tour Finals, which ended with a silver medal.

The final finish raised hopes of a successful defence of her world championship gold but it was not to be as Sindhu returned empty handed from the prestigious event for the first time since 2017.

While Sindhu's season ended with a quarterfinal finish in Huelva, Srikanth and Lakshya more then made up for the disappointment.

Since claiming four titles in five finals in 2017, Srikanth had struggled with fitness and form and the lowest point came when he failed to secure the Tokyo berth due to a mix of injuries and cancellation of qualifiers.

However, the 28-year-old from Guntur shook off the disappointment and slowly found his groove with two semifinal finishes at Hylo Open and Indonesia Masters before an explosive performance at the World Championships.

Srikanth dished out one superlative win after another to enter his first final since the 2019 India Open and in the process, became the first man to earn India a silver at the World Championships.

If Srikanth travelled from despair to ecstacy within a few months, the 20-year-old Lakshya charmed with his youthful exuberance as he continued his fine run from 2019 when he had won five titles before COVID-19 somewhat halted his progress.

The youngster from Almora scripted a final finish at the Dutch Open, made it to the semifinals at Hylo and then reached the knockout stage at World Tour Finals on debut.

Lakshya then sizzled with a bronze at the World Championships, thus joining his mentor Prakash Padukone and B Sai Praneeth.

Struggling with a gastroesophageal reflux disease and then post COVID after-affects, HS Prannoy also finished things on a high with a quarterfinal finish in Spain.

It was also a decent year for men's doubles pair of Chirag Shetty and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy as they reached the semifinals at Toyota Thailand Open, Swiss Open and Indonesia Open before injury to the latter took a toll.

The duo also won two of the three matches against higher-ranked opponents at Tokyo Olympics but missed out of the quarterfinal after it was decided on the basis of the number of games won and lost.

Plagued by injuries, London Olympics bronze-medallist Saina, however, endured a tough year as she failed to qualify for the Tokyo Olympics and also was forced to pull out of the World Championship for the first time in her career.

The former world no.1 returned to the circuit at Uber Cup but it was cut short due to multiple injuries, including a groin issue.

While the singles players did well, India cut a sorry figure at team events -- Sudirman Cup and Thomas and Uber Cup Finals.

With star players missing, India made an early exit from the Sudirman Cup after wining just one match out of three.

The men's team and women's teams produced a slightly better show at Thomas and Uber Cup Final, finishing at the quarterfinal stage.

The only bright spot was that the likes of Aditi Bhatt, Malvika Bansod, the men's doubles pair of Dhruv Kapila and MR Arjun, Gayatri Gopichand, Rutuporna Panda, Tanisha Crasto, Tasneem Mir and Theresa Jolly hugely benefitted from the campaign.

Other upcoming shuttlers such as Aman Farogh Sanjay, Revati Devasthale, Priyanshu Rajawat also gave hope to Indian badminton by registering international wins in the year goneby. 

Also Read : Kiran and Aakarshi win national ranking titles

News Source : PTI

New Delhi, Dec 22 (Sports News) Battling to survive as an Olympic sport, weightlifting's world governing body is likely to introduce six new divisions among a total of 10 for the 2024 Paris Games, retaining only four from the Tokyo edition, a move that will see Indian teen sensation Jeremy Lalrinnunga's current category being lopped off the roster.

The proposal needs to be approved by the International Weightlifting Federation's General Council before being sent to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) for its nod.

The proposed weight categories for Paris 2024 include five each for males and females. They are 61kg, 73kg, 89kg, 102kg and +102kg for men, and 49kg, 59kg, 71kg, 81kg and +81kg for women.

The ones retained from Tokyo are 49kg and 59kg for women and 61kg and 73kg for men.

The changes, which come a year after the IOC allocated a quota of 120 athletes across all divisions for the Paris Games, highlights the diminishing presence of weightlifting at the sporting extravaganza.

While the 2016 Rio Games had seen participation of 260 athletes across 15 weight categories, the quota was cut came down to 196 in 14 classes in the Tokyo Olympics earlier this year.

"This (10 weight categories) is just a proposal, it well first go to IWF's general body for approval followed by the IOC. Only then will these categories be confirmed," Indian Weightlifting Federation (IWLF) president Sahdev Yadav told PTI.

A final decision is expected by the end of February.

"The next (IWF General Council) meeting date has not been decided yet. Chances are that by January or February it will happen," Yadav said.

Should the proposal be approved, Jeremy, who currently competes in the men's 67kg category will have to either bulk up to 73kg or come down to 61kg.

Tokyo Olympics silver medallist Mirabai Chanu, the other Indian lifter in the fray for the Paris Games, remains unaffected as her weight class is proposed to be retained.

Asked how the new categories will impact the Indian camp Yadav said, "This will not affect us, we will take Jeremy to the upper category 73kg. I don’t think it (the decreasing weight categories in the Olympics) will make a difference to weightlifting in India." Reiterating Yadav's comments, national coach Vijay Sharma said the Asian Games next year will be the last event in which Jeremy participates in the 67kg category before moving on to his new weight class.

"This is a good thing for us, we will start preparing for the Olympics after the Asian Games. Up till the Asian Games Jeremy will take part in 67kg till. After that he will move to the 73kg category.

"He will have to work hard to bulk up but we will manage," Sharma said from Patiala.

This will not be the first time Jeremy will have to bulk up.

The 19-year-old lifter from Mizoram had won the the 2018 Youth Olympics gold medal in Buenos Aires in the 62kg category.

He had then moved to 67kg to comply with the new Olympic weight categories the IWF had introduced then.

Recently, Jeremy has consistently been improving his personal best in the 67kg and has already qualified in the 67kg category for the 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games thanks to his gold medal finish at the Commonwealth Championship in Tashkent earlier this month.

Weightlifting also remains at risk of being removed from the 2028 LA Games programme because of governance issues and a lengthy history of doping problems. 

Also Read : Marcell Jacobs to target World Championships after Olympic victory

News Source : PTI

(Sports news) The men’s sprinting has seen a lot of new names coming this season. With the domination of Usain Bolt missing, a handful of athletes have been coming out on top every event. Justin Gatlin has not been in form this year and will turn 40 next year as the present top sprinters are a minimum 10 years junior to him. The 2004 Athens Gold medallist failed to qualify for the Olympics this year and will be finding it tough to match his younger competitors in the 2022 season.

Trayvon Bromell

Trayvon equalled the 6th fastest time of all time in the 100m two months back at Nairobi. The 26 year old reached the semifinals at Tokyo Olympics but has the fastest time of the season. He has the fastest time in the junior category when he ran 9.97 secs in 2014, Bromell won the Bronze at World championships in Beijing a year later. The Wanda Diamond League winner has a powerful start then picks up the lead in the first 30 meters, he will need to perform well at the major leagues.

Ferdinand Omanyala

The Kenyan sprinter is one of the most built athletes in the 100 meters. He ran the second fastest timing of the season and the 8th fastest in history with a timing of 9.77 secs. Ferdinand has been in the news in the second half of the season and reached the semifinals at Tokyo Olympics. The African record holder got the much wanted experience this year and will be a top competitor for the podium finish in the upcoming season.

Lamont Marcell Jacobs

Jacobs had a good start to the 2021 season as he became the second Italian to run the 100m under 10 secs. On May 13th, Jacobs ran a 9.95 which was the fastest by an Italian and broke the record of Filippo Tortu who had run 9.99 three years back. The Olympic champion lowered the mark thrice at Tokyo and ran the fastest one in the final as it was timed at 9.80 secs. Jacobs took the charge when it mattered and he ran his best under pressure. Even though others had faster timings than him all season, the former long jumper made history on the track at the right time.

Fred Kerley

The 2021 season saw Kerley become the third athlete in history to run the 100m under 10 secs, 200m under 20 and 400m under 44. He switched to the 100m and 200m this year as he was primarily a 400m athlete. The 2019 Championship saw Kerley winning the bronze in the 400m and this year he took the Silver at Tokyo in the 100m. The 6th fastest athlete this season ran 9.84 secs in the Olympic final to finish ahead of Andre De Grasse. The Diamond league 400m champion three years ago won the 100 this year, Kerley has been shaping himself to be a contender in the 100m and 200m.

Also read: UN Sec Gen Guterres to attend Beijing Winter Olympics: Siddharth Chatterjee

(Tennis news) Karolina Muchova has become the latest player to announce her non participation in the 2022 Australian Open. The 25 year old last played at the US Open where she was knocked out on the first round by Sara Sorribes Tormo, Muchova had announced on September 30 that her season is over. Muchova then declared yesterday that she won’t be playing in Australia.

"I'm sad to announce that my 2022 season will not start in Australia. I'm doing all I can to get back on the court as soon as I'm able," Muchova wrote on Twitter.

The world number 32 had played 28 matches this year and won 19 of them, she reached the semifinals for the first time at this year’s Australian Open. Muchova defeated Karolina Pliskova in the third round and then went on to defeat Elise Mertens in the next match as both her victories were in straight sets. In the quarterfinals, she upset world number one Ashleigh Barty after losing the first set 1-6 to reach the last four where she lost to Jennifer Brady in three sets.

Muchova entered Roland Garros with a career high ranking of 19 but lost in the third round to Sloane Stephens after which her ranking dropped. The Czech player then reached the Quarter Final stage at Wimbledon beating Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova and Paula Badosa on the way. Muchova lost to Angelique Kerber as she could only manage to win five games in the match. She had reached the quarterfinals at Wimbledon two years ago where she defeated Anett Kontaveit and Pliskova but lost to Elina Svitolina.

Muchova had suffered from an abdominal injury in August while playing at Cincinnati WTA 1000, she had beaten Johanna Konta in the first match and then beat 2019 US Open champion Bianca Andreescu in the third round. She faced Belinda Bencic who won the singles Gold and doubles Silver at Tokyo Olympics, Muchova was trailing 3-5 in the first set when she dug through to make it 5 all. Bencic although won the set and in the second set the pain was too much to handle as Muchova retired midway to end the match.

Muchova has an attacking type of play and comes to the net to finish the points. She does not stay in the baseline as her powerful serve and groundstrokes enable her to take control over rallies against her opponent. Although she has not said when she will be back on tour, Muchova will aim to enter the top ten of the rankings in the 2022 season.

Also read: Stefanos Tsitsipas to comeback strong for 2022 season after injury recovery

(Tennis news) Stefanos Tsitsipas is amongst the next big four in tennis along with Daniil Medvedev, Alexander Zverev and Dominic Thiem. Tsitsipas enjoyed a career best of 55 wins in a season which was one more than his 2019 season although he won 3 titles that year compared to 2 this year.

Tsitsipas started with the year with two victories at the ATP Cup and had one of the best starts to the season by reaching the last four in 7 of the next 11 events. He reached the semifinals of the Australian Open after a 4 hour quarter final battle against Rafael Nadal in one of the best matches at the tournament and had lost to him two years ago in the semifinal. Tsitsipas was a two time defending champion at Marseille but this time made a quarterfinal exit as he was beaten by Pierre-Hugues Herbert. Tsitsipas won his first title of the season at Monte Carlo which was his second biggest title after the Nitto ATP Finals win in 2019.

Tsitsipas reached the final at Barcelona to make it two consecutive finals after his win at Monte Carlo, this time he was beaten by Nadal in three sets as the final went on for 3 and half hours. At Roland Garros, Tsitsipas reached the final for the first after beating Zverev and Medvedev on the way to set up a summit clash with Novak Djokovic. After an hour, Tsitsipas took the first set even saving a set point and went on to win the second set as he inched closer to the title but Djokovic’s mental game was too good to break. The Serbian conceded five games in the next two sets and took the final set 6-4 to win his second title of the year.

Tsitsipas then lost in the first round at Wimbledon to Frances Tiafoe in straight sets but took revenge by beating him in the third round at Tokyo Olympics and lost the next match to Ugo Humbert. Tsitsipas then beat Humbert at Toronto and went on to reach the semifinals where he lost to server Reily Opelka. At Cincinnati, he again reached the semifinals but lost to Zverev after having a 4-1 lead in the third set. In the next 6 events he failed to reach the semifinals as his season came to an end at the Nitto ATP finals where he played one match and withdrew due to an elbow injury.

Tsitsipas reached his third consecutive Grand Slam semi final at Roland Garros this year. The Greek god has a classic one handed backhand like Thiem and is one of the few players to still have it. Tsitsipas showed fearlessness against Djokovic in his debut final but could not hold onto the momentum in the final stages which happens at the big stages. Tsitsipas is currently recovering from the injury and is set to make a comeback at the start of the 2022 season.
 

Tsitsipas will try to get a good start at the 2022 Australian Open and maybe beat Djokovic at his favorite Slam. Tsitsipas had defeated Roger Federer in the 2019 edition and this year took out Nadal so he can target big this time. Amongst the next gen, Tsitsipas is not the best in terms of court temperament as he had some issues at the US Open where had taken too much time for toilet breaks and it did not go well with Andy Murray. Tsitsipas is only 23 and winning big titles at the expense of a few racquets has been occurring for decades now.

Also read: Our aim is to increase participation and grow the sport - Prasad Kapre, CEO at touchtennis India

New Delhi, Dec 21 (Badminton News) Chief national badminton coach Pullela Gopichand has lauded Kidambi Srikanth for winning a historic silver medal at the world championships but said he will need to cut down on his errors in order to remain consistent through a busy 2022.

The 28-year-old from Guntur, a former world number one, on Sunday became the first Indian man to claim a silver medal at the prestigious tournament.

In the summit clash, Srikanth, currently ranked 14th, blew leads of 9-3 and 18-16 in the two games against Loh Kean Yew to see the coveted title slip out of his grasp.

"Srikanth's game got sharper and sharper as the tournament went by. He was lacking in confidence when he started playing this year but some performances against players such as Lee Zii Jia and Kento Momota gave him some confidence," Gopichand told PTI.

"He got his form in time but he will need to curb his errors to be more consistent as he prepares for the big year ahead where there will big ticket events like the Commonwealth Games, Asian Games." Srikanth will be defending his men's singles title at the Commonwealth Games and is expected to play a big role as India look to retain the mixed team gold at Birmingham.

He had a stellar run in 2017, securing four super series titles in five finals. It was a rare feat achieved only by the likes of Lee Chong Wei, Lin Dan and Chen Long in a calender year.

However, the year ended with Srikanth suffering a knee injury during the French Open in November, and he aggravated it at the national championships.

The Andhra Pradesh-born shuttler managed to claim the coveted Commonwealth Games gold at Gold Coast in 2018 and also remained world number one for a week in April, but then came the slide.

The knee injury and other niggles, especially related to his ankle, affected his performance and he eventually missed out on the Tokyo Olympics after three qualifiers were cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

"With back to back tournaments, sometimes it becomes difficult for a player to recover from an injury. Srikanth was troubled by his injuries as he rushed himself back from it with the Olympic qualification at stake," Gopichand, the 2001 All England champion, said.

"But it is good to see him sustain long three-game matches in Spain and he has been also playing continuously right from the Sudirman Cup, so it is a good sign." India had three players in the men's singles quarterfinals, with HS Prannoy and Lakshya Sen also entering the last eight, apart from Srikanth.

While Lakshya lost to Srikanth to sign off with a maiden bronze in his first attempt, former top 10 player Prannoy's fine run came to an end at the quarterfinals after he lost to eventual champion Loh Kean Yew of Singapore.

Gopichand said the fine performance of the Indian men's singles players augurs well for the team ahead of a hectic 2022.

"It is good to see three shuttlers reaching the quarterfinals. While Srikanth reached the finals, I think Lakshya also did very well and Prannoy also put up a good performance at the tournament. Praneeth played well in patches, Sameer is also looking good.

"It is good to be on the bright side ahead of an important season ahead," he signed off. 

Also Read : Sindhu appointed BWF's Athletes’ Commission member

News Source : PTI

Abu Dhabi, Dec 20 (Swimming News) Star Indian swimmer Srihari Nataraj continued his record-breaking spree at the FINA short course World Championships here on Monday, registering his third 'Best Indian time' in the tournament.

The 20-year-old clocked 48.65s in the men's 100m freestyle event to better Sajan Prakash's best Indian performance. However, the timing wasn't enough to take the Bengaluru swimmer to the semifinals as he finished 38th in the overall heats and only the top 16 swimmers move forward.

Nataraj, who competed at the Tokyo Olympics after becoming the second Indian swimmer after Prakash to breach the 'A' qualifying time for the Olympics, had lodged 'Best Indian times' in the 50m and 100m backstroke events last week.

Delhi's Kushagra Rawat clocked 15:07.86s in the men's 1500m freestyle to finish 21st in the overall heats.

The timings clocked and records in this meet, which is being contested in a 25m swimming pool, are different from the more traditional long course ones.

A short course meet is contested in 25-metre pools, while the 50-metres pools are called long courses.

In swimming, a timing is considered a national record when it has been achieved at the National Aquatic Championships.

Hence, the timings clocked in other meets are called the 'Best Indian time'. 

Also Read : Srihari Nataraj registers Best Indian performance in swimming World C’ships

News Source : PTI

(Football news) British tennis star Emma Raducanu has been named BBC’s Sports Personality of the Year 2021 after becoming the first qualifier to win the Grand Slam at the US Open. Having started the year ranked 343, Raducanu ends 2021 with a 19th rank in what has undoubtedly been a meteoric rise for the 19 year old. She beat diver Tom Daley who finished second and Adam Peaty, who came third for the coveted prize.

Speaking to the BBC, Raducanu said “It's such an honour just to be among these nominees - to win it is pretty amazing. I watched Sports Personality of the Year growing up, so I'm really humbled to join the amazing past winners - I'm also really happy for British tennis that we managed to get this award again. All the support I've received this past year has been absolutely insane, and the energy I felt at Wimbledon this year playing in front of my home crowd is something I've never felt before."

The other three individuals shortlisted for the award were Tyson Fury, Raheem Sterling and Dame Sarah Storey while Sir Lewis Hamilton, who was knighted by Prince Charles last week was omitted from the award. The Team of the Year award was given to England for reaching the Euro 2020 finals while manager Gareth Southgate received the Coach of the Year award. Speaking to the BBC, Southgate said “Managing in football now is a very complex business. I'm fortunate to work with good people that make it easier for me."

The Lifetime Achievement Award was given to four-time Olympic gymnast champion Simone Biles. The 24 year old was forced to withdraw from five finals at the Tokyo Olympics due to mental health issues but secured a bronze on the balance beam and silver in the women’s team event. Jennifer Beattie, footballer for Scotland and Arsenal Women, won the Helen Rollason Award for raising awareness of breast cancer, having been diagnosed with the illness at the age of 29 in October 2020.

The Young Sports Personality of the Year Award was given to skateboarder Sky Brown, the 13 year old became Britain’s youngest Olympic medallist in Tokyo this year, winning the bronze at the women’s park event. She was given the award ahead of the likes of England and Borussia Dortmund footballer Judge Bellingham and 17-year-old Ellie Challis who became England’s youngest ever Paralympian medal winner after winning silver at the S3 women's 50 metres backstroke event in August. 

The World’s Sports Star of the Year award went to Irish jockey Rachael Blackmore who became the first woman to win the Champion Hurdle at Cheltenham followed by a victory at the Grand National, thereby becoming not just the first woman to finish in the top four but also winning it. The Unsung Hero Award went to Sam Barlow who created a support group following the death of her husband in 2020 for people who were grieving and experiencing isolation. She has been offering sport and athletic sessions to children from deprived areas.

Also read: Daniil Medvedev targets no 1 spot in season 2022

Jamshedpur, Dec 19 (Golf News) Olympian Udayan Mane held his nerve and carded a three-under 69 in the last round to win the PGTI's season-ending TATA Steel Tour Championship by a narrow one-shot margin here on Sunday.

The win also helped him bag the PGTI Order of Merit title for the 2020-21 season.

Mane (68-66-67-69) made six birdies, a bogey and a double-bogey on the final day to end up with a tournament tally of 18-under 270 at the season's showpiece event worth Rs. 1.5 crore in prize money which was played across the Beldih and Golmuri Golf Courses.

The six-foot four-inch tall Pune-based golfer, who made a 12-feet pressure putt for victory on the last hole, made it a year to remember as he followed up his Tokyo Olympics appearance with the bragging rights of being No. 1 in PGTI's money list with season's earnings of Rs. 58,72,275.

Two-time Asian Tour winner Rashid Khan (70-72-66-63) matched the tournament's lowest round of nine-under 63 on the last day to climb 10 spots and finish runner-up at 17-under 271.

Rashid, who made an eagle and seven birdies in round four, gave himself an opportunity to have a shot at the title and was even staring at a record fourth PGTI Order of Merit crown as his playoff with Mane was looking possible at one stage.

Mane, the overnight joint leader along with Shubhankar Sharma, seized the early initiative with birdies on the second, third and fourth, making two-putts on the two par-5s on that stretch. He made double-bogey on the eighth but soon recovered with birdies on the 11th and 13th where he sank 10-feet putts.

Mane emerged the outright favourite after his terrific up and down birdie from the bunker on the 16th gave him a two-shot cushion at the top.

A bogey on the 17th and an erratic drive on the 18th gave him some anxious moments as clubhouse leader Rashid was just one shot behind at that stage.

However, Mane produced a good approach shot and an ice-cool 12-feet par conversion on the 18th to seal his 12th title on the PGTI.

Mane, who collected the winner's purse worth Rs. 22,50,000, thus zoomed from third to first position in the PGTI Order of Merit as he leapfrogged Karandeep Kochhar and Chikkarangappa in the merit list based on season's earnings.

Mane won an impressive four titles during the 2020-21 season and posted four other top-10s as well.

"I just like the courses here in Jamshedpur. That's the reason I've won here twice. It's a good test for the professionals to adapt from one course to another in the middle of the round.

"Winning the PGTI Order of Merit title is great for my confidence as I will head to the Asian Tour soon. I'd now like to carry this form to Asia," added Mane, who now wins a four-year exemption on the PGTI as a result of emerging Order of Merit champion.

Rashid, lying tied 30th after his first two rounds of 70 and 72, made a brilliant rearguard action with scores of 66 and 63 in the last two rounds to make a strong comeback in the tournament.

He added three more birdies on the back-nine during his flawless final round. As a result of his runner-up finish, Rashid jumped from ninth to fourth place in the PGTI's final money list.

Two-time European Tour winner Shubhankar shot a final round of 72 to take tied fourth place at 15-under 273 along with four-time European Tour winner SSP Chawrasia (70).

Shubhankar's challenge faded away on the back-nine where he conceded three bogeys and a double-bogey in exchange for two birdies.

SSP's nephew Sunit Chowrasia (69) finished tied sixth at 14-under 274 along with nine-time Asian Tour winner Gaganjeet Bhullar (71).

Karandeep Kochhar, a winner of two events this season, finished tied 23rd at six-under 282 at the season finale. He took second place in the PGTI's money list with season's earnings of Rs. 51,00,880.

Chikkarangappa claimed tied 12th place with a total of 10-under 278. A two-time winner in the season, he thus finished third in the Order of Merit with season’s earnings of Rs. 48,07,880.

Indian golf legend Jyoti Randhawa finished tied 44th at one-under 287.

Kartik Sharma of Gurugram won the PGTI Emerging Player of the Year title with season's earnings of Rs. 18,22,750, the highest among the rookies. 

Also Read : Shubhankar's stunning 63 takes him into joint lead, Udayan too rises

News Source : PTI

Dhaka, Dec 18 (Hockey News) Assured of a place in the semifinals, defending champions India would look to continue their winning run when they clash with Japan in their final round robin match of the Asian Champions Trophy men's hockey tournament, here on Sunday.

After a slow start to the tournament, Olympic bronze-medallist India roared back into the five-team tournament with two consecutive wins.

Playing their first tournament after a historic Olympic campaign, India were held to a 2-2 draw by Korea in their opener. However the players lifted their games by leaps and bounds to trounce hosts Bangladesh 9-0 and then got the better of arch-rivals Pakistan 3-1 on Friday.

India are currently leading the standings with seven points from three games ahead of Korea (5), Japan (2) and Pakistan (1).

Hosts Bangladesh are yet to register their presence in the scoresheet having lost both their games so far.

Coming into the tournament as clear favourites, the Indians were by far the better side among all other teams, simply on the basis of form and world standings.

Having said that, India were slow to get off the blocks as they squandered a two-goal advantage to be held by Korea.

The match against Korea was a sort of wake-up call for the Indians. They looked completely different against Bangladesh, dominating the entire 70 minute contest with their superior display.

The match against neighbours Pakistan was expected to be a close match and it turned out to be so, albeit in the final two quarters.

India were in complete control of the proceedings in the first two quarters as took the lead as early as in the eighth minute before doubling their lead in the 42nd minute.

India's dominance can be gauged from the fact that Pakistan failed to secure a single shot on the goal in the first two quarters, leave aside earning penalty corners.

The encounter spiced up after the change of ends as Pakistan came out with more purpose and gave India a run for their money in the final 15 minutes.

But the Indians did not allow the Pakistanis any inroads as a superior defensive and attacking display helped them to come out on top.

The Indian forward-line has been in impressive form with the likes of Lalit Upadhaya, Akashdeep Singh and Dilpreet Singh on song.

The midfield has been held together by skipper Manpreet Singh while the responsibility of the backline rests on the shoulders of vice-captain Harmanpreet Singh.

In fact, young India custodian Suraj Karkera produced a superb display under the goalpost and denied Pakistan on multiple occasions to keep his ahead on Friday.

Going by the outcome of recent meetings, India have an edge over Japan having defeated them 5-3 in their last meeting at the Tokyo Olympics.

But records and rankings hardly matter in international hockey as a bad day in office can always spoil all the past hardwork. 

Also Read : Harmanpreet double strike hands India 3-1 win over Pakistan in ACT hockey

News Source : PTI

Dhaka, Dec 17 (Hockey News) Vice-captain Harmanpreet Singh scored a brace as Olympic bronze medallist India defeated arch-rivals Pakistan 3-1 to register their second consecutive win and virtually qualify for the semifinals of the Asian Champions Trophy men's hockey tournament here on Friday.

Harmanpreet (8th, 53rd minutes) converted two penalty corners, while comeback man Akashdeep Singh, who missed a berth in the Tokyo Olympics squad, found the net from a field effort in the 42nd minute for his second of the tournament.

Pakistan's lone goal was scored by Junaid Manzoor in the 45th minute.

It was India's second win in the tournament after their 9-0 drubbing of hosts Bangladesh, while Pakistan are still winless, having drawn goal-less against Japan in their opening match.

India had earlier drawn 2-2 against Korea in their tournament opener.

India are currently leading the points table with seven points from three games and will take on Japan in their last round-robin match of the five-team tournament on Sunday.

Pakistan, meanwhile, have just one point from two games.

India and Pakistan were the joint winners in the last edition of the tournament in Muscat after the final was washed out. 

Also Read : Haryana beat MP 5-1 to enter men's Hockey Nationals' quarterfinal

News Source : PTI

(Tennis news) Alexander Zverev has been a regular in the top ten rankings of the ATP for the past four years. The 24 year old has been winning at least one title since 2016, his breakthrough year was 2017 where he won 5 titles including two Masters 1000 events. In 2018, he kept on winning as he picked up 4 titles and his biggest title which was the Nitto ATP Finals.

Zverev won 6 titles this year, the most by a player on ATP this season. He won two Masters 1000 titles, gold at Tokyo Olympics and also finished with a second title at the year end championships. Zverev also picked up 300th career win this season at Vienna in October and finished with 59 victories, one less than his personal best of 60 wins in 2018.

