The eight players picked for the Asian Games have been training without a full-time coach and most of them don't train regularly with Kumari and Poncha, who has been a longtime national coach.
Now all eyes are on the two Super 1000 events -- Yonex Thailand Open (January 12-17) and Toyota Thailand Open (January 19-24) as the world's best return to action following a prolonged break.
The 25-year-old from Punjab threw a personal best of 64 metres to finish second in Group B in the qualifying round.
The COVID-19 lockdown had wreaked havoc on her mental health to such an extent that discus thrower Kamalpreet Kaur had started trying her hand in cricket to handle the psychological toll of the shutdown.
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.
The Mauritian sports ministry confirmed on Wednesday that chef de mission Kaysee Teeroovengadum had stepped down from his role at the April 4-15 Games after it was alleged he had sexually assaulted women's javelin thrower Jessika Selma Rosun.
Commonwealth Games corruption scandal tainted Suresh Kalmadi was on Tuesday made the Life President of Indian Olympic Association in its Annual General Body Meeting in New Delhi. Another tainted official Abhay Singh Chautala was also made the Life President by the IOA.
2018 was largely forgettable for Sushil Kumar -- India's only double Olympic-medallist -- and Sakshi Malik -- the country's first and only woman wrestler to win a medal at the biggest stage.
Asian Games gold medal-winning javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra on Tuesday donated a total of Rs 3 lakh to the central and Haryana state relief funds to combat the coronavirus pandemic in India. Chopra is currently in self-isolation at the National Institute of Sports (NIS) in Patiala after flying back from a training trip in Turkey.
A day before the Tokyo-bound Indian shooting contingent hits the range for its first training session in Croatia, Manu Bhaker's pistol will give way to a pen and the shooting gear to her study materials, as she logs in for her BA fourth semester exam.
A summary of sports events and persons who made news on Thursday
Amid intense criticism over Commonwealth Games preparations, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh held a meeting with union ministers and others involved in the sporting event but kept away Organising Committee chief Suresh Kalmadi, triggering speculation about his being sidelined.
Kashyap, a Commonwealth Games champion, was trailing 8-14 in the third game when he chose to retire after pulling his calf muscle.
Summary of sports events and persons who made news on Friday
India's badminton doubles specialist N Sikki Reddy on Saturday heaved a sigh of relief after returning negative for COVID-19 barely two days after testing positive for the contagious disease, saying she was "shocked" by the not-so-kind reactions her initial result attracted.
They have been moved to a SAI empanelled hospital as a precautionary measure for further monitoring.
Panghal and Kaushik have entered the semi-finals at the Worlds, making it the first time when India have more than one boxer in fray for the medal rounds of the marquee event.
Summary of sports events and persons who made news on Sunday
'I would like to thank the Government, the Table Tennis Federation of India (TTFI) and most importantly, my family, who has been there for me and motivated me along this journey'
The bitter war of words between 2010 Commonwealth Games Organising Committee chairman Suresh Kalmadi and Games Federation CEO Mike Hooper should not have happened, Sports Minister M S Gill said, promising to do all he can to resolve the issues between the two.
Indian contingent would be aiming to make it all good with strong medal-winning performances when the acutely-low-on-buzz Commonwealth Games start
In its bid to make the Commonwealth Games a dope-free event, the organisers on Tuesday said participating athletes will be subjected to surprise dope testing to deter them from taking banned drugs.
Milkha was a strict disciplinarian and his nearly 10 years of life in Indian Army was a huge contributing factor in making him a fitness-obsessed athlete.
India's triumphant Tokyo Olympics contingent, including history-making Javelin Throw gold-medallist Neeraj Chopra, returned to the country on Monday and was greeted by frenzy and chaos at the New Delhi airport, where supporters jostled to catch a glimpse of their sporting heroes.
The CGF chief is also expected to meet Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju.
Reigning silver medallists India will open their campaign against arch-rivals Pakistan in a mouth-watering men's hockey contest of the 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games.
Heena has been ignored for the Asian Games mixed team air pistol -- an event where she has excelled since its introduction last year.
India's table tennis star Manika Batra alleged that national coach Soumyadeep Roy asked her to throw a match during the Olympic qualifiers in March and that was the main reason she refused his help during the Tokyo Games.
Aruna Budda Reddy today created history by becoming the first Indian gymnast to win an individual medal at the Gymnastics World Cup as she clinched a bronze in the women's vault event in Melbourne.
The International Weightlifting Federation dropped the doping charge against Indian weightlifter K Sanjita Chanu due to "non-conformities" in the handling of her sample but the Commonwealth Games gold-medallist has demanded an apology and compensation for the "trauma" she has endured. The IWF made the decision based on the recommendation of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). The 26-year-old, who claimed innocence since the beginning, was informed about the final verdict via an e-mail, signed by IWF's legal counsel Lilla Sagi.
Done with the World Cup, shooters Ravi Kumar and Deepak Kumar said they have been asked to report by their employers, the Indian Air Force -- a routine practice but they expect 'instructions on protocol' in view of the escalating tension between India and Pakistan.
The government on Saturday allocated Rs 2826.92 crore to the sports budget for the next financial year, which is up by a mere Rs 50 crore from the revised estimates of 2019-20. The government gave a substantial hike of Rs 291.42 crore to its flagship Khelo India programme for development of sports at the grassroot and youth level, which meant that most of the other heads got reduced allocation in an Olympic year.
Bhavinaben Patel scripted history on Friday, becoming the first Indian table tennis player to secure a medal in the Paralympics after entering the semi-finals with a stunning straight-game win over world No. 5 Borislava Peric Rankovic of Serbia in the women's singles Class 4 event, in Tokyo. The 34-year-old won her quarter-final 11-5, 11-6, 11-7 in 18 minutes.
Caught in the middle of a controversy over arranging a selection trial to choose between Sushil Kumar and Narsingh Pancham Yadav for this year's Rio Olympics, the Wrestling Federation of India is likely to meet on Tuesday to break the deadlock, which is threatening to snowball into a massive furore.
Summary of sports events and persons who made news on Tuesday.
Deepak Kumar and Divyansh Singh Panwar finished a lowly 26th and 32nd respectively in the men's 10 metres Air Rifle event of the Tokyo Olympics on Sunday
Geeta has not competed much since she attempted to qualify for the 2016 Rio Olympic Games unsuccessfully.
'An event that should have made India proud was being perceived entirely as a money-making enterprise, resting on malpractices and without any benefits whatsoever for the Capital and its people.'
India's world record holder weightlifter Mirabai Chanu revealed that she was 'completely broken' after the failure at the 2016 Rio Olympics and talking to a psychologist helped her get back on track.
The Commonwealth Games Federation said the organisers need to address some 'slippages' immediately.
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