Page 29 - 2024 Olympics

Paris 2024: Hockey coach Fulton has no problems in India ahead of Olympics

His former colleague Janneke Schopman might have resigned from her post accusing Hockey India of differential treatment but Craig Fulton says he hasn't faced such problems and has got "solid support" from all quarters here. Schopman had served as the head coach of the Indian women's hockey team while Fulton is in charge of the men's side. Schopman resigned as the women's team chief coach in February. "I have had no problems so far. I have got good solid support, I have clarity in selection. I have got the backing of the senior players and they have got a good understanding of my stuff. From the existing staff to the new staff we are all on the same page," Fulton said. "Once you have that trust in the group, trust with players and have a really bright vision about what you want to do, what are your goals, what's the timeline, then I think you have a good chance of doing well in India." Fulton though added that life is a bit different in India for foreign coaches like him. "It's ..

Paris 2024: Mirabai returns to competitive action after 6-month layoff

Tokyo Olympics silver medallist lifter Mirabai Chanu will return to competitive action after a six-month injury layoff when she participates at the IWF World Cup to confirm her Paris Games berth here on Monday. The World Cup is not only the final Olympic qualifying event but also a mandatory qualifier for the Paris Games. Chanu, who has been recuperating from hip tendonitis she suffered during the Asian Games in September last year, has all but qualified for the Paris Olympics. An appearance at the World Cup on Monday will be enough for her to seal her passage to Paris as the former world champion is ranked second in the women's 49kg Olympic Qualification Ranking (OQR) behind China's Jian HuiHua. Under the 2024 Olympics qualification rules, the 2023 World Championships and the 2024 World Cup are compulsory events. Apart from these two tournaments, a lifter must participate in at least three of the following events the 2022 World Championships, the 2023 Continental Championships,

Paris 2024: Abhinav Bindra's Guru mantra for Olympics bound Indian shooters

"Look yourself in the mirror before going to bed and ask 'did I do my best'?." This is what Olympic champion Abhinav Bindra told shooters aspiring to excel at the upcoming Paris Games during an interactive session here on Sunday. During the session, India's first ever individual Olympic gold medallist answered queries and shared his experiences about competing at sport's grandest stage. The session was held at Dr. Karni Singh Shooting Range, as the team entered the crucial final three months of preparation. Bindra reminded the squad that "success is not a one-off event". "Doing the right things consistently day in and day out is what leads to success." On a query on how to maintain self-discipline, Bindra said, "You have to be brutally honest with yourself and everyday look yourself in the mirror before you go to sleep and ask yourself - did I do my best? If the answer is yes you will find you will have the result eventually." India have won a total of 19 quota places in shooting

IOC was tricked by Russian prank callers amid tension ahead of Olympics

The International Olympic Committee believes its president Thomas Bach fell prey to a prank telephone call amid rising tensions with Russia over restrictions on its athletes competing at the Paris Games. The IOC on Thursday detailed a call from people claiming to be from the African Union a similar trick to one played by Russian callers on Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni in September. In Meloni's call, she acknowledged fatigue with the war in Ukraine believing she was talking with officials of the African Union. The IOC said it had calls with a person pretending to be the chair of the African Union Commission wanting to discuss a statement on the politicisation of sport. The IOC and Bach have publicly criticised the Russian state including over plans to organise an international multi-sports event in September, weeks after the Paris Olympics close. Russian athletes who pass vetting to compete in Paris also will not take part in the opening ceremony parade of boats on the River Sei

Paris 2024: Sharath Kamal India's flag bearer, Mary Kom chef de mission

Veteran table tennis player and reigning CWG champion Sharath Kamal will be India's flag bearer at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games while legendary boxer MC Mary Kom was on Thursday appointed the chef de mission of the country's contingent. Sharath Kamal symbolises "the unity and spirit of our contingent as they compete on the Olympic stage", the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) said in a statement while making the announcement. The IOA has not yet named a female flag bearer but sources said that the sports body will not "compromise" on gender equality and will select a woman athlete later since many quotas for the Games, starting July 26, are yet to be filled. "There is no change in policy. We will wait for official confirmation of qualifications for women athletes before announcing the name. There won't be any compromise on that," said the IOA source. The IOC, in 2020, had changed its protocol to allow one female and and one male athlete of each NOC to bear the flag jointly during th

