Page 34 - Olympics

It makes sense for IOC to give 2036 Olympics to India, says Anurag Thakur

Sports Minister Anurag Thakur said on Sunday "it makes more sense for the IOC" to give India the hosting rights for the 2036 Olympic Games as the country is growing by leaps and bounds in every sphere including sports. Thakur, while speaking at the News9 Global Summit, said India's recent performance at mega international events, such as the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games, gives him hope that the country could become a top-10 sporting nation by 2036 and be in the top-5 by 2047. "We had the largest population to see the Olympic sports last time (in 2020 Tokyo) and this time, it makes more sense for the IOC to give 2036 Olympics to none other than Bharat, our India," said Thakur. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has already expressed the country's desire to host the Olympics in 2036 during the IOC session in Mumbai last year, and when asked if India was ready to hold the mega event and which city could play host, Thakur said, "PM Modi made it very clear during the I

Eiffel Tower working staff goes on strike ahead of Summer Olympics

Eiffel tower working staff has gone on strike due to salary and maintenance issues. The Eiffel tower website advised visitors to check website before heading to the landmark

We can expect a Paris medal from Treesa-Gayatri if they qualify: Vimal

Former India coach Vimal Kumar is mighty impressed with doubles pair of Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand and feels the young Indian combination will be a definite contender for an Olympic medal if they qualify for the Paris Games. The pairing of the two 20-year-olds played a vital role as India scripted wins over badminton powerhouses like China, Japan and Thailand on successive days en route a first-ever gold medal at the Badminton Asia Team Championships (BATC) here on Sunday. Treesa and Gayatri stunned world No. 6 Nami Matsuyama and Chiharu Shida from Japan and world No. 10 Jongkolphan Kititharakul and Rawinda Pra Jongjai of Thailand in the semifinal and final respectively. The duo also beat China's world No. 22 Luo Xu Min and Li Yi Jing in the league stage. "I give a lot of credit to Treesa and Gayatri for the way they have performed this week. They have done incredibly well. They have a great chance of a medal, if they qualify for the Olympics. We can definitely expect a meda

Assam's world-class sports venues to spice up Khelo India Varsity Games

The Nehru Stadium, situated in the heart of the city, has been a witness to a number of mouth-watering contests in both cricket and football over the years

Arshad Nadeem to undergo knee surgery in bid to be fit for Paris Olympics

Pakistan's top javelin thrower, Arshad Nadeem has flown to the United Kingdom to undergo a knee surgery in a bid to be fit before the Paris Olympics. Nadeem, who had claimed the 2022 Commonwealth Games gold medal, had to withdraw from the Asian Games in China last year due to his knee problem. "I have decided to have the knee surgery now because it has been bothering me a lot since last year and I tried rehab programs but they didn't work," he said. The 27-year-old is hopeful that having the surgery will allow him to be fit in time for the Paris Olympic Games. Nadeem is one Pakistani athlete who has gained as much attention and popularity as cricketers in the country after he created a new Commonwealth Games record with a throw of 90.18 in Birmingham in 2022. He also became the first Pakistani athlete to win a medal in the World Athletics Championships last year with a silver, falling behind India's Neeraj Chopra. In the Tokyo Olympic Games, Arshad had finished in fifth position

Best thing about Budget is Rs 45 cr boost for sports ministry: Gagan Narang

The ministry's flagship programme, Khelo India, was allotted Rs 900 crore, an increase of Rs 20 crore from the previous budget

France will support any Olympic bid by India: Prez Emmanuel Macron

French President Emmanuel Macron on Friday assured India that the hosts of the 2024 Olympics will back them to organize the multi-sport event in the country in the near future

Amit Panghal not part of Paris Olympics 2024 world qualification tourney

World Championships bronze medallists Deepak Bhoria and Nishant Dev will be among nine Indian boxers in the running to seal Paris Olympic quotas at the first qualification tournament, scheduled to take place in Busto Arsizio, Italy from February 29 to March 12. Six-time Asian Championships medallist Shiva Thapa (63.5kg) and 2022 Commonwealth Games bronze winner Jaismine Lamboria (60kg) were also named in the nine-member Indian squad announced by the Boxing Federation of India (BFI) on Monday. Apart from Deepak (51kg), who once again pipped 2019 World Championships silver medallist Amit Panghal based on BFI's evaluation process, and Nishant (71kg), 2022 Worlds bronze winner Mohammad Hussamuddin (57kg), who was out with a knee injury for most of last year, makes a return. Youth women's world champion Ankushita Boro (66kg), reigning national champions Lakshya Chahar (80kg), Sanjeet Kumar (92kg), Hangzhou Asian Games bronze medallist Narender Berwal (+92kg) have also been included, and

