India to host 2029 World Police and Fire Games, Amit Shah says 'a moment of great pride'
NEW DELHI: Home minister
Amit Shah
on Friday welcomed the designation of India as the host country for the 2029 World Police and Fire Games (WPFG), describing it as 'a moment of great pride for every Indian citizen'.
The biennial games will be held across Ahmedabad, Gandhinagar and Ekta Nagar in Kevadia, with the participation of over 10,000 athletes representing the police, fire, customs and correctional services from across 70 countries.
'Bharat winning the prestigious bid to host the event is a global recognition of our sprawling sports infrastructure built under the leadership of PM Shri @narendramodi Ji. Ahmedabad being selected as the venue of the event that brings together police, fire and disaster services to compete in more than 50 sports, is a testament to the city's rising stature as a sporting destination,' Shah said in a post on X on Friday.
India will be the first South Asian nation to host the WPFG since the games' inception in 1985. India now joins the elite clubs of past hosts like Canada, Australia, the Netherlands, China and the US.
The announcement of India as the 2029 WPFG host followed India's final presentation to the California Police Athletic Federation (CPAF), the governing body of the games, on June 25 in Birmingham, Alabama.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
23 minutes ago
- Time of India
Wimbledon: Smelling of teen spirit ahead of the championships
WIMBLEDON: It's the weekend before the Monday start to the most famous tennis championships in the world. A sense of quiet efficiency pervades the grounds: everything is in place. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now The landscaping has been perfected so that the combination of purple flowers and green creepers reflecting Wimbledon's iconic colours are in the right blush even as an Indian summer heat beats down on everything. Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. As players and their entourages -- mostly in pristine white though some outliers are kitted out in all black -- go from practice courts to the locker room and back, all around are the young, strapping boys and girls, and their even younger and more famous counterparts: ball boys and girls. Fondly called the BBGs, and decked out in the famous Ralph Lauren outfits (which in the official merchandise stores retail for an eye watering price), they are the overwhelming presence at the championships. Hundreds of young people work the summer here manning everything from front desks to the merchandise stores and hospitality venues to the grounds. Chattering away in groups; going through the drills rolling out and rolling in the covers at the uncovered outside courts; practicing laying the net posts and measuring the height of the nets, they bring a vibrant, youthful energy to a tournament where the biggest stars are barely out of their teens themselves. Watched by millions worldwide, during the live transmission of the championships, the BBGs all make it look effortless but behind the scenes go through rigorous training. Getting to be a coveted BBG is a highly competitive affair. Only 250 make the cut from the 1000 who apply from the local schools and institutions. About 170 of the 250 are chosen from the 9th and 10th grade kids who freshly apply and the rest 80 roll over from the previous year. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Average age is 15. Many spend two years on the job. Ubiquitous as they may seem, girls were inducted only in 1977 and made their Centre Court appearance in 1985. On Saturday, the most prized fixtures are to see defending champion Carlos Alcaraz and World No. 1 Jannik Sinner practice. Conveniently they are at two ends of the day. Morning sees Alcaraz hit the ball with the next big thing, the 18-year-old Brazilian star Joao Fonseca, at the red-velvet roped enclosures of Aorangi Practice Courts. Sinner comes out in the evening. India's Day 2 at the Nets in Edgbaston | IND vs ENG Test Series Spanish is in the air as Alcaraz and Fonseca banter as they go through drilling their forehands/backhands, lobs and service to an awed audience. Jaun Carlos Ferrer, Alcazar's coach and Guilherme Teixeira, who trains Fonseca, keep a watchful eye. "I was excited about hitting with him, the last time I hit with him was in 2023," Alcaraz said of hitting with Fonseca, later at a presser. "He's not an experienced player on grass, but his style, he loves to play aggressive, to hit big forehands, go to the net. I'm pretty sure he's going to get the level on grass really, really soon," he added. One can't but help notice the difference in resources as your eye is drawn to two women players slugging it out in the very next court. They just have one coach each while the Alcaraz court has an entourage of 7/8 people. Adjacent, at the Aorangi arena, are other players mainly doing strength and mobility workouts. There's Coco Gauf using cones to get her footwork going, Zverev using bands and a few others work with medicine balls. 'Movement' is a word one hears often. Alcaraz talks about it and so does Sinner in their press conferences later in the day. It feels surreal at times to walk around the grounds and discover the gorgeous person ahead of you with her trainer is Emma Raducanu or the wavy-haired blonde young man is Alexander Zverev. Young kids with giant tennis balls have the best chance of snagging the coveted autograph as it's hard for the players to say no to tiny tots. So, every two steps they have to stop to pose for a selfie with the grown-ups or bend down to sign autographs for the children.
