Page 3 - Olympics

I shed 4.6 kg before Olympic match; it was challenging: Wrestler Sehrawat

Sehrawat, who is the under-23 World Champion, started training at Chhatrasal Stadium in Delhi when he was 10 years old. A year later his parents died and the stadium became his second home.

BS@50: These 50 game-changing moments transformed India's sports history

From hockey team's gold rush at Olympics and Kapil Dev holding aloft Prudential World Cup to Neeraj Chopra's superlative throw in Tokyo, here's India's journey via 50 milestones in sports since 1975

Paris to inaugurate Paralympics with 'never seen before' opening ceremony

Just weeks after hosting the Olympics, the summer of sports in Paris begins its final chapter Wednesday with the opening ceremony of the Paralympic Games. More than 4,000 athletes with physical, visual and intellectual impairments will compete in 22 sports over the next 11 days. Organizers are promising a spectacular show to open the Games. Once again it's being held outside the confines of a stadium, but unlike the Olympic opening ceremony, which featured a boat parade on the Seine River, the Paralympic ceremony is happening exclusively on land, with athletes parading down the famous Champs-Elyses to the ceremony at the Place de la Concorde. Artistic director Thomas Jolly, who also led the opening ceremony for the Olympics, said the event will showcase the Paralympic athletes and the values that they embody", and promised performances that have never been seen before." Organizers say more than 2 million tickets have been sold for the Paris Paralympics. Competition begins Thursday

Para-athletes laud Svayam and PCI for transportation accessibility

Accessibility organisation Svayam, which is partnering the Paralympic Committee of India (PCI), has been lauded by top para-athletes like table tennis player Bhavina Patel for making transportation accessible for them during their stay in the national capital before heading to Paris for the Paralympics starting on Wednesday. Svayam donated special vehicles that can accommodate wheelchairs without the athletes having to be displaced to board and deboard, ensuring greater mobility. Patel thanked SAI (Sports Authority of India), and the Table Tennis Federation of India among others for the initiative. "Svayam has played an important role by providing special vehicles that enhance accessibility and travel comfort, highlighting their crucial role in improving our overall experience and performance," she said in a press release issued by PCI. Para discus thrower Sakshi Kasana also appreciated the organisation, which started as an online portal providing information on policies, laws, and

Scindia inaugurate shooting range named after Olympic medallist Manu Bhaker

Union Communications Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia on Monday inaugurated a shooting range named after Manu Bhaker, who won two bronze medals in the 2024 Paris Olympics. At the function to inaugurate the shooting range in Jiwaji Club here, he also made a video call to Bhaker to inform her. "A shooting range for 10 meter air pistol and rifle has been inaugurated at Jiwaji Club in Gwalior," Scindia told Bhaker in the video call. The Union minister also fired a few shots at the new range.

Swapnil received key chain to ward off evil at Paris, says Coach Deepali

Shooter Swapnil Kusale isn't really superstitious but when fellow mates Akhil Sheoran and Shriyanka Sadangi gifted him a small key chain to ward off evil eye, he readily accepted it before boarding the flight to Paris for the Olympics. Swapnil has found himself being defeated by fate in several top-notch competitions, including the Asian Games in 2023 and the 2022 World Championships in Cairo, where just one shot -- and a few decimal points -- pushed him to fourth place. But in Paris, the 29-year-old set the record straight, becoming the first Indian ever to win a bronze medal in 50m rifle 3-positions event at the Olympics. While Akhil and Shriyanka, both 50m rifle 3-positions shooters, had secured Olympic quota places for the country, they could not make the cut for the Games following the Olympic Selection Trials conducted by the National Rifle Association of India. "Just before I was to travel to Paris, My best friends Akhil and Shriyanka came to meet me and gifted a key chain t

Viacom18 gains the highest-ever viewership for Olympics in India

The opening ceremony was made available across Sports18 Network, Colors Network, VH1, and MTV, besides being free on JioCinema

