Javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra's obsessive pursuit of excellence and a new-found sprint sensation in Hima Das gave Indian athletics audacious Olympic hopes but familiar dope shame kept things in perspective in an eventful 2018.
'The suspicion of doping will hang over numerous men and women players including the elite stars,' says Desh Gaurav Chopra Sekhri.
A summary of sports events and sports persons, who made news on Thursday.
IAAF defends action against Radcliffe
Partial sanctions against Russian athletes over the country's state-run doping system are preliminary, International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach said on Sunday, defending the organisation's position amid vocal criticism.
Summary of sports events and persons who made news on Friday.
>There's still hope and plenty to play for, says Rediff.com's Aruneel Sadadekar.
Three senior athletics officials have had their provisional suspension from the sport extended by the IAAF's Ethics Board as it continues its investigation into their alleged involvement in a suspected cover-up of Russian doping cases.
Summary of sports events and persons who made news on Monday
A summary of sports events and sports persons, who made news on Tuesday
Summary of sports events and persons who made news on Tuesday
The Program documents the dark side of professional cycling, which still struggles to shake off suspicions of cheating amid a culture of loyalty to a team's star
'Sharapova has been a US resident since early in her career, which does bring in a question of how or why she is using a drug that is not licensed there'
Summary of sports events and persons who made news on Thursday
'We have ensured that whatever he eats or drinks comes in a packaged form and is thoroughly checked.'
Summary of sports events and persons who made news on Friday
A summary of sports events and persons who made news on Friday
An overview of India's underwhelming performance in athletics
uspended wrestler Narsingh Yadav objected to Sushil Kumar's appointment as a national observer, raising conflict of interest allegations in a letter to the Sports Ministry.
Chanu has decided to present her case before the hearing panel of the International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) in Hungary.
Summary of sports events and persons who made news on Thursday
Sprint legend Carl Lewis on Thursday waded through the Tyson Gay doping controversy, saying that the reigning Olympic 100m and 200m champion Usain Bolt has raised a legitimate issue but he should 'clean up his own country first' before talking about others.
Summary of sports events and persons who made news on Wednesday
A relieved Narsingh Yadav has said he is eager to go to the Olympics now and win a medal for the country.
Britain's Anthony Joshua beat Andy Ruiz Jr on a unanimous points decision in Saudi Arabia on Sunday to seize back the heavyweight world championship belts he lost to his Mexican-American opponent in a shock upset last June.
A summary of sports events and sports persons, who made news on Thursday
CAS said that the Olympic Athletes from Russia mixed doubles curling team, who won bronze at the Games, had been disqualified from the competition.
Home favourite Su Yiming of China made his Olympic debut on Sunday and received a standing ovation in return.
With Narsingh's participation in serious doubt, Aruneel Sadadekar/Rediff.com spoke exclusively to Sushil Kumar's coach Satpal Singh.
Justin Gatlin, the year's fastest at 100 and 200, had a bye in the 100 at the trials, but plans to challenge Usain Bolt at both distances in the August World Championships in Beijing.
On Wednesday the countdown had been replaced by the current date - "25-3" for March 25 in the days display - and the current time, after the International Olympic Committee decided to postpone the Games by one year.
Shot-putter Tajinder Singh Toor on Monday qualified for the Tokyo Olympics with a new national record at the Indian Grand Prix 4 in Patiala.
Young Bangladesh pacer Kazi Anik Islam has been handed a two-year ban by the Bangladesh Cricket Board for failing a dope test in 2018. Kazi, who was Bangladesh's leading wicket-taker in the 2018 Under-19 World Cup, tested positive for Methamphetamine, a prohibited substance, during a National Cricket League game in the same year. The 21-year-old admitted to the offence.
Pressure had been building on the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and its president, Thomas Bach, with some athletes and sporting bodies angry that a seemingly inevitable decision had taken so long.
Part of Sebastian Coe's new job as head of world athletics will be to shift the conversation about his "ostensibly clean" sport from doping to spectacular performances, he said on Sunday.
A summary of sports events and persons who made news on Wednesday
However, the Board of Control for Cricket in India insisted that the number of playing days per year for the ever-busy cricketers will decrease.
A summary of sports events and sports persons, who made news on Monday
Summary of sports events and persons who made news on Wednesday
AFI President Adille Sumariwalla raised the possibility of more athletes outside the national camp taking to banned drugs and laid a lot of blame on the district and state level coaches.
