A grand welcome awaits Rio Olympics bronze medallist wrestler Sakshi Malik when she arrives home on Wednesday, with hectic preparations underway to give her a rousing reception at her village Mokhra Khas in Rohtak district. When Sakshi touches down at Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi at around 3:50 a.m. tomorrow, as many as five ministers of the BJP Government in Haryana will be there to receive her.
Sushil Kumar's fight for an Olympic berth suffered another blow with the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) strongly hinting that they would prefer Narsingh Yadav for the Rio event by insisting on not having a trial given the quota winner's "consistent performances". Following the Delhi High Court directive, a special WFI committee, formed on the instruction of the court, held a meeting with the two-time Olympic medallist, to sort out as to who between Sushil and Narsingh would represent India in the men's 74kg freestyle category at the mega-event in August. "Sushil has put forward his views before the committee and has maintained what he has been saying since the very beginning that he should get a chance to undergo a trial," WFI president Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh told reporters in New Delhi. "We have told him that 'you have put Indian wrestling at a pedestal and we cannot ignore your contribution and we all respect you'. But on the other hand, there is another wrestler who has brought the Olympic quota and also has been giving consistent performances. So, can we be unfair to him also?" Brij Bhushan added.
His chances of a third successive Olympic appearance hanging in balance, two-time medallist Sushil Kumar will not hesitate in going to Court if his demand for a trial against Narsingh Yadav is not accepted by the Wrestling Federation of India.
A summary of sports events and persons who made news on Tuesday
Hosts France came from behind to beat 10-man Ireland 2-1 and reach the Euro 2016 quarter-finals after two second-half strikes from forward Antoine Griezmann at Parc OL on Sunday. A tactical switch from coach Didier Deschamps at the break revitalised the French, who struggled to find their feet early on after conceding a Robbie Brady penalty in the second minute, the fastest goal in the 2016 tournament.
Summary of sports events and persons who made news on Wednesday
India has huge expectations from these champions. Rediff.com's Laxmi Negi and Norma Godinho glance at their chances at the 2018 Commonwealth Games.
Summary of sports events and persons who made news on Tuesday
A summary of sports events and sports persons, who made news on Monday
Images from Day 2 of the 2020 US Open in New York
Substitute James Troisi scored halfway through extra time in a pulsating final to give tournament hosts Australia their maiden Asian Cup title with a 2-1 victory over South Korea on Saturday.
Caught in the middle of a controversy over arranging a selection trial to choose between Sushil Kumar and Narsingh Pancham Yadav for this year's Rio Olympics, the Wrestling Federation of India is likely to meet on Tuesday to break the deadlock, which is threatening to snowball into a massive furore.
The haul of 64 medals at the Commonwealth Games, in July-August, which included 15 gold, should act as the ideal springboard for the Indian contingent to better its medal tally at Guangzhou, China, four years ago.
Summary of sports events and persons who made news on Friday
'No country can go from zero to hero at the Olympics.' 'A hundred Indians now feature in the world's top 25 and that's progress,' says Shekhar Gupta.
Summary of sports events and persons who made news on Thursday
A round-up of Tuesday night's matches in the UEFA Champions League.
Summary of sports events and persons who made news on Saturday
A summary of sports events and persons who made news on Sunday
They shut up the naysers with sheer success.
A summary of sports events and persons who made news on Saturday
A summary of sports events and persons who made news on Tuesday.
In what may come as an embarrassing revelation for India's anti-doping machinery, 500 sportspersons, mostly weightlifters and track-and-field athletes, have failed drug tests conducted by NADA in the last four and a half years.
The gold medallists on Day 16 of the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, on Sunday.
In front of a packed arena, in his first pro bout that lasted all ten rounds, Vijender Singh beat Kerry Hopes 98-92-98-92 and 100-92 in a close contest to win the WBO Asia Pacific super middleweight title fight in New Delhi on Saturday.
After condemning Steve Smith's conduct during the Cape Town Test on Sunday, Shane Warne struck a more supportive tone on Wednesday.
There was the usual frenzy of last-minute deals as the English Premier League brought the curtain down on another bumper European transfer window in which Manchester City again flexed their financial muscle as the continent's top spenders.
>There's still hope and plenty to play for, says Rediff.com's Aruneel Sadadekar.
Looking back, the Indians had rubbed their hands in delight at the variety of marquee events at home the sporting calendar of 2017 offered, and they now look forward, with optimism and anticipation, to a challenging 2018.
'Shooting is number one.' 'Archery, wrestling, badminton and boxing.' 'These are the five where we stand the best chance of winning a medal.'
'I didn't think before the start of the Olympics that I would make it to the final and win a medal.' 'I just thought of going there and giving my best, taking one match at a time.'
Some stellar performances by seasoned veterans and promising youngsters continued to raise the bar in Olympic sports but there was heartbreak in equal measure when corruption scandals blighted India's favourite obsession, cricket, in a see-saw year for the country's sportspersons.
A summary of sports events and persons who made news on Saturday
And no, the commercial sporting leagues didn't cause the drought, says Shekhar Gupta.
A summary of sports events and sports persons, who made news on Sunday
Away from the cricket field, it was a year in which Sania Mirza was unarguably the biggest success story with her staggering 10 titles on the Tour -- two of them Grand Slams.
Neymar shrugged off some rough tackling and a missed penalty to score a brilliant solo goal as he led Brazil to a 3-0 win over Paraguay that moved them within sight of the 2018 World Cup finals on Tuesday.
Marathon man Kei Nishikori secured a monumental upset by sweating out a 6-4, 1-6, 7-6(4), 6-3 win over world number one Novak Djokovic at the U.S. Open on Saturday to become the first Japanese man to reach a Grand Slam final.
From Boyhood to The Grand Budapest Hotel, we've seen some brilliant cinema this year.
