Other (Sport)https://www.newindianexpress.comen-usThu, 28 Mar 2024 09:01:32 +0000No clarity on WFI’s proposed national camp yethttps://www.newindianexpress.com/sport/other/2024/Mar/27/no-clarity-on-wfis-proposed-national-camp-yethttps://www.newindianexpress.com/sport/other/2024/Mar/27/no-clarity-on-wfis-proposed-national-camp-yet#comments9c02ab27-fa4f-419a-9cf9-78e21524a9f4Wed, 27 Mar 2024 03:07:38 +00002024-03-27T03:07:38.671ZExpress News Service/api/author/1897566Wrestling Federation of India,WFIOtherCHENNAI : A few days after the selection trials to pick the teams for the Asian Championships and Asian Olympic Games Qualifier were held (March 10 and 11), the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) had expressed its intention to commence national camps for top-four wrestlers. It was decided to start the camp on March 27.

A proposal in this regard was also sent to the Sports Authority of India (SAI). However, the federation are yet to receive a response from the SAI.

The Asian Championships is scheduled in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan from April 11 to 16 while the Olympic Qualifier is from April 19 to 21 in the same city. So far, only one Indian wrestler, Antim Panghal (53kg), has earned the Paris Olympics quota with the remaining 17 up for grabs in the remaining two qualifiers. The second one — World OG Qualifier — is slated from May 9 to 12 in Istanbul, Turkiye.

“No communication yet from the SAI on national camp. The camp might get delayed now as even an approval tomorrow (Wednesday) means wrestlers could take at least a couple of days to join,” a source in the know of things told this daily.

The WFI has proposed to hold the men’s (freestyle and Greco-Roman) camp in Sonepat and has given three options for the women’s camp — Gandhinagar, Bhopal and Patiala with the first venue being the priority. Notably, the ad-hoc committee, which was managing affairs of the WFI, too started the camp with venues being Sonepat and Patiala for men and women respectively.

“The top finishers from the trials wanted to prepare in foreign countries. More than half-a-dozen of them even sent their proposals in this regard to the authorities concerned. But camp is necessary for others who finished with silver and bronze medals,” added the source.

Bajrang’s proposal gets nod

Meanwhile, a proposal of Bajrang Punia was accepted by the Mission Olympic Cell during its meeting. Bajrang sought financial assistance and an extension of service of his strength and conditioning expert Kazi Kiron Mustafa Hasan till the end of May 2024, when final selection trials for the Olympics will take place.

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With family's support and determination, Baboo hopes for Paris ticket https://www.newindianexpress.com/sport/other/2024/Mar/23/with-familys-support-and-determination-baboo-hopes-for-paris-tickethttps://www.newindianexpress.com/sport/other/2024/Mar/23/with-familys-support-and-determination-baboo-hopes-for-paris-ticket#commentsd59c5278-e6fd-4d69-90aa-0bf4d4c31fadSat, 23 Mar 2024 03:25:04 +00002024-03-23T03:25:04.784ZKalyani Mangale/api/author/1873537Paris Olympics,Ram BabooOtherCHENNAI : The 2012 London Olympics yielded one of the best results for India with six medals across four sports. When the likes of Vijay Kumar and Mary Kom were winning medals for India, little did they knew they were fuelling the dreams of a thirteen-year-old boy from the Sonbhadra district of Uttar Pradesh. For Ram Baboo, who achieved the Paris Olympics men's 20km race qualification standard, clocking a personal best time of 1:20:00 at the Dudinska 50 Meet in Slovakia recently, it all started by watching the London Games.

"When the 2012 Olympics were going on, I was at the Navodaya Vidyalaya in Sonbhadr," Baboo told this daily. "I used to watch and read about it in the newspaper and watch the games on TV. I loved watching the interviews of all the medal winners and all the related stuff. I love watching and reading about the athletes. At the same time, in school, one of the senior students told me that 'studying is not everything', sports is also a good medium. It gave me the boost to choose the sport," he added.

Son of a daily-wage worker, Baboo, initially ran marathons, 10000m and 5000m, but he shifted to 20km race walk due to a knee injury. However, he always had his parents' support no matter what. "My parents are not that educated so they were not that aware of sports. When I left the house for Varanasi where I started practicing, my father was working as a daily wage labourer with earnings of around `3000-4000 per month. He used to send me most of that money. I had to manage the rent, diet, kit and other necessities.

"It was a hard time for all of us as a family. I used to talk to my mother every day and she has been the pillar for me. I had to make a switch to race walking because of a knee injury. When I started doing well in the race walking, I told her if I get more support I will get the medal at the national level. So she started collecting milk from our village to make khoya (a milk-based sweet) and sell it to support me. When I look back, I realise that my life has been full of hardships, but now it feels like I have left that behind me. For now, all the goals I have for myself in the future matter to me. I know, I will have to work hard and with the same dedication for that to happen, and I want to do that for India,"said Baboo, who is aware of the hard work he needs to put in to realise his Olympics dreams.

That dream made him work even during the COVID-19 pandemic as a daily wage worker in road construction under MGNREGA scheme. The pandemic postponed the Asian Games in China and the 25-year-old won a bronze medal in Hangzhou in the 35 km race walk event. More than a cause for celebration, that win serves as a reminder for the athlete of the hardship he had to go through to reach that level. "For me, celebration is secondary. I have learned more from the bad days and the time I spent in bettering myself. Honestly, a podium finish is the only thing that matters. When you win a medal, like the one I won at the Asian Games, it's a reminder of where you started and where you want to reach," said an emotional Baboo.

Even with this qualification, it is not confirmed if Baboo will make it to India's contingent to Paris as a country can send only three athletes in an individual track and field event in the Olympics, and already seven male walkers from the country have breached the mark. Now, the Athletics Federation of India (AFI), will have the final say on the matter. This situation is a mixed bag of emotions for Baboo. "I know it is a tricky situation and part of me is a little bit scared about my chances, but I want to focus on how I can improve myself. If that happens and I get to represent India in the Olympics, that is well and good. If it doesn't happen, I will make myself better to try again and again for that chance," he added with a determination-filled voice.

With the Olympics a few months away the race walker is grateful to everyone who has helped him in the journey. "The Government and Federation have supported me well. If it is something smaller, one can probably achieve it by oneself, but you always need a team when your dreams are this big. And I cannot do it all alone, so everyone's support counts. And I have been blessed with everyone's support," he mentioned.
It is not yet confirmed if Baboo will represent India at the Olympics this year or not. However, for an athlete who believes in a journey rather than a destination, it has been an inspirational run so far, which he wants to carry on.

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Malaysia declining to host Commonwealth Games threatens its existencehttps://www.newindianexpress.com/sport/other/2024/Mar/23/malaysia-declining-to-host-commonwealth-games-threatens-its-existencehttps://www.newindianexpress.com/sport/other/2024/Mar/23/malaysia-declining-to-host-commonwealth-games-threatens-its-existence#comments3ea28a12-7472-4245-a8b1-c431ed224864Sat, 23 Mar 2024 01:51:41 +00002024-03-23T01:51:41.101ZIndraneel Das/api/author/1875034Malaysia,Commonwealth GamesOtherCHENNAI : Malaysia has declined to host the Commonwealth Games in 2026, despite the Commonwealth Games Federation’s offer to contribute 100 million pounds towards the expenditure. This is the second time a country has said no to the Games after Victoria, which pulled out because of spiraling costs. Last time Birmingham stepped in after Durban backed out.

In a major setback to the already stressed Games, the Malaysian government on Friday said that it would not be able to host the Games because of limited time. Government spokesperson and communications minister Fahmi Fadzil reportedly said, “If we had a longer time, we would definitely do it, but because there’s such a short time, we definitely can’t do it. When we assessed the viability of hosting the Games, the length of time needed and the cost was seen to be particularly prohibitive.”

With the latest withdrawal, there is a possibility that the Games may not be held for the first time since the World War 2. This brings into focus the declining popularity of the Games. About 70 countries participate in the quadrennial event of the Commonwealth — colonies ruled by England. Over the years, the cost of hosting the Games and one-sided events had proven a burden.

India, which hosted the CWG in 2010, was not interested to organise the Games this time. If officials are to be believed the CGF had sent feelers to India as well. Even the government apparently is not interested in hosting CWG as it is focused on bidding successfully for the Olympics in 2036. India would want to come out of that colonial mindset and concentrate on bigger challenges.

In this modern nationalistic environment, the Games itself has lost relevance, especially due to its colonial origins. Though it’s expensive, when it comes to Olympics the enormity of the Games overshadows a lot of other economic and financial issues. Yet there have been occasions when hosts like Sydney, Athens and Rio de Janeiro felt the pinch. Sydney Olympic Park was torn between legacy and sustainability. Athens had its economic downturn after the Olympics. Same in Brazil. Another issue is the cost and sustainability of the Games.

A multi-sport event that doesn’t have a strong financial model and dominated by a few countries like England, Australia, India, Canada and South Africa, it is only natural that sports tourism is not a viable option. Also, the competition for athletes is lop-sided. Victoria withdrew because the cost estimate reportedly would triple from $2.2 billion (Rs 18381.62) to up to $7 billion (Rs 58482.44 crore). Under the circumstances, it is understandable if no nation wants to host the CWG. Even Canada pulled out of the 2030 race.

Recovering cost as was in the case of the 2010 Commonwealth Games in New Delhi has been one of the reasons countries are not bothered. There were allegations of corruption, multiple controversies within the 2010 CWG organising committee. Huge expenditure and rising costs of the Games turned it into a financial burden. And when it comes to legacy, all the stadiums in New Delhi, which were built or renovated, remain underutilised. Some turned into a white elephant.

Since 2010, the Games were held in England, Australia and England. Malaysia had hosted it last in 1998. Since then it’s been Manchester, Melbourne, New Delhi, Glasgow, Gold Coast and Birmingham. Finding a new host nation has always been a challenge. There has been no sports tourism as expected. Since 2010, the Opening Ceremonies have been scaled down versions and even the operating costs have been minimal. Perhaps the Malaysian government too did not want to risk the economic impact the Games would have had.

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'Still hurts, haven't been able to get over it': Savita Punia on lost Olympic dreamhttps://www.newindianexpress.com/sport/other/2024/Mar/22/still-hurts-havent-been-able-to-get-over-it-savita-punia-on-lost-olympic-dreamhttps://www.newindianexpress.com/sport/other/2024/Mar/22/still-hurts-havent-been-able-to-get-over-it-savita-punia-on-lost-olympic-dream#comments05816de1-7b43-4604-83ff-fca46f370c84Fri, 22 Mar 2024 09:07:15 +00002024-03-22T09:07:15.945ZPTI/api/author/1903325Olympic Qualifiers,Savita Punia,Indian women's hockeyOtherNEW DELHI: The crying didn't help, living in denial didn't help, what helped was picking up the hockey stick again to make a fresh start.

The 'Great Wall' of Indian women's hockey and captain Savita Punia has been an emotional wreck ever since the team failed to qualify for Paris Olympics, a massive downfall after the superb fourth-place finish in Tokyo just three years ago.

"Good moments in life are not forgotten but neither are the bad ones. Losing the Olympic qualifiers is such a bad moment that we will probably not be able to forget our entire life," the 33-year-old goalkeeper told 'PTI Bhasha' in an interview.

"I haven't been able to get over it yet," she admitted rather candidly, the disappointment audible through her soft voice.

The heartbreak is now almost two months old.

Punia was among those who were seen sobbing when the final hooter went off in the third-place match against Japan, India down by a solitary goal ending their Paris hopes.

"I didn't want to talk about it because it still hurts a lot. I still can't believe that we are not going to Olympics. We were confident and well-prepared but you cannot predict anything in sports."

"After the qualifiers, we were at home for a week and told all the players that this break is a for them to cry and feel sad as much as they want. Keeping it inside will do no good and it is necessary to vent it out. No one talked about the Olympic qualifiers during this break," she revealed.

The first step in the recovery process was to get back to the game.

So, she competed in the FIH Pro League just 10 days after the qualifiers and then came the ongoing Nationals in Pune.

She turned up for her state Haryana after a good six years, continuing the healing process.

"The good thing about sports is that you have to forget the past and move forward very quickly. That's why I came to Pune to play the Senior Nationals because hockey is my passion and the more I stay away from the field, the more it will bother me," she said.

"When the team gathered in Bhubaneswar for the Pro League, in the first team meeting we asked how everyone was feeling. It was important for the morale of the youth to remain high. It is also credit to the team that we came together and played well."

"I was constantly thinking that we deserved to be in the Olympics but we don't have the answer as to why we couldn't qualify. The Dutch team was also surprised why we couldn't do it," she recalled wistfully.

"We all did our best and our preparation was very good. It's a lot about luck also. We are more dejected than anyone else."

Aside from getting back to hockey, what helped Punia stay afloat was her reliance on yoga and meditation.

"I was not feeling good. Tried a lot but the body was not cooperating. Then I took the help of yoga and pranayam and focused on fitness," she said.

The Indian team will play Pro League matches in Belgium in May-June and the focus will be on fitness.

Punia understands that a new core group will take shape after the Nationals and she is prepared for the churning.

"Now a new core group will be formed and some new players will also come. The focus will be on fitness and drag flicks. We have to work on our game continuously," she said.

Punia, who left for the national camp within days of getting married last year to prepare for Olympics, said her husband has also been her rock ever since the qualifiers debacle.

"My husband came after the Olympic qualifiers and gave a lot of encouragement. He said that we could not change what happened but can look ahead and play as long as you want to play. It was a very good thing for me that both my families supported me," she said.

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Calicut crowned Prime Volleyball League champshttps://www.newindianexpress.com/sport/other/2024/Mar/22/calicut-crowned-prime-volleyball-league-champshttps://www.newindianexpress.com/sport/other/2024/Mar/22/calicut-crowned-prime-volleyball-league-champs#comments88b35c9d-d2f1-4727-9551-5b582d842f8aFri, 22 Mar 2024 01:59:29 +00002024-03-22T01:59:29.248ZExpress News Service/api/author/1897566OtherCHENNAI: Calicut Heroes stunned the Delhi Toofans in the final of the third season of the Prime Volleyball League, picking a 15-13, 15-10, 13-15, 15-12 win at the Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor Stadium on Thursday to lift their maiden trophy.

Delhi defence began well, cancelling out Calicut’s aggressive attacks. Lazar Dodic and Santhosh showcased their attacking prowess, but a series of serve errors from Delhi allowed Calicut to cover the deficit. In the fourth set, Jerome Vinith cancelled out Delhi’s defence and Calicut picked up a mammoth win.

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Mission Paris: IOA puts athletes-first approachhttps://www.newindianexpress.com/sport/other/2024/Mar/22/mission-paris-ioa-puts-athletes-first-approachhttps://www.newindianexpress.com/sport/other/2024/Mar/22/mission-paris-ioa-puts-athletes-first-approach#comments2ea94019-e348-4123-975f-953d240f722fFri, 22 Mar 2024 01:56:18 +00002024-03-22T01:56:18.977ZExpress News Service/api/author/1897566Mission Paris,Inian Olympc AssociationOtherCHENNAI: What seems like a radical step towards athletes-first approach, the Indian Olympic Association has announced an Olympic and multiple World Championships medallist as chef de mission. Deviating from the norm, the IOA has announced MC Mary Kom, London Olympic bronze medallist, as the chef de mission for the Paris Olympic Games. Mary Kom will be assisted by Shiva Keshavan, six-time Winter Olympian at the July 26-August 11 Games.

The IOA has chosen a blend of experience, expertise and leadership that will contribute significantly to the success of our athletes on the global stage. The IOA, again deviating from the usual, has announced the flag bearer well in advance. The honour would be table tennis veteran Sharath Kamal’s, who will be at his fifth Olympics. Keeping in mind his contribution to Indian sports, the IOA Athletes Commission vice chairperson has already qualified for the Olympics. Another Olympic and World Championships medallist in shooting, Gagan Narang, will oversee the preparations at the shooting venue, Chateauroux. According to IOA, Narang is a respected figure in Indian sports and “his meticulous approach and understanding of athletes’ needs will ensure a conducive environment for our shooters.”