The right hander is one of the most promising next gen players. He stopped Novak Djokovic in the semifinals at the Tokyo Olympics which denied the Serbian the elusive gold and also defeated Djokovic again at the semifinals of the year end championship. Zverev is a baseliner who has a steady backhand and a powerful serve which is a hard to combat mixture in hard courts. Zverev has won titles in clay and hard courts with only grass remaining in his bucket list.

Zverev reached the semifinals of a Grand Slam for the first time last year at the Australian Open and reached the finals of the US Open. This year he reached the semifinals at Roland Garros and the US Open. He has been struggling in grass courts since beginning, at Wimbledon he has not progressed beyond the fourth round.

Zverev can target the grass courts next year as he has accomplished himself as a top player to beat in clay and hard courts. With his defense and control on court, he can land titles at grass too. Zverev has two runner up finishes at Halle and beat Roger Federer in the semifinals five years back. He will also look to win his first Grand Slam title in the 2022 season as he has been reaching the last four stages continuously over the past two years, the last German to win a Grand Slam in the ATP tour was Michael Stich at WImbledon in 1991.

Zverev will begin his quest at the 2022 Australian Open, he will look to follow Boris Becker as he has won the most Grand Slams for a German player on the ATP tour. Steffi Graff had won 22 Grand Slams which is the most by a German player and Angelique Kerber was the last German to win a Grand Slam in 2018 again at Wimbledon. History has been kind to Germany in grass and it might change Zverev’s fortune next season.

Also read: Four milestones which can be covered by the big three in 2022 season

New Delhi, Dec 17 (Table Tennis News) India's Hansini Mathan Rajan defeated Syria's Hend Zaza, the youngest athlete of this year's Tokyo Olympics, to win the girls singles event at the 2021 ITTF Hopes and Challenge table tennis tournament in Amman.

Playing in the U-12 category, the reigning cadet national champion outplayed Zaza 11-6, 11-8, 6-11, 11-6 in the final played on December 14.

Parth Prabhakar was India's entry in the boys singles event which was won by Iran's Komeil Niknejad Divshali.

Hansini, who has stayed back in Amman for the camp organised by the Asian Table Tennis Union, said the final was her toughest match of the competition.

"I knew my opponent had gone to the Olympics earlier this year but I didn't think about that while playing her. There was no pressure and I just played my game," said the 12-year-old who considers her backhand the strongest aspect of her game.

During the tournament, she was accompanied by her mother and coach Mamta Prabhu, who is also a former India player.

The Chennai-based Hansini had also secured her second ITTF World Youth Series title with a win the U-13 girls category in Muscat in October. She had won her maiden Youth Series title in Tunisia in September She is coached by India great Sharath Kamal's father Shriniwas Rao and uncle Muralidhar Rao.

"Ever since she started playing the game as a seven year old, she has looked up to Sharath Kamal," said her mother Pratibha referring to India's finest ever paddler.

After the camp in Amman, Hansini will be returning to India to play national level events.

Also Read : TT veteran Sharath Kamal undergoes procedure to treat heel issue

News Source : PTI

New Delhi, Dec 15 (Sports News) World Athletics President Sebastian Coe on Wednesday said India must grab the opportunity provided by Neeraj Chopra's historic gold medal in Tokyo Olympics and broaden athletics' footprint in the country by holding more international events.

Terming India's first Olympic gold in athletics "as a hugely important moment", Coe advised the country to use it in raising the profile of the sport.

"Chopra is a very strong element (in India's athletics profile). A one-off performance from an athlete, how important it is, is not that powerful if you don't have a strong federation behind it. And you have that now," Coe said during a virtual interaction with select Asian media.

"(It is) the opportunity to use that performance to broaden the footprints for athletics," he added.

"Regarding the staging of more athletics events, India is forthcoming in wanting to do that. I don't know the current thinking of the Indian government but I genuinely think that one day India will host the Olympics." Coe, a double Olympic gold medallist in 1500m (1980 and 1984), also said that the impact of Chopra's gold will go beyond India and reach many countries of the world.

"To have done the way he did at the biggest global stage, it will have impact not only in India and Asia but also broadly around the world.

"I know only too well that there are Indian communities in all our big urban populations around the world. So that went far and wide and help in engaging communities in US, Britain and large parts of Europe and Africa wanting to be part of our sport too.

"The transmission mechanism, as they would say in economics, was a very powerful one." Javelin thrower Chopra won India's first athletics medal in the Olympics with an effort of 87.85m in Tokyo on August 7. He also became only the second Indian after shooter Abhinav Bindra to win an individual gold in Olympics. 

Also Read : Ashwal Rai, Karthik A and Vinith top picks in the PVL auction

News Source : PTI

Dhaka, Dec 15 (Hockey News) Striker Dilpreet Singh struck a hat-trick as defending champions and Tokyo Olympics bronze medallist India thrashed hosts Bangladesh 9-0 to register their first win in the Asian Champions Trophy men's hockey tournament here on Wednesday.

Dilpreet (12th, 22nd and 45th) scored three field goals for India, while Jarmanpreet Singh (33rd, 43rd) struck a brace from penalty corners situations.

In between Lalit Upadhayay (28th) deflected in a variation from vice-captain Harmanpreet Singh's flick from a penalty corner. Akashdeep Singh (54th) also found the net from a field effort before Mandeep Mor scored his debut goal for the country from a set piece in the 55th minute.

If that was not enough, Harmanpreet also put his name on the score-sheet, perfectly converting India's 13th penalty corner in the 57th minute.

Playing their first tournament with some new players after the historic Tokyo Olympics campaign, the Manpreet Singh-led India had earlier drawn 2-2 against Korea in their tournament opener on Tuesday.

India will next play arch-rivals Pakistan in the round-robin stage here on Friday.

Held to a draw by Korea in their lung-opener, the Indians came out with purpose against lowly Bangladesh and controlled the proceedings in the entire first two quarters.

From the onset, India attacked constantly and in the process secured as many as eight penalty corners but could make use of just one.

Bangladesh played the waiting game and defended well with their goalkeeper Abu Nippon shinning bright in set piece situations.

Bangladesh's stout defending could be gauged from the fact that India secured as many as eight penalty corners in the first 12 minutes but the Olympic bronze-medallists failed to breach the opponent's backline.

Seconds later, Dilpreet finally gave India the lead with a field strike after receiving a pass from skipper Manpreet from outside the circle.

The second quarter continued in the same vein and India doubled their lead courtesy a defensive lapse from Bangladesh.

Bangladesh skipper Ashraful Islam was at fault as his wayward pass inside their own circle resulted in a free hit for India and Sumit Walmiki was quick to spot an unmarked Dilpreet inside the circle. The alert striker beautifully received the ball and slammed it into the far post with a reverse hit.

In the 28th minute, India tripled their lead when Lalit deflected in Harmanpreet's variation from a penalty corner.

India extended their lead minutes after the change of ends when Jarmanpreet scored from a penalty corner.

Jarmanpreet was bang on target from another penalty corner variation in the 43rd minute before Dilpreet scored his third goal of the day two minutes later.

The match was a completely one-sided affair as India mounted attacks after attacks on the Bangladesh goal.

Back into the team after being ignored from the Tokyo Olympics squad, Akashdeep answered his critics with a beautiful reverse hit field strike in the 54th minute.

A minute later, Mandeep scored his first goal for the country and Harmanpreet rounded off the tally for India in the 57th minute by converting a penalty corner. 

Also Read : Korea hold India to 2-2 draw in men's Asian Champions Trophy hockey

News Source : PTI

Mumbai, Dec 14 (Sports News) The Sports Journalists' Federation of India (SJFI) on Tuesday decided to confer the prestigious 'SJFI Medal' to legendary cricketer Sunil Gavaskar.

The body took the decision at its Annual General Meeting (AGM) in Guwahati.

Neeraj Chopra, who won India's lone gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics, was adjudged the SJFI Sportsman of the Year while weightlifter Mirabai Chanu, who won a silver at the quadrennial extravaganza, was voted as the Sportswoman of the Year, according to a media statement.

The Indian men's team that won the hockey bronze in Tokyo - its first hockey medal in 40 years - was declared the Team of the Year.

Sumit Antil and Pramod Bhagat, the stars of India's Paralympics campaign, will share the Para-athlete of the Year in men's category while shooter Avani Lekhra will receive the Para-athlete of the Year woman award.

The AGM also elected A Vinod (Kerala) as the new SJFI President, Prashant Keni (Mumbai) as the Secretary and Vidyut Kalita (Assam) as the Treasurer.

The other Executive Committee members are: Vice Presidents: Devendra Pandey (Mumbai), Vikas Pandey (Indore), Sambit Mohapatra (Odisha) and Saraju Chakraborty (Tripura).

Joint Secretary: Amitabha Das Sharma (Kolkata) EC Members: Amol Karhadkar (Mumbai), C Santhosh Kumar (Tamil Nadu), Suprabhat Debnath (Tripura), Partha Chakraborty (Assam), Sushin Ghosh (Assam), Nilesh Deshpande (Nagpur), Tushar Trivedi (Gujarat). 

Also Read : AICF announces Indian Chess League in June next year

News Source : PTI

Dhaka, Dec 14 (Hockey News) Defending champions and Olympic bronze-medallists India were held to a 2-2 draw by a fighting Korea in their opening match of the Hero Asian Champions Trophy men's hockey tournament here on Tuesday.

Playing their first tournament after the historic Tokyo Olympics campaign, India started brightly and scored in the fourth minute through Lalit Upadhyay before vice-captain Harmanpreet Singh converted a penalty corner in the 18th minute to double their lead.

Trailing 0-2, Korea fought back after the change of ends and scored through Jonghyun Jang in the 41st minute and Sunghyun Kim in the 46th minute to stun the favourites and draw level.

Korea grew in confidence as the match progressed and pressed the Indian defence hard.

The Manpreet Singh-led side also had numerous chances, including penalty corners, but failed to utilise the opportunities as the match ended in a stalemate.

Jaehyeon Kim in front of the Korea goal was the difference between the two sides as he produced numerous brilliant saves to help his side steal a point from the game.

The last encounter between the two sides ended in a 1-1 draw in the last edition of the tournament.

India will next play hosts Bangladesh on Wednesday. 

Also Read : Hockey: New cycle starts as Indian men take on Korea in Asian Champions Trophy

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New Delhi, Dec 13 (Table Tennis News) India's veteran table tennis star A Sharath Kamal has undergone a medical procedure to treat his "severe heel pain".

The 39-year-old Commonwealth Games gold medallist paddler tweeted alongside a picture of him on a hospital bed.

"Was experiencing severe heel pain since 8 months, that got worse in the last 3 months. Good to get treatment post #WorldChampionships now, with preparations starting soon for #CommonwealthGames, and #AsianGames in the coming year!" Sharath tweeted.

"(I) just have some calcium deposit due to wear and tear.. so had to do a small procedure.. need 3 days complete rest," he told PTI.

With multiple medals at top international tournaments, Sharath remains one of the country's finest players in his sport. His prowess was also in full display during his match against the mighty Ma Long in the men's singles round of 32 match at the Tokyo Olympics.

He has nine national titles under his belt, and he made history by winning India's first table tennis gold at the Commonwealth Games, in Melbourne in 2006.

The Asian Games and CWG are slated for next year in Hangzhou, China, and Birmingham respectively. 

Also Read : Payas, Suhana to return home with bronze from the Worlds Youth Table Tennis

News Source : PTI

(Sports news) Ryan Crouser was one of the nominees for the athlete of the year award as he set new benchmarks in the shot put event. The 28 year old has the top three throws in the history of the event and all of them have come this year. He became the third athlete ever and the first one in 30 years to cross the 23 metre mark. Crouser broke the record of fellow American Randy Barnes who threw 23.12m in 1990, Barnes was the second athlete to achieve the 23m mark. Ulf Timmermann was the first to record a throw above 23m as he did it in 1988 and Barnes erased the record two years later.

Crouser has the 7 top throws of this year and all of them are above 22.80m with 4 of them above the 23m mark. He first crossed the 23 mark in may this year with a throw of 23.01m and went on to break the world record with a throw of 23.37m. Crouser surpassed Barnes and Timmermann becoming the first to do so and he did it twice this year. The second best after Crouser is Barnes' record of 23.12m and the huge difference in them puts Crouser in a league of his own.

Crouser won the gold in 2016 Rio Olympics and in this year’s Tokyo Olympics. He set the Olympic record in 2016 and then broke his own record this year. In the past two Olympics, the medallists have been the same as Joe Kovacs and Tom Walsh repeated what they did at Rio at Tokyo this year. Joe Kovacs was expected to break the 23m barrier this year as he had thrown 22.91 two years which was the first instance since 1990 that an athlete had thrown above the 22.90 mark. But this year it was all Ryan Crouser and it has been for the past two years as he now has a huge lead over Joe and Tom.

Joe Kovacs will need to put up a once in a lifetime performance to better Crouser’s record as he is the only one who can do it. Kovacs will be 34 at the Paris Olympics as an Olympic gold is still pending in his career, Crouser will turn 29 on december 18th and can target 23.50 metre in the 2022 season as he can go further away from his competitors. Crouser has carved his name in all time greats with his performances this year, the way he won events and his dominance in the sport proves he is a tough one to crack.

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Dhaka, Dec 13 (Hockey News) Olympic bronze medallist Indian men's hockey team will start its new cycle with a bunch of youngsters aiming to prove their mettle when it begins its Asian Champions Trophy campaign against Korea here on Tuesday.

India have won this prestigious event thrice since its inception in 2011 and have won the previous two editions held in 2016 in Kuantan, Malaysia and 2018 in Muscat, Oman.

India will play their opening match against Korea on December 14, followed by their match against hosts Bangladesh on the next day (December 15).

Their third match will be against arch rivals Pakistan on December 17 and on December 19, they take on Asian Games Champions Japan. The semi-finals and final will be held on December 21 and 22 respectively.

Skipper Manpreet Singh emphasised on getting off to a good start.

"Korea is a good team and are very capable of slowing down our attack. In this same venue during the Asia Cup in 2017, we had drawn (1-1) against them in the league stage. Hence, it's important we don't get complacent against them and ensure our basics are right when we play them tomorrow," he said.

Speaking about the importance of the tournament, Manpreet said, "The tournament is quite an important one for us as it is our first tournament after the Tokyo Olympics. The new cycle has started for us. If we start well, then our confidence levels will go high," he said.

Several youngsters have been given a chance in the India squad for the tournament, and Manpreet went on to explain why doing well for them here will be crucial.

"Youngsters have been given a chance to be a part of the squad because some of them were unable to get a chance over the past two years as the focus was on the core team preparing for the Olympics. The youngsters have been working hard for quite a while, and hence, they have been given a chance to prove themselves," he added.

Speaking on the team's fitness levels before the start of the tournament, the Indian skipper said: "We are in pretty good shape. We focused a lot on our fitness at the recent camp in Bhubaneswar.

"We are looking forward to see how the other Asian teams have shaped up over these past two years. The tournament will be a good test for our squad," he signed off.

In the previous edition of this event held in Muscat, India had jointly lifted the title along with Pakistan as the final was called off due to incessant rains. 

Also Read : Sr National Hockey C'ship: Maharashtra, Jharkhand win

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Ban Chang (Thailand), Dec 12 (Sports News) Senior rower Arvind Singh bagged a gold in the lightweight men's single sculls event while his compatriots won three silver medals as India signed off from the Asian Rowing Championship on a high note here on Sunday. Arvind leapfrogged his opponents with a timing of 7:55.942s.

Arvind, who finished 11th at the Tokyo Olympics along with Arjun Lal Jat in the men's lightweight double sculls, beat his rivals from Uzbekistan, China, Vietnam, Indonesia and Thailand. India drew curtains on the championship with three more silver medals -- in the men's lightweight double sculls, men's quadruple sculls and in men's coxless four events.

Overall, India ended returned from the continental event with two gold and four silver medals.

In lightweight men's double sculls, Ashish Phugat and Sukhjinder Singh won a silver with a timing of 7:12.568s, while in the men's quadruple sculls, Bittu Singh, Jakar Khan, Manjeet Kumar and Sukhmeet Singh finished second in a photo-finish clocking, 6:33:661s, losing the gold by 0.523 seconds.

Jasveer Singh, Punit Kumar, Gurmeet Singh and Charanjeet Singh clinched the other silver with a timing of 6:51.661s in men's coxless fours final.

"Overall, another good performance by India. Congratulations and best wishes to all the rowers, coaches, support staff and backend administrators, who managed the team all these months," secretary general of Rowing Federation of India MV Sriram said in a statement.

"A special mention to Ismail Baig, who consistently, year on year, turns out sterling results for India. 

Also Read : Asian Rowing C'ship: Arjun Lal-Ravi pair wins gold, Parminder Singh bags silver

News Source : PTI

(Sports news) In track and field sports there are many records which have stood for long, but there are a few records which remain unbroken and there is little progression even after decades. Mike Powell’s long jump record still seems impossible now and Yuriy Sedykh’s hammer throw record which is one of the longest standing records in track and field. Yuriy was representing the Soviet Union at that time and competed for 19 years at the international level.

Yuriy Sedykh’s record was set on 30th August, 1986 at Neckarstadion in Germany. He threw the hammer at a distance of 86.74 meters and as of now nobody has crossed 86.50 metres. Yuriv’s name appears 10 times inside the top 20 throws of all time, such was his dominance at the sport. Only one man could come a bit near his record was fellow countryman Sergey Litvinov who is the only other man to throw above 86 metres. Sergey’s gold winning effort of 84.80m at the 1988 Seoul Olympics is still the Olympic record, he also won silver at the 1980 Moscow Olympics.

Yuriy won the gold in 1976 Montreal Olympics and the 1980 Olympics. He and Sergey couldn't compete at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics as the Soviet Union had boycotted the event, in the 1988 Olympics the silver was taken by Yuriv which was his third and final medal. The top 13 thirteen throws in history consist of Yuriv and Sergey, in fact the best throw in the last decade is 83.93m by Pawel Fajdek which is 44th overall according to the official records in https://worldathletics.org/. The last 85 metre plus throw came in 1988 by Yuriv and the last 84 metre plus throw was in 2008 by Ivan Tikhon.

At this year’s Tokyo Olympics, the gold winning effort by Wojciech Nowicki was 82.52m and this year’s best throw is 83.93m by Pawel Fajdek. Fajdek is the only person in the last decade to cross 82 metres when he threw 83.93m in 2015, he won bronze at the Tokyo Olympics.

Yuriv is indeed one of the greatest hammer athletes of all time and his records still stands without any competition is a testimonial to that. He did it in 1986 and now in 2021 athletes are far behind him which does not happen very often in any event. Even 3 decades have gone through but it looks tougher as each year passess through. Yuriv passed away this year on September 14 as he left behind a legacy which will always shine bright and keep inspiring upcoming athletes as it has been doing for the past few generations.

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New Delhi, Dec 11 (Hockey news) Suraj Karkera, who has been picked in India's Asian Champions Trophy hockey tournament squad in place of the rested P R Sreejesh, says it will be hard to fill the seasoned goalkeeper's shoes.

The 26-year-old Karkera last played for India at the Tokyo Olympics test event in 2019.

"I am really excited to get a chance to play for India after a long time. Anytime you get a chance to don the Indian jersey, you feel the goosebumps. I am not nervous at all as we have trained well. I feel confident about myself and my abilities," Karkera said ahead of the event in Dhaka.

Karkera will have big shoes to fill with veteran goalie Sreejesh being rested from the tournament.

"PR Sreejesh has done so much for India for so many years. It is always going to be hard to fill his shoes. But I will try to give my 100 percent whenever I get an opportunity," Karkera said.

"We have been learning from him for so long. He shares his knowledge with all of us during goalpost training and gives us a lot of tips. So, I have a big responsibility," he added.

Apart from vice-captain Harmanpreet Singh and experienced player Varun Kumar, India have also included young players like Jarmanpreet Singh, Dipsan Tirkey, Nilam Sanjeep Xess and Mandeep Mor in the squad.

This will be India's first competition since the Tokyo Olympics. Three-time champions India will begin their campaign in the tournament on December 14 against Korea.

Also Read : ACT will be great platform for fringe players: Hockey captain Manpreet Singh

News Source : PTI

New Delhi, Dec 11 (Cricket news) The ICC is not losing hope of cricket being among "additional sports" to be played at the 2028 Los Angeles Games after the International Olympic Committee (IOC) started the process of identifying the core sports for the grand sporting spectacle.

The IOC on Thursday named 28 sports in the "initial programme" for the 2028 Olympics with skateboarding, surfing and sport climbing finding places in them. Boxing, weightlifting and modern pentathlon were excluded and the respective international federations have been given time until 2023 to meet certain criteria to secure their spot at the 2028 Games.

The list would be put to vote in the IOC Session in Beijing in February next year for approval, which is likely to be a formality.

Host City Los Angeles can also propose additional sports in 2023 to be included in the 2028 Games and the ICC is hoping that cricket is among sports to get the nod of the IOC.

Baseball, softball and a version of American football could be in the running to bid for additional sports in 2028 Olympics. "The process to pick additional sports by the host city starts next year (2023) and we are hoping cricket to be a part of that," an ICC Board member, who is privy to the process, told PTI on conditions of anonymity.

"We know it will be tough (for cricket to be included as an additional sport). There are no guarantees and we are up against some other great sports to try and get a spot in the 2028 LA Games." In August, the ICC had expressed its intention to bid for cricket's inclusion in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, which also had the backing from the world's richest board BCCI.

The ICC has also formed an Olympic Working Group which will work on making the game part of the Olympics starting from 2028.

“Our sport is united behind this bid, and we see the Olympics as a part of cricket’s long-term future. We have more than a billion fans globally and almost 90 percent of them want to see cricket at the Olympics," ICC chairman Greg Barclay had said then.

In 2024, the IOC will decide on the additional sports proposed by the LA Games organisers. Following Tokyo and Paris (2024), Los Angeles Olympics will be third host which will propose additional sports in its programme.

Six new sports -- baseball, softball, karate, skateboarding, sport climbing, and surfing -- featured at the Tokyo Olympics as additional sports. Surfing and break-dancing will be among additional sports in the 2024 Paris Games.

Host cities were allowed to proposed additional sports as part of he IOC's “Agenda 2020” reforms with an aim to help host countries’ most played sports gain exposure via the Olympics.

Till 2016, there was a cap of 28 sports in Olympic programme but it was dropped by the IOC in a 2014 decision. Now, each summer Olympics will be restricted to 10,500 athletes and 310 events.

The IOC has a list of main sports which were almost always present at the Olympics.

Also Read : Cricket, 3 other Olympic sports excluded from provisional list of 2028 Los Angeles Games

News Source : PTI

Tashkent, Dec 10 (Sports news) India's teenage weightlifting sensation Jeremy Lalrinnunga could not breach his personal best mark but the effort of 305kg was enough to win the gold medal in the men's 67kg category even as Achinta Sheuli became the 73kg champion at the Commonwealth Championships, here on Friday.

Lalrinnunga, the 2018 Youth Olympics gold medallist, finished with a best effort of 305kg (141kg+164kg) in the men's 67kg event. His personal best stands at 306kg (140kg+166kg) which came in 2019.

Meanwhile, Sheuli claimed the top place on the podium with an effort of 316kg (143 + 173) in the 73kg category. He had won a silver in Junior World Championships in May.

The 19-year-old Lalrinnunga also created a national record in the snatch event enroute his podium finish but was unable to do the same in the clean and jerk section where he failed to lift 168kg.

In the World Championships which are being held simultaneously with the Commonwealth Championship, the Mizo teenager was placed fourth in snatch and seventh overall.

Jeremy had suffered a knee injury in April during the Asian Championships here.

He had finished fourth at the Junior World Championship in May but was unable to make the cut for the Tokyo Olympics.

The Commonwealth Weightlifting Championships also serve as qualifying event of the 2022 Commonwealth Gamez in Birmingham.

The gold medalists in each weight category in the Commonwealth Weightlifting Championships directly qualify for the 2022 CWG and the rest will qualify through Commonwealth rankings.

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New Delhi, Dec 10 (Badminton news) Three-time champion shuttler Carolina Marin's much-awaited return to competitive action got further delayed as she pulled out of the World Championship after failing to regain fitness following a knee injury.

The Rio Olympics gold medallist had withdrawn from the All England Championships this year after suffering the injury during the Swiss Open.

The 28-year-old had announced her plans of making a comeback at the home World Championships beginning in Huelva, Spain.

"I was having a really good season start, I had won four tournaments out of five. I was feeing very confident, strong and in a really good physical and psychological condition until just one bad movement broke my knee completely," Marin said in a video posted in her twitter handle.

"Mentally it has been really hard to keep myself up, my priorities have been always health and well being. Therefore my team and myself have decided not to play the Huelva World Championship." Marin, considered as one of the most dominating players in international badminton, said she might be back in February next year but wouldn't want to put a date on her return.

"We have also taken the decision of not having a formal date of comeback to competitions until we are 100 sure my knee is fully recovered.

"So we will be evaluating slowly knee progress and the sensations. I am daily having it, so we believe I might be officially playing again in the month of February and March." Marin, who had missed the Tokyo Olympics, had sustained a knee injury in the Indonesia Masters final in January 2019 and had missed the World Championships that year even as India's P V Sindhu claimed her maiden title. The Spaniard had returned at Vietnam Open in September, 2019 and went on to win the China Open, Syed Modi tournament and a runners-up finish at the French Open that year.

After a second-best finish at Indonesia Masters, Spain Masters and Denmark Open in 2020, Marin returned to claim back-to-back titles at Thailand and a final finish at the season-ending World Tour Finals in Bangkok.

She also won the Swiss Open, beating Sindhu in the finals, besides claiming the European Championships in April.

Marin's withdrawal means the list of top players pulling out of the tournament just got longer as two-time gold medallist male shuttler Kento Momota of Japan had also withdrawn after suffering a back injury at the World Tour Finals in Bali, Indonesia.

In women's singles, 2017 World Championships gold medallist Nozomi Okuhara has also withdrawn, while the Indonesian contingent also decided to skip the event due to concerns over the new COVID-19 variant spreading in European nations.

Also Read : Mulyo Handoyo, Tan Kim Her set to return as India's badminton coaches

News Source : PTI

(Sports news) The 400 metres hurdles this year was one of the most record breaking events. In the women’s 400 metre hurdles, the two year old record was broken four times this year by three athletes. Sydney McLaughlin was the first one to break it and went on to do it again as Dalilah Muhammad also broke it once alongside Femke Bol.

The women’s 400 metre hurdles record was previously held by Dalilah Muhammad who broke a 16 year old record by Yuliya Pechonkina, in the same year McLaughlin came close to Dalilah who then went on to further reduce her timing once again. Sydney and Dalilah are the only women to run the event in under 52 seconds as Sydney is the only one to do it twice. Pechonkina set the record of 52.34 in 2003 and it has been surpassed seven times as of now with Sydney and Dalilah doing it thrice each and Femke doing it once.

Sydney set the tune this year by running 51.90 secs in June at Eugene as she became the first woman to run the event under 52 seconds. She broke the record of Dalilah who ran 52.16 in 2019 as the two athletes were having a go at each other this year. At the Tokyo Olympics, Sydney again proved to be unstoppable as she broke the world record by running a 51.46 as she edged Dalilah who was timed at 51.58 and bronze medallist Femke had a timing of 52.03 to complete the fastest race of all time. The three medalists produced the top three fastest timings in the history of the event.

Dalilah is the oldest of the three as she is 31 years old and has been competing for the past 8 years. One of the best runners the event has ever produced, Dalilah was too quick against her younger competitors as Sydney is 22 and Femke is 21. It will be a tough competition especially with Sydney and Femke as they are almost of the same age.

