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Business Standard
5 days ago
- Sport
- Business Standard
India hockey to prioritise 2026 Asian Games over World Cup; here's why
Senior members of the Indian hockey team are likely to skip the 2026 Hockey World Cup, with the federation considering sending a second-string squad for the tournament due to a very short turnaround before the 2026 Asian Games. According to a report in The Times of India, Hockey India is expected to take this call as there will be just 20 days between the conclusion of the World Cup and the start of the Asiad — a key qualifying event for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. The report states that deploying top players at both events would be logistically and physically impractical. Women's team may feature in both events In contrast, the women's team is expected to participate in both the Asian Games and the World Cup — subject to qualification for the latter. Japan's Aichi-Nagoya will host the 2026 Asian Games from September 19, while the FIH Hockey World Cup is scheduled to conclude on August 30. Winners in both the men's and women's events at the Asian Games earn an automatic berth for the Olympics. India's men's team clinched gold by defeating Japan at the 2023 Hangzhou Asian Games, securing direct qualification for the Paris 2024 Olympics. The Hangzhou Games were postponed by a year due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Women's team missed Olympic berth in 2023 The women's team finished with a bronze in Hangzhou, missing out on an Olympic spot. Qualification challenge for the FIH World Cup The 2026 FIH World Cup, featuring both men's and women's competitions, will be held from August 15 to 30 in Wavre (Belgium) and Amstelveen (Netherlands). Neither Indian team has qualified yet, having underperformed in the recent European leg of the FIH Pro League. Men's ranking favourable; women face a tougher road While the men's team's global ranking suggests qualification is unlikely to be a problem, the women face a more challenging route. Their World Cup entry will depend on performances in upcoming qualifiers and continental championships. Centre to invest heavily in Asiad build-up The government is planning to spend between ₹600 crore and ₹800 crore on preparations for the Asian Games, aiming to boost India's medal tally across disciplines at the continental multi-sport event. India's performance at Asian Games 2023 India sent a 655-member contingent at the 2023 Asian Games, held in Hangzhou, China.
Time of India
6 days ago
- Sport
- Time of India
India plan to send second-rung team for 2026 Hockey World Cup
Indian Hockey players in action (Image via Getty Images) New Delhi : India has planned to send its second-best men's hockey team to the FIH World Cup (WC) in Aug next year. The decision has been influenced by the limited competition window between the WC and the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, a qualifying platform for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, sources told TOI. At the Asiad, winners in both men's and women's categories get an automatic berth for the Olympics. During the Hangzhou Asiad in 2023, the men's hockey team won gold after defeating Japan, ensuring qualification for the Paris Games. In contrast, the women's team finished third with a bronze and were unable to qualify for the Summer Games. It has emerged that the sports administrators are prioritising the Asiad over the men's World Cup, since the two events are separated by only 20 days. Thus, fielding the main set of senior players at both events would not be feasible, sources added. The authorities face no such issue with the women's team, so the main team under Salima Tete is slated to play in both the World Cup — subject to qualification — and the Asiad. The forthcoming World Cup will feature both the men's and women's competitions and is scheduled from Aug 15 to 30 in Wavre (Belgium) and Amstelveen (Netherlands). Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Giá vàng đang tăng mạnh trong năm 2025 — Các nhà giao dịch thông minh đã tham gia IC Markets Tìm hiểu thêm Undo by Taboola by Taboola Currently, neither the men's nor women's team has qualified for this event, both having experienced a disappointing run in the recent European leg of the FIH Pro League. However, the men's team's global ranking suggests qualification is not likely to be problematic, while the women's team faces a significant challenge to secure their place, dependent on their performance in approaching qualification tournaments and continental championships. 'We don't want our main players to peak at the World Cup and then struggle for form and fitness at the Asiad. The recent FIH Pro League tour served as a testing ground to assess the performance of players and identify them as part of the core group and 'A' team. We have good bench strength and sending two strong teams won't be an issue,' said an official. Poll Should India prioritize the Asian Games over the Men's Hockey World Cup? Yes, focus on the Asian Games No, World Cup should be prioritized Both events are equally important The authorities also informed that the govt intends to spend between Rs 600-800 crore on the Asiad preparations to bolster the country's medal chances at the multi-sport event. Catch Rani Rampal's inspiring story on Game On, Episode 4. Watch Here!
