The lubricants major withdrew its sponsorship of the Indian team, citing cost-cutting measures.
India might have lost to Pakistan in the summit clash of men's hockey in the 12th South Asian Games but captain Mandeep Antil on Saturday sought to take the positives from the performance of his players, saying they have done well given the inexperience of the team. With the country's top players taking part in the ongoing Hockey India League, India fielded an inexperienced team mostly consisting of junior players and they failed to click as a unit in the SAG. India settled for the silver medal after losing twice to arch-rivals Pakistan, including in the final 0-1 in Guwahati on Friday night. India had just two senior players who had played some international matches in Antil himself and veteran Gurbaj Singh. Even Antil has played just 20-odd international matches while Gurbaj has donned India colours in more than 200 games. Pakistan had at least six players who played in the London Olympics. Antil said he was disappointed to have lost to Pakistan in the final, which he felt was a close match. "Any loss to Pakistan at any level is a disappointment. We wanted to win the gold but we could not do it. We played better (than the group match which also India lost 1-2) and it was a close match but we lost again," Antil told PTI.
'The fact that the IOC and Japan decided to postpone has a lot to do with the fact that athletes spoke out and clearly told their stories. It somehow made it real.'
Narinder Batra said that the government is supporting all sports in the country and there is a lot of positivity among players and they want to get back on the track.
The refurbished Sardar Patel Stadium in Motera is now renamed Narendra Modi Stadium.
India are now atop the leaderboard with five points from two games, but the Manpreet Singh-led side conceded a point to the Netherlands after drawing (during the regulation time) the second match of the contest on Sunday.
Britain's world number three Andy Murray stressed the importance of gender equality in tennis, saying the work ethic required to succeed is the same for both men and women.
Sloppy defending cost India dearly as they conceded a late goal and went down 1-2 to higher-ranked New Zealand in their second league match on Day 2 of the 24th Sultan Azlan Shah Cup hockey tournament in Ipoh.
A summary of sports events and sports persons, who made news on Tuesday
Kalinga Lancers thrashed Uttar Pradesh Wizards 10-2 in a high-scoring contest to register their second consecutive win and jump to the top of the fourth Hockey India League, in Lucknow on Monday.
Sania Mirza was recommended for the prestigious Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna award on Tuesday. She is only the second tennis player ever to be named for the country's highest sporting honour.
They would only be allowed in the academy after they produce COVID-19 negative certificate, the SAI said in a release.
Delhi Waveriders maintained their winning streak and defeated Uttar Pradesh Wizards 3-1 to move to the top of the points table of the fourth Hockey India League, in Lucknow, on Saturday.
Drag-flicker Harmanpreet Singh scored a hat-trick as India humiliated lowly Oman 9-0 to enter the semi-finals in the eighth junior men's Asia Cup hockey tournament, in Kuantan, Malaysia, on Thursday.
A magnificent 60th-minute goal by Dabang Mumbai's Robbert Kemperman snatched victory from defending Champions Jaypee Punjab Warriors by a narrow 2-1 margin in the Hockey India League, in Chandigarh, on Saturday.
Former India captain Sandeep Singh struck the winning goal from a penalty corner as defending champions Ranchi Rays rallied to beat Jaypee Punjab Warriors 5-4 in a pulsating match and jump to the top position in the Hockey India League, in Ranchi, on Saturday.
Despite fielding a second-string side last year, India will be invited for the Azlan Shah Cup hockey tournament.
India put up a spirited show before squandering the early lead to go down 1-3 against defending champions Australia in a league match of the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup hockey tournament, in Ipoh.
A look at how India's athletes fared at the Tokyo Olympics on Saturday.
'The silver medal at the Champions Trophy has instilled the confidence that we can match or even beat some of the best teams in the world.'
India's sports minister Vijay Goel on Friday defended the allegations of misbehaviour levelled against his entourage by the Organising Committee stating that nothing of that sort has happened.
Sense of responsibility and cooperating with teammates were some of the life lessons that Tendulkar recalled learning from his days as an active sportsperson.
Uttar Pradesh Wizards produced a scintillating performance to beat two-time title holders Ranchi Rays 4-0 and jump to the third spot.
The IHF has asked the FIH and IOC to recommend some of the world's best physiotherapists.
This was the ultimate city rivalry and despite the intense tussle on the field, both teams walked away with honours intact after 70 minutes of scintillating action.
Indian men's hockey team managed to hold Argentina to a thrilling 3-3 draw in the six-nation Invitational tournament during their penultimate round-robin match in Valencia on Saturday. The first half started off slowly before Argentina took control of the ball in the first quarter, trying to carve inroads into the Indian defence.
Defending Champions Ranchi Rays completed a hat-trick of wins after eking out a 3-2 win over table toppers Kalinga Lancers in a round robin match of the fourth Hockey India League, in Ranchi, on Thursday.
Dabang Mumbai scored a stunning come-from-behind 4-3 victory over Uttar Pradesh Wizards to earn their first victory in two games in the Hockey India League, in Mumbai, on Tuesday.
Sporting world lost some of its favourite stars this year.
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Sunday presented the Banga Vibhushan awards to 13 luminaries from various fields.
World champions Australia defeated Olympic champions Argentina 2-1 in a hard-fought summit clash to defend the Hockey World League (HWL) Final crown.
The India hockey ace opted for a camel back instead of a hockey stick to manoeuvre his way through a strong cattle line-up at the Pushkar fair.
Out of the podium race in the Hero Junior Men's Hockey World Cup, India have a chance to redeem some pride with a win over arch-rivals Pakistan in the 9-10th place classification match but national coach Baljit Singh Saini refused to treat the high-profile fixture as a "special" encounter.
Australia finished on top of the standings despite losing 2-3 to Olympic champions Argentina earlier in the day. India, which needed just a draw to progress, finished second.
Hosts India defeated Netherlands 2-1 in their second practice match ahead of the forthcoming hockey World Cup at the Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium in New Delhi on Friday.
India's hockey players have a role model within their ranks and should look at play-maker Sardar Singh for inspiration, says coach Michael Nobbs.
Star players Rehan Butt, Mudassar Ali Khan, Tariq Aziz and Mohammad Shabbir are in the 18-member team for the December 10-18 Champions Trophy hockey tournament in Chennai.
Skipper Moritz Fuerste led from the front with two goals as Kalinga Lancers thrashed Dabang Mumbai 4-1 in to win their maiden Hockey India League title, in Chandigarh, on Sunday.