In the men’s 400 metre hurdles this year, three athletes broke a 29 year record as Karsten Warholm did it twice within two months. Kevin Young’s world record had been standing since 1992 as he was the first one to run the event under 47 seconds; he had run in 46.78 seconds at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics. Since then only four athletes have run under 47 seconds. This year, three athletes had run under 47 seconds and the 47 sec barrier was broken five times which was the most as it was broken once in 2018, 2020 and twice in 2019.

Karsten Warholm was the first one to break Kevin Young’s record as he ran in 46.70 at Oslo in July. At the Tokyo Olympics, history was again created as the medallists ran faster than Kevin’s timing to record the fastest race ever at the event. Karsten went on to become the first man to run the event under 46 seconds with a timing of 45.94 secs, Rai Benjamin was clocked at 46.17 and Alison dos Santos ran in 46.72.

The men’s event will be even more competitive next year as the top three athletes are in their early twenties. Santos is the youngest as he is 21 years old, Benjamin is 24 and current world record holder Warholm is 25. Karsten is the only one to run under 46 seconds and in total has run under 47 seconds a record four times. Benjamin has run three races in which he went under 47 seconds. Santos can maybe give tough competition to Warholm or even beat the Norwegian’s record at the event. Next year, the 400 metres hurdles will be the most closely fought track event as the men’s and women’s fields are filled with potential.

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New Delhi, Dec 10 (Badminton news) Indonesia's Mulyo Handoyo and Malaysia's Tan Kim Her are set to return as India's singles and doubles badminton coaches with the national federation hoping to finalise their appointments by the end of this month.

Tough taskmaster Mulyo, who has coached Athens Olympic gold medallist Taufik Hidayat, had a brief stint in India and is credited for the success of men's singles players like Kidambi Srikanth, B Sai Praneeth and HS Prannoy in 2017.

Tan Kim Her, on the other hand, is the man responsible for forging India's best doubles pair of Chirag Shetty and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy, who under his guidance won the Commonwealth Games silver, played a vital role in the team gold in 2018 and also broke into world's top 20.

"Mulyo and Tan Kim Her are among the few top names who applied for the posts after we advertised for it and BAI (Badminton Association of India) wants to avail their services as they have prior experience of working with our Indian players," BAI secretary Ajay Singhania told PTI.

BAI had advertised for the coaches' posts on November 18 after men's singles coach Agus Dwi Santoso departed last month, few weeks before the completion of his contract.

"Mulyo and Tan have been in the Indian set up so we are favouring them and we are hoping to get their services from the India Open in January. Of course, it is yet to be finalised as we are still discussing the details," Singhania said.

Under Mulyo, Indian male shuttlers secured an unprecedented five Super Series titles in 2017, which included four titles by Srikanth and one by Praneeth.

"The contracts of all the coaches expire in December end, so we will have to seal the appointments by this month. Our chief coach Pullela Gopichand is discussing with the coaches on various issues such as salaries, accommodation etc.." In his last stint, Mulyo didn't complete his contract and quit in December, 2017 to join the Singapore team, while Tan Kim Her, who had a contract till the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, resigned in 2019 and went on to coach the Japan national team.

With Tokyo Olympics in mind, BAI had roped in London Olympics silver-medallist and former world No.1 Mathias Boe for the Indian pair of Satwik and Chirag, who won two of the three matches in their group at the Japanese capital.

Boe's contract was till the Olympics but the Denmark great had said that he wanted to continue coaching the doubles players and had sent a detailed proposal to BAI.

Asked why he was not considered, Singhania said: "Boe is a good coach but he couldn't commit to a full time role, he wanted it more like a temporary basis which is something that couldn't be worked out." India's next assignment is the World Championships scheduled to begin on Sunday in Huelva, Spain.

While defending champion P V Sindhu's coach Park Tae Sang is already in Spain, Indian coaches Siyadatullah and Arun Vishnu (doubles) left for Spain on Thursday and will be sharing the responsibility of the competing players.

Also Read : Krishna Khaitan memorial badminton tournament to be held in January

News Source : PTI

Bhubaneswar, Dec 10 (Hockey news) The upcoming Asian Champions Trophy in Dhaka will be a perfect platform for the fringe players to showcase their talent and stake a claim in the first team, said Indian men's hockey team captain Manpreet Singh.

The tournament, originally scheduled to be held last year, has been postponed multiple times due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and will now be played from December 14 to 22.

This will be India's first outing after the team's historic Olympics bronze medal winning campaign earlier this year. The Manpreet Singh-led side will be without eight players from the Tokyo Games squad, including the likes of veteran goalkeeper PR Sreejesh who has been rested, "With nearly 10 players who were part of the Tokyo Olympic squad being rested, this is a fantastic opportunity for the players who had been waiting on the sidelines to get a chance to perform in a major international tournament. This will be a good platform for them to showcase their talent and temperament," said Manpeet before leaving for Dhaka on Friday.

Defending champions India would begin their campaign on the opening day against Korea before locking horns against Japan, Malaysia, Pakistan and hosts Bangladesh in the single-pool tournament for top honours.

"This is our first outing after the Tokyo Olympics so naturally there is a lot of excitement among the players. We have had a good training camp in Bhubaneswar and I feel since the weather here is quite similar to that of Dhaka, we won't take long to acclimatise," the skipper said.

"It will be a good tournament not just in terms of competition but also to understand about other team's capabilities. We assess the progress of other Asian countries ahead of the all-important Asian Games and Asia Cup next year,' the ace mid-fielder added.

After Korea, India will play Bangladesh on December 15, followed by matches against arch-rivals Pakistan on December 17, Malaysia on December 18 and Japan on December 19.

The top-four teams from the pool stages will progress to the semi-finals to be played on December 21 followed by the title clash on December 22.

In the previous edition of the event held in Muscat in 2018, India had jointly lifted the title along with Pakistan as the final was called off due to incessant rains.

Also Read : Indian women's hockey team's ACT campaign ends due to COVID case in squad

News Source ; PTI

New Delhi, Dec 9 (Boxing news) Six-time world champion M C Mary Kom and Asian Games gold-medallist Amit Panghal are among the top names missing from the list of boxers finalised for the 13-day national camps for men and women that will get underway at separate locations from December 11.

In fact, none of the five male boxers who competed in the Tokyo Olympics, including Manish Kaushik, Ashish Chaudhary, Vikas Krishan and Satish Kumar, have made the list of 52 men who will train from December 11 to 24 at Patiala's National Institute of Sports (NIS). Of these, Vikas is currently nursing a shoulder injury, which required surgery.

The women's camp will be held at the Sports Authority of India (SAI) Centre in Rohtak on the exact same dates.

"It's because they did not compete in the national championships. It was pre-decided that this camp will only be for national medal winners and the ones who were picked after a trial at the end of Nationals," a top federation source told PTI on conditions of anonymity.

"It does not apply to camps that will be held later and nobody should get too concerned about missing out here. All those who are not there right now will have a chance to be back in the camps that will be held later," he added.

When contacted, Mary Kom did not dwell on the subject and said, "I am just training at home right now. I will get down to rigorous training with my team in mid January and prepare for the world championships." The 38-year-old Manipuri, who is a former Olympic bronze-medallist, is also a serving Rajya Sabha MP. She is aiming to compete in the world championships and the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham next year.

The women's world championship, to be held in Istanbul, was pushed from December this year to March by the International Boxing Association (AIBA) because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The event is set to be further delayed to May next year.

The national women's camp will feature 49 boxers, including the likes of Tokyo Olympics bronze-medallist Lovlina Borgohain (70kg), former junior world champion Nikhat Zareen (52kg), and Asian champion Pooja Rani (81kg) among others.

Borgohain did not compete in the nationals either but in her case, the federation had decided to make an exception due to her medal-winning performance in Tokyo.

"The list is as per the last executive committee meeting decision in which Lovlina was the only one given an exemption," the source said.

Also there is Arundhati Chaudhary, the 19-year-old youth word champion who kicked up quite a storm when she challenged Borgohain's automatic selection for the world championship in the Delhi High Court. The federation ultimately agreed for a trial after the mega-event was postponed.

Her national gold has secured her a place in the camp and she would be trying to make an impression.

In the men's camp, five-time Asian medallist Shiva Thapa (63.5kg), Asian silver-medallist Deepak Kumar (51kg) and former world championship quarterfinalist Kavinder Bisht (57kg) are among the prominent names in the list of campers.

The two camps will be conducted by new head coaches for both men and women. While Narender Rana will be in charge for men, Bhaskar Bhatt will be heading the women's camp.

Men's High Performance Director awaits extension =============================== Men's High Performance Director Santiago Nieva is awaiting a longer extension to his contract that ended with the October-November world championships in Serbia.

It is reliably learnt that the Swede is likely to be retained despite coming under pressure after an underwhelming Olympic campaign during which none of the male boxers could make the medal rounds.

At the recent world event, India claimed one medal, a bronze through debutant Akash Kumar in the 54kg category.

Also Read : Turkey boxing championship postponed, fresh trials to be held: BFI to HC

News Source : PTI

New Delhi, Dec 8 (Sports news) India's sporting stars joined the country in mourning the tragic demise of Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat and 12 others on Wednesday, describing it as a sad day for the nation.

The 63-year-old Gen Rawat, his wife Madhulika and 11 other armed forces personnel died on Wednesday after the military helicopter they were travelling in crashed near Coonoor in Tamil Nadu, the Indian Air Force said.

"Deeply saddened by the untimely demise of CDS Bipin Rawat ji and other officials in a tragic helicopter crash. My deepest condolences to the friends & family members," tweeted India Test cricket captain Virat Kohli.

Offering his condolences, Sachin Tendulkar wrote: "Gen Bipin Rawat's pride and utmost commitment for India was palpable. It's a sad day for India and our defence forces.

"Prayers for the departed souls of Gen Rawat, Mrst rawat and all the defence forces personnel who were in this unfortunate incident." The lone survivor, Group Captain Varun Singh, is currently under treatment at a military hospital in Wellington.

"Praying for the speedy recovery of Gp Capt Varun Singh," Tendulkar wrote.

Tokyo Olympics silver medallist weightlifter Saikhom Mirabai Chanu and London Olympics bronze winner shuttler Saina Nehwal also took to the micoblogging site to offer their prayers.

"Extremely tragic news about the helicopter crash near Conoor. RIP," tweeted Mirabai.

Saina wrote: "Very sad to hear about the news …RIP #bipinrawat sir." Athletics Federation of India shared a two year old photograph of Rawat, which was taken during his participation at the One-mile run event.

"We have lost a great lover and supporter of sport... Rest in Peace Chief," AFI tweeted.

"Such a tragic loss!" wrote AFI president Adille Sumariwalla.

Former India cricketers such as Yuvraj Singh, Virender Sehwag, VVS Laxman and others too paid their condolences, calling his passing away as "tragic".

"Deeply saddened by the tragic and untimely demise of Chief of Defence Staff Gen. Bipin Rawat, his wife Mrs. Madhulika Rawat and 11 other personnel of our armed forces. My deepest condolences to their families and well-wishers," Yuvraj tweeted.

Former opener Virender Sehwag tweeted, "Extremely pained to hear about the passing away of Shri #BipinRawat , his wife Madhulika Rawat and 11 army personnel in the tragic helicopter crash. Gratitude for his wonderful service to the nation." India pacer Mohammed Shami wrote: "Very sad news & Deeply saddened to hear about the BipinRawat and his wife in a helicopter crash. The nation will always be grateful to Sir Bipin Rawat & his wife Madhulika Rawat & 11 more soldiers. Rest in Peace." Former Test batsman VVS Laxman too was left saddened by the tragic loss of Rawat.

"Deeply saddened to hear about the demise of Sh. #BipinRawat and his wife in a tragic helicopter crash. The nation will always be grateful to Gen. Rawat for his service to the nation." Former seamer Venkatesh Prasad described Rawat as someone who felt like a family to him.

"There are some men who feel like ones from our family. Our security forces feel like family and feel extremely pained to hear about the demise of CDS #BipinRawat and his wife in the tragic helicopter crash. May Parmatma give Sadgati to the bravehearts who lost their lives." Legendary sprinter PT Usha also was left deeply anguished by the news of his tragic demise.

"Deeply anguished by the sudden demise of Gen. Bipin Rawat, CDS, Mrs. Rawat, and the 11 others on board the chopper. My prayers for the departed souls, and deepest condolences to the families."

Also Read : India win 41 medals at Asian Youth Para Games

News Source : PTI

(Sports news) It has been 4 years since Usain Bolt announced his retirement from the sport. Having set the world records in the 100m and 200m category in 2009, Bolt’s record remains intact more than a decade later.  He set the Olympic record for the 100m in 2012 at London and set the 200m record even back further in 2008. Bolt has set a high benchmark for the present day athletes who have been struggling to match his level of speed and consistency. His record of 9.58 secs and 19.19 secs in 200m has been one of the most incredible records in the field of sprinting. Since then, nobody including Bolt has gone under 9.60 secs in the 100m and under 19.25 secs in 200m.

The sprinting world has been affected by doping many times since the testing was made compulsory. Christian Coleman has run the fastest time in the last five years, he ran 9.76 secs in 2019 but his doping ban ended a month back this year which caused him to miss the Tokyo Olympics. This year ,Trayvon Bromell ran the 6th fastest time in history when he equalled Coleman’s timing in september.

The current Olympic champion in the 100m category, Lamont Marcell Jacobs ran a time of 9.80 seconds which is far away from Bolt's record of 9.63 secs. Andre De Grasse, the 200m champion this year at Tokyo had a timing of 19.62 secs at the finish line as compared to Bolt who ran 19.30 at Beijing Olympics in 2008. Bolt’s 200m looks even more difficult to beat than his 100m record as no athlete has run under 19.50 secs other than Yohan Blake’s 19.26 run in 2011. Michael Johnson’s record of 19.32 secs at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics was the first time an athlete had run under 19.50 secs.

This year the fastest time in 200m has been by Noah Lyles, he ran in 19.52 seconds in August and the second fastest was by De Grasse at Tokyo Olympics. Lyles clocked 19.50 seconds in 2019 which has been the fastest in the last five years, also with Bolt’s departure, no athlete has been able to dominate both the events like he did. De Grasse won the gold in 200m and bronze in 100m in Tokyo, Fred Kerley has also been a fierce competitor in both the events with sub 10 and sub 20 timings this year. The 2022 season will be eagerly waiting to break records or come closer to breaking existing records.

Also read: Australia joins the USA in diplomatic boycott of 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing

(Tennis news) The WTA named winners of the five categories for the 2021 season. Barbora Krejcikova won two awards for her outstanding season as the 25 year old ended the year with Grand Slam titles in singles, doubles and mixed doubles. Carla Suárez Navarro also bid farewell to the sport as she played her 18th and final season on tour.

WTA Player of the Year: World No.1 Ashleigh Barty won the award for the second time as she had won in 2019. This season she had a tour leading five WTA titles. She reached the quarterfinals at the Australian Open, won her second Grand Slam title at Wimbledon and reached the fourth round at the US Open. Barty also won 42 matches while losing only 8 and continued her third consecutive year at the top of the rankings.

WTA Newcomer of the Year: Emma Raducanu undoubtedly won the Newcomer of the Year after making history at the US Open where she became the first qualifier to win a Grand Slam. Raducanu won all 10 of her matches without dropping a set. She played her first Grand Slam main draw at Wimbledon this season and went on to reach the fourth round as she became the youngest British woman to achieve this feat. Raducanu is currently the world number 19 after climbing over 350 places in a period of six months.

WTA Doubles Team of the Year: The pair of 25 year olds, Barbora Krejcikova and Katerina Siniakova won the Award for the second time, as they took the title previously in 2018. In 2021, the Czech duo won the French Open to win their third Grand Slam together, they also won the doubles gold at the Tokyo Olympics 2020 and had a perfect end to the season by winning the Doubles Trophy at the Akron WTA Finals Guadalajara. They also finished the season as the no 1 ranked doubles team.

WTA Most Improved Player of the Year: Barbora Krejcikova won her second WTA award in 2021 as she earned the WTA Most Improved Player of the Year award. She won her first Grand Slam title in singles at the French Open while also winning the doubles title, Krejcikova also won her first mixed doubles title at the Australian Open with Rajeev Ram. She was ranked 65 at the start of 2021, in November she achieved her career best of rank 3 and is currently ranked no 5. She also became the first player since Karolina Pliskova in 2016 to qualify for the singles and doubles at the year end event.

WTA Comeback Player of the Year: Carla Suárez Navarro’s farewell season was supposed to be last year but the pandemic made her rethink her decision. She had been down with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma in September 2020 but overcame cancer and decided to end her career this year. The Spaniard is a 7 time quarterfinalist at the Grand Slams. She ended her career with over 500 wins and was the world no 6 five years ago which remains her career best ranking. 

Also read: Fabio Fognini and Benoit Paire looking to end title drought next season

Chula Vista (US), Dec 8 (Sports news) The Tokyo Olympics triumph is done and dusted for star Indian javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra, who now looks ahead for success in the coming years as he arrived here for his off-season training.

Chopra will train at the world class facility here for 90 days along with coach Klaus Bartoneitz after the Sports Authority of India cleared a proposal in quick time on Friday last.

"It's time to put the past to rest and focus on the future. Have arrived for my off-season training and look forward to restarting the process of getting better," Chopra tweeted.

The proposal, moved by the Athletics Federation of India (AFI), was approved inside four hours to ensure that Chopra can fly out on Sunday.

The cost approved to train at the prestigious Chula Vista Elite Athlete Training Centre under the Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS) will be Rs 38 lakh.

"Immensely grateful to DG sir, @Media_SAI, the TOPS and @afiindia teams and everyone involved in making this happen," wrote Chopra who sent the javelin to 87.85m in Tokyo on August 7 to clinch India's maiden Olympic gold in athletics.

Under the earlier plan, Chopra was to proceed to Potchefstroom, where he had trained earlier in 2019-2020, but it was scrapped due to the new COVID-19 strain in South Africa.

Given the uncertainty across the world, SAI decided not to wait for the Mission Olympic Cell meeting to approve the proposal.

Chopra has thus started his preparation for the 2022 World Athletics Championships, Commonwealth Games in Birmingham and Asian Games in China.

After winning the historic gold in Tokyo, Chopra had expressed his desire to win a medal in the World Athletics Championships to be held in Eugene (USA) from July 15 to 24. He is the reigning Commonwealth Games and Asian Games champion. The state-of-the-art centre at Chula Vista, spread over 155 acres, is one of the world's finest training and competition venues.

Also Read : Asia Youth Para Games: Indian para shuttlers win 16 medals; Palak, Sanjana, Hardik clinch three each

News Source : PTI

(Sports news) Christine Mboma and Athing Mu are both teenagers who have been one of the fastest women in their respective events. Athing Mu is 19 years old, she is the current Olympic champion in the 800m and a part of the 4x400m relay team. She has the 8th fastest time of all time in the 800m, her timing was 1:55:04 secs in August this year. She also has the two of the fastest timings this year at the event and also holds the second fastest time ever in the U20 women’s 800m.

Athing Mu created history for the US when she won the gold in the 800m event as she became the first US athlete in 53 years to win the women’s 800m event, the last time it happened was in 1968 Mexico Olympics when Madeline Manning won the gold. Athing Mu was leading from the start in the race, she completed the first lap in 57.82 but was still in close pursuit . In the last 300 meters there was a change in gear as Mu picked up her speed and began slowly increasing the gap between the rest of them, in the last 50 meters it became sure she would win the medal as another 19 year old Keely Hodgkinson of Britain would take the silver medal.

Athing has been one of the most promising athletes this year and without much exposure she made it big at her first Olympics. The world record for the women’s 800m event is 1:53:28 by Jarmila Kratochvílová in 1983 and she was 32 years old when set the record. Athing clearly showed her speed on the biggest platform this year and has a major opportunity to break a 38 year record. She won the female rising athlete of the year award edging out Mboma, Keely Hodgkinson, 3000m steeplechase runner Zerfe Wondimagegn and hammer thrower Silja Kosonen.

Christine Mboma is an 18 year old athlete from Namibia. She was one of the two teen finalists in the women’s 200m final at the Tokyo Olympics, Mboma won the silver medal behind Elaine Thompson. Mboma was running in lane 5 right next to Shelly Ann Fraser Pryce in lane 4, Mboma was placed fourth in the last 70 meters of the race and overtook Fraser Pryce a few meters before the finish line. Mboma beat bronze medalist Gabby Thomas by six hundredth of a second as her timing of 21.81 secs thanks to a final nitro boost which got her the second position.

Mboma ran 21.78 secs a month later at Zurich which is the third fastest time this year and 19th fastest of all time. She is the current under 20 world record holder in 200m and 400m with a timing of 49.22 secs which is also the third fastest this year. She wasn’t allowed to compete in the 400m event at the Tokyo Olympics as the World Athletics (WA) does not allow female athletes to compete in the event who have blood testosterone levels above 5 nmol/L. Many athletes have been affected by this rule as some are born with this condition.

Athing Mu and Mboma have been the top runners at their respective events, they still have 2 more years for the Paris Olympics. They will have the world record in sight but will be much more focused to have a injury free run next season, they will also need adequate support from the respective federations from their country. They will be one of the athletes to watch out for in the 200m and 800m as the new generation are slowly catching up on the older ones.

Also read: My family, friends and coaches have been the backbone behind all my victories - Indian Taekwondo athlete Margerette Maria Regi

Bali, Dec 4 (Badminton news) Indian badminton ace P V Sindhu entered the summit clash of BWF World Tour Finals with a hard-fought win over Akane Yamaguchi of Japan in the semifinals here on Saturday.

Sindhu, the reigning world champion and two-time Olympic medallist, beat Yamaguchi 21-15 15-21 21-19 in a thrilling match that lasted one hour 10 minutes.

She will face Korea's An Seyoung, who beat Pornpawee Chochuwong of Thailand 25-23 21-17 in the other semifinal, in the summit clash on Sunday.

It will be Sindhu's third final appearance in the season-ending tournament. She had won the title in 2018 to become the only Indian to achieve the feat.

The world number 7 Indian had come into the match with an overall head-to-head win-loss record of 12-8 against the world number three Japanese.

Sindhu has been in fine form after picking up a bronze in the Tokyo Olympics. She had reached the semifinals in her last three events -- French Open, Indonesia Masters and Indonesia Open -- before coming into the BWF World Tour Finals.

She had finished runner-up in the Swiss Open in March.

But it won't be easy for Sindhu in the final against Seyoung who had come into the season-ending tournament with back-to-back titles in the Indonesia Masters and Indonesia Open.

The world number six Seyoung had also beaten Sindhu in the quarterfinals of the Denmark Open in October.

Against Yamaguchi, Sindhu trailed 0-4 in the first game but quickly came to level terms at 4-4 and then 9-9. The duo were neck and neck but Sindhu zoomed ahead from 15-14 to reach 18-15. She then took three straight points to pocket the first game.

The second game was also a tight contest as the two players were levelled at 10-10 before Yamaguchi shifted the gear to pocket it without much fuss.

In the deciding game, Sindhu and Yamaguchi were tied at 5-5 before the Indian reeled off seven straight points. The Japanese made a sort of comeback by narrowing down the gap to 11-13 but Sindhu cruised to 17-12.

Yamaguchi was not the one to throw the towel without a fight and took the scoreline to 19-19. But Sindhu saved the best for the last as she won two consecutive points to win the third game and pocket the match.

Young Indian shuttler Lakshya Sen will face reigning Olympic champion and world number one Viktor Axelsen of Denmark in the men's singles semifinals later in the day.

Also Read : Axelsen, Tzu Ying named BWF Male and Female Player of the Year

News Source : PTI

Donghae (Korea), Dec 4 (Hockey news) The Indian women's hockey team would look to begin its Asian Champions Trophy campaign on a winning note when it takes on Thailand here on Sunday.

The tournament marks the team's first outing after missing a bronze medal by a whisker in the Tokyo Olympics.

India had won the ACT title in 2016 before finishing runners-up to tournament hosts Korea in the same city in the 2018 edition.

Captain and goalkeeper Savita said her team is geared up for the challenge.

"The team's focus right now is to make a good start. This is our first international outing after the Olympics and playing the first match will always create some butterflies in the stomach," Savita said ahead of the opening match.

China, Korea, Japan and Malaysia are the other teams in the single-pool competition.

Talking about the other opponents, Savita said, "We are looking forward to a tough challenge from hosts Korea and surely we cannot under estimate China or Japan who are Asian Games Gold medalists.

"After arriving here, we went through some good practice sessions on the pitch here to get acclimatized. It is a beautiful facility and we are not new to the conditions in this pitch. Weather is quite cold and getting used to this could be a bit of a challenge initially," she said.

Savita also highlighted the importance of this tournament ahead of a busy schedule next year when they will defend the Asia Cup and also vie for the top spot in the Asian Games to ensure they book a berth for the Paris Olympics.

India play Malaysia in their second match on December 6 before facing hosts and defending champions Korea two days later. They play China on December 9 and Japan on December 11.

The final will take place on December 12 between the top two teams in the pool.

Also Read : Indian women's hockey team leaves for Korea to take part in Asian Champions Trophy

News Source : PTI

Bhubaneswar, Dec 4 (Hockey news) Hopes of title defence shattered, a demoralised India would look to put behind the disappointment quickly and get their acts together as they seek revenge against France in the bronze medal play-off match of the FIH Junior Men's Hockey World Cup here on Sunday.

Defending champions India's quest for a second consecutive Junior World Cup title ended after they suffered a 2-4 defeat at the hands of six-time winners Germany in the semifinal on Friday.

Germany will meet Argentina in the summit clash, while the Indians will get an opportunity to avenge their 4-5 loss to France in their tournament opener.

But to finish on the podium, the Indian juniors will have to lift their game by leaps and bounds, and make amends of their sloppy show against Germany.

The Indians, who last won the Junior World Cup title in Lucknow in 2016, looked a pale shadow of themselves against Germany.

Consistency is something that has been missing from India's game since the start. The hosts didn't play flawless hockey in any match of the tournament so far.

And, that is something which would be bother chief coach Graham Reid, who is in charge of the junior team in this tournament after having guided the senior side to a historic bronze medal at the Tokyo Olympics.

Against Belgium in the quarterfinals, the Indian defence was extraordinary but the same backline was caught napping by the Germans on Friday.

The likes of Yashdeep Siwach, vice-captain Sanjay Kumar, Shardanand Tiwari and Abhishek Lakra failed to control Germany's press and the would be looking for a much-better outing on Sunday to at least clinch a consolation third place finish.

Reid had no qualms in admitting that his wards lacked in every department of the game against Germany. "Germany showed what we need to be doing as far as defending is concerned. They were in front, they tackled the ball well, they tackled in groups. If you have to win at the world stage at this level, basics has to be flawless," he said after the match on Friday night.

"We created opportunities but they weren't quality ones. We have to come out on Sunday and avenged that first game we played against France." Against against Germany, there was no cohesion between the midfield and forwardline with only Uttam Singh showing his brilliance in patches.

With four quality penalty corner specialists in the side in Sanjay, Araijeet Singh Hundal, Tiwai and Lakra, India's weapon is set pieces but they secured just one against Germany which Sanjay couldn't utilise.

The Indian players looked to be short of ideas when the ball was in their possession.

Instead of trying to earn penalty corners, the Indians were guilty of holding on to the ball too long and dribbling too much inside the opponent's circle.

The coach said decision making from the Indian players has to be spot on against France if they desire to finish on the podium.

"Smart players decide at that time and make better decisions. Our decision making wasn't good as it should have been (against Germany). It was visible in all ends of the pitch.

"Our decision wasn't up to scratch at the midfield as well. At the end of the day that's what gives you outcomes the ability to make good decisions inside the circle," Reid said.