India Today
30-05-2025
- Sport
- India Today
Asian Athletics: Nandini Agasara becomes third Indian to win Heptathlon gold
Asiad bronze medalist Nandini Agasara produced a sensational final-lap effort to win the heptathlon gold at the 2025 Asian Athletics Championships in Gumi, South Korea on Friday. Agasara, who was trailing China's Liu Jingyi by 54 points ahead of the final event, the 800 meters, stormed back to clinch the title with a personal best of 5941 clocked 2:15.54 in the 800m to score 885 points, while Liu could only manage 2:24.87, earning 759 points. The swing was enough to push the Indian past her Chinese rival and into the gold medal 3rd gold of the day was won by Nandini Agasara in heptathlon with 5941 points at Asian Athletics Championships in Gumi today #IndianAthletics— Athletics Federation of India (@afiindia) May 30, 2025advertisementWith this win, Agasara became only the third Indian to claim the Asian Championships heptathlon gold, after Soma Biswas (2005) and Swapna Barman (2017). The heptathlon, a two-day event comprising seven disciplines - 100m hurdles, high jump, shot put, 200m, long jump, javelin throw, and 800m - demands consistency and mental today, Gulveer Singh cemented his legacy in Indian long-distance running by winning his second gold medal at the Asian Athletics Championships, setting a new meet record in a thrilling men's 5000m final on national record holder clocked 13:24.77, edging out Thailand's Kieran Tuntivate (13:24.97) and Japan's Nagiya Mori (13:25.06). He broke the previous meet record of 13:34.47, set by Qatar's Mohamed Al-Garni in victory capped a sensational double for Gulveer, who had earlier claimed gold in the 10,000m with a time of 28:38.63 on the opening this feat, Gulveer joins an elite group of Indian runners to win 5000m gold at the continental meet - alongside Gopal Saini (1981), Bahadur Prasad (1993), and G Lakshmanan (2017).
The Hindu
21-05-2025
- Sport
- The Hindu
Khelo India Beach Games: After impressing at Asiad, Khushbu, Chaoba hope for Sepak Takraw's brighter future
'Inlog ka serve toh badhiyan hai! (The serves of these women are really nice). ' A group of onlookers commended the way a women's Sepak Takraw team was serving as compared to a men's team – both matches taking place on adjacent courts at the Khelo India Beach Games on Tuesday – before walking along the pathway by Ghoghla beach in Diu. Amidst all the women Sepak Takraw players at the Games, two athletes had the added distinction of winning bronze at the Asian Games 2022: Oinam Chaoba Devi and Khushbu. 'The beach makes it difficult to have a footing. Running becomes hard as the foot keeps going into the sand [laughs],' Chaoba told Sportstar shortly after one of her matches. 'There's a lot of hard work that goes into playing on the beach. Receiving the ball becomes uncomfortable,' Khushbu chimed in later in the evening. She also added how they can easily fight on the usual indoor and outdoor courts, ones they are used to, which she showed in China's Hangzhou in 2023 along with Chaoba and others. Life before and after Asian Games history Chaoba and Khushbu were members of the Regu team that won a historic bronze at the 2022 Asian Games – a first medal for the Indian women in the sport at the Asiad. The lives of both of them changed after winning the medal. ''What will she get by playing; for how long will she play?' were what people used to tell me. In 2007, I started training in the SAI (Sports Authority of India) centre in Manipur. We have a lot of facilities there. A lot has changed since. The Hangzhou Games were my third Asiad, and the first where I won a medal. Now, the people of my village speak a different language, encouraging me and telling me to continue playing. They surprise me at my home with garlands as well,' Chaoba, who began playing the sport in 2004, said. Oinam Chaoba Devi in action during a Sepak takraw match at the Khelo India Beach Games 2025 at Ghoghla Beach. | Photo Credit: Shashi Shekhar Kashyap/ The Hindu In Khushbu's case, the medal meant more people from her home State in Uttar Pradesh (UP) were made aware of the sport called Sepak Takraw. 'After I won the medal, people in UP got to know what the sport is. Very few people know about it. Many children don't know about it. I was called to different places for interviews as well.' However, this moment in India's Asian Games history wouldn't have happened if both of these players had stuck to their first sport of choice. ALSO READ: Stars align on Diu's shores for inaugural Khelo India Beach Games opening ceremony Hailing from a place far from Manipur's capital, Chaoba was interested in athletics. But people from her village didn't partake. Rather, they couldn't. The closest place with the facilities for athletics was Khuman Lampak in Imphal, which was very far from her home. A club located 15 minutes from her home is where she watched her seniors play the game. Proximity thus played a key role in Chaoba's tryst with Sepak Takraw. For school-going Khushbu, it was about being different. 'I initially thought of trying out hockey. But then I switched to this. At first, I couldn't grasp anything, but I stuck with my decision. I wanted to play a unique sport. It has given me a lot, mere ragg ragg mai bas gaya hai (It has become a part of me). Even when I tried to leave it, I couldn't.' A secure present, a hope for the future Having been around for more than two decades, Chaoba has seen the ups and downs of Sepak Takraw in India. The SuperSeries tournament in 2013 in New Delhi was the first international Sepak Takraw event in India in which Chaoba took part. This year's World Cup in Bihar was her second such tournament, where she even won two medals. 'In Bihar, the arrangement was quite nice. I had lots of fun there.' A ligament tear – a result of overexertion which began much before the Asian Games – didn't allow Khushbu to be a part of the home World Cup. Sepak Takraw is one of the several disciplines being played at the Khelo India Beach Games in Dui. | Photo Credit: Shashi Shekhar Kashyap/ The Hindu Nevertheless, the sport has helped them sort out their lives. After becoming an athlete under SAI, Chaoba clinched a gold medal at the 2011 National Games, which helped her get a job at the sports department of Manipur. This has provided her with a sense of security. Khushbu, now 29, also has a job at the paramilitary force because of the sport. Khushbu lauded the Sepak Takraw Federation of India's efforts to popularise the sport and hoped these would soon translate into it becoming a part of the Olympics. While she thought that the Indian women's team had massively improved in quality since the Asian Games bronze, Chaoba felt that more could be done to guide the upcoming generations. 'There's a need to create an academy from which players for the national teams can be developed. We have camps in Thailand, and we see their academies which are really good. We should have longer camps where players from all parts of the country, juniors or otherwise, come together to train for international tournaments.'