Paris Olympics: IOC excludes Russian and Belarusian from opening ceremony

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 on Tuesday. The opening ceremony on July 26 will see thousands of athletes travel on boats down the River Seine for several kilometres toward the Eiffel Tower, instead of the normal parade of teams inside a stadium. The IOC 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 has laid out a vetting procedure for Russian and Belarusian athletes to be granted neutral status, with requirements including that they must not have publicly supported the invasion of Ukraine, or be affiliated with military or state security agencies. The IOC said it expects about 36 neutral athletes with Russian passports and 22 with Belarus passports to qualify for the Paris Games. A decision on whether those athletes will b

Paris 2024: IOC suggests idea to NOCs to secure boxing's Olympic future

The IOC has reiterated its threat to leave boxing out of the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics if national federations continue to align themselves with the suspended International Boxing Association (IBA), casting fresh doubts on the crisis-hit sport's future at the quadrennial showpiece. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) had de-recognised the IBA in 2019 over long-standing financial, sports integrity, and governance issues. Boxing at the 2024 Paris Olympics is set to be overseen by the IOC. It will be the second successive time, after the Tokyo Olympics, that the IBA will have no involvement in bouts at the mega-event. Speaking at a press conference here on Tuesday following the IOC Executive Board meeting, IOC Sports Director Kit McConnell said boxing is still "on hold" for the 2028 Olympics. "Following the decision by the IOC Session last year, the inclusion of boxing in the LA28 Olympic programme is on hold and not confirmed," McConnell said. "If there is no boxing body suppo

Paris 2024: India rope in Dutch goalkeeping coach Dennis van de Pol

India have roped in Dutch goalkeeping expert Dennis van de Pol to aid the men's hockey team's preparations for the Paris Olympics. A well-known hockey goalkeeping coach, Van de Pol has been working with the Indian goalies for nearly four years now, with his first stint in 2019. He will join the ongoing national coaching camp at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar, where he will work closely with PR Sreejesh, Krishan Pathak and Suraj Karkera. The 10-day special goalkeeping camp, overseen by chief coach Craig Fulton, will end on March 26, a week before the team leaves for the Australia tour. "This is a very important phase for the Indian men's team. In their quest for another podium finish at the Olympics, Hockey India is ensuring the team is provided with all the necessary support they need to fulfil this dream," Hockey India President Dilip Tirkey was quoted as saying in a media release. "We have re-emphasised the importance of these specialised coaching camps in goalkeeping and dr

Gulveer's national record 10000m run not enough to qualify for Paris 2024

Asian Games bronze medallist athlete Gulveer Singh shattered a 16-year-old national record in the men's 10000m to finish second in his heat at The Ten in San Juan Capistrano in California. The 25-year-old clocked 27.41.81 on Saturday to better the earlier national mark of 28:02.89 by over 20 seconds that stood in Surendra Singh's name since 2008. However, Gulveer's effort was not enough for Olympic qualification as he missed the Paris Games qualification time of 27:00.00 by over 41 seconds. The other Indian in the heat, Kartik Kumar finished ninth in the race with a timing of 28:01.90, which was also better than Surendra's earlier national record. Avinash Sable, who was competing in the same event, did not finish (DNF) his heat, pulling out of the race in the 15th lap at the 6000m mark. In the women's 10000m, Parul Chaudhary finished a disappointing 20th, clocking 32:02.08. She too missed the Paris qualification, which stands at 30:40.00.

Paddy Upton to strengthen Indian men's hockey team for Paris Olympics

It's mind over matter for Hockey India as the sports body hired renowned South African mental conditioning coach Paddy Upton to assist the men's national team in the Paris Olympics. Upton, who played a role in India winning the 2011 Cricket World Cup, will be a part of the support staff of the country's men's hockey team in Paris. He was also there when the team won gold medals at the recent Asian Champions Trophy and Asian Games. Indian men's hockey team chief coach Craig Fulton confirmed to PTI that Upton will be with his wards at the Olympics. "We have Paddy Upton, he will be with us in Australia (for Test series). We will be using him wisely. For sure he will be there for Olympics with us," Fulton said when asked about the mental conditioning coach's services. Fulton, who is also a South African, believes that world ranked fourth India are still to reach their peak and there are plenty of bases to cover in the coming months. "We are not complete yet but, in 4-5 months from the

