Indian javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra had an additional plea for the government -- to fast-track the process of laying down the currently in-vogue 'Mondotrack' at the National Institute of Sports in Patiala.
The change at the helm comes in the wake of an underwhelming couple of years for Indian men's boxing.
Athletics and boxing are the two important disciplines whose national camps are being held at NIS, Patiala.
Former medical officer of NIS Patiala, Dr Sanjib Nandi was on Wednesday physically assaulted by guards as he tried to enter the institution premises to meet Justice Mukul Mudgal, who is probing the doping scandal in athletics. Nandi, who blew the whistle on doping practices at NIS Patiala, wanted to meet Justice Mudgal but was stopped by the guards at the gates this morning and refused entry.
Confined to their hostel rooms at NIS Patiala amid the coronavirus-forced lockdown, some athletes, led by star sprinter Hima Das, have requested the sports ministry to allow them to train outdoors within the campus, which is out of bounds for outsiders right now. Deputy chief national athletics coach Radhakrishnan Nair, who is supporting the move, said that the Hima-led campers at the National Institute of Sports (NIS) are expecting a reply from the ministry in a day or two.
30 sportspersons and support staff across disciplines were found to be COVID-19 positive after 741 precautionary tests were conducted at the National Centres of Excellence in Patiala and Bengaluru, the Sports Authority of India (SAI) said on Wednesday.
The Neeraj Chopra Classic, a star-studded global javelin event featuring double Olympic medallist Neeraj Chopra, will be held in Panchkula on May 24.
Commonwealth Games gold medallist weightlifter Achinta Sheuli has been expelled from the Paris Olympics preparatory camp after he was caught entering the women's hostel at night at NIS Patiala.
The National Anti Doping Agency (NADA) conducted a surprise raid at the National Institute of Sports, Patiala and took samples from the campers in the backdrop of the doping scandal in athletics.
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.
Here's a look at some Indian-origin athletes who will be representing their adopted countries at the Paris Games
Mirabai Chanu is an inspiration to many athletes but to Gyaneshwari Yadav she is also a competitor and the promising weightlifter dreams of not just scaling great heights like the Tokyo Olympic medallist but leaving her behind.
Incidentally, all three pugilists are currently embroiled in court case with the BFI over selection for the Asian Games.
Bhaskar Bhatt has quit as the head coach of the Indian women's boxing team to concentrate on his new role as the high performance director at the Sports Authority of India.
The daughter of a traffic police head constable in Meerut, Kiran Baliyan was an accidental shot putter as her name was entered in a junior tournament by mistake nine years ago.
Neeraj Chopra has been told by the SAI to stay at his hostel room without mixing up with other athletes at the NIS if he has to be at the premier sports facility of the country. He returned to India from Turkey on Wednesday.
Bajrang Punia said they were ready to sacrifice medals as delivering justice to the victims would be their biggest medal.
The 23-year-old Chopra, who had won an Olympic gold with a throw of 87.58m, had said that his next target would be to win a medal in the World Championships in the US next year.
Track and field athletes will return to outdoor training on Monday after two months of being confined to their rooms due to the coronavirus-forced lockdown but the early focus will be entirely on their fitness regimens to avoid injury. Athletics Federation of India president Adille Sumariwalla said that all the athletes based at NIS-Patiala, SAI Centre in Bengaluru and Ooty will start "outdoor fitness" training from Monday.
The trials for the wrestling World Championships will be held on August 25-26 in Patiala, the ad-hoc panel announced on Monday, ending weeks of uncertainty around the selection competition.
I keep a licensed revolver with me always in my car, there are some personal issues with someone which I don't want to disclose, said boxer Neeraj Goyat.
In 1985, Balbir Singh Sr had donated his medals and memorabilia to the then SAI Secretary on being told that they would be displayed in a show window at the then proposed National Sports Museum.
The team has shifted base from NIS Patiala, which is cold at the peak of winter, to the Odisha capital, which will be comparatively warmer.
The Indian boxing team, which landed in Birmingham on Monday, wasted no time as they immediately started their practice for the mega-event.
Mirabai has been subjected to an astonishing 45 dope tests in the last four years but has come out clean each time.
Under the 'No Needle Policy' of the AFI, "any athlete and or support staff who finds any needle or suspect equipment in any athlete's room is required to report the suspicious material including needles immediately to the AFI Medical Commission, which in turn will initiate a thorough investigation into the discovery of suspicious equipment including needles and further disciplinary action taken as deemed necessary".
Kabaddi players participating in an event in UP's Saharanpur were seen with plates and containers having rice inside a toilet.
Kiren Rijiju said the coronavirus-forced nationwide lockdown, which has been extended till May 17, forced his ministry to delay the resumption of the training camps at Sports Authority of India (SAI) centres. The lockdown was earlier meant to end on May 3.
'The athletes who are there in SAI Bengaluru and Patiala will continue to remain there'
Harshada Sharad Garud on Monday became India's first weightlifter to win a gold medal at the IWF Junior World Championships in Heraklion, Greece.
A 19-year-old weightlifter has been suspended by the Indian Weightlifting Federation (IWF) for allegedly harassing three junior women weightlifters at the NIS, Patiala.
Olympic bronze medallist Vijender Singh (75 kg) and Commonwealth Games gold medallist Paramjeet Samota (+91 kg) are among the Indian elite men boxers selected for the Asian Continental Olympics Boxing Qualification tournament to be held at Astana, Kazakhstan from April 5-12.
Legendary athlete Milkha Singh has supported prompt action taken by Sports Minister Ajay Maken, for taking prompt action against Ukrainian Coach and two Indian coaches who were training women athletes at NIS Patiala.
Minister for sports and youth affairs, Ajay Maken announced the sacking of India's Ukrainian athletics coach Yuri Ogrodnik on Tuesday.
The doping scandal in Indian athletics grew in proportion with two more athletes, including the country's new golden girl Ashwini Akkunji, testing positive for anabolic steroids hours before the departure for Japan for the Asian Championships.
A doping scandal has resurfaced on the Indian athletics scene with two top women quarter-milers returning positive for a banned substance in tests conducted by the International Association of Athletics Federations.
Expressing happiness at the recommendation for the coveted Arjuna Award, ace quartermiler M R Poovamma described it as a "dream come true".
Mirabai Chanu talks about training in lockdown and her plans to return to her old fitness regime.
NADA's Anti Doping Appeals Panel (ADAP), headed by Justice R V Easwar, set aside the Anti Doping Disciplinary Panel's (ADDP) verdict of four-year suspension after the athlete approached the appeals panel.
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