A record number of 634 sportspersons were on Friday cleared by the Sports Ministry to compete at the Hangzhou Asian Games, surpassing the 572 athletes in the last edition of continental showpiece in Jakarta in 2018.
Beijing Olympics gold medalist Abhinav Bindra, who is competing in his fifth Games, led the Indian contingent at the parade of nations during the Open Ceremony of the Rio Olympics on Friday night.
'Team India's participation in the Olympics couldn't have ended on a sweeter note'
Captain Manpreet Singh and goalkeeper P R Sreejesh are among a few senior India players rested for next month's Olympic hockey test event in Tokyo. Besides Manpreet and Sreejesh, defender Surender Kumar was also rested.
Striker Gurwinder Singh Chandi failed to make the cut as Hockey India announced an 18-member squad, led by Sadar Singh, for the eight-nation Hero men's Champions Trophy, in Bhubaneswar, from December 6-14. Lalit Upadhyay, who was capped nine times earlier, has been drafted in place of Chandi in the squad, named by Hockey India selectors after trials at the Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium in Delhi on November 18.
Athletes lauded for their performances on National Sports Day
The loss will hurt the Indians badly as a gold here would have guaranteed a direct qualification in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
Penalty corner specialist Sandeep Singh pumped in four goals as India swamped Bangladesh 9-0 to notch up their second straight victory in Group B men's league of the Asian Games hockey competition at the Aoti field in Guangzhou, on Wednesday.
London Olympics bronze medallist M C Mary Kom was on Monday voted the 'Most Valuable Player' of India's campaign at the Incheon Asian Games, at a felicitation for the medal winners by the contingent sponsors, Samsung India.
Erstwhile hockey powerhouse India are languishing at the 10th position in the men's category, while the women's team is further down at 13th spot in the recently-released FIH world rankings.
'The way we are playing now, if we continue to play the same hockey, no one can stop us from standing on the podium in Tokyo.'
Indian men's hockey team captain Sardar Singh and former skipper of the national women's side Saba Anjum were conferred with the prestigious Padma Shri Award by President Pranab Mukherjee at a glittering ceremony in Rashtrapati Bhavan.
Yesterday, women's coach Harendra Singh was made in-charge of the men's side, while men's coach Sjoerd Marijne was re-designated the women's coach in a rejigging of roles by the Hockey India following the medalless show of the teams at last month's Gold Coast Commonwealth Games.
The Malaysians handed India a heartbreaking 6-7 loss in sudden death after an exhausting shoot-off.
Abhinav Bindra is also very impressed by the young shooters' ability to compete at the highest level with such remarkable consistency.
Following is India's schedule at the Asian Games in Hangzhou, on Thursday, September 28.
Under pressure from all quarters after Indian men's hockey team chief coach Terry Walsh's sudden resignation because of a "pay dispute", the Sports Authority of India sprang into action with its DG Jiji Thomson assuring that the matter will "resolved" between the aggrieved parties.
Rani Rampal will captain an 18-strong Indian women's team, while experienced goalkeeper Savita will shoulder the duties of vice-captain at next month's Commonwealth Games
Summary of sports events and persons who made news on Friday
The opening ceremony has been created by British screenwriter Steven Knight, who had produced the famous crime drama 'Peaky Blinders'.
A summary of sports events and persons who made news on Thursday.
A summary of Indian athletes' performances on Sunday, August 7, Day 10 of the Birmingham Commonwealth Games.
India badminton team have been accorded the top seed this time and are clubbed with Sri Lanka, Pakistan and Scotland in Group A.
This time, India may win as many as 17 medals at the Games.
Harendra Singh complained to Hockey India about the sub-standard quality of food and hygiene level at the Sports Authority of India (SAI) centre in Bengaluru, where the national team is currently training ahead of the Champions Trophy.
Belgium are on red hot form and have stunned strong gold medal contenders and world champions Australia.
India held on to sixth place in the medals tally
Summary of sports events and persons who made news on Thursday
Drag-flicker Rupinder Pal Singh and defender Birendra Lakra, who played starring roles in the Indian hockey team's historic bronze medal-winning Tokyo Olympics campaign, on Thursday announced their international retirements.
As the curtains come down at the Tokyo Olympics, here's a glance at the medallists and those who came within touching distance of glory.
India's gold haul from track-and-field continued at the Asian Games on Thursday, culminating in its best showing at the continental showpiece in close to seven decades. However, there was heartbreak in the hockey arena as its men's team was beaten by Malaysia in the semi-finals.
Hockey coach Ramesh Parameswaran applies for Dronacharya Award
'Whatever happened at the Asian Games, that's a big learning curve for the players, coach and the staff.'
'To play my first World Cup match in front of a packed home ground against Pakistan felt like a dream. I can still feel the atmosphere, how the stadium was, how people reacted and how we won that match. That was the best moment for me as a youngster.'
Check out India's report card on the third day of the 2016 Olympics.
Former India hockey player and coach M K Kaushik on Saturday died after battling COVID-19 for the past three weeks.
India have done reasonably well in the quadrennial continental event, only twice finishing outside the top eight since hosting the first Asiad in 1951.