With forecast of heavy showers and high winds on Sunday due to the landfall of cyclone Jawad near Puri, which is just around 65 km from here, pitch conditions are expected to be tough on the final day of the showpiece junior event.

Also Read : Germany dash defending champions India's hopes in Jr Hockey WC

News Source : PTI

New Delhi, Dec 3 (Sports news) The Sports Authority of India (SAI) on Friday approved an urgent proposal to enable Tokyo Olympics gold medallist Neeraj Chopra to travel to the US for a 90-day off-season training ahead of a busy 2022 season.

The proposal, moved by the Athletics Federation of India (AFI), was approved inside four hours to ensure the javelin thrower can fly out on Sunday, SAI said in a press release.

The cost approved to train at the prestigious Chula Vista Elite Athlete Training Centre under the Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS) will be Rs. 38 lakh.

The proposal was moved after the plan to base the javelin throwers in Potchefstroom was scrapped due to the new COVID-19 strain in South Africa.

Given the uncertainty across the world, SAI decided to not wait for the Mission Olympic Cell meeting to approve the proposal.

The nodal sports body will seek ratification of the decision from the next meeting of the MOC since the approval was granted to make sure that Chopra can leave India on Sunday.

Chopra will thus start his preparation for the 2022 World Athletics Championships, Commonwealth Games and Asian Games at the training centre in Chula Vista, San Diego.

The state-of-the-art centre, spread over 155 acres, is one of the world's finest training and competition venues.

The proposal for the camp is from December 5 to March 4 next.

Coach Klaus Bartonietz will travel to the US with Chopra, who created history by becoming the country's first medallist in Olympic track and field events when he claimed gold in javelin throw.

Also Read : 3,000 year-old Olympic truce declaration to be used to promote peace and unity amongst different nations

News Source : PTI

New Delhi, Dec 3 (Badminton news) Olympic champion Viktor Axelsen and Tokyo Games silver medallist Tai Tzu Ying were named the BWF Male and Female Player of the Year respectively in recognition of their stellar runs this season.

It was the first season-ending award in this category for both Axelsen and Tai Tzu Ying -- the All England champions of 2020.

All eight winners were honoured in a virtual broadcast on Friday.

Axelsen was rewarded for his extraordinary run starting from the Barcelona Spain Masters in February 2020.

The Dane made 10 finals in 11 individual tournaments, winning seven of those, including gold at the Tokyo Games.

"This means a lot to me," said Axelsen in a release.

"Thank you to my team, my coaches, my friends, my family, my competitors. This year has been really eventful. A few downs, but a lot of ups, with the Olympics being the biggest win, a dream coming true. This award gives me a lot of motivation to work harder." Tai Tzu Ying won the All England 2020 and then struck a rich vein of form at the three-tournament Asian Leg in January 2021, making all three finals, and clinching the BWF World Tour Finals 2020.

The Chinese Taipei player then made the final of the Tokyo Olympics, going down in a thrilling match to China's Chen Yu Fei.

"It's a pity I can't be in Indonesia for the HSBC BWF World Tour Finals," said the world No.1.

"I really miss competing in Indonesia which has such enthusiastic fans. I never thought that I could win this award. I'll continue to compete and try to achieve better results. I hope that fans will continue to support me." Given the disruption caused to the circuit by COVID-19 over the last two years, the period of consideration for the BWF Player of the Year awards was from November 2019 until October 31, 2021.

Among others, Olympic champions Lee Yang and Wang Chi-Lin of Chinese Taipei were named the Most Improved Player of the Year ahead of Lee Zii Jia, Pornpawee Chochuwong and Aaron Chia/Soh Wooi Yik.

Lee and Wang won all three titles at the Asian Leg in January 2021, before going on to capture a historic gold medal for Chinese Taipei at Tokyo 2020.

Greysia Polii and Apriyani Rahayu, who claimed the women's doubles gold at Olympics, won the Pair of the Year award.

While the Olympic gold was the high point of the season, the Indonesians were also successful at other World Tour events, winning the Indonesia Masters and Barcelona Spain Masters in 2020, and the Thailand Open in early 2021.

Thailand's Kunlavut Vitidsarn, the three-time world junior champion, who has started to make waves on the senior circuit, was named Eddy Choong Most Promising Player, beating other contenders Line Christophersen, Toma Junior Popov and Brian Yang.

In Para badminton, Qu Zimo, and Leani Ratri Oktila won the year-end Player of the Year honours for the second time.

Qu Zimo was named Male Para Badminton Player of the Year, and Oktila the Female Para Badminton Player of the Year.

France's Lucas Mazur/Faustine Noel were honoured with the Para Badminton Pair of the Year award.

The BWF Awards Commission also made special mention of Guatemalan Kevin Cordon's journey across four Olympic Games and his inspiring performances at Tokyo which took him to the semifinals.

Also Read : World Tour Finals: Already qualified for semis, Sindhu loses final group match, Srikanth bows out

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Nassau (Bahamas), Dec 2 (Golf news) With an eye on the top spot in the rankings list, Collin Morikawa will aim to end his impressive 2021 campaign on a high at the Hero World Challenge golf tournament but standing in his way is field studded with major champions and PGA Tour winners, including the likes of a resurgent Rory McIlroy.

The tournament, which was cancelled last year due to the pandemic, will include two additional players after the field was permanently expanded from 18 to 20 this year.

Tournament host Tiger Woods, who is still recovering his near-fatal car crash in February, will not be competing but the veteran golfer has assembled plenty of star-power for the event.

World No. 2 Morikawa, who will make his maiden appearance, heads into the Albany Golf Club on the back of a sensational year that includs winning his second Major (the Open Championship) besides clinching the Ryder Cup and claiming the European Tour’s season-long points race, the Race to Dubai.

The 24-year-old, who joined Woods as the only player to win a major and WGC before turning 25, could end the year as the top ranked golfer, overthrowing Spaniard Jon Rahm with a win here.

Asked how he will approach the tournament Morikawa said, "I could have thought about scenarios and obviously there's one scenario here, I have to win, but I've got to focus on the tournament." “I said it all two weeks ago in Dubai, I've got to be ready on Thursday. I've got to be ready once I tee it up and that's the focus.” However, Morikawa will face stiff competition from four-time majors winner McIlroy who will also be making his debut.

The world No. 8 from Northern Ireland seems to have found his mojo back after an inconsistent run earlier this year. He won the CJ Cup in October. He was agonisingly close to winning the DP World Tour Championship but a bad break in the final round saw him finish sixth last month.

Talking about his year, McIlroy said,"Obviously there was a stretch during the year where I didn't feel like I was playing my best and went on a different path in terms of sort of looking for answers and came back sort of down that road, came back up that road and learned some things.

"Feel like I'm certainly a more like a wiser player than I was maybe nine months ago. It's been a year where I've struggled in parts, but I still got two wins on Tour, which is still pretty good. I got myself -- I was tied for the lead with nine holes to go in the U.S. Open.

“I played well in parts, I just didn't do it consistently enough. I go back to 2019 and had like 19 top-10 finishes or whatever it is, that's the level I want to play at.” Tokyo Olympics gold medallist Xander Schauffele will also be eager to register a win on the Tour.

The world No. 5 from USA has had eight top-10 finishes, including three second place finishes but a victory has eluded him.

Others in the field include three-time major winner Jordan Speith, Justin Thomas, Bryson DeChambeau, Viktor Hovland, Patrick Cantlay and defending champion Sweden’s Henrik Stensen, who will look retain his title.

The tournament purse is USD 3.5 million and the winner gets USD 1 million.

Also Read : Chadha on top with 63 on rain-marred opening day

News Source : PTI

New Delhi, Dec 2 (Sports news) Eyeing a stellar show at 2024 Paris Olympics, the Sports Ministry has added seven former athletes as core members in the revamped Mission Olympic Cell (MOC), making the crucial body more athlete-centric.

MOC drives India's Olympics preparation through Target Olympics Podium Scheme (TOPS), an initiative of the ministry.

Sports Minister Anurag Thakur said the decision was driven by the experience gained in the last Olympic cycle.

"The inputs by former athletes in the incumbent MOC played a significant role in supporting the training and competition of the athletes who competed in Tokyo 2020 and won 7 medals & 19 in Para Olympic Games," he said.

The new MOC will now include former India football captain Bhaichung Bhutia, World Athletics Championships long jump medallist Anju Bobby George, former India hockey captain Sardara Singh, rifle shooting legend Anjali Bhagwat, former hockey captain and CEO Olympic Gold Quest Viren Rasquinha, table tennis star Monalisa Mehta and badminton ace Trupti Murgunde.

MOC will be chaired by Director General, SAI, Sandip Pradhan.

Olympian sailor and sports science specialist Malav Shroff will continue to be in the MOC.

Athletics Federation of India (AFI) president Adile Sumeriwala and CEO TOPS Cmde Pushpendra Garg are other former players in the MOC.

Union minister Arjun Munda, Ajay Singh and Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh by virtue of president of Archery Association of India, Boxing Federation of India and Wrestling Federation of India will be part of the MOC.

MOC is a body set up by the Sports Authority of India (SAI) to select athletes for financial assistance under the Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS).

The MOC also focuses on selection, exclusion and retention of athletes, coaches, training institutes that can receive TOPS assistance.

The Indian contingent returned with a record seven medals, including a historic athletics gold, from the Tokyo Olympics, which was followed by the para athletes stellar show at the ensuing Paralympics in the Japanese capital.

Mission Olympic Cell: Baichung Bhutia, Anju Bobby George, Anjali Bhagwat, Trupti Murgunde, Sardara Singh, Viren Rasquinha, Malav Shroff, Monalisa Mehta, Presidents of Indian Olympic Association, Wresting Federation of India, Archery Association of India and Boxing Federation of India, Executive Director (TEAMS), SAI; Director (Sports), MYAS; CEO, TOPS (Convenor) and Joint CEO, TOPS (Co-convenor).

Also Read : I live and breath athletics, my aim is to groom Olympic medallists: Anju

News Source : PTI

Bhubaneswar, Dec 2 (Hockey news) High-flying defending champions India would bank on their solid defensive structure and drag-flicking prowess to outsmart six-time title-winners Germany in the semifinal of the FIH Junior Men's Hockey World Cup at the Kalinga Stadium here on Friday.

After a disappointing start to the tournament when they were stunned 4-5 by France, India lifted their game by leaps and bounds to qualify for their second consecutive semifinal in the Junior World Cup.

India produced a defensive master-class on Wednesday to eke out a narrow 1-0 win over European giants Belgium with the likes of Yashdeep Siwach, vice-captain Sanjay Kumar and Shardanand Tiwai shinning bright in the backline.

India's two goalkeepers -- Prasanth Chauhan and Pawan, in particular --, were terrific against Belgium and produced some breath-taking saves to deny their opponents.

With four quality penalty corner specialists -- Sanjay, Tiwari, Araijeet Singh Hundal and Abhishek Lakra -- in their ranks, India's strength lies in set pieces and it has been quite evident in the tournament so far.

In fact, India's winner against Belgium came from a penalty corner through Tiwari after he was brilliantly set up by a dummy from Sanjay.

Even though Sanjay didn't score in the quarterfinal, he still remains India's best bet from set pieces and has already registered back-to-back hat-tricks against France and Poland in the pool stages.

The hallmark of India's performance against Belgium was the calm and composed mindset of the players when put under pressure and chief coach Graham Reid too accepted the fact.

"Our defence was much better than our first game against France. We did a lot of work on it," he said.

"Both keepers played very well. It was nice to see them really shine. But we have still got some work to do.

"One of things I talk a lot about is focus and making sure that whenever we are on the pitch we are living in present about whatever we are doing. Calmness normally comes from being prepared. If you are prepared that helps," the Australian added.

Against Belgium, Uttam Singh was a livewire upfront, showing his wide range of skills by twisting and turning to create opportunities, but Hundal and Bobby Singh Dhami need to be more creative.

Skipper Vivek Sagar Prasad, who already has the experience of playing top-level hockey having been a part of India's historic bronze medal-winning campaign at the Tokyo Olympics, continued to shine in the midfield with his calming influence.

But the Germans would be a tough nut to crack as they would be aiming to reclaim the world title after a hiatus of eight years.

Germany last won the Junior World Cup title in 2013 in New Delhi but since then, a third place finish in the last edition in Lucknow in 2016 was the best they could achieve.

Reid too acknowledged Germany's potential at this level.

"You should never ever write Germany off even in last seconds. They have proven over the years that they are a class side, specially in this level of competition. Junior World Cup they almost own it," he said.

"They are a quality team." Meanwhile in the other semifinal, tournament's surprise package France will be up against Argentina.

Also Read : India beat Belgium 1-0 to enter semifinals, on course to defend Junior Hockey WC title

News Source : PTI

Huelva (Spain), Dec 1 (Badminton news) Defending champion PV Sindhu has got a first round bye and faces the prospect of coming up against Tokyo Olympics silver medallist Tai Tzu Ying and former world number one Carolina Marin in the quarterfinals and semifinals respectively of the World Badminton Championships here.

Sindhu, who won a bronze in the Tokyo Olympics, has been seeded sixth in the December 12-19 showpiece event.

The world number seven Indian has seen a resurgence in form as she had reached semifinals in the last three tournaments she had played.

Sindhu faces the winner of Martina Repiska of Slovenia and Ruselli Hartawan of Indonesia in the second round. If she clears the third round, Chinese Taipei's Tai Tzu, who had beaten her in the Tokyo Olympics semifinals, will be awaiting her in the quarterfinals.

If she Sindhu gets past Chinese Taipei's Tai Tzu, she could be up against Marin who had beaten her in the 2016 Rio Olympics summit clash. Marin returns from injury straight into the World Championships and she will be playing in an arena named after her.

Tai Tzu has also taken sufficient rest as she hasn't played since winning silver at Tokyo 2020.

The other half of the women's singles has two players -- Akane Yamaguchi of Japan and An Seyoung of Korea -- who have swept the prominent World Tour titles since the Olympics.

Nozomi Okuhara of Japan whom Sindhu had beaten in the 2019 final is also in the other half of the draw.

Tokyo Olympics champion Chen Yu Fei of China is not taking part like many other players from her country.

In men's singles, Kidambi Srikanth, seeded 12th, will open his campaign against local player Pablo Abian and has the prospect of facing compatriot B Sai Praneeth (seeded 14th) in the quarterfinals, if both are able to reach that stage.

Defending champion and top seed Kento Momota of Japan could be the man waiting for the Indians in the semifinals.

Young Lakshya Sen has also been drawn in the same half as his two senior compatriots and faces Max Weisskirchen of Germany in the opening round. He can be up against Momota in the quarterfinals if the Indian reaches there.

In the men's doubles, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty have been seeded eighth and handed a first round bye. Three other Indian pairs -- Manu Attri and B Sumeeth Reddy, MR Arjun and Dhruv Kapila, and Arun George and Sanyam Shukla are also in the fray.

In women's doubles, the pair of Ashwini Ponnappa and N Sikki Reddy will face the French duo of Delphine Delrue and Lea Palermo in the first round.

Two other Indian pairs -- Pooja Dandu and Sanjana Santosh, and Maneesha K and Rutaparna Panda -- are also in the fray.

In mixed doubles, three Indian pairs -- Saurabh Sharma and Anoushka Parikh, MR Arjun and Maneesha K and Utkarsh Arora and Karishma Wadkar -- are in the fray.

Also Read : World Tour Finals: Sindhu, Srikanth make winning start; Ashwini-Sikki pair loses

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(Tennis news) Nikola Mektic and Mate Pavic dominated the doubles season with nine titles this season. They played together for the first time from january and found success right from the start.

They played 74 matches this year while winning 61 of them and also are the current world number one. They last played at the Nitto ATP Finals and lost in the semifinals to Rajeev Ram and Joe Salisbury. They are currently playing at the Davis Cup for Croatia and will play a crucial factor in the semifinal as they will be up against higher ranked teams in the singles tie.

Mektic and Pavic won 56 of their first 61 matches in 2021, including titles at Wimbledon, the Tokyo Olympics and three Masters 1000 events. Mektic has won 17 ATP doubles titles with seven different partners including six Masters 1000s and last year's ATP Finals with Wesley Koolhof. Pavic won the Australian Open with Oliver Marach three years back and the United States Open with Bruno Soares last year. 

“I think it would have been just a matter of time if it didn’t happen at the beginning of this year. In the future, I’m pretty sure one day we would have eventually played together,” Pavic said. “It happened at the end of last year and now we’re here.”

“We are ready for it. We are ready to lose,” Mektic said. “We just keep playing our games and try to keep our heads down and do what we do. If somebody’s better, if somebody deserves to win that day, we say ‘well done’ and we keep on going.”

Doubles requires extreme hand eye coordination, quick reflexes and volley skills as rallies are usually short. A good one necessitates regular dialogue, flexibility, awareness, and the ability to work under crisis. Magic happens when it works, Mektic and Pavic started their partnership by winning the first 12 matches before losing in the Australian Open semifinals. From June to August, they went on an 18 match winning streak.

Only Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan have won at least ten tour-level titles in a single season over the past two decades. They did it four times, with their best season coming in 2010 where they won 12 titles. Apart from Mektic and Pavic, Daniel Nestor and Nenad Zimonjic in 2009 were the only other team to win nine trophies as they had nine in 2009. Mektic and Pavic will now look to go beyond the Bryan brothers next season as there are 50 more days for the Australian Open to begin.

Also read: Germany into the semifinals after beating 10 time champion Britain at Davis Cup

New Delhi, Dec 1 (Sports news) Tokyo Olympics gold medallist Neeraj Chopra will visit Sanskardham School in Ahmedabad on December 4 and launch Prime Minister Narendra Modi's mission to spread awareness about balanced diet, fitness and sports.

During his meeting with Tokyo Olympians at his residence on August 16, Modi had urged India's Olympians and Paralympians to visit 75 schools each by the 2023 Independence Day and spread awareness against malnutrition and also play a sport with school children.

On Wednesday, Sports Minister Anurag Thakur tweeted to say that javelin thrower Chopra will set in motion the PM's mission.

"PM Sh @narendramodi ji gave a clarion call to our Olympians & Paralympians to visit schools and interact with students on the importance of ‘santulit aahaar’, fitness, sports & more. Starting Dec 4 @Neeraj_chopra1 will be at Sanskardham School in Ahmedabad to launch this mission," Thakur wrote on his Twitter handle.

The Sports Authority of India (SAI) and Ministry of Education are working on running this as a 'Meet the Champions' programme over the next two years. The school visits by the Olympians would begin from January next year.

The event will be held as part of the 'Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav, celebrating the country's 75th year of independence.

Chopra, who has a personal best of 88.07m metres, clinched the historic gold with a throw of 87.58m at Tokyo Games.

Athletes from the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics brought home India's biggest-ever medal haul.

Also Read : Pavna Group of Industries become Golden Eagles Uttar Pradesh owners in the Premier Handball League

News Source : PTI

Bhubaneswar, Nov 30 (Hockey News) India's chief coach Graham Reid on Tuesday said the defending champions would like to take cue from Malaysia and exploit the vulnerability of European giants Belgium in the quarterfinal of the FIH Men's Junior Hockey World Cup.

India will take on Belgium in a re-match of the 2016 edition final where the hosts emerged 2-1 winners to claim their second Junior World Cup title in Lucknow.

And Reid, who guided the Indian senior team to a historic bronze medal at the Tokyo Olympics, said the key to success in Wednesday's game is to play natural hockey.

"You see the DNA comes down from the senior team, and the senior team is world no 1," the Australian said about Belgium.

"You also saw some vulnerability which the Malaysians exploited and we will look to do the same. The team that can come out and play their natural game will be the winners." Malaysia produced a fine defensive display to hold Belgium 1-1 in the pool stages of the tournament.

But Reid warned his boys to guard against complacency if they wish to secure a third Junior World Cup title and second on the trot.

"I don't really think that should be a problem, as far as taking these guys easy. Add to that the fact that we played them in the final. They (Belgium) do have a history of being really good...For the last 10 years, Belgium have been performing at that level.

"Hopefully, our guys can stay switched on. The real test comes tomorrow," he said.

In a big blow for India, striker Maninder Singh has been ruled out of the tournament with a hamstring injury and has been replaced by Bobby Singh in the squad.

Maninder has been one of the key performers for India in the tournament so far, setting up goals for the forwardline.

"Unfortunately, we had been forced to make this decision today. Maninder has been replaced by Bobby Singh. It's always disappointing when someone's dream is shattered like that... Unfortunately, that's what elite sport is," Reid said.

Asked how difficult it is to coach India colts compared to the senior players, Reid said: "Again, that's one of the tough parts when you are coaching someone who is a bit younger.

"Patience doesn't come naturally to young boys. Kids of that age want things to happen. Trying to stay patient, move the ball around and be disciplined is something we try to instill in them... But it's a fine line, between disrupting the flow that is.

"When you see Belgium play, you see that patience because it has been ingrained in them while growing up." With three quality drag-flickers in vice-captain Sanjay Kumar, Araijeet Singh Hundal and Shardanand Tiwari in its ranks, Indian team looks to be in safe hands, Reid said.

"What is becoming prominent is we have really quality drag-flickers coming through, which is a nice thing." 

Also Read : Indian women's hockey team leaves for Korea to take part in Asian Champions Trophy

News Source : PTI

Bengaluru, Nov 30 (Hockey News) The Indian women's hockey team on Tuesday departed for Korea to participate in the Asian Champions Trophy to be held in Donghae from December 5.

It will be the first tournament for the Indian team since finishing fourth at the Tokyo Olympics. It will face China, Korea, Japan, Thailand and Malaysia in the single-pool competition.

India will play its opening match against Thailand on December 5, before taking on Malaysia on December 6 and hosts and defending Champions Korea in the third match on December 8.

India plays China on December 9 and Japan on December 11. The Final will take place on December 12 between the topper of the pool and the team that finished second in the pool.

"Definitely the whole team is excited. This is our first tournament after the Olympics and we have a responsibility to do well at the tournament," Savita, who is leading the team in the absence of Rani who is undergoing rehab in Bengaluru, said in a release.

"We have quite a few youngsters who are part of the team and will be making their International debut, they are also looking forward to this exposure." World no 9 India are the highest ranked team in the competition.

"A team like Korea is difficult to beat at home and last edition too we lost to them closely in the Final and this time too I expect them to challenge us." 

Also Read : Jr Hockey WC: India bank on attacking and drag-flicking prowess to outsmart Belgium in quarters

News Source : PTI

Bhubaneswar, Nov 30 (Hockey News) Their mojo back after two resounding wins, defending champions India would bank on their attacking instinct and drag-flicking prowess to outwit European giants Belgium in the quarterfinal of the FIH Men's Junior Hockey World Cup here on Wednesday.

One of the title favourites, India were slow to get off the blocks as they were stunned 4-5 by France before they got their acts together and thrashed Canada 13-1 and Poland 8-2 to finish second in Pool B and qualify for the knockout round.

But from here on, the Indians need to play their hearts out if they want to win the title for the third time.

The quarterfinal against Belgium will be a re-match of last edition's final where India beat the European side 2-1 to claim the title under Harendra Singh in Lukcnow in 2016.

And come Wednesday, it is expected to be a hard-fought tie. The team which utilises their chances is expected to come out on top.

India boast of a fiery attacking line-up with the likes of Uttam Singh, Araijeet Singh Hundal, Sudeep Chirmako and Maninder Singh.

Uttam and Maninder, in particular, have been brilliant inside the opponents' circle.

To add to India's strength is the presence of penalty corner options in vice-captain Sanjay Kumar, Hundal, Shardanand Tiwari and Abhishek Lakra, and all of whom have scored in the tournament so far.

Sanjay, in particular, has been in ominous form with set pieces and have registered back-to-back hat-tricks against France and Canada, while Hundal also scored three goals against Poland.

The midfield is in safe hands of skipper Vivek Sagar Prasad, who already has the experience of playing top-level hockey having been part of India's historic bronze medal-winning campaign at the Tokyo Olympics.

The backline, however, remains a concern and the likes of Sanjay, Tiwari, Lakra and Yashdeep Siwach will have to be on their toes to keep the Belgians at bay.

India's chief coach Graham Reid, who is in charge of the junior side for this tournament, sounded confident ahead of the crucial tie.

"The players had a look at them (Belgium) and we are very confident. Hopefully, we can go and get a win," said the Australian, who guided India to the Tokyo Olympics bronze.

India captain Vivek too echoed his coach's view.

"Belgium is a very good team and we will try to do our best against them," he said.

Belgium have never won the Junior World Cup and pressure would be high on them to replicate the success of their senior team, which is the reigning Olympic as well world champions.

In the other quarterfinals of the day, Germany will play Spain, Netherlands will take on Argentina and France will square off against Malaysia. 

Also Read : Four Indians appointed by FIH as officials for 2023 World Cup

News Source : PTI

Bhubaneswar, Nov 29 (Hockey News) Four Indians were on Monday appointed as officials in various capacities for the 2023 FIH Men's Hockey World Cup, to be held here and in Rourkela.

Sonia Bathla was named as technical official by the International Hockey Federation (FIH), Col (Dr) Bibhu Kalyan Nayak as medical officer, and Raghu Prasad and Javed Shaikh as umpires for the showpiece event.

Sonia from Delhi Hockey will be the lone woman from India to be appointed as technical official for the prestigious tournament.

"I look forward to doing my duties to the best of my abilities in this prestigious event," Sonia said in a Hockey India release.

"It is fantastic that Hockey India has promoted women officials over these years and have given us several opportunities to equip ourselves with knowledge and the know-how of international standards through their regular clinics and workshops." Col (Dr.) Bibhu Kalyan Nayak, an expert in Sports Traumatology and Sports and Exercise Physiology, had previously held the position of the Chair of FIH Health and Safety Committee.

"This will be my second time serving as the Medical Officer at a World Cup event in India. I feel proud to be given the opportunity once again, and I understand it is a huge responsibility. I am confident I will do justice to the role," he said.

Javed Shaikh, who officiated at the Tokyo Olympics, said, "I am proud I will be a part of this incredible tournament to be held in India. Just like how players need to prepare for the tournament, my job as an umpire too will be cut out and I need to focus on my fitness and speed to bring out my best," he said.

Over the last decade, Shaikh has umpired at major events such as Commonwealth Games, Asian Games as well as the 2014 Men’s World Cup in the Hague in the Netherlands. He was also called up as an umpire during the 2016 Rio Olympics.

Umpire Raghu Prasad, who hails from Bengaluru, said, "It is a great honour for me to once again be a part of the umpire panel for another World Cup event. I will continue to put in all the hard work." In the last 16 years, Prasad has umpired at major events such as Commonwealth Games, Asian Games, three World Cups, and the Tokyo Olympics.

HI President Gyanendro Nigombam congratulated the four Indian officials on their appointment.

"It is a matter of great pride for Hockey India that our officials will represent India at the marquee tournament in 2023. I wish all the four my best wishes on their endeavours." 

Also Read : High-flying India thrash Poland 8-2 to set up quarterfinal against Belgium

News Source : PTI

Bhubaneswar, Nov 27 (Hockey news) A pep talk from Olympic bronze medal-winning captain Manpreet Singh and star dragflicker Harmanpreet Singh helped defending champions India to turn the tables after a disappointing outing against France in their opening match of the FIH Men's Junior Hockey World Cup here.

Tournament favourites India were stunned by underdogs France 4-5 in their opening match of the premier junior tournament before the title holders bounced back in style to thrash Canada 13-1.

India will play Poland in their must-win last Pool B match here on Saturday to qualify for the quarterfinals.

"I just told them to believe in themselves and play as a team. They have a lot of fighting spirit. I just said to focus on their own game. We have been speaking continuously with them," Manpreet said during a virtual media interaction on Saturday. "I spoke to (skipper) Vivek (Sagar Prasad) after the first match and told him to lead from the front in the ground. I advised him to improve communication between the players which was lacking against France. Important is to enjoy win or loss as a team." Manpreet's deputy Harmanpreet also passed on his experience to the dragflickers and India's backline after the France match.