Apart from the athletes, the name that seems to have come as a welcome surprise is that of country’s top sports medicine specialist and a joint orthopaedic surgeon Dinshaw Pardiwala, who has been treating almost all star sportspersons, has been appointed as the Chief Medical Officer.

The IOA president, PT Usha, said, “We are delighted to have such a distinguished and capable team of officials leading our contingent for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. Their expertise, dedication and passion for sports will undoubtedly inspire our athletes to achieve their best and make the nation proud.”

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Bajrang & Co seek appointment of administrator to run WFIhttps://www.newindianexpress.com/sport/other/2024/Mar/22/bajrang-co-seek-appointment-of-administrator-to-run-wfihttps://www.newindianexpress.com/sport/other/2024/Mar/22/bajrang-co-seek-appointment-of-administrator-to-run-wfi#comments4b9bc3c9-6aa9-42fd-b3b7-b0fd3a187867Fri, 22 Mar 2024 01:41:10 +00002024-03-22T01:41:10.133ZFiroz Mirza/api/author/1874591Bajrang Punia,Wrestling Federation of India,Indian wrestlersOtherCHENNAI : Continuing their legal battle against the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI), the protesting wrestlers, including Tokyo Olympic bronze medallist Bajrang Punia, filed an urgent application in the High Court of Delhi praying for an appointment of a one-man committee/administrator to take over the management, control and administration of the federation. The applicants prayed that a retired Supreme Court Judge or the Judge of the Delhi High Court should be preferred for the responsibility. It is learnt that the urgent application has been accepted and will be heard on Friday.

Earlier, the wrestlers, also including multiple World Championships medallist Vinesh Phogat, Rio Olympic medallist Sakshi Malik and her husband Satyawart Kadian, had filed a writ petition in the court. The court, while hearing the petition on March 7, directed that parallel selection trials should not be held. It directed that the trials scheduled to pick national teams for the Asian Championships and Asian Olympic Games Qualifier should proceed as per the circular issued by the IOA's ad-hoc committee formed to run the affairs of the WFI. During the hearing, the WFI withdrew its circular to hold the trials. The court then fixed April 26 as the next date of the hearing.

Both Bajrang and Vinesh competed in the trials held on March 10 and 11. Bajrang lost the 65kg semifinal bout thus failing to make it to the national squad. Competing in two weight categories (50kg and 53kg), Vinesh topped the trials in the first and finished with bronze in the latter division. She made it to the Indian squad by virtue of her win in the 50kg.

The wrestlers in the urgent application questioned United World Wrestling's (UWW) order dated March 8 wherein it stated that only the WFI can register athletes for international competitions being organised by the world body. The applicants alleged that the issuance of the letter dated March 8, 2024 "is a pre-mediated step undertaken by Respondent No. 2 (WFI) using officials and close aides of erstwhile president Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh."

"The applicants place their averment on information received through reliable sources that one such official, Mr. Bholanath Singh was facilitating the alleged correspondence with UWW Officials on behalf of its erstwhile president Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh and incumbent president Sanjay Singh. His presence in the UWW Office (on March 7 when the court was hearing the matter) was more than a mere coincidence. There are ample evidences on record to establish Mr. Bholanath Singh’s close and long standing association with Respondent No. 2 / WFI and its erstwhile president Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh," read the application.

It has also been prayed to direct the Union of India (respondent No 1) not to revoke the suspension of the WFI during the pendency of the writ petition. The wrestlers also questioned the decision of the IOA to dissolve the ad-hoc panel on March 18 thus giving full administrative control of the WFI to the Sanjay Kumar Singh-led panel. "Pass specific directions to Respondent No.2/WFI to handover peaceful possession and access to all resources and database including financial mandates, access to website, E-mails, and respective passwords, change in signatory authorisations etc. to the one-man committee appointed by this Hon’ble Court," the wrestlers prayed to the court.

They also requested the court to make sure the one-man committee remains the only entity to communicate with the UWW. "Pass specific directions to enable the one-man committee to be the only nodal entity to exclusively communicate with UWW and specific directions to the Indian Olympic Association to facilitate the same as per the directions and instructions of the one-man Committee and pass further Orders directing Respondent No.2-WFI to strictly adhere to the instruction of one-man committee and not to act beyond the instructions of one-man Committee."

IOC supports lifting of WFI's suspension

The International Olympic Committee on WFI's status told this daily, "The IOC supports United World Wrestling (UWW) as the competent international federation to address the governance of the sport of wrestling in India and, in particular, of the Wrestling Federation of India. We understand that the Wrestling Federation of India has been reinstated recently by UWW and that the “ad-hoc committee” which was created by the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) was formally dissolved by letter dated 18 March 2024, in line with the UWW position."

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Indian hockey borrowed Arsenal training playbook before Pro Leaguehttps://www.newindianexpress.com/sport/other/2024/Mar/22/indian-hockey-borrowed-arsenal-training-playbook-before-pro-leaguehttps://www.newindianexpress.com/sport/other/2024/Mar/22/indian-hockey-borrowed-arsenal-training-playbook-before-pro-league#commentsf453aa9e-90a8-43bd-9b68-86d3c5b1cdfdFri, 22 Mar 2024 01:32:58 +00002024-03-22T01:32:58.516ZSwaroop Swaminathan/api/author/1870203Indian hockey,Arsenal training playbookOtherCHENNAI : During the 2021-22 Premier League season, Mikel Arteta came up with a different idea to tackle the challenge of playing Liverpool in front of the Kop. To get used to the wall of noise — chants of 'You Will Never Walk Alone' specifically — the Arsenal manager set up speakers on the sides of the pitch during a training session. This was designed to get the players used to the atmosphere (Anfield is generally considered as a very tough place to visit because of the din the crowd creates).

The Indian hockey team did a similar experiment ahead of the last batch of Pro League games in Bhubaneswar and Rourkela. "We did it for Pro League preparation at training obviously due to the packed and noisy crowds in Bhubaneswar and Rourkela," men's coach Craig Fulton told this daily on Thursday. While the South African didn't say if they would recreate this experiment before the Olympics, the next training block will be at SAI, Bengaluru. "We will be back in SAI Bengaluru for next training camp so no Stadium presence," he said. "Let's see what we will need."  

But he had spoken about the prospect of more training sessions with amped up crowd noise via loudspeakers. "He was saying that he is thinking to bring in the noise and make more noise for us," Manpreet Singh said in an interview to this daily on Thursday. "(I don't know) when but he was planning to do it. We haven't spoken about it (after that). To be honest, his thinking is wild."

There is of course a connection between crowd noise and Indian hockey. Fulton had addressed that issue during an interaction with this daily during the Pro League in Rourkela last month. "If we had an empty Stadium and we played that game (he was referencing the Australia game where India lost 4-6 in Bhubaneswar in February), I think we would have had a different result," the South African had said. "In the sense of what happens to the players, what's expected of them, what is the next emotional decision they make because we are trying to play harder, faster. What happens to the expectations when we get into the opponent's half? It goes through the roof. That's why it's such a beautiful spectacle. But at the same time, if you are out of control in that space and another team works on that, how does it help you? Nothing to take away from the players and the passion of the fans."    

A former Indian men's hockey coach too had done this (Harendra Singh had reportedly got the team used to it before the 2018 World Cup at home). There's no guarantee that such a system works. Arsenal, for example, were thrashed 4-0 at Liverpool a few days after this experiment. The men's team, if they plan to recreate it again, will hope for better results.  

Meanwhile, the men's team will leave for Australia in 10 days' time. 

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IPL 2024: MS Dhoni hands over CSK captaincy to Ruturaj Gaikwadhttps://www.newindianexpress.com/sport/cricket/2024/Mar/21/ipl-2024-ruturaj-gaikwad-to-lead-csk-as-ms-dhoni-steps-downhttps://www.newindianexpress.com/sport/cricket/2024/Mar/21/ipl-2024-ruturaj-gaikwad-to-lead-csk-as-ms-dhoni-steps-down#comments0fdf0a49-beb3-4dc1-9d3d-fec77ecb529aThu, 21 Mar 2024 10:39:49 +00002024-03-21T10:39:49.664ZPTI/api/author/1903325Mahendra Singh Dhoni,Chennai Super Kings,Ruturaj Gaikwad,CSK captain,IPL 2024CricketOtherCHENNAI: The legendary Mahendra Singh Dhoni on Thursday "handed" over the Chennai Super Kings captaincy to opener Ruturaj Gaikwad on the eve of the IPL opener here, a stunning decision that is bound to send speculation swirling on his playing future with the franchise.

In a post on X, the Indian Premier League made the announcement a day before CSK take on Royal Challengers Bangaluru.

The five-time champions issued a brief statement soon after.

"MS Dhoni has handed over Chennai Super Kings' captaincy to Ruturaj Gaikwad ahead of the start of TATA IPL 2024. Ruturaj has been an integral part of Chennai Super Kings since 2019 and has played 52 matches in IPL during this period. The team looks forward to the upcoming season," said CSK.

There is speculation that Dhoni will retire at the end of the season and therefore the franchise felt the need for a smooth transition in the stalwart's presence as a player.

Gaikwad, who has played six ODIs and 19 T20s for India, made his CSK debut in 2020 and has gone on to represent the team in 52 games.

"Whatever Dhoni does, it is in the best interest of the team. I got to know of the decision just before the captains' meeting. You have to respect his decision, it is his call," CSK CEO Kasi Viswanathan told PTI.

The stylish opener had a memorable run last year, aggregating 590 runs in 16 games at an impressive strike rate of 147. 50.

His breakout year was 2021 when he amassed 635 runs in 16 games.

The 27-year-old from Maharashtra is not new to captaincy, having led the Indian team to the gold medal in the Asian Games last year.

CSK and Dhoni share an unbreakable bond and the World Cup-winning captain is expected to keep a significant role in the franchise going forward albeit not as a player.

CSK had attempted the leadership transition even in the 2022 edition but it did not work out with Ravindra Jadeja handing back the captaincy duties to Dhoni after eight games.

"It didn't work out at that time, this is different," said Visawanathan.

Dhoni officially announced his retirement from international cricket on August 15, 2020 but has kept playing the IPL.

The 42-year-old, who played with a dodgy knee last season, underwent a surgery after leading CSK to their fifth title.

Dhoni has played as many as 250 IPL matches, scoring more than 5000 runs at a strike rate of 135. 92.

Due to his knee issues, Dhoni pushed himself down to number 8 in the batting order last season but after regaining full fitness, he is expected to bat higher up this edition.

Former India pacer Irfan Pathan met Dhoni recently and claimed that the latter appears to be in good shape following the knee surgery.

"Last year, Dhoni said he was giving a gift to his fans with his cricket. I met with him a few days ago, he was playing pickleball for two hours non-stop. His knee was as fit as it ever was. It's an exciting time for fans; he now has his vintage old look. Will we get the vintage old Dhoni too?" Pathan asked on Star Sports.

"His role has changed in the past two years. He comes in lower-order, plays lesser deliveries but hits the big shots, the strike rate is high. It's a small innings but a memorable one. I think there won't be much of a change in that this year. He will continue to play that role," said Pathan.

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WFI to seek two names from each state unit for Athletes' Commission electionhttps://www.newindianexpress.com/sport/other/2024/Mar/21/wfi-to-seek-two-names-from-each-state-unit-for-athletes-commission-electionhttps://www.newindianexpress.com/sport/other/2024/Mar/21/wfi-to-seek-two-names-from-each-state-unit-for-athletes-commission-election#comments774e0e40-483f-45c7-b6d3-793f6c123f22Thu, 21 Mar 2024 04:56:24 +00002024-03-21T04:56:24.729ZFiroz Mizra/api/author/1903646Indian Olympic Association,WFIOtherCHENNAI: In its bid to comply with instructions first received from United World Wrestling (UWW) and then the Indian Olympic Association (IOA), the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) has decided to conduct elections for the Athletes' Commission during the Federation Cup scheduled in Chhattisgarh next month. As per the proposal, the tournament is slated for April 24 and 25. A circular in this regard is expected to be released in a day or two. The elections for the Athletes' Commission are expected to be conducted on the first day of the event.

The UWW, while lifting the suspension of the WFI last month, had asked the federation to reconvene the elections of its Athletes' Commission not later than July 1, 2024. The IOA issued the same instructions on Monday while dissolving its ad-hoc committee formed to run the sport after WFI's suspension soon after its election in December last year.

"The affiliated state units will be directed to send two names — one male and one female wrestler — for the election. The last date for submitting these names and entries for the Federation Cup will be the same," a source in the know of things told this daily. Apart from asking the state units, the WFI will also inform the UWW, IOA and sports ministry about the move, added the source.

The WFI had formed the commission soon after the election with Olympic medallist Yogeshwar Dutt as its chairman. However, a new body will come into existence after the proposed election. "The existing body will automatically get dissolved after the election. The aim is to give every unit an opportunity to send its representatives. This will also make sure wrestlers from across the country will be a part of the commission," stated the source.

The decision, however, could rub a few units including Haryana in a wrong way as a majority of international wrestlers hail from these states but the WFI source believes otherwise. "Most of the wrestlers hail from Haryana but if the commission comprises members only from there, then who will raise issues of grapplers from other states. The WFI's decision will give equal opportunities to wrestlers from the other parts of the country."
According to the criteria uploaded by the WFI on its website, a candidate must be 18 years old and he/she should not be sanctioned for doping, disciplinary charge or for any violation against the integrity of sports during their career. Besides, the candidate must have participated in any Asian Championship, World Championship, Asian Games, Commonwealth Games or Olympic Games in the previous 6 years. Two of the seven members should be women as per the eligibility criteria.

The representatives sent by the state units will elect the members of the commission through secret ballot papers. The tenure of the commission will be two years and can be renewed. The chairman will then be elected by the members of the commission. The chairman can attend the executive committee meeting and is entitled to the same rights and obligations as the other elected executive members of WFI.

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Arrest of Naxalites forces WFI to move Federation Cup out of Chhattisgarhhttps://www.newindianexpress.com/sport/other/2024/Mar/21/arrest-of-naxalites-forces-wfi-to-move-federation-cup-out-of-chhattisgarhhttps://www.newindianexpress.com/sport/other/2024/Mar/21/arrest-of-naxalites-forces-wfi-to-move-federation-cup-out-of-chhattisgarh#comments9d3bde15-4934-4ca8-93ee-f055760b60c7Thu, 21 Mar 2024 04:21:50 +00002024-03-21T04:21:50.962ZFiroz Mirza/api/author/1874591naxalites,WFIOtherCHENNAI: Arrest of Naxalites and their supporters from Jashpur district in Chhattisgarh has forced the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) to change the venue of the Federation Cup. The WFI was also supposed to conduct the all-important election of the Athletes' Commission during the tournament which is scheduled on April 24 and 25. It is learnt that the event has now been moved to Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh.

The tournament, first to be organised by the WFI after the dissolution of the ad-hoc committee by the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) on Monday, is not only expected to see participation from grapplers from all state units but also attendance of top wrestlers including Olympians who are interested in contesting for a place in the Athletes' Commission.

"The district magistrate of Jashpur district urged the WFI to move out the event in the wake of the recent arrest," a source in the know of things told this daily. Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh police had carried out a joint operation on March 13 and arrested six accused, including Maoist cadres.

It was reported that the accused were residing in a poultry farm disguising themselves as labourers. Those arrested included Tunesh Lakra alias Ravi and Ram Lakra, both members of the banned outfit — Jharkhand Jan Mukti Parishad (JJMP — a CPI (Maoist) splinter group). The arrest was made in Karma village under the Narayanpura police station limits of Jashpur.

