Ahead of the 19th Asian Games Hangzhou 2022, official broadcasters, Sony Sports Network, have launched the grandest campaign in the history of the Asian Games in India. In order to ensure that the message 'Iss Baar Sau Paar, Phir se, Hum Hongey Kamyab' resonates across every corner of India, Sony Sports Network has garnered support from an impressive line-up of influential and iconic figures such as Union Minister of Sports, Shri Anurag Thakur, Chief of Defence Staff, Lt Gen Anil Chauhan along with Chiefs of tri-services Gen Manoj Pandey, Admiral Radhakrishnan Hari Kumar and Air Chief Marshal Vivek Ram Chaudhari who have put their might behind the Indian athletes vying for top honours at the prestigious multi-sporting event.

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Recognizing the power of collective ambition, the campaign shines a spotlight on the unsung heroes of Indian sports – those who have relentlessly dedicated themselves to their respective disciplines and are on the precipice of donning the national colours at this esteemed multi-sport event. Among the prominent influencers of the country who have joined the broadcaster's mission and shared their messages for the participating athletes to reach higher echelons in this edition of the quadrennial extravaganza are Amitabh Bachchan, Sudha Murty, Aamir Khan, Hema Malini, Madhuri Dixit, Aditya Roy Kapoor, John Abraham, Abhishek Bachchan, Kapil Sharma Mirabai Chanu, Zaheer Khan, Anju Bobby George, Raja Randhir Singh and many more. Also joining the broadcaster, was an all-star lineup of Indian sports journalists who have been covering the journeys of our sporting heroes from Dainik Jagran, Dainik Bhaskar, Rajasthan Patrika, The Telegraph, Deccan Chronicle, Dinakaran, Lokmat, Eenadu, Gujarat Samachar, Sandesh, Asomya Pratidin, Sportskeeda along with RJs from Radio City and Radio One and representatives from leading news channels Aaj Tak and NDTV 24X7. 

This vast consortium unites with a singular purpose: to challenge Indian athletes to transcend past records, to push boundaries, and to ignite a nationwide fervor for sports. The strategy stands clear: a united India, cheering in unison, can inspire its athletes to unprecedented heights. 

Sony Sports Network's 'Iss Baar Sau Paar, Phir se, Hum Hongey Kamyab' campaign is the grandest campaign ever made in the history of Asian Games in India. The campaign has attracted a host of sponsors such as Hyundai, JSW, Limca Sportz, Paisabazaar, LIC of India, Ultratech Cement, State Bank of India, Panasonic amongst others and more brands are expected to be announced by the time the Asian Games begin on 23^rd September, 2023.

"The Asian Games is one of the grandest stages in the sporting world of Asia and the Indian contingent is training hard to add to our medal count. It's a moment of national pride as we have stalwarts from every walk of life joining us for the campaign to rally behind our Indian athletes making this the grandest campaign ever for the Asian Games. Adding to that, we have also received great support from our sponsors who will surely benefit from the strategic partnership with Sony Sports Network for the Asian Games."

Rajesh Kaul, Chief Revenue Officer - Distribution & International Business and Head - Sports Business, Sony Pictures Networks India

"Over the years, multi sporting events have attracted significant viewer interest and we have done well to tap into the immense potential of non-cricket sports in India. Brands want to associate with content that is not only culturally relevant but also inspirational and evokes national pride. The 19^th Asian Games on Sony Sports Network will provide advertisers the ideal platform to communicate their message to a wide demographic of receptive viewers from across the country through innovative advertising solutions. We are thrilled to witness a tremendous response for the upcoming 19th Asian Games with advertiser interest from across categories like Automobiles, BFSI, Beverage, consumer durables and others." 

Sandeep Mehrotra, Head Ad Sales, Network Channels, Sony Pictures Networks India

"Hyundai's partnership with Sony Sports Network for the Asian Games signifies a strategic commitment that extends beyond the world of sports in India. Sport serves as a formidable catalyst, fostering performance, personal growth, teamwork, and discipline among our youth. By investing in events like the Asian Games, Hyundai not only promotes youth participation but also ignites their aspirations, encouraging them to dream big and realize their full potential. This initiative is one of many in Hyundai's sports portfolio, aligned with our overarching mission of enriching vibrant and healthy communities.

Our strategic alliance with sports nurtures talent and resonates with Hyundai's global vision of 'Progress for Humanity.' In this endeavor, Hyundai goes beyond manufacturing cars; we actively contribute to the construction and promotion of a brighter future for youth through the transformative power of sports."

Mr. Virat Khullar, AVP & Head of Marketing, Hyundai Motor India Ltd

"We are delighted to associate with Sony Sports Network for the 19th Asian Games, the biggest stage for sports in the continent. At Paisabazaar, we have always believed in leveraging the power of sports to take our brand to each and every household across towns and cities in India. Our association with the Asian Games is also in line with our commitment towards promoting sports and encouraging athletes across the country. This year's Asian Games promises to be bigger and better with a record participation by the Indian contingent. We are firm believers of a long-term partnership with our media partners and with Sony Sports Network, once again, we aim to leverage the power of the broadcaster's customised solutions for this marquee event. Paisabazaar wishes the entire Indian contingent all the best for the Games."  