Mint
43 minutes ago
- Mint
You tell me, dont want to look: Rohit recalls Suryakumars catch check moment in T20 WC 2024 final
New Delhi [India], June 29 (ANI): Seasoned opener Rohit Sharma took a trip down memory lane and reminisced about the torrent of emotions Indian players experienced when Suryakumar Yadav's match-defining catch to dismiss David Miller was being reviewed by the third umpire in last year's T20 World Cup final against South Africa. On June 29, 2024, India ended its 17-year-long T20 World Cup drought at the expense of South Africa's heartbreak. India's dwindling 177-run defence found a new life after a spirited performance from the pace troika of Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh and Hardik Pandya in the death overs. The equation came down to South Africa 16 runs short in the last over with Miller on strike. Pandya bore the responsibility of steering India past the finish line. He began his over with a wide full toss that Miller dispatched down the ground through the aerial route. Suryakumar sprinted to his left from long-off and grabbed the ball. He lobbed it in the air as momentum took him past the boundary rope and then came back inside the field to complete a catch that determined the fate of the title. "Even after [the catch], the umpires sent it up to the third umpire, and it was being checked whether Surya caught the ball or not, and everyone's hearts were in their mouths. I thought it had gone [for a six]. Because I was at [long-on], I was standing opposite Surya. I was already thinking '10 needed off five balls', but then I saw that it's coming to Surya," Rohit told JioHotstar. "It would have taken a blinder to take that catch. It would have taken a lot of effort to take that catch. Because when it was in the air, it looked like it'll cross the rope easily. But the way the wind was blowing, that pulled the ball a little bit into the ground, I think," he added. Rohit revealed that during the check conducted by the third umpire, he had a word with Suryakumar and told him that he didn't have it in him to look at the big screen for the decision. "I was standing with Surya when they were checking the catch, and I told him ', You only tell me [if it was a catch or not], I don't want to look [at the big screen]'. 'No, no, I caught it.' But then I saw him on the side telling someone, 'Maybe, I don't know. But I caught it," he said. "And then they showed the zoom camera, and when the ball or feet touch the boundary rope, it moves, but nothing happened. So we were a little happy. But unless it comes on the board, you never know what the third umpire is thinking," Rohit said, recalling the catch. After the third umpire delivered the verdict, the scales heavily tilted in India's favour. India wrapped up the pulsating contest with a narrow seven-run triumph, and the scenes that unfolded after the game were simply serene. (ANI)
Hindustan Times
an hour ago
- Hindustan Times
KL Rahul given no choice but to carry form throughout series, Manjrekar cites Pant's impact: ‘Can't be a one-ton wonder'
Former India cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar feels that it's high time KL Rahul should realise his potential as he can not be a one-hundred wonder. With the retirements of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, Rahul has now assumed the role of the senior-most batter in India's Test line-up. The spotlight is firmly on him, and so is the weight of expectations. As one of the few experienced names in a relatively young batting order, Rahul is expected not just to deliver with the bat but also to provide stability, leadership, and guidance to the emerging talents around him. KL Rahul scored a century in the second innings of Headingley Test.(@BCCI X) Meanwhile, Rishabh Pant has reaffirmed his status as a key pillar in India's batting line-up. With twin centuries in the Leeds Test, the dynamic wicketkeeper-batter has once again proven his match-winning credentials. Manjrekar was impressed with Pant's consistency in the red-ball format, which he once again proved with twin centuries in a Test. He became the second wicketkeeper in cricket history to score twin centuries in a Test after Andy Flower. "I think he will because it seems like he enjoys batting in Test cricket. Any batter who gets two hundreds in a Test match, it takes a lot out of you mentally, not so much physically, getting a hundred in the first innings, and 48 hours later, you have the same kind of reserve to get another hundred. So that is a hallmark of an exceptional player," the former India batter said on Star Sports. Also Read | Rishabh Pant uninstalled WhatsApp, switched off his phone and punished himself after 'stupid stupid stupid' MCG shot 'KL Rahul cannot be a one-hundred wonder' Manjrekar emphasised the need for KL Rahul to deliver with greater consistency, especially during this transitional phase for Team India. He noted that while Rahul has the talent, he must avoid being the kind of player who scores just one standout century in a five-match series. Drawing a comparison to Pant's recent impactful performances, Manjrekar stressed that India needs Rahul to step up regularly and shoulder more responsibility as one of the senior batters. "Rishabh Pant enjoys Test matches. He has not got enough runs. So he is hungry. I see Pant carrying his form, but there is another senior batter in the team, who now has got no choice but to carry his form right through the series. Indian cricket needs him badly, and KL Rahul cannot be a one-hundred wonder or a one-Test-match performer," Manjrekar added.