The news reports also claimed that a total of 31 cases related to loot, dacoity, and abduction are pending against the accused in Balrampur district of Chhattisgarh and other adjoining areas of Jharkhand.

"The federation wanted to organise the event in the tribal-dominated area in its bid to promote wrestling in such places but unfortunately it has to change the decision. Maybe in future when everything is all right, other tournaments could be held in Chhattisgarh," added the source.

Besides, the Lok Sabha polls, which will be held in three phases on April 19, 26 and May 7, were also cited as one of the reasons. "The tournament is scheduled for April 24 and 25 while the second-phase polling is on April 26. So it is also a reason but the primary concern is the arrest of the Naxalites," said the source.

Women's camp may be moved out of Patiala
Meanwhile, the WFI is also gearing to organise national camps for the top four wrestlers (in each weight category) of the selection trials held recently to pick up the national teams for Asian Championships and Asian Olympic Games Qualifier scheduled next month. The ad-hoc committee, which was managing the day-to-day affairs of the WFI, had organised camps for men and women wrestlers in Sonepat and Patiala respectively. However, the WFI may change the camp venue for women wrestlers.

It is learnt that the federation has suggested Gandhinagar as the first option. "In the past as well, Gandhinagar was suggested as an option. This time the Sports Authority of India (SAI) has been urged to hold the women's camp in Gandhinagar. Bhopal and Patiala are other options. The men's camp, however, will continue in Sonepat. The camp will start on March 27 if the suggestion is accepted," a WFI source told this daily.

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IOC excludes Russian and Belarusian athletes from taking part in the Paris Olympics opening ceremonyhttps://www.newindianexpress.com/sport/other/2024/Mar/20/ioc-excludes-russian-and-belarusian-athletes-from-taking-part-in-the-paris-olympics-opening-ceremony-3https://www.newindianexpress.com/sport/other/2024/Mar/20/ioc-excludes-russian-and-belarusian-athletes-from-taking-part-in-the-paris-olympics-opening-ceremony-3#comments5b8a6c34-677e-4060-b862-4bbf4ed23b4cWed, 20 Mar 2024 06:49:08 +00002024-03-20T06:49:08.780ZAssociated Press/api/author/18975672024 Paris Olympics,International Olympic Committee (IOC)OtherWorldGENEVA: Russian and Belarusian athletes will not be allowed to take part in the traditional parade at the opening ceremony at the Paris Olympics, the IOC said Tuesday.

The opening ceremony on July 26 will see thousands of athletes travel on boats down the River Seine for several miles (kilometers) toward the Eiffel Tower, instead of the normal parade of teams inside a stadium.

The International Olympic Committee said athletes from Russia and Belarus who are approved to compete at the Olympics as neutrals will have a chance only "to experience the event" — likely watching from near the river.

The IOC decision follows the International Paralympic Committee which two weeks ago announced a ban for its Paris opening ceremony on Aug. 28.

Russia and Belarus are barred from team sports at the Olympics because of the war in Ukraine and the IOC has laid out a two-step vetting procedure for individual athletes from those countries to be granted neutral status. Those athletes must first be approved by the governing body of their individual sport and then by an an IOC-appointed review panel.

Neutral athletes must not have publicly supported the invasion of Ukraine, or be affiliated with military or state security agencies. It is unclear if membership of a Russian military sports club, such as CSKA, will be a reason for denying neutral status.

The IOC said Tuesday it expects about 36 neutral athletes with Russian passports and 22 with Belarusian passports to qualify for the Paris Games.

A decision on whether those athletes will be allowed to take part in the Aug. 11 closing ceremony will be taken "at a later stage," the IOC said.

Any medals won by neutral athletes will not be counted as a collective group in the overall medals table.

The IOC also revealed details of the replacement flag in jade green that will be used for neutral athletes at medal ceremonies, where a specially written anthem without lyrics will be played.

In another source of tension between Olympic leaders and Russian sport, the IOC decided Tuesday that the International Boxing Association led by Kremlin-backed Umar Kremlev will not be involved in organizing bouts for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.

The IOC also threatened to remove boxing from the Los Angeles program in what seemed like a challenge to national federations worldwide to distance themselves from the IBA and Kremlev.

The IOC withdrew its recognition of the IBA last year and the body was not allowed to take part in organizing boxing at the previous Tokyo Olympics or in Paris. But Kremlev has further riled the IOC with confrontational comments and support for the rival Friendship Games scheduled in Russia in September.

"If we do not have a new boxing body to work in partnership with the IOC, we will not be in a position to have boxing at the program of (Los Angeles)," the Olympic body said.

LEAVING RUSSIA

Two Russian athletes who have changed national-team eligibility to different countries got those moves approved by the IOC.

Swimmer Anastasiia Kirpichnikova, a two-time European silver medalist in distance freestyle events, is eligible to represent France at the Olympics, and Greco-Roman wrestler Aleksandr Komarov can compete for Serbia. He won the European championship this year.

GUATEMALA RESTORED

The IOC eased a suspension imposed 18 months ago on the national Olympic body of Guatemala because of alleged government interference.

The IOC cited "the interest of the athletes" as a reason for provisionally lifting the ban, which should clear the way for Guatemalan athletes to compete in Paris with their flag, anthem and team name.

The president of Guatemala, Bernardo Arévalo, came to Switzerland for talks with the IOC last month.

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Two wrestlers from each unit for Athletes’ Commissionhttps://www.newindianexpress.com/sport/other/2024/Mar/20/2-wrestlers-from-each-unit-for-athletes-commissionhttps://www.newindianexpress.com/sport/other/2024/Mar/20/2-wrestlers-from-each-unit-for-athletes-commission#comments9baf36fd-4920-4076-bc00-9c26fd212a4bWed, 20 Mar 2024 01:57:30 +00002024-03-20T01:57:30.338ZFiroz Mirza/api/author/1874591Indian Olympic Association,United World Wrestling,Athletes’ CommissionOtherCHENNAI: In its bid to comply with instructions first received from United World Wrestling (UWW) and then the Indian Olympic Association (IOA), the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) has decided to conduct elections for the Athletes’ Commission during the Federation Cup scheduled in Chhattisgarh next month. As per the proposal, the tournament is slated for April 24 and 25. A circular in this regard is expected to be released in a day or two. The elections for the Athletes’ Commission are expected to be conducted on the first day of the event.

The UWW, while lifting the suspension of the WFI last month, had asked the federation to reconvene the elections of its Athletes’ Commission not later than July 1, 2024. The IOA issued the same instructions on Monday while dissolving its ad-hoc committee formed to run the sport after WFI’s suspension soon after its election in December last year. “The affiliated state units will be directed to send two names — one male and one female wrestler — for the election. The last date for submitting these names and entries for the Federation Cup will be the same,” a source in the know of things told this daily. Apart from asking the state units, the WFI will also inform the UWW, IOA and sports ministry about the move, added the source.

The WFI had formed the commission soon after the election with Olympic medallist Yogeshwar Dutt as its chairman. However, a new body will come into existence after the proposed election. “The existing body will automatically get dissolved after the election. The aim is to give every unit an opportunity to send its representatives. This will also make sure wrestlers from across the country will be a part of the commission,” stated the source. The decision, however, could rub a few units including Haryana in a wrong way as a majority of international wrestlers hail from these states but the WFI source believes otherwise. “Most hail from Haryana but if the commission comprises members only from there, then who will raise issues of grapplers from other states. The WFI’s decision will give equal opportunities to wrestlers from the other parts of the country.”

According to the criteria uploaded by the WFI on its website, a candidate must be 18 years old and he/she should not be sanctioned for doping, disciplinary charge or for any violation against the integrity of sports during their career. Besides, the candidate must have participated in any Asian Championship, World Championship, Asian Games, Commonwealth Games or Olympic Games in the previous 6 years. Two of the seven members should be women.

The representatives sent by the state units will elect the members of the commission through secret ballot papers. The tenure of the commission will be two years and can be renewed. The chairman will then be elected by the members of the commission. The chairman is entitled to the same rights and obligations like the other elected executive members of WFI.

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Ad-hoc panel dissolved, WFI requests national camphttps://www.newindianexpress.com/sport/other/2024/Mar/19/ad-hoc-panel-dissolved-wfi-requests-national-camphttps://www.newindianexpress.com/sport/other/2024/Mar/19/ad-hoc-panel-dissolved-wfi-requests-national-camp#comments724dab7e-f5b4-435c-9f0f-f36a6912f81fTue, 19 Mar 2024 05:25:45 +00002024-03-19T05:25:45.851ZFiroz Mirza/api/author/1874591Vinesh Phogat,IOA,Sanjay Singh,Wrestling Federation of IndiaOtherCHENNAI: The Indian Olympic Association (IOA) on Monday dissolved the ad-hoc committee formed on December 27, 2023 to manage the day-to-day affairs of the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI). The decision paved the way for the federation led by Sanjay Kumar Singh, considered a close associate of former WFI president Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, to take administrative control of the sport.

“The decision to dissolve the Ad-hoc Committee comes in light of the lifting of the ban on the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) by the United World Wrestling (UWW) and the successful completion of Selection Trials by the Ad-hoc Committee appointed by the IOA as per the directives of the Hon’ble High Court of Delhi,” said the IOA order.

Interestingly, the sports ministry — which on December 24, 2023 directed the IOA to form the ad-hoc committee three days after the Sanjay Singh-led panel won 13 out of 15 posts in the election — has not issued any order this time. The IOA also instructed WFI to appoint a “Safeguarding Committee” to address concerns of sexual harassment apart from conducting elections of the Athletes’ Commission.

Soon after the order, Sanjay Singh wrote to the Sports Authority of India (SAI) requesting it to facilitate the hosting of national camps for the Asian Championships and Asian Olympic Games Qualifier scheduled next month. “The top-four (gold, silver and two bronze medallists) of the trials are eligible for the camp,” Sanjay Singh told this daily.

This means Vinesh, who participated in two weight categories — 50kg and 53kg winning the first and finishing with bronze in the second — will be named as a camper. Bajrang Punia, who lost the 65kg semifinal before skipping the bronze medal bout, may miss out. Sources, however, believe he can still make it if SAI wants. “If the SAI wants to add names including of Bajrang, it can do that,” said a WFI source.

Notably, Bajrang and Vinesh, along with Sakshi Malik, spearheaded the protest against Brij Bhushan last year accusing the UP strongman of sexual harassment.

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Post IOA order, WFI primed to regain full control of the sporthttps://www.newindianexpress.com/sport/other/2024/Mar/19/post-ioa-order-wfi-primed-to-regain-full-control-of-the-sporthttps://www.newindianexpress.com/sport/other/2024/Mar/19/post-ioa-order-wfi-primed-to-regain-full-control-of-the-sport#comments4e5f56a1-3e01-4971-9ab4-d36a72e00375Tue, 19 Mar 2024 05:05:57 +00002024-03-19T05:05:57.122ZFiroz Mirza/api/author/1874591Indian Olympic Association,Wrestling Federation of India,Paris OlympicsOtherCHENNAI: Dissolution of the three-member ad-hoc committee by the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) on Monday came as a shot in the arm for the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) with the Paris Olympics only four months ago. It gives the federation freedom to take full control of the sport for the first time since the country's top wrestlers staged a massive protest against former WFI president Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh in January 2023.  

The IOA, through its order, stated the decision was taken in line with the move made by the United World Wrestling (UWW), the world governing body, last month wherein it lifted the suspension of the national federation. "I thank IOA for coming up with the order with the Olympics round the corner," Sanjay Kumar Singh, WFI president, told this daily.

Sanjay Singh said the WFI has already written to the Sports Authority of India (SAI) to organise national camps for the Asian Championships and Asian Olympic Games Qualifier scheduled in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan next month. "The medallists from the selection trials held jointly by the WFI and ad-hoc panel will be asked to join the camp.

As was decided by the ad-hoc body, men will camp in Sonepat while the women will be held in Patiala. Not many days are left for the Olympics, so the focus will be to give our wrestlers the best possible preparations. If they want foreign exposure trips ahead of the qualifier, then it will also be arranged in coordination with the government," he added.

Notably, multiple World Championships medallist Vinesh Phogat, who was the face of the protest against Brij Bhushan, had won 50kg trials and secured bronze in 53kg making her eligible for the camp. Tokyo Olympic medallist Bajrang Punia, another prominent face of the protest, however, lost the 65kg trials. The duo, along with the Rio Olympic bronze medallist Sakshi Malik, has also been protesting against the election of Sanjay Singh as the WFI chief, labelling him as the close associate of Brij Bhushan.


Athletes' Commission election
The IOA, in the order, also directed the WFI to conduct elections of the Athletes' Commission. "However, as instructed by the UWW, it is imperative that the WFI appoint a Safeguarding Committee/Officer at the earliest to address the concerns of abuse and harassment and to ensure adherence to all rules, regulations and guidelines set forth by the elections of the Athletes' Commission in a time-bound manner, in accordance with the established procedures and guidelines. This step is essential to promote athlete representation and participation in the decision-making processes of the WFI," read the order.

Speaking on the directive, Sanjay Singh said the elections will be held next month during the proposed Federation Cup. It is learnt that the tournament is scheduled in Chhattisgarh. "The federation will request all senior wrestlers to remain present during the event so that they can elect members of the Athletes' Commission among themselves," a source in the know of things told this daily.

Loan repayment
The IOA also asked the WFI to repay the loan provided to the ad-hoc committee for managing the federation's affairs. The panel remained at the helm twice before and after the WFI election. A three-member committee was formed on December 27 last year by the IOA after the sports ministry said the newly-elected WFI led by Sanjay Singh had flouted the norms. Incidentally, the sports ministry, which had instructed IOA to constitute the panel, has not commented on the recent move so far.

The election was held under the supervision of returning officer, MM Kumar, retired Chief Justice of Jammu & Kashmir High Court. It is learnt that the WFI was asked in the past to pay for service rendered by the returning officer and his assistant. "The WFI has not received details of the loan procured by the panel from the IOA. Once it gets the details then only the issue can be sorted out," added the source.

Court hearing
Meanwhile, a hearing is also scheduled in the Delhi High Court on April 26 on a writ petition filed by Bajrang, Vinesh, Sakshi and her husband Satyawart Kadian challenging the WFI election. It was only after a hearing on the petition on March 7 that the WFI withdrew its circular to host the selection trials and decided to hold it jointly with the panel. "The matter is subjudice so nothing can be talked about it now but the IOA's order means the WFI can now run the sport independently in the country," signed off the source.

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MMSC South India Rally: Triple delight for racer Harkrishan Wadia on eventful dayhttps://www.newindianexpress.com/sport/other/2024/Mar/18/mmsc-south-india-rally-triple-delight-for-racer-harkrishan-wadia-on-eventful-dayhttps://www.newindianexpress.com/sport/other/2024/Mar/18/mmsc-south-india-rally-triple-delight-for-racer-harkrishan-wadia-on-eventful-day#comments5a8fcca2-43c3-428c-9561-cef6fd41d656Mon, 18 Mar 2024 06:30:28 +00002024-03-18T06:30:28.700ZExpress News Service/api/author/1897566Harkrishan Wadia,MMSC South India RallyOtherCHENNAI: On a day filled with drama, Delhi’s Harkrishan Wadia (co-driver Kunal Kashyap, Himachal) of Arka Motorsports emerged champion in the 47th MMSC South India Rally here on Sunday while several leading title contenders retired due to various issues with their vehicles.

Wadia not only topped the round of AVT Gold Cup FIA APRC-Asia Cup but also the season-opener of the Blueband Fmsci Indian National Rally Championship 2024 besides taking the P1 spot in the INRC 2 category for a triple crown.

