Bollywood superstar Salman Khan has been named goodwill ambassador of the Indian contingent for the upcoming Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro - an unprecedented appointment in the run-up to the quadrennial extravaganza. The announcement was made in the presence of Olympic medallists and Rio star athletes such as boxer M C Mary Kom, hockey captain Sardar Singh, and shooter Apurvi Chandela, among others. Speaking on this new association with IOA Salman said, "I am honoured that Indian Olympic Association has chosen me as the goodwill ambassador for the Indian contingent for the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.
After becoming the first Indian woman gymnast to qualify for the Olympics, Dipa Karmakar has set her eyes on a podium finish at the Rio Games scheduled to be held in August.
Swift intervention by Ministry of External Affairs Sushma Swaraj ensured shooting ace Abhinav Bindra was accompanied by his coach, whose passport got stolen in Germany while the duo were travelling to Rio de Janeiro for the ISSF World Cup, a test event for the upcoming Olympics.
Russian star pole vaulter Yelena Isinbayeva said on Wednesday she plans to retire after the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, where she has her sights sets on a third Olympic gold.
International Olympic Committee (IOC) vice president John Coates called Brazil's preparations for the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Games "the worst" he has ever seen and critically behind schedule, but warned there is no "plan B" to find another host.
Athletics legend Michael Johnson feels Usain Bolt has surpassed the likes of him and Carl Lewis by his sheer consistency and can easily be considered the 'greatest' track-and-field star in the world at this point.
The Rio de Janeiro 2016 Olympics countdown got under way on Thursday with the lighting of the torch at the site of the ancient Olympics, with organisers hoping it will shift attention away from Brazil's political and financial turmoil.
The International Hockey Federation (FIH) has confirmed on Tuesday an amendment to the 'Rules of Hockey' to clarify rule 13.2 in relation to free hits within five metres of the circle. Following the amendment, the rule now states that at an attacking free hit within five metres of the circle, the ball cannot be played into the circle until it has travelled at least five metres or been touched by a defending player. This amendment, to be introduced with immediate effect, removes the possibility for the attacker to touch the free hit for a teammate to run on to and play the ball into the circle. One additional piece of guidance has also been added in relation to the amendment. Following a time stoppage after the award of an attacking free hit inside the 23 metres area, upon the re-start, all players other than the player taking the free hit must be at least five metres from the ball.
Kiren Rijiju said he would fail as a Sports Minister if India cannot finish inside the top 10 in the medals tally by 2028 Olympics.
We are not going to risk taking Kenyans there if this Zika virus reaches epidemic levels: Kenya Sports authorities across the world are scrambling to find out more about the spread of the mosquito-borne Zika virus in Brazil as they make plans for August's Rio Olympics. Below are the latest announcements:
Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt, who is set to retire after the World Championships in London next year, has been shortlisted for the 2016 IAAF World Athletes of the Year award.
David Ferrer won a record-equalling fourth Mexican Open title with a 6-3, 7-5 victory over Kei Nishikori in the Acapulco hardcourt final.
Germany scored five goals in 18 first-half minutes on the way to a 7-1 destruction of Brazil in the semi-final on Tuesday to leave the host nation in a state of stunned disbelief at the most amazing World Cup result of all time.
Here's a glimpse of how the world welcomed 2016.
Touched with Paralympian Mariyappan Thangavelu's gesture to donate Rs 30 lakh from his prize money to his school, Sports Minister Vijay Goel on Monday said that all athletes backed by the government should try to set up academies or centres of their own to inspire the youth. Mariyappan, who scripted history at Rio Paralympics after winning a gold medal in high jump, has donated Rs 30 lakh from his 2 crore prize money towards his government school in Tamil Nadu.
Italian anti-doping authorities have called for two-year bans on 26 athletes, including Olympic bronze medallist Fabrizio Donato and European champion long jumper Andrew Howe, for allegedly failing to provide doping samples.
In the week of his 31st birthday, Messi was again a largely anonymous figure as they lost 4-3 to France in a thrilling last-16 match in Kazan.
Several Australian Olympic athletes were taken for questioning by Brazilian police late on Friday for entering the basketball arena without proper accreditation to watch a semi-final game between Australia and Serbia, an Australian team official said.
