Indian women register their first-ever win in international 15s Rugby by overcoming higher-ranked Singapore
Women’s Rugby is far from being popular in India’s sporting landscape. But some less popular Rugby players created history when they won against higher-ranked Singapore in the Asia Women’s Division 1 Rugby XVs Championship. It is the women’s team first-ever international 15s win. As India won 21-19, they bagged the bronze in the tournament. China won gold with an incredible...
“Pickleball has given me respect on and off the court”…..
with Harendra Singh Dangi DOB: 18th June 1996 State: Madhya Pradesh City: Indore Club: Shri Vaishnav Institute of Management/ Madhya Pradesh Pickleball Association Harendra Singh Dangi was a young student when he first saw Pickleball in his college. Balwant Salunke, who happened to be the sports teacher in his college, came with an unknown sport and demonstrated it in front of the students....
World Archery removes Archery Association of India from member list; gives one-month ultimatum to clear the mess
World Archery (WA) has declared Archery Association of India (AAI) as its invalid member and given it a month’s time to either clear the mess or face suspension. In a recent meeting held in Den Bosch, the WA Executive Board issued a statement that elections of AAI held in Delhi and Chandigarh on June 9, 2019 is considered as...
Indian government gives gurantee to IOC; agrees to grant visa to Pakistan athletes
The Indian government has issued a written letter to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) over participation of athletes and sportspersons from all countries in Indian tournaments “without any prejudice to our principled positions and policies on other political matters”. This has cleared the path for international tournaments to return to India. In February, Pakistani shooters GM Bashir and Khalil Ahmed...
Former UEFA President Michel Platini detained over voting for Qatar as 2022 World Cup host
France football legend and the banned former UEFA President Michel Platini, has been arrested over the controversial vote which handed the 2022 World Cup to Qatar. The detention of Platini is the first substantial public move in an investigation that opened two years ago by France’s Parquet National Financier (PNF). The arrest comes five years after it was disclosed...
When ‘Lakswavedh’ becomes the reason – Young shooter Om Kubal pursues sport not only for himself but for the society as a whole
“Generally sports activities start at the age of 10. I started when I was 18. So there was less time and many things to learn”. Yes, Om Kubal started late. While at Mumbai’s Ruia College, Om first had an experience of Shooting. Ruia College, known for having one of the best Shooting infrastructures in the city, attracted the first-year student...
“Pickleball is not just a game for me but a way of my existence”…..
CHETAN CHANDRAKANT KATE DOB: 31st August 1990 State: Maharashtra City: Mumbai Club: Team CK Chetan Kate is one of the men without whom Pickleball would not have happened in India. Way back in 2010, when Sunil Valavalkar desperately needed some young blood, Chetan rose like a phoenix from the ashes. “I was a National Service Scheme (NSS) volunteer of M.L. Dahanukar College. I led...
An ‘Indian Day Out’ that reveals why sport in America is 50 years ahead than India
The rise that has just started needs consistency to keep the graph moving upwards. But the fact is that Indian sport still lags far behind than the West. An eyewitness to this, Sunil Valavalkar writes about how a predominantly new sport is nurtured and grown in the USA which he has experienced through his visit to Pickleball Central -...
“Pickleball has those distinct qualities that keep me fit”…..
with Madhulika Choudhary DOB: 30th August 1997 State: Rajasthan City: Sikar Club: VDN & Playard “I used to play Lawn Tennis in Jaipur’s Vidhyadhar Nagar Stadium. At that time the trials for 4th Senior National Pickleball Tournament were going on in the stadium and Rajasthan needed Pickleball players. Niraj Sharma, who also played Tennis, approached and introduced me to Pickleball. He encouraged me...
“This organisation has gone from being toxic, almost criminal, to being what it should be……” Gianni Infantino, President-FIFA
Gianni Infantino was re-elected FIFA president unopposed at the 69th Congress of FIFA in Paris. The 49-year-old Swiss was the only candidate and the traditional vote was replaced with a round of applause at the Congress. Infantino replaced disgraced former president Sepp Blatter in February 2016, serving a shortened first term after his predecessor’s impeachment. After his re-election, Infantino will now...