His main rivals in Asia Cup, SIDVIN-MRF Tyres-sponsored Bengaluru pair of Pragathi Gowda and co-driver Trisha Alonkar failed to finish as they ran out of the fuel. The second spot went to Hyderabad pair of Naveen Puligilla and co-driver Santosh Thomas with Coimbatore’s Ramcharan C (co-driver Jeevarathinam, Bengaluru) of Arka Motorsports completing the podium.

In the national championship, Wadia won the overall and INRC 2 titles as overnight leader Himachal’s Aditya Thakur and co-driver Virender Kashyap were docked a 30-second penalty for late check-in as they stopped to repair

Muguntha shines

BB Muguntha Vathanan’s unbeaten 79 helped Autolec ERC to beat Thiruthani CC by seven wickets in the third division match of the TNCA-Thiruvallur DCA league.

Brief Scores: III Division: Thiruthani CC 220 in 30 ovs (B Vimal Raj 90; C Ashok Kumar 4/14) lost to Autolec ERC 224/3 in 28.2 ovs (G Saravanan 50, BB Muguntha Vathanan 79 n.o.). IV Division: DRBCCC Hindu College 154 in 30 ovs (S Sathyanarayan 64, S Adithya 4/50, S Thiyagamoorthi 3/22) bt FSCA 126/9 in 30 ovs (Jeya Singh Michael Mathavan 41).

Akshay scalps five

Akshay Kumar’s 5 for 49 propelled Ait Force Station, Avadi to defeat Ashok Leyland, Ennore by four wickets in the 19th Lucas TVS Thiruvallur DCA Trophy limited-overs tournament. Brief scores: Group A: Ashok Leyland, Ennore 183/9 in 30 ovs (Praveen 40 n.o.; Akshay Kumar 5/49) lost to Air Force Station, Avadi 184/6 in 28.1 ovs (MK Bhatta 86 n.o).

AICF international GM women chess tournament

The 2nd edition of the Velammal-AICF International women Grandmaster round-robin chess tournament will be organised by Tamil Nadu State Chess Association at Chennai from March 18 to 25, 2024.

This tournament consists of 12 players- five foreign players and seven Indian players out of which three players are from Tamil Nadu. Apart from Indian players two players from Mongolia, one player each from France, Italy, Colombia are participating in the tournament.

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All England Open: Lakshya’s magic run ends in semifinalhttps://www.newindianexpress.com/sport/other/2024/Mar/17/all-england-open-lakshyas-magic-run-ends-in-semifinalhttps://www.newindianexpress.com/sport/other/2024/Mar/17/all-england-open-lakshyas-magic-run-ends-in-semifinal#commentsa0fbfe7e-2be4-4fcc-9113-345c185c8dafSun, 17 Mar 2024 04:07:11 +00002024-03-17T04:07:11.859ZExpress News Service/api/author/1897566All England Open,Lakshya SenOtherCHENNAI : Lakshya Sen has been a different beast in the last two weeks or so. Playing his men’s singles semifinal match of the ongoing All England Open Championships in Birmingham on Saturday, that was evident as he stretched Jonatan Christie, his opponent on the day, to the limits. After conceding the opening game, where he looked completely off (primarily due to Christie’s game intelligence), Lakshya switched on his fighting spirit, something that has been key to his success over the years. Smashes, good defences (he even pulled off a defence when the score read 18-6 in Lakshya’s favour that could make the cut in one of his highlight reels on YouTube), you name it all, it was simply mesmerizing.

With Prakash Padukone (the first Indian to win the prestigious All England Open Championships) and U Vimal Kumar by his side, he signalled another comeback story. He had taken a similar route less than twenty four hours ago. But alas, it was not to be. Christie, despite being rattled for the majority of the second game, regained his composure before pulling off a three-game win (12-21, 21-10, 21-15).

Despite the defeat, his run in the last two weeks (he also reached the French Open semis) or so is a massive win for him and the Indian badminton fraternity. Before that, he was staring at uncertainty in regards to Olympic Games qualification. “I’m happy with the way I played in the second game. I hoped for better results in the third,” Lakshya said after the match. While the 22-year-old will have some positives from the run at Birmingham, one thing he wants to focus on is to close out matches in two games.

After a relatively straightforward win in the first round, Sen took the scenic route in his next two wins. It impacted his recovery process, something he openly admitted after the match. It’s something he had done at the French Open too, with each of his four games going the distance. “I will want to close out matches in two games,” he said.

Similarly for Christie, this run to the finals (he’s set to face Indonesian counterpart Anthony Sinisuka Ginting) is a big morale booster. Like Lakshya, Christie had endured a patchy run. Irrespective of the outcome in the finals, this experience could give him a massive kick ahead of the Olympics.

Yamaguchi trumps An

An Se-young has been a dominant force in the women’s singles category. However, she showed that she’s human on Saturday. In fact, at one point of time it looked like the South Korean would limp towards the finish line because of a heavily-strapped knee. It was clearly impacting her immobility but she kept at it as she made Akane Yamaguchi of Japan, her semifinal opponent, work for the points in each of the next two stanzas. The World No 1 lost 21-10, 19-21, 21-14.

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I'm sure I can qualify for Olympics: Boxer Nishanthttps://www.newindianexpress.com/sport/other/2024/Mar/16/im-sure-i-can-qualify-for-olympics-boxer-nishanthttps://www.newindianexpress.com/sport/other/2024/Mar/16/im-sure-i-can-qualify-for-olympics-boxer-nishant#commentsd58f6e07-d49f-4ae6-9e8c-b7a1487fc009Sat, 16 Mar 2024 18:37:52 +00002024-03-16T18:37:52.076ZAnmol Gurung/api/author/1870926Olympics,Boxing Federation of India,Indian Boxing,NishantOtherCHENNAI : Indian boxing is facing a grim reality at the moment.

The disastrous campaign of Indian boxers in the recent World Boxing Tournament, an Olympic qualifier, was a big eye-opener for the boxing fraternity in the country. The Boxing Federation of India and all the other stakeholders involved in running the sport are currently in the process of finding a fix.

Amidst the doom and gloom surrounding the sport, Nishant Dev is abuzz. Among nine participants from the country in Italy, Nishant was the only pugilist who returned with a good amount of goodwill. The 23-year-old from Haryana came close to challenging for the Olympic quota. Despite putting up a fierce fight, the quota eventually proved to be beyond his reach after he lost in the quarterfinals.

Having come so close, it was a tough pill to swallow for the 2023 World Championships bronze medallist who plies his trade in the 71-kg category. He, however, is holding his head high and entering the next few months with a good dose of optimism.

"It was a very close fight in the quarterfinals. I gave it all but just missed out. However, I'm happy with my overall experience," Nishant, who's presently with his family at home, noted.

Nishant's brave effort does not come as a surprise. He's one of the few young faces to have emerged in recent years and had entered the Italy meet with a fair chance of challenging for the Olympic quota. In the last Asian Games, also an Olympic qualifying event, he had missed out at the same stage. Prior to that, he had captured a bronze at the World Championships.

What has made him a formidable fighter is his attitude towards the sport. Given his inexperience at the elite level, he's mindful of the fact that he has plenty to learn. One can imagine the pain the boxers and the coaching staff must have felt as India suffered a slow death during the latest qualifier, losing one boxer after another.

"It was tough to see my fellow boxers lose. But I don't get drawn into negativity easily. I just kept my focus and concentrated on myself," he said.
India boxing's High Performance Director Bernard Dunne and the other coaches have been one of the key talking points in the last couple of days or so. Dunne and the rest of the coaches' futures remain uncertain as the BFI look to find solutions. "I have not had any issues. I have had support from the word go. I have also learnt quite a bit from them. In fact, we (boxers in the camp) don't discuss such matters," Nishant said, when asked about his experience under the coaches.

It's clear to ascertain that Nishant is just focussed on his boxing. His desire remains undiminished and he's now determined to address the unfinished business of getting the Olympic quota in the final qualifying event, scheduled to be held in Bangkok from May 23 to June 3. "I'm sure that I can qualify. I'll work on whatever I'm lacking at the moment," he declared.

Judging in boxing has always been a highly-debated topic over the years. That is one aspect that boxers should take note of while doing their drills in the training hall. Nishant seems to have gotten some idea of what the judges are looking out for. "The judges are very particular about your body language, your style even during the last few minutes of the bout.

Compared to my rivals, they have better balance in the final rounds. Even though they are as tired as me, they tend to display good body language. The manner I operate, throw punches during latter stages of the bout is vital. I need to improve on that aspect.

"This is something that is in our control, we need to keep up in order to impress the judges. The Italy event was a solid exposure for me. I could gauge where I stand and this will help me going forward."

Nishant is currently taking a much-needed break and looking to ensure that his body recovers properly before he resumes training. The coaches have already sent him a training plan and he's likely to start light practice from next week.

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After Asiad agony, Mirabai to lift weight for first time in World Cuphttps://www.newindianexpress.com/sport/other/2024/Mar/16/after-asiad-agony-mirabai-to-lift-weight-for-first-time-in-world-cuphttps://www.newindianexpress.com/sport/other/2024/Mar/16/after-asiad-agony-mirabai-to-lift-weight-for-first-time-in-world-cup#comments5cb0151e-eab7-4cb4-9d37-dcd3be7c75eeSat, 16 Mar 2024 05:17:54 +00002024-03-16T05:17:54.614ZFiroz Mirza/api/author/1874591Mirabai ChanuOtherCHENNAI: The last time Tokyo Olympic silver medallist Mirabai Chanu attempted to lift weight in an international competition, she fell flat on her back and had to be stretchered off the platform. It also ended her dream of winning her maiden medal at the Asian Games as she finished fourth in the 49kg.

Almost six months after the heartbreak and the hip tendinitis injury she sustained during the continental showpiece event, the Manipur athlete will not only participate in an international tournament but also lift weights. She along with S Bindyarani Devi (59kg) will represent the country in the IWF World Cup scheduled in Phuket, Thailand from March 31 to April 11. "She is fit and will lift weights in Thailand. We will leave the country for the event on March 28," Vijay Sharma, head coach of the national weightlifting team, told this daily.

Before and after the Hanghzhou Games, Mirabai though took part in international tournaments — World Championships in Riyadh (September 2023) and IWF Grand Prix II in Doha (December 2023). But the aim then was to just mark her attendance as participation in these Olympic Qualifying events was mandatory to qualify for the Paris Games. She then had to miss the Asian Championships in February this year as she had headed to the USA for a month-long rehabilitation programme in St Louis under Dr Aaron Horschig.

The entry total for the star lifter is 194kg for the World Cup, which is also the last qualifying event for the 2024 Olympics. "She hasn't lifted weights in the international events since the Asian Games. So in Phuket, the goal will be to lift weights successfully, that's why the minimal entry has been made," added Sharma. Bindyarani has entered 200kg in her weight category.

As per the rules, it is compulsory for weightlifters to attend the 2023 World Weightlifting Championships and the 2024 World Cup to be eligible to compete at the 2024 Olympics. Barring these two compulsory tournaments, a lifter also has to participate in at least three of the following events — the 2022 World Championships, the 2023 Continental Championships, the 2023 Grand Prix 1, the 2023 Grand Prix II and the 2024 Continental Championships — to stay eligible. 

Given the criteria, Mirabai's participation in Phuket will make her eligible as she has already qualified on the basis of the Olympic Qualification Ranking. She is second behind Chinese lifter Jiang Huihua in 49kg as on March 4, 2024. Top 10 (one athlete from an NOC) lifters in each weight category will book the ticket as per the qualification criteria.

"Apart from Mirabai, there is a very less chance of any Indian lifter qualifying for Paris even through continental quota. After the World Cup, she will train at NIS Patiala before leaving for Paris a month before the Games," signed off the coach.

Recently, the sports ministry's Mission Olympic Cell approved Mirabai's proposal to train at La Ferte-Milon, Paris to prepare for the Games. During the training-cum-acclimatisation camp, she would be accompanied by two coaches and a physiotherapist.

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Medicott retired, Fouaad on new horsehttps://www.newindianexpress.com/sport/other/2024/Mar/16/medicott-retired-fouaad-on-new-horsehttps://www.newindianexpress.com/sport/other/2024/Mar/16/medicott-retired-fouaad-on-new-horse#comments7f295cc3-7d2e-4187-8c1e-c6e09dbc3fd8Sat, 16 Mar 2024 04:51:06 +00002024-03-16T04:51:06.761ZSwaroop Swaminathan/api/author/1870203Fouaad Mirza,Seigneur MedicottOtherCHENNAI: If Fouaad Mirza qualifies for the Paris Games, he will be astride a new partner. He has taken the difficult decision of retiring his long-term partner in success, Seigneur Medicott, from elite-level sport. “We have retired Medicott,” Mirza told this daily. “He’s going to be doing lower-level events, so missing that key partner. I now have to qualify with the younger generation.” In his stable he has Dajara 4 (his Tokyo reserve) and Mokatoo.

For the record, Mirza, who impressed during his maiden Games at Tokyo, needs some luck to be on the bus to Paris. Astride Medicott when the qualifying process was on last year (the window to collect points was from January 2023 to the end of December), he admitted to a ‘few hiccups’. He fell down during one show while bad luck struck him during another (they cancelled an event in Poland due to rain when he was on form). The 32-year-old is currently the first reserve (there are 65 quota places and he’s 67th on the list). “They will shift us up the ladder if somebody falls out.”

In the meantime, Mirza, whose training base is in Germany, will have to make the Minimum Eligibility Criteria astride both Mokatoo and Dajara 4. “I aim to first make the MERs with Mokatoo before seeking to make it with Dajara 4 by the last week of May,” the two-time Asian Games medallist said. “So we have our work out, I need to meet two MERs at a 4-star short course and one on a four-star long course. In fact, Mokatoo is going next week to get one MER out of the way. With Dajara, I may potentially take some more time as she has been out of the sport for two years.”

He took the decision to retire Micky thanks to a combination of factors. “In fairness to Micky (Medicott), he’s 18 this year,” he said. “We just had to put our hands up and hope that we have done enough. The Worlds (last year) was a huge experience (with him). Since then, it’s been a bit of a roller-coaster. There are things like that in any sport and some didn’t go according to plan.

More so in our sport where we are dealing with horses and they have a mind of their own. Post the Worlds and towards Paris, we were fortunate enough to collect a few points. A couple of shows, I had a bit of a bad luck. I had a good dressage and a good jumping round but had a fall in the cross-country. If everything there had been alright, I could have got a few points. I have analysed that fall a lot of times and I have realised that that’s partly due to me ‘perhaps, wanting it too bad’ and pushing too hard.

After that, one show in Poland I again had a good jumping and dressage but it was cancelled due to rain. I went to another show in Switzerland. I led the dressage and rode the cross-country. But there, I knocked a fence where it counts as 11 penalties and I had two in one round. So, that doesn’t count as an MER. Eventually everything came into place in Belgium where I finished 2nd at the Nations Cup. Ultimately, I think we have done enough (to get into the Olympics).” The Mission Olympic Cell okayed Mirza’s next few competitions.

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Lakshya fights back to enter semis of All England Championshipshttps://www.newindianexpress.com/sport/other/2024/Mar/16/lakshya-fights-back-to-enter-semishttps://www.newindianexpress.com/sport/other/2024/Mar/16/lakshya-fights-back-to-enter-semis#commentsdb8f6194-06e7-429a-ace2-d3732ee38475Sat, 16 Mar 2024 04:12:14 +00002024-03-16T04:12:14.919ZExpress News Service/api/author/1897566Lakshya Sen,An Se-YoungOtherCHENNAI: Even a month ago, Lakshya Sen’s place at the Olympics appeared to be in jeopardy. He hadn’t made a good start to the season and was running out of tournaments to garner crucial Olympic qualifying points. Never mind because he has turned it around over the course of the last few weeks.

