Cricket is going to make its return to the Olympics after 128 long years as it will be played in the 2028 Los Angeles Games. However, it is not confirmed that whether the game will is confirmed for the 2032 edition in Brisbane.

The meeting was attended by Brisbane 2032 organising committee chief Cindy Hook and Cricket Australia CEO, Nick Hockley. Jay Shah shared the visuals of the meeting on his X account as he captioned the post, “Very exciting time ahead for Cricket’s involvement in the Olympics movement – a meeting with the @Brisbane_2032 organizing committee in Brisbane, Australia today.”

Very exciting time ahead for Cricket’s involvement in the Olympics movement – a meeting with the @Brisbane_2032 organizing committee in Brisbane, Australia today.@ICC | @Olympics | @CricketAus | @BCCI | #brisbane2032 pic.twitter.com/JVyMbkCYrz

— Jay Shah (@JayShah) December 12, 2024

The former BCCI secretary is going to witness the action the third Test between India and Australia, which is going to be held in Gabba from December 14.

The post Days after taking over as ICC Chairman, Jay Shah meets with the Top Officials of 2032 Olympics in Brisbane appeared first on Cricket Country.

Indian team has not travelled to Pakistan for any match since 2008 and the expectations was for the CT to be played in a hybrid model. The PCB has however stood firm on their decisions which will likely have massive significance on the sports ties between India and Pakistan.

Last week, India gave the confirmation that they have sent a letter of intent to host the 2036 Olympic and Paralympic games to the Future Hosts Commission (FHC) of the IOC. This decision has come after the intention of India to host the mega event was got made public by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi last year in Mumbai.

India is set to face tough competition to win the rights to host the competition with Indonesia, Turkey, and Chile, along with more nominations to be expected.

India is yet to confirm which city will be the host for the event. The Asian Games (1952 and 1982) along with the 2010 Commonwealth Games were all previously held in Delhi. However, Ahmedabad is one city which has come out as a strong contender to be the chosen city for the 2036 Olympics.

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Dravid is in Paris for a panel discussion honoring cricket’s inclusion in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, with the topic “Cricket at the Olympics: Dawn of a New Era.”

“I’ve already heard a few conversations in the dressing room. People are talking about the 2026 T20 World Cup, there is an ODI World Cup in 2027, and you hear people saying there is the Olympics in 2028,” Dravid said during the discussion.

“People are going to want to win that gold medal, stand on the podium, and be a part of the Games Village, a great sporting event, and interact with so many athletes.

“As you get closer, I have no doubt that teams will be preparing and checking out facilities. They will take this seriously, and players will fight tooth and nail to be out there,” he added.

During the conversation at India House here, the legendary batsman was accompanied by ICC CEO Geoff Allardice.

“You grow up watching the Olympics, seeing Carl Lewis winning the gold medal, watching the great athletes perform. You always want to be part of great events like this. The environment, the energy — it’s a dream come true.”

Dravid wished for India to win gold in both the women’s and men’s divisions in the Los Angeles Games.

“The dream for me to have a fantastic cricket tournament, hopefully Indian men and women winning the gold which would be nice.

“But more than that I wish for everyone here… So many Indian fans would be able to come there to LA and support cricket, and show the rest of the world how big and great a sport cricket is,” he said.

“Unfortunately, I won’t be able to play, but I will make every effort to be in LA in some capacity or another. If not anything else, I will try to get a media job,” joked Dravid, who ended his tenure as India head coach after the recent T20 World Cup triumph.

The men’s and women’s cricket competitions will run concurrently at the LA Olympics.

The post Dravid Discusses Cricket’s Olympic Inclusion in Dressing Room Chat appeared first on Cricket Country.

Weightlifter Mirabai Chanu opened India’s medal account at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics with a silver in the women’s 49kg.

Lovlina Borgohain won a bronze medal in Women’s welterweight boxing.

PV Sindhu beat China’s He Bing Jiao to win the bronze medal in the women’s singles badminton.

Ravi Kumar Dahiya lost to twice world champion Zavur Uguev of ROC in the final of the men’s 57kg freestyle wrestling, thus ending up with a silver medal.

After a 41-year wait, the Indian men’s hockey team finally have an Olympic medal since the gold at the 1980 Moscow Olympics. After being 3-1 down at one point, India made a big comeback to beat Germany 5-4 and claim the bronze medal.

Wrestler Bajrang Punia became the third Indian debutant to win a medal at Tokyo 2020,in the men’s 65kg freestyle wrestling playoff to claim the bronze medal.