"I have been talking to them about positioning and basics. The positioning of freeman is very important and I discussed that with the junior players in detail," he said.

Haramanpreet said he also had elaborate discussion with vice-captain of the junior team and dragflicker Sanjay Kumar, who scored two consecutive hat-tricks in the tournament so far.

"He (Sanjay) is doing very well. I just told him to stay focussed on the chances he gets. He plays as a freeman so I advised him about his positioning," he said.

Manpreet will lead a 20-member Indian senior team in next month's Asian Champions Trophy in Dhaka, where Harmanpreet will be his deputy.

India will go into the tournament, to be held from December 14 to 22, as defending champions as they shared the title in the last edition of the event with Pakistan after the final was called off due to incessant rain. The tournament will also mark a restart for India after their successful Tokyo Olympics campaign.

"We are in pretty good shape for Asian Champions Trophy. We are focusing on our fitness. After the Olympics, there was a drop in our fitness levels. So, now we are looking to regain that. Everyone is giving their 100 percent," Manpreet said.

With several players who were part of the Olympic squad being rested for the continental event, including stalwart goalkeeper PR Sreejesh, Manpreet said this is a good opportunity for young players to prove their mettle ahead of a busy season ahead. "Some of these youngsters have been patiently waiting for their chances and have been working really had to find a place in the team.

"I feel this is a great tournament to test these players and it's also a great opportunity for youngsters who have been given a chance to show their abilities," he said.

"...it is our first big tournament after the Tokyo Olympics. The new cycle has started for us. Doing well in Dhaka is important for us. If we start well, then our confidence levels will go high. There are major tournaments lined up in 2022."

Also Read : FIH Junior Women's World Cup in South Africa put on hold owing to COVID-19

News Source : PTI

(Tennis news) Spain had lost three crucial players before the start of the match at the Davis Cup but 40 year old Feliciano Lopez gave Spain exactly what it needed as he put the first point on the scoreboard when he beat Roberto Quiroz in straight sets. Next, it was the turn of Tokyo Olympics Singles bronze medalist Pablo Carreno Busta who had a tougher battle than his team mate, he lost the first set and could not end the match early onto the third set as a tiebreaker brought things to a conclusion. 

In the doubles, Busta and Marcel Granollers gave them their third and final victory in a match which lasted for almost 3 hours as it also had two tiebreaks. Spain is up against a tough Russian team on 28th November.

Spain defeated Ecuador 3-0

Lopez defeated Quiroz 6-3, 6-3, Busta defeated Emilio Gomez 5-7, 6-3, 7-6 (7-5), Busta and Marcel Granollers defeated Gonzalo Escobar and Diego Hidalgo 6-4, 6-7(5-7), 7-6(7-2).

Italy’s youngsters were on fire as they won both their singles rubber to confirm victory over USA. The first match was a clash between world number 26 Reily Opelka and world number 27 Lorenzo Sonego but it was the Italian who gave the perfect start as he defeated Opelka in straight sets. In the second match, Jannik Sinner had played at the Nitto ATP Finals a few days earlier and paid no heed to size as John Isner was bageled in the second set to confirm victory for the Italians. 

In the doubles match, US Open winner Rajeev Ram paired with former US Open winner Jack Sock as they got a consolation point by defeating Fabio Fognini and Lorenzo Musetti. Italy will next play against Colombia today.

Italy defeated USA 2-1

Sonego defeated Opelka 6-3, 7-6 (7-4), Sinner defeated Isner 6-2, 6-0, Rajeev and Jack defeated Fognini and Musetti 7-6 (7-5), 6-2.

Captain Viktor Trovicki would not have expected any other result from Serbia as they won all the three matches against Austria. Austria was missing the company of injured Dominic Thiem who went out the season early and it did reflect on the team. Dusan Lajovic played a long match against Gerlad Melzer as two of the sets needed an hour to settle when he finally gave Serbia its first point. In the second match, Novak Djokovic did the complete opposite as he closed out two sets under an hour to confirm victory for Serbia and in the doubles the pair of Nikola Cacic and Filip Krajinovic added the finishing touches. Serbia is up against Germany today.

Serbia defeated Austria 3-0

Lajovic defeated Melzer 7-6(7-5), 3-6, 7-5, Djokovic defeated Dennis Novak 6-3, 6-2, Cacic and Krajinovic defeated Oliver Marach and Philipp Oswald 7-6(7-4), 4-6, 6-3.

Also read: Croatia blanks Australia in Davis Cup opener, Spain in trouble as Carlos Alcaraz tests positive

Lausanne, Nov 27 (Boxing news) Desperate to save boxing's future as an Olympic sport, the suspended International Boxing Association (AIBA) has accepted crucial governance reforms suggested by an independent group, including holding elections by June next year, elevating the Secretary General's role and appointing a liaison officer to handle its troubled equation with the IOC.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC), which suspended AIBA in 2019 and conducted the Tokyo Olympics boxing event through a task force, has reiterated "that serious concerns about AIBA's governance, finances and refereeing and judging remain" and the future of boxing in the 2024 Paris Games is not secure.

The AIBA has responded by stating that it would do all that the IOC demands of it.

"...the Board of Directors is recommending to the Congress that elections shall be conducted no later than 30 June 2022," the AIBA stated.

"As an option, these elections may take place during the AIBA Women's World Boxing Championships in Istanbul, that were rescheduled to May 2022, however, the exact date to be determined by the Board on 31 December 2021 at the latest," it added.

The decision to implement the reforms came ahead of the AIBA Extraordinary Congress on December 12 at a meeting of its Board of Directors.

The Board unanimously approved the recommendations and constitutional amendments in a report by independent Governance Reform Group (GRG), led by Professor Ulrich Haas.

"Throughout the last year, AIBA has made continued progress in terms of sporting and financial integrity as well as good governance. Professor Haas and his team of independent legal experts have pointed us in the right direction, so that we can achieve a level of governance that is best practice for international federations," said AIBA President Umar Kremlev.

"I also urge all AIBA Member Federations to study the recommended changes and make a decision with the best interests of the future for our sport and our athletes in mind. Boxing should always come first," he added.

The enhancement of Secretary General's role would include assigning the responsible person the tasks of a CEO.

"...a person who not only administrates, but leads and manages AIBA's affairs," and to be overseen by the President.

"...the Secretary General should be, in principle, the sole legal representative of AIBA," the recommendation stated.

Among other proposed reforms, the independent GRG has recommended reducing the number of AIBA Board of Directors, and the world body has responded by agreeing to limit the size of the Board to 18.

Comprehensive eligibility checks will be in place to "ensure the best possible leadership team." The developments are in addition to the establishment of an independent Boxing Integrity Unit which will be empowered to address competition manipulation, abuse, harassment, eligibility checks of election candidates and other issues.

The GRG also proposed establishing a new interdisciplinary Strategy Committee to review AIBA's long-term strategy, develop mid-term and short-term goals.

"The proposed constitutional amendments aim to significantly improve AIBA's governance with focus on integrity, democracy, checks and balances," said Professor Haas.

"While they are yet to be approved by the Congress, this decision by the AIBA Board of Directors to adopt the measures proposed by our group can certainly serve as a basis for real and positive change," he added.

Also Read : AIBA President Umar Kremlev pledges to support grassroot development of boxing in Nepal

News Source : PTI

Lausanne, Nov 26 (Hockey News) The upcoming FIH Junior Women's Hockey World Cup in South Africa was on Saturday put on hold as a new variant of COVID-19 in the country stoked worldwide fears.

The prestigious tournament was to be held in the Rainbow Nation from December 5 to 16.

However, following the outbreak of a new coronavirus variant in South Africa, the International Hockey Federation (FIH), the South African Hockey Association and the North-West University of Potchefstroom have jointly decided that the tournament "will not happen under these circumstances".

"The safety of everyone involved in the FIH events is an absolute priority. Additionally, many countries, including from some of the participating teams, have now strongly increased their travel restrictions with South Africa, including halting flights.

"Therefore, it simply isn't possible to maintain this event as planned," FIH CEO Thierry Weil said in a statement. This is hugely disappointing. An FIH Junior World Cup is so important for the development of young players.

"Also, it was the first time that an FIH World Cup was due to take place on African soil. On behalf of FIH, I'd like to thank all teams for their understanding as well as the local organisers for their great work and collaboration." The FIH said it will "keep monitoring the situation" and take a decision about the potential staging of the tournament as soon as it will be possible to do so.

Forward Lalremsiami, who was a part of the Indian senior women's hockey team which finished fourth at the Tokyo Olympics, was to lead the country's 18-member junior squad at the tournament in South Africa.

The event was to see 16 top teams from across the globe battle for the title which was previously won by Argentina in 2016.

Earlier in the day, the U.K. announced it was suspending flights from South Africa and five other southern African countries and making travellers from these countries self-isolate for 10 days effective from 1200 GMT Friday.

From Sunday morning, travellers would have to go into hotel quarantine. 

Also Read : Manpreet to lead India in Asian Champions Trophy hockey

News Source : PTI

Bhubaneswar, Nov 26 (Hockey news) Olympic bronze medal-winning captain Manpreet Singh will lead a 20-member Indian men's hockey team, which doesn't feature veteran goalkeeper PR Sreejesh, at next month's Hero Asian Champions Trophy in Dhaka.

While Manpreet will lead the side, star dragflicker Harmanpreet Singh has been named as the vice-captain for the tournament, to be held from December 14 to 22.

The squad for the tournament, which is India's first outing after the Tokyo Olympics, has plenty of new faces.

Talismanic goalkeeper Sreejesh has been rested and Krishan Bahadur Pathak and Suraj Karkera will take the place under the goal.

Harmanpreet will be in charge of the Indian defence in the company of Gurinder Singh, Jarmanpreet Singh, Nilam Sanjeep Xess, Dipsan Tirkey, Varun Kumar and Mandeep Mor.

The midfield will be manned by Manpreet alongside Hardik Singh, Jaskaran Singh, Sumit, Rajkumar Pal, Shamsher Singh and the experienced Akashdeep Singh.

The forwardline will be led by Lalit Kumar Upadhyay, Dilpreet Singh, Gursahibjit Singh and Shilanand Lakra.

Defending champions India will begin their campaign on the opening day against Korea. The other teams in the tournament are Japan, Malaysia, Pakistan and hosts Bangladesh.

Talking about the composition of the side, chief coach Graham Reid said, "While selecting this team we now must have our eyes on the future. It takes a deep and strong squad to build sustained success so players have to be given opportunities to perform." "We have picked a team that has a good mix of experience and younger guys who will have their chance to show what they can do.

"It is a hectic match schedule and given the COVID situation FIH and AHF have allowed 18 players to be chosen each game out of a greater squad of 20." India will play their opening match against Korea on December 14, followed by games against hosts Bangladesh (December 15), arch-rivals Pakistan (December 17), Malaysia (December 18) and Japan (December 19).

The semifinals are scheduled for December 21 followed by the title clash on the next day.

In the previous edition of the event held in Muscat, Oman, India had jointly lifted the title along with Pakistan as the final was called off due to incessant rains.  Indian team: Goalkeepers: Krishan Bahadur Pathak, Suraj Karkera.

Defenders: Harmanpreet Singh, Gurinder Singh, Jarmanpreet Singh, Dipsan Tirkey, Varun Kumar, Nilam Sanjeep Xess, Mandeep Mor.

Midfielders: Hardik Singh, Manpreet Singh, Jaskaran Singh, Sumit, Rajkumar Pal, Akashdeep Singh, Shamsher Singh.

Forwards: Lalit Kumar Upadhyay, Dilpreet Singh, Gursahibjit Singh, Shilanand Lakra. 

Also Read : Holders India face Poland in must-win match to keep title hopes alive in Junior Hockey WC

News Source : PTI

Bhubaneswar, Nov 26 (Hockey News) Their campaign might be back on track following a massive win over lowly Canada, but defending champions India are still not out of the woods and would need to beat Poland in their final Pool B match to qualify for the quarterfinals of the FIH Men's Junior Hockey World Cup here on Saturday.

The Indians, one of the pre-tournament favourites, were given a rude shock in their opener when France stunned them 5-4.

The defeat dealt a massive blow to India's campaign and put paid to their hopes of topping their pool.

With one win and a defeat, India are currently placed second in Pool B ahead of Poland on goal difference. France, who have a perfect record till now, are set to top the pool.

This means that in the quarterfinals, India face the prospect of running into European giants and top seed Belgium, who are likely top Pool A.

Given the scenario, complacency has no place in the Indian scheme of things if they wish to defend their title.

The Indians were slow to get off the blocks in the tournament and lacked intent and purpose against France, leading to their loss.

But against Canada on Thursday, the hosts roared back and looked more organised.

From here on, India will need to win every match to reclaim the title, a fact which chief coach Graham Reid is well aware of.

"...But we can't do anything about that now (loss against France). If we have to win back-to-back titles, we will have to beat every team henceforth," Reid had said.

"We will not like to think ahead of us, we have a match against Poland before that and that's what we will be thinking about. We have to win that before we think about the next stage." The Indian colts will have to be at their best in every match to progress in the tournament.

"It is a learning experience for the boys. Every match is one experience. That's what I have always been telling the senior players as well," said Reid, who guided the senior Indian team to a historic bronze medal in the Tokyo Olympics.

In both the matches, India created numerous scoring opportunities but failed to capitalise on them.

Vice-captain and star dragflicker Sanjay Kumar (6 goals) has been in scintillating form for India, scoring consecutive hat-tricks, while Uttam Singh has been the team's go-to man in the forwardline.

In Sanjay, Araijeet Singh Hunda, who also scored a hat-trick against Canada, and Shardanand Tiwari, the Indians boast of three potent penalty corner specialists with three different styles and technique.

If that is not enough, Abhishek Lakra is the team's fourth option from set pieces, an alarming sign for any opponent.

The Indian mid-field is being led by skipper Vivek Sagar Prasad, who would look to pass on his Tokyo Olympics experience to his less experienced teammates.

The Indian backline, however, will have to be on its toes going into the business end of the tournament, especially after the lacklustre outing against France.

In other matches on Saturday, France will take on Canada, Pakistan will play Egypt in Pool D, while in Pool A, South Africa will take on Malaysia followed by Belgium's tie against Chile.

Top two teams from four pools will qualify for the quarterfinals, which will begin on December 1. 

Also Read : Sanjay, Hundal score hat-tricks as India crush Canada 13-1 to register first win

News Source : PTI

New Delhi, Nov 25 (Sports news) Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Thursday felicitated Tokyo Olympics silver medallist Ravi Dahiya by presenting him 'Samman Rashi' of Rs 2 crore and appointing the wrestler as assistant director in the Sports Department.

The ceremony, organised by the Directorate of Education and Sports, saw the Delhi government honouring the medal winners and sportspersons from Delhi representing India in Tokyo Olympics & Paralympics 2020.

Besides Dahiya, Kejriwal also honoured bronze medallist paralympian Sharad Kumar and athletes Simran, Sarthak Bhambri, Amod Jacob and Kashish Lakra for representing India in Olympics and Paralympic Games.

"Today is an extremely joyous day for us, for we are honouring six of our country's heroes. We always say that the two crore people of Delhi are like family to us. And when a child in our family excels in something, the entire family feels elated and proud," a statement quoted Kejriwal as saying.

"Similarly, these six children of our family have made the country proud at national and international levels. This ceremony is merely a medium to thank our brilliant athletes for their extraordinary achievements and for bringing name to our nation," he added.

While wrestler Dahiya was handed a cheque for Rs 2 crore for winning the silver medal at Tokyo Olympics 2020, athlete Sharad Kumar was handed over a cheque for Rs 1 crore for winning the bronze medal in high jump at Paralympics.

Cheques for Rs 10 lakh each were handed over to Kashish Lakra and Simran, and Rs 5 lakh each to Sarthak Bhambri and Amod Jacob, according to the official statement.

Kejriwal underscored the fact that sports is a "priority" for his government and in the last few years they have implemented a series of measures -- including 'Play and Progress Scheme' and 'Mission Excellence Scheme' -- to "promote and embolden its presence in our lives".

While under the 'Play and Progress' scheme, a financial assistance up to Rs 3 lakh is given to school-level sportspersons, under the 'Mission Excellence Scheme' financial assistance of up to Rs 16 lakh is given to outstanding sportspersons for performing well at the international level.

"Sports infrastructure is going to be developed to a much greater level and work is already in progress for this.. Spectacular football grounds are being constructed in certain areas, along with sports complexes and air-conditioned wrestling grounds. This is taking place throughout Delhi. And I would like to inform the people of this country, that this isn't meant just for the people of Delhi - but for all of you," he informed.

Also Read : Mirabai Chanu to miss World Championship and Commonwealth Senior Championship

News Source : PTI

New Delhi, Nov 24 (Weightlifting news) Olympic silver medallist weightlifter Mirabai Chanu will miss the World Championship and the Commonwealth Senior Championship slated to take place simultaneously between December 7 to 17 in Tashkent, Uzbekistan.

Chanu, who won a silver medal in the women’s 49kg category at the Tokyo Olympics earlier this year and is also a former world champion, withdrew from the two events on the advice of India head coach Vijay Sharma.

“Our main aim (for world championship and Commonwealth Senior Championship) is that the lifters qualify for next year’s Commonwealth Games,” Sharma told PTI.

“We had sent Mira’s entry but her performance is not very proper right now. We are working on her snatch technique a little.

“Her qualification (for CWG) is not an issue because she won the silver in Olympics and she’s also ranked number one at the moment,” he added.

The Commonwealth Senior Championship was earlier scheduled to be held in Singapore from October 20 to 24 but was cancelled due to COVID-19. It will now take place simultaneously and at the same venue alongside the world championship next month.

Twenty weightlifters from the country, including Youth Olympic gold medallist Jeremy Lalrinnunga, will be competing in the tournament.

Chanu, who holds the world record in the clean and jerk event in the 49kg category after she successfully heaved 119kg in the Asian Championship last year, has struggled to stay at par with her Chinese opponents in the snatch section.

The 27-year-old has, in her own words, struggled while lifting weights in the snatch due to an imbalance that affects her right shoulder and back.

Chanu had also consulted Dr. Aaron Horschig, a former weightlifter-turned-physical therapist and strength and conditioning coach in the US, which helped her immensely in winning the silver medal in Tokyo.

Asked if Chanu is planning to go back to the US for training, Sharma said, “There’s no need for it right now.” Sharma said that the decision to withdraw from world championships is a strategic one.

“She is not facing any problem but it’s just that we are thinking strategically which events to take part in and which to miss.

“She has been participating in competitions continuously since the past five years. We have prepared but it’s not enough for this event.

“She would have had to take extra load for this event so I advised her to miss it,” he said.

However, in an interview to PTI last month, Chanu had revealed she still feels pain sometimes while lifting heavy weights.

"The issue is sorted, but sometimes, I still get pain in the right shoulder and back because of the imbalance. But there is a lot of improvement from before," she had said.

"Right now there is no plan to go to the US because there is World Championship in December. After this we will maybe plan. I am consulting him (Horschig) online what to do." Asian Championship gold medallist Jhilli Dalabehera, who earlier competed in the 45kg category, will represent India in Chanu’s category at the event.

Also Read : SAI makes timely intervention to alleviate cyclist Ronaldo's pain while training in Slovenia

News Source : PTI

(Sports news) This year has seen many athletes achieving new heights and breaking old records on their way to podium finishes. Elaine Thompson has produced one of the most impressive performances in the 100m and 200m as she came close to Florence Griffith Joyner’s record in both the events. While in the men’s side, Trayvon Bromell set the 6th fastest time in history in the 100m and the fastest of the year. Karsten Warholm tearing his jersey after winning the 400m hurdles has been one of the most iconic moments this year, Yulimar Rojas celebration has been one of the highlights from the record breakers this year. The winner from the finalists of World Athlete of the Year will be announced on 1st of December. The top four finalists in both categories are listed below.

Elaine Thompson, Women’s 100m: 10.54 secs, 200m: 21.53 secs

Thompson has been coming closer than ever to becoming the fastest woman alive in the 100m and 200m. She has the ability to do it and can break Flo Jo’s record which has been standing since 1988, Shelly Ann Fraser Pryce has also been a close competitor this year but no one has come close like Thompson. She is now a double defending Olympic Champion in the 100m and 200m event after her run at the Tokyo Olympics.

Yulimar Rojas, Women’s Triple Jump: 15.67m

Yulimar holds the top two longest triple jumps in history and is the only woman to cross the 15.50m and 15.60m mark. No one is even close to her records this year as she has the top eight jumps, Patrícia Mamona has been the only other athlete to cross the 15m mark while Yulimar has done it eight times. Yulimar has been having the top jumps since 2019 and has not given up the top position yet, her gold medal in Tokyo was historic as she broke the 26 year old record of Inessa Kravets.

Karsten Warholm, Men’s 400m Hurdles: 45.94 secs

Four of the fastest 400m hurdles timing have come this year and Karsten has run two of them. He broke the 29 year old record of Kevin Young in July this year which was a month ahead of the Tokyo Olympics. He was the favourite to win the event and went on to become the first athlete to run the event under 46 seconds as the next two athletes ran under 47 seconds in one of the fastest races ever. Karsten could not believe it as he saw the timing flash on the big screen and went down on his knees even ripping apart his jersey in celebration.

Ryan Crouser, Men’s Shot Put: 23.37m

Crouser and Mondo Duplantis are the only athletes who are non runners in the finalists of the world athlete of the year in both the categories. Crouser has the top three longest throws in the history of the event and all of them have come this year. He has been undefeated since February 2020 and is currently on a 27 event winning streak. 

Also read: Putting the Indian flag on the Inline Skating World Championship podium is something I’m proud of - Indian skater Anand Velkumar

(Football news) In his first-ever press conference with journalists ahead of the season opener against Bengaluru FC today, Head Coach Kiko Ramirez has said that he and his team are fully focused on the game and the Kalinga Warriors are ready for the competition this year. The 51 year old feels that the long pre-season will help his team perform better this season compared to last.

“This is of course the first time for me in the Indian Super League and I feel that I am ready for the competition. I also feel that the team is prepared for the ISL. We had a long pre-season where we prepared everything for the competition that we have ahead. It’s going to be a tough game. Bengaluru won the first game. They have good attackers and they are good with the ball and they have a good history in the ISL. We know that this is going to be a hard match but we are ready,” Coach Kiko said during the pre-match press conference.

“Of course the team has to be 100% focused on the game and don’t make any mistakes. We know that they have quality attackers so the team has to be focused and do what we have prepared for the week. As a coach, it’s going to be difficult for me in the first game to choose the lineup. Almost everyone is in good condition. We are ready for the match.”

When asked about the six foreigners in the side, he mentioned, “I am really happy with the new foreigners. They have adapted really quickly to the team, culture, country and the football during the friendly matches. I am sure that they are going to perform really well during the season.”

“That’s a new situation for me to play with only four foreigners. I will try to have a competitive team. The foreigners are going to be important but the most important will be the seven Indian players who are going to play. We are focused on the Indian players and will help them to grow this season.”

Assistant Coach and Head of Football Development Kino Garcia accompanied Kiko for the press conference. He is of the opinion that the pre-season was important in bringing all the players closer.

“We think that being together in a long pre-season was really really important for creating bonds between the foreigners, between the Indian players and between the staff. We think that the time we have spent together was important and now we feel that the team is really strong also in team building,” Kino explained.

“I think the banters that the young players are having, we don’t need to motivate them. They are motivated every day. Sometimes even too motivated and we need to calm down because they want to learn. They are with experienced players who can show them different tactical and technical aspects during the training and during the matches.”

“I am very happy here. I adapted to the situation and the environment really quickly. I am really happy with the way the Indian players and all the people in Odisha welcomed me when I arrived. It’s true that this is my first experience in Asia and first experience in a bio bubble but I feel happy and well to be here,” Hector commented.

“Even though the players chose me, Vinit, and Victor as the captains, all the players of the team must be leaders and must show a good attitude and good values during the season. Of course, everybody will try to show these to the young players and try to go all out in the same line to achieve the objective.”

Also read: Bengaluru FC look to build on opening match success with win over Odisha

“Of course, I want to tell them and show them the values as a football player not only in the training and also in the way I behave outside the pitch. I want to tell them that they have to have hunger and they have to be motivated every day to stay at the top level,” the Odisha FC skipper concluded.

Bali, Nov 24 (Badminton news) India's double Olympic medallist P V Sindhu showed great determination to outwit her opponent in the women's singles opening round, while B Sai Praneeth and Kidmabi Srikanth also advanced to the men's singles second round of the Indonesia Open Super 1000 event here on Wednesday.

After a slow start, Sindhu, the reigning world champion, engineered a turnaround to register a hard-fought 17-21 21-17 21-17 win over a tenacious Aya Ohori of Japan in one hour 10 minutes.

With the win, Sindhu improved her impressive record against the Japanese shuttler to 11-0.

World number seven Sindhu, who made a semifinal exit after suffering a straight game defeat to Japan's Akane Yamaguchi here last week, will meet 23-year-old German shuttler Yvonne Li in the second round.

It will be the first meeting between the third seed Indian and world number 26 Li.

In the men's singles, world number 16 B Sai Praneeth clinched a 21-19 21-18 win over France's Toma Junior Popov.

In a repeat of last week's Indonesia Masters quarterfinal, Srikanth once again got the better of compatriot HS Prannoy.

The former world number one Srikanth, who is coming off two back-to-back semifinal finishes at Hylo Open and Indonesia Masters, continued his good run of form as he eked out a 21-15 19-21 21-12 victory over Prannoy in 56 minutes.

While Praneeth will next take on Christo Popov of France in the second round, Srikanth will meet the winner of the first round clash between Tokyo Olympics gold medallist second seed Dane Victor Axelsen and Japan's Koki Watanbe.

The mixed doubles pairing of N Sikki Reddy and Dhruv Kapila, however, made a first round exit, falling to the Japanese duo of Kyohei Yamashita and Naru Shinoya, 7-21 12-21.

It was a bad day in the office for Reddy who made a first round exit in the women's doubles event as well.

Reddy and veteran shuttler Ashwini Ponnappa went down 27-29 18-21 to the fifth seeded Bulgarian duo of Gabriela Stoeva and Stefani Stoeva.

Also Read : Indonesia Open: Sindhu advances to second round with hard-fought win

News Source : PTI

Bhubaneswar, Nov 23 (Hockey news) Still relishing the country's historic bronze medal-winning feat at the Tokyo Olympics, captain Vivek Sagar Prasad wants the Indian junior hockey players to inculcate the team first mentality as they look to defend their FIH Junior World Cup title here.

Holders India will open their title defence against France in Pool B on the opening day of the 16-team tournament at the Kalinga Stadium here on Wednesday.

And Prasad, who was a part of the Indian team that won a bronze at the Tokyo Olympics earlier this year, said he just tried to pass on his experiences to his junior teammates.

"We have played a few practice games against the senior team. That experience will be helpful. The starting match is always important in any tournament," he said in a virtual press conference on Tuesday.

"During my stay with the senior side, I have learned some valuable lessons from the big stage like team always comes first. My job will be to keep the team together and pass on Olympic experience as much as I can." Indian men's hockey chief coach Graham Reid, who has been working with the juniors after guiding the country to the Olympic bronze, said his job was just to help coach BJ Kariappa, who has been with the youngsters since the last one-and-half years.

"They have been working with Kariappa since the last few years in Bengaluru. My job was to put icing on the cake but it is very difficult to do so in such a short period," he said.

