Finally, truce in IOA as CEO appointment ratified by EC
Getting the house in order seemed to be their priority after the International Olympic Committee (IOC) had warned India that their 2036 Olympic bid without a strong National Olympic Committee might not be favouring them. In quite a few replies to this newspaper, the IOC kept reiterating their position of a united house.
Interestingly, the CEO appointment had been accepted by the IOC last year itself. Even before the ratification, the CEO had been part of almost all important meetings involving the IOA including the Paris Olympics, IOC headquarters in Lausanne and Commonwealth Sports. Joint secretary Kalyan Chaubey, who during the days of revolt had proclaimed himself as acting CEO quite a few times and had been rude to the IOA president also seemed at peace when he said they are now looking forward in the interest of the nation.
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Indian Express
27 minutes ago
- Indian Express
Satwik-Chirag stumped by nemeses Chia-Soh again as they falter at China Open semifinal
In their rivalry that stretches back to TATA Open India International Challenge in 2017, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty briefly found a window where it appeared they had found the solutions against Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik. After going 0-8 in their first meetings, Satwik-Chirag won three in a row in a stretch between Indonesia Open 2023 and India Open 2024. But now, with their 13-21 17-21 defeat in 42 minutes on Saturday at Changzhou Sports Center Gymnasium in the semifinal of China Open Super 1000, Satwik-Chirag have lost thrice in a row against the world No 2 from Malaysia. It appears once more that the pair that tormented them for so long, are back to being their nemeses, especially considering the heartbreak that Chia and Soh gave at the Paris Olympics last year. While the China Open reversal comes at a juncture where the Indians are still trying to rebuild their game, the caveat being that they are not at their 100% yet after all the off-court niggles they have had to deal with, the manner of the defeat should be a matter of concern. At the Olympics last August and in the Singapore Open semifinal earlier this year, SatChi took the opening game and went on to lose in three – and the contest was dead even for the most part, the margins fine. But in Changzhou, Chia-Soh outplayed the Indians for large parts, except a brief period in Game 2 where Satwik-Chirag drew level from 12-16 to 16-16. 'We had our chances, especially in the second game,' Chirag would tell BWF later, but he too was aware they didn't do enough. 'But (overall we) were not playing the right game. We were playing strokes which we shouldn't have, hitting more on Aaron and I think that's what took the game away from us. When we started playing smarter at 12-16, we came back at 16-16. A good tournament for us, but sad that we had to go out this way.' Chirag added that they were too late to realise the mistakes they were doing and in a discipline as fast and furious as men's doubles, where rallies rarely develop out of the first 3-4 shots after service-return, such lethargy can prove mighty costly. 'We should have played a little more tactically. We had planned it, but we didn't execute it as well. I think it will take some time. We are still not at 100% as yet. We still need to get these matches; we can't be as sloppy.' The reunion with Malaysian coach Tan Kim Her – the man who responsible for convincing Satwik and Chirag during their early uncertain days – hasn't quite brought silverware yet. But the Malaysian men's doubles pairs have been boosted by the arrival of new national coach Herry IP, the legendary Indonesian nicknamed Fire Dragon. The impact, especially on Chia-Soh, has been immediate and immense, as he has overseen the former world champions winning three titles already this year, including the notoriously difficult Badminton Asia Championships. Chia-Soh are already a pedigreed duo but Herry has brought about a relentlessness to their game. Their flat attacking game was always their biggest strength but in the past they have shown a tendency to ditch their Plan A and resort to defensive lifts if they were under pressure – Herry seems to have drilled that out of them, and they rarely gave Satwik-Chirag the chances to go on their attacks. And when the Indians did find the height or time to launch their smashes, Soh and especially Chia were sensational on defence, extending rallies they had no business extending, and forcing the Indians into unforced errors, of which there were many especially in the opening game when Satwik and Chirag mishit quite a few shots under drifty conditions. It isn't a cause of alarm, not yet. But at some point, Satwik-Chirag would have to find more consistent solutions to the flat game that the Malaysian pairs – not just Chia-Soh – are becoming experts at. Last week in Japan, Satwik hinted that he has been working on a spin serve in training, bringing in that variation to their game would be a good start. There is no doubting the brilliance of their Plan A, but a few variations to disrupt their opponents could well be the next step. An Se Young began China Open with a dream of achieving something incredible: winning all Super 1000s of the year to complete a Calendar Slam. But on Saturday, bothered by a knee injury, she was forced to retire hurt while 19-21 6-11 down against Han Yue. The reigning Olympic and World Champion from Korea, who had won titles at Malaysia, All England and Indonesia Opens, has been near unstoppable this year. 