He reached the semifinals at the French Open. He has now emulated that with another run to the last four at the ongoing All England Championships. What will please the 22-year-old is the way he fought back against Malaysia’s Lee Zii Jia. Jia, the 2021 winner, had won the first game but the Indian fought back to win the tie 20-22, 21-16, 21-19. With U Vimal Kumar and Prakash Padukone sitting in his corner, Sen, defended admirably apart from finding winners thanks to some jump smashes,

The Indian, seeking to become the first from the country to win this event since P Gopichand triumphed in 2001, went into overdrive in the third game. He opened up a huge lead and never relinquished control. Dane Victor Axelsen, the current World No. 1, went down in three games. The reigning Olympic champion won the first game but an inspired Anthony Ginting fought back to win 8-21, 21-18, 21-19.

An Se-young cruises

An Se-young has been cut above the rest in recent times and the South Korean shuttler, ranked World No 1, is touted to be a contender for gold medal in the Paris Olympics. Having made a habit of grabbing titles over the last one year or so, she deservedly captured the BWF Female Player of the Year at the end of 2023 season. That relentless hunger was evident at the season opener in Malaysia Open, where she defeated former World No 1 Tai Tzu-ying for the top prize.

Now, she’s on another bull run; three wins (one of her casualties was India’s PV Sindhu) in the ongoing meet in Birmingham. Her latest casualty was Han Yue of China (21-16, 21-19) in the quarterfinals.

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All England Badminton Championships: Lakshya enters last eight, SatChi lose to bow outhttps://www.newindianexpress.com/sport/other/2024/Mar/15/all-england-badminton-championships-lakshya-enters-last-eight-satchi-lose-to-bow-outhttps://www.newindianexpress.com/sport/other/2024/Mar/15/all-england-badminton-championships-lakshya-enters-last-eight-satchi-lose-to-bow-out#comments9365581d-27fe-4514-a600-5db8fe227313Fri, 15 Mar 2024 03:28:40 +00002024-03-15T03:28:40.330ZExpress News Service/api/author/1897566Badminton,Chirag Shetty,Satwiksairaj Rankireddy,All England Badminton ChampionshipsOtherCHENNAI: ‘NEVER give up’. That is one of the prominent tattoos that is inked on shuttler Lakshya Sen’s left arm. It’s the mantra that he has held close to his heart and pulled off numerous memorable wins over the years.

On Thursday, his fighting spirit was visible through and through in his men’s singles contest in the ongoing All England Badminton Championships in Birmingham.

Playing Anders Antonsen (the No 4 seed) in his second-round match, it was expected to be a stiff test of mental strength for Lakshya, who has been on a revival since the last few weeks or so. In the first game, he showed his quality to keep his nose in front in the early phases. Antonsen, as was expected, stepped up and started to dictate the pace of the game. Trailing 13-17, the Dane reeled off five consecutive points to turn the tide in his favour. It was a see-saw battle towards the end but Lakshya retained his composure to ride out the storm.

The game was far from over, though. Antonsen, who has two titles to his name in 2024, fought back in an emphatic manner. As Antonsen found his rhythm, Lakshya seemed to be exhausted and running out of ideas. It was no surprise when Antonsen closed out the second game in no time.

The momentum was clearly on Antonsen’s side as he raced to a 12-6 lead in the last stanza. That’s when Lakshya’s ‘never give up’ spirit came to the fore. Like a man possessed, he triggered a fightback, forcing Antonsen to make unforced errors. Lakshya never looked back after that as he got over the victory line. After an engaging 80-minute encounter, the score read 24-22, 11-21, 21-14 in the Indian’s favour. Lakshya will meet Lee Zii Jia of Malaysia in the quarterfinals

Meanwhile, French Open winners Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty lost 16-21, 15-21 against Maulana Bagas and Muhammad Shohibul Fikri of Indonesia in the men’s doubles Round of 16 clash. The World No 1 pair’s defeat is a massive blow for India. Before Thursday’s development, the Indian pair had reached finals of all the competitions they had taken part this year.

Earlier, PV Sindhu had lost her women’s singles second-round match against World No 1 An Se-Young. Sindhu, on a comeback trail after recovering from a left knee injury, lost 21-19, 21-11. This is a big learning curve for Sindhu, who is India’s only hope in the women’s singles category in the upcoming Paris Olympics.

“She is, of course, the top player now. But I should have been much more patient, I made unforced errors. There were easy mistakes,” she later said.

It was also curtains for the women’s doubles pair of Tanisha Crasto and Ashwini Ponnappa. The Indian pair lost 11-21, 21-11, 21-11 against the Chinese duo of Zhang Shuxian and Zheng Yu.

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Bernard Dunne 'undone' as malaise seems to go deeper in Indian boxinghttps://www.newindianexpress.com/sport/other/2024/Mar/15/bernard-dunne-undone-as-malaise-seems-to-go-deeper-in-indian-boxinghttps://www.newindianexpress.com/sport/other/2024/Mar/15/bernard-dunne-undone-as-malaise-seems-to-go-deeper-in-indian-boxing#commentsa9d91a5b-5a07-4098-b521-6dcd67f9efd1Fri, 15 Mar 2024 03:18:22 +00002024-03-15T03:18:22.596ZIndraneel Das/api/author/1875034boxing,Bernard DunneOtherCHENNAI: The poor show of Indian boxers, especially men, continued at the Olympic Qualifiers that concluded in Italy a few days ago. One of the highest paid foreign coaches in the Indian set-up (Olympics), Irish coach Bernard Dunne who joined as High Performance Director in the latter half of 2022, seems to be the fall guy. Though the Boxing Federation of India (BFI) secretary is saying that he has resigned, the BFI is divided over accepting his resignation.

As expected, and nothing new in Indian sports administration, there is confusion over Dunne's status. Even he was surprised by the news and said that he has not been informed of any decision taken by the BFI or SAI at this point. He also said he was surprised by the secretary's (Hemanta Kalita) comments and did not reflect on what transpired between them.

The BFI seems to be hit by another failure and controversy after the Tokyo 2020 Olympics in 2021. Whatever it is, the malaise runs deep within the system. Foreign coach for women Dmitry Dmitruk too would be under the scanner. Sacking HPDs and foreign or Indian coaches, however, is the easiest thing to do. Previous HPD Santiago Nieva left under mysterious circumstances after the Tokyo Olympics.

Instead of looking for flaws in the system, it’s just another reaction to an insipid show that could not be addressed earlier. If at all, it is a collective failure of all stakeholders including BFI and Sports Authority India and all are answerable. There was a meeting between the sports ministry, SAI and BFI on Wednesday.

Boxing is not alone which is reacting like this. There were quite a few HPD exits in sports like athletics, weightlifting and hockey. The recent example of high-profile exits was in women’s hockey, where instead of improving on their fourth finish at the Tokyo Olympics in 2022, they failed to qualify. The women's head coach and later HI Chief Executive Officer quit.

Some of the senior BFI members have written to its president and the secretary about who should take responsibility for the dismal performance in Italy. Under pressure, the BFI is set to accept Dunne's resignation but if insiders are to be believed, he was keen on staying until the Olympics. The BFI has called for an executive committee meeting on Friday to decide on quite a few things including changes in coaches and support staff.

Though there is pressure, the BFI would want to focus on the next assignment – the last World Olympic Games qualifiers in Thailand. This too would be tough because all boxers who have not qualified will compete here.

The BFI had gone rudderless after the demise of its last executive director (RK Sacheti) during the pandemic. It seemed to have affected the functioning of the BFI until a new executive director (Arun Malik) joined in the second half of 2022 just when Nieva was leaving. Irishman Dunne joined in October 2022 at about $15,000 per month salary. He immediately abolished selection policy and instead he fixed certain parameters through which the boxers would be evaluated.

Though some of the senior coaches and officials resisted the move, Dunne continued with it. Pool of boxers who would come for selection trials stopped. Selecting good sparring partners became difficult. Senior nationals where boxers from national camps started dominating showed the widening gap between the best and the rest. Since the focus also had been on a select few boxers in the Olympic category, only a few benefitted.
The men’s and women’s camps were merged and shifted to the National Centre of Excellence in Patiala. Though this was designed to have more coherence and focus, it somehow did not go down well with all.

Transition from junior to senior had been a big problem area. The BFI is expected to focus on this. Without bench strength, the current boxers will never have competition. The BFI apparently is planning to focus more on the under 22 training and competition so that the transition is smooth.
Another area that needs to be addressed is the pool of international referees and judges, which sometimes seem to play a role in close fights.

This time there was only one and judging at the Italy event apparently did not go India’s way. Yet it is no excuse for not doing well. The BFI might not go for a wholesale change before the Thailand qualifiers between May 23 to June 3 and will continue with men’s head coach CA Kuttappa, it needs to be seen if his supporting cast will change. The BFI must look into the immediate future. Perhaps, it's also time for BFI and SAI to introspect about their own failures as well.

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Boxing, Olympic Qualifier: Tame show in Italy a big wake up callhttps://www.newindianexpress.com/sport/other/2024/Mar/13/boxing-olympic-qualifier-tame-show-in-italy-a-big-wake-up-callhttps://www.newindianexpress.com/sport/other/2024/Mar/13/boxing-olympic-qualifier-tame-show-in-italy-a-big-wake-up-call#comments42a55b4c-ff63-4348-a8eb-1bb7cb5abda4Wed, 13 Mar 2024 03:07:19 +00002024-03-13T03:07:19.368ZAnmol Gurung/api/author/1870926boxing,Olympic QualifierOtherSportCHENNAI: The last few days turned out to be a rude awakening for Indian boxers. This could even be considered as one of the forgettable performances in Indian boxing at an Olympic Games qualifying event. With just 135 days left for the marquee event to begin, this is definitely not healthy for a sport that boasts of three Olympic medals including Vijender Singh's 2008 bronze.

As many as nine boxers returned empty-handed from the just-concluded World Olympic Qualifier at Busto Arsizio, Italy. The men boxers from the country are yet to win a single quota for the country. What’s more concerning is that most pugilists didn’t even come close to challenging for the quotas.

This will reflect poorly on the Boxing Federation of India (BFI) and its Long Term Development plan. With quotas on the line in Italy, a total of 598 boxers had entered the event and the competition was expected to be tough. Barring Nishant Dev, who just missed out on the quota after reaching the quarterfinals, all the other participants from the country lost their very first bouts.

This has not gone down well with certain sections of the BFI. Rajesh Bhandari, the current vice president of BFI, was not amused. The former secretary of the boxing federation (Indian Amateur Boxing Association) said this performance has upset the entire community. “We are not satisfied with the performance of the boxers,” he told this daily. “We have asked the president and the secretary to call for an urgent meeting where we will discuss this failure of our boxers. It’s really a sad day for boxing.”

Eight out of nine participants from India lost their very first fight in Italy Attachments:

The veteran sports administrator, during whose tenure women’s national was introduced, said there should be a total evaluation. “We have to take stock of the situation and take corrective measures right now,” he said, adding that all issues pertaining to change in coaches and support staff also will be taken up.

There have been major changes in the coaches' department in the last year or so. There seems to be a dearth of quality on the bench. This also puts a cloud on the process of the BFI. Given the fact that boxers had been selected after a thorough selection process which included an evaluation process in the build-up to the competition, this setback is a massive blow.

The first step towards selection was the national championships in Shillong late last year and the gap between the best and the rest was obvious. “Barring a few weight categories, the eventual winners put up comprehensive wins,” one of the coaches had observed then.

Unhappy times

After naming the team, the boxers had also been part of the training camp at Budva, Montenegro just from February 14 to 28. Two-time Olympian Shiva Thapa (63.5kg), despite his years of experience, was forced to yield in the very first round. Narender (+92kg), who had just missed out on a quota in the Asian Games, suffered a similar fate. Mohammad Hussamuddin (57kg), who was making a comeback after injury last year, also stood helpless as the Indians fell by the wayside, one after another.

All the parties — boxers, coaches and officials involved in making key decisions — won’t have much time to reflect on this latest disaster. It goes without saying they have tough days ahead as they race against time to pull off an improved performance in the last World Qualification Tournament, which is scheduled to be held in Bangkok from May 23 to June 3. In the previous Olympic qualifiers (Asian Games), India had won four quotas (all women).

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Don't accept 50kg entry: Wrestler's plea to UWWhttps://www.newindianexpress.com/sport/other/2024/Mar/12/dont-accept-50kg-entry-wrestlers-plea-to-uwwhttps://www.newindianexpress.com/sport/other/2024/Mar/12/dont-accept-50kg-entry-wrestlers-plea-to-uww#comments241764bb-7fbe-405b-b6e3-efb236b53849Tue, 12 Mar 2024 18:45:36 +00002024-03-12T18:45:36.932ZFiroz Mirza/api/author/1874591Vinesh Phogat,World Championships,UWWOtherCHENNAI: One of the women wrestlers, who competed in the selection trials in Patiala on Monday, wrote to the United World Wrestling (UWW) requesting it not to accept Vinesh Phogat's entry in the 50kg category and trained the gun at the ad hoc committee for flouting norms.

The complainant also urged the world governing body to direct the WFI to hold fresh trials in the weight category. This development comes on the heels of a Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) report to the world governing body on the incident.

Notably, two-time World Championships medallist Vinesh won the 50kg final securing a place in the contingent for the Asian Championships and Asian Olympic Games Qualifier scheduled next month in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. Vinesh also competed in the 53kg during the trials, losing the semifinal.

This apparently irked wrestlers, who even approached the ad-hoc committee members complaining against the move that led to a considerable delay in the commencement of competitions in both weight categories.

"I would like to draw your attention towards the violation of the UWW Rules during the selection trials conducted by the illegal ad-hoc committee," the wrestler wrote in her mail to UWW. "In fact, the ad-hoc committee is not well conversant about the rules and regulations of wrestling and chairman of ad-hoc committee basically belongs to wushu game. The UWW technical officials had also followed the directions of the chairman, ad-hoc committee," she added.

This daily spoke to the complainant, who, on the condition of anonymity, admitted that she had lodged a complaint with the UWW. "It appeared that the trials were organised for one particular wrestler as all the rules and regulations were set aside to make sure she not only competes in two weight categories but also wins the bouts. If that was the case, why this farce? They should have sent her name directly for the tournaments," the wrestler complained.

In her complaint, she also said the weigh-in started at 7 AM but the ad-hoc committee and referees deliberately started bouts in the two weight categories at 1:30 pm.

"Sir, it was not selection trials. In fact, it was all drama controlled by the ad-hoc committee through the UWW referees and Vinesh Phogat. The other referees were also sitting idly and no one objected to this rule. My request is that kindly do not accept the entry in 50kg and direct WFI to hold the fresh trial in 50kg since the trial in this weight category was totally controlled by Vinesh only," the wrestler wrote.

One of the members of the ad-hoc committee, MM Somaya, when contacted, expressed his inability to speak on the issue. The member said only the chairman can speak on the issue. Chairman Bhupender Singh Bajwa didn't respond to a query in this regard.

Even WFI sources claimed after the trials that the representatives from the federation were directed to leave the venue during Vinesh's bouts. The WFI had also written to the UWW explaining its position and questioning the decisions taken by the ad-hoc committee.

The UWW had told this daily on Monday that an athlete cannot compete in two weight categories. "This is the problem for WFI, the ethics panel will consider this. However, the national federations sometimes have slightly different rules and the UWW would like to know what exactly happened, (how) the weigh in was performed, what was the real weight and so on, what was the time gap between the matches and so on," the world body replied to a query in this regard.

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Small victory for me, says Phogat after winhttps://www.newindianexpress.com/sport/other/2024/Mar/12/small-victory-for-me-says-phogat-after-winhttps://www.newindianexpress.com/sport/other/2024/Mar/12/small-victory-for-me-says-phogat-after-win#commentsb5b909dc-19b7-4eac-8284-bc62594536d3Tue, 12 Mar 2024 06:26:50 +00002024-03-12T06:26:50.114ZExpress News Service/api/author/1897566OtherNEW DELHI: Vinesh Phogat, who had a knee surgery before the Asian Games last year, made a come back at the trials. She said that she wanted to be in fray for the Paris Olympics in 53kg as well and that’s why she competed in two weight categories.