"The routine is the same with both the seniors and juniors...pass on as much experiences as we can. It is pleasing to watch Vivek pass on his knowledge and show leadership skills. Hopefully we can use some of those experiences here." Reid said the Junior World Cup has always been a big platform to scout talents for the senior side.

"It's a natural progression. I am hoping to get intermediate group in between the World Cup. The tournament is a good ground to find new players.

"If these guys show any talent like some of the guys of 2016 Junior World Cup winning side, then we can say India is on a strong position in world hockey. It is their opportunity to showcase their talent on the world stage," the Australian coach said.

The junior hockey World Cup is always considered as a stepping stone for aspiring youngsters to play the game at the senior level as nine players from the 2016 junior squad represented India at the Tokyo Olympics.

Also Read : Stay focussed as a team in adversity, don't point fingers: Manpreet's advice to Jr WC side

News Source : PTI

Bhubaneswar, Nov 23 (Hockey news) Staying focussed as a team in times of adversity is the key to success in a high-profile tournament like the FIH Junior Hockey World Cup, advised Manpreet Singh, captain of India's Tokyo Olympic bronze medal-winning side to his young colleague Vivek Sagar Prasad.

Defending champions India will open their campaign in the FIH Junior World Cup against France at the Kalinga Stadium here on Thursday, and Manpreet had some key advice for Prasad, captain of the home team.

"I have spoken to Vivek (Prasad) many times. I told him the main thing for them is to remain as a team," Manpreet said in a release issued by Hockey India.

"Winning and losing is part of the game. But when we lose, there is a tendency to point fingers, but I told him that the team should not do that and just focus on your game. Just stay as a team. And that will help you win every match." Prasad already has the experience of playing at the highest level as he was a key part of India's campaign in the Tokyo Olympics. The Indian juniors have been training along side the seniors players as part of preparations for the 16-team marquee event.

"They actually beat us in one of the games we played. I am pretty confident they have the ability to reach the final. And if they continue to play as a team throughout the tournament, they can win the trophy," said Manpreet.

Another vital member of the Olympic bronze-winning side PR Sreejesh feels the Indian players will miss the crowd factor as the tournament is being held inside a bio-bubble without spectators due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

"The team has been doing fantastic during the last couple of months in Bengaluru. Recently, we played a couple of games against them. They seemed ready to start the tournament," said the veteran goalkeeper, who was recently conferred with the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna award along side Manpreet.

"(But) I think the players will miss playing in front of the big crowd. That is the beauty of the Kalinga Stadium, the cheers, the sound, they will miss that. Still, I feel the atmosphere will help them to perform really well and will be a big learning experience."

Also Read : Jr Hockey WC: Title holders India seek inspiration from Olympic bronze medallist seniors

News Source : PTI

Bhubaneswar, Nov 23 (Hockey news) The Indian colts would draw inspiration from their Olympic bronze medal-winning seniors when they begin their title defence at the Junior Hockey World Cup with a clash against France, here on Wednesday.

Indian men's senior side created history at the Tokyo Olympics by claiming a bronze medal after 41 years.

The junior side would look to wrap up the successful 2021 season by retaining the World Cup title, which would be its third. The team first won the World Cup title in 2001 in Australia before reclaiming the crown in the last edition of the event in 2016 in Lucknow.

The junior hockey World Cup is considered a stepping stone for aspiring youngsters to play the game at the senior level as nine players from the 2016 squad represented India at the Tokyo Games.

And many members of the Vivek Sagar Prasad-led Indian team would look to showcase their potential and impress upon the national selectors for a place in the senior side.

Getting the opportunity to stay, train and play matches against senior side ahead of the event has been a blessing for the juniors.

Besides seniors like Manpreet Singh and PR Sreejesh, India chief coach Graham Reid has been working relentlessly with the Indian junior side, being coached by veteran BJ Kariappa.

In Arjuna awardee Prasad, the hosts will be led by someone who has already played the game at the highest level as he was part of the Olympic bronze-winning side.

Prasad will be assisted by star drag-flicker Sanjay as his deputy.

"Our team became the champions in 2016 and now our aim is to continue to perform in a similar manner," Prasad said.

Chief coach Reid said the opportunity to train along side senior side will certainly benefit the juniors.

"While we did not have overseas competition, the juniors played some practice games against the senior team in Bhubaneswar, which were quite valuable.

"Since arriving in Bhubaneswar, we have been getting used to the stadium. It's good that we are getting to train here before we start," Reid said.

India are placed in Pool B in the 16-team competition along side France, Canada and Poland and are overwhelming favourites to top the pool.

Pool A consists of European heavyweights Belgium, Malaysia, Chile and South Africa, while Netherlands, Spain, Korea and USA are in in Pool C.

Pool D will see Germany, Pakistan, Egypt and Argentina face off against each other.

The top two teams from each pool will qualify for the quarterfinals.

India are one of the tournament favourites along side Belgium, Germany and Netherlands, especially after the pull out of Australia and England due to COVID-related travel restrictions. Five countries have traditionally dominated the tournament with Germany being the most successful team with six titles, followed by India (twice).

Argentina, Australia and Pakistan have won the tournament once each.

Reid feels a mixture of "flexibility and flare" gives India the best opportunity to defend the title.

"We have chosen a group of 20 players, a team of 18, and two alternate players, who we believe give us the best chance of defending our title as Junior World Cup champions.

"It is a well-balanced side with a lot of flexibility and flare. The key to these guys performing on the big stage will be to trust in each other and trust in their preparation," the Australian said.

After France, India will play Canada and Poland on November 25 and 27 respectively.

All matches will be held inside a bio-bubble without spectators at the Kalinga Stadium.

In other matches on the opening day, Belgium will play South Africa, Malaysia will face Chile, Germany will take on Pakistan and Canada will lock horns against Poland.

Also Read : We will surprise whole world with our hockey: Pakistan junior team skipper Abdul

News Source : PTI

(Football news) Barcelona midfielder Pedri has been named the winner of the 2021 Golden Boy award with the 18 year old becoming the first Barcelona player since Lionel Messi in 2005 to be recognized as the best young player in Europe. The 18 year old was picked over Borussia Dortmund’s Jude Bellingham for the award with the Spanish midfielder getting 318 points, 199 points more than the England international.

In the last few years, the Golden Boy award has been given to the likes of Erling Haaland, Kylian Mbappe, Joao Felix and Matthijs de Ligt. Pedri, who has enjoyed a remarkable year joined Barcelona in the summer of 2020 from Las Palmas as a 17 year old and has played an integral role in the club winning the Copa Del Rey title as well as Spain reaching the Euro 2020 semi-finals and was recognized as the Young Player of the Tournament. Quite an achievement considering that he made his international debut in March.

If that wasn’t all, Pedri was also a part of Spain’s U-23 team that lost to Brazil in the finals of the Tokyo Olympics. However, it was inevitable that the sheer number of fixtures has caught up with the 18 year old who is now sidelined due to a thigh problem for the next few weeks, restricting him to just four appearances for Barcelona this season. Speaking to Tuttosport, Pedri said “I want to thank Tuttosport for this trophy which makes me so proud. Thanks also to the members of my team and the fans who have always supported me throughout a 2021 which for me has been simply incredible.

"Of course, I want to thank Barcelona, the national side, my family, my friends and everyone who has been with me day-in-day-out without whose help I would not have been able to win the Golden Boy award." The Catalan club recently secured Pedri’s long term future at the club until 2026 with a €1 billion release clause as Barcelona look to rebuild after the departure of Lionel Messi to Paris Saint-Germain last summer.

Also read: Barcelona and Atlético get luck wins while Real Madrid go top of the table after convincing performance

New Delhi, Nov 23 (Badminton news) India's two-time Olympic medallist P V Sindhu will be contesting the BWF Athletes' Commission election to be held during the World Championships in Spain on December 17.

Reigning world champion Sindhu, who is currently playing at the Indonesia Open Super 1000 event in Bali, is one of the nine candidates nominated for the available six positions.

"The elections for the Athletes' Commission (2021- 2025) will take place on Friday 17 December 2021 alongside the TotalEnergies BWF World Champion ships 2021, Huelva, Spain," the game's governing body said in a release.

"...Sindhu is the only current Athletes' Commission member standing for re-election. She was first elected in 2017 and is one of six women representatives running this cycle." Sindhu will be joined by Indonesia's women's doubles player Greysia Polii, who won the gold medal at Tokyo Olympics.

"I would like to assist my fellow players to achieve their dreams and help them out with their requests around competing on the international circuit," said Polii.

Other nominated players include Adam Hall of Scotland, Egypt's Hadia Hosny, Iris Wang of USA, Korea's Kim Soyeong, Netherland's Robin Tabeling, Soraya Aghaeihajiagha of Iran and China's Zheng Si Wei. The Chair of the Athletes' Commission is elected by the new Athletes' Commission and that person becomes a BWF Council Member after the vetting process required under the BWF constitution.

In May, Sindhu was also named athlete ambassador for IOC's 'Believe in Sports' campaign.

Also Read : Sindhu, Srikanth eye consistency at Indonesia Open Super 1000

News Source : PTI

New Delhi, Nov 22 (Wrestling news) Star Indian wrestler Bajrang Punia has decided to split with Georgian coach Shako Bentinidis and may hire Beijing Olympics bronze medallist Andriy Stadnik if talks with the Ukranian succeed.

Under the guidance of Bentinidis, the 27-year-old Bajrang won an Olympic bronze medal in Tokyo, 2018 Asian Games gold and a bronze medal at the 2019 world championship.

However, there has not been much improvement on his perennial weak leg defence.

"Yes, I am looking for a new coach for the new Olympic cycle," Bajrang told PTI.

"There is nothing wrong with Shako, I learnt a lot from him but a new coach can be tried for better results," he said.

However, according to Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) sources, Bajrang was, of late, not happy with the way Bentinidis carried out his job.

"We have learnt that Shako did not attend to him properly when he suffered an injury in Russia before the Tokyo Olympics. So a change was expected," said the source.

Stadnik is the husband of Maria, a four-time Olympic medallist and two-time world champion.

It has been learnt that Bajrang has approached Stadnik and he is also keen to work with the elite Indian athlete.

"Andriy is in running for the Ukrainian Federation elections. If he wins, then it will be tough for him to tie up with Bajrang. Let's see," said a source.

WFI may also replace Russian coach Kamal Malikov, attached with Ravi Dahiya, the Tokyo Games silver medallist.

Also Read : Wrestling singlet under a burqa: The story of Tahera's struggles

News Source : PTI

Bali, Nov 22 (Badminton news) Two-time Olympic medallist PV Sindhu and former world number 1 Kidambi Srikanth would look for a consistent show when they compete at the USD 850,000 Indonesia Open starting here on Tuesday.

Just days after their semifinal finishes at Indonesia Masters Super 750, the two top Indian shuttlers will begin their campaign at the World Tour Super 1000 event in their quest for title.

Sindhu, the reigning world champion, last reached the finals at the Swiss Open. She came close to the summit clash thrice by reaching the semifinals on three occasions, including her last two tournaments.

Last week, Sindhu's campaign was cut short by Japan's Akane Yamaguchi with a straight game win and the Indian will look to quickly recover from the loss.

The third seeded Indian will begin her campaign against Japan's Aya Ohori and she is likely to face Canada's sixth seed Michelle Li in the quarterfinals if she can cross the early rounds.

Srikanth, who had claimed four titles in 2017, has regained some form with two back-to-back semifinal finishes at Hylo Open and Indonesia Masters last week and he would be desperate to continue his good run and break his title draught.

Srikanth was outplayed by Anders Antonsen of Denmark last Saturday in the semifinals and he would look to put that disappointment behind when he faces HS Prannoy, who would be itching to settle the scores after being outwitted by his compatriot last week.

Prannoy, who was down with COVID-19 last year, showed glimpses of his earlier self when he notched up an upset win over Tokyo Olympics gold medallist Victor Axelsen of Denmark last week and he would hope to continue the momentum this week.

World number 16 B Sai Praneeth, who became a father recently, will also hope to turn his form around when he meets France's Toma Junior Popov in the opening round.

Lakshya Sen, who is ranked fourth in the Race To Guangzhou, will have an uphill task of taming the top seed and two-time world champion Kento Momota in his opening match, while Parupalli Kashyap squares off against Singapore's Loh Kean Yew.

Among other Indians in the fray, sixth seeded men's doubles pairing of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty has got a bye in the opening round, while MR Arjun and Dhruv Kapila will face Korea's Choi SolGyu and Kim Won Ho.

Women's doubles pair of Ashwini Ponnappa and N Sikki Reddy will cross swords with fifth seeded Bulgarian duo of Gabriela Stoeva and Stefani Stoeva.

In mixed doubles, Ashwini will pair up with B Sumeeth Reddy, while Sikki Reddy will play with Dhruv. Juhi Dewangan and Venkat Gaurav Prasad are also in the fray in the mixed doubles.

Also Read : Uganda Para Badminton International: Sukant wins gold, Pramod ends up with 3 silver medals

News Source : PTI

Bhubaneswar, Nov 22 (Hockey news) Playing practice matches against the senior hockey team, in the absence of overseas competition, was "valuable preparation" for the Indian side ahead of the FIH Junior World Cup, chief coach Graham Reid said on Monday.

The tournament is slated to be held from November 24 to December 5 at the Kalinga Stadium here.

India will enter the meet as the defending champions.

"While we did not have overseas competition, the teams played some practice games against the senior team in Bhubaneswar, which were quite valuable. Since arriving in Bhubaneswar, we have been getting used to the stadium," Reid said.

"The Kalinga Hockey Stadium is truly iconic. It's good that we are getting to train here before we start," he added on the team's preparations.

Defending champions India are placed in Group B, along with Canada, France, and Poland, who all arrived in the city over the last week.

The India junior side, led by Vivek Sagar Prasad, will be looking to retain the prestigious trophy as they take centre stage on their home turf.

"Our team became the champions in 2016 and now our team's aim is to continue to perform in a similar manner," Vivek, who was part of India's historic bronze-medal winning performance at the Tokyo Olympics, said.

The stage is set as the 16 participating teams prepare to battle it out for top honours at the FIH event.

All four teams in their respective pools will be aiming to finish in the top half of their pool, as the top two teams from each pool will qualify for the quarterfinals.

In Pool A, European heavyweights Belgium will face off against Malaysia, Chile and South Africa.

"India will be, of course, a force to watch playing at home with the qualities they have," Belgium coach Jeroen Baart said on arrival.

Speaking on the prospect of playing at the Kalinga Stadium, Malaysia head coach Wallace Tan said, "Our team is very excited to play at the Kalinga Stadium as it is a very big and respected stadium.

"Many big tournaments have been held here, and many legends have played here, so it will be an honour to play here." South Africa coach Sihle Ntuli picked Belgium as toughest team in the group stage.

"In our group, we have Malaysia, Belgium and Chile. I would think Belgium would be our toughest opponent. They are previous finalists, so we know it will be a difficult game. But we also think all the games will be difficult," he said.

Netherlands, Spain, Korea and USA will lock horns in Pool C.

"We have never played in such a big stadium. It's a shame people cannot come and watch the games. We are very excited to play here in the Kalinga Stadium," Netherlands captain Silas Lageman said.

Pool D will see Germany, Pakistan, Egypt and Argentina face off against each other.

Pakistan head coach Danish Kaleem praised the Odisha state government for working towards increasing the popularity of hockey across the world.

"I am very happy with the work done by Odisha state government and the Hon'ble Chief Minister Shri Naveen Patnaik for the work that they have done in promoting hockey all over the world. We are excited to compete in the tournament as it will help in increasing the popularity of the sport," he said.

Belgium will play against South Africa in the first game of the tournament on Wednesday. India will begin their campaign on the same day against France.

Also Read : Junior Hockey World Cup: COVID-19 testing of players, officials every 72 hours

News Source : PTI

New Delhi, Nov 19 (Hockey news) Skipper Rani Rampal has been rested for next month's Women's Asian Champions Trophy and in her absence vice-captain Savita will lead an 18-strong Indian hockey team.

The tournament is scheduled to be played in Donghae, South Korea from December 5-12.

India begin their campaign on the opening day and will battle it out against China, Korea, Japan, Thailand and Malaysia in the single-pool tournament for top honours.

Savita, who was named the FIH Goalkeeper of the Year, will captain the side as regular skipper Rani has been rested and is in rehabilitation in Bengaluru.

Experienced defender Deep Grace Ekka will be supporting Savita as the vice-captain.

Forwards Lalremsiami and Sharmila Devi and midfielder Salima Tete, who were part of the Indian team that finished fourth at the Tokyo Olympics, miss out. The three are part of the junior squad, which will vie for the top honours at the FIH World Cup, starting in South Africa from December 5.

Namita Toppo, who was the alternate player at the Tokyo Olympics, as well as her state-mate from Odisha Lilima Minz, are also part of the team.

The forward line will see two-time Olympian Vandana Katariya lead the charge with Navneet Kaur, who also was part of the Tokyo Olympic squad.

Forwards Rajwinder Kaur, Mariana Kujur and Sonika too have been named in the team.

The midfield includes Sushila Chanu Pukhrambam, Nisha, Monika, Neha, Jyoti.

Navjot Kaur and youngster Suman Devi Thoudam have been chosen as alternate players, who will be permitted to play only if there is an injury or someone in the 18-member squad is ruled out of the tournament due to COVID-19.

Speaking about the team composition, Chief coach Janneke Schopman said, "Despite some unfortunate injuries and Senior players joining the Junior team for the Junior World Cup in South Africa, I feel we have selected a good team for the upcoming Women's Asian Champions Trophy." This will be Schopman's first assignment as head coach having taken over from Sjoerd Marijne. She was earlier serving as the side's analytical coach.

"This tournament will be a good opportunity for some young new players to get a taste of the highest international level and I'm excited to see if we can implement our training themes consistently.

"I'm sure that expectations are high after our success at the Tokyo Olympics but we all start at zero again. I am confident that we can show our abilities and will be looking for our team to play consistently at a high pace," Schopman added.

While India will play their opening match against Thailand on December 5, they play Malaysia a day later, on December 6, and defending champions Korea in their third game on December 8.

India then play China and Japan on December 8 and 11, respectively.

The final will take place on December 12 between the topper of the pool and the team that finished second in the pool.

This will be the Indian women's team's first tournament since the Tokyo Olympics.

In the previous edition held in 2018, India had finished runners-up behind Korea.

Squad: Goalkeepers: Savita (C), Rajani Etimarpu Defenders: Deep Grace Ekka (VC), Udita, Nikki Pradhan, Gurjit Kaur Midfielders: Nisha, Sushila Chanu Pukhrambam, Namita Toppo, Monika, Neha, Jyoti, Lilima Minz Forwards: Navneet Kaur, Vandana Katariya, Rajwinder Kaur, Mariana Kujur, Sonika.

Also Read : Men’s Junior Hockey World Cup: Challenging yet elating experience for players: Minister

News Source : PTI

New Delhi, Nov 18 (Sports news) His confidence on a high after a 25-place finish in the recent World Championships -- the best ever by an Indian in the marquee event, India's premier Laser Class sailor Vishnu Saravanan is aiming another rare feat -- a gold in the next year's Asian Games.

India has won just one gold in sailing since the sport was introduced in 1970 in the continental multi-sport showpiece through Farokh Tarapore in 1982.

The 22-year-old Saravanan, who finished 20th in the Tokyo Olympics earlier this year, feels he can win India's second sailing gold and first in 40 years at the Huangzhou Asian Games next year.

"Nothing less than a gold," Saravanan told PTI when asked how confident he is for a top finish in the Chinese city in 2022.

"I was the best Asian in the ILCA7 World Championships in Barcelona (which ended last week) and the 2018 Asian Games bronze winner from Singapore finished behind me. It was great feeling that I could produce the best result by an Indian in World Championships." The 2018 Asian Games gold medallist Ha Jee-Min (Korea) and silver winner Khairulnizam Afendy (Malaysia) as well as China's Chen He, who was 15th in Tokyo, were not in Barcelona. But the Asian Games bronze medallist Ryan Ho (Singapore) and Kazumasa Segawa (Japan), who was fourth in Jakarta, were around and the Indian topped them comfortably.

"I am number two in the Asian rankings but I beat the top ranked Singaporean in the World Championships," said Saravanan, who is with the Army Yatching Node in Mumbai but mainly trains in Malta in Europe.

A third year B.Com student, Saravanan became a youth national champion in 2016 and won the senior nationals laser standard class in 2018. He won a bronze in the Under-21 World Championships in Croatia in 2019.

The 20th-place finish in the Tokyo Olympics saw him jump from 113 in the world rankings in March last year to 28 at the end of September this year and Saravanan wants to continue the rise.

"I finished 84th in the last World Championships in Sakaiminato City, Japan, in 2019 and 25th this time in Barcelona out of 135 competitors. My target in the next World Championships (in May 2022) in Mexico is a top-10 finish," he said.

For now, it's off season competition and Saravanan will be focussing on training before the international events begin in April next year.

"There is no competition from December to March. So, I will be training hard in this period. I will have a few competitions from April and will head to the World Championships and then to Asian Games." Asked if he is sure of being selected for the next Asian Games, Saravanan said, "Yeah, more or less. I am number one in the country after two rounds of trials.

"The third one will happen in May next year and I will not be taking part in that as it is clashing with the World Championships, but my position in the second trial, that is first position, will be counted. So I should be selected," he said, adding only one athlete from a country will take part in sailing event in the Asian Games.

Saravanan said he has not faced financial problems as he is included in the Target Olympic Podium Scheme of the Sports Authority of India, besides support from his employers Indian Army and Yachting Association of India.

Also Read : Young athletes to be guided through YOG education Programme

News Source : PTI

Bali, Nov 18 (Badminton news) Indian shuttlers PV Sindhu, Kidambi Srikanth and HS Prannoy registered similar come-from-behind victories in their respective events to advance to the quarterfinals of the Indonesia Masters Super 750 badminton tournament here on Thursday.

The highlight of the day was Prannoy's stunning 14-21 21-19 21-16 upset victory over Tokyo Olympics gold medallist Victor Axelsen in a tense one hour 11 minutes battle in the the men's singles second round.

Down and out in the first game, Prannoy made a sensational recovery to first level the match and then eke out a memorable win against the world no 2.

This was Prannoy's first victory in six attempts against Axelsen. With the win, the world no 32 Indian shuttler becomes the first player to beat the Dane in full a match since March.

In the women's singles, reining wold champion Sindhu, who is seeded third, took 47 minutes to record a 17-21 21-7 21-12 win over Spain's Clara Azurmendi.

Playing against the world no 47 Azurmendi for the first time, Sindhu went down in the first game before putting up a dominant performance in the next two games to register a brilliant victory.

The two-time Olympic medallist will now lock horns with world no 30 unseeded Turkish shuttler Neslihan Yigit in the quarterfinals. Sindhu has a 3-0 head-to-head record against the Turkish.

On the other hand, former world no 1 Srikanth, dispatched Indonesia's sixth seed Jonatan Christie 13-21 21-18 21-15 in one hour two minutes in the men's singles second round fixture.

The unseeded Srikanth, who had claimed the Indonesia Open Super Series premier in 2017 at Jakarta, will take on Prannoy in the quarterfinals.

However, it was curtains for young Lakshya Sen the men's singles event and the mixed doubles pairing of Dhruv Kapila and N Sikki Reddy.

The 20-year-old Lakshya, who had reached the semi-finals at Hylo Open Super 500 and final of Dutch Open recently, went down 13-21 19-21 to the top seed and two-time world champion Kento Momota of Japan in a 46-minute clash.

Kapila and Sikki, on the other hand, lost a hard fought 15-21 23-21 18-21 battle to Thai duo of Supak Jomkoh and Supissara Paewsampran in the second round mixed doubles match.

Women's doubles pair of Ashwini Ponappa and N Sikki Reddy also crashed out of the event in the second round third seeds Jongkolphan Kititharakul and Rawinda Prajongjai 18-21 12-21.

Also Read : Sindhu progresses to Indonesia Masters quarterfinals

News Source : PTI

Bali, Nov 17 (Badminton news) Indian shuttlers Kidambi Srikanth and HS Prannoy notched up contrasting wins to make a positive start to their men's singles campaign at the Indonesia Masters Super 750 badminton tournament here on Wednesday.

While Srikanth staved off a stiff challenge from world no 71 France's Christo Popov 21-18 15-21 21-16 in an hour and 15 minutes, former world no 10 Prannoy saw off Malaysia's Liew Daren 22-20 21-19 in the opening round.

Former world no 1 Srikanth, who had claimed the Indonesia Open Super Series premier in 2017 at Jakarta, will face Indonesia's sixth seed Jonatan Christie next.

Prannoy will be pitted against Olympic champion and second seed Viktor Axelsen of Denmark.

In mixed doubles, the pairing of Dhruv Kapila and N Sikki Reddy produced a stunning 21-11 22-20 win over second seeds and world no 5 Indonesian duo of Praveen Jordan and Melati Daeva Oktavianti to also advance to the second round.

However, it was curtains for world no 16 B Sai Praneeth and former Commonwealth Games champion Parupalli Kashyap.

While Praneeth, who played at the Tokyo Olympics, lost 21-16 14-21 20-22 to Shesar Hiren Rhustavito of Indonesia, Kashyap went down 10-21 19-21 to Denmark's Hans-Kristian Solberg Vittinghus.

Among others, Venkat Gaurav Prasad and Juhi Dewangan also bowed out after losing 15-21 12-21 to Hong Kong's Chang Tak Ching and Ng Wing Yung, while B Sumeeth Reddy and Ashwini Ponnappa lost 15-21 16-21 to sixth seeded Indonesian pair of Hafiz Faizal and Gloria Emanuelle Widjaja in another mixed doubles match.

Srikanth, who had reached the semifinals of Hylo Open, took some time to get into the groove as he lagged 2-8 at one stage. But the Indian scripted great recovery, turning the tables to reach 13-10.

Christo caught up with Srikanth at 18-18 but the Indian soon reeled off the last three points to gain an upper hand.

In the second game, Christo jumped to a 4-0 start and swelled it to 11-6 at the break. Srikanth grabbed four straight points to narrow the gap but the French shuttler kept his nose ahead to bounce back.

Srikanth galloped to a 6-1 lead early on in the decider but Christo once again made it 12-13 but the Indian ensured their were no hiccups as he sealed the issue comfortably in the end.

Srikanth thus joined two-time Olympic medallist P V Sindhu and Lakshya Sen in the second round.

Also Read : Srikanth, Dhruv-Sikki enter second round of Indonesia Masters

News Source : PTI

New Delhi, Nov 17 (Boxing news) The Boxing Federation of India (BFI) told the Delhi High Court on Wednesday that since the upcoming Women's World Boxing Championship has been postponed till March, it is likely to re-examine its earlier decision on the selected sportspersons from the country, which did not include National champion Arundhati Choudhary.

Counsel for BFI told Justice Rekha Palli, who was hearing a plea by Choudhary against not being considered for the championship, sought two weeks from the court to allow the sports body to decide if it is going to stick to earlier selected players or take a fresh decision.

“Give us two weeks. BFI can decide,” said counsel Parth Goswami.

Considering BFI's stand, the judge deferred hearing on the reigning youth world champion's petition and said that no orders were called for at this stage on her plea to make the selected player, Olympic bronze-winner Lovlina Borgohain, a party to the proceedings.

On November 10, the court had issued notice to BFI and Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports on the petition by the 19-year-old boxer who challenged her non-selection and claimed that Borgohain had been selected without a trial for the world championship.

The world championship, which was scheduled from December 4 to 18 in Istanbul, has been postponed till March next year due to the surging COVID-19 cases in Turkey.

