Three Union ministers came out in support of boxer Sarita Devi as sports minister Sarbananda Sonowal sought a report from the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) on pugilist's controversial loss against Korean boxer in the semi-final of the Asian Games in Incheon.
Hockey captain Harmanpreet Singh and Olympic medallist boxer Lovlina Borgohain will be the flag-bearers of the Indian contingent during the opening ceremony of the Asian Games in Hangzhou on September 23.
Several athletes, including the hockey men's and women's teams of India, took part in the flag-hoisting ceremony at the CWG Village on Thursday.
Faced with the prospect of India's hockey team being ousted from the race to Olympics, the Sports Ministry has called a meeting of the IOA, Hockey India and the Indian Hockey Federation on October 14 to resolve the dispute related to the game's governance in the country.
Terming the IOA-IOC saga as a turning point, Union Minister for Youth Affairs & Sports Jitendra Singh said the entire episode is a blessing in disguise for Indian sport.
'The elections of the WFI were stayed by the Punjab and Haryana High Court on 11.08.2023 just a day before the poll and therefore, polling could not be held on 12.08.2023... the Supreme Court has vacated the stay orders and therefore the remaining steps like polling etc. will now recommence on 21.12.2023 as per the following revised schedule.'
Salman Khan, whose appointment as IOA's goodwill ambassador in April was slammed by Olympic medallist wrestler Yogeshwar Dutt and legendary sprinter Milkha Singh, seemed to have no clue about who Dipa Karmakar was and how she fared so far at the Rio Games.
Hardly 24 hours have passed since the formation of the new wrestling federation and trouble has started brewing within the sports body with Secretary General Prem Chand Lochab demanding postponement of the junior Nationals, saying the President did not follow rules while announcing the dates for the competition.
Union Minister and All India Football Federation (AIFF) president Praful Patel said that the involvement of chargesheeted persons in the affairs of IOA has brought "a messy situation" in Indian sports and tarnished the image of national federations.
WFI decided that it will seek a dialogue with the Sports Ministry for revocation of its suspension, saying it does not want a clash with the government and the legal options will be explored only if talks fail.
In a new twist to controversial elections of the IOA, the International Olympic Committee warned of a possible ban on the national sports body if government regulations are followed in its poll on December 5.
A day after Indian Olympic Association secretary-general Randhir Singh warned of serious repercussions on disbanding of some important committees, the apex sports body said it will soon set up the Ethics Committee and Arbitration Commission.
The disbanding of the Ethics and some other committees of the IOA by its General Body recently, on Monday, came under sharp criticism from its Secretary General Randhir Singh who urged the acting president to revive and ratify them without further delay.
Bajwa, when asked whether Indian grapplers will compete under the United World Wrestling (UWW) flag at the Paris Olympics since the Wrestling Federation of India has been banned by the international body, told PTI that, since the Olympics and Asian Games are multi-discipline events, "they will compete as part of the Indian contingent".
Indian Olympic Association (IOA) welcomed FIH's decision to conduct next year's Olympic Qualifiers in India and said by recognising only Hockey India as the National Federation for the sport, the world body has vindicated its stand.
The four-day selection trials began on Wednesday at NIS Patiala and SAI Regional Centre in Sonepat under the chairmanship of ad hoc panel member Bhupinder Singh Bajwa.
Sport Minister Ajay Maken said he doesn't have the confidence that the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) can live up to the standards of transparency that hosting an international event like the Olympics or Asian Games demands.
Indian Olympic Association, on Thursday, said no leniency would be shown to the 10 Kabbadi players and three athletes who flunked dope tests recently and asked the federations to crack the whip on guilty sportspersons.
The ad-hoc committee member added that the wrestlers' demand to hold the Worlds trials on or after August 20, as they need time to recover from the Asian Games trials, was "not feasible".
The World Championship trials are expected to be held by August 10, giving the wrestlers, who competed in Asian Games selection competition, just about 17 days to be ready for another gruelling contest.
A former world champion, Sindhu is one of the favourites to win the women's singles gold medal in Birmingham, having won the silver and bronze in the last two editions at Gold Coast and Glasgow.
Following sports minister Ajay Maken's public statement that arrested Commonwealth Games Organising Committee chairman Suresh Kalmadi should be replaced as its president, the Indian Olympic Association will meet on May 23 to discuss the issue.
The WFI ad-hoc panel on Tuesday handed Olympic medallist Bajrang Punia and World Championship medallist Vinesh Phogat direct entries into the Asian Games.
Calling the working agreement between Hockey India and the Indian Hockey Federation a 'bizarre live-in relationship', IOA acting President Vijay Kumar Malhotra on Tuesday said the two federations for one discipline will never be accepted.
Out of approved assistance of Rs 1.07 crore, the first instalment of Rs.83.19 lakh, representing 75 per cent of the approved grant, has been released to the IOA.
In a reprieve to the suspended Indian Olympic Association, the International Olympic Committee has decided to extend the deadline for adopting an amended constitution, the draft of which is currently being reviewed by the world body.
Indian Olympic Association president Narinder Batra defended football's exclusion from the Asian Games contingent and justified the decision of including lesser known sports like pencak silat, saying they are potential medal winners and there is no place for "also rans" in the squad.
Indian Olympic Association (IOA) president Suresh Kalmadi on Tuesday ruled out giving any monetary assistance to the Indian Weightlifting Federation (IWF) in paying the US$ 375,000 fine to the game's world body because it is related to doping.
Defenders Konsam Chinglensana Singh and Lalchungnunga did not accompany the Indian football team that left the country on Sunday for the Asian Games in China.
The International Olympic Committee has fixed the dates of the joint meeting with the Indian Olympic Association and Sports Ministry in the second week of next month to find a way towards resolving the issues that led to the country's ban from the Olympic family.
Brij Bhushan's comments came soon after his meeting with BJP chief JP Nadda following Sports Ministry's suspension of the WFI till further orders.
The Indian Olympic Association has termed the government's directive to adhere to age and tenure guidelines in its upcoming elections as 'illegal' and 'unconstitutional' and said that it could even move the Supreme Court if the case in Delhi High Court goes against it.
The Supreme Court on Friday permitted the Indian Olympic Association and Hockey India to field the men's and women's teams in the October Commonwealth Games. The order was passed after Hockey India's rival Indian Hockey Federation admitted that it is not affiliated to the International Hockey Federation.
All India Football Federation (AIFF) appealed to the Sports Ministry, leading to this favorable decision.
Bajrang Punia and Vinesh Phogat should be withdrawn from India's Asian Games squad if they lose the upcoming trials for the World Championships.
Asian Games trials exemption to Phogat, Punia: HC to pronounce order on Saturday
WFI elections now to be held on August 7
The Indian Olympic Association on Saturday hailed the inclusion of cricket in the "Olympic family" and hoped the game will make its debut in the 2020 Games.
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