'I'm very disappointed (at missing the Super Slam) but it can't be helped that I got this injury. Although I really wished to accomplish this record, my body failed me,' she told BWF. A consequence of An not competing for the China Open title on Sunday is that, incredibly, four out of the five finals are all-Chinese affairs. The only final to not feature China is men's doubles, where Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik – after their win against India's Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty – will take on scratch Indonesian pairing of Fajar Alfian and Muhammad Shohibul Fikri. Vinayakk Mohanarangan is Senior Assistant Editor and is based in New Delhi. ... Read More
News18
2 hours ago
- News18
WUG: Indian archers bring more glory; half-marathoners disappoint
Rhine-Ruhr, Essen (Germany), Jul 26 (PTI) Sahil Jadhav produced a near-flawless performance under pressure to clinch the men's compound individual gold as Indian archers wrapped up their World University Games campaign with an impressive haul of five medals here on Saturday. With a mixed team gold, men's team silver, women's team bronze, and two individual medals — Jadhav's gold and Parneet's silver — India concluded their archery campaign at the Games on a high, showcasing depth and promise in compound events. With one more day to go, India have two gold, two silver and three bronze in the showpiece event. India can further improve their tally as young Praveen Chithravel is in contention in the triple jump final, while both the men's and women's 4x400m relay teams have also made a strong statement by qualifying for the finals. The impressive show by the compound archers made up for the flop show by the Olympic discipline recurve archers who drew a blank here. Jadhav, who shot 14 perfect 10s before dropping a single point with his final arrow, edged out Great Britain's Ajay Scott 149-148 in a thrilling gold medal match. The Indian held his nerve despite Scott opening with three Xs (10-point arrow closer to the centre), maintaining a flawless streak until the final arrow of the fifth end. Jadhav had earlier reached the final after a nail-biting all-Indian semifinal, where he got the better of Kushal Dalal in a shoot-off after both archers were tied 148-148. The deciding arrow saw Jadhav shoot a 10* (closer to centre), which edged Dalal's 10. Dalal, however, endured heartbreak in the bronze medal match, going down 148-150 to Poland's Przemysław Konecki, who shot a perfect round of 15 arrows to seal the third-place finish. In the women's compound section, reigning Asian Games team gold medallist Parneet settled for silver after a narrow 146-147 defeat against South Korea's Moon Yeeun in a high-intensity final. Parneet, who had topped the qualification round, started strong and shot flawlessly in the first two ends (three arrows each), opening up a two-point lead against her third seed rival. However, she lost momentum in the third end, dropping two points as Moon stepped up with a perfect round of 30 to draw level. There was no looking back for the Korean thereafter as Moon shot another flawless round of three 10s in the fourth end to gain a one-point lead. That meant Parneet needed a perfect score in the final end to keep her hopes alive for the gold. But despite scoring an impressive 29, Moon matched her with another 29 to seal the title 147-146. Earlier in the semifinals, Parneet edged fifth seed Kim Sooyeon of South Korea by just one point (145-144) in a tense contest. Half-marathoners disappoint =================== India's strong presence in the half-marathon came to naught as none of the 10 runners in men's and women's sections could finish on the podium, even as a couple of personal best were recorded. The Indian men's and women's 4X400m relay teams set season's best times to qualify for the finals in style. Among the five Indian distance runners in the men's section, Mohit and Mohit Choudhary, recorded personal best times of 1:04:08 seconds and 1:06:51 seconds to finish sixth and 21st respectively in the gruelling event. Three others, Arun Dhansing Rathod (26th), Shubham Baliyan (32nd) and Ankit Deswal (36th) clocked 1:07:19 sec, 1:08:32 sec and 1:09:07 sec respectively, raising a question mark on the selection of the distance runners. Shinsaku Kudo smashed the WUG record in the event, finishing the race in 1:02:29 seconds to take the gold, while Ramazan Bastug (1:02:35) of Turkey took the silver and Japan's Ryuto Uehara (1:02:39 sec) bagged the bronze. The women's half-marathon too didn't throw up any interesting results for the Indians with Jyoti clocking 1:21:22 seconds to finish 21st in a field of 27 runners. China's Ma