Page 34 - Olympics

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

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 ..

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

Summer Olympics 2024 security plans stolen from train station in Paris

The Paris 2024 Olympics will deploy approximately 35,000 security personnel daily, alongside 2,000 municipal police officers assigned to the games scheduled from July 26 to August 11

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