Neeraj Chopra became India’s second individual Olympic champion – after Abhinav Bindra – with his men’s javelin throw gold at Tokyo 2020. It was India’s first track-and-field medal at any Olympic Games.

In a little more than a minute-long social media video, Kohli stated that it is time for India to be acknowledged as a major player in international sports. The film featured some sportsmen headed to Paris, including boxing prospect Nishant Dev and javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra.

“There was a time when the world could only think of India as a land of snake charmers and elephants. Over time, that has changed. Today we are known to the world as the largest democracy, a global tech hub,” he said.

“We are known for cricket and Bollywood, for start-up unicorns and as the fastest growing economy in the world. So, what is the next big thing for this great nation? Well, that will be more gold, more silver and more bronze,” he added.

He continued by addressing Indian sports supporters, pleading with them to cheer on the 118 athletes who would be trying to surpass the nation’s record of seven medals won at the previous Games in Tokyo.

“Our brothers and sisters are headed to Paris, hungry for medals. A billion of us will be watching them nervous and excited as our athletes set foot in the tracks and fields and courts and rings.

“Every neighbourhood, every corner of India will hear a chorus of voices chanting ‘India, India, India’. Join me in remembering their faces as they inch closer to the podium with the dogged determination of waving the Tiranga with pride. Jai Hind and good luck India,” Kohli, who is currently in London on a break after India’s T20 World Cup triumph in the West Indies last month, said in his monologue.

The majority of the Indian athletes are now training overseas and will travel from their separate sites to the French capital.

Aside from the anticipation of a second consecutive podium finish from Chopra, who made history with his javelin throw gold in Tokyo, India’s medal hopes will depend on shooting, badminton, wrestling, and boxing.

The post ‘That will be more gold, more silver and more bronze’: Virat Kohli to Olympians appeared first on Cricket Country.

Patil also secured a 2024 Paris Olympics quota for the country in the process. This was India’s second Olympic quota.

The 18-year-old Rudrankksh beat Italy’s Danilo Dennis Sollazzo 17-13 in the gold medal match after a brilliant come-from-behind effort.

Four quota spots are available in Olympic events at the World Championship this year.

India had earned their first quota at the Shotgun World Championship in Croatia recently, courtesy Bhowneesh Mendiratta in the men’s trap event. Appearing in his maiden World Championship, Rudrankksh was trailing 4-10 in the new format in the gold medal match to decide the top two.

The Italian shooter maintained the lead for the majority of the final but the Indian produced a stunning comeback to emerge a winner. Rudrankksh topped the qualification and was assured of the quota after he entered the gold medal match in second place in the ranking round.

Beijing 2008 Olympics champion Bindra had won his World Championship gold in his pet 10m air rifle event in 2006 in Zagreb, Croatia.

The post Rudrankksh Patil Wins Gold At World Championship, Secures Paris Olympics Quota In Shooting appeared first on Cricket Country.

Bhowneesh missed a world championship medal narrowly in the process, being the first to bow out with 13 out of the first 15-hits in the 35-shot medal match. There were four quota places each up for grabs in both the Men’s and Women’s Trap on the day.

The 23-year-old world number 144 (before the final) from Faridabad had however secured the Paris quota for the country after he had topped the second Ranking round match with a brilliant 24 out of 25 hits. Earlier in the day, he completed his final qualification round with a perfect 25/25 to finish with a score of 121. He eventually qualified fourth after coming second in a four-way shoot-off to decide the final qualification positions.

A total of eight Shooters qualified for the two ranking rounds in the 154-strong field. For the seventh and eighth places, there was an 11-way shoot-off. Bhowneesh lined up with American Derrick Mein, the world number three, Briton Aaron Heading and Qatari R.H.SA Al-Althba in the second-ranking round match. Derrick Mein had finished second, while Al-Athba and Heading were sixth and eighth in qualification respectively.

Heading was the first to bow out hitting 11 targets of the first 15. The American Mein was ahead with a clean 15 strikes while Bhowneesh was second with 14 hits. Al-Athba of Qatar had 12 hits to his name at that stage.

With the quota on the line, the Indian shot out of his skin and hit a straight 10-targets after that to top the round and seal the quota. Mein missed his last three targets to get into a shoot-off with Al-Athba, which he won on the first shoot-off shot to make it through.

They were joined in the final by Britain’s Nathan Hales and Chinese Taipei’s Kun Pi-Yang who had topped the qualification round with a score of 123. Hales won the first ranking round while Yang came in second.