Xiuzhen finished a good nine minutes ahead to take the gold with a personal best time of 1:12:48 seconds. Aarti Arjun Pawara (1:22.350) was 22nd, while Rinkee Pawara, Basanti Kumari and Svati Pal finished 24th, 25th and 26th respectively. Relay teams show promise ================= The men's and women's relay teams showcased their class by qualifying for the finals. The men's 4x400m relay team clocked a season's best time of 3:06.56 seconds to finish second behind Poland in Heat 2, while the women's 4x400m quartet also recorded a season's best of 3:35.12 seconds to make the title round and placed second in Heat 1. India's triple jumper Poorva Sawant's campaign ended in the preliminary round with the 22-year-old from Mumbai finishing ninth in qualification with a leap of 12.82 metres. Kiran Mhatre finished 16th and last in the 5000m event, timing 15:16.57 seconds, with the gold going to France's Arthur Gervais, who timed 15:02.00. It was a disappointing show in women's triple jump qualification with Sandra Babu finishing 11th in a 12-player preliminary round with a lunge of 11.98m. PTI TAP AM AM UNG (This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from a syndicated news agency feed - PTI) view comments First Published: July 26, 2025, 22:15 IST News agency-feeds WUG: Indian archers bring more glory; half-marathoners disappoint Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Time of India
2 hours ago
- Time of India
Venezuelan little league team blocked from US tournament by Donald Trump's travel ban
Venezuelan little league team blocked from US tournament by Donald Trump's travel ban (Image via Getty) The Cacique Mara Little League team from Maracaibo, Venezuela, will miss the 2024 Senior League Baseball World Series in South Carolina. The team was denied US visas just days before the tournament starts on July 27. These young players had earned their spot by winning the Latin American championship, but now their dreams are crushed. The reason? A travel ban linked to US President Donald Trump's immigration policy. Donald Trump blocked Venezuelan team from US tournament just days before it begins The Cacique Mara Little League baseball team from Maracaibo, Venezuela won't be allowed to participate in the 2024 Senior League Baseball World Series in South Carolina. The contest kicks off Saturday, July 27. Why? The players were turned down visas to visit the United States. Little League International said on Friday that the team's visa application was turned down. Having won the Latin American title in Mexico and qualified to represent the region at the global competition, the young players, ages 13 and 16, They are, however, compelled to hang back now. They had traveled to Bogotá, Colombia, two weeks ago to apply for their US visas. But all their hopes ended when they were told the paperwork wouldn't go through. The team shared a statement, saying: 'It is a mockery to keep us in Bogotá with hope. What do we do with the pain caused to our children?' Donald Trump's travel ban stops young Venezuelan athletes from playing in US The team's visa denial is part of a larger issue. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Your donations can help this little boy see again clearly Donate For Health Donate Now Undo US President Donald Trump has reintroduced a travel ban that blocks people from 13 countries from entering the United States. Venezuela is one of them. Trump claims these bans are necessary for national security. Kendrick Gutiérrez, president of the Venezuelan Little League, said on Friday, 'They told us Venezuela is on a list because Trump says we are a threat. But these are children. They earned their place by winning.' The White House said in June that athletes traveling for major sporting events like the Olympics and World Cup would be allowed under special rules. But it seems youth baseball is not included. Also Read: Jannik Sinner Coaching Rumors Spark Drama As Brad Gilbert Slams 'Fake News' Before US Open 2025 Last week, the Cuban women's volleyball team also couldn't travel to Puerto Rico for their tournament due to visa issues. That decision also sparked outrage. In place of the Venezuelan team, the Santa Maria de Aguayo team from Tamaulipas, Mexico, will now join the Senior League World Series. They were runners-up at the Latin American championship. Gutiérrez added, 'We don't understand why Venezuela was dropped and Mexico added. This is the first time something like this has happened. It's not fair to the children.' Little League International called the visa denial 'extremely disappointing,' especially for the young players who had worked so hard to reach this stage. FAQs 1. Why was the Venezuelan Little League team denied US visas? The team was denied visas due to Donald Trump's renewed travel ban on Venezuela. 2. Which country replaced Venezuela in the Senior League Baseball World Series 2024? Mexico's Santa Maria de Aguayo team replaced Venezuela in the tournament. 3. Is Venezuela included in Donald Trump's travel ban list? Yes, Venezuela is one of the countries affected by Trump's travel restrictions. 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!
