Hardik Pandya stars with bat and ball as India beat Pakistan in thriller
India vs Pakistan, Asia Cup 2022: Hardik Pandya has starred once again with both bat and ball and won the match for India with a six. Follow live score and updates of the IND vs PAK T20 clash from the Dubai International Stadium here.
IOA wants top athletes to show up at National Games as government looks to turn it into sporting spectacle
NEW DELHI: With Prime Minister Narendra Modi's home state of Gujarat all set to host the 36th edition of the National Games in September-October, the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) is leaving no stone unturned in ensuring that the country's top athletes - including the Olympic and CWG medallists - participate at the multi-discipline event.
TOI has learnt that the government is planning a grand festival of Indian sports at the Games, scheduled to be held in six cities of Gujarat from September 27 to October 10. The govt wants to showcase to the world its prowess at hosting big-ticket sporting events, with an eye on bidding for the 2030 Youth Olympics and 2036 Olympic Games in the future.
The Games, last held in Kerala in 2015, will take place in cities of Ahmedabad, Gandhinagar, Surat, Vadodara, Rajkot and Bhavnagar, with a total of 36 sports disciplines on display. More than 7,000 athletes from all 28 states and eight Union Territories are expected to participate. This will be the first time the Games will be held in Gujarat, ahead of the state assembly elections in December.
The dates of the Games have been planned in such a way that no major international sports competition clashes with its conduct, allowing the leading Indian athletes to either represent their Services board or states/UTs, or grace the occasion as guests. The message from the IOA to its state Olympic associations (SOAs) and member national sports federations (NSFs) is clear - ensure top athletes compete at the Games to boost the event's profile in view of the government's unprecedented interest.
In the case of boxing, a senior federation (BFI) official informed TOI that IOA has proposed a clear pathway where all the top boxers from the last year's men's and women's senior Nationals have been told to participate. "The CWG medallists in boxing in Birmingham have also been encouraged to compete at the Games, since there will be no national camp or international competition lined up during that time of the year," the official added.
Similarly, the Haryana Olympic Association (HOA) has been looking at the possibility of naming star wrestlers Bajrang Punia, Ravi Dahiya, Vinesh Phogat, Bajrang Punia and Sakshi Malik in the state's wrestling squad for the Games. The country's wrestlers will be next seen in action at the World Championships in Serbia's Belgrade between September 10 to 18, before returning home. The weightlifters, too, including Tokyo Games silver medallist Mirabai Chanu and CWG medallists Achinta Sheuli, Jeremy Lalrinnunga and Bindyarani Devi will be back in the country in the third week of September from their training camp in St Louis, USA.
Olympic champion javelin thrower, Neeraj Chopra's busy international season will be over with his participation (if he qualifies) at the Wanda Diamond Leagues Finals in Zurich on September 8-9.
The govt plans to aggressively bid for the 2030 Youth Olympics and 2036 Olympics by projecting Gujarat as the country's sports capital. The state government has already started preparations to initiate an exchange with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) for hosting the Olympics in Ahmedabad and Gandhinagar. For this purpose, a multi-sport facility named Sardar Patel Sports Enclave, spread across 236 acres, is already coming up.
India will be hosting the 140th IOC session in Mumbai from May 30 to June 1 next year, where the host city for the Youth Olympics will be picked.
Young TT player Hansini Rajan wins fourth WTT Contender title
NEW DELHI: Young Indian table tennis player Hansini Mathan Rajan won her fourth WTT Contender title in the under 13 category by beating Colombia's Mariana Roudriguez in Ecuador.
The Indian paddler won 11-7, 11-8, 11-7 at the World Table Tennis Youth Contender held in Cuenca, Ecuador from August 19-21. Hansini also was the bronze medalist in the under-15 Category.
India's Yashaswini Ghorpade beat Sally Moyland 10-12, 1-5, 11-6, 11-7 to win the title in the under-19 category.
Suhana Saini claimed the under-17 title beating G Takashui of Brazil 11-6, 11-8, 11-7.
All the three girls had attended International Table Tennis Federation high performance training camp conducted by former India coach Massimo Constanti from August 13-17.
Celebrated boxer Mary Kom undergoes ACL surgery
NEW DELHI: Six-time world champion boxer MC Mary Kom on Tuesday underwent a reconstructive surgery to repair an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tear in her left knee.
