Sports Minister Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore on Friday announced a cash award of Rs 6.70 lakh for all the gold medal winners at the recently concluded Youth Women's World Boxing Championships in Guwahati.
Poor finishing and scrappy defending put paid to India's quest for an eighth South Asian Football Federation Cup title as it suffered a 1-2 defeat against Maldives in the summit clash, in Dhaka, on Saturday.
The Azlan Shah Cup is the latest sporting event to be hit by the deadly coronavirus, which has claimed more than 3,000 lives and infected 86,000 people across the world.
Renedy appealed to everyone to come forward and ensure that the northeastern state does not face the same trouble as the country's metro cities witnessed.
A summary of sports events and persons who made news on Sunday
The fear of COVID-19 pandemic has made way for a fierce desire to compete in star Indian boxer M C Mary Kom's mind as she gears up for her first tournament in a year next week, having recovered from the muscle loss triggered by a recent bout of dengue.
There was ecstasy and agony in equal measure for the Indian contingent on Friday.
Mary Kom (51kg) claimed her eighth world medal at the recently-concluded championships in Russia. She was selected for the event ahead of Zareen, who was refused a trial by the Boxing Federation of India (BFI), which decided to go by Mary Kom's consistent performances while making the choice.
Asian Games gold-winning boxer Dingko Singh was on Saturday airlifted from Imphal to New Delhi for his cancer treatment. Dingko's transfer to Delhi by a SpiceJet air ambulance was facilitated by the Boxing Federation of India (BFI) after he missed a scheduled radiation therapy session due to the ongoing coronavirus-forced national lockdown.
'Sarita is the most abused and unsupported Indian boxer of all time.'
Sports minister Kiren Rijiju, following an online interaction with the Boxing Federation of India President Ajay Singh and the boxers, including Mary Kom, on Sunday said all necessary precautions will be put in place before sparring can commence again.
I-League champions Salgaocar registered their first victory in the 33rd Federation Cup football tournament, trouncing Hindustan Aeronautics Limited 4-0 in Pune on Tuesday.
Summary of sports events and persons who made news on Sunday
Seven Olympic and six Paralympic disciplines were identified for support at a meeting of the Mission Olympic Cell.
Mary Kom has been named as the brand ambassador of the upcoming 10th edition of the International Boxing Association (AIBA) Women World Championship.
The 41-year-old, who is a member of the European Boxing Confederation's coaches commission, will be joining the boxers in the first week of June.
Why did Vikas Krishan give his opponent a walkover in an Asian Championship semi-final?
Defending champion M C Merykom had an easy victory in the 46 kg class semi-finals of the women's World Boxing Championships, beating Russia's Sabitova Elena.
Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry President Zubair Ahmed Malik also said that the negative list should also be pruned to boost bilateral trade with India.
Many top athletes around the globe might be pulling out of the Rio Olympics due to Zika virus concern but chef de mission of the Indian Olympic contingent Rakesh Gupta said they are taking every possible step to address any possible risk. "We are concerned about Zika virus but we are taking every possible precaution for the Indian contingent that will travel to Rio. Whatever advisory we have received from the international body we have forwarded that to the players and federations," Gupta said on the sidelines of an event where Amul became the official sponsor of the Indian contingent.
Referring to the ugly scenes witnessed in the Rajya Sabha recently and indicating action against those involved, he reminded elected representatives of their responsibilities.
The administrators are busy thrashing out resumption plans but with the COVID-19 pandemic showing no signs of slowing down, India's sportsperson are pleading for caution as discussion rages on whether competitions can resume by August. Top stars from various disciplines want the waiting period to continue, while others pointed out at the loss it would cause in terms of fitness and readiness.
Recently, South Korean Foreign Minister, Chung Eui-yong, dialled his Indian counterpart, S Jaishankar, in New Delhi. His government, he said, "regretted the offence caused to the people of India". A day earlier, India had summoned the South Korean ambassador to express its "strong displeasure" over "an unacceptable social media post".
Jeswin Aldrin, who had already qualified for the championships, however missed the cut.
The International Boxing Association (AIBA) may have thrown the Olympic door open for professional boxers but it is unlikely that Indian star Vijender Singh would be able to grab the opportunity even though he is keen to make it. Professional boxers would be allowed to compete in the Olympic Games in August in Rio de Janeiro provided the decision is ratified at the AIBA Extraordinary Congress on June 1 when the proposal would be put to vote. The plan is to allow pro boxers qualify for Rio via the AIBA-affiliated World Series of Boxing (WSB) and AIBA Pro Boxing (APB) event. Both these events, originally scheduled for May, could be pushed back to last week of June to give national federations enough time to send their entries. "If given a chance, I would definitely try to qualify for the Olympics. Who would want to miss an opportunity if it is there," Vijneder told PTI from Manchester where he is training for his next pro fight on March 12 in Liverpool. However, the question is whether there is any realistic opportunity for him to give it a shot. The 30-year-old middleweight's schedule is sorted till June 11 when he will make his pro debut in India by fighting for his maiden title -- the WBO Asia belt.
Summary of sports events and persons who made news on Monday
However, the Indian did not report for weigh-in on Friday morning.
Boxer Vikas Krishan prefers US Pro bouts to National camp in Patiala
After constant pressure, Bengaluru were finally rewarded with the equaliser in the 82nd minute when Paartalu nodded in Cleiton's in-swinging corner.
>There's still hope and plenty to play for, says Rediff.com's Aruneel Sadadekar.
Now, boxer Gaurav Bidhuri cries foul at exclusion from Olympic qualifiers' trial.
After bringing home just two medals from the Rio Olympics, India needs to be realistic in its preparations for the 2020 Tokyo Games and should narrow its focus to a handful of sports, says former All England badminton champion Prakash Padukone. P.V. Sindhu's silver medal in the badminton women's singles and a bronze from wrestler Sakshi Malik at the Rio Games was considered a sorry return for a nation of 1.3 billion people. India have won a total of 28 medals since first competing at the Olympics in 1900 but a government think tank has come up with a strategy it hopes will help the country to 50 medals in 2024, including prioritising 10 sports.
All the results from the I-League and ISL matches played on Sunday
The IOA also said that the decision will now relieve the Indian athletes of having to train amidst lockdown due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The 35-year-old mother-of-three defeated China's Wu Yu 5-0 in the light flyweight (48kg) category quarterfinals to enter the last-four stage and be assured of at least a bronze.
India's boxing coach Gurbux Singh Sandhu is contemplating retirement but will consult the Federation officials before taking a final decision.
M C Mary Kom notched up her fifth gold medal at the Asian Women's Boxing Championships, winning a fiercely-contested summit clash in the 48kg category in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, on Wednesday.
Boxers and coaches have connected over a WhatsApp group to raise over 1 lakh, transferred directly to Dingko's account through online payment modes. The 'mission' started on Tuesday evening once Dingko's bank details were established. The contributions have ranged from 1,000 to 25,000 so far and are still coming in.
Summary of sports events and persons who made news on Monday
Fearing serious repercussions, the Indian Olympic Association, on Wednesday, asked the sports ministry to immediately resolve the controversy surrounding Kosovan boxer Donjeta Sadiku's visa.
