Page 23 - 2024 Olympics

When TT great Sharath Kamal ran into Roger Federer during the Olympics

From lunching alongside tennis icon Roger Federer to taking a set off Chinese legend Ma Long, India's flag-bearer for Paris Olympics, Achanta Sharath Kamal, on Wednesday recalled the most memorable moments from his five appearances at the Games so far. The 42-year-old table tennis legend helped the Indian men's team qualify for the first time in history and is believed to be set for his final appearance at the Games. The multiple-time Commonwealth Games gold-medallist believes that qualifying as a team could become the catalyst of growth for table tennis in India. For someone who has a huge bank of memories from the Olympics having made his first appearance in 2004, Sharath recalled running into Federer at a dining hall in his debut Games. "One day I was just out for lunch and as I was entering from this side, there was another person coming from the other side with a tennis bag and hair let loose. I feel like I have seen him somewhere. I couldn't recognise who he was with his hair

Mind Games: Understanding psychological challenges of being an Olympian

Human excellence is often closely linked to human fortitude and Olympics is the prime example of it. The Paris Games, starting on Friday, will be a gathering of 10,500 athletes, 117 of them from India, competing for a mere 329 medals. Needless to say, talent alone won't decide who finishes on the podium. It will also boil down to the mind and how one can discipline it to cope with the grandeur and pressure of the big moments. Visualisation, blocking out the noise and being focussed are among the techniques that are often talked about but are they as easy to implement in a highly competitive environment? "There is a lot of pressure (already) in sports and when you compete at the Olympics, you have to be someone who has gone through a lot of highs and lows as well," explains Dr Divya Jain, a sports psychologist with Fortis Healthcare. "In sports, you're confronted with winning and losing on a day-to-day basis, so it's not about winning every time; it's about how you recover, how qui

NZ Olympic football team furious with drone flying over training session

New Zealand says it has complained to the International Olympic Committee's integrity unit after a drone flown over a New Zealand women's soccer team training session was found to be operated by a member of the Canadian team's support staff. Defending Olympic champion Canada and New Zealand meet in their opening match at the Olympic tournament on Thursday. The drone incident occurred earlier this week, the New Zealand Olympic Committee said Wednesday. Team support members immediately reported the incident to police leading to the drone operator, who has been identified as a support staff member of the wider Canadian Women's football team, to be detained, the NZOC said in a statement. The NZOC has formally lodged the incident with the IOC integrity unit and has asked Canada for a full review. The Canadian Olympic Committee has apologized to the NZOC and New Zealand Football. The Canadian Olympic Committee stands for fair play and we are shocked and disappointed, the statement said.

No ACs at Olympic Games Village: How athletes will beat the heat in Paris?

At Games Village, the cooling system utilises a combination of ventilation and shading devices to keep the different facilities and accommodations cool. 2500 temporary ACs will be installed as well.

Paris Olympics 2024: Today's football matches, live timings (IST) streaming

Paris Olympics 2024 today's football schedule: Eight football matches will be played at the Paris Olympics 2024 today. Jio Cinema will live streaming the Paris Olympics in India.

Will keep centrist caretaker govt on through Paris Olympics, says Macron

French President Emmanuel Macron said Tuesday he will maintain the country's centrist caretaker government through the end of the Olympic Games in mid-August to avoid disorder. His announcement in a TV interview came shortly after the leftist coalition that won the most votes in this month's parliamentary elections selected little-known civil servant Lucie Castets as their choice for prime minister. Macron said the current caretaker government will handle current affairs during the Olympics," which run through Aug. 11. Until mid-August, we're not in a position to be able to change things because it would prompt disorder, he said. There is no firm timeline for when Macron must name a new prime minister. The parliamentary elections left the National Assembly with no dominant political bloc in power for the first time in France's modern Republic. Macron, who has a presidential mandate until 2027, has the ultimate say in who is to be appointed as prime minister. However, the prime ...

Decoded: Adidas-Bella Hadid controversy & its link to 1972 Munich Olympics

Adidas took down an ad campaign that was launched last week to revive its iconic SL72 shoes ahead of the Paris Olympics 2024, featuring supermodel Bella Hadid

Ben Hallock eyeing elusive Olympic medal with US men's water polo team

Ben Hallock won in high school in Southern California. He won in college at Stanford. He won as a professional at Pro Recco, one of the top water polo clubs in the world. Hallock has won everywhere he has played except for the Olympics. And the 6-foot-6 center desperately wants to check that box this summer. I'd throw every single medal away that I have now for a medal in Paris, Hallock said. Without a doubt. Paris has just about arrived for Hallock and a U.S. men's team looking for the program's first medal since it won silver in 2008. The U.S. faces Italy on the first day of men's group play on Sunday. To get back on the podium, to somehow stay in contention into the final days of the grueling tournament, the U.S. is going to need more from the talented Hallock than it has ever seen before. And perhaps more importantly, more from Hallock's teammates. I mean I think it just always goes back to details, said Hallock, 26. I've played the sport for a long time, and the small details