“This marks a small victory for me, but the main focus remains on the Olympics. In a month, there are (Olympic) qualifications (events) followed by the Games itself. My sole target is the Olympics. If luck is on my side, I believe, I can achieve what I couldn’t in the last two Olympics,” Vinesh told PTI video.

“Six years ago, I competed in the 50kg category, facing numerous challenges, especially with reducing the weight and post-operative recovery. Despite the hurdles, I’m determined to focus on the Olympic qualifiers. Ideally, I was aiming to compete in the 53kg category, considering Antim Panghal has already secured a quota. However, due to unclear guidelines, I participated in the 50kg category as well. Winning a quota in the 50kg category for India is also an immense honour for me.”

She blamed the government for not supporting wrestling in the last one and a half years. “Unfortunately, the Indian government has provided little support to wrestling in the past one-and-a-half years. This lack of support has significantly impacted wrestlers, and I urge the government to prioritise and support wrestling more seriously.”

Ad hoc panel decides on wrestler’s request

Ad hoc panel chief reportedly said that he and his two other colleagues decided to accede to Vinesh Phogat’s request to allow her to compete in two weight categories, which is against UWW rule. “We responded to Vinesh’s request to compete in both categories, the entire committee agreed to accommodate her request and allowed her to participate in both,” Bajwa reportedly said.

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Vinesh's twin participation may spell trouble as UWW takes note of incidenthttps://www.newindianexpress.com/sport/other/2024/Mar/11/vineshs-twin-participation-may-spell-trouble-as-uww-takes-note-of-incidenthttps://www.newindianexpress.com/sport/other/2024/Mar/11/vineshs-twin-participation-may-spell-trouble-as-uww-takes-note-of-incident#comments2be73d87-e3d5-446e-9cbd-6e4cf20fb37cMon, 11 Mar 2024 17:41:36 +00002024-03-11T18:09:44.896ZFiroz Mirza/api/author/1874591Vinesh Phogat,Asian Olympic Games Qualifier,UWWOtherTwo-time world championships medallist Vinesh Phogat, who was at the forefront of the protest against former Wrestling Federation of India chief last year, managed to secure a place in the 50kg weight category for the Asian Olympic Games qualifier. She, however, failed to win in her pet 53kg.

The day started with high drama during the selection trials at NIS Patiala, when Vinesh wanted to participate in two weight categories which was against the United World Wrestling rules. This could spell trouble for all the athletes and the organisers.

The UWW noted the incident and told this daily that a wrestler cannot compete in two weight categories. "Of course not," was the reply to a query if participation in two weight categories is allowed as per the UWW rules and regulations. Adding further a UWW source said, "A senior athlete may compete in a heavier weight class than his real weight but only in that one."

Article 7 of the UWW's International Wrestling Rules which deals with age, weight and competition categories deals with the issue and states the same. "Each contestant deemed to be taking part of his/her own free will, and responsible for himself/herself, shall be allowed to compete in only one weight category: the one corresponding to his weight at the time of the official weigh-in," it reads. "For categories in the senior age group, competitors may opt for the next higher category than their body weight, except for the heavy weight category, for which contestants must weigh over 97kg for Freestyle and for Greco Roman Wrestling and over 72 kg for Women’s Wrestling," Article 7 says.

This brings the selection trials, which should have been organised as per the rules and regulations of the UWW, under the scanner. The teams have been selected for the Asian Championships and Asian Olympic Games Qualifier, both to be held under the aegis of the UWW next month, and now it has to be seen whether the world body would accept the results and allow Indian wrestlers to compete at the important tournaments, one being the Paris Olympics qualifier.

Even the WFI, which claimed that its representatives were sidelined during Vinesh's bouts, has decided to apprise the UWW of the issue. "The federation is writing to the UWW. We are explaining our position as the WFI could not have conducted trials independently due to the directives from the Delhi High Court," said a WFI source. The court last week had directed the ad-hoc committee to hold the selections as per its February directives.

A compromise formula was reached after the UWW through its letter clearly said that only the WFI could send entries for the international tournaments. Accordingly, it is understood that the WFI joined hands with the sports ministry and ad-hoc committee to organise the trials.

"We didn't have the choice than to accept the proposal as we don't want other wrestlers especially those who competed in the Pune nationals to suffer. But again the rules were flouted openly on the second day in Patiala and we were rendered helpless. Even the UWW qualified referees present on the occasion failed to discharge their duties. We will apprise the UWW of all these things," added the WFI source.

The WFI might be trying to come out clean of the issue but it would be easier said than done. The UWW said it could pose a problem for the federation as well. According to UWW, "This is the problem for WFI, the ethics panel will consider this."

"WFI is announcing athletes in our system according to our rules and no other way. The system doesn't allow one female athlete in two weight categories. And cannot change the weight class if doesn't make the weight."

Earlier, the trials in the 50kg and 53kg got delayed as Vinesh reportedly wanted a written assurance from the authorities concerned to ensure she gets a final trial in the latter weight category before the Olympics. A few wrestlers in 50kg even protested. And when the competition started, Vinesh won the 50kg final 11-6 against Shivani after losing the 53kg semifinal to Anju by technical superiority.

The winners except 53kg will compete in the Asian Olympic Qualifier while the first runners-up will represent the country in the Asian Championships. Antim Panghal had already earned an Olympic quota in 53kg by winning bronze in the 2023 World Championships.

Results

50kg: 1. Vinesh, 2. Shivani, 3. Ankush, 5. Mamta Rani.

53kg: 1. Anju, 2. Pooja, 3. Vinesh Phogat, 4. Nancy.

55kg: 1. Tamanna, 2. Jyoti, 3. Bhavika Patel, 4. Sushma Shokeen.

57kg: 1. Anshu Malik, 2. Sarita, 3. Neha Sharma, 4. Pooja.

59kg: 1. Pushpa Yadav, 2. Nitika, 3. Anjali, 4. Deepti.

62kg: 1. Mansi, 2. Manisha, 3. Priyanka, 4. Monika.

65kg: 1. Antim, 2. Diksha, 3. Komal, 4. Kusum.

68kg: 1. Nisha, 2. Radhika, 3. Srishti, 4. Arju.

72kg: 1. Harshita, 2, Manju, 3. Jyoti, 4. Priyanka.

76kg: 1. Reetika, 2. Priya Malik, 3. Kiran, 4. Bipasha.

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Badminton: SatChi’s Paris love affair continueshttps://www.newindianexpress.com/sport/other/2024/Mar/11/badminton-satchis-paris-love-affair-continueshttps://www.newindianexpress.com/sport/other/2024/Mar/11/badminton-satchis-paris-love-affair-continues#comments969d3de5-f40d-45b3-b358-83f5a61a222fMon, 11 Mar 2024 07:45:17 +00002024-03-11T07:45:17.627ZExpress News Service/api/author/1897566Badminton,Chirag Shetty,Satwiksairaj RankireddyOtherCHENNAI: The Arena Porte de la Chapelle will host badminton at the Paris Olympics. If you are an Indian sports fan, write the name down. For, one of their medals will likely come at this newly constructed multi-purpose in the city’s 18th arrondissement.

On Sunday, less than 140 days out from the above-mentioned Games, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty cantered to their first title of the season. In the process, the gun Indian pair continued their ever blossoming story in the City of Love. It was in Paris in 2019 where the pair first showcased what they were all about as they reached the final of the Super 750 event. It was their first at this level. In 2022, they won this event; again, their first at this level. Over the last two years, they have added other titles to an ever-expanding trophy cabinet.

Now, they have added another to that collection. The most impressive thing about the World No. 1 duo is the way they combine defence with attack. When they get on the rampage, teams — even World Championships medallists — can seldom stay with them.

This tournament has once highlighted that. Five matches, five straight games wins with their sternest test coming in the opening round when they ran into familiar opponents, Ong Yew Sin and Teo Ee Yi.

One look at the scoreline will give you an enough impression of the stranglehold they had over their opponents: 21-13, 24-22, 21-13, 21-12, 21-19, 21-13, 21-13, 21-16, 21-11 and, finally, 21-17.

Up against the unseeded pairing of Lee Jhe-Huei/ Yang Po-Hsuan, it had looked like a procession. But they did face a tricky period when the Chinese Taipei duo had taken a small lead in the middle of the second stanza. But the Indians recalibrated and ran away with the match.

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U-18 tennis championships: Kshitij beats Kevin to claim top prizehttps://www.newindianexpress.com/sport/other/2024/Mar/11/u-18-tennis-championships-kshitij-beats-kevin-to-claim-top-prizehttps://www.newindianexpress.com/sport/other/2024/Mar/11/u-18-tennis-championships-kshitij-beats-kevin-to-claim-top-prize#comments224cd220-3653-4f15-8b30-a8df42f831f7Mon, 11 Mar 2024 06:27:43 +00002024-03-11T06:27:43.542ZExpress News Service/api/author/1897566U-18 tennis championshipsOtherCHENNAI: Aradhya Kshitij lived up to his top billing to defeat Kevin Titus Suresh 6-1, 6-3 in the boys’ singles final of the 9th TVS-ITF Junior U-18 tennis championships played at Madurai.

Results: Singles: (Finals): Boys: Aradhya Kshitij bt Kevin Titus Suresh 6-1, 6-3. Girls: Kashvi Sunil bt Harshini N Nagaraj 5-7, 7-5, 6-3.

Ranjan shines

An unbeaten 91 by A Ranjan paved the way for SRIHER RC to beat Fine Star CA by eight wickets in a first division match of the TNCA-Thiruvallur DCA league. Brief scores: I Division: Fine Star CA 214/8 in 45 ovs (YT Harish Tutu 47, Akash Sumra 43, K Sriram 47, V Simon Stanley 31, M Bharath 4/51) lost to SRIHER RC 218/2 in 42 ovs (S Sourav 77 n.o, A Ranjan 91 n.o). II Division: Pattabiram CA 182 in 29.5 ovs (S Vikram 32, PT Rama Rao 48, K Raja Pratap 26, K Danvanth 3/48, S Vasanth Saravanan 3/ 41) lost to MAS CC 183/2 in 28.1 ovs (Shubhan Krishnan Sridhar 100 n.o, V Mithun Vijay 41, R Nilesh Subramanian 32 n.o).

Urwashi’s run ends

Urwashi Joshi’s impressive run at the University of the West of England, the Bristol Open was snapped in the semifinals by Breanne Flynn of Ireland, who pulled off a come-from-behind win (3-2).

High on confidence after accounting for two seeded players in the previous rounds of the USD 3000 PSA Challenger Tour event, the Indian World No 153 took early control of the match by winning the opening two games 16-14 and 11-6.

However, higher-ranked Breanne drew deep from her reserves to win the next three games (11-8, 11-6 and 11-4) to deny the Maharashtra player a maiden PSA final appearance.

Mohun Bagan go top in ISL

Mohun Bagan Super Giant jumped to the top of the points table with an emphatic 3-1 victory against East Bengal FC in the the Indian Super League (ISL) in Kolkata on Sunday.

The Mariners and their imperious frontline put on a full throttle attacking showpiece in the first half where they hit the back of the net thrice to push the Red & Gold Brigade back early on in the proceedings.

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Error at trials for Olympic medallists Bajrang Punia, Ravi Dahiyahttps://www.newindianexpress.com/sport/other/2024/Mar/11/error-at-trials-for-olympic-medallists-bajrang-punia-ravi-dahiyahttps://www.newindianexpress.com/sport/other/2024/Mar/11/error-at-trials-for-olympic-medallists-bajrang-punia-ravi-dahiya#comments313b0d24-2ca2-4874-9146-2218394a9683Mon, 11 Mar 2024 06:06:31 +00002024-03-11T06:06:31.122ZFiroz Mirza/api/author/1874591wrestling,Ravi Dahiya,Bajrang PuniaOtherCHENNAI: Tokyo bronze medallist Bajrang Punia had been in the forefront of a massive protest against former Wrestling Federation of India president Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh last year. Missing most of the season last year, he failed to medal at the Asian Games despite getting a direct entry in 65kg. To add to his woes, on Sunday, he failed to secure a place in the India squad for the Asian Championships and Asian Olympic Games qualifiers to be held next month.

Joining him is another Tokyo silver medallist Ravi Dahiya, who had been nursing injuries for quite some time.

The trials at SAI Centre in Sonepat were held jointly by the WFI and ad-hoc committee after United World Wrestling said it would accept entries only by WFI. The Asian championships and qualifier next month will be held in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. Gold medallists from six Olympic weight categories each in men’s freestyle and Greco-Roman will represent the country at the qualifying event. The women’s trials are scheduled at SAI Centre in Patiala on Monday.

Even as the loss was second consecutive selection trial loss for Ravi in the last nine months, it was Bajrang’s defeat that garnered attention. He was given a direct entry for the Asian Games by the ad-hoc committee headed by Bhupinder Singh Bajwa last year. Call it poetic, aggrieved wrestler Sujeet Kalkal, who moved the Delhi HC against Bajrang’s direct entry unsuccesfully, found a place in the squad. Bajrang, who had a tough first bout too, didn’t compete in the bronze play-off.

India team for Asian qualifiers

57kg Aman Sherawat

65kg Sujeet Kalkal

74kg Jaideep

86kg Deepak Punia

97kg Deepak Nehra

125kg Sumit Malik

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Losing court battle last year to winning trials for Asian Olympic Games qualifier: Wrestler Sujeet's storyhttps://www.newindianexpress.com/sport/other/2024/Mar/11/losing-court-battle-last-year-to-winning-trials-for-asian-olympic-games-qualifier-sujeets-storyhttps://www.newindianexpress.com/sport/other/2024/Mar/11/losing-court-battle-last-year-to-winning-trials-for-asian-olympic-games-qualifier-sujeets-story#commentsa77ec521-afc6-491d-a561-c3270088f6daMon, 11 Mar 2024 04:21:46 +00002024-03-11T04:21:46.263ZFiroz Mirza/api/author/1874591wrestling,Sujeet KalkalOtherCHENNAI: Since July last year when the Delhi High Court rejected his and woman wrestler Antim Panghal's writ petition, Sujeet Kalkal had only one dream in mind — make it to the Paris Olympic Qualifier at any cost. The court had then upheld the decision of the ad-hoc committee giving direct entry to Bajrang Punia and Vinesh Phogat in the men's freestyle 65kg and women's wrestling 53kg weight categories respectively for the Asian Games last year. The ad hoc committee, headed by former Wushu Federation of India president Bhupinder Bajwa, blatantly disregarded the wrestlers' repeated requests.

The setback meant Sujeet lost the selection trials the next day and went on to lose another trial — this time for the 2023 World Championships, an Olympic qualifying event. It was a difficult time for the 21-year-old Sujeet but his father-cum-coach Dayanand Kalkal didn't let him lose the focus. The words of wisdom from his father did the trick as Sujeet won the 65kg gold at the 2023 Goa National Games and was crowned national champion in the Jaipur senior national championships this year.

With the Asian Olympic Games Qualifier scheduled in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan from April 19 to 21, Sujeet got yet another opportunity to fulfil his dream. But for that he has to win the selection trials. The competition was tough with the group of wrestlers vying for the top spot comprising a familiar face Bajrang, who in the past was selected for the Asian Games directly without trials forcing Sujeet to move the court.

"Sujeet is young. The court's verdict was a big setback but in sports you are bound to have ups and downs," father Dayanand told this daily. While Sujeet didn't get a chance to spar with Bajrang on the mat during the selection trials held at the SAI Centre in Sonepat on Sunday, he did outmuscle Rohit, who had earlier defeated the Tokyo Olympic bronze medallist 9-1 in the semifinal. The victory by technical superiority in the final helped Sujeet secure a place in the national team for the Olympic Qualifier and Asian Championships.