The Indian started brilliantly in the final as well but missed a crucial bird in the last five-shot series to miss a medal. American Mein won gold with 33 hits, while Hales won silver with 31. Yang bowed out at the 25-shot stage with 23 hits. All three medalists also picked up the other three quota places for their nations.

It was an excellent effort from the youngster, whose only senior medal at the world stage before this was a Team silver at the Changwon World Cup earlier in the year.

Among the other Indians, the experienced Prithviraj Tondaiman narrowly missed making at least the shoot-offs to make it to the ranking round, shooting 119 to finish 22nd eventually. The final two scores to make it to the ranking rounds were 120. Vivaan Kapoor was further back in 119th position with a score of 107.

India did not make much headway in the Women’s Trap with Neeru finishing 29th with a score of 111, Shreyasi Singh 35th with 110 and Manisha Keer finished 61st overall with 102 hits to her name, after the five 25-shot rounds in qualification. Carole Cormenier of France won gold in the event. France, Spain Slovakia and Australia picked up the Paris quotas.

India currently is placed joint fourth on the medal tally with one gold medal to their name.

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Speaking at Gujarat’s ‘GoForGujarat’ initiative to motivate the state’s athletes to aim for a Top 5 position in the Games, Gopichand praised the planned large-scale organisation of the National Games.

“I am so happy that after seven years National Games are taking place in Gujarat and would like to congratulate the Central as well as State government for such a massive scale of organisation for the Games,” the Dronacharya awardee reckons.

Speaking in the presence of Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendrabhai Patel, Gopichand doffed his hat to the state government and said that it was not an easy task to take up the challenge of organising such a big event. “It is a big challenge and you have not only taken up that challenge but are now organising it on a grand scale. I would like to congratulate each member of the team for this wonderful event.”

“Some people may ask why such a huge sports event when so many people are poor but I remember the words of honourable Prime Minister (Narendra Modi) when we met in 2014 after the Commonwealth Games. He said that for any race, community or country to come up, pride is very important and each victory of our sports persons anywhere in the world brings pride to the nation and that is very very important,” he revealed.

He said that in the last 8-10 years, through Fit India, Khelo India, and government support, there has been unprecedented development in the field of sports in the country.

Gopichand advised the competing players to focus on diet, fitness and positive attitude, urging them to keep moving towards victory even in defeat.

“Especially in the last 3-4 days before the completion, focus is the key. You must eat well, sleep well and always be positive,” he said.

The post India Can Soon Hope To Host The Olympics, Says Badminton Coach Pullela Gopichand appeared first on Cricket Country.

The four-gold medal includes a new national record in the 50-metre backstroke, 100-metre backstroke which was equal to the existing National record, 200-metre backstroke and 4×50-metre mix medley relay.

Additionally, she won two bronze medal comprising 50-metre freestyle which is a new personal best timing and 4×50 metre mix freestyle relay.

Maana is specialising in backstroke. She is the first Indian female swimmer to qualify for the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games. She is also the current 100-metre backstroke national record holder. Her goal is a podium finish at the 2024 Olympics and ENGN, an athlete representation company that exclusively works with Indian sportswomen, is helping her to achieve it.

In an exclusive interview with Cricket Country, Manna Patel had said, “Olympics was my first major international tournament. So you need a very different mindset. The reason why I messed up my race was that I got too nervous on the day when I had to perform. So one thing that everyone asked me was what’s that one thing you took back from the Olympics and always my answer was the change of mindset.

She added, “Like you know the attention you get, people and media everyone is talking, so I learnt how to shut that off and focus on myself. You know, it takes you a level higher when you deal with the pressure and expectations and still stay calm and focused and not mess up your race. So I think I learnt that and I think that will stay with me for now and later on as well.”

The swimmer will look to bank on the success and win big prizes in the upcoming tournaments.

The post Olympian Maana Patel Wins 4 Golds In Senior National Aquatic Championships appeared first on Cricket Country.

“Olympics was my first major international tournament. So you need a very different mindset. The reason why I messed up my race was that I got too nervous on the day when I had to perform. So one thing that everyone asked me was what’s that one thing you took back from the Olympics and always my answer was the change of mindset. Like you know the attention you get, people and media everyone is talking, so I learnt how to shut that off and focus on myself. You know, it takes you a level higher when you deal with the pressure and expectations and still stay calm and focused and not mess up your race. So I think I learnt that and I think that will stay with me for now and later on as well,” Maana said in an exclusive interview with Cricket Country.

