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.
The seven participants due to represent Pakistan at next month's Games have all been given wildcard entries.
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.
'You always improve at each competition, the journey to arrive in the Olympics was not easy. I worked hard and I finally represented India at the Olympics, I have learnt a lot, I will definitely work harder to do better in the coming tournaments.'
An important factor in India's stupendous success in 2021 was the way the government opened its coffers to support athletes.
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.
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.
India cricket captain Virat Kohli and weightlifter Mirabai Chanu were on Monday recommended for Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna by the awards selection committee.
Shailaja Pujari won a bronze medal in the snatch and silver in the clean and jerk at the Asian Weightlifting Championships.
A look at how the Indian athletes fared on day one of the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi, on Monday.
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 man with the golden arm could surpass some, if not all, top cricketers -- the demigods who stand well above athletes from other disciplines in India
The Indian contingent's schedule in the Rio Olympics for Saturday.
India's sports fraternity joined the nation on Sunday in saluting its essential services providers engaged in the fight against COVID-19 by clapping for them and sharing messages and videos of gratitude on social media.
Neeraj will be competing in his first Olympics and he has already qualified for the Tokyo Games early last year before the COVID-19 pandemic began
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.
IOA wants flexibility with calendars
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.
The runner-up Elabbassi lodged a complaint with race officials.
A summary of sports events and persons who made news on Friday.
This time, India may win as many as 17 medals at the Games.
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.
IWF secretary Balbir Singh Bhatia said Sunaina, a contender to make the Indian team for Athens Olympics, would not resort to dope.
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.
A summary of Indian athletes' showing at the Commonwealth Games on Day 3.
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.
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.
India has just 28 Olympic medals to its credit since making a debut back in 1900.
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.
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.
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.
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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.
Weightlifter Laishram Monika Devi failed a dope test and pulled out of the Indian contingent for the Beijing Olympics.
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.
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