Athletes of Indian heritage look to take Paris Olympics 2024 by storm

India would not be limited to the Indian contingent in the upcoming Paris Olympics. PTI takes a look at some Indian-origin athletes who will be representing their adopted countries at the Paris Games: Rajeev Ram (Tennis, USA) ================= Perhaps the most well known athlete on the list. The 40-year-old was born in Denver, USA to parents who migrated from Bangalore. Steeped in academics, Ram's father Raghav, who passed away in April 2019, due to pancreatic cancer, was a botanist while his mother Sushma worked as a scientific technician. But Ram chose to break tradition and pursue tennis. "I am very proud to be of Indian heritage and represent the community in any way I can. In tennis, there are not many of us from the community. Any success that we can achieve as a closed group can inspire the next generation to excel," Rajeev had once said. Playing for the USA, Rajeev has achieved considerable success. The tennis doubles specialist won five Grand Slams titles including four

Once a track-and-field powerhouse, Kerala witnesses slump in athletics

It's not a dire situation yet, but the dwindling number of athletes from Kerala in India's Olympic contingents shows that the growth of athletics in the state, which was once a track-and-field powerhouse, has certainly hit a disheartening flat-line. These numbers will summarise the situation before the deep dive: India's athletics squad for Paris Olympics has 29 members (18 men and 11 women). Kerala will be represented by four members -- Muhammed Anas, Muhammed Ajmal, Mijo Chacko Kurian (all men's 4x400m relay), and Abdulla Aboobacker (men's triple jump). In the Tokyo Olympics, Kerala made its presence through Yahiya, Noah Nirmal Tom, Alex Antony, KT Irfan, MP Jabir and M Sreeshankar in the track and field events. The state had better representation at the Rio Games in 2016 through Anas, Jinson Johnson, T Gopi, Jisna Mathew, Tintu Luka, OP Jaisha and M Renjith. Along with the diminishing overall numbers, a close look will reveal another anomaly -- a female athlete from the state is

Olympics 2024 - 'Not going to make those mistakes again': Manika Batra

Wiser after her maiden Olympics appearance in Tokyo, Indian table tennis star Manika Batra on Monday said she is focused on taking one match at a time in the upcoming Paris Games and a medal will not be in her mind in the initial rounds. Preparing for the Paris Olympics along with her teammates, Batra said she has learned from her Tokyo Games experience. "I have learned many things from the last Olympics, and I am not going to make those mistakes again. My mindset has changed since then, I am calmer and have more confidence in myself," said Batra during an interview with Ultimate Table Tennis (UTT). "I have been working on my stamina and my agility, and my ultimate aim is to challenge for a medal. "But I will go slowly. I will try to be in that zone and give my best. I will go round by round and not think of a medal too early. I will give my best for my country," Batra, who represents PBG Bengaluru Smashers in UTT, added. Batra played an instrumental role in the women's team ...

Veteran Indian goalkeeper PR Sreejesh to retire after Paris Olympics 2024

Veteran goalkeeper and former India hockey captain P R Sreejesh on Monday announced that Paris Olympics will be his last international outing. The 36-year-old, a veteran of 328 International caps, three Olympic Games, and multiple Commonwealth Games and World Cups, will be playing in his fourth Olympic Games. The latest edition of the showpiece begins on July 26. "As I prepare for my last dance in Paris, I look back with immense pride and forward with hope," Sreejesh said in a Hockey India press release. "This journey has been nothing short of extraordinary, and I am forever grateful for the love and support from my family, teammates, coaches, fans and Hockey India. Thank you for believing in me," he added. "My teammates have stood beside through the tough and the ardent times. We all want to give our absolute best here in Paris and certainly, the desire is to change the colour of our medal." Having made his debut at the 2010 World Cup, Sreejesh has been a part of various memorabl

Nikhat to Satwik-Chirag: Top 10 Medal hopefuls for India in Olympics 2024

Though India's contingent is not the biggest ever at the Paris Olympics 2024, there are chances that the country's medal haul at the world's biggest sporting event might swell to 10 this time around.

Paris preps for Olympics with mass evictions: Thousands of migrants removed

Paris Olympics 2024: As the Olympics return to Paris after a century, the city's preparations include evictions and regulations of the homeless, sparking talks about the true cost of hosting the Games

BCCI to provide Rs 8.5 cr to IOA for Paris Olympics: Secy Jay Shah

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Sunday announced financial assistance to the Paris Olympics-bound Indian athletes, contributing Rs 8.5 crore to the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) for their campaign. The Paris Games will begin from July 26. "I am proud to announce that the @BCCI will be supporting our incredible athletes representing #India at the 2024 Paris Olympics. We are providing INR 8.5 Crores to the IOA for the campaign," BCCI secretary Jay Shah wrote on his 'X' account. "To our entire contingent, we wish you the very best. Make India proud! Jai Hind!" As many as 117 athletes will represent India at the Paris Olympics. There will also be 140-strong support staff, making it a 257-member contingent.