"Revenge is not the right word but yes the victory is very satisfying. The goal now is to earn a quota in the 65kg during the qualifier and then eye an Olympic medal. Sujeet will head to Russia for exposure-cum-training camp before the qualifier," added the father.

Interestingly, Bajrang was not the lone elite wrestler failing to qualify as the Tokyo Olympic silver medallist Ravi Dahiya also lost the 57kg trials with rising star Aman Sehrawat, his under-study at the Chhatrasal Akhada, New Delhi, winning the final. Another Tokyo Olympian Deepak Punia (86kg), however, won the trials to make it to the squad.

The women's trials are scheduled at SAI Centre in Patiala on Monday with all eyes set on Vinesh Phogat, who along with Bajrang and Sakshi Malik led a protest against the former president of the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh last year. The WFI was eventually suspended by the United World Wrestling last year. The suspension was revoked last month as the Sanjay Kumar Singh-led federation was recognised by the world body. However, the sports ministry did not lift its suspension imposed on the WFI soon after the election in December 2023. It also meant the trials had to be organised jointly by the WFI and ad-hoc panel, which was entrusted with the responsibility to run the day-to-day affairs of the federation by the Indian Olympic Association.

Vinesh though had won the 55kg gold in the Jaipur nationals but by then Antim had already won an Olympic quota in her pet weight category 53kg by virtue of winning a bronze medal at the 2023 Senior World Championships. In which category the two-time Worlds medallist Vinesh will compete in the trials will only be known on Monday morning. The ad-hoc committee had already clarified that Antim will represent the country at the Asian Championships.  

As far as Bajrang and Ravi's chances to make it to the Paris Games are concerned, Indian wrestlers have to win quotas in their respective weight categories to keep the duo's hopes alive. Even if that happens, they then have to depend on WFI's decision to organise trials to select wrestlers for the Olympics, which at the moment looks unlikely given the short time the federation has in hand. The last qualifying event (World Olympic Games Qualifier) is scheduled in Istanbul, Turkiye from May 9 to 12.

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Bajrang Punia, Ravi Dahiya eliminated from Paris Olympics qualification racehttps://www.newindianexpress.com/sport/other/2024/Mar/10/bajrang-punia-ravi-dahiya-eliminated-from-paris-olympics-qualification-race-3https://www.newindianexpress.com/sport/other/2024/Mar/10/bajrang-punia-ravi-dahiya-eliminated-from-paris-olympics-qualification-race-3#commentse6288f91-a4cb-425d-afa7-0a5e36b87ffbSun, 10 Mar 2024 14:31:02 +00002024-03-10T14:31:02.609ZPTI/api/author/1903325Ravi Dahiya,Bajrang Punia,Paris Olympics,Paris Olympics qualificationOtherSONEPAT: Bajrang Punia and Ravi Dahiya -- the Tokyo Games medallists -- were on Sunday eliminated from the race for the Paris Olympics qualification after losing their respective bouts in the selection trials for the national team.

Punia, who was a prominent face of protest against former WFI President Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, suffered a crushing 1-9 defeat in the men's freestyle 65kg semifinal against Rohit Kumar.

This was after he barely managed to win against Ravinder (3-3 on criteria) in the opening round.

If Ravinder had not conceded a caution point in the bout, Punia would have been eliminated in the opening bout itself.

Punia had trained in Russia to prepare for the trials, which are being organised by the IOA ad-hoc panel.

Punia though won a case in the Delhi High Court after contending that the suspended Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) had no authority to conduct trials.

He left the Sports Authority of India (SAI) Centre here in a huff after being eliminated.

The National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) officials tried to collect a sample for a dope test from Punia but he did not stay back even for the third-fourth place bout.

As fate would have it, it will be Sujeet Kalakal who will now strive to earn qualification in the 65kg for the Paris Games after winning a spot in the Indian team.

Sujeet had lost a legal case against Punia when he had challenged his direct entry for the Hangzhou Asian Games.

Sujeet beat Rohit by technical superiority in the final.

Rohit will now represent India at the Asian Championships.

The winners at the trials will get the opportunity to compete at Asian and World Olympic Qualifiers to be held in Bishkek from April 19-21 and in Istanbul from May 9-12.

The men's 57kg, being organised in Nordic format, was always a tough category since both Tokyo Games silver medallist Ravi Dahiya and star-in-making Aman Sehrawat were in contention.

Dahiya, who is making a comeback from an injury, lost the high-scoring opening bout 13-14 to Aman.

Both of them train at Chhatarsal Stadium.

Aman has made a name for himself after winning medal at almost all tournaments in 2023 when Dahiya did not compete.

Aman, the Asian Games bronze medallist, staved a last-minute push from Dahiya to win the close bout.

Dahiya lost the next bout to U20 Asian champion Udit to be eliminated.

Aman will represent India at the Olympic Qualifiers in 57kg and given the talent he possess, he stands a good chance to succeed.

India have so far earned only one quota for the Paris Games through Antim Panghal (women's 53kg).

Other wrestlers to win trials were -- Jaideep (74kg), Deepak Punia (86kg), Deepak Nehra (97kg) and Sumit Malik (125kg).

Indian team for the Asian Qualifiers: 57kg Aman Sherawat 65kg Sujeet Kalkal 74kg Jaideep 86kg Deepak Punia 97kg Deepak Nehra 125kg Sumit Malik.

Results of selection trials: Men's Freestyle: 57kg: 1.

Aman (Haryana); 2.

Udit (Railways); 3.

Shubham (Haryana) and Ravi (Delhi) 61kg: 1.

Aakash Dahiya (Services); 2.

Nikhil (Delhi); 3.

Mangal (Gujarat) and Abhishek Dhaka (UP) 65kg: 1.

Sujeet (Haryana); 2.

Rohit (Services); 3.

Anuj (Goa) and Vishal Kaliraman (Railways) 70kg: 1.

Abhimanyu (Delhi); 2.

Sharwan (Services); 3.

Naveen (Goa) and Ankit (Haryana) 74kg: 1.

Jaideep (Haryana); 2.

Yash (Railways); 3.

Naveen (Services) and Vijay Kumar (Haryana) 79kg: 1.

Parvinder (Haryana); 2.

Sachin Mor (TRI); 3.

Mohit Kumar (Delhi) and Sadashiv (Karnataka) 86kg: 1.

Deepak Punia (Services); 2.

Sandeep Singh (Punjab); 3.

Sanjeet (Services) and Deepak (West Bengal) 92kg: 1.

Vinay (Haryana); 2.

Praveen Chahar (CGH); 3.

Vicky (Services) and Parveen (Haryana) 97kg: 1.

Deepak (Services); 2.

Vicky (Haryana); 3.

Karandeep Singh (Punjab) 125kg: 1.

Sumeet (Haryana); 2.

Anirudh (Railways); 3.

Mahendera (Maharashtra) and Dinesh (Services) Greco Roman: 55kg: 1.

Arun Halakurki (Karnataka); 2.

Lalit (Haryana); 3.

Sanjeev (MP) and Rohit Yadav (Railways) 60kg: 1.

Sumeet (Chandigarh); 2.

Pravesh Kumar (Services); 3.

Saurabh (UP) and Sunny Kumar (Haryana) 63kg: 1.

Umesh (Delhi); 2.

Parvin Patil (Mah); 3.

Ankit (Delhi) and Vinay (TRI) 67kg: 1.

Ashu (Railways); 2.

Vinayak Patil (Services); 3.

Deepak (Delhi) and Neeraj (Services) 72kg: 1.

Ankit Gulia (Services); 2.

Sameer (Mah); 3.

Ajay Dagar (Haryana) 77kg: 1.

Vikash (Railways); 2.

Sajjan (Railways); 3.

Karan (Gujarat) and Kuldeep Malik (Railways) 82kg: 1.

Rohit Dahiya (Railways); 2.

Rahul (Services); 3.

Lovepreet Singh (Punjab) and Aman Kumar (Haryana) 87kg: 1.

Sunil Kumar (Railways); 2.

Ajay (Haryana); 3.

Ravinder Khatri (Services) and Rohit Bura (MP) 97kg: 1.

Nitesh (Railways); 2.

Narinder Cheema (Punjab); 3.

Sonu (Haryana) and Vijender (Delhi) 130kg: 1.

Naveen (Services); 2.

Mehar Singh (Gujarat); 3.

Sonu (Delhi) and Hardeep (Railways).

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Sharath geared up for last dance in Parishttps://www.newindianexpress.com/sport/other/2024/Mar/10/sharath-geared-up-for-last-dance-in-parishttps://www.newindianexpress.com/sport/other/2024/Mar/10/sharath-geared-up-for-last-dance-in-paris#commentsacd25f0b-b5d3-431a-9767-76128dee1173Sun, 10 Mar 2024 02:58:54 +00002024-03-10T02:58:54.024ZSwaroop Swaminathan/api/author/1870203Paris,OlympicsOtherCHENNAI : Just as Spring turns to full fledged Summer in Paris, some of the world's most decorated athletes will descend on the city for the Olympics. Amongst all of them, a 42-year-old — he will celebrate his birthday days before boarding the flight (if all goes well between now and then) — will be A Sharath Kamal. When he made his debut at the Athens Games, he was 22. Two decades later, he has pushed himself for one final tilt at immortality.

"This will be my last Olympics," he tells this daily a day before leaving for Singapore for a WTT event. The frank admission, though, came earlier during the interaction. He admits that if the men's team hadn't qualified, he would have contemplated walking away from the sport right then. "Team qualification had been the main goal over the last two years," he says. "We see big potential there; win a round and you are in the quarterfinals. You never know in the quarterfinals, on your day anything can happen. An upset and you are in with a chance"

For the record, a team qualification means two players from the team will compete in the singles competition but Sharath isn't guaranteed a spot (it's up to the selection committee). But he wants to spend more time talking about the team qualification. "It's a boost to the entire ecosystem," in his words.

Over the last decade or so, table tennis has given the country some historic highs at the Commonwealth and the Asian Games. But, somehow, the sport's relation with the Sports Authority of India (SAI) has changed. "It's not a high priority sport," Sharath explains. "SAI has also slowly started reducing funding. There are other sports with medal prospects and they are investing more on that. TOP (Target Olympic Podium) Scheme are also planning to weed some players out; they anyway will. So the qualification of the men's and women's teams will actually support the entire ecosystem."   

If anybody knows anything about the ecosystem of table tennis in India, it's Sharath, who is set to become one of the very few five-time Olympians this country has seen (the short list includes Leander Paes, Abhinav Bindra and Shiva Keshavan).

While he is firm on Paris being his final Olympic journey, he remains non-committal on whether it will be his last international outing. "The thought process was exactly that," he says when asked if he had thought about hanging up his paddle if the team had failed to qualify. "Those thoughts were there but at least this will be a good way to say goodbye to the Olympics.

"I haven't yet decided whether it will be my last international. I think the Asian Championships begins immediately after the Olympics so if they need me...  

When did he get this clarity? "I didn't have this at the end of 2022. But over the last year or so, I can say, yes, I have had this clarity, about slowly going into the administrative side of things (once the Olympics are over)."
In a way, he's already into administration as he was elected as vice-chair of the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) in November 2022. Over the last few months though, his in-tray has been put on ice. "If you have been following lately, you would have noticed I haven't said much about this (his administrative role at the IOA. Over the last 2-3 months, I have told myself  'this is my last chance'. "I don't want to get too much into that side of things. Once the Olympics are over, I will do what's necessary in my role with the IOA."  

Summer-time in Paris is when the city is filled with romance with its various art galleries, quaint cafes, churches, monuments and museums welcoming visitors from all over the world. Can Sharath, well into the winter of his career, conjure a final romance?  

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Kevin to meet Kshitij in deciderhttps://www.newindianexpress.com/sport/tennis/2024/Mar/09/kevin-to-meet-kshitij-in-deciderhttps://www.newindianexpress.com/sport/tennis/2024/Mar/09/kevin-to-meet-kshitij-in-decider#commentsbfb66897-3cd3-420a-82e8-2d9bdb587da1Sat, 09 Mar 2024 01:46:38 +00002024-03-09T01:46:38.255ZExpress News Service/api/author/1897566tennis championship,Kevin to meet KshitijTennisOtherCHENNAI : Kevin Titus Suresh defeated Sriniketh Kannan 6-2, 6-4 in the boys’ singles semifinals of the 9th TVS-ITF International Junior Under-18 tennis championship. Kevin will take on top-seeded Aradhya Kshitij in the final.

Results: Singles: Semifinals: Boys: Aradhya Kshitij bt Mannan Ashok Agarwal 6-2, 6-1; Kevin Titus Suresh bt Sriniketh Kannan 6-2, 6-4. Girls: Kashvi Sunil bt Meghana GD 6-3, 6-2; Harshini N Nagaraj bt Avani Chitale 6-2, 7-5. Doubles:Finals: Boys: Devesh Sarawanan (MAS)/Prakaash Sarran bt Mahit Mekala/Sanchith Sudhir Rau 6-4, 6-2. Girls: Meghana GD/Shaivi Gaurav Dalal bt Savitha Bhuvaneswaran /Deepshika Vinayagamurthy 6-3, 6-4.

Vital win for Chennai Blitz

Chennai Blitz kept their Super 5s hopes alive with a 16-14, 15-11, 15-13 win over the Bengaluru Torpedoes in the third season of the Prime Volleyball League at the Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor Stadium, here on Friday. Leandro Jose was named the Player of the Match.

Loyola retain title

Loyola Whites, Chennai lifted the 23nd Rev Fr LD Murphy Memorial football trophy with thrilling win against St Joseph’s College, Trichy in final league match held at Loyola College, here on Friday. Loyola Whites won 2-0. Results: Final league: Loyola Whites, Chennai 2 (Subash 25’, Devdath 72’) bt St Joseph’s college, Trichy 0; Loyola Yellows, Chennai 1 (Arulesh 42’) bt Christ College, Thiruvallur 0. Final standings: 1. Loyola Whites, Chennai ; 2. St Joseph’s College, Trichy; 3. Loyola Yellows, Chennai; 4. Christ College, Thiruvallur.

Karthick slams ton

Riding on G Karthick Shanmugam’s century (110), Aruna Cricket Club beat Sir MCTM Old Boys Sports Association by 74 runs in a third division ‘A’ Zone match of the TNCA league. Brief scores: III Division ‘A’: Aruna CC 282/8 in 50 ovs (G Karthick Shanmugam 110, M Rakshan 52; G Selvakumar 4/51) bt Sir MCTM Old Boys Sports Association 208 in 44.1 ovs (T Pravin 47, B Pranav 30; B Sandeep 5/35). Sumangali Homes 285/6 in 50 ovs (I Syed Imran Ahmed 73 n.o, M Vishalram 62, CK Vishal 50) lost to Prem CC 288/6 in 48.5 ovs (R Rajiv 134 n.o, G Surya Kanth 47, R Shreyas 32).

Kaarthika topper

With six points, Gadde Kaarthika with six points came first in the girls’ Under-13 segment of the 28th Tiruvallur District Selections Chess Championships for Open and U-13 Open and girls chess championships held at Sethu Bhaskara Matriculation Higher Secondary School, Ambattur. M Priyanka (five points) came second.

International Master Shyaamnikhil was the chief guest and distributed the prizes. Results: Open: School/College: 1. MS Nawin, Velammal Inst. of Technology 5.5 (23.75); 2. Sai Sarvesh, Sethu Bhaskara MHSS, 5.5 (21.25); 3. Vengatesh Krishnan, Rudrappasamy School 5.0 (18.5); 4. KR Krishna, Velammal EC, 5.0 (18.0). U-13: Open: 1. Sai Charan Ganesh 5.5 (23.0); 2. BU Prajeesh 5.5 (22.5). Girls: 1. Gadde Kaarthika 6 points; 2. M Priyanka 5 points.

