Page 27 - 2024 Olympics

Paris Olympics: PM Modi highlights firsts of athletes during Mann Ki Baat

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said the Paris Olympic-bound athletes have prepared with "life and soul" for the upcoming Games by participating in nearly 900 international competitions collectively as he launched a campaign to generate online support for the travelling contingent. India won a best ever haul of seven medals three years ago in the Tokyo Olympics with javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra becoming the first athlete from the country to win a gold in track and field. The Prime Minister made the remarks in his 'Mann Ki Baat' radio address, the first after the general elections. The radio broadcast had taken a break in February ahead of the general elections. "Our athletes' performance in Tokyo won the hearts of every Indian. Since the Tokyo Olympics, our athletes have been preparing with all their life and soul. Combined, they have participated in around 900 international competitions," Modi said. After drawing a blank in Rio de Janeiro and Tokyo, all eyes would be on th

Paris 2024: TT player Sreeja aims to carry recent success to Olympics

Indian's top-ranked women's table tennis player Sreeja Akula credits her enhanced mental and physical strength over the past two years for her stunning victories against higher-ranked players as she hopes to carry this momentum into the Paris Olympics. Sreeja created history last week by becoming the first Indian table tennis player to win a WTT Contender singles title and on Tuesday she became the country's top paddler with a career-high ranking of 24. For the last two years, I have been working a lot on improving my mental strength and I think that is the first aspect where I have improved, especially in 2024. I am mentally well prepared to play against any opponent, whoever it is," Sreeja said an interview with Ultimate Table Tennis. "I have also been working a lot on my strength and conditioning, especially to prevent injuries, and to improve my agility on the table. I think that has made a lot of difference in my game. "I have also worked a lot on my first ball attack against

Over 30 dope sample collection officers dot National Inter-State C'ships

A huge posse of more than 30 dope control officers (DCO) from the NADA have descended here for sample collection from the athletes taking part at the National Inter-State Championships, the final Olympics qualifying event, and they have been instructed to do target testing also. Usually, dope samples of the medal winners are also collected at big events like the national championships, and the unprecedented number of DCOs present at the Tau Devi Lal Stadium is expected to lead to a large sample size. The DCOs have mostly come from New Delhi where the National Anti-Doping Agency head office is located. "I can't tell much, but we have a big team here because it's the most important domestic event of the year as it's the final Olympics qualifying event in athletics," one of the officers, who can't be named for obvious reasons, told PTI on Thursday. "We are also doing target selection of athletes for collection of samples. That much I can tell." Even athletes who finished third or bel

Paris 2024: India's Oly bid in mentioned in President's parliament address

President Draupadi Murmu on Thursday conveyed her best wishes to Indian athletes who would be competing in next month's Paris Olympics, and backed the country's audacious bid to host the 2036 Games in her address to a joint sitting of the two houses of the Parliament here. In her address, Murmu said the efforts of the central government, led by Narendra Modi, has ensured higher-than-ever medal hauls for Indians at global events. "Due to effective efforts of my Government, young Indian players are winning a record number of medals at global platforms. The Paris Olympics is also going to start in a few days," Murmu said. "We are proud of every athlete representing India at the Olympics. I convey my best wishes to them. To take these achievements further, the Indian Olympic Association is also preparing to host the 2036 Olympic Games," she added. Over 100 Indians have qualified for the Paris Games, including a record 21 shooters. They would be aiming to better the best-ever haul of se

Inside Paris 2024: How the Olympic village plans to redefine city living

The Olympic Village, housing athletes during the Games, will later become offices and residences for thousands, addressing Paris's housing crisis

Take a look at India's six-member Archery squad for Paris 2024 Olympics

A six-member team was also announced, with Deepika Kumari and Tarundeep Rai set to make their fourth appearance

Paris Games 2024: Welcome to weird world of men's soccer at Olympics

Kylian Mbapp wanted to be there. France coach Thierry Henry wanted it too. In the end, not even French President Emmanuel Macron could pull enough strings to free up his country's finest soccer player to compete in the Paris Games. Welcome to the weird world of men's Olympic soccer. The world's most popular sport occupies a strange space at the Games confused by compromises and contortions that appear designed to ensure it remains a part of the roster so long as it provides the least possible disruption to teams, players and authorities, whose priorities lie elsewhere. It's become a complete mishmash over the years from being something that was quite important... to something that quite a lot of people would like scrapped because the calendar is so clogged up, soccer author Steve Menary told The Associated Press. Men's soccer has been part of the Olympics since the 1900 Games, also in Paris. The only time it hasn't featured since then was in Los Angeles in 1932 to help promote th