Here what Olympians should take note from Mike Conley's 1988 Olympics race

Mike Conley spent most of the 1980s ranked among the top triple jumpers in the world. So, heading into the U.S. Olympic trials in '88, there was very little thought given to the idea he wouldn't finish in the top three and make the trip to Seoul. In a sport embedded inside an Olympic world where gold medals can be won and careers can be made by the most minuscule of fractions of seconds or inches or centimeters what toppled Conley's hopes had nothing to do with a measuring tape. It was a pair of baggy shorts, the likes of which he had never worn in a track meet before, that did him in. Conley recalls video replays that showed the breeze that was kicked up by the vented flaps on the sides of his shorts created a barely perceptible mark in the sand nearly a foot behind where he landed. Officials measured Conley's jump from the mark the shorts made. It cost him precious centimeters and he finished fourth, one spot out of the Olympics. Devastating, the now-61-year-old dad of ...

Olympics 2024: Staying out of team made Panghal stronger, says Akhil Kumar

Former Commonwealth Games champion boxer Akhil Kumar believes a battle-hardened Amit Panghal, who persevered through the setback of being dropped from the national team before roaring back to qualify for the Olympics, will be among the most mentally strong Indian athletes competing in the Paris Games. After the first-round exit from Tokyo Olympics, Panghal lost his spot in the team on the basis of Boxing Federation of India's evaluation system, which was drafted by then High Performance Director Bernard Dunne. "Amit is in a strong place now because he has made a comeback and seen the tough times in the past few years," Akhil told PTI on the sidelines of a panel discussion on India's Olympic prospects hosted by the Delhi Sports Journalists Association in collaboration with the Sports Authority of India. The snubs severely dented Panghal's confidence and made him question his abilities. However, when the opportunity came, India's lone men's world championships silver-medallist grabbe

Paris Olympics: Play fearlessly, says Ashok Dhyanchand to hockey players

The Indian hockey team has been handed an unenviable draw at the Paris Olympics and the legendary Ashok Dhyanchand reckons that the players will have to play "fearlessly" and "without pre-conceived notions" to negotiate the challenge. India had clinched a bronze medal at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 under Manpreet Singh to break a nearly four-decade-long jinx. There are huge expectations from Harmanpreet and Co. to achieve success in Paris. But India's performance over the last few months, especially against Australia and in the Pro League, has become the talking point as the team heads into the Games, commencing in less than a week's time. Ashok, the son of the hockey wizard Dhyanchand, conceded that India will have its hands full, but added that if they are able to control their nerves at crucial junctures, they would be successful. India have Australia, Belgium, Argentina, Ireland and New Zealand in their group. "They have always given us a tough fight. The pool is very tough. Th

Sports Ministry's TOPS to finance Prannoy's trainer during Paris Olympics

The Sports Ministry's Mission Olympic Cell (MOC) has approved Olympic-bound shuttler HS Prannoy's proposal for financial assistance towards his trainer Rohan George Mathews during his stay at Paris. The ministry's Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS) will finance Mathews' airfare, boarding and lodging, daily fees, visa fee, expenditure for miscellaneous expenses such as local transportation and medical expenditure and will also provide him an OPA for the duration. Prannoy are Lakshya Sen are only the two shuttlers to represent India in men's singles badminton event at the Paris Games. Besides Prannoy, the MOC also approved proposals of athletes Vikash Singh, Suraj Panwar, Ankita Dhyani, Sarvesh Kushare and shooter Anantjeet Singh Naruka for assistance towards various equipment for training and competition. The MOC also approved the proposal of Indian rifle shooter Rudrankksh Patil for financial assistance towards training in Serbia for 50m 3P event for a period of 20 days. Rudrankk

I am 'going all-out' in my quest to secure gold in Paris: PV Sindhu

Badminton ace PV Sindhu says she is "going all-out" in her quest to become the first Indian to win an unprecedented third individual Olympic medal in Paris, drawing on her experience from a successful past. Sindhu stands on the brink of history as she pursues the gold medal in the upcoming Games, having won a silver and bronze in 2016 Rio and 2020 Tokyo edition respectively. In an exclusive conversation on JioCinema's 'The Dreamers,' Sindhu spoke about her unwavering focus on making history at Paris, though it is going to be an extremely difficult task for the Indian star. "That third medal at Paris definitely motivates me, and I am going all-out to get that gold medal. For me, the Olympics is where I give my 200%," Sindhu said. "The journeys in 2016 and 2020 were wonderful, filled with immense effort and unforgettable moments. "As I prepare for Paris 2024, it's a fresh start, and I have to give my 100% no matter what." Ranked among the world's top players, Sindhu draws from her