In a statement earlier the BFI said, “Since only one entry in each weight category could be sent for the world championships, BFI has taken a conscious decision in its EC meeting and thereafter in its Selection Committee meeting to give 'one time exception for Ms. Lovlina Borgohain' Tokyo Olympic Bronze medallist, who will be selected for world championships directly in her weight category.” It said this decision was taken in the light of the fact that there was very less gap between Olympics and Elite Women's Championships that was held at Hissar and that Lovlina -- was also world no.3 in this weight category -- needed time to recuperate after Tokyo Olympics.

The decision was communicated to all state associations, it was stated.

Lawyers appearing for the BFI had informed the court on the previous occasion that petitioner has already been registered for the event as a reserved boxer in the 70 kg category.

Choudhary, in her plea filed through advocates Vijay Mishra and Sandeep Lamba, has said in the light of her excellent record and as she won gold medal in the women's national boxing championship held in Hissar in October this year, she ought to have been given preference over any other candidate in the upcoming championship in Turkey.

As an interim measure, Choudhary sought that the ministry and BFI be restrained from taking any detrimental action against her by denying the opportunity for her representation in the World Women Boxing Championship.

The matter would be heard next on December 7.

Also Read : With world championships postponed till March 2022; trials 'all but certain' for women boxers

News Source : PTI

New Delhi, Nov 15 (Sports news) CA Bhavani Devi, the first Indian fencer to participate at the Olympics, on Monday received her Arjuna Award from Sports Minister Anurag Thakur.

The 28-year-old Bhavani could not attend the sports awards ceremony on Saturday as she was participating in a competition in France.

However, on her return to the country, the fencer met Thakur who honoured her with the award.

"Holding the Arjuna Award was My Childhood Dream, and today, it happened. I am so much Emotional. Work Hard & Play for the Country. One day, the country will pay back. Thank YOU," Bhavani tweeted.

In the Tokyo Olympics in July this year, she won her round of 64 match against Tunisia's Nadia Ben Azizi 15-3 before going down to eventual bronze-medallist Manon Brunet of France in the round of 32.

In October, Bhavani won the Charleville National Competition in France, in the women's sabre individual event.

Olympic champion javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra, India opener Shikhar Dhawan, veteran woman cricketer Mithali Raj and history-making Paralympic stars shared the spotlight as an unprecedented 12 sportspersons were presented with India's highest sporting honour -- the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna -- by President Ram Nath Kovind here on Saturday.

In a glittering function organised at the Durbar Hall of the Rashtrapati Bhawan, the President also bestowed 35 sportspersons with the Arjuna award as he recognised the country's unparalleled Olympic and Paralympic performances this year.

Also Read : India honours its sporting best at dazzling National awards ceremony

News Source : PTI

Dhaka, Nov 15 (Archery news) Young and unheralded Mohit Deshwal of Haryana stunned Korean top seed Choi Yonghee en route to setting up a semi-final clash with Indian ace Avishek Verma in the men's compound section of the Asian Archery Championships here on Monday.

On a day when the Indian recurve archers' familiar struggles against the Koreans once again came to the fore, the compound trio of Mohit, Verma and Jyothi Surekha kept India's hopes alive in the individual sections, advancing into their respective last-four rounds.

Less than two months after winning a silver medal at the Jamshedpur Senior Nationals, the 19-year-old Mohit stepped up at the international level and stood on the verge of a dream Asian Championships medal.

Having slipped to 16th place in the ranking round on Sunday, the India debutant shocked the world number 18 in the pre-quarterfinals, shooting a perfect 10 in the shoot-off as his heavyweight Korean rival managed a 9.

Hailing from a poor farmer's family in Ladhot village near Rohtak, Mohit displayed maturity and drilled in 13 perfect 10s from 15 arrows, which included five X (closest to the centre) before delivering the final punch in the shoot-off.

Mohit started off in spectacular fashion, with six perfect arrows to lead 60-59 after two ends as he held on to his one-point advantage in a neck-and-neck tussle till a small slip (9) in the final end helped Yonghee claw back to level 148-all.

"He has a strong mental game which helped him recover from the poor show in the ranking round and beat the Korean... I was following bit by bit," Mohit's coach Deepak Malik told PTI.

Malik runs the Navyug Archery Academy near Rohtak, where Mohit trains with his younger sister Tamanna Deshwal, a recurve mixed team silver medallist at the Under-17 World Youth Championships in Wroclaw, Poland in August.

"He just needs a win to win a dream medal at the Asian Championships. It would be a big achievement for all of us," Malik, whose students Kushal Dalal, Tamanna and Vickey got medals at the Youth World Championships in August, added.

In the quarters, Mohit defeated eighth seed Amir Kazempour of Iran 148-144 to seal his semifinal berth.

Former Asian champion Verma secured three easy wins on his way to setting up a semifinal clash with Mohit.

The duo last met at the Senior Nationals in October with Verma reigning supreme.

A day after he outshone his mentor Verma to get the third seeding, Rishabh Yadav made a disappointing quarterfinal exit, going down to sixth seed Sergey Khristich in a shoot-off.

Both shot in the nine ring in the shoot-off, but the Kazakhstan archer was adjudged winner with his arrow closer to the centre.

Fresh from winning three silver medals at the World Championships this year, Jyothi Surekha Vennam was the only Indian in fray in the women's individual section.

Jyothi got the better of her teammate Parneet Kaur 148-146 to set up a last-four date with Korean top seed Kim Yunhee, the 2015 world champion.

It was the same old story in the recurve section, where the Koreans made the Indians bite the dust en route to make an all-Korean semifinal lineup.

The Tokyo Olympics-returned Pravin Jadhav and reigning senior national champion Parth Salunkhe were the best among the Indian quartet, but in the quarters they went down to their respective Korean opponents in the men's individual section.

In the women's section, reigning youth world champion Komalika Bari lost to top seed Ryoo Su Jung, the 2011 world youth champion 6-4, in the quarters.

Madhu Vedwan and Ridhi also made quarterfinal exits, suffering 0-6 thrashing against their respective Korean opponents.

The team elimination round is slated on Thursday.

Also Read : Yadav best among Indians, pips mentor Verma to take third place in ranking round

News Source : PTI

New Delhi, Nov 15 (Hockey news) Forward Lalremsiami, who was a part of the Indian senior women's hockey team which finished fourth at the Tokyo Olympics, will lead the country's 18-member junior squad at the FIH World Cup starting in South Africa from December 5.

The event will witness 16 top teams from across the globe battle for the title which was previously won by Argentina in 2016.

While the 21-year-old Lalremsiami will captain the squad, defender Ishika Chaudhary will shoulder the responsibility of vice-captaincy. The team also includes Salima Tete and Sharmila Devi, who were part of the senior team at the Tokyo Olympics.

Preeti and Prabhleen Kaur have been chosen as alternate players who will be permitted to compete if there is an injury or someone in the squad is ruled out due to COVID-19.

"To pick the final selection of 18 players was extremely difficult especially as all 28 players in the Core Probable Group worked very hard in the past months and made good progress," Chief Coach Women, Janneke Schopman said in a release issued by Hockey India (HI).

"But we feel that we have selected a strong team that is able to compete with every team at the Junior World Cup.

"With the experience from the Senior team and some great young talent we will show the best India has to give. The team is very excited as they have waited a long time to compete at the world stage and we're looking forward to making the most of this great opportunity." India's best performance in this prestigious event came in 2013 where they won the bronze medal after beating England. India, who are grouped in Pool C, will begin their campaign on December 6 against Russia.

They will take on defending champions Argentina on December 7 in their second match in the round-robin league, followed by a clash against Japan on December 9.

The knockout matches will take place between December 10 and December 16.

The teams in the fray include the Netherlands, Korea, Ireland, Zimbabwe in Pool A, England, Belgium, Canada and Uruguay in Pool B. Argentina, India, Japan and Russia in Pool C while Germany, Spain, United States and South Africa are in Pool D.

India Squad: Lalremsiami (C), Ishika Chaudhary (VC), Bichu Devi Kharibam (GK), Khushboo (GK), Akshata Abaso Dhekale, Priyanka, Marina Lalramnghaki, Ajmina Kujur, Baljeet Kaur, Reet, Vaishnavi Vitthal Phalke, Salima Tete, Sharmila Devi, Beauty Dungdung, Deepika, Mumtaz Khan, Sangita Kumari, Jiwan Kishori Toppo. 

Also Read : Want to use my Tokyo Olympics experience in Junior World Cup: Salima Tete

News Source : PTI

Bali, Nov 15 (Badminton news) Two-time Olympic medallist P V Sindhu will continue her quest for a podium finish when she spearheads India's challenge at the Indonesia Masters Super 750 tournament but compatriots Saina Nehwal and Sameer Verma will be missing in action after deciding to pull out of the tournament due to injuries.

Sindhu, who had claimed a bronze at the Tokyo Olympics to go with her Rio silver medal, reached the quarterfinals and semifinals at Denmark and France before skipping the Hylo Open in Germany.

The 2019 World Championship in Switzerland was Sindhu's last title. She reached the final at Swiss Open early this year but it ended with a loss.

The third seeded Indian, however, has good memories of Indonesia as she had reached the finals at Jakarta two years back and will look to make a good start when she faces Thailand's Supanida Katethong in the opener.

Sindhu is likely to cross swords with Spain's Clara Azurmendi and Canada's sixth seed Michelle Li in the next two rounds and a clash against top seeded Japanese Akane Yamaguchi could be on the cards in the semifinals if she can cross the initial rounds.

Saina, the London Olympics bronze-medallist, and Sameer, who looked in good touch in the last two events, will miss the Indonesia leg to recover from their respective injuries.

While Saina had suffered a groin injury at Uber Cup, Sameer had injured his calf muscle in Denmark.

All eyes this week will also be on Kidambi Srikanth and Lakshya Sen, who had reached the semifinals of Hylo Open.

While Srikanth seemed close to regaining his form, Lakshya too has looked in good touch in his last few outings. The duo will look to continue the good run when they begin their men's singles campaign here.

Lakshya will meet Japan's Kanta Tsuneyama in his opening round, while Srikanth faces a qualifier after Sameer pulled out.

Tokyo Olympian B Sai Praneeth will take on Indonesia's Shesar Hiren Rhustavito, while HS Prannoy is pitted against sixth-seeded Indonesian Jonatan Christie in his opener.

Parupalli Kashyap will square off against Denmark's Hans-Kristian Solberg Vittinghus.

In men's doubles competition, sixth seeds Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty will lock horns with Malaysia's Ong Yew Sin and Teo Ee Yi, while the fast-rising pair of MR Arjun and Dhruv Kapila will battle it out against the Japanese combination of Takuro Hoki and Yugo Kobayashi.

The women's doubles pair of Ashwini Ponnappa and N Sikki Reddy will take on Denmark's Alexandra Boje and Mette Poulsen.

In mixed doubles, Ashwini has paired up with B Sumeeth Reddy and Sikki will partner Dhruv Kapila.

Also Read : Lakshya, Srikanth lose in semifinals of Hylo Open

News Source : PTI

New Delhi, Nov 14 (Shooting news) In a highly beneficial move for Asian countries, the International Shooting Federation (ISSF) has increased the number of Olympic quota places for the continent from 38 to 48.

This is expected to come into effect from the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, the qualifications for which will begin from next year.

The 2020 Tokyo Games had 38 quota places on offer.

"The Asian Shooting Confederation received a letter from ISSF confirming that the Olympic Quota Places for Asia is increased from 38 to 48 Quota Places," the sport's continental body (ASC) said in a statement on Twitter and Facebook.

"The Asian Shooting Confederation expresses its gratitude to the ISSF and all members who contributed to this achievement," the ASC added.

India were represented by a record 15 shooters at the Tokyo Olympics but the country returned empty-handed after a disastrous outing in the Japanese capital.

Before that, in Rio 2016 Games, India sent 12 shooters, but there too, the country's marksmen and markswomen failed to finish on the podium.

At a special ceremony in the Olympic Museum recently, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach handed over the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Torch to the ISSF President Vladimir Lisin "in recognition of the continues support before and during the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020".

During his visit to Lausanne, Lisin also took part in meetings dedicated to the next Olympic Games in Paris.

Meanwhile, during a recent meeting of the ISSF council, its members were "updated on the main approaches to the Qualification system for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, the structure of the shooting sport events' formats for 2022-2024 and the development fund activity." They also were informed about the approved calendar of 2022 ISSF Championships.

Besides, the presidents of the continental confederations of Asia, America, Africa, Australia, Oceania and Europe reported on the work done in 2021, as did the chairman of the ISSF Committees, the sport's global body said in a statement.

Also Read : Rahi wins silver in 25m individual pistol after malfunction, Manu strikes mixed gold

News Source : PTI

(Football news) Xavi Hernandez’s first signing after returning to his boyhood club FC Barcelona has been the return of 38 year Dani Alves on a free transfer. The Brazilian spent eight years at the Blaugrana, winning a total of 23 titles which includes three Champions League titles, four Copa del Rey, three Fifa Club World Cups, three Spanish Super Cups, four European Super Cups and six La Liga titles.

A statement released by the club said “FC Barcelona and Dani Alves have reached an agreement in principle for the player to join the football first team for the remainder of the current season. The Brazilian will be joining training from next week but will not be able to play until January. The club will announce the full details at his official presentation as a new FC Barcelona player.”

Alves is the most decorated footballer in the history of the sport, winning a total of 43 competitive titles in his career so far and despite his advancing age, he played an important role in Brazil securing a gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics, playing every minute of the tournament amounting to a mammoth 480 minutes of football.

There has been a lot of talk about Barcelona’s new manager Xavi Hernandez only having a transfer kitty of €10 million with the club still struggling with a financial crisis and long term contracts to Ansu Fati and Pedri have caused a further strain along with Koeman’s sacking and Xavi’s appointment. The inclusion of Dani Alves in the dressing room brings with it a wealth of experience of having achieved nearly all there is to win at the highest level and the 38 year old defender will be hoping to put up some impressive performances to find a place in Tite’s squad for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.

Alves is expected to make his second debut for Barcelona on January 2nd against Mallorca in the La Liga.

Also read: Does Casemiro deserve to be in the same bracket as N'golo Kante?

New Delhi, Nov 13 (Hockey news) Members of the historic Olympic bronze medal winning Indian men's hockey team, including skipper Manpreet Singh and veteran goalkeeper PR Sreejesh, will join the ongoing national camp in Bhubaneswar on Sunday ahead of next month's Hero Asian Champions Trophy in Dhaka.

The national camp already began on November 10 sans the members of the bronze medal winning side.

Manpreet and Sreejesh will be conferred with the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna award on Saturday here before they leave for the camp.

The other players who will join the camp on Sunday are Harmanpreet Singh, Dilpreet Singh, Amit Rohidas, Surender Kumar, Nilakanta Sharma, Sumit, Hardik Singh, Simranjeet Singh, Gurjant Singh, Mandeep Singh, Shamsher Singh, Lalit Kumar Upadhyay and Varun Kumar who were all conferred with the Arjuna award for their historic performance in Tokyo Olympics.

Vivek Sagar Prasad, who is also in New Delhi for the Arjuna award ceremony, will join the senior Camp after his campaign with the India junior team at the FIH men's Junior World Cup to be held in Bhubaneswar from November 24 to December 5.

The 30-member core probable group will camp in Bhubaneswar till December 9. The core group also includes Akashdeep Singh, Gurinder Singh, Jarmanpreet Singh, Krishan B Pathak, Suraj Karkera, Jaskaran Singh, Nilam Sanjeep Xess, Raj Kumar Pal, Gursahibjit Singh, Dipsan Tirkey, Shilanand Lakra, Mandeep Mor, Ashis Kumar Topno and Suman Beck.

"It will be good to have the senior men's team train in Bhubaneswar as the weather here is almost similar to that of Dhaka. It will be great for the team to train in these conditions and get acclimatised.

"We will also be playing a few internal matches between the senior and the junior core probables that will surely help in our preparations for the Junior World Cup," chief coach Graham Reid said in a release. "The season next year will be busy for the senior squad with back-to-back major international tournaments and it will be great to kick off the year by defending the Asian Champions Trophy." The Asian Champions Trophy will be held from December 14 to 22 when defending champions India, Pakistan, Korea, Japan, Malaysia and hosts Bangladesh will vie for top honour.

Senior men's core group: Goalkeeper: PR Sreejesh, Krishan B Pathak, Suraj Karkera.

Defender: Harmanpreet Singh, Amit Rohidas, Surender Kumar, Varun Kumar, Gurinder Singh, Jarmanpreet Singh, Nilam Sanjeep Xess, Dipsan Tirkey, Mandeep Mor, Ashis Kumar Topno, Suman Beck.

Midfielder: Manpreet Singh, Nilakanta Sharma, Sumit, Hardik Singh, Jaskaran Singh, Raj Kumar Pal.

Forward: Simranjeet Singh, Gurjant Singh, Mandeep Singh, Shamsher Singh, Lalit Kumar Upadhyay, Akashdeep Singh, Gursahibjit Singh, Shilanand Lakra, Dilpreet Singh.

Also Read : Here as relationship coach for junior team: Graham Reid

News Source : PTI

Gonda (Uttar Pradesh), Nov 12 (Wrestling News) A tactically superior Sarita Mor bagged the 59kg title with a commanding victory over comeback-girl Geeta Phogat on a day when established names such as Divya Kakran and Sakshi Malik bit the dust at the National Wrestling Championship here on Friday. The 59kg category was one of the toughest in the women's competition with three World Championships medallists in the fray for the title.

Sarita entered the event fresh from her World bronze medal-winning performance while struggling but strong Pooja Dhanda (2018 World bronze winner) needed to get back his old touch.

Making it a tougher bracket was 2012 World bronze winner Geeta, who returned to competitive wrestling after three years following maternity break.

Sarita dominated all her matches en route the title clash as only Pooja Dhanda tested her. She won two matches by fall and one by technical superiority.

As it was anticipated, 26-year-old Sarita and 32-year Geeta entered the final in which the Railways wrestler emerged champion with a 8-0 scoreline.

Sarita was sharp, had more power in her moves in the final against Geeta, who conceded that she let her rival call the shots.

Sarita was aggressive from the beginning while Geeta remained defensive which hurt her chances. Sarita kept tightening her grip in the match, building her lead with move after move.

Incidentally, the last time Geeta competed at the nationals was in 2017 when she had beaten Sarita in the gold medal match.

"I was high on motivation after World Championship. I have worked on my attack a lot in the recent and I am glad I could execute what I had practiced," Sarita said after winning her seventh gold at the nationals.

"I also wanted to congratulate Geeta, who really had a great comeback. It is not easy but she was good. I had analysed her game along with my husband Rahul (Maan) and coach Kuldip Malik, and played accordingly. I love playing ground wrestling and that is what I did today." Geeta said the 8-0 scoreline in the final is hurting her even as overall she is happy with silver.

"Win or defeat does not matter but the manner of defeat is what is hurting. I just could not play my game in final, I let Sarita dictate terms," she said.

"On my comeback I did not find any issue with my endurance level or speed but I need tactical work in game." Geeta's younger sister Sangeeta won the title in the 62kg division, in which Sakshi Malik was knocked out by Manisha with a 6-1 score.

The 2016 Olympic bronze winner has been struggling for some time and is getting beaten in domestic competitions. Sangeeta was tested by Punjab's Loveleen Kaur in her opening bout, prevailing 8-8 on criteria but got better with each match. She is also making a comeback after a long time following a knee injury.

Several times Sangeeta made leg attacks, holding the ankles of her opponents but could not complete the moves. She was certainly not as sharp as she would have liked.

Another big name to bite the dust was U23 World Championship bronze medallist Divya Kakran. She was pinned by eventual gold winner Pinki.

Kulvinder took silver while the second bronze was taken by Anuradha.

Country's next crop also impressed as junior world championship bronze medallist Simran and U23 world silver winner Shivani Pawar knocked a few big names on their way to 50kg title clash.

Shivani beat Tokyo Olympics participant Seema Bisla 7-2 in semifinals before taking the gold by pinning Simran.

With her sound technique and stamina, Shivani showed a lot of promise for future while Simran too has been making a steady progress. 

Also Read : WFI has its way, sports NGO JSW agrees on tripartite contracts with wrestlers

News Source : PTI

Bhubaneswar, Nov 12 (Hockey News) Overseeing India's preparation for the upcoming FIH Junior World Cup, senior hockey team's chief coach Graham Reid called himself a "relationship coach" who is only here to put "icing on the cake" to the side's title defence.

India, who won the last edition of the Junior World Cup in Lucknow in 2016, will start their campaign from pool B, taking on France on the opening day here on November 24.

After guiding India to a historic Olympic bronze medal at the Tokyo Olympics, Reid has worked in tandem with junior coach BJ Kariappa at SAI Bangalore before shifting base to Bhubaneswar.

"Now for me, it's about putting the icing on the cake, trying to instil some of the values that we have in the senior team, the structures that are put in place.

"It's more icing on the cake rather than having to rebuild anything," Reid, who coached the senior team to a historic bronze medal in the Tokyo Olympics, said in a virtual media conference.

"To be honest, in the last month, I've definitely been a relationship coach... You know, having (good) relationships with each of the players is really important so that when the chips are down those things can come to the fore." Hit by the pandemic, the colts have been robbed of any overseas tour so the only preparation they had was to take on the senior team before the Olympics.

"If you recall before going to Tokyo, they had practice games against senior boys which was valuable for both the teams." Reid said the senior camp would now be shifted to Bhubaneswar within a week so that the junior can have more practice matches.

The 18-member junior team will be led by Vivek Sagar Prasad, who was a member of the bronze medal winning Olympics team.

Asked whether there would be added pressure, especially after their Tokyo achievement, the 57-year-old Aussie great said: "I don't think so. There is already enough pressure.

"When you are the reigning champions, there is already some extra pressure. But what people would understand is that it's a completely different team than what we had four years ago.

"We have to make sure we trust each other's preparation and that's what we will be doing." The defending champions are in an easy pool with France, Canada and Poland.

"I don't like to talk about other teams because it comes back to bite you. It doesn't matter whom you play, you should always play good games. The tournament concludes on December 5. 

Also Read : Olympic medallist Vivek Sagar Prasad to lead India in men's junior hockey World Cup

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

New Delhi, Nov 11 (Sports news) India's Tokyo Paralympics gold winner Pramod Bhagat was on Thursday named among six shuttlers for the Male Para Badminton Player of the Year by the sport's world body but none of his compatriots featured in the able-bodied awards' categories.

Reigning world champion Bhagat, who had won a historic gold medal in the men's singles SL3 class in the Tokyo Olympics in September, was also named along with Manoj Sarkar for the newly introduced Para Badminton Pair of the Year, with five other nominees.

Sarkar had bagged a bronze in the men's singles SL3 class in the Tokyo Olympics.

The 33-year-old Bhagat, who had contracted polio when he was four years old, picked up the sport after watching his neighbours play. Initially, he competed against able-bodied players before getting into competitive para badminton in 2006.

Bhagat is also current world number one and Asian champion in SL3. In SL3 classification, athletes with lower limb impairment compete.

There was no Indian in the list of nominees in the able-bodied categories.

Danish players Viktor Axelsen and Anders Antonsen, China's Wnag Yi Lyu and Japan's Yuta Watanabe were nominated for the (able-bodied) Male Player of the Year.

Axelsen was the gold medallist at the Tokyo Olympics.

China's Tokyo Games gold winner in women's singles, Chen Yu Fei, Spain's Carolina Marin, Taipei's Tai Tzu Ying and Japan's Akane Yamaguchi were the nominees for Female Player of the Year.

Due to COVID-19 pandemic, the eligibility period was extended to cover the 2020 and 2021 seasons (November 1, 2019 to October 31, 2021).

The winners will be announced during the Bali Leg of the HSBC BWF World Tour in Indonesia in November-December. The Badminton World Federation (BWF) said two new award categories were introduced -- Pair of the Year and Para Badminton Pair of the Year.

"The BWF Awards Commission also wished to make special mention of the extraordinary journey of Guatemala’s Kevin Cordon across four Olympic Games and his stunning performances at Tokyo 2020 which took him to the semifinals," the BWF said. 

Also Read : Honoured to be awarded Khel Ratna: Neeraj Chopra

News Source : PTI

Bhubaneswar, Nov 11 (Hockey news) Olympic bronze-medallist Vivek Sagar Prasad will lead the 18-strong Indian men's hockey squad's title defence at the FIH men's junior World Cup starting here from November 24.

The event slated to begin on November 24 will witness 16 top teams from across the globe vie for the tropyh, which was previously won by India in 2016.

While the 21-year-old Vivek, who was part of India's historic Olympic bronze medal winning senior team at Tokyo earlier this year, will captain the squad, 2018 Youth Olympics silver-medallist defender Sanjay will be supporting him as the vice-captain.

Dinachandra Singh Moirangthem and Boby Singh Dhami have been chosen as alternate players who will be allowed to compete only if there is an injury or someone in the 18-member squad is ruled out of the tournament due to COVID-19.

India begin their campaign on November 24 against France. They will take on Canada a day later on November 25 in their second match in the round robin league.

This will be followed by their match against Poland on November 27. The knockout matches will take place between December 1 and 5.

The other teams in fray include Belgium, The Netherlands, Argentina, Germany, Canada, South Africa, Egypt, Pakistan, Korea, Malaysia, Poland, France, Chile, Spain and USA.

"To choose the best 18 players to represent their country is one of the hardest things to do in sport. Each of these guys have put their everything into trying to make this team for the last 12-18 months," men's hockey team chief coach Graham Reid said.

"Through COVID, through sanctions and lockdowns, huge sacrifices have been made. We have chosen a group of 20 players, a team of 18 and 2 alternate players who we believe gives us the best chance of defending our title as Junior World Cup Champions.

"It is a well-balanced side with a lot of flexibility and flare. The key to these guys performing on the big stage will be to trust in each other and trust in their preparation," he added.

Reid also spoke about the team's ongoing preparations in Bhubaneswar where they are putting in the hard yards needed to succeed in the tournament.

"The players have been thoroughly enjoying the opportunity to train for the last few days at Kalinga Hockey Stadium which has become an icon in our sport.

"Even though the ground will be empty, the Olympics have proven that the spectacle of hockey can still be enjoyed by everyone involved," stated Reid highlighting the team's excitement ahead of the tournament.

Squad: Vivek Sagar Prasad (C), Sanjay (VC) Shardanand Tiwari, Prashant Chauhan (GK), Sudeep Chirmako, Rahul Kumar Rajbhar, Maninder Singh, Pawan (GK), Vishnukant Singh, Ankit Pal, Uttam Singh, Sunil Jojo, Manjeet, Rabichandra Singh Moirangthem, Abhishek Lakra, Yashdeep Siwach, Gurmukh Singh, Araijeet Singh Hundal.

Also Read : Hockey coach Sandeep Sangwan moves HC against exclusion from Dronacharya Award

News Source : PTI

(Olympics news) The International Olympic Committee (IOC) announced the winners for the best broadcast coverage of the Tokyo Olympics 2020 with the awards being presented across 12 categories: Best Coverage by the Host Broadcaster; Best Athlete Profile; Best Equality & Inclusion Content; Best Innovation; Best Olympic Digital Service; Best Olympic Feature/Documentary; Best Olympic Programme; Best On-Air Promotion; Best Social Media Content/Production; Digital Fan Engagement; Commentary; and a Lifetime Commitment Award.

IOC President Thomas Bach said: "The Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 were the most engaged Olympic Games ever and another landmark moment in sports broadcasting history. Through the IOC’s partnerships with leading media companies around the world, we are able to share the magic of the Olympic Games to inspire billions of people. Our close partnership with our broadcasters is a great reflection that we can only go faster, we can only aim higher, we can only become stronger, if we work together – in solidarity. There were more submissions for the Golden Rings Awards than ever before, and the breadth, diversity and creativity of the production is testament to the passion and commitment of the individuals who work with us to broadcast the Olympic Games.”

