Indian weightlifters remain unsure of their participation at the Delhi Commonwealth Games in October as the country's federation struggles to cover an unpaid fine for repeated doping offences.
The seven participants due to represent Pakistan at next month's Games have all been given wildcard entries.
Indian Weightlifting Federation (IWF) on Saturday suspended SAI coach Ramesh Malhotra after Sydney Olympic bronze medallist Karnam Malleswari alleged sexual harassment by him on junior lifters.
Images from Day 3 of the 2010 Delhi Commonwealth Games.
Pakistan's nightmare on the sporting arena continues. And, this time, it's the weightlifting team that's threatening to pull out of the Commonwealth Games following an internal dispute over carrying of the flag during Sunday's spectacular opening ceremony.
Dope-tainted weightlifter Sanamacha Chanu faces a life ban after her 'B' sample test, conducted by the National Anti-Doping Agency, also turned out positive for a banned stimulant. The 'A' sample of 31-year-old Chanu, one of the most successful woman weightlifters in the country, which was taken during the trials for the Commonwealth Games in August had tested positive for methylhexaneamine.
Recent doping scandals may have tainted the image of Indian weightlifting, but Commonwealth Games gold medal winner K Ravi Kumar says he just wanted to prove that medals could be won without resorting to performance-enhancing drugs.
Eight gold medals are up for grabs on Monday, the first day of the Delhi Commonwealth Games, with swimming offering five, weightlifting two and gymnastics one. The first gold medal will be decided in the weightlifting women event in 48kg category, scheduled to begin at 1400 IST.
Commonwealth Games gold medallist weightlifter Geeta Rani's confirmatory 'B' sample test has also returned positive for a banned substance and she is set to end her career in ignominy as she faces the prospect of a lengthy ban from the sport.
The Indian Weightlifting Federation (IWF) on Thursday rubbished "reports in international media" that 25 lifters had tested positive during the Senior National Weightlifting Championships in Udaipur, saying actually five flunked dope tests there.
'Everyone wants to get involved when there is success.' 'But what about guaranteeing it?' 'Making sure girls have the opportunity to succeed all the time?'
The Indian contingent's schedule in the Rio Olympics for Saturday.
A summary of sports events and persons who made news on Friday.
A look at how the Indian athletes fared on day one of the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi, on Monday.
Shailaja Pujari won a bronze medal in the snatch and silver in the clean and jerk at the Asian Weightlifting Championships.
The committee will also be suggesting measures for making the code acceptable to all the stakeholders so that a balance is struck between autonomy of National Sports Federations.
Cracking the whip on dope offenders, Indian Weightlifting Federation (IWF) on Saturday handed life bans on three lifters, including 2006 Commonwealth Games silver medallist Vicky Bhatta (56 kg), for their second dope offences.
The runner-up Elabbassi lodged a complaint with race officials.
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The Indian Weightlifting Federation owes an explanation and an apology to the country for the dope scandals that may lead to the humiliation of a third international ban, an angry Sports Minister M S Gill said on Monday.
The International Weightlifting Federation on Wednesday cleared the deck for Indian lifters' participation at the South Asian Games after the national body paid $50,000 as first installment of the $500,000 fine imposed on it by the IWF.
IWF President H J Dora said any player, who tests positive for banned drugs even once in international events would be slapped a lifetime ban from the sport.
Athletics, hockey, badminton, boxing and shooting were among the 11 disciplines which were permitted to resume outdoor training following relaxations in the lockdown to contain the COVID-19 pandemic. The SOP, however, prohibits sparring for contact disciplines and has barred the use of swimming pools for now.
Hit by a needle controversy but in high spirits nonetheless, the jumbo Indian contingent would be aiming to make it all good with strong medal-winning performances.
A summary of Indian athletes' showing at the Commonwealth Games on Day 3.
Delhi boy Tejaswin Shankar produced a record-shattering performance as Indians struck two gold and a silver medal to launch their Commonwealth Youth Games campaign on a rousing note in Apia, Samoa, on Monday.
Organisers have urged athletes in Australia for the Commonwealth Games to respect the terms of their entry visas after Cameroon reported that a third of their team had gone missing on Wednesday.
IWF secretary Balbir Singh Bhatia said Sunaina, a contender to make the Indian team for Athens Olympics, would not resort to dope.
In a dramatic face-off, agitated weightlifter Monika Devi on Wednesday stormed into the Sports Authority of India headquarters in New Delhi and confronted its Executive Director (Teams) R K Naidu, demanding report of her dope test, which she flunked.
Romanian weightlifter Gabriel Sincraian and Russian boxer Misha Aloian have been stripped of their 2016 Olympic medals after failing doping tests at the Games, the Court of Arbitration for Sport said.
The Delhi batsman recently became the most successful India captain in Test cricket, surpassing Mahendra Singh Dhoni.
Indian athletes led the way in providing the Indian Olympic Association their feedback on how to restart national camps amid the coronavirus pandemic but a lot of national federations missed the deadline for submission of response, leaving IOA president Narinder Batra disappointed. On May 5, the IOA, while conceding that the risk of athletes losing motivation in the ongoing lockdown is real, sought their views along with those of coaches and other stakeholders on how to restart outdoor training.
Vikas Thakur, who claimed a bronze medal at the ongoing Commonwealth Games, was searched and dope-tested on the day of his departure from the event on unexplained suspicions.
Last week, Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju held a series of video conferences to take the athletes' view on the matter.
Indian boxing got the first glimpse of Dingko's talent at the 1989 sub-junior nationals in Ambala where he became a champion as a 10-year-old.
Despite being absolved of the dope charge, weightlifter Monika Devi's chances of taking part in the Beijing Olympics were dashed on Sunday, as the International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) rejected her entry in the competition. The Indian Olympic Association's request to allow Monika to participate was turned down by the IWF, IOA president Suresh Kalmadi said in a statement in Beijing.
India's weightlifting federation has handed out life bans to two lifters after both were found guilty of second doping offences. Top male lifter Sateesha Rai, first caught and stripped of two gold medals and a bronze at the 2002 Commonwealth Games, and woman lifter Boradi Prameelavalli have been banned.
Summary of sports events and persons who made news on Friday.
With firm backing from the Indian Weightlifting Federation (IWF), dope-tainted lifter Monika Devi on Wednesday claimed innocence and alleged that she is being victimised by some members of the Sports Authority of India (SAI). Monika, the lone weightlifter chosen to represent India in the Beijing Olympic Games, was prevented from boarding her flight to Beijing on Tuesday night for testing positive for a banned anabolic salt.
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