The 2020 international calendar concluded with the three tournaments in the Asia leg which was conducted in Bangkok in successive weeks.
Shocked at the way Lakshya Sen succumbed to pressure in the men's singles badminton bronze medal play-off at the Paris Olympics, the legendary Prakash Padukone said it's high time players learn to withstand pressure, become accountable and start delivering results after receiving support.
The Indian hockey team entered the Olympic semifinals for a second successive edition but Lakshya Sen's zealous push for a gold turned into a hunt for bronze on a bitter-sweet Sunday for India at the Paris Games.
Top shuttler B Sai Praneeth and doubles player Dhruv Rawat have already pulled out after testing positive in the pre-departure testing.
The event's ambitious Guinness World Record attempt will have scores of participants assembling to create a colossal human image of a bird, adorned entirely in pink.
The gifted bracelets carry the initials of each teammate, Sindhu shared the picture
Rio Olympics silver medallist P V Sindhu began her campaign at the Tokyo Olympics with an easy 21-7, 21-10 victory over Israel's Ksenia Polikarpova in her first singles group match on Sunday.
Double Olympic medallist, Sindhu faces top seed and World No 1 Tai Tzu Ying of Chinese Taipei in the quarter-finals. Ying beat Scotland's Kirsty Gilmour 21-10, 19-21, 21-11 to advance.
China's two-time Olympic badminton champion Lin Dan, one of the sport's greatest singles players, announced his retirement on Saturday. The 37-year-old, who won the Olympics singles titles in Beijing in 2008 and the 2012 London Games, has won all the sport's major titles, including five world championships' gold medals.
Asked if the cancellation of the first match's result had any impact on him, Sen said, "I just took it as a practice match; now it is time for me to just focus on one match at a time. I will rest, recover and try to be at my best against Christie.
P V Sindhu failed in her quest to win her first BWF World Tour title since the Singapore Open in July 2022, beaten by China's Wang Zhi Yi 21-16, 5-21, 21-16 in the final of the Malaysia Masters Super 500 on Sunday.
American tennis great Andre Agassi is set to visit India in January to officially flag off a major pickleball event in India.
World number one Kento Momota was stunned by number 38 South Korea's Heo Kwanghee on Wednesday, going down 15-21, 19-21 and looking visibly despondent at each lost point in his first round match at the Olympics, on Wednesday.
Former national champion and 2014 German Open winner, Arvind Bhat has retired from international badminton, citing his desire to concentrate on coaching stints with an academy in Hyderabad.
HS Prannoy, Sameer Verma and Sourabh Verma are the men's singles players who have decided to withdraw while doubles specialists Chirag Shetty, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy, Manu Attri and Sumeeth Reddy have also opted out. Leading Indian women's singles players PV Sindhu and Saina Nehwal - both previous Olympic medallists - are making the trip to England, as are their male counterparts Kidambi Srikanth and B Sai Praneeth.
Two-time Olympic medallist P V Sindhu stormed into the second round of the women's singles in the Syed Modi International Super 300 badminton tournament after a dominating victory over compatriot Tanya Hemanth, in Lucknow, on Wednesday.
India's campaign at the Canada Open Super 500 badminton tournament ended after Priyanshu Rajawat was beaten in straight games to France's Alex Lanier in the men's singles semi-finals on Saturday.
Tai, who has played with both knees in braces in Paris, had previously opened up about an issue with her left knee.
Sindhu stands on the brink of history as she pursues the gold medal in the upcoming Games, having won a silver and bronze in 2016 Rio and 2020 Tokyo edition respectively.
One particular shot which left everyone, including Lakshya Sen's opponent Jonatan Christie stunned, was a jaw-dropping behind-the-back return.
Afghan B-Girl Manizha Talash, a member of the refugee Olympic team at the Paris Games, was disqualified after displaying the words "Free Afghan Women" on her cape.
Taapsee Pannu wed longtime beau Mathias Boe over the weekend in Udaipur.
Top shuttlers Ashwini Ponnappa and Lakshya Sen are among 20-odd Indian players who have started training at the Prakash Padukone Badminton Academy (PPBA) in Bengaluru as the sport took its first step towards resumption after the COVID-19 hiatus. Confined to their homes for more than two months due to the nationwide lockdown to contain the health crisis, the shuttlers started training at PPBA after the Sports Authority of India (SAI) laid down rules for resumption of training late last month.
Saina and Kashyap were joined on their holiday by fellow badminton stars H S Prannoy and his wife Swetha Rachel Thomas and Pranaav Jerry Chopra and Pradnya Gadre.
India's para-athletes, defying physical limitations, showcased exceptional determination in their recent Paralympic campaign, contributing to a historic medal haul of 29.
Check out how India's athletes fared on Day 5, Wednesday, July 31, 2024:
In a series of tweets, Sawant questioned the selection of the team and urged Badminton Association of India (BAI) president Himanta Biswa Sarma to look into the matter.
Sindhu will play her opening match on Sunday, while B Sai Praneeth and the men's pair of Chirag Shetty and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy will be in action on Saturday.
The Indian men's team qualified automatically by virtue of being the defending champions while the women made the cut after winning a historic gold medal at the Badminton Asia Team Championships in Malaysia earlier this year.
Sreejesh and Aneeshya have two children -- son Sreeansh and daughter Anusree.
Srikanth outwitted world no. 24 Chinese Taipei's Wang Tzu Wei 21-17, 21-18 in a 43-minute contest.
Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty notched up a dominating straight-game win against Indonesian duo of Muhammad Rian Ardianto and Fajar Alfian to top Group C.
A look at how India's athletes fared on Day 4, Tuesday, July 30, 2024:
'I envision a vibrant future for badminton, witnessing the emergence of new champions and an expanding fan base. As legends, our responsibility is to inspire and motivate these budding stars, contributing to the progression of the sport's legacy,' says Saina who won an Olympic bronze medal in 2012 and achieving the World No. 1 ranking in 2015.
The 22-year-old from Almora, who had come close to winning an Olympic medal in Paris before finishing fourth, will undergo a series of tests at the Red Bull Athlete Performance Centre in Salzburg to get a detailed evaluation to rev up his fitness and game.
Meet India's top athletes at Olympics 2024.
'Well, I think every year, in the last few years, has been better than the previous one'
'Our brothers and sisters are headed to Paris, hungry for medals. A billion of us will be watching them nervous and excited as our athletes set foot in the tracks and fields and courts and rings.'
In the tournament played in Mallorca, she narrowly beat Thailand's Darunee Henpraiwan 12-21, 21-17, 21-19 to win the title.
Satwik-Chirag eyeing "great things" at Paris Olympics after cracking service variation challenge
