Page 26 - Olympics

Olympics 2024: Morocco beat Argentina 2-1 in chaotic opening game in Paris

The game proved to be an exciting encounter between two teams that have been producing some decent results for themselves in recent times

Paris Olympics 2024 HIGHLIGHTS: NZL beat Guinea 2-1, DOM hold out Egypt for goalless draw

Paris Olympics 2024 HIGHLIGHTS: ARG beaten 1-2 against MAR, ESP beat UZB 2-1

Indian archers aim to break medal jinx, eye first Games medal in Paris

A different year and another Olympics, but for Indian archers, the target will be the same -- fetching their first ever medal at the Games. More or less regular at the Olympics since debuting back in 1988, the archers will kick off the nation's Paris campaign here on Wednesday with the qualification rounds at the Les Invalides gardens here. For the first time after London 2012, India will have a full six-member squad after both the men's and women's teams qualified on the basis of rankings. This means they will compete in all the five events. Veterans Tarundeep Rai and Deepika Kumari, appearing in their fourth Olympics, will lead their young teammates, hoping to securing at least a top-10 finish in the qualification round to ensure a favourable draw. Each archer will shoot 72 arrows and the scores in the qualification round of 128 athletes from 53 countries will decide the seeds for the main knockout competition beginning with the women's team finals on Sunday. The qualifying roun

Kushare eyes Paris final round after Neeraj Chopra's morale-boosting advice

'Just focus on training and don't get scared by the fame of the opponents' is the mantra Paris Games-bound high jumper Sarvesh Kushare learnt from none other than Olympic and world champion javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra. Kushare said Chopra's advice has boosted his confidence as at one point in time this year, he was not even sure of making the Paris Games cut. He made it to the Olympics through world ranking quota. The Paris Games automatic qualification mark was 2.33m. From doing practice on fodder-made makeshift mat to becoming the first Indian high jumper to qualify for the Olympics, Kushare has come a long way. "I have not met Neeraj bhai for a long time, but when we met last time, he told me to focus on training and not be afraid of the fame of the opponents. He always keeps giving important tips," Kushare told PTI Bhasha in an interview from Poland where he is training along with other Paris-bound Indian athletes. "He (Chopra) is my idol and he gave us confidence by winning

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.

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

Legendary players Leander Paes, Amritraj inducted into Tennis Hall of Fame

Legendary Indian tennis players, Leander Paes and Vijay Amritraj, the heroes of many a historic triumph transcending generations, on Sunday became the first two exponents of the sport from Asia to be inducted into the International Hall of Fame. Paes, 51, whose list of achievements include the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games men's singles bronze, eight men's doubles and 10 mixed doubles grand slam crowns besides several famed Davis Cup victories, was given the rare honour in the 'Player Category'. Vijay Amritraj, 70, reached the men's singles quarterfinals at the Wimbledon and US Open twice each besides guiding India to the Davis Cup finals twice -- in 1974 and 1987. At his peak, he was ranked No.18 in the world in singles and No. 23 in doubles. He along with Richard Evans was inducted into the Hall of fame in the 'Contributor Category'. "Paes was inducted in the Player Category, while Amritraj and Evans were recognised as a part of the Contributor Category: honoring visionary leaders,

After accreditation fiasco, 'tainted' physio's in Indian archery contingent

A day after its Korean chief coach Baek Woong Ki was forced to leave following denial of Olympic accreditation, India's archery contingent found itself at the centre of another controversy as it was alleged that a "tainted" physio was accommodated at his expense. The contingent will be without Woong Ki and Dronacharya award-winning High Performance Director Sanjeeva Singh as both of them could not find a place in the contingent's support staff. A top Archery Association of India (AAI) official revealed that instead, physio Arvind Yadav has been included despite the fact that he faced allegations of making an "inappropriate approach" to a Canadian teenager during the Youth World Championships in Limerick, Ireland in November last year. India had won a historic haul of six gold, one silver and four bronze medals at that event. "As per the complaint from the World Archery competition manager Thomas Aubert, Yadav had made an inappropriate approach to a Canadian teenager on social media

With AI, jets, police squadrons, Paris secures Olympics, worrying critics

A year ago, the head of the Paris Olympics boldly declared that France's capital would be "the safest place in the world" when the Games open this Friday. Tony Estanguet's confident forecast looks less far-fetched now with squadrons of police patrolling Paris' streets, fighter jets and soldiers primed to scramble, and imposing metal-fence security barriers erected like an iron curtain on both sides of the River Seine that will star in the opening show. France's vast police and military operation is in large part because the July 26-Aug. 11 Games face unprecedented security challenges. The city has repeatedly suffered deadly extremist attacks and international tensions are high because of the wars in Ukraine and Gaza. Rather than build an Olympic park with venues grouped together outside of the city center, like Rio de Janeiro in 2016 or London in 2012, Paris has chosen to host many of the events in the heart of the bustling capital of 2 million inhabitants, with others dotted around