Olympic champion Emmanuel Wanyonyi runs 4th fastest 800 meters in history

Olympic champion Emmanuel Wanyonyi ran the fourth-fastest 800 meters time in history Thursday at the first major track meet after the Paris Games. Wanyonyi clocked 1 minute, 41.11 seconds 0.08 faster than his winning time in Paris two weeks ago to tie Wilson Kipketer's mark in 1997 that was a world record then. Only Wanyonyi's fellow Kenyan David Rudisha has run the 800 faster. I'm so happy to have run that crazy time here in Lausanne, Wanyonyi said. I really loved the crowd here. It was a fast early start to the storied Athletissima meet as the global Diamond League circuit resumed after a pause for the Olympics. Jakob Ingebrigtsen regained his authority in the men's 1,500 after a shocking fourth place in Paris to beat Olympic champion Cole Hocker by more than two seconds. In the men's 200, Olympic champion Letsile Tebogo kept his form despite a return trip home to Botswana to win in 19.64 seconds easing into the line. It was a great race for me here today, said the 21-year-

Daniela Chirinos, 5-time Olympic cyclist for Venezuela, dies aged 51

Daniela Larreal Chirinos, a five-time Olympic cyclist who competed for Venezuela over the course of a decade, has died. She was 51. Larreal was found dead at home in Las Vegas the afternoon of Aug. 15 after a friend called police for a welfare check, according to a police report. The friend told officers he had not heard from Larreal for several days, which was out of character for her. Further details weren't immediately available, but Luis Vidal, a police department spokesperson, said homicide detectives were not called to investigate. The Clark County coroner's office said it was still working to determine the cause and manner of her death. The Venezuelan Olympic Committee confirmed Larreal's death in a statement in Spanish on the social platform X, saying it was saddened by the loss of an athlete with an outstanding career in track cycling and whose accomplishments at the Games filled us with much pride. Larreal competed in five Olympics, beginning with 1992 in Barcelona throug

Brand value of Neeraj Chopra, Manu Bhaker skyrockets after Olympic success

While Neeraj Chopra has been identified as the highest-valued non-cricketer among Indian sportspersons, Manu Bhaker is also finalising big deals

French economy gets boost in August from 2024 Olympics, PMI shows

France, the euro zone's second-largest economy, has been banking on the Games to bolster its tepid growth rate

Consequence of Vinesh Phogat's failed 2nd day weigh-in draconian: CAS

The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) while rejecting wrestler Vinesh Phogat's appeal against her disqualification reasoned that it is an athlete's responsibility to stay within the weight-limit and no relief can be provided on that count but termed as "draconian" the consequence of failing the weigh-in on the second day. Vinesh was disqualified from the Paris Olympics after failing to make weight on the second day of the competition. Scheduled to compete in the gold medal bout in the women's 50kg category, Vinesh was found overweight by 100g on August 8. The UWW rules state that a wrestler has to clear the weigh-in on both days of the competition. While UWW allows a 2kg weight tolerance in many international competitions such as Ranking Series event, there is no such buffer at the Olympics. Vinesh had become the first Indian woman wrestler to qualify for the Olympic final and her disqualification created a flutter in the wrestling world, especially after her stunning victory ove

It's hurting shooters: Jaspal Rana on NRAI's inconsistent selection policy

Double Olympic-medallist shooter Manu Bhaker's coach Jaspal Rana has slammed the national federation's "ever-changing" Olympic selection policy, saying that it has hurt some of the most promising talents in the past and will damage more youngsters if there is no consistency going forward. Rana, a pistol legend in his own right who won three Asiad gold medals in the 2006 edition, hardly minced words as he questioned the federation's tendency to make last-minute changes to its policy, and its stubborn refusal to acknowledge or facilitate the presence of shooters' personal coaches at national camps and trials. He made these observations during a visit to PTI headquarters with Bhaker, who won bronze medals in 10m air pistol and 10m air pistol mixed team (alongside Sarabjot Singh), for an interaction with its editors on Friday. "The (federation's) selection policy changes every six months. I met the sports minister and told him 'get the selection policy from the federation. Let them ...

