&w=3840&q=100)
Pro League a wake-up call before Asian Games, World Cup in 2026: Sreejesh
India struggled in the European leg of the Pro League and finished eighth out of nine teams to avoid relegation by a whisker.
But Sreejesh, who was part of India's bronze medal winning sides in Tokyo and Paris Olympics, felt that players didn't perform too badly but unfortunately results didn't favour the team.
"I think the players performed really well, we created lot of opportunities. We gave very good fight on the field but sometimes it happens the result went against us," Sreejesh said on the sidelines of the launch of Vedanta Delhi Half Marathon on Wednesday night.
"The preparation was perfect but unfortunately the result was not perfect for us but the coaches have enough time to prepare the team for the Asia Cup and definitely next year the Asian Games and World Cup is there.
"I think this Pro League gave us a very good wake-up call to prepare and to be on our toes to prepare for World Cup and Asian Games," he added.
The Asian Games will be hosted by Aichi-Nagoya in Japan from September 19 to October 4, while the World Cup will be jointly organised by the Netherlands and Belgium from August 15 to 30.
Post retirement after Paris Games, Sreejesh is now the coach of Indian men's junior hockey team and he is enjoying his current journey.
"Same routine, when you wake up early in the morning it's about preparing the players, ensure they are doing their best and rest of the day prepare for the next session, analysing the players.
"The only thing is that I am stressing my mind more now, earlier I used to stress my physical part but now it's about my mental part. But I am enjoying," he said.
India is set to host the FIH Junior World Cup in Chennai and Madurai from November 28 till December 10 this year, and Sreejesh is not leaving no stone unturned to prepare his players.
"For them (players) the biggest challenge is Junior World Cup because four-nation tournaments and stuffs like that are not going to throw enough pressure on them as the Junior World Cup. My duty is to share my experience with them, how to prepare for a big tournament, big matches," he said.
"I faced enough pressure being a player and now being a coach I think it is upto me to take that pressure from the players . I am helping them to be realistic. Being a coach sharing experience as a player is more important." India are clubbed along side Pakistan, Chile and Switzerland in Pool B at the Junior World Cup.
Even though uncertainty looms large over Pakistan's participation in the Junior World Cup owing to tensions between the two countries following Operation Sindoor, Sreejesh doesn't want to focus on one particular team.
"We are in the same pool (India and Pakistan) but I don't want my players to think about one particular team," he said.
"Any tournament starts from the quarterfinals, the main moto is to gather as much points as you can to ensure your place in the quarterfinals and from there the main tournament starts.
(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
NDTV
4 hours ago
- NDTV
'BCCI Can't Withdraw From Asia Cup, Pakistan Clash': Report Makes Stunning Claim
Amid the growing uncertainty over India's match against Pakistan in the Asia Cup, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) cannot withdraw from the continental tournament, and the clash between the arch rivals will go ahead as planned after the Indian board gave the green light during the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) meeting, sources said. The ACC released the Asia Cup schedule on Saturday, confirming the league stage clash between India and Pakistan will take place on September 14 after being clubbed together in Group A along with hosts UAE and Oman. "The BCCI cannot withdraw from the tournament or the match now. The decision was agreed upon after the ACC meeting. Since India is the host nation, nothing can be changed at this stage. An official-level discussion took place, and the outcome was decided accordingly. The match will go ahead as scheduled," BCCI sources told IANS on Sunday. Uncertainty mounts over the India-Pakistan clash after the India Champions team, led by Yuvraj Singh, declined to play against the Pakistan Champions in Birmingham during the ongoing second season of the World Championship of Legends. This led the organisers to cancel the match. The players made this decision in response to the heightened political tensions between India and Pakistan following the Pahalgam terror attack on April 22. However, the BCCI has so far not commented on boycotting Pakistan in the continental tournament after the announcement of the Asia Cup schedule. Ending months of speculation, ACC president and Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Mohsin Naqvi officially announced the dates for the 17th edition of the Asia Cup on Saturday. The tournament will be played in the T20 format, aligning with preparations for the 2026 T20 World Cup, and will feature eight teams for the first time in its history. India and Pakistan have been placed in Group A, along with hosts UAE and Oman, while Group B includes Bangladesh, Hong Kong, Afghanistan and Sri Lanka. The top teams from each group will advance to the Super Four stage, followed by the final - raising the possibility of up to three India vs Pakistan encounters in the tournament. India are the defending champions after beating Sri Lanka in the final of the 2023 edition.
