Tokyo should remain the benchmark and source of inspiration till at least Paris 2024. In the shorter run, India's preparations for the Asian and Commonwealth Games next year must begin based on lessons learnt now, asserts Raj Kishore Mishra, former joint secretary at the sports ministry.
The Athletics Federation of India has threatened action against all those who do not perform well in the Olympics after deciding not to withdraw long jumper M Sreeshankar and 20km race walker KT Irfan from the Tokyo Games despite a dip in their form.
Vij said that sportspersons' objection to the government plan is not justified.
Athletes and officials from eight disciplines of archery, badminton, table tennis, hockey, judo, gymnastics, swimming and weightlifting landed in Tokyo
Shivpal returned home from South Africa just a few days before the suspension of international flights. He is currently at NIS Patiala, where he is training indoors because of the nationwide lockdown.
'Most of our elite athletes are in national camps so they are safer.' 'They don't have to go out to buy vegetables or groceries; they are not as exposed as we are.' 'Most of them work for government organisations, they get salaries and stipends.'
'I did not have the privilege of someone holding my hand and guiding me. I had to chart my own journey.'
A summary of sports events and persons who made news on Saturday
India has huge expectations from these champions. Rediff.com's Laxmi Negi and Norma Godinho glance at their chances at the 2018 Commonwealth Games.
Delhi High Court clears Indian judoka Jasleen to compete at CWG
A student of Delhi's Ramjas College, Antil was an able-bodied wrestler before his accident. A para athlete in his village initiated him to the sport in 2018.
The world braced up to a post-Bolt era but for India there was no momentous change as the country's athletes did nothing for the global audience to take note of.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will unfurl the national flag from the ramparts of the Red Fort on Sunday to celebrate the country's 75th Independence Day and two Mi-17 1V helicopters of the Indian Air Force (IAF) will shower flower petals at the venue for the first time ever.
"#HimaDas speaking to media after her SF win at #iaaftampere2018 @iaaforg Not so fluent in English but she gave her best there too. So proud of u #HimaDas Keep rocking & yeah,try ur best in final!" the AFI wrote on its Twitter handle.
India's top-five finish not a given this time
Well aware of their preparations and formative years, Modi's conversations touched upon the making of their success stories and also some fun queries like the one posed to world champion P V Sindhu.
"The unfair and discriminatory" rules have drawn sharp criticism from the Indian Olympic Association, which has written to the Games' organising committee requesting it to ensure that mechanisms to prevent COVID-19 do not have any "adverse and detrimental impact" on performance of athletes.
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.
The AFI has also asked its athletes to download the Government of India's 'AAROGYA SETU' App for tracking COVID-19 positive cases near them.
The sheer diversity of medal winners was a heartwarming aspect of the Games for India. There were medals from squash, although not gold, there were nine medals from boxing, 12 from wrestling, 16 from shooting and nine from weightlifting.
"Our patience is a sign of our self-confidence, but no one should make the mistake of testing it," Gen Naravane said.
World Athletics on Tuesday suspended the qualification period for the Tokyo Games from April 6 to November 30, 2020, following consultation with its Athletes' Commission, continental association presidents and the Council. India's Deputy chief national coach Radhakrishnan Nair the decision would disappoint many Indian athletes.
It is difficult to predict who among the Indians will reach the final
Virat Kohli has emerged as the most valued celebrity in India for the fifth year in a row, topping the Duff & Phelps Celebrity Brand Valuation Report 2021 despite seeing a dip in his brand value to $185.7 million last year from a high of $237.7 million in 2020. The annual report explained that brand Kohli faced a decline following the cricketer's resignation from the ODI (One Day International) and T20 captaincy and "associated exchanges" with the Board of Control for Cricket in India and recent on-field outcomes. "However, we believe that with the reduced workload after stepping down from captaincy, Kohli can focus now on what he is known for - his batting - and continue his journey on becoming the world's best batsmen," it added.
The Indian Olympic Association (IOA) was left red-faced during Sunday's felicitation ceremony to award cash prize to Asian Games medallists as the parent body got multiple names wrong on the cheques and even missed out on one.
Tea with Twinkle... Arjun celebrates... Tara meets a special friend...
Ace Indian archer Deepika Kumari confessed on Monday that she needs to stop buckling under the pressure of performing at the Olympic Games and approach the biggest sporting stage from a different perspective to achieve desired results in future.
Even with an ongoing pandemic, theatres in many states functioning at 50 per cent occupancy, a quieter social life and fewer movies, Bollywood still managed to pack in plenty of drama and trauma, fun and festivity, love and war into the year.
A look at the top 10 tweets from your favourite Bollywood celebrities.
Yohan Blake had to settle for a second bronze and Elaine Thompson a single silver as Jamaica's vaunted sprinters failed to fire in the relays on the final day of athletics at the Commonwealth Games on Saturday.
Pret designers Alpana Mittal and Neeraj Chauhan's outfits have been worn by Tyra Banks, the late Sridevi and Sofia Reyes.
With the two silver and one bronze on Tuesday, India stood fourth in the medal tally with two gold, five silver and six bronze at the end of the third and penultimate day.
The women who made India proud in Tokyo are set to be the Independence Day mascots. Invite from the PM has already gone out to these achievers to be guests of honour on August 15.
After a dry, dreadful, spell of darkness and desolation, it looks like Bollywood love stories are ready to rock the silver screen again.
Unheralded Bhawana Jat qualified for the Tokyo Olympics in the 20km race walk event after pulling off a shock win with a national record time at the National Championships in Ranchi on Saturday. The 23-year-old athlete, who hails from a poor farmer's family at Kabra village in Rajasthan's Rajsamand district, clocked 1 hour 29 minutes and 54 seconds, well inside the Olympic qualification time of 1:31:00, to win the gold.
Shaili Singh announced her arrival on the big stage by winning a silver in the Under-20 World Athletics Championships, missing out on a historic gold by a mere 1 cm with a 6.59m effort, in the long jump final in Nairobi on Sunday.
In business too, losing finalists really get nowhere, get nothing. It is purely 'winner takes all', observes Sandeep Goyal, managing director, Rediffusion.
Deepa Gahlot lists some interesting made-for-OTT hostage dramas that you can watch.
India's 572 athletes hope to return home with an overflowing treasure chest of medals.
The 22-year-old Anas clocked 45.32 sec under hot and humid conditions at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium. He also qualified for the World Championships to be held in London in August. The entry standard for the World Championships stands at 45.50secs.
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