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SatChi, Lakshya enter semifinalshttps://www.newindianexpress.com/sport/other/2024/Mar/09/satchi-lakshya-enter-semifinalshttps://www.newindianexpress.com/sport/other/2024/Mar/09/satchi-lakshya-enter-semifinals#commentsa6ded682-4aea-4d9d-a31f-676f4f70a69dSat, 09 Mar 2024 01:41:33 +00002024-03-09T01:41:33.005ZExpress News Service/api/author/1897566French Open,Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag ShettyOtherCHENNAI : Shuttlers Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty have come a long way over the years. The top men’s doubles pair have made a habit of going deep into major tournaments. That has been the case in the ongoing French Open. On Friday, the Indian duo asserted their class to dispatch Thai pair of Supak Jomkoh and Kittinupong Kedren. With this latest hit, they are now two steps away from the Super 750 title.

The duo took just 42 minutes for a 21-19, 21-13 victory. They closed out the match with ease towards the death but the Indian duo had endured a tricky start. The World No 32 Thai shuttlers were sharp from the word go and they were winning the early exchanges. While the Indians were still getting used to the pace of the game, the Thai pair had swiftly built a 11-6 lead going into the first break. That’s when Satwik and Chirag showed their resilience. Despite being behind, they didn’t panic and gradually closed the gap. As the Indians continued to play with more purpose, they had cut out the deficit and the score read 12-12. After that it was a close tussle with both pairs trading points.

The Indians have been moulded after countless high-pressure ties over the years. That abundant experience was visible as they closed out the game (21-19).

As it was during the business end of the opening game, the second essay was also a tight affair at the start. But the gap between the two pairs was visible as the game wore on. In the end, the Indians coasted to win with ease.

Earlier, PV Sindhu lost a hard-fought battle (24-22, 17-21, 18-21) against China’s Chen Yu Fei, the reigning Olympic champ in the women’s singles. It will go down as a loss in Sindhu’s rich CV, but the fight she put up is a big morale-booster for the two-time Olympic medallist and India. Sindhu, who recently returned to action following an injury break, will be chuffed after her run (two credible wins and day’s effort) in Paris.

Later, Lakshya Sen came from behind to outwit former world champion Loh Kean Yew 19-21, 21-15, 21-13. The Indian will now take on Kunlavut Vitidsarn, who’s the No 8 seed, in the men’s singles semifinals.

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UWW says only WFI can send entries for Asian meet and Olympic qualifiershttps://www.newindianexpress.com/sport/other/2024/Mar/09/uww-says-only-wfi-can-send-entries-for-asian-meet-and-olympic-qualifiershttps://www.newindianexpress.com/sport/other/2024/Mar/09/uww-says-only-wfi-can-send-entries-for-asian-meet-and-olympic-qualifiers#commentse990fcf7-a5d3-4e71-917d-47d3fd7fe39bSat, 09 Mar 2024 01:36:01 +00002024-03-09T01:36:01.745ZFiroz Mirza/api/author/1874591Delhi High Court,Wrestling Federation of India,WFI,UWW,United World WrestlingOtherCHENNAI : In a development that might cast a serious doubt on wrestlers’ participation in the international events including Paris Olympics qualifiers, United World Wrestling on Friday reiterated that only Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) can send entries for tournaments being organised by the world body. In a letter sent to the WFI on Friday and accessed by this daily, the UWW specifically said that no other body can take the role on behalf of the federation.

This comes a day after the Delhi High Court authorised ad-hoc committee to conduct selection trials to pick the national teams for the upcoming Asian Olympic Games Qualifier and Asian Championships. The court issued the directives while hearing a writ petition filed by protesting wrestlers - Bajrang Punia, Sakshi Malik, Vinesh Phogat and Satyawart Kadian. During the hearing, the court also directed the WFI to withdraw its circular wherein it had announced to conduct selection trials for the events. Even the ad-hoc panel announced the trials on same dates but at different venues - Patiala SAI centre for women wrestlers and Sonepat SAI centre for male freestyle and Greco-Roman grapplers.

The letter says that the WFI like any affiliated units of the UWW is functioning in compliance with the world body’s regulations. Notably, the entries for international tournaments are sent through Athena (competition administration system of the UWW) and the world body has given password for the same to the WFI soon after lifting the suspension on February 13 this year.

“The WFI received the letter today from the UWW which clearly says only the federation can send the teams for the international events,” Sanjay Kumar Singh, the WFI president, told this daily. “No one should be at affected. The sport, wrestlers should not suffer and the country’s pride should be kept intact. As per the letter, only WFI’s entries would be accepted by UWW so a solution should be found in this regard as this is an Olympic year,”he added

As of now, the ad hoc committee, headed by Bhupinder Bajwa, will conduct the trials on March 10 and 11 as per court order.

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International Women’s Day: Female Gamers carving their niche in Indian Esportshttps://www.newindianexpress.com/sport/other/2024/Mar/08/international-womens-day-female-gamers-carving-their-niche-in-indian-esportshttps://www.newindianexpress.com/sport/other/2024/Mar/08/international-womens-day-female-gamers-carving-their-niche-in-indian-esports#comments1a4ef005-c70d-4963-8986-a0f2fac6c4d7Fri, 08 Mar 2024 16:12:15 +00002024-03-08T16:12:15.034ZAgencies/api/author/1869237esports,female gamers,Asian games market,Indian Gaming IndustryOtherNEW DELHI: Esports, once a male-dominated domain, is witnessing a significant shift as female gamers are carving their own space within the landscape by challenging stereotypes. With talent, resilience, and a supportive community, women are proving that Esports is a platform where skill and passion determine success, regardless of gender.

According to the 'Female Gamers in Asia' report by Niko Partners, the female gamers market in Asia represents 37% of total gamers, with an annual growth rate of 11%, nearly double that of new male gamers. Female gamers contribute about 23.5% of total revenue in the Asian games market and have the potential to double in size in the coming years.

As more women step into roles as developers, CEOs, designers, writers, and coaches, there is a noticeable increase in female representation across various facets of the video games industry. The latest FICCI-EY report titled ‘#Reinvent: India’s media & entertainment sector is innovating for the future’, forecasts an increase in the female fan base of the overall Esports audience, rising from 23% in 2023 to 25% by 2024.

“As a female gamer, witnessing the progressive influx of female talent across various domains within the video game industry fills me with immense pride. Women choosing their passion over societal norms play a pivotal role in reshaping the narrative around gender representation in gaming. With more female gamers continuing to assert their place in this dynamic industry, they will inspire budding gamers and create an inclusive and welcoming space for players of all backgrounds to thrive,” noted Payal Dhare aka PayalGaming who is a part of 8Bit Creatives and stands one of India’s leading female gamers with more than three million followers on Youtube.

The emergence of more female protagonists in games is gradually reshaping narratives and broadening the appeal to a wider audience. Historically, female video game protagonists were scarce, with characters like Lara Croft and Samus Aran standing out as exceptions. However, the gaming landscape is gradually becoming more diverse, with numerous upcoming titles featuring strong female leads, including Wonder Woman, Star Wars: OutLaws, Grand Theft Auto 6, and many others.

Krutika Ojha, also known as KrutikaPlays, another well-renowned female gamer of 8Bit Creatives expressed her optimism by stating, “With this certainly evolving gaming industry, women are thriving in their ways to break the stereotype and make their mark in the community. Women lead in video games not only serve to attract more female gamers to the medium but also provide them with relatable and empowering role models within virtual worlds. Initiatives like these are instrumental in paving the way for a more diverse and welcoming gaming community.”

Brands are increasingly recognizing the unique appeal and reach of female gamers and teaming up with them to tap into their considerable influence within the gaming community. The increasing presence of gaming streamers and collaborations between in-game advertising and fashion brands, such as Burberry x Minecraft, Balenciaga x Fortnite, and Gucci x Roblox, are proving to be lucrative ventures, driving higher ROI and engagement across diverse audiences.

Animesh Agarwal, Founder and CEO of 8Bit Creatives and Co-Founder of S8UL, shared his thoughts on this trend by saying, “In the budding years, the Indian Gaming Industry has witnessed a remarkable surge in Female Gamers fostering the growth of the industry as a whole. With the number of women increasing in Esports, gaming content creation, and streaming, brands recognize the immense potential and capitalize on the ability of female content creators to connect authentically with diverse audiences. At 8Bit Creatives, we align brands with our female gamers and empower aspiring gamers at the grassroots levels. This growth not only showcases the talent and expertise of female gamers but also reflects a shift in the industry.”

The presence and influence of women in the Indian Esports industry is undeniable and with each achievement and contribution, they pave the way for a vibrant future for the community.

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Ad hoc panel to oversee trials not WFIhttps://www.newindianexpress.com/sport/other/2024/Mar/08/ad-hoc-panel-to-oversee-trials-not-wfihttps://www.newindianexpress.com/sport/other/2024/Mar/08/ad-hoc-panel-to-oversee-trials-not-wfi#commentsb7fd5de6-6877-4dc4-a52e-ce0785aafefbFri, 08 Mar 2024 01:52:09 +00002024-03-08T01:52:09.628ZExpress News Service/api/author/1897566Wrestling Federation of India,WFI,ad hoc panelOtherCHENNAI: There is no end to the twists and turns in the functioning of wrestling in India right now. For more than a year, the sports and its administration has has been mired in controversy after top wrestlers levelled charges of sexual harassment against Wrestling Federation of India's former president.

A day after the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) issued a circular on selection guidelines, the Delhi High Court stepped in and said the ad hoc committee would select the teams for the Asian Wrestling Championships and the World Olympic qualifiers to be held in Bishkek, Kazakhstan in April. Rahul Mehra represented the top wrestlers — Olympic medallist Bajrang Punia, World Championships medallist Vinesh Phogat against the WFI.

The WFI has been derecognised by the sports ministry days after its election. However, things got complicated after United World Wrestling, the world governing body of the sport, gave recognition to the newly-elected members. The WFI on Thursday told the court that it was willing to withdraw the circular on conducting selection trials. According to rules, the entries for all UWW events are supposed to be sent by the WFI. And the UWW had already said they recognise only one body in India and that is WFI. It needs to be seen what happens next.

Delhi HC judge Sachin Datta, taking note of the submission made by the WFI, said the trials will be conducted by the ad hoc committee that was formed by the IOA after its recognition.

The ad-hoc committee had already issued statement on February 9 saying it would hold the trials for the Asian Olympic Qualifiers (April 19-21) and World Olympic Qualifiers (May 9-12) on March 10 and 11 at Netaji Subhas National Institute of Sports, Patiala and Sports Authority of India (SAI) complex in Sonepat.

"After some arguments, Senior advocate Dayan Krishnan submits that WFI shall withdraw the circular. The trials shall proceed as per the circular of February 9 (ad hoc committee). Needless to say that the ad hoc committee will ensure that all the eligible athletes are allowed to participate in the trial," the court has reportedly said.

The matter was listed for hearing on April 26.

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Aradhya breezes into semis in jr tennis meethttps://www.newindianexpress.com/sport/tennis/2024/Mar/08/aradhya-breezes-into-semis-in-jr-tennis-meethttps://www.newindianexpress.com/sport/tennis/2024/Mar/08/aradhya-breezes-into-semis-in-jr-tennis-meet#comments0daa298d-5275-4e12-84b9-92dd5f6e8569Fri, 08 Mar 2024 01:46:49 +00002024-03-08T01:46:49.440ZExpress News Service/api/author/1897566tennis,Jr tennis meet,MOP collegeTennisOtherCHENNAI: Aradhya Kshitij defeated Mahit Mekla in straight sets (6-1, 6-0) in the boys’ singles quarterfinals of the 9th TVS-ITF International junior U-18 tennis championships.

Results: Singles: Quarterfinals: Boys: Aradhya Kshitij bt Mahit Mekla 6-1, 6-0; Mannan Ashok Agarwal bt Kabir Chothani 6-3, 6-0; Sriniketh Kannan bt Arnav Yadhav 6-1, 6-4; Kevin Titus Suresh bt Jason David 5-0 (retd). Girls: Meghana GD bt Parthsarthi Arun Mundhe 6-4, 6-3; Kashvi Sunil bt Asmi Adkar 6-1, 6-1; Harshini N Nagaraj bt Angel Patil 6-0, 6-0; Avani Chitale bt Saanvi Reddy Erva 6-3, 6-3. Doubles: Semifinals: Boys: Mahit Mekala/Sanchith Sudhir Rau bt Jason David/Aradhya Kshitij w/o; Devesh Sarawanan (Mas)/Prakaash Sarran bt Yash Panchaxari/Kevin Titus Suresh 2-6, 6-2, 10-7. Girls: Savitha Bhuvaneswaran /Deepshika Vinayagamurthy bt Asmi Adkar/Devanshi Gohil 6-2, 6-0; Meghana GD/Shaivi Gaurav Dalal bt Parthsarthi Arun Mundhe/Riddhi Shinde 6-2, 6-2.

MOP College function

MOP Vaishnav College for Women felicitated its meritorious athletes who had excelled at international, national, University and state levels at its 32 Annual Sports Day function on Thursday. Former India cricketer Hemang Badani was the chief guest. Badani lauded the performance of each and every sportsperson. “Success is a journey of striving to excellence. Strive for excellence and to be the best of yourself,” said Badani.

Vasanth shines

Riding on Vasanth’s twin goals in the 53rd and 59th minute, St. Joseph’s College, Trichy beat Loyola Yellows, Chennai 2-0 in the 23rd Rev Fr LD Murphy Memorial football tournament. The event is being organised by Loyola College, Chennai.

Results: Loyola Whites, Chennai 5 (Subash 56’, Ramajeyam 58’, Sunil 62’, Suraj 66’, Sunil 68’) bt Christ College, Chennai 0; St. Joseph’s College, Trichy 2 (Vasanth 53’, 59’) bt Loyola Yellows, Chennai 0.

Chennai Singams win

Chennai Singams opened their Indian Street Premier League (ISPL) T10 campaign with an eight-run victory over Tigers of Kolkata at the Dadoji Kondadev Stadium, here on Thursday. Chennai won the toss and put up 121-5 in 10 overs and then restricted Kolkata to 113-8 in a nail-biting finish.

Mumbai lose to Kolkata

Kolkata Thunderbolts finished their campaign in the third season of the Prime Volleyball League with a 15-12, 16-14, 15-11 win over the Mumbai Meteors at the Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor Stadium, here on Thursday. Prabagaran was named the Player of the Match.

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WFI announces guidelines for trialshttps://www.newindianexpress.com/sport/other/2024/Mar/07/wfi-announces-guidelines-for-trialshttps://www.newindianexpress.com/sport/other/2024/Mar/07/wfi-announces-guidelines-for-trials#commentsd1188940-5022-47bd-aecd-5ca9a09d49e5Thu, 07 Mar 2024 00:47:59 +00002024-03-07T00:47:59.463ZExpress News Service/api/author/1897566Wrestling Federation of India,guidelines,WFI,selection trialsOtherCHENNAI: The Wrestling Federation of India has announced the guidelines for selection trials to pick the teams for the Asian Wrestling Championships and Asian Olympic Qualifiers on March 10 and 11. Both the events are scheduled to take place at Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. One point that stood out in the circular, dated March 5, was that wrestlers who competed at the Jaipur Nationals in February have to bring their licence and other credentials to be eligible to compete. There have been allegations that players from wrestling powerhouses represented different state units.

“Wrestlers participated in Senior National Championship held at Jaipur will bring their WFI Licence Book, Birth Certificate, Adhar Card to verify the genuineness of their state. Several wrestlers, who actually hailed from Haryana, represented states like Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim at the Nationals conducted by the ad-hoc committee in Jaipur. This is wrong and we will now allow this,” said the circular. Another notable criteria was in the Antim Phangal’s weight category, 53kg. She has been given exemption and will fight the winner of the 53kg women’s category during trials that will be organised at a later date. Antim has earned India quota for Paris Olympics.

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