Four Indian juniors gear up for Wimbledon event
New Delhi: Four young Indian tennis players will head to Wimbledon to play on the world famous grass courts as part of a new initiative aimed at boosting junior tennis in the country. Earlier this year, the Wimbledon Foundation, The Championships and official partner HSBC teamed up with the All India Tennis Association (AITA) to bring ‘The Road to Wimbledon’ to India for the first time. The initiative is designed to give Under-14 players the opportunity to improve their game. Following a series of qualifying events involving more than 200 children, two boys — winner Adil Kalyanpur from Bangalore and runner-up Siddhant Banthia of Pune — plus two girls — winner Shivani Ingle from Pune and runner-up Aarja Chakraborty from Noida — have booked their dream ticket to London. The four youngsters will now take their place alongside the best juniors from Britain in a 64 strong field at the UK HSBC National Finals at Wimbledon from Aug 11-16. (IANS)
Kings XI Punjab appoint Fraser Castellino as COO
New Delhi: IPL team Kings XI Punjab on Saturday announced the appointment of Fraser Castellino as its new chief operating officer (COO). Fraser has over a decade’s experience of working in the sports industry. Besides leadership roles in the Royal Challengers Bangalore and Rajasthan Royals, he has also been instrumental in setting up the Sahara Group’s polo and other non-cricketing ventures. “We are pleased to have Fraser Castellino as our new COO. We are confident that his vast experience in the sports field, especially IPL, will benefit KXIP. With a new and strong squad along with Fraser in the management, we are upbeat and looking forward to a great tournament this year, both on-and-off the field,” Kings XI Punjab said in a release. “It is an absolute honour for me to be a part of KXIP and I would like to thank the management for showing this faith in me. Having been a part of the IPL since its inception, I am looking forward to replicating a similar success with the franchise,” said Castellino. (IANS)
Sao Paulo’s Interlagos circuit to host F1 until 2020
Sao Paulo: Sao Paulo’s Interlagos circuit will remain on the Formula One schedule until at least 2020. The Interlagos circuit, whose previous F1 contract was to run to 2015, will also undergo major redevelopment work, Sao Paulo’s prefecture said in a statement on Friday, reports Xinhua. Rennovation work will include a complete resurfacing of the track, new corporate boxes and an upgrade of the existing paddock and pit-lane areas. “The changes will leave an important legacy for Interlagos, which is going to be better, more beautiful and modern,” the statement said. The announcement ends speculation of Formula One’s possible return to Rio de Janeiro, which featured on the Grand Prix circuit in the 1980s. This year’s Brazilian Grand Prix, the season’s penultimate race, will be held on Nov 9. (IANS)
Sandhu wins gold at Shotgun WC
Tucson (United States): Indian shooter Manavjit Singh Sandhu bagged the gold in the trap event by overcoming Australia’s two-time Olympic gold medallist Michael Diamond at the ISSF Shotgun World Cup here. Sandhu started on Friday with a score of 72 which he shot on Thursday. With his consistent performance, he shot 25 and 24 in the remaining two rounds and was ranked third in the qualifying round. His series scores were 24, 25, 23, 25 and 24 in the qualifier. In the final round, he beat five-time Commonwealth Games gold medallist Diamond by shooting 13 whereas his rival could only shoot 9. (IANS)