Summary of sports events and persons who made news on Sunday
Putting an end to the status of the bronze medal won by Indian woman boxer L Sarita Devi, the Olympic Council of Asia on Thursday re-instated her medal in the 60kg category after a hearing with the India's Asian Games contingent officials in Incheon.
Celebrated Indian woman boxer L Sarita Devi comfortably outpunched Zsofia Bedo of Hungary to make a winning start to her professional career in the IBC Fight Night at the at the Khuman Lampak Stadium, in Imphal on Sunday.
Boxer Sarita Devi finally received her Asian Games bronze medal which she had refused at the victory ceremony in Incheon under controversial circumstances with the Indian Olympic Association Secretary General Rajeev Mehta presenting it to her in New Delhi.
MC Mary Kom and the seasoned L Sarita Devi spearheaded India's gold rush at the second India Open boxing tournament, which concluded on Friday.
Five-time world champion Mary Kom and her colleague Sarita Devi continued to impress the crowd with agile movements for the second day in a row, outplaying their opponents in the South Asian Games qualifiers in Shillong on Wednesday. Sarita defeated a tough opponent P Basumatary in the quarterfinal round to proceed in the South Asian Games qualifiers and test event at the NEHU, SAI Special Area Games. Mary Kom on the other hand made mincemeat of Soniya in her bout to sail into the next round. Sarjubala Devi, Aruna Mishra and Pooja Rani also beat their opponents to move ahead.
Following is India's schedule on Thursday, Day 1 of the Paris Paralympics: (All timings in IST):
L Sarita Devi (64kg) and Sonia Lather (57kg) advanced to the semifinals and assured themselves of medals at the Asian women's Boxing Championships.
Boxer Sarita Devi's emotional refusal to wear the bronze medal at the Asian Games podium inside the Seonhak Gymnasium in Incheon on Wednesday has not gone down well with some members of the Indian contingent.
In a first for women's boxing in India, former world champion and Asian Games bronze-medallist L Sarita Devi has decided to turn professional but will not give up on the amateur circuit either if the Boxing Federation of India allows her. The 31-year-old multiple-time Asian champion decided to take the plunge by signing up a two-year deal with the commercial partners of Indian Boxing Council (IBC) - a licensing body for professional boxers in the country -- Sporty Boxing Private Limited.
Boxer L Sarita Devi has escaped with a warning after apologising for her petulant display at the Asian Games when she refused to accept her bronze medal.
The government has written to AIBA to revoke the suspension of boxer Sarita Devi, Sports Minister Sarbananda Sonowal said.
An outraged Indian boxing contingent lodged a protest and demanded a review of L Sarita Devi's semi-final bout at the Asian Games after the veteran pugilist lost despite a dominating performance against home favourite Jina Park.
India's boxer L Sarita Devi's career could be finished after her 'unacceptable' behaviour at the Incheon Asian Games where the fighter refused to accept her bronze medal on the podium, the president of the governing AIBA said on Wednesday.
Karnataka to face Services in men's doubles tennis final
'Keeping in view all the factors and in the interest of promotion and development of boxing in India, I would urge you to take a very sympathetic view of the matter'
A tough road awaits veteran L Sarita Devi and rookie Manisha Moun as they open India's campaign at the AIBA Women's World Boxing Championships, in New Delhi, on Friday.
Indian boxer L Sarita Devi's refusal to accept her bronze medal on the podium went against the values of sportsmanship, Asian Games organisers said on Thursday, adding they were reviewing the incident and could take action against her.
Sarita (60kg), who was banned for a year due to her emotional outburst at the Asian Games medal ceremony after losing a controversial semi-final bout, returned to the country from the Chinese city of Qian'an on Friday. The Manipuri fought three bouts and won two of them during the competition which featured rivals from hosts China, Korea, Mongolia and Thailand.
Till 3 pm Mumbai and suburbs saw a muted 40 per cent voting, but for those who voted it was an occasion to remember.
Throwing his weight behind veteran boxer Sarita Devi, minister of state for sports and youth affairs Sarbananda Sonowal said that he would request the International Boxing Association (AIBA) to be lenient on pugilist.
Veteran boxer Sarita Devi, who is currently serving a provisional suspension, has found support from cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar who has written a letter to the Sports Minister urging him to support her and ensure that her career is not terminated prematurely.
Batting legend Sachin Tendulkar discussed the way forward for L Sarita Devi with Sports Minister Sarbananda Sonowal on Wednesday and urged the entire country to support the woman boxer who is facing a possible life ban from the International Boxing Association for refusing her bronze medal at the Incheon Asian Games.