Best Athlete Profile     

Gold: TV Globo - “Rayssa Leal” - Producer: Carol Oliveira - Director: Rafael Pirrho

Silver: 7Network - “Kai and Saya Sakakibara” - Producer: Nick Barrow - Director: Lewis Martin

Bronze: MARCA Claro - “Paula Pareto” - Producer: Gustavo Ramirez Beguerisse - Director: Juan Carlos Lopez de la Cerda

Best Coverage by the Host Broadcaster         

Gold: OBS - Sailing Team - Producer: Henry Mok - Director: Leon Sefton

Silver: OBS - Cycling - Mountain Bike - Producer: Chris Jensen - Director: Olivier Moser

Bronze: OBS - Surfing  Producer: Helen Borobokas - Director: Lyle Fielmich

Best Equality & Inclusion Content (Presented by Worldwide TOP Partner P&G)

Gold: NBC Universal NBC Olympics' - Coverage of the Games of the XXXII Olympiad - Producer: Rob Hyland - Director: Mike Sheehan

Silver: Televisa - Legacy of Champions: Ricardo del Real - Producer: Javier Sahagun - Director: Amaury Salyano

Bronze: Sky New Zealand - Sky's Tokyo 2020 reporting team Producer: Andrew Hawthorn - Director: Matt Quin

Best Innovation

Gold: Eurosport Discovery - The Eurosport Cube - Producer: Paul Whipps - Director: Alex Dinnin

Gold: NBC Universal - NBC Olympics' Friends and Family Integration - Producer: Lee Ann Gschwind - Director: Mike Sheehan

Bronze: NHK - Real-time sign language commentary with CG animation - Producer: Toru Ogawa - Director: Tsubasa Uchida

Best Olympic Digital Service

Gold: NBC Universal - NBC Sports - Producer: Eric Hamilton - Directors: Alexis Coble and Sam Tydings

Silver: TV Globo - Repercussion - Producer: Yas André Yasaka - Director: Chico Leao

Bronze: CBC/Radio-Canada - Full digital product experience - CBC/Radio-Canada Team

Best Olympic Feature/Documentary  

Gold: NBC Universal Imagine - Producers: Philip Parrisch, Elinore Wright, Aaron Cohen, Jack Felling - Director: Philip Parrish

Silver: Sky New Zealand - One Fern: One Hundred Years - Producer and Director: Paora Ratahi           

Bronze: 7Network - Jess Fox Gold Medal Split Screen - Producer: Nick Barrow - Director: Lewis Martin

Best Olympic Programme

Gold: NBC Universal - NBC Olympics' Coverage of the Games of the XXXII Olympiad - Producer: Rob Hyland - Director:Mike Sheehan

Silver: BBC - Today at the Games - Producer: Mike Jackson - Director: Matthew Griffiths

Bronze: France TV - Highlights of Tokyo 2020 - Producers: Pascal Golomer, Gilles Silard, Frederic Gaillard, Laurence Beyssac, Fabrice Colin - Director: Didier Fraisse

Best On-Air Promotion

Gold: France TV - Sumo - Producer: Hugues Allart - Director: Geoffroy Barbet-Massin

Silver: NBCUniversal - Tomorrow in Tokyo - Producer: Jack Felling - Director: Jack Felling

Bronze: TV Globo - Anime - Producer: Yas André Yasaka - Director: Chico Leao

Best Social Media Content/Production           

Gold: 7Network - From Little Things, Big Things Grow - Producer: Nick Barrow - Director: Lewis Martin

Silver: BBC - BBC Sport - TikTok - BBC Sport Digital Video Team     

Bronze: SBS - Tokyo 2020 Direct Cam - Producer: Lee Moon-Ki - Director: Mok Jungwoong

Digital Fan Engagement

Gold: OBS

Commentary

Gold: OBS

Lifetime Commitment Award

Velitchka Nedialkova, ZDF

Organized by the International Olympic Committee, the Golden Rings award is a prestigious international competition to promote and recognize excellence in broadcasting of the Olympic Games. IOC member Anant Singh heads the international jury and is a leading professional in the film and media industry. Olympic Orders will be presented by Peter Diamond, Vice President of NBC Olympics and Besim Hasani, former President of the Kosovo Olympic Committee.

New Delhi, Nov 9 (Hockey News) Hockey coach Sandeep Sangwan Tuesday sought that the Delhi High Court quash the decision of the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports which excluded him from the Dronacharya Award (Regular Category) for 2021.

Justice Rekha Palli asked the Centre to take instructions and listed the matter for further hearing on November 12.

Sangwan, who claims to be a renowned Hockey coach, said he was ignored by the Centre from being considered for the Dronacharya Award despite being found meritorious by the Selection Committee for Sports Award 2021.

Senior advocate Rahul Mehra, representing Sangwan, submitted that he was ignored despite being the most meritorious candidate who secured the highest points for the sport of hockey in terms of the Scheme for Dronacharya Award for Outstanding Coaches in Sports and Games of the ministry.

The Centre was represented through Additional Solicitor General Chetan Sharma and standing counsel Anil Soni.

The plea, filed through advocate R Arunadhri Iyer, said: “The petitioner is given to understand that for the sport of Hockey, four persons had applied, including the petitioner, and of this, he had scored more than twice of what the next highest candidate in terms of the Scheme and Criteria.

“The petitioner is also given to understand from reliable and trustworthy sources that the candidate who eventually has now been awarded the Award had scored less than half of what the petitioner had scored in terms of the Scheme/ Criteria. In the circumstances, awarding the Award to the said candidate to the exclusion of the petitioner is contrary to the express provisions of...the Criteria”.

The plea sought direction to the authorities to call for the records of and quashing of the November 2 decision of the ministry by which Sangwan was excluded from the award.

It also sought to direct the ministry to additionally confer the Dronacharya Award (Regular Category) for 2021 to Sangwan for his performance as a coach based on merit as per the points system introduced in compliance with the high court’s earlier orders.

The plea also sought to lay down a proper time schedule for declaration of the Dronacharya Award and other sports awards in future, by the end of May every year so as to provide reasonable time and opportunity to elite sportspersons in this regard.

The petitioner said he is a highly qualified and experienced coach for the sport of Hockey, having trained four of the members of the team that obtained bronze medal in the Tokyo Olympics, 2020, apart from numerous other Olympians, as well as Padma Shri and Arjuna awardees and a Khel Ratna awardee.

Having been a coach for over 15 years, Sangwan has also functioned as a coach and a manager on multiple occasions for the National Men’s team, the plea said. 

Also Read : Training along with senior team has been a boon ahead of Jr Hockey WC: Vivek Sagar Prasad 

News Source : PTI

New Delhi, Nov 7 (Boxing news) Long-serving national youth coach Bhaskar Bhatt is all but certain to take over as the senior women's head coach before the world championships, for which Olympic bronze-medallist Lovlina Borgohain will remain a direct selection despite the request for a trial by national gold-winner Arundhati Choudhary.

In a conversation with PTI, Boxing Federation of India (BFI) Secretary General Hemanta Kalita said the decision to give Borgohain a direct entry in the 70kg category will not be revisited despite Choudhary's open letter, seeking a trial citing "the concept of fair play and need to prove oneself each time." "There won't be any trials for the women's world championship. As decided during the Executive Committee meeting in September, national champions, except for the category in which Lovlina competes, will form the team," Kalita asserted.

"The decision to give Lovlina direct entry was based on her Tokyo Olympics performance. It will not be changed," he added.

The women's world championships is scheduled to take place in December in Istanbul. The dates of the competition have not yet been finalised.

The 24-year-old Borgohain is a two-time bronze-medallist at the showpiece, while the 19-year-old Choudhary had won a gold in the youth world championships earlier this year.

Bhaskar Bhatt next women's head coach: ========================= Long-serving national youth coach Bhaskar Bhatt is set to be given charge of the senior women's camp after the BFI did not renew contracts of High Performance Director Raffaele Bergamasco and chief coach Mohammed Ali Qamar.

The 56-year-old Bhatt, who hails from Uttarakhand, has been with the youth team since 2017 and was an assistant coach in the senior women's camp from 2005 to 2012. He took a break from coaching between 2012 and 2017 to spend time with his family after his daughter completed her schooling.

A former national bronze-medallist, Bhatt joined the Sports Authority of India in 1992 after completing his coaching diploma from the National Institute of Sports in Patiala back in 1989.

His brother D P Bhatt is also a former boxer, who went on to become a referee/judge before taking a plunge into administration.

"I will be honoured to be given the responsibility. I have been with the women's camp in the past. So, I have a fair idea about the demands of the job," Bhatt told PTI.

AIBA President Umar Kremlev could visit India: ============================= International Boxing Association (AIBA) President Umar Kremlev might visit India in the second half of this month to discuss the growth of the sport in the country with the national federation.

"His visit to India will be a part of the Asia tour that he plans to undertake this month. He might come here after November 21 or in the last week. It will be about discussing development of boxing," Kalita said.

Kremlev, who has aggressively pushed for cleaner bouts amid the continuing uncertainty over boxing's future as an Olympic sport, has been visiting several countries to drive home the message of integrity and grassroots development.

The AIBA under him is also sanctioning liberal funding for growth projects across the world and has earned plaudits for introducing handsome prize money funds for various world and continental events.

Santiago Nieva might stay for a while: ======================== Men's High Performance Director Santiago Nieva, who has been given an extension till end of December, might stay a bit longer than that.

It is learnt that the federation is still on the lookout for a new foreign coach but given that the search hasn't yielded any desired candidates so far, it might hold on to the Swede for a bit longer.

"Unless we can find a decent replacement for him, there is no point in leaving the position vacant. So, we are still looking but we would prefer for him to stay till the time a replacement is found," a BFI source told PTI.

"The planning should not be disturbed. So he might just stay for a while but nothing is cast in stone yet," he added.

Nieva's contract was to originally end after the Tokyo Olympics and the federation had also indicated its dissatisfaction with him after none of the male boxers could finish on the podium in the Japanese capital.

Also Read : AIBA announces formation of Boxing Integrity Unit to tackle corruption, manipulation

News Source : PTI

Bengaluru, Nov 4 (Hockey news) Young midfielder Salima Tete wants to utilise her Tokyo Olympics experience when India play in the FIH Women's Junior World Cup in South Africa next month.

Only 19, Salima has worked hard over the last three years to cement her place in the senior side, which registered a historic fourth-place finish in this year's Tokyo Games.

"I have been really fortunate to get this kind of exposure with the senior team so early in my career. Playing under pressure and also understanding what it really takes to play at the highest level have been some of the key takeaways for me.

"I look forward to using this experience while working with my teammates from the junior core group," said Salima ahead of the tournament starting December 5.

The Indian junior women's team is grouped in Pool C along with Argentina, Japan and Russia. The other sides in the fray include Netherlands, Korea, Ireland, Zimbabwe in Pool A. England, Belgium, Canada and Uruguay are in Pool B and Germany, while Pool D comprises Spain, United States and South Africa.

With just a month to go for the quadrennial event, Salima, who also led the Indian U-18 team to a silver medal at the Youth Olympic Games in Buenos Aires in 2018, believes they are shaping up well.

"The team has been preparing well. I have been part of this camp since September and I see a lot of improvement and there is a lot of excitement among the players. We get to play some internal matches with the senior team which is great exposure for youngsters in this squad.

"The Indian junior team also did well when they travelled to Chile earlier this year for some Test matches," she said.

"We are extremely inspired by the senior team and they all want to eventually play for the senior side and realise that the upcoming Junior World Cup is a perfect platform to showcase their talent."

Also Read : Hockey India Sr Women National Championship to be held in Jhansi from Oct 21

news Source : PTI

Wroclaw (Poland), Nov 4 (Shooting news) A seven-member Indian contingent, including young guns Saurabh Chaudhary and Manu Bhaker, will compete in its first senior international engagement post the Tokyo Olympics when the ISSF President's Cup medal rounds begin here from Friday.

The top 12 athletes in individual rifle and pistol events according to the 2021 world ranking post the Games, have been invited to participate in the event where individual winners will be awarded the Golden Target, the Best Athlete of the Year title.

Besides Chaudhary and Bhaker, Abhishek Verma, Yashaswini Deswal, Rahi Sarnobat, Chinki Yadav and Anjum Moudgil form the Indian contingent, which will be under the tutelage of national coaches Samaresh Jung and Deepali Deshpande.

Aishwary Tomar was also invited but the National Rifle Association of India (NRAI) has surrendered his invitation to the ISSF, after he pulled out on fitness grounds on the advice of his coach.

Day one of competition features the mixed team relays for rifle and pistol where international mixed teams will be formed by the ISSF randomly in accordance with the draw.

The tournament's first two finals - 10m air rifle mixed team and 10m air pistol mixed team, are scheduled for Friday.

As far as individual events are concerned, Chaudhary and Verma will represent India in the men's 10m air pistol while Bhaker and Deswal will compete in the corresponding women's event.

Anjum Moudgil will be seen in action in the women's 50m rifle 3 positions competition.

In the women's 25m pistol, India will have three competitors in Sarnobat, Bhaker and Yadav.

The last one made it as a replacement after one of the top 12 ranked shooters surrendered the invite for the event.

The inaugural President's Cup is a rechristened version of the World Cup Finals.

The shotgun edition was held last month in Larnaca, Cyprus and had no Indian participation.

There is also substantial prize money awaiting the winners along with accolades. Individual winners will receive USD 15,000 each, while second place winners will receive USD 12,000.

Third place winners will also get richer by USD 10,000. Every position thereafter right up to the 12th spot will also receive cash awards.

Also Read : Junior Shooting Worlds: India finish on top with 43 medals

News Source : PTI

New Delhi, Nov 3 (Sports news) Named for the prestigious Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna after winning a historic gold in the Tokyo Olympics, star javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra on Wednesday said he would continue to work hard to bring more laurels for the country.

The 23-year old Chopra, who became only the second Indian to win an individual Olympic gold in the Tokyo Games, is among the 12 sportspersons named for the country's highest sporting award.

"Very honoured to be awarded the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna alongside some outstanding sportspersons. Aap sabhi ke sahyog aur support ke liye tahe dil se dhanyavad (Thank you from the bottom of my heart for the support from all of you)," he said in a tweet.

"Koshish ye hi rahegi ki aise hi apne performances se desh ke liya aur success haasil kar paun! (I will continue to work to achieve more success for the country through my performances)." With a throw of 87.58m on August 7 in Tokyo, Chopra became the first Indian to win an Olympic gold medal in athletics.

Also Read : Sports Minister hands over trophies to 2020 National Sports Awards winners

News Source : PTI

New Delhi, Nov 1 (Sports news) Sports Minister Anurag Thakur on Monday physically handed over trophies to the winners of National Sports Awards 2020 after the award ceremony was held virtually last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

All the winners of the National Sports Awards 2020 had already received their cash awards but were not able to collect their trophies and citation because of the pandemic.

On August 29 last, the Sports Ministry had conferred 74 National Sports Awards, including five Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna (now renamed as Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna) and 27 Arjuna awards.

The notable awardees who attended Monday's ceremony at a city hotel here were women's hockey captain Rani Rampal, star wrestler Vinesh Phogat and 2016 Paralympics gold winner Thangavelu Mariyappan, who were handed the prestigious Khel Ratna.

Tokyo Olympics bronze medallist boxer Lovlina Borgohain, cricketer Ishant Sharma, sprinter Dutee Chand, archer Atanu Das and shuttlers Satwik Sairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Chandrasekhar Shetty were among others who collected their the Arjuna trophies.

"The National Sports Awards is a prestigious award that is won by athletes after years of dedication and hard work. Congratulations to all the awardees and the very best for their future events. The journey of the awardees doesn't end here, there is more to be achieved," Thakur said during the function.

"We must also continue to look for talented athletes, groom them and make them capable of winning medals at the international level. So I request all the athletes to take the pledge of at least grooming and training five such athletes who can win medals for India in the future." The event was also graced by Sports Secretary Sujata Chaturvedi, Youth Affairs Secretary Usha Sharma and other top ministry and SAI officials.

List of National Sports Awardees for 2020: Khel Ratna Award: Rohit Sharma (Cricket), Mariyappan Thangavelu (Para-Athletics), Manika Batra (Table Tennis), Vinesh Phogat (Wrestling), Rani Rampal (Hockey).

Arjuna Award: Atanu Das (Archery), Dutee Chand (Athletics), Satwik Sairaj Rankireddy (Badminton), Chirag Chandrasekhar Shetty (Badminton), Vishesh Bhriguvanshi (Basketball), Manish Kaushik (Boxing), Lovlina Borgohain (Boxing), Ishant Sharma (Cricket), Deepti Sharma (Cricket), Sawant Ajay Anant (Equestrian), Sandesh Jhingan (Football), Aditi Ashok (Golf), Akashdeep Singh (Hockey), Deepika (Hockey), Deepak (Kabaddi), Kale Sarika Sudhakar (Kho Kho), Dattu Baban Bhokanal (Rowing), Manu Bhaker (Shooting), Saurabh Chaudhary (Shooting), Madhurika Patkar (Table Tennis), Divij Sharan (Tennis), Shiva Keshavan (Winter Sports), Divya Kakran (Wrestling), Rahul Aware (Wrestling), Suyash Narayan Jadhav (Para-Swimming), Sandeep (Para-Athletics), Manish Narwal (Para Shooting).

Dronacharya Award (Life-Time Category): Dharmendra Tiwary (Archery), Purushotham Rai (Athletics), Shiv Singh (Boxing), Romesh Pathania (Hockey), Krishan Kumar Hooda (Kabaddi), Vijay Bhalchandra Munishwar (Para Powerlifting), Naresh Kumar (Tennis), Om Parkash Dahiya (Wrestling).

Dronacharya (Regular Category): Jude Felix (Hockey), Yogesh Malviya (Mallakhamb), Jaspal Rana (Shooting), Kuldeep Kumar Handoo (Wushu), Gaurav Khanna (Para Badminton).

Dhyan Chand Award: Kuldip Singh Bhullar (Athletics), Jincy Philips (Athletics), Pradeep Shrikrishna Gandhe (Badminton), Trupti Murgunde (Badminton), N Usha(Boxing), Lakha Singh (Boxing), Sukhvinder Singh Sandhu (Football), Ajit Singh (Hockey), Manpreet Singh (Kabaddi), J Ranjith Kumar (Para-Athletics), Satyaprakash Tiwari (Para Badminton), Manjeet Singh (Rowing), Late Shri Sachin Nag (Swimming), Nandan Bal (Tennis), Netarpal Hooda (Wrestling).

Tenzing Norgay National Adventure Awards: Anita Devi (Land Adventure), Col Sarfraz Singh (Land Adventure), Taka Tamut (Land Adventure), Keval Hiren Kakka (Land Adventure), Satendra Singh (Water Adventure), Gajanand Yadava (Air Adventure), Late Magan Bissa (Life Time Achievement).

Maulana Abul Kalam Azad (MAKA) Trophy: Panjab University, Chandigarh.

Rashtriya Khel Protsahan Puruskar: Identification and Nurturing of Budding and Young Talent: Lakshya Institute, Army Sports Institute.

Encouragement to sports through Corporate Social Responsibility: Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) Ltd.

Employment of sportspersons and sports welfare measures: Air Force Sports Control Board.

Sports for Development: International Institute of Sports Management (IISM).

Also Read : Sports Ministry to hand over trophies to winners of 2020 National Sports Awards on November 1

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Bengaluru, Nov 1 (Hockey news) Olympic bronze medal winning hockey midfielder Vivek Sagar Prasad believes training along with the senior team has placed defending champions India in good stead ahead of the upcoming FIH Junior World Cup in Bhubaneswar.

Both the Indian men's senior and junior sides are currently housed inside the SAI campus here and Prasad said it has provided the India colts a golden opportunity to play matches against each other, helping them in their preparation for the Junior World Cup to be held from November 24 to December 5.

"Our preparations are going really well and every player is giving his 100 per cent on the field during practice. Sharing the same campus as the senior team has been the biggest boon because we have been able to get a lot of match practice against them," said Prasad, who is eligible to play in the upcoming event.

"We also spend a lot of time talking to the seniors about playing under pressure and then experiences they share is valuable," added Prasad, who was part of the Indian team that won a historic bronze at the Tokyo Olympics.

Hosts India are placed in Pool B along with Canada, France and Poland, while Pool A consists of Belgium, Malaysia, South Africa and Chile. Netherlands, Spain, Korea and United States are grouped in Pool C while Germany, Argentina, Pakistan and Egypt are in Pool D.

Talking about the level of competition, Prasad said, "No doubt it will be a tough competition but we will continue to go by the mantra of taking one-match-at-a-time. Our first priority will be to top the group and make it to the quarterfinals." "...for me, I never had the opportunity of playing in the 2016 FIH Junior Men's World Cup as I had suffered an injury and eventually never made the team. I am really looking forward to use my experience with the senior team. Our focus is to make it to the podium."

Also Read : Tokyo hockey stars Rupinder, Lakra overwhelmed by PM Modi's letters of appreciation on retirement

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Paris, Oct 30 (Badminton news) India's double Olympic medallist P V Sindhu failed to reach the women's singles summit clash after going down fighting to Japan's Sayaka Takahashi in three games at the French Open badminton tournament here on Saturday.

The 26-year-old from Hyderabad squandered a one-game advantage to lose 21-18 16-21 12-21 against the world number 15 Takahashi, a bronze medallist at the 2013 and 2014 Asian Championships.

It was her fourth defeat to the 29-year-old Japanese in eight meetings.

Sindhu, the reigning world champion, had lost in the quarterfinals at the Denmark Open last week in Odense.

The world number 7 Indian started the match on a positive note as there was little to separate the two. The duo played short rallies, trying to outwit each other with their attacking shots.

After going neck-and-neck from 5-5 to 9-9 in the opening game, Takahashi unleashed a powerful smash which hit Sindhu's cheeks, to lead 10-9, but the Indian recovered to level the scores with a cross court smash.

The Japanese had a slender one-point advantage at the break.

After the interval, Sindhu quickly erased a two-point deficit with a diagonal return before grabbing a one-point lead after winning a 27-shot rally.

Takahashi exploited Sindhu's weak backhand to regain the lead. She added another point with a lucky net chord but the Indian unleashed three back-to-back smashes to make it 17-16.

A misjudgement at the forecourt and two net errors by Takahashi gave Sindhu four game points. The Indian wasted two of them before slamming down a winner to pocket the first game.

After the change of ends, Sindhu continued her momentum, leading 5-2 early on. However, Takahashi again clawed her way back at 6-6, with Sindhu going wide.

The Indian showed great defence as she sent one ballooning over Takahashi at the backline and then unleashed a stiff smash to lead 9-6, and had her nose ahead at the interval.

However, the left-handed Japanese was back in the lead at 13-12 after the break, with Sindhu committing a series of errors.

At 13-15, Sindhu slammed another smash but she was let down by her backhand again as suddenly, Takahashi jumped to a 18-14 lead.

Sindhu attacked her rival's forehand but she produced a beautiful block return to grab four game points and sealed it when the Indian went wide.

The decider started with the same intensity as the duo led 6-6, but Takahashi started to dominate the proceedings and soon eked out a 11-6 advantage at the break, with Sindhu going to the net and the Japanese producing a down-the-line smash.

Despite a pep talk by coach Park Tae-Sang at the interval, things didn't improve for Sindhu as Takahashi rode on her attack to gather points easily, leading 14-9.

The Japanese set up the points well and closed them out with attacking returns on both flanks. With Sindhu unable to rein in her errors, Takahashi grabbed a massive nine-point match points.

The Indian saved one before the Japanese sent one down the line to shut the doors on her fancied rival.

This is Sindhu's second tournament since returning to action following a break after her campaign at the Tokyo Olympics, where she secured a bronze medal, five years after winning a silver at the Rio Games.

Also Read : BWF adds Odisha Open to 2022 calendar, India to host 3 back-to-back tournaments in January

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Dubai, Oct 30 (Golf news) Indian golfer Aditi Ashok finished a highly creditable tied 13th after carding a final round 69 at the Dubai Moonlight Classic here.

Aditi, who had finished fourth at the Tokyo Olympics, had shot rounds of 69-71 on the first two days on the Ladies European Tour event.

Tvesa Malik, who has been having a great season, mirrored her second round 71 for rounds of 70-71-71 and also squeezed into Top-20 at the T-19th place.

Diksha Dagar, one of the only two Indians to have won a LET title, had her best round of the week with a 70 after 72-71 on the first two days. She was T-24th.

Aditi and Diksha had five birdies against two bogeys each, while Tvesa managed five birdies and four bogeys.

A sensational final round of 8-under 64 sealed a one-shot victory for England’s Bronte Law.

It was a superb day in Dubai with 19 players were within six shots of the lead at the Faldo Course at Emirates Golf Club at the end of the second round.

But it was Law who produced one of the rounds of the day to climb up the leaderboard, and her eagle on the 16th saw her post a winning total of 15-under-par.

The 2019 Solheim Cup winner began her round on the 18th on the final day of the shotgun start, but didn’t make her first birdie until the fifth hole.

However, after rolling in back-to-back birdies the English star got into the groove and rolled in four birdies in five holes before sinking her eagle putt on 16 to seal the victory – her first on the LET.

Her first LET win was made even sweeter by the fact that Law was surrounded by friends that she has grown up playing with.

It was overnight leader Maria Fassi who claimed second place with a total of 14-under-par after carding a final round of 4-under 68. The Tokyo 2020 Olympian got off to a slow star but Law went ahead.

Germany’s Esther Henseleit ended the tournament in third place - three shots off the lead after rounds of 72, 66 and 66.

Two LET winners from the 2021 season finished tied for fourth on 11-under-par as Pajaree Anannarukarn and Lee-Anne Pace carded final rounds of 69 and 70, respectively.

Thailand’s Moriya Jutanugarn was sixth on 10-under-par with Olivia Cowan, Ariya Jutanugarn, Magdalena Simmermacher and Alice Hewson rounding out the top ten on nine-under. 

Also Read : Aditi T-17, Tvesa T-20 at Dubai Moonlight Classic

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New Delhi, Oct 27 (Sports news) Javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra, who became only the second Indian to win an individual Olympic gold at the Tokyo Games, and silver medal-winning wrestler Ravi Dahiya were on Wednesday recommended for the Khel Ratna as an unprecedented 11 athletes were selected for the country's highest sporting honour.

Boxer Lovlina Borgohain, who won a bronze at the Tokyo Olympics, seasoned hockey goalkeeper PR Sreejesh and woman cricket Test skipper Mithali Raj were also recommended for the Major Dhyanchand Khel Ratna by the selection committee.

Iconic Sunil Chhetri also became the country's first footballer to be selected for the honour.

Last year, five athletes were picked for the award while four were selected after the 2016 Rio Games.

The announcement of the national sports awards was delayed in order to consider the performance of the para-athletes in the Tokyo Paralympics (August 24 to September 5).

Shooter Avani Lekhara and Manish Narwal, javelin thrower Sumit Antil and shuttlers Pramod Bhagat and Krishna Nagar, who all have won a gold each in the Tokyo Paralympics, completed the list of those recommended for the Khel Ratna. The committee also picked 35 athletes for the Arjuna award, eight more than last year's number of awardees.

Cricketer Shikhar Dhawan, para TT player Bhavina Patel, para shuttler Suhas Yathiraj and high jumper Nishad Kumar are among those selected for the Arjuna award.

Members of the men's hockey team that won a historic bronze in the Olympics will also receive Arjuna award.

Also Read : Olympic champion Neeraj Chopra and other Tokyo Games participants felicitated by JSW Sports

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