Summary of sports events and persons who made news on Tuesday
In an encouraging development for the Indian women's hockey team, all the squad members are set to be included in the Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS) when the review committee will identify a core group for the government-funded programme, next month.
Indian men's hockey team chief coach Paul van Ass on Monday claimed that he has been fired by Hockey India following his alleged public altercation with federation president Narinder Batra.
Eight-time champions India have been clubbed alongside title holders Germany and World No 2 Netherlands in Pool B at the men's hockey competition at the 2016 Rio Olympics.
Indian athletes led the way in providing the Indian Olympic Association their feedback on how to restart national camps amid the coronavirus pandemic but a lot of national federations missed the deadline for submission of response, leaving IOA president Narinder Batra disappointed. On May 5, the IOA, while conceding that the risk of athletes losing motivation in the ongoing lockdown is real, sought their views along with those of coaches and other stakeholders on how to restart outdoor training.
Sports Ministry officials clarified that they are yet to receive any form of communication on Indian men's hockey team coach Paul van Ass, who claims to have been sacked by Hockey India.
Sachin Tendulkar inspired me to make comeback after CWG snub, says Sardar
Australia's Jamie Dwyer and Spain's Santiago Freixa bagged the International Hockey Federation's 'Player of the Year' and 'Young Player of the Year' awards respectively.
The Indian women's hockey team lifted its maiden Asian Champions Trophy title with a thrilling 2-1 win over China in the final, in Singapore on Saturday.
In an official communication to concerned national sports federations, the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) has informed them about about the staying arrangements and the need to undergo an RT-PCR test for COVID-19 72 hours prior to their arrival in the UK.
Dilip Tirkey and Gagan Ajit Singh have been nominated for the International Hockey Federation's Best Player of the Year award.
The gold medal-winning Indian men's hockey team will receive a cash reward of Rs 2.5 lakh each from Hockey India for their stupendous show at the Asian Games.
The big names who will be bidding for a podium finish before bidding farewell...
'I believe there will be some treatment (of coronavirus) by September or October this year. We (India) have to plan ourselves thinking that Olympics will be held.'
Indian tennis ace Leander Paes is not at all surprised with Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer dominating once again, saying the ageing duo continue to 'reinvent' themselves.
All these male politicians are unlikely to risk their sinecures to speak up in support of a bunch of women wrestlers who have chosen to challenge a politician who appears to have the ruling regime in a stranglehold, points out Kanika Datta.
Majority of the Indian Olympic Association's top brass was unreachable after the Sports Ministry decided to suspend the national Olympic body for appointing the scam-tainted Suresh Kalmadi and Abhay Singh Chautala as its life-presidents.
India came back strongly after a two-goal deficit but still lost 3-4 to defending champions South Korea in the final of the ninth Asia Cup hockey tournament in Ipoh, Malaysia.
Both the Indian men's and women's teams will play against Spain on February 26 and 27 in a two-legged tie, followed by matches (both men's and women's) against Germany on March 12 and 13.
Ace drag-flicker Sandeep Singh has not yet reported for the ongoing camp for the Olympic qualifiers.
Seventy two years ago, a newly independent India ventured to hold the the first Asian Games in Delhi with meager resources.
India has always been a difficult place to work for foreign hockey coaches due to difference of opinion with national federations and bureaucratic hurdles.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC), on Friday, cleared Narinder Batra of indulging in any wrongdoing during his election as the IOA president, rejecting the complaint of irregularity filed by the Indian body's vice-President Sudhanshu Mittal.
"Reach and revenue" has been Narinder Batra's agenda going into the polls and soon after becoming the first non-European President of the International Hockey Federation, the veteran Indian sports administrator vowed to take the game across the globe. Batra, who is the Hockey India President, defeated David Balbirnie of Ireland and Australia's Ken Read to become the 12th FIH President -- the first Asian to grab the post in the world body's 92-year-old history. Batra got 68 votes in his favour while Balbirnie and Read managed 29 and 13 votes respectively. Out of 118 voters, only 110 voted while eight abstained.
Gill was suffering from end-stage kidney failure and significant ischemic heart disease. He was recovering from peritonitis.
Bhupinder Singh Bajwa will be the chairman of the panel with hockey Olympian M M Somaya and former international shuttler Manjusha Kanwar being the other two members.
The government is not happy with my work and does not want to spend money on the German coach.
Taking strong exception to FIH's "weak" censure to Pakistani players for their obscene behaviour after beating India in the Champions Trophy semi-final, Hockey India decided that it would not host any event sanctioned by the world body until strong punishment is handed out to the offenders.
The Athletes Commission of the IOA has recommended the national Olympic body to put systems in place to deal with issues of the players "with respect and dignity" in the light of the protest by India's top wrestlers.
Summary of sports events and persons who made news on Monday
'The law is neither able nor willing to function the way the legal machinery is envisaged.'
'Due to the ongoing pandemic and lockdown, we the sports bodies are unlikely to get any sponsorship and hence we may find it very difficult to restart our activities effectively'
A golden dream unfulfilled for over 30 years remained just that in women's hockey but India equalled its best ever medal haul as sailors joined the assorted contributors to the country's tally at the 18th Asian Games, on Friday.
In 2015 when Indian the women's team qualified for the Rio Olympics after a gap of 36 years, it was Rani who had played a key role in the decisive victory against Japan.
A few Indian stars will have to go through the disappointment of watching all the action from afar.
Former India captain Bhaichung Bhutia on Monday said the lack of top-class infrastructure still remains an impediment to the development of football in the country, while AIFF president Praful Patel lamented the absence of enough money in sports other than cricket. Considered the torchbearer of Indian football during his playing days, Bhutia felt while avenues have opened up now lot can still be done in the area of infrastructure.
Chopra expressed his disappointment a day after Indian Olympic Association (IOA) president PT Usha came down heavily on the wrestlers for hitting the streets to resume their protests instead of approaching its athletes' commission to lodge their complaints against Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh.
Calling on the IOA to sort out the administrative mess which led to India's suspension from the Olympic movement, IHF patron KPS Gill has said that the overhauling should put in place a system so clean and efficient that it becomes a model for the world to follow.
India has huge expectations from these champions. Rediff.com's Laxmi Negi and Norma Godinho glance at their chances at the 2018 Commonwealth Games.
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.