She also spoke about the kind of facilities female swimmers are getting in the Swimming Federation of India.

“In a sport like swimming, where women are always in a swimming costume, 99% of coaches in India are male and all other staffs are also male but till date I have never felt uncomfortable. It’s never been like that with me. Everyone treated me and other swimmers with respect and kept their dignity intact. So that way I am blessed. The swimming federation is very proactive about sexual harassment and all. Till now we haven’t come across a case about this. They used to do this kind of survey like they call the female athletes and they ask if we feel safe in the environment or if anything is bothering us. So they are very proactive in terms of the safety of the female athletes which is good and I haven’t come across any incident like that with myself,” she stated.

The youngster shared her experience from Mare Nostrum Meet 2022 where she broke her national record and registered a new record in the women’s 100m backstrokes with an effort of 1:03:69. She mentioned the problems she faced before reaching Canet where she achieved the new record.

“Honestly, I was travelling for 3 weeks at that time when I was racing at the Mare Nostrum series and Mare Nostrum was split into three parts. It starts in Monaco, then 2 days break. Barcelona again you get 2 days break before we go to Canet. So we started up with Monaco’s leg where I didn’t perform well because I took this supplement before my race, I took salt tablets before my race on empty stomach. I didn’t discuss that with my nutritionist to not take it on empty stomach. So I took this just 5 minutes before my race and I was throwing up because the pressure increased and so that race didn’t go well at all,” Patel revealed.

“Honestly, when we went to Mare Nostrum, I was in a very good state physically and mentally like I never trained so hard before. So we were confident and when this incident happened I was broken. We didn’t do Barcelona so we had a week-long break between Monaco and Canet. I was telling my mom that I want to retire, I don’t wanna swim in Canet, I am not performing. So basically I stopped thinking about my race when I had to swim in Canet that was my last chance to perform. So I didn’t think about my race and I went with an open mind without any expectations from myself and I think that’s why I ended up with my best. So I was quite happy after that sad incident to come back home with the best time and the new record,” she revealed.

The 22-years-old swimmer started swimming at an early age of 7. Born in a Gujarati family, sports isn’t ever the first career option. While talking about her initial journey, Maana said, “I come from a Gujrati family, Dhokla eating family and sports is not something that comes into Gujju family’s mind if you talk about career and future and all that. As a kid, I was quite lanky and my appetite was very poor. So the reason why I started swimming was this. And my mom thought that if I swim at least I will come out and eat properly,” said the 22-year-old.

“Like I was a hyper kid. I mean forget eating, and sleeping because I wanted to play all the time. So that’s why she put me in the summer batch in 2007 when I was 7 years old.  And then my appetite improved and I was enjoying it at the same time, so it was a win-win for both of us. So later on I continued and I started winning club-level competitions, inter-clubs all of that. So a lot of people thought that I like swimming and I am natural. That’s when in 2010 we shifted to Gujarat Vidyapeeth where the famous coach Nanavati used to train us. So that’s when I started my competitive training,” she concluded.

Maana is associated with ENGN, which manages and encourages female sports persons in India. She will be seen playing next in seniors nationals in Guwahati from 6th to 10th September and national games in her home state from 30th September to 6th October.

The post EXCLUSIVE: Olympian Maana Patel Talks About Security Of Female Athletes In India appeared first on Cricket Country.

The state government felicitated the sports personalities from Odisha here at a special event held in the presence of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik.

Commonwealth Games 2022 medal winners in hockey Amit Rohidas and Deep Grace Ekka were honoured by the Chief Minister. Amit received a cash award of Rs 75 lakh for winning silver while Deep received Rs 50 lakh for winning Bronze.

Dutee Chand and Srabani Nanda for participation in CWG 2022, Padmini Rout for participation in FIDE Chess Olympiad, Dinesh Kumar for participation in CWG 2022 received Rs 7.5 lakh each from sports minister Tusharkanti Behera at the ceremony.

Similarly, chess player Saina Salonika received Rs 1.5 lakh, football player Tankadhar Bag received Rs 2 lakh, blind chess player Soundarya Pradhan received Rs 2 lakh, wheelchair fencers, V. Ramesh Rao, Rakhal Sethy received Rs 2 lakh and Malati Panure received Rs 3 lakhs from the minister for their achievements in international platforms.

Weightlifter Jhili Dalabehera and shooter Shriyanka Sadangi were conferred with the prestigious Biju Patnaik Sports Award for outstanding performance in sports and games by the CM.

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