Indian women's hockey team fails to qualify for Paris Olympics 2024

It will be extremely difficult for India to accept that, despite having home advantage, they will not qualify for Paris after that Tokyo semifinal

IND-JAP highlights: Japan beat India 1-0, book a spot in Paris Olympics

Paris Olympics 2024: Indian women's team won't be part of Olympics, which will take place in July-August. India had a chance if they finished at third place but Japan stood there

Chile beat Czech Republic 1-0 to finish seventh in Paris Olympics Qualifier

Chile rode on Fernanda Villigran's penalty strike in the second quarter to beat Czech Republic, the lowest ranked side in the tournament, 1-0 to finish seventh in the FIH Women's Olympic Qualifier here on Friday. Even though they failed to qualify for the Paris Olympics, it should be a morale-boosting win for the Chileans, ranked 22nd in the world, over world No. 31 Czech Republic. Viilligran scored the lone goal in the 27th minute during the seventh-eighth place classification match. It was Chile's only second over Czech Republic in the history of the game. The Chileans had also defeated Czech 6-0 in the pool stages here. Chile were by far the better side on display as they dominated the match from start to end. Chile kept up the pressure on the Czech defence from the onset and made innumerable circle entries but goals eluded them in the first quarter. Chile secured two penalty corners in the first quarter as against Czech's one but both the sides failed to break the deadlock.

NZ beat Italy 3-1 to finish 5th in FIH Women's Paris Olympic Qualifiers

A dominant New Zealand scored three goals in the first three quarters to get past Italy 3-1 and finish fifth in the FIH Women's Olympic Qualifier here on Friday. Rose Tynan (7th minute) skipper Olivia Merry (10th) and Hannah Cotter (31st) were the scorers for the 'Black Sticks Women' in the fifth-sixth place classification match. Italy's lone goal came from the stick of Ivanna Pessina in the 21st minute from a penalty corner. As expected, the Black Sticks started the match on an offensive note, putting pressure on the Italian defence from the word go. New Zealand secured their first penalty corner in the third minute, only to be denied by a goalline save from the Italian defence. New Zealand kept up the pressure and earned a penalty corner four minutes later and Rose Tynan scored from rebound to hand side the lead. Three minutes later, Olivia Merry scored from a field effort to double New Zealand's lead. The Italians came out with purpose in the second quarter and made some bril

Rejuvenated India eye win against Germany to seal Paris Games ticket

Just one win away from securing a Paris Olympics berth, a resilient Indian women's hockey team will need to produce its 'A' game against higher-ranked Germany in the semifinals of the FIH Olympic Qualifiers here on Thursday. The Indians bounced back from a 0-1 loss to USA in their tournament-opener to outclass New Zealand and Italy to seal their semifinal spot as the second-placed team from Pool B. It was a near-perfect performance in the last two matches with all departments clicking in unison and the Savita Punia-led side would look to continue the same way in the business end of the tournament. The top three teams from here will qualify for this year's Olympics and a win on Thursday will guarantee India a ticket to Paris. In case they fail to do so, the Indians will get another shot in the third-fourth place match against the other losing semi-finalists on Friday. But the home side needs to approach the match against Germany with a positive mindset. The best aspect of India's

Macron seeks to refresh his presidency, says country has 'aces' to succeed

President Emmanuel Macron used a prime-time news conference ON Tuesday to lay out broad plans to strengthen and better prepare France for global crises, saying the country has "all the aces to succeed". The press conference was Macron's latest effort to reinvigorate his presidency after a series of bruising domestic battles, notably about France's retirement age and how to better control immigration, and riots last year that swept hundreds of cities, towns and villages after the fatal police shooting of a teenager. Now, Macron is hoping to hit reset and make a fresh start in a year when France will be in the global spotlight as host of the Summer Olympics in Paris. Last week, Macron installed a new prime minister, France's youngest ever, and new ministers -- also part of a renewed drive by Macron to infuse his leadership with renewed energy. On Tuesday night, the new Prime Minister Gabriel Attal (34) and Cabinet members looked on, seated together to one side, as Macron held court in