The veteran boxer had torn her ACL when she twisted her knee in the first few minutes of her 48kg bout during the the Commonwealth Games selection trials in June.
The surgery was done at a Mumbai hospital.
"Mary had an ACL injury in her knee for which she underwent surgery today in Mumbai," Mary Kom's coach Chhote Lal Yadav told PTI.
Due to the injury, the 39-year-old had missed the CWG, where she had become the first Indian woman boxer to claim a gold medal in the 2018 edition.
The multiple-time Asian Championship gold medallist had last competed in the Tokyo Olympics, where she had bowed out in the pre-quarterfinals.
The most decorated Indian boxer, Mary Kom had decided to skip the World Championships (May 8-20) to concentrate on the CWG.
AICF appoints Vipnesh Bharadwaj as interim secretary following Delhi HC order
CHENNAI: The All India Chess Federation (AICF) on Tuesday appointed Vipnesh Bharadwaj as its interim secretary after the Delhi High Court reiterated its order of removing former chief Bharat Singh Chauhan.
"(Vipnesh) Bharadwaj has been appointed interim secretary of the federation following the Delhi HC order," AICF president Sanjay Kapoor told PTI on Tuesday.
"A meeting has been called later tonight to further discuss the situation," Kapoor added.
On June 2, the Delhi HC passed an order and unseated Chauhan. However, the Supreme Court on June 7 overruled the HC's decision and reinstated Chauhan in his post till August 15, keeping in mind the 44th Chess Olympiad which was held in Mamallapuram in Tamil Nadu from July 28 to August 9.
As per AICF's by-laws, vacancies of office-bearers that may arise by resignation, death or otherwise shall be filled by the president and such a nominated person shall hold office till the next General Body Meeting.
The court order against Chauhan came on a case filed by R N Dongre challenging the former's election in violation of the National Sports Development Code.
Interestingly, it was Chauhan who had defeated Dongre in the AICF elections held in 2021.
National Shooting Trials: Bandhvi Singh wins women's 50m in Rifle 3 Positions
BHOPAL: Young shooter Bandhvi Singh clinched the women's 50m rifle 3 positions (3P) T5 trials at the Madhya Pradesh Academy Shooting ranges on Wednesday.
Bandhvi, who hails from Madhya Pradesh, thrashed Ashi Chouksey 17-7 in the gold medal match.
Both Bandhvi and Ashi claimed the first two positions in the qualifiers with the same score of 583 as well identical inner-10 shots of 29. But it was Ashi, who topped on countback.
However, in the top-eight final stage, Bandhvi came out on top with a score of 402.5 against Ashi, who scored 400.3.
The third place went to Mansi Sudhir Singh who clinched bronze with a score of 398.2.
Rhythm Sangwan wins 25m pistol trial
NEW DELHI: Haryana continued their dominance in the national shooting selection trials as the in-form Rhythm Sangwan won the women's 25m pistol competition on Wednesday.
She shot 31 hits in the medal round to leave behind Maharashtra's Abhidnya Ashok Patil who had 27 to her name.
Delhi teenager Naamya Kapoor was third with 22 hits at the Dr. Karni Singh Shooting Range.
Rhythm finished on top of the 93-woman qualification field with a score of 585 after her allotted 60 shots.
Abhidnya was fifth with 577, and Naamya sixth, with 575. Abhidnya did finish ahead of Rhythm in the semis (on countback) with 11 hits each, but was no match for her in the final.
Divanshi also brought Haryana the junior women's 25m pistol gold, shooting 24 in the final to edge out Punjab's Simranpreet Kaur Brar, who shot 23. Khushi Kapoor was third with 16 hits.
Jacobs and Warholm denied Diamond League finals wilds cards
PARIS: Olympic champions Marcell Jacobs and Karsten Warholm have had the door closed on their hopes of a wild card entry for next month's Diamond League finals in Zurich.
Jacobs, the 27-year-old Italian who won the 100m in Tokyo, has been kept out of the Diamond League this season by illness and injury but said after winning the European title last week that he wanted a chance to have a go at the best American sprinters.
His hopes of beating them and winning the world title disappeared when he withdrew before the semi-finals of last month's world championships in Oregon
Zurich's co-meeting director Andreas Hediger told AFP there was no way round the rules to allow either Jacobs or Norwegian 400m hurdles world record holder Karsten Warholm to compete in the climax to the season on September 7/8.