Time of India
5 hours ago
- Time of India
Donald Trump sparks chaos as extreme visa rules threaten Canada's co-hosting FIFA World Cup 2026
Donald Trump sparks chaos as extreme visa rules threaten Canada's co-hosting FIFA World Cup 2026 (Image via Getty) The 2026 FIFA World Cup is coming soon, and it's going to be the biggest one ever. Canada, the United States, and Mexico are co-hosting the tournament from June 11 to July 19, 2026. There will be 104 matches and 48 national teams, more than ever before. But just months before kickoff, political tensions in the United States are raising new worries. Fans and players from around the world may face travel trouble because of U.S. immigration rules under President Donald Trump. Some experts are warning that Trump's tough immigration policies could make it hard for visitors to cross into the U.S., even for a sports event as big as the World Cup. Victor Matheson says U.S. immigration rules could hurt fans and players at 2026 FIFA World Cup Victor Matheson, a sports economics professor at College of the Holy Cross in Massachusetts, said in a July 2025 interview that travel bans and strict border checks could cause serious problems. 'You could have immigration problems with fans and players going across borders,' he said. Trump's administration already has travel bans on 12 countries and restrictions on seven more. He is also thinking about blocking travelers from 36 other nations, which could affect fans or even team staff. While athletes and staff usually get special visas, many experts say Trump's policies can change very fast, and no one knows what rules will be in place next year. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Me Tri: Unsold Furniture Liquidation 2024 (Prices May Surprise You) Unsold Furniture | Search Ads Learn More Undo Andrew Zimbalist, an economist who wrote a book on the World Cup, also shared his concerns. 'Trump might make it hard for people to travel. But even he may not know what he'll do,' Zimbalist said in an interview this month. Experts like Tim Elcombe, MacIntosh Ross raise concerns about safety, movement, and image of FIFA World Cup 2026 Tim Elcombe, a professor at Wilfrid Laurier University, said that the idea of co-hosting the World Cup with Mexico and Canada was to show unity. But now, it might become a political problem. 'This could be more political than the Qatar World Cup,' Elcombe said. Also Read: Venezuelan Little League Team Blocked From US Tournament By Donald Trump's Travel Ban In early July 2025, human rights groups, including Human Rights Watch, wrote a letter to FIFA President Gianni Infantino, saying U.S. laws under Trump could harm people, especially those who are not U.S. citizens. MacIntosh Ross, a fellow at Saint Mary's University, said Canada must speak up to make sure things are safe. 'Canadian organizers need to be clear about what they expect from the U.S.,' h e said. With games in Toronto and Vancouver, Canada will host many fans. But most games, including the final, will happen in the U.S. FAQs 1. Will fans have trouble traveling to the 2026 World Cup in the U.S.? Yes, experts say U.S. travel rules under President Donald Trump could make it hard for some fans to cross the border. 2. Is Canada still co-hosting the 2026 World Cup with the U.S. and Mexico? Yes, Canada is co-hosting the 2026 FIFA World Cup along with the U.S. and Mexico. Games will happen in Toronto and Vancouver. 3. Can political issues affect the 2026 FIFA World Cup? Yes, U.S. immigration and border rules may cause problems for fans, players, and staff traveling for the tournament. For real-time updates, scores, and highlights, follow our live coverage of the India vs England Test match here. Catch Rani Rampal's inspiring story on Game On, Episode 4. Watch Here!
Indian Express
5 hours ago
- Indian Express
Humpy or Divya – whoever wins will pocket $50,000, as compared to Open section World Cups rewarding $1,10,000 to champion
Either Koneru Humpy or Divya Deshmukh will earn, amongst other things like Elo ranking points, a prize cheque of $50,000 for winning the ongoing FIDE World Cup for women in Georgia. The coastal host city is beautiful with it's lovely food and cheese, and known for its chess mad populace, has seen the emergence of women's chess stars from India who both made final beating Chinese opponents. However, a pay disparity is their reality. Prize money for winner at FIDE World Cup (for open section – both men and women allowed) is $1,10,000. For the women's World Cup winner, it's $50,000 which is less than half, though both sets of tournaments are organised by FIDE. Chess remains far from pay parity for both events, and it can only be speculated how this gets justified. Typically, while an open World Cup has over 200 players, women's world cup might have just over 100 players. The women's only event resultantly witnesses one less round. The prize money at the 2023 World Cup, where R Praggnanandhaa lost to Magnus Carlsen in the final, saw the Norwegian pocket $1,10,000. However, the time control for both World Cups is the same. And unlike tennis – which too adopted pay parity – both sets of players in open and women's spend the same time. The time control for each game shall be: 90 minutes for the first 40 moves, followed by 30 minutes for the rest of the game with an increment of 30 seconds per move starting from move 1, as per FIDE rules. While women can play in the open World Cup if they qualify, many choose not to. At the open World Cup that will be hosted at Goa, women's World champion Ju Wenjun has a spot guaranteed because she is the women's world champion. However it remains to be seen if she will opt to travel and contend. The pay disparity can be gauged from these numbers – the total prize fund for FIDE World Cup (Open) in 2023 was USD 1,834,000 while total prize fund for FIDE Women's World Cup in 2023 and 2025 combined was USD 676,250, less than a third of the open events. Chinese star Ju Wenjun earned €300,000 ($ 403,080) after winning Women's World Championship this year while runner up Tan Zhongyi took home €200,000 ($ 268,720) for losing the world championship. In comparison, Gukesh earned $1,350,000 and Ding Liren took $1,150,000. The open winner (always men) take home three times more the dough than the women. At the FIDE Grand Swiss 2025 edition, where open and women's events will happen side by side, the prize fund has been set at one million euros. The total will be split between the Open and Women's events, with €700,000 allocated to the Open section — evenly divided between the Rapid and Blitz tournaments — and €300,000 for the Women's section, also split equally.
