Reader Ravi Kanth spotted former India hockey player Viren Rasquinha on a flight from Mumbai to Hyderabad on December 12, 2009.
Legendary Indian hockey captain Viren Rasquinha has laid out a clear challenge for the national men's team as they set their sights on a Paris Olympics medal
Join in discuss with OGQ CEO Viren Rasquinha what went right, and wrong, for India at the just-concluded Games.
Stand-in captain Viren Rasquinha said the absence of the team's senior-most player stood in the way of and Indian victory over Pakistan in the sixth Test.
The ace midfielder rubbished reports that he was dropped from the Asian Games squad for lack of fitness.
The health minister said he is personally monitoring the health of Lakra.
Former India hockey captain Viren Rasquinha suffered a rude shock during the Times Lit Fest in Mumbai on Sunday when socialite Suhel Seth questioned Rasquinha's presence on the sports panel of the lit festival.
The experienced midfielder was a surprise omission from the 16-member Indian men's hockey team for the Doha Asian Games.
Viren Rasquinha suffered a fracture on a left hand finger on Friday and will miss the Azlan Shah hockey tournament in Malaysia.
Viren Rasquinha and goal-keeper Adrian D'Souza have been named to the list of 32 probables for the Sultan Azlan Shah hockey tournament
Women's cricketer Anju Jain is among the awardees, while none of her popular male counterparts were nominated.
Former India captain Viren Rasquinha on Tuesday gave a clarion call for all concerned in running the sport to bury their egos and stop politicking for the future of national game.
Former India captain Viren Rasquinha is all set to make a comeback to competitive hockey with the inaugural edition of World Series Hockey to be held across the country from December 17 to January 22 next year.
The 27-year-old from Mumbai said he would be taking a year's break from domestic and club tournaments to pursue an MBA degree at the Indian School of Business in Hyderabad.
Eight-times hockey champions India could miss out on the Olympics for the first time unless changes are made to the organisation of the sport, according to international centre half Viren Rasquinha.
Gagan Narang's bronze at the London Olympics on Monday was India's third in shooting and eighth individual medal overall from the quadrennial extravaganza.
Seasoned players Dilip Tirkey, Gagan Ajit Singh, Viren Rasquinha, Adrian D'Souza and Sandeep Singh were named among 32 probables for the upcoming Champions Challenge Cup men's field hockey tournament.
Viren Rasquinha said it was up to the hockey federation to decide when to select him in the Indian team.
The ace hockey midfielder will turn out for Stuttart Kickers Hockey Club during India's off-season.
Equipped with management skills after a stint at the Indian School of Business, former hockey ace Viren Rasquinha is back to contribute to Indian sport as Chief Operations Officer (COO) of Olympic Gold Quest.
Ace defender Dilip Tirkey and goalkeeper Adrian D'Souza were omitted from the 16-member team announced on Tuesday.
"I am not as talented as Dhanraj [Pillay] and Dilip [Tirkey] so I'll have to keep fighting to keep my place in the side," said the Indian mid-fielder.
Olympic medallist Dr Vece Paes was a part of the BCCI's anti-doping programme for several years, besides also working with the Indian Davis Cup team.
Injury will also keep Vikram Pillay out of the two Tests against the Spaniards.
Saddened by the financial hardship being faced by the hockey community amid the COVID-19 pandemic, former India captain Viren Rasquinha has raised Rs 22 lakh to be distributed as one-time benefit among players, coaches and groundsmen working at the grassroots level. The fund has been raised in just one week through a joint initiative of non-profit organisations Olympic Gold Quest, of which Rasquinha is a Director and CEO, and Go Sports Foundation. They named the initiative #LetsStickTogether.
TJ, Animesh Kujur enter TOPS developmental group; Pranati named for TAGG
'I think there is no single major problem with Indian hockey, but a little of a lot of problems, which cumulatively result in a consistent poor performance in the last few years,' says Viren Rasquinha.
Sachin Tendulkar, Vinod Kambli and Mahesh Bhupathi were among those who exercised their franchise and urged citizens to fulfill their duty.
Vinesh has been training with Woller Akos, her personal coach from Belgium and has also worked with South African mental conditioning coach Wayne Lombard.
Viren Rasquinha, who is the CEO of Olympic Gold Quest, stressed on the importance of sports psychologists for athletes in the run-up to the Tokyo Olympics, which has been postponed to next year.
Ten years ago, Prakash Padukone had predicted the rise of Lakshya Sen.
Olympic Gold Quest's chief executive officer Viren Rasquinha hailed 16-year-old Malaika Goel on her silver medal at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow and believes the youngster has the potential to win more medals at the international level in the years to come.
Along with Viren Rasquinha criticising the fitness of some players, he also said that he cannot think of any other sport where players can play at the highest level with such low fitness levels.
Impressive victories over Malaysia and Japan in practice offer India hope of regaining lost glory at the Asian Games.
Olympic Gold Quest's recently-launched programme, 'Power Your Champions', attempts to involve the country's sports fans in its quest for a gold medal at the Olympics.
The Asian Football Confederation tweeted, "94 International Goals. Carried the hopes of a nation! Thank You Asian Football Icon, Sunil Chhetri."
'My vision for India is a clean and corruption-free country. The youth need to be actively involved in politics and policy making. It is easy to complain but tough to make a positive difference,' says former Indian hockey captain Viren Rasquinha, COO, Olympic Gold Quest.
Rashtriya Chemicals & Fertilizers, Mumbai, powered by Shiva Kumar's double strikes, overcame hosts Bombay Gymkhana President's XI 4-1 in a first round match of the DCB Presents Aga Khan hockey tournament - 2011, at the Bombay Gymkhana ground, on Monday.
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