Olympic medalist MC Mary Kom, L Sarita Devi and Aruna Mishra, among others, booked their place in the final round of the South Asian Games in Shillong on Thursday. Kom overcame a spirited Nikhit Zareen, while Sarita Devi passed the Meena Kumari test. Meanwhile, Mishra emerged winner in a bout which had to be decided on the basis of two rounds after power failure in the NEHU, SAI Special Area Games venue disrupted the game. Others who made the cut are Sarjubala Devi, Soniya and Pooja Rani. Earlier, the famed MC Mary Kom was forced to come out of her comfort zone by the versatile Nikhit Zareen, who started on an impressive note.
Having offered an unconditional apology for an emotionally-charged protest during the Asian Games medal ceremony, Indian boxer L Sarita Devi hoped that her outburst will ensure better judging at next month's World Championship in Korea.
Taking a strict action, the International Boxing Association (AIBA) has provisionally suspended India's woman boxer Laishram Sarita Devi for refusing to accept the bronze medal at the Asian Games podium ceremony.
Under pressure from AIBA, Boxing India (BI) said it has decided to issue a show cause notice to boxer Sarita Devi's husband and personal coach for their unauthorised presence at the ringside during the Incheon Asian Games.
Top woman boxer L Sarita Devi has threatened to return the Arjuna award she was conferred last year and quit representing the country if the 'injustice' of dropping her from the Asian Games squad is not looked into by the sports minister.
Banned from competition for a year, Asian Games bronze medallist L Sarita Devi said she would utilise the period by taking corrective measures in her technique so that she can be ready for the 2016 Rio Olympics.
London Olympics bronze medalist MC Mary Kom, L Sarita Devi and Pooja Rani are all set to represent India in the upcoming 12th South Asian Games 2016 to be held in Guwahati and Shillong. The trio emerged triumphant in the final round bouts of their respective weight categories during the South Asain Games Test event and Elite Women's National Boxing Selection trial held at the NEHU, SAI Special Area Games in Shillong on Friday. While five-time world champion Mary Kom beat Sarjubala Devi in the fly-weight category to claim the SAG spot, Sarita ousted a spirited Soniya in the light-weight category.
Requesting the International Boxing Association to revoke the provisional suspension on L Sarita Devi, Boxing India President Sandeep Jajodia said her unconditional apology and her impeccable past disciplinary record would form the crux of her defence in front of the world body.
Asian champion L Sarita Devi (60kg) on Saturday took her first step towards the London Games qualification after she posted an easy win over Azerbaijan's Ayzanat Hajiyeva in the opening round of the Women's World Championships-cum-Olympic Qualifiers in Qinhuangdao, China.
As the one-year ban for the tearful outburst at the Asian Games ends on Thursday, former World champion Laishram Sarita Devi says the forced sabbatical proved a blessing in disguise and helped her become a thinking boxer and calmer person.
Devendra Fadnavis will lead the new Mahayuti coalition government in Maharashtra, with Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar serving as deputy chief ministers. The swearing-in ceremony is scheduled for Thursday evening at Azad Maidan ground in south Mumbai and will be attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and several Union ministers. The Mahayuti coalition won the recent assembly elections by a landslide, securing 230 out of 288 seats.
Distraught after losing her controversial semifinal bout, Indian boxer L Sarita Devi on Tuesday stunned officials and spectators by refusing to accept the bronze medal, which is now in the custody of organisers.
She understands the emotion behind L Sarita Devi's tearful protest on the Asian Games podium but M C Mary Kom, who became the first Indian woman boxer to win gold at the mega-event, said faced with a similar crisis, she would have shown dissent differently.
Anju, Harshita reach final, Sarita Mor eliminated from Asian Championships
A summary of sports events and persons who made news on Saturday
The Maharashtra Assembly elections saw a fierce contest between two coalitions and six major players. Despite securing over one lakh votes, 58 candidates lost the election. The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) led by Sharad Pawar suffered the most, with 22 candidates losing despite receiving over one lakh votes. Other prominent losing candidates included former Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan and senior Congress leaders Balasaheb Thorat and Dhiraj Deshmukh. The Mahayuti coalition, comprising the Shiv Sena, BJP, and Ajit Pawar-led NCP, retained power by winning 230 out of 288 assembly seats.
The Supreme Court of India reserved its judgment on Tuesday in a case concerning the termination of two female judicial officers by the Madhya Pradesh High Court. The court had previously stated that judges should avoid social media and expressing opinions on judgments, emphasizing a "hermit life" and "work like a horse" approach. The case involves six women civil judges who were terminated for alleged unsatisfactory performance. Four were subsequently reinstated, but two, Aditi Kumar Sharma and Sarita Chaudhary, remained terminated. The court is considering the cases of these two judges, who joined the Madhya Pradesh judicial service in 2018 and 2017, respectively. The court is also considering arguments regarding potential violations of fundamental rights related to the termination process, including claims of unfair work assessment during maternity and child care leave.