Lakshya's Paris hopes brighten, enters No.15 in Olympic Games qualification

Commonwealth Games champion Lakshya Sen's hopes of making the cut at Paris received a boost as he grabbed the 15th position in the latest Olympic Games Qualification rankings following his semifinal finish at last week's French Open badminton tournament. The 22-year-old from Almora had reached a career-best ranking of world number six in November 2022 but saw his rankings plummet to world No. 25 in April last year. He recovered to 11th spot by August but fell to 20 early this year following a series of early exits. Things were not looking good after his first-round losses in Malaysia Super 1000 and India Super 750 as he stayed world No. 19 in the Olympic Games qualification for a few weeks but a semifinal finish at the Super 750 event in the French capital last week saw him take his tally to 74,897 points. The 2021 World Championships bronze medallist also climbed a spot to world number 18 in the BWF World rankings issued on Tuesday. However, the 2023 World Championships bronze ...

Boxer Nishant Dev one win away from securing Paris Olympics 2024 quota

World Championships medallist Nishant Dev moved within touching distance of a Paris Olympic quota after he registered a dominant victory over Christos Karaitis of Greece to enter the 71kg quarterfinals of the first World Olympic Boxing Qualifier here. The 23-year-old, who won the featherweight bronze at the World Championships last year, continued his rich vein of form, as he out-punched Karaitis by a 5-0 unanimous decision in the pre-quarterfinals late on Sunday. With the qualifying tournament offering four quota places in the men's 71kg weight class, Dev needs to win his quarterfinal on Monday to seal his passage for Paris Games and earn the fifth 2024 Olympic quota for India and the first in the men's category in boxing. However, Dev, who is vying to compete in his debut Olympic, will have his task cut out as he faces a tough opponent in 2021 World Championship silver medallist Omari Jones of the USA in the last eight round on Monday. The Haryana boxer is the only Indian boxer o

Bajrang Punia, Ravi Dahiya eliminated from Olympics qualification race

Bajrang Punia and Ravi Dahiya -- both 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 upcoming international tournaments. 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 to Rohit Kumar. This was after he barely managed to win against Ravinder (3-3 on criteria). If Ravinder had not conceded a caution point in the bout, Punia would have been eliminated in the opening bout itself. Punia 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 sample for dope test from Punia but he did not stay back even for third-fourth place bout. Punia had trained in Russia to prepare for the trials, which are being organised by the IOA ad-hoc panel. Punia

At my best, never felt so good: Neeraj Chopra ahead of Paris Olympics

World and Tokyo Olympics champion javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra, who will be training in Turkey from this week before returning to outdoor competition for the first time in 2024, said he was in "top physical shape" and "has never felt so good before." The build up to the Tokyo Games was a challenging one for the 26-year-old Chopra, who had missed an entire season due to injuries. "I want to be in best possible shape before Paris," Chopra, who is on a short break after his training stint in South Africa, told SAI media. "My training sessions have gone off really well so far. I always lay stress on fitness along with strength and technique. "This is the best I have felt in a long time but I must add that training and competition are not the same. When you wear the India jersey, the feeling is different, the josh (energy) is unbelievable," Chopra added. He also stated that time after his Tokyo Olympics success was "very different". Chopra said his performance thereafter indicated th

Paris Olympics opening ceremony to be held during sunset on July 26

The opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics along the river Seine will be held during sunset, organizers said Friday. It's the first time an Olympic opening ceremony will be held outside a stadium setting, in line with the Paris organizers' motto: Games Wide Open. About 10,500 athletes will parade through the heart of the French capital on boats on the Seine along a 6-kilometer (3.7-mile) route. Organizers said the open-air event will start on July 26 at 7:30 pm (Paris time). They said the ceremony will offer an unprecedented experience, using the natural light of the setting sun with all its nuances to illuminate the river promenade of all the world's best athletes along the Seine, in the heart of the capital. This week, the French government said tourists won't be given free access to watch the opening ceremony over security concerns. Free access will be invitation-only instead. Organizers had planned a grandiose opening ceremony on July 26 for as many as 6,00,000 people, most ..

