Boxing Federation of India announced the team selection trial dates for the upcoming mega-events; IBA Elite Women's World Championships, Commonwealth Games, and Asian Games. BFI conducted the new trial format to ensure that the elite boxers get more opportunities during the process. The new trial format also focuses on the last date of submission to the authorities while conducting the trials of selection.
The selection process for the 12 categories of the Women's World Championships starts from 7 March to 9 March. This will also include Asian Games weights divisions. On the other hand, the trial for the 2 Asian Games weight categories; 51kg, and 69kg will take place separately from 11 March to 14 March. This allows the boxers of closest weight categories extra time to appear at the trial selection for the Asian Games.
Himanta Kalita, Secretary of Boxing Federation of India said, "There are three categories which are the same in the World Championships and Asian Games. Different selection trials dates will allow boxers to change weight categories and present their challenge for Asian Games as well. This format will give boxers, whose category is not part of Asiad, big relief as they still can participate in both the events with different weight divisions."
She further added, "BFI is committed to give each and every boxer an equal opportunity and the upcoming selection trials will be no different. There will be a transparent approach to select the best boxers to represent the country."
Istanbul, Turkey will host the IBA Women's World Boxing Championships starting from 6 May to 21 May. The 2022 Commonwealth Games will begin on 28 July and the 2022 Asian Games on 10 September.
A lot of instances have seen cricket being differentiated from other sports. Especially, in South Asian countries, where cricket rules a fraternity, "sports" look doomed. An established "Cricket versus Sports" league is not a 2-month long tournament. It's an age-long duel with apparent results. But, is cricket guilty?
If we look back, Cricket was not as big as it is now. Restricted within the allies of a colonized country, cricket was just a time pass. 36 years to Independence, but a famous singer (Lata Mangeshkar) had to arrange a charity musical show to gather prize money for the 1983 World Cup Winners.
The image of Kapil lifting the World Cup trophy from the iconic Lord's balcony. Photo Collcted.
India gained some confidence since then. the biggest boost came after the win in the inaugurating T20 World Cup Win. 2007, 24the September, exactly 20 years back, the seed of the cash-rich league got sown.
Indian Premier League, started in 2008, is the biggest source of money earning for BCCI. Keeping aside BCCI, the neighbouring cricketing nations have their cricket board more powerful than the other boards. But is this a fault of Cricket?
"Athletes" ignites the fire of "Cricket versus Sport" League
India won its second T20I World Cup after ending its 11 years of drought. The fans who were frustrated for a decade finally got one thing to celebrate. The Marine Drive got flooded with people. The Wankahde Stadium showed all its suppresed love to the team.
The Indian team received a grand welcome at the Mumbai's Marine Drive that was followed by a felicitation ceremony at the Wankhede Stadium. AP
But this has triggered athletes from different sports. Names like Chirag Shetty and Saina Nehwal came into the limelight criticizing the sport. When Shetty wanted equal recognition for India's win in the last Uber Cup, Saina went a step ahead. Her view was simple- people wouldn't even hate cricket even if she did so. But, why would someone hate cricket?
This is not a once or twice-told story. This widespread competition with cricket is not new. But is cricket a foe to other sports? Here are a few stories of "influence" and "idolization" in the recent past, not only from India but from neighbors too.
Sri Lanka Cricket funded CWG participating athletes.
Palitha Bandara recorded a distance of 44.20 meters and won the silver medal for Sri Lanka. Photo collected
The pre-2022 Commonwealth Games has seen an economic crisis in Sri Lanka. Not just economic, but the life on the island was distressed. The then Prime Minister Rajadhakshya fled from the country. Sri Lanka since its independence faced their record crisis.
The country fell short of food and fuel. The pandemic had already hit the Sports authorities. The crisis increased the hardships. They ran out of money. The situation was so pathetic that the boards couldn't manage transport to send the accessories to the athletes
At a point, the country thought of withdrawing its name from the Birmingham CWG. But at that very moment, Sri Lanka Cricket stepped in.
The board contributed 22 million Sri Lankan Rupees to the athletes participating. They hosted Australia and gathered the amount, despite the fears of the crowd ruining it.
Cricket Sri Lanka tried to cover all the funds. However, the athletes still had limited athleisure. CWG authorities too came in help for the athletes. Sri Lanka finished the CWG Campaign with four medals (one silver and three bronze).
Pakistan Cricket Board- the unsung sponsor for Arshad Nadeem
Arshad Nadeem Won the gold medal for Pakistan, at Paris Olympics. Photo coutesy: Olympics
The Paris Olympics Gold medallist Arshad Nadeem was initially an age-group cricket player, His focus later shifted to javelin through which Pakistan got its first medal after 1992.
Arshad Nadeem registered a monstrous throw of 92.97 metres sealing the gold for his country. Earlier he won the silver at the 2023 World Athletics Championships, Budapest, with a throw of 87.82 meters. He gave Pakistan’s first-ever medal at the World Athletics Championships.