The results ensured an unprecedented top finish for India across all four ISSF World Cup stages this year
Indian golfers SSP Chawrasia and Anirban Lahiri were placed tied 22nd and joint 57th after posting two-under 69 and four-over 75 respectively in the third round of the Rio Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro on Saturday.
Ethiopia's Almaz Ayana smashed the world record to win the Olympic 10,000 metres title on Friday, blowing away the competition in one of the greatest ever long-distance races at the Games.
A bus carrying journalists at the Rio Games was hit by gunfire on a highway between Olympic venues on Tuesday, witnesses said. No one was seriously injured in the incident. The bus was making its way from the Games basketball venue to the main Olympic park when, according to passengers, two shots were heard hitting the vehicle. Windows shattered and flying glass left two people with minor lacerations.
India's Vikas Krishan out-punched American Charles Conwall to win his middleweight (75kg) preliminary bout 3-0 at the Rio Olympics on Tuesday.
Brazilian police said on Monday they had detained a director of international sports hospitality company THG Sports and a woman working as an interpreter at the Rio Olympics on charges of fraudulent marketing of tickets for the Games.
An American ended his Olympic dream in 2012 amid controversial circumstances and Vikas Krishan will have redemption on mind when he takes on another American Charles Conwell in his opening bout to kick off India's boxing campaign in the Olympic Games, in Rio de Janeiro, on Tuesday.
The youngest competitor at the Rio Olympics ripped her swimsuit minutes before her race on Sunday but still managed to beat her two rivals.
Star Indian shooter Jitu Rai was way off the mark in the men's 10m Air Pistol final, finishing a lowly eighth to bow out of the competition in the Rio Olympics on Saturday in Rio de Janeiro. Army's Jitu, bronze medalist at Incheon Asian Games in the event in 2014, shot an overall 78.7 to finish eighth in the field of eight finalists to become the first shooter to crash out of the final round.
Speaking to Reuters during a WADA meeting in Lausanne, Switzerland, Tygart said as long as sports bodies were represented on WADA, the anti-doping organisation could not deliver on its promise to crack down on cheats.
The International Olympic Committee on Thursday announced that Nita Ambani, has been elected as an individual member of the IOC, and will become India's first woman to join the prestigious body.
Sports Minister Vijay Goel on Tuesday said that the government will provide all support to help dope-cleared wrestler Narsingh Yadav represent the country at the forthcoming 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.
Bradley Wiggins has backed Chris Froome to emulate his 2012 Tour de France and Olympic time trial double success but felt his former Sky team mate's task is more difficult as next month's Games are in Rio de Janeiro.
Forty-five athletes have failed dope tests after their samples from the 2008 Beijing Olympics and the 2012 London Games were re-analysed, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) said on Friday.
Over 30 per cent of athletes who competed at the 2011 world championships admitted to having used banned substances in the past, according to a World Anti-Doping Agency-commissioned study released on Tuesday.
Bulgaria's Grigor Dimitrov edged second seed Andy Murray in a semi-final clash at the Acapulco International that finished in the early hours of Saturday morning to set up a title showdown against South Africa's Kevin Anderson.
Rediff.com brings you a glance of all the action from the week gone by.
Brazil's failure to claim an Olympic soccer gold medal, the one major tournament they have never won, is all because Pele never played in the competition, the soccer great joked on Thursday.
The lack of an effective Indian boxing federation has damaged the competitiveness of the sport and contributed to the decline of boxing in the country, women's Olympic flyweight bronze medallist MC Mary Kom said on Tuesday.
The triumphs of Czech great Emil Zatopek will be celebrated in Rio de Janeiro with dozens of pairs of electric-powered life-sized legs created by artist David Cerny.
Five sports, including baseball, skateboarding and surfing, are on track to feature at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics after the IOC on Wednesday recommended their inclusion to attract a younger audience, said a source close to the discussions.
Professional boxers can compete at the upcoming Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, the sport's governing body ruled in a landmark decision on Wednesday. Meeting at an extraordinary congress in Lausanne, Switzerland, 88 members of the International Boxing Association (AIBA) voted in favour of the move, while none voted against and four abstained. The final results of the vote were told to AFP by a senior official within AIBA who requested anonymity as they were not authorised to speak publicly on the subject before the official announcement.
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