Sachin Vashishtha, Chief Marketing Officer, Paisabazaar.com

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The 19^th Asian Games will also see a first ever appearance for the Indian cricket teams at the Asian Games with Ruturaj Gaikwad and Smriti Mandhana headlining the teams. Olympic Gold medallist Neeraj Chopra will be one of India's top medal hopefuls in Javelin throw followed by PV Sindhu, HS Prannoy, and the doubles duo of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty who have been in excellent form in recent months and are strong contenders for medals in badminton. In addition to these athletes, the runners, archers, Indian rugby, hockey and football teams, swimmers, bridge, and chess teams, amongst others, will also be competing to add to the medal tally. All these athletes will be giving their best to help India achieve its goal of the 100 medal tally for the 19^th edition of the quadrennial event.   

Indian Olympic Association President PT Usha on Monday said that the Executive Board (EB) of the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) has agreed to include yoga in the Asian Games and the OCA General Assembly If approved, it will get a place in the games.

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Usha proposed to include yoga in the Asian Games

PT Usha has written a letter to Randhir Singh, acting president of the Asian Olympic Council, on June 26, proposing to include yoga as a sport in the Asian Games. On Monday Usha confirmed that OCA acting president informed her about the EB's decision.

“I am delighted that the OCA Executive Board spontaneously agreed to India’s request to give yoga the recognition it deserves. The proposal shall now move through the Sports Committee to the General Assembly for confirmation,” PT Usha thanked Randhir Singh in an IOA release.

IOA is hopeful yoga will eventually become a medal sport.

An IOA source said that the first step has been taken towards including Yoga in the Asian Games as a medal sport. The final determination of whether yoga will be a medal sport or a demonstration sport will be made by the OCA General Assembly. Since yoga is widely practiced, the IOA is hopeful it will eventually become a medal sport.

“Whether it will be medal sport or demonstration sport, that will be decided by the OCA General Assembly. It’s the first step. But since Yoga is prevalent worldwide, the IOA is hoping for it to be a medal sport in due course of time,” the source said.

PT Usha indicated that it was a natural progression for the competitive sports community to adopt yoga, especially since it has gained global recognition. Yoga is an ancient Indian sport, which maintains physical and mental health.

Also Read: Mansukh Mandaviya in takes stock of India's preparation for Paris Olympics 2024 during a meeting with PT Usha

Yogasana Bharat has already received recognition from the Sports Ministry for the development of yogasana as a competitive sport in India. Additionally, Yogasana has been added as a competitive discipline in the Khelo India Youth Games and Khelo India University Games since 2020.

Tokyo Olympics bronze medalist boxer Lovlina Borgohain won a silver medal in the women's 75kg category at the Czech Grand Prix 2024 in Usti nad Labem, Czech Republic.

In the round-robin tournament, Lovlina Borgohain won against Chantelle Reid of England but lost to Cindy Ngamba and Li Qian. Borgohain lost her final match against the reigning Asian Games champion late on Saturday night by a margin of 2-3.

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Qian is a two-time Olympic medalist and has three World Championship medals, including one gold to her name.

Four boxers were included in the women's 75 kg category in this tournament organized under the aegis of World Boxing. Borgohain, Refugee Boxing Team's Cindy Ngamba, Li Qian, and England's Chantelle Reid - and it is being held in a round-robin format.

Borgohain managed only one win in the tournament

Lovlina Borgohain managed only one win in the tournament, losing two of her three matches. This boxer from Assam had won her first match against England's Chantelle Reid by a split decision in a tough match, but later she had to face defeat from Cindy Ngamba and Li Qian. 

Lovlina gunning for her second Olympic medal

The 26-year-old boxer, who is the only Indian to participate in the tournament, is gunning for her second Olympic medal as she is one of the six Indian boxers to qualify for the Paris Olympics 2024.

Also Read: Nishant Dev achieves Paris Olympic quota, becomes the first male boxer to do so

Indian boxing team for Paris Games

The Indian boxing team for Paris 2024 is a mix of experienced Olympians and rising stars. In the women's category, Borgohain is joined by two-time world champion Nikhat Zareen (50 kg), Preeti Pawar (54 kg), and Jasmine Lamboria (57 kg). The men's team includes Amit Panghal (51 kg), and Nishant Dev (71 kg).

Asian Games silver medalist Jyothi Yarraji equaled her national record to win the women's 100m hurdles event at the Motonet GP Athletics Meet, but missed qualifying for the Paris Olympics 2024 by just 0.01 seconds. 

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Competing in her third outdoor event of the season, Jyothi Yarraji clocked 12.78 seconds while the Paris Olympics qualification mark is 12.77 seconds. Jamaica’s Crystal Morrisson with 12.87 seconds and Finland’s Lotta Harala with 12.95 seconds settled for the second and third positions, respectively.