But what did Pakistan give him? ignorance! The Commonwealth champion earlier expressed that he has been using a javelin for the last 8 years. His bosom friend and admirer Neeraj Chopra from India tweeted, urging the Pakistan Government to buy Nadeem news javelins.
Nadeem hails from Punjab's Miyan Channu village. Struggling themselves, the villagers funded him for his Olympic campaign. Added, that it was the Pakistan Cricket Bard who sponsored him.
PCB also financed Nadeem and his coach Salman Fayyaz Butt's air tickets.
Earlier BCCI secretary Jay Shah announced financial aid for the Olympians.BCCI granted Rs. 8.5 Crores (approximately $1.03 million) to the Indian Olympic Association for their Olympics campaign.
Recently a new NCA (National Cricket Academy) is near completion. The old existing facilities at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in the city center will be upgraded to a multi-sport training facility.
Apart from the cricketers, it will open doors for the Olympians too. NCA will have new facilities that will let them train there.
The new facilities will have World-Class Playing Grounds will have:
45 Practice Pitches: A variety of pitches to cater to different training needs.
Indoor Cricket Facilities: For year-round practice and skill development.
Olympic-Sized Swimming Pool: To aid in recovery and cross-training for athletes.
State-of-the-Art Training and Recovery Facilities: Equipped with the latest sports science technology to help athletes maintain peak physical condition and recover efficiently from injuries.
Cricketer- "athlete" collaboration
When one section came forward criticizing the fame, the other one took it handy to make their own.
Mahi's influence
Speaking about Swapnil Kusale, he himself mentioned that he doesn't follow any other sport apart from shooting. But he follows Mahendra Singh Dhoni. Kusale, who is an Indian Railways employee is a ticket checker like Dhoni. It took him 12 years to feature in the Olympics. And take India's first ever 10m Rifle position 3 medal. The Asian Games Champion accepted that MS's calm personality helps him to stay calm in chaos.
One of the biggest heartbreak for any badminton fan was Lakshya Sen's exit from the Olympics without a medal. The Chinese Lee Zii Jia shattered Sen's bronze medal dream.
But Sen's popularity is still unmatched in the sports arena. Even though he is "big," he still wants to "be the Virat Kohli of Indian badminton in coming years." In "The Ranveer Show" podcast he expressed his admiration for Kohli.
The other name that comes in the list is Nitesh Kumar. The Olympic Champion in the Men's Singles SL3 category is a Kohli fan. His winning celebration had some glimpses of Kohli's aggression.
But Nitesh's love for Kohli is not limited to celebrations. After succumbing to a deadly injury in Vizag, he started upgrading his badminton skills. Not only that, he delved himself into fitness, inspired by the 2013 version of Kohli.
P.R Sreejesh celebrated in his unique style after winning the bronze medal at paris. (Reuters Photo)
Soon after retirement, Indian Men's Hockey team goalkeeper P.R. Sreejesh was assigned to train the junior hockey team. The two-time Olympic Bronze medallist was delighted to get this role. he not only talked about the future prospects but did mentioned about Rahul Dravid.
"The Wall" of Indian Hockey looked upon "The Wall" of Indian Cricket when it came to coaching. The way Dravid devoted himself to training the cricketing juniors, Seejesh is looking forward to doing the same for his sports.
The 2028 Olympics will feature Cricket after 128 years. The brand value of Virat Kohli played a pivotal role in the addition of cricket. But as Sunil Chhetri, the Indian former captain of Indian Football once said, Cricket excelling is great for that country. Then, how does that justify other sports not getting the "love" cricket gets?
How does that justify Chirag Shetty repeatedly slipping down on the court, in the Olympics quarterfinal, having his partner Sattwikraj Rankireddy as the lone warrior?
How does that justify the associations not getting enough funds and definitely investing to find talent?
How does that justify archers failing to read the wind in bigger stages?
It's an open-ended question. Is it cricket the enemy, or the system? Is cricket actually an enemy or a friend in need?
OCA agrees to include yoga in the Asian Games, PT Usha confirms
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.
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.
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.
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.
Lovlina Borgohain clinches silver in Czech Grand Prix 2024
Lovlina's silver medal in the Grand Prix 2024 boxing tournament is proof of her hard work. Her aim is to win her second Olympic medal in the Paris Games starting from July 26.
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.
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.
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).
Jyothi Yarraji fails to touch Paris Olympics qualification mark by 0.01 seconds
Asian Games silver medalist Jyothi Yarraji equalled her national record to win the women's 100m hurdles event at the Motonet GP Athletics Meet. Still, she missed qualifying for the Paris Olympics 2024 by just 0.01 seconds.
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.
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.
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.
BWF World Rankings: Satwik-Chirag becomes world no. 1 in men's double
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.
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.
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.
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.
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