Hediger added Jacobs's entourage had been told this.
"The Diamond League qualification rules state that there is only one qualification for the finals via collecting points at the 13 series meetings," he said in an email.
"The best 6-10 athletes (depending on the discipline) according to the collected points then qualify for the final.
"There is no other way, no one can be invited who has not qualified."
"One can disagree in good faith about the sense or nonsense of this rule and it is also regularly discussed within the Diamond League," Hediger said.
"Currently, the majority opinion is that an athlete who has not earned any points during the season in the WDL should not take the 'cherry off the cake' from the other athletes at the finals, regardless of why no points were or could be earned."
Warholm's preparations for the world championships were also blighted by injury that restricted the Norwegian to the world championships -- he finished seventh -- and the European championships, where he won title.
Winners of each Diamond League discipline receive a trophy and $30,000.
Neeraj Chopra to compete in Lausanne Diamond League on Friday
NEW DELHI: Olympic champion javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra has recovered from the "minor" groin strain injury he had suffered last month and is set to take part in the Diamond League Meeting in Lausanne, Switzerland, on August 26.
A good show in Lausanne can ensure Chopra a berth in the Diamond League Finals in Zurich on September 7 and 8 as he is at fourth spot in the standings. The top six in the standings will make the Zurich Finals. The Lausanne event is the last leg which has a men's javelin throw competition.
The 24-year-Chopra had pulled out of the Birmingham Commonwealth Games last month due to the injury he had suffered during the final of the World Championships on July 24 in Eugene, USA, where he had won a historic silver.
He pulled out of the Birmingham CWG (July 28-August 8) just two days before the start of the multi-sport event as he was advised a four-week rest by his medical team. He then underwent rehabilitation in Germany.
"Feeling strong and ready for Friday. Thanks for the support, everyone. See you in Lausanne!" Chopra tweeted.
Chopra's name figured among the participants for the Lausanne leg when the organisers issued the list on August 17 but his appearance in the competition had been a matter of speculation due to the injury.
Athletics Federation of India President Adille Sumariwalla had said that Chopra will take part in Lausanne if he is "medically fit".
After his second place finish in the Stockholm leg -- first ever on podium -- on June 30, Chopra is in fourth spot with seven points in the standings. Tokyo Olympics silver medallist Jakub Vadlejch of Czech Republic leads the standings with 20 points, followed by Germany's Julian Weber (19 points) and world champion Anderson Peters (16 points) of Grenada.
At the start of the season, Chopra had said that he would like to do well in the Diamond Leg Finals.
The groin injury may have affected his preparations, but Chopra can aim for his maiden Diamond League title as the six-man field in Lausanne is not that strong as compared to the Stockholm leg.
Peters is recovering from injury after he was beaten up on a boat in his country earlier this month. Vadlejch is in the fray and so is struggling Keshorn Walcott, the 2012 Olympic champion.
Chopra's season best is 89.94m while Vadlejch has a season's best of 90.88m and Walcott 89.07m.
This will be Chopra's second competition in a Diamond League Meeting this season. Before that, he finished fourth in Zurich in August 2018.
He has taken part in eight Diamond League meets so far -- three in 2017, four in 2018 and one this year. He had two fourth-place finishes, the other one being in Doha in May 2018, when he had thrown 87.43m, before taking the second place in Stockholm.
The winner of each Diamond Discipline at the Final will become "Diamond League Champion" and be awarded a Diamond Trophy, USD 30,000 prize money and a wild card for the World Athletics Championships 2023.
Birmingham CWG silver medallist Avinash Sable was earlier among the participants in the men's 3000m steeplechase but his name is no longer in the list.
Daniel Ricciardo to leave McLaren at end of F1 season
LONDON: Daniel Ricciardo will leave McLaren at the end of the 2022 Formula One season by mutual agreement and one year before the end of his contract, both parties announced on Wednesday.
Ricciardo joined McLaren from Renault at the end of 2020 but, despite winning last year's Italian Grand Prix at Monza in a one-two finish, has struggled to match British team mate Lando Norris's performance.
Ricciardo is expected to be replaced by compatriot Oscar Piastri, currently a reserve for Renault-owned Alpine.