Muhammad Yunus sees sports as unifying force to solve social problems

Muhammad Yunus, the Chief Advisor of the interim government of Bangladesh, on Saturday said the power of sports should be used for social purposes like it was done during the Paris Olympics 2024. Paris 2024 and its partners have decided to make the Olympic and Paralympic Games a responsible event in economic, social and environmental terms. So, Paris 2024 joined forces with trade unions and employer organisations by signing a social charter together on June 19, 2019. A first for a major sporting event, this initiative guarantees a responsible and sustainable approach to the Games, according to the description on the Paris Olympics website. "I have been encouraging the power of sports to be utilised for social purposes. I am glad the Paris Olympics 2024 paid attention to it. Together with the Paris Olympics 2024, we created a new concept of Olympics social business Olympics," the 84-year-old Nobel laureate said. Yunus made these remarks while addressing the third Voice of Global So

Why India's Olympic stars fail to dazzle on brand endorsement pitch

Recognition and recall are the essential qualifications of fame, hence the basics for any celebrity endorsement. Most Olympic medallists actually fail that basic but essential test itself

Higher, faster, stronger, weirder: Strange sporting disciplines in Olympics

From trampoline to skateboarding and breakdancing - the Olympics' expanding roster of sports has become increasingly questionable

Golfer Matsuyama's caddie returns to Japan after his passport gets stolen

Hideki Matsuyama is starting the PGA Tour's lucrative postseason without his caddie and coach after they were victims of a robbery during a stopover in London from the Paris Olympics, Golf Digest Japan reported. The magazine said Matsuyama had his wallet stolen, but not his Olympic bronze medal or his passport. His caddie, Shota Hayato, and coach Mikihito Kuromiya, were not so fortunate. Golf Digest Japan said their passports and visas were stolen. They had to return to Japan and were working to get new documents expedited to return to the United States. Matsuyama, who won at Riviera in the Genesis Invitational this year, is No. 8 in the FedEx Cup and is assured of making it through two playoff events to reach the season-ending Tour Championship in Atlanta. The FedEx St. Jude Championship starts Thursday. The next stop is the BMW Championship outside Denver before the Tour Championship. Matsuyama told the magazine there was a chance they can make it to Atlanta, but we have to go i

Is India's sports infra ready for Olympics 2036? PM Modi exudes confidence

An analysis of the current sports infrastructure and playfields in the country reveals that only 10.4 per cent of India's mapped and completed sports infrastructure is Olympic level

Indian diaspora in Singapore lauds Vinesh, calls her an inspiration

The Indian diaspora in Singapore, who sent Vinesh Phogat their best wishes for her courageous wrestling bouts to reach the final of the 50-kg event at the Paris Olympics, said she is an inspiration to Indians around the world for her achievements. She deserved at least a silver medal. But I am happy to note that she is an inspiration to the younger generation to work hard and excel in sports, said Bhojpuri Association of Singapore President Neeraj Chaturvedi, who was among the Indian diaspora at the High Commission in Chancery on Thursday to celebrate India's 78th Independence Day. "Vinesh should not give up wrestling," said Chaturvedi as the Court of Arbitration for Sports rejected Phogat's appeal for at least a silver medal. The 29-year-old ace wrestler was disqualified on the morning of the women's 50kg freestyle final last week. Her hopes of securing a belated Olympic silver medal were dashed on Wednesday when the ad-hoc division of the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) ...

Rahul 1st LoP in 10 yrs to attend I-Day event; made to sit in 2nd last row

Senior Congress leader and LoP, Rahul Gandhi, sat with Olympic medallists Manu Bhaker and Sarabjot Singh in the second-last row