India Open 2024: Satwik-Chirag favourites, Prannoy real hero for Gopichand

The chief coach of the Indian national team Pullela Gopichand discussed at length all the possibilities of the Indian shuttlers in the Olympic year and at the Indian Open 2024

Budweiser's AB InBev becomes Olympics' first beer brand global sponsor

The International Olympic Committee has signed Anheuser-Busch InBev as the first beer brand in the 40-year history of its sponsorship program, which earns billions of dollars for the organization and international sports. The deal was announced Friday by the IOC and AB InBev the Belgium-based brewing giant whose brands include Budweiser, Corona, Michelob and Modelo for the next three Summer and Winter Games. The Paris Olympics open on July 26, and the deal also includes the 2026 Winter Games in northern Italy, then the likely prize asset the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028. Corona Cero, the zero-alcohol version of the Corona brand that is ranked second most valuable worldwide in the brewing industry, will be global beer sponsor of the Olympic Games, the heads of the IOC and AB InBev said. The value of the deal was not disclosed, though the IOC has said some of its sponsors pay more than $300 million to be in the TOP (The Olympic Partner) program for a four-year commercial ...

IOA cannot exercise control over WFI, UWW should lift ban: WFI chief

The WFI has reminded United World Wrestling that as per the international body's rules and the IOC charter, the Indian Olympic Association "cannot exercise any control" on the newly-elected body, and asked the UWW to immediately lift the provisional suspension it imposed in August last year. The newly-elected Wrestling Federation of India chief Sanjay Singh, whose body was suspended by the sports ministry three days after it came to power and an IOA ad-hoc panel was re-instituted to run the sport, in his letter to UWW president Nenad Lalovic has also said that any influence by the IOA in wrestling should be deemed "illegal" by UWW. "Pursuant to the election, the newly-elected body has taken charge of the WFI and is managing its affairs, and we await the lifting of the provisional suspension imposed by the UWW," said Sanjay Singh in his letter to Lalovic on Friday, a copy of which is with PTI. "We understand that we continue to be an affiliated member of the UWW. However, there is a

Senior national wrestling camps to commence in Patiala, Sonepat from Feb 9

The national wrestling camps for men and women will commence in Sonepat and Patiala respectively from February 9, according to the IOA-constituted ad-hoc committee for the sport here on Monday. With the Asian Olympics Qualifying and World Qualifying tournaments around the corner, the camps will begin almost immediately after the conclusion of the senior National Championships in Jaipur on February 5. The ad-hoc panel, headed by Wushu Association of India chief Bhupender Singh Bajwa with former hockey player MM Somaya and ex-shuttler Manjusha Kanwar being the other members, is taking all the crucial decisions after the newly-elected Sanjay Singh-led Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) was suspended by the Sports Ministry within three days of the polls. "Following the conclusion of the Senior National Championships, the National Coaching Camp (NCC) will be conducted. The men's camp (Greco-Roman and free-style) will be stationed at SAI NRC Sonepat, while the women's camp will be held

Punia urges govt to restart wrestling activities in view of Paris Olympics

Olympic medallist Bajrang Punia on Saturday urged the Sports Ministry to restart the wrestling activities in the country with just seven months remaining for next year's Paris Games, and said no one seemed to have taken the preparations for the quadrennial showpiece seriously. Wrestling action has come to a standstill for the last several months owing to the turmoil within the fraternity following the grapplers' protests against former president Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh. Even the election of a new Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) committee could not restore normalcy as the Sports Ministry suspended the Sanjay Singh-led panel citing the violation of its own constitution in announcing the national U-15 and U-20 Championships. "Wrestling activities have come to a standstill for the last several months. Neither has any nationals been held nor have any camps been organised to prepare the players (for Paris Olympics)," Punia wrote on his 'X' account. Punia, who had decided to return

Logging in: New career path as esports gain recognition in multisport event

It has been a year since esport was officially recognised as a multisport event in India. For many, it has since become a career option