We have huge expectations from shooting: Rijiju
New Delhi, Jan 7: A lot of expectations ride on the shoulders of India’s shooters going into the Tokyo Olympics, said Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju. Rijiju on Thursday while inaugurating a residential hostel at the Karni Singh Shooting Range. “Shooting is one of the premier sports at the moment. We have huge expectations from shooting and India has a huge reservoir of talent at grassroot level. We have maximum qualification in Tokyo Olympics from shooting,” said Rijiju at the inauguration ceremony. Indian shooters have won a record 15 quotas going into the postponed Olympics and have a chance to add to that haul on the basis of world rankings in the coming months. “Our athletes represent the country at the Olympics, Asian Games, Commonwealth Games. They must have a standard of living where basic facilities are provided. Shooting being a priority sport, we have to take all the necessary steps for the shooters,” said Rijiju. Rijiju announced that all hostels must be of at least 3-star standard in terms of food, hospitality and cleanliness with the facility management being done by an expert agency. (PTI)
Nithilan Eric, Reshma Maruri emerge AITA U-18 champions
Bengaluru, Jan 7: Top seeds Nithilan Eric and Reshma Maruri were crowned champions in the boys and girls U-18 categories respectively in the AITA Under-18 Championship Series tennis tournament which concluded here on Thursday. In the boys final of the tournament hosted by the Rohan Bopanna The Sports School Tennis Academy (RBSSTA) under the aegis of Karnataka State Lawn Tennis Association (KSLTA), Eric overcame his compatriot Arunava Majumder 6-4, 6-2 while Reshma defeated her sister Suhitha 6-2, 6-1 in the girls final. The first set of the boys final was a closely contested affair with Eric achieving an early break to go 4-1 up. However, Majumder rallied hard to get close and trailed 4-5 before a determined Eric held serve to take the first set 6-4. In the second set, Eric broke to go 2-0 up but Majumder was quick to break back and restored parity at 2-2. That was the best he could do as Eric stepped up his game and didn’t give a semblance of a chance for his opponent to make a comeback and took the set without losing a game. (IANS)
Afghanistan-Ireland ODI series rescheduled
Dublin, Jan 7: The upcoming three-match ODI series between Afghanistan and Ireland, which was slated to start on January 18, has been rescheduled. The ODIs, part of ICC’s World Cup Super League, were scheduled to be played at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi on January 18, 21 and 23 but the start has been postponed by three days. They will now be played on January 21, 24 and 26 at the same venue. Richard Holdsworth, High performance director for Cricket Ireland, said that they have agreed to the new fixtures. “We were pleased to accommodate the Afghanistan Cricket Board’s request for a slight extension of the tour understanding that the delayed arrival time of the Afghan side, combined with their quarantine requirements meant that the previous schedule could not be achieved,” said Holdsworth on Wednesday. (IANS)
Porto near deal for Brazil U-23 forward Pepe
Rio de Janeiro, Jan 7: Reigning Portuguese champion Porto is close to signing Gremio’s highly rated Brazil U-23 forward Pepe. Porto tabled a 15 million-euro offer (around $19 million) to secure the 23-year-old on a long-term deal, Brazilian news outlet Gazeta Esportiva said on Wednesday. It added that Porto officials hope to complete the deal this week, writes Xinhua news agency. Pepe scored 12 goals and provided eight assists in 40 matches across all competitions for Gremio in 2020. Sevilla, Zenit Saint Petersburg, Roma, Paris Saint-Germain, Ajax, Bayern Munich and Wolverhampton Wanderers have also been linked with the attacker. Porto currently has three Brazilians in its squad: forward Evanilson and midfielders Felipe Anderson and Otavio. (IANS)
HI introduces open application & registration system for players
New Delhi, Jan 7: Hockey India has introduced an open application and registration process for players under various categories on its Hockey India Member Unit Portal, similar to the open application and registration process for coaches and technical officials. Any hockey player across the country can submit their application for further approval of Hockey India registered member unit to register as a player through the link — https://muportal.hockeyindia.org/player-registration-form. Once a candidate submits one’s application, he or she would need the approval of the concerned Hockey India registered member unit under which a player is submitting the application. Once the application is approved by the Hockey India member unit, the application would require the final approval of the national federation prior to the confirmation of registration of a player. (IANS)