Interestingly, the 24-year-old athlete had missed the Olympic entry mark by the same margin at the World University Games in Chengdu, China last year. 

Most recently in April 2024, despite winning the gold medal, Jyothi Yarraji missed the qualifying mark by 0.1 seconds at the Harry Schulting Games at Vught in the Netherlands.

Tejas Shirse also missed Olympic mark

Meanwhile, Tejas Shirse won the men's 110m hurdles with a timing of 13.41 seconds. He broke the previous national record (13.48) set by Siddhanth Thingalaya at the 2017 Altice Invitational meet in the US. But his effort fell short of the Paris Olympics qualification mark of 13.27 seconds by a small margin.

Mohammed Afsal secured the top spot in the men’s 800m event

Mohammed Afsal won the men's 800m with a timing of 1:48.91. In the men's 100m race, 20-year-old Animesh Kujur finished second with a personal best timing of 10.39 seconds, while in the men's 200m national record holder Amlan Borgohain finished fourth in the 100m race with a personal best timing of 10.54 seconds.

The qualification period for the Paris Olympics ends on June 30. 

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Shaili Singh finished second at Trond Mohn Games

Elsewhere, at the Trond Mohn Games, which is also a World Athletics Continental Tour (silver) event in Bergen, Norway, Indian long jumper Shaili Singh finished second at 6.12m.

The star Indian badminton pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty achieved the top position in men's doubles of BWF World Rankings with 99,670 points. The Indian pair achieved this top position by winning the men's double event title of Thailand Open Super 500 badminton. They defeated China's Chen Bo Yang and Liu Yi in the final.

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Satwik-Chirag toppled Liang Wei Keng and Wang Chang of China to regain their position in the BWF World Rankings. Earlier, the Indian duo was in the third position before the start of the Thailand Open.

Satwik-Chirag has achieved the No. 1 position in the BWF World Rankings for the second time. Earlier, the duo had clinched the top position for the first time after winning the gold medal in the Asian Games. They also became the first Indian pair to achieve this milestone.

The excellent performance of this Indian pair before the Paris Olympics 2024 starting in July is a good sign for the country. 

Earlier, the pair had to face defeat in the pre-quarterfinals of the All England Champions and then Satwik-Chirag's performance in the Thomas Cup was also not good. However, this star pair has once again brought glory to the country by winning the Thailand Open title.

Also Read: Satwik-Chirag overtakes Saina Nehwal's record of spending the most number of weeks at No. 1 in BWF World Rankings

This was the Asian Games champion pair's second title of the season and ninth BWF World Tour title of their career. Before this, they had won the French Open Super 750 title in March. Apart from this, both were runner-ups in Malaysia Super 1000 and India Super 750.

Indian athlete Jyothi Yarraji won the women's 100m hurdles event at the Harry Schulting Games 2024 athletics meet in the Netherlands on Thursday. However, she was unlucky to miss the qualification mark for the Paris Olympics 2024 by one-tenth of a second. 

Also Read: Jyothi Yarraji to train in Spain as part of the preparations for the Paris Olympics 2024

Jyothi finished ahead of Mira Groot 

In her first event of the outdoor season in Europe, Asian Games silver medalist Jyothi Yarraji won the gold medal by clocking 12.87 seconds, ahead of Dutch hurdler Mira Groot, who finished second in 13.67 seconds, while another Dutch Runner Hanna van Baast finished in 13.84 seconds. 

Jyothi Yarraji finished first and clocked 12.87, missing the Olympic entry standard, set at 12.77, by 0.10 seconds. 

Earlier in the day, Jyothi had qualified for the 100m hurdles final with a timing of 13.04 seconds.

This is the second time Jyothi fell short of the qualifying mark

This is the second time that Jyoti, who trains at the Reliance Foundation High-Performance Center in Bhubaneswar, fell short of the qualifying mark by one hundredth of a second after she clocked a national record of 12.78 to clinch a bronze medal at the worlds.

Jyothi Yarraji, who had performed well at the Asian Indoor Season earlier in the year at the University Games in Chengdu, China, will compete in five more events during the Olympic qualifying period, which ends on June 30 this year.

Tejas Shirse won the 110m hurdles 

Meanwhile, Indian men's hurdler Tejas Shirse won the 110m hurdles in the same meet with a personal best timing of 13.56 seconds, ahead of local Dutch athletes Joas van Hellemondt (13.80 seconds) and Jamie Sesay (13.92 seconds). 

In the heats, Shirse came second overall with a timing of 13.78s. The qualifying mark in the men's 110m hurdles for the Paris Olympics is 13.27s. Meanwhile, India's national record in the event stands at 13.48s clocked by Siddhanth Thingalaya in 2017.

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Men's 200m national record holder Amlan Borgohain was also scheduled to compete in Vught on Thursday, but he did not attend the event.