Delhi's Tulika Maan secures Paris Olympics quota for India in Judo

Commonwealth Games silver medallist Tulika Maan on Tuesday secured a Paris Olympics quota for India in judo, according to the international body's list. International Judo Federation (IJF) on Tuesday published a list of judokas who have qualified for the Paris Games and 25-year-old Tulika's name featured in the +78 kg category. The Delhi girl was ranked 36th with 1345 points. The qualification period was between June 22, 2022 and June 23, 2024. "The next step will take place on July 2 when the NOCs (National Olympic Committees) will have to nominate which athletes will represent them, knowing that only one judoka per NOC can participate in the Games in each weight category," the IJF said on its website. "In other words, if a country has several judoka qualified in a given weight category, only one can be chosen to participate this summer." A country can enter a maximum of 14 judokas, seven each for both men and women per bodyweight category. France, as host country, received a sp

Athletes have lost faith in WADA: Olympic gold winners tell US Congress

The USA Olympic athletes have lost faith in the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) to rid their sports of cheaters ahead of next month's Paris Olympics, two former gold medalists told a House subcommittee. The testimony by Michael Phelps and Allison Schmitt followed revelations this spring that 23 Chinese swimmers had tested positive for a banned heart medication ahead of the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 but were allowed by WADA to compete. Five of those swimmers went on to win medals, including three golds. Phelps is the most decorated swimmer in history and a 23-time Olympic gold medalist. Schmitt, a four-time gold medalist, was part of the US 800-meter freestyle relay team that finished a close second to China at the Tokyo Games. Both the Chinese and U.S. teams broke the previous world record in the relay. We raced hard. We trained hard. We followed every protocol. We accepted our defeat with grace, Schmitt said. Many of us will be haunted by this podium finish that may have been impacted

IOA proposes to start medical insurance, pension for all former Olympians

The Indian Olympic Association (IOA) is set to bring in medical health insurance and pension scheme for all former Olympians, the top sports body's president PT Usha said here on Sunday. Usha has proposed the recommendations to the IOA's Executive Committee which will come up for discussion soon. The IOA will solely cover all these expenses from its coffers and the idea came to Usha's mind after she witnessed the plight of Indian archer Limba Ram. "The IOA is taking many athlete-centric steps and one of these is medical insurance and pension for all our ex-Olympians," Usha told PTI while felicitating legendary Indian athlete Gurbachan Singh Randhwa on the occasion of International Olympic Dat at his residence here. "We have submitted the proposal to all EC members for all ex-Olympians. It is a small help from IOA for all ex-Olympians. We should remember all our ex-Olympians," she added. Usha said the idea struck her after she met ailing Olympian Limba Ram, who has suffered a brain

Paris 2024: Aditya Birla Capital partners with Indian Olympic Association

Aditya Birla Capital Limited announced its partnership with the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) as the official sponsor of Team India at the Paris Olympics 2024. As a part of this endeavour, Aditya Birla Capital will launch an integrated marketing campaign featuring leading Indian athletes who will represent the country at the Paris Olympics 2024. The campaign will encapsulate stories of athletic excellence, overcoming tribulations, struggles leading up to the defining moments of pride, and will be amplified across mediums including digital, OTT, print, outdoor as well as social media platforms. We extend our sincere gratitude to Aditya Birla Capital for their support and belief in the potential of Indian athletes and in the shared commitment to nurturing sporting talent and cultivating role models for India," IOA president PT Usha said. "The growing support from brands and corporate India who understand the pivotal role sports play in our nation's development, is truly heartening