Indian Express
14-05-2025
- Sport
- Indian Express
At ‘Floating Village' for 2026 Asian Games in Japan, athletes will be briefed on dealing with tsunamis and typhoons
Thousands of athletes at next year's Asian Games will compete on land and stay on water. In a first, the organising committee of the 2026 Asiad, to be held in Japan, have created a 'floating' Athletes' Village after it was decided that nearly one-third of the total 15,000 athletes and officials will be housed on a luxury cruise ship that will be docked at the Nagoya Port. The host city, the capital of Aichi prefecture, has a population of 2.3 million. The organisers said they decided against constructing a Games-specific infrastructure to cut costs. The 'floating village' will have all the usual amenities — from dining halls and gymnasiums to medical services and free internet. But amidst the fun at the Games, the athletes — even as they soak in the unmatched views of the Pacific Ocean — will be briefed on how to cope if the waters turn violent. With the 2026 Asian Games scheduled to be held from September 19 to October 4 in Aichi and Nagoya, considered to be the peak typhoon season, the Organising Committee is preparing a 'contingency plan to evacuate athletes in case of tsunami, typhoons or natural disasters', two senior Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) officials told The Indian Express. Last month, during a meeting of the Asian Games Coordination Committee in Nagoya, the delegations of 45 participating nations were briefed about the emergency evacuation plans and temporary accommodation, along with a detailed advisory outlining do's and don'ts. 'The Japanese authorities are very experienced in dealing with natural disasters, and the OCA has every confidence that they will take adequate measures, especially in informing the athletes of the contingency plans,' Vinod Tiwari, the Deputy Director General of the OCA, told The Indian Express. Tayyab Ikram, the chairman of the Asian Games Coordination Committee, said 'Nagoya is more exposed to these kinds of natural disasters than Tokyo', which hosted the Olympic Games in 2021. 'We visited a couple of premises that can be used as shelters. We spent a lot of time discussing evacuation plans and management in case of an unfortunate, natural occurrence,' Ikram told this daily, adding that the local officials provided them 'full data' on the previous instances. According to the Nagoya University Disaster Mitigation Research Centre, 'as a coastal city with many rivers, Nagoya is particularly vulnerable to flooding in the event of a tsunami.' The city is also susceptible to typhoons in the season roughly from May to October, peaking in August and September. In 2019, when Japan hosted the Rugby World Cup, three matches were unprecedentedly cancelled owing to Typhoon Hagibis, which killed more than 100 people and caused flooding. Even during the 2021 Olympics, contingency plans were made to evacuate athletes in case of a natural disaster like an earthquake, given the high seismic activity in Japan as the country sits on the Pacific 'Ring of Fire'. The emergency measures for the Asian Games were further necessitated after it was decided to use cruise ships for accommodation rather than constructing apartments to house athletes. Tiwari said 4,600 athletes and officials—roughly one-third of the total 15,000 participants—would stay on a luxury cruise liner docked at the Kinjo Pier in the Port of Nagoya. Another 2,400 athletes and officials will be accommodated at a pier roughly 15 minutes from the cruise ship. Tiwari and Ikram hailed the concept of the 'Floating Village' and added that it could be a 'possible guidance for future editions'. 'We believe the cruise ship will become the symbol of the 20th Asian Games – a striking focal point and the first luxury 'Floating Village' in the history of the OCA,' Tiwari said. 'For many athletes, it will be a 'once in a lifetime' experience to stay on a cruise ship – not just the accommodation but the camaraderie of the athletes from different sports and different NOCs (National Olympic Committees). It will be truly a unique and exciting experience.' However, staying at the shore will present unique challenges, especially in the typhoon season. Ikram said that following consultations with the local organisers, it was decided that all 'athletes will be properly briefed and demonstrations will be conducted to educate them.' Tiwari added: 'Regarding the cruise ship, in case of a natural disaster such as a typhoon, the cruise ship will evacuate from the Port of Nagoya to the open sea with athletes and team officials. This is according to the Nagoya Port regulations.' 'Regarding the athletes and officials staying in the Asian Games Villas (temporary container homes) at Garden Pier, 6.5km from Kinjo Pier, athletes will evacuate to the nearest evacuation point. Transportation will then be arranged to relocate them to temporary accommodation such as hotels and other facilities.' The officials added that 'the safety and well-being of our athletes is always the top priority, not only for the OCA but also for the organising committee.' 'The only concern is that there will be only one gangway onto the cruise ship, and the OCA is asking if there can be a second gangway to make sure there is no congestion entering or leaving the ship,' Tiwari said. 'The organising committee will express this concern to the cruise ship company and hope that a solution can be found in time for this special mission.'