Nishant Dev enters pre-quarterfinals of World Olympic Boxing Qualifiers

World Championships bronze-medallist Nishant Dev out-punched Georgia's Madiev Eskerkhan to enter the men's 71kg category pre-quarterfinals of the first World Olympic Boxing Qualifiers here. The Indian won by a unanimous 5-0 margin on Thursday night. Tokyo Olympics quarterfinalist Eskerkhan looked clueless against the Indian's attack. He tried his best to recover in the second round but Nishant denied him any chance of a comeback. Nishant will play his Round of 16 bout on Sunday. Meanwhile, the youth world champion Ankushita Boro (66kg) and national champion Sanjeet (92kg) suffered contrasting defeats in the opening round. While Ankushita went down fighting 2-3 against Sonvico Emilie of France, Sanjeet lost 0-5 to Aibek Oralbay of Kazakhstan, continuing what has overall been a poor outing for the country's boxers. This tournament, featuring over 590 boxers, offers a total of 49 quotas, including 28 for men and 21 for women for the 2024 Paris Olympics. India have already secured f

Indian boxer Nishant makes a winning start at 2024 Olympics Qualifier

World Championships bronze medallist Nishant Dev started his campaign at the 1st Olympic Boxing Qualifier with an exciting 3-1 win against British pugilist Lewis Richardson but the seasoned Shiva Thapa lost here on Wednesday. Competing in the men's 71kg category, Nishant didn't take much time to settle in against the Commonwealth Games bronze medallist Richardson and went into the attacking mode from the word go, winning the first round 4-1. The 23-year-old Indian became even more dominant in the second round with the help of his long reach and delivered some effective right hooks to win it 5-0. He produced a controlled performance in the third round as well and avoided multiple attacks from his opponent while trying to protect his lead and ultimately won the bout with a split decision. Six-time Asian Championships medallist Shiva Thapa (63.5kg), however, went down to reigning world champion Uzbekistan's Ruslan Abdullaev. Ruslan, living up to his reputation with his pinpointed ...

Tourists not to have free access to Olympics opening ceremony in Paris

Tourists won't be allowed to watch the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics along the Seine River for free, the French government announced Tuesday, as it grapples with security concerns about the unprecedented open-air event. Free access will be invitation-only instead. Organizers had planned a grandiose opening ceremony July 26 for as many as 600,000 people, most watching free of charge from riverbanks. But security and logistical concerns and an outcry from booksellers along the city's picturesque quays have led the government to progressively scale back ambitions. Earlier this year, the overall number of spectators was reduced to around 300,000. On Tuesday, Interior Minister Grald Darmanin said that 104,000 of them will be paying ticket holders with spots along the lower riverbanks, with another 222,000 watching for free from the upper banks. But he said that the free tickets will not be available to the public via open registration as earlier envisaged, and will be ...

Olympics 2024: Parul among ones to watch out for - Anju Bobby George

Athletics Federation of India vice-president Anju Bobby George on Wednesday said Asian Games gold-winning steeplechase runner Parul Chaudhary is among the ones to watch out for at this year's Paris Olympics where she expecting more than one medal in javelin throw. So far, nine Indian track-and-field athletes have qualified for the Games in July-August with defending gold-medallist Neeraj Chopra and Kishore Jena making the cut in javelin throw. Chaudhary shot into limelight with a gold in the 5000m and a silver in 3000m steeplechase events of the Hangzhou Asian Games last year. The 28-year-old is the first Indian to clock less than nine minutes in the 3000m women's steeplechase. "A bunch of athletes are performing really well in the international arena from athletics. We are aiming for three (medals) in javelin," she told PTI Video on the sidelines of Bharat Sports Science Conclave in New Delhi on Wednesday. "Then we have long jumpers, we have triple jumpers, steeplechase runner Par

Indian men, women lose R-16 in World TT, likely to qualify for Paris 2024

The Indian men's and women's teams came up short in the pre-quarterfinals of the World Table Tennis Championships here on Wednesday but their performance, in all likelihood, will be enough to send them to the Paris Olympics. The Manika Batra-led women's team lost 1-3 to Chinese Taipei in the round of 16 while the men were blown away by South Korea for the second time in the competition, losing 0-3. The event offered Olympic quotas to the quarterfinalists but the men and women from India are likely to make the cut through their world rankings. The final announcement will be made on March 5 after including the points from the World Championships. The women's team is currently ranked 17th and the men 15th. "In all likelihood, the men and women have qualified for the Olympics but we will have to wait till March for official announcement," said a Table Tennis Federation of India (TTFI) official. In the women's pre-quarterfinal, Manika put India ahead with a tense 11-8, 8-11, 4-11, 11-