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.
Ace Indian sprinter Dutee Chand said the Arjuna Award will motivate her to win a prestigious Olympic medal at the Tokyo Games next year.
Star javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra qualified for the Tokyo Olympics with a throw of 87.86m at the ACNE League meeting in Potchefstroom, South Africa, making an impressive return after recovering from an elbow injury. The 22-year-old Indian, who missed the entire 2019 season due to the injury, breached the Olympic qualification mark of 85m in his fourth attempt and secured the top place at the international event on Tuesday.
India's top sprinter Hima Das, who had a stellar 2018, has been nominated for the prestigious Khel Ratna by the state government of Assam. The 20-year-old from Dhing village in Assam is one of the youngest nominees for Khel Ratna this year.
Athletics Federation of India's plan to include dope-tainted Ashwini Akkunji in the women's 4x400m relay team in the ongoing Asian Championships was nixed by the competition technical delegate on the ground that it would violate IAAF rules.
For a discipline that has given Indian athletes only the Olympian's tag, the country's track and field participants will begin their campaign in the Rio Olympics on Thursday, with little hope to break the 116-year-old medal jinx.
The 25-year-old Kaur heaved the discus to 65.06 metres in her first throw at the Federation Cup Senior National Athletics Championships.
A winless India remained in fourth spot in the group with three points from six matches. India are already out of contention for a World Cup berth but they are still in the reckoning for the 2023 Asian Cup.
'These youngsters have proved there is money in sports today, not just cricket!' 'They are youth icons and people look up to them.' 'Our athletes are not scared. Like a child knows no fear, they are youngsters without fear.'
Neeraj has emerged as a truly a world class athlete and a bright prospect for Indian athletic's elusive medal in athletics.
Congratulating the Indian men's hockey team for winning a 'historic' gold at the ongoing Incheon Asian Games, Sports Minister Sarbananda Sonowal said that the government will provide every possible help to the team in preparation for the 2016 Rio Olympics.
A summary of sports events and persons who made news on Sunday
Expressing happiness at the recommendation for the coveted Arjuna Award, ace quartermiler M R Poovamma described it as a "dream come true".
Four-time world chess champion Viswanathan Anand will be among the few sportspersons who will welcome the Queen's Baton Relay (QBR) for the Delhi Commonwealth Games when it reaches Chennai on Friday.
Before joining national camp in early 2015, he was training at Tau Devi Lal Stadium at Panchkula after being shifted from Shivaji Stadium at Panipat.
Commonwealth Games Organising Committee chairman Suresh Kalmadi, who is under the scanner of the CBI, on Thursday refused to talk about the Queen's Baton Relay controversy and said he has not been summoned by the CBI back home in India.
A summary of sports events and persons who made news on Tuesday.
A round-up of Indians' showing on the fifth day of the 17th Asian Games, in Incheon, on Wednesday.
NADA Director General Rahul Bhatnagar said that the WADA had filed an appeal against the reduced penalty and the matter would come up before the NADA Appellate panel on February 15.
Maharashtra quarter-miler Aishwarya Mishra is giving a torrid time to authorities as she has "disappeared" after winning a gold in the Federation Cup National Championships, last month.
Two leading Indian athletes -- Mandeep Kaur and Juana Murmu have been suspended and face the prospect of a two-year ban after flunking an out-of-competition dope test.
Renowned athletics coach O M Nambiar, who nurtured Indian athletics great P T Usha, passed away in Kozhikode on Thursday due to age-related illness. He was 89.
Manjeet Kaur hopes the 4x400m relay team will be able to better their performance at the Athens Olympics four years ago.
Top seed Sameer, who won the Swiss Open earlier this year, had to dig deep into his reservoir to outwit compatriot Pratul Joshi 16-21, 26-24, 21-7 in 55 minutes. In another quarter-final, Gurusaidutt, a former Commonwealth Games bronze medallist, recovered from a game down to beat Malaysia's Lim Chi Wing 13-21, 22-20, 21-11 in 59 minutes.
'The pandemic helped me to shift my focus to the medicinal qualities of food.'
'We are delighted that you have been nominated by your Area Association as a recipient of the IAAF Veteran Pin for your long and meritorious service to the cause of World Athletics'
Reader Nishchal Agarwal sent us a picture of P T Usha from Doha.
Asked about Milkha's promise to give Rs 2 lakh to the athlete who broke his national record, Paramjit said, 'He had said that but I have no grudge that I did not get it.'
A summary of sports events and persons who made news on Friday
During a felicitation function of World Championships medal-winning wrestlers by Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju in New Delhi on Monday, the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) President Brij Bhushan Sharan mooted the idea of making wrestling the national sport, which received the backing of double Olympic medallist Sushil Kumar.
Neeraj Chopra, on Saturday, became the first Indian javelin thrower to claim a gold medal at the Commonwealth Games, with a season's best effort of 86.47m in the final, in Gold Coast.
India's Shailja Jain wanted to prove that she is the best kabaddi coach in the world and she has done that with Iran women's team, albeit at the expense of her own country.
The 18-year-old from Assam was among 20 sportspersons recommended for the Arjuna Award, which is subject to approval by Sports Minister Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore.
The 4 x 400m quartet of Manjit Kaur, K M Beenamol, Rajwinder Kaur and Chitra K Soman clocked three minutes, 27.35 seconds in the second leg of the 2004 Asian Grand Prix Athletics Series in Colombo.
Hit hard by one of the biggest doping scandals in the run-up to the Olympic Games, India's athletics team, including a couple of medal hopefuls, would hope to seek solace and redeem their reputation with some strong performances in London.
The Prime Minister sought the athletes' support to raise awareness about the need for social distancing and personal hygiene at a time when the total number of COVID-19 positive cases in India has crossed 2,000. Hima Das expressed sadness at incidents of attacks on police personnel and doctors trying to discharge their duties during the country-wide lockdown to combat the COVID-19 pandemic.
Hit hard by one of the biggest doping scandals in the run-up to the Olympic Games, India's athletics team, including a couple of medal hopefuls, would hope to seek solace and redeem their reputation with some strong performances in London.
Former Asian Games gold medallist quarter-miler Pinki Pramanik, who was arrested on rape charges after being accused of being a male, was remanded to 14 days judicial custody.
The athletes, Mandeep Kaur, AC Ashwini and Sini Jose, who were part of the 4x400 metres relay gold winning quartet at the Commonwealth and Asian Games, and Jauna Murmu, Priyanka Panwar and Tiana Mary Thomas, tested positive positive for anabolic steroids in May and June this year and were suspended, and their Ukrainian coach Yuri Ogorodnik was sacked.
Legendary athlete Milkha Singh has supported prompt action taken by Sports Minister Ajay Maken, for taking prompt action against Ukrainian Coach and two Indian coaches who were training women athletes at NIS Patiala.