Olympic Games: A billion-dollar business with political overtones

The Paris Olympics involve about 10,500 athletes from 200 countries or regions. But the Olympics are more than just fun and games. They are a giant business that generates billions of dollars in income for the International Olympic Committee. They're also a proxy for geopolitical influence seen through the standings in the medal tables, the presence of world leaders at the opening ceremony and the national anthems serenading gold-medal winners. Here's a look at how the IOC and the Olympics operate. It's a business, not a charity The International Olympic Committee is a not-for-profit, nongovernmental body based in Lausanne, Switzerland. It generates 91% of its income from selling broadcast rights (61%) and sponsorships (30%). Income for the latest four-year cycle of Winter and Summer Games ending with the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 was $7.6 billion. The IOC says it returns 90% of its income back into sports, although athletes directly get only a small slice. There may be a move afoot

Paris Olympics likely to be hottest one in the games 128-year-old history

Report by a group of Athletes, climate experts raise alarm bells on impact of heat on sportsperson

Paris 2024: Tennis star Andy Murray set to make fifth Olympic appearance

For the first time since the London 2012 Olympics, Great Britain will be represented by four men in the singles draw

Rohan Bopanna, Sumit Nagal secure Paris Olympics 2024 quotas for India

The qualification window for Paris Olympics ended on Monday for Tennis and the world number four Bopanna earned his quota comfortably

Neeraj Chopra reveals five ingredients that made him an Olympic champion

Neeraj Chopra feels that an athlete should always have self-belief till the very last moment that they can win it

Olympic athletes turn to diabetes tech in pursuit of winning medals

The Paris Olympics, which start on July 26, are an opportunity to showcase the technology - even though there is as yet no proof it can boost athletic performance

Paris aims for most sustainable Olympics, organisers admit plan not perfect

Of all the decisions Paris Olympics organisers made about where to hold each sport, sending surfing competitions to the other side of the world in the Pacific waters of Tahiti provoked the strongest reactions. Tahitians and others railed against the building of a new viewing tower on Teahupo'o reef because of fears it would hurt marine life. But organisers say it wasn't just the world-class waves that lured them to the French territory 16,000 kilometres away. Paris Olympic officials had set an ambitious target of halving their overall carbon footprint compared with the 2012 London and 2016 Rio Games. Tahiti's surfing reef is too far offshore for fans to see the action clearly from the beach, so organisers say they calculated that most would watch on television instead of taking flights, a major source of carbon emissions. And fewer spectators, they said, would require little new construction, another key emissions source. We actually did the math, said Georgina Grenon, director

Ex-Olympic pole vault champion Braz banned for doping, to miss Paris Games

Olympic pole vault gold medalist Thiago Braz was banned for 16 months for doping and will miss the Paris Games, track and field's Athletics Integrity Unit said on Tuesday. Braz won the Olympic title at his home Rio de Janeiro Games in 2016 and took bronze in Tokyo three years ago. The 30-year-old Braz's ban expires in November and he has filed an appeal at the Court of Arbitration for Sport, the AIU said. Braz claimed his positive test for ostarine was caused by a contaminated nutritional supplement and the anti-doping tribunal judges accepted by a 2-1 verdict he was not at significant fault, the AIU said. The track and field investigation unit said it would consider an appeal to CAS after asking the first tribunal to impose a four-year ban. Braz was reckless and acted with indirect intent, the AIU said, because he was aware of concerns with Brazilian pharmacies and manifestly disregarded that risk. He tested positive at the Diamond League meeting in Stockholm last July, several

Olympics 2024: Indian relay team's plan for qualification revealed by Jacob

Determined to improve its time and qualify for the Paris Olympics, the Indian men's 4x400m relay squad had planned to shadow the formidable USA team at the World Athletics Relays, sprinter Amoj Jacob had revealed. The Indian men's squad comprising Muhammed Anas Yahiya, Muhammed Ajmal, Arokia Rajiv and Jacob qualified for the Paris Games after finishing second in their heat at the World Athletics Relays in Nassau, Bahamas earlier this month. The Indian quartet finished with a collective timing of 3 minutes and 3.23 with USA (2:59.95) expectedly topping the heat. "We knew that we had the US in our Heats and they mostly run below 3 minutes. So, our plan was to stay close to them in the race, which will not only improve our time but also help us qualify for Paris Games," Jacob told SAI Media. "Our target was to register a time between 3:00 and 3:10 so that our confidence is high going into the Paris Olympics," he added. The Indian team was in third position when anchor-leg runner Jaco