Tokyo Olympics 2020 Village opens despite state of emergency
Tokyo, July 13: The Olympics Village opened on Tuesday under a state of emergency just ahead of the start of the Olympics on July 23. Athletes will be tested daily in the village, after being tested at least twice before leaving home, and again upon arrival. They will also be required to wear masks in the village – even if they are vaccinated – and be reminded constantly with signage about social distancing, washing hands and ventilating room areas. About 11,000 athletes are expected for the Olympics and 4,400 for the Paralympics. (AP)
India to send 228-strong contingent for Oly with 119 athletes
New Delhi, July 13: India will be sending a 228-strong contingent to the Tokyo Olympics, including 119 athletes, IOA President Narinder Batra said on Tuesday. Out of the 119 athletes, 67 are male and 52 female participants, Batra said during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s interaction with Olympic-bound athletes. “The total Indian contingent for Tokyo Olympics will be 228. There will be 67 male athletes and 52 female athletes. We are fighting for 85 medal events,” Batra added . This will be India’s largest ever contingent of athletes at the Olympics. (PTI)
Deepak Kabra becomes first Indian gymnastics judge at Olympics
new delhi, July 13: Deepak Kabra has become the first Indian to be selected for judging the gymnastics competition of the Olympic Games. Kabra will be seen officiating the men’s artistic gymnasts at the Tokyo Games, which gets underway on July 23. “I had got the invitation in March last year but then the Olympics got postponed and what followed was a nervous wait for more than a year,” Kabra told PTI. The 2010 Commonwealth Games in India was his first international assignment and Kabra went on to become the first Indian judge to officiate in the 2014 Asian Games and Youth Olympics. (PTI)
Indian sailing team land at Tokyo for Olympics
Tokyo, July 13: The Indian sailing team on Tuesday became the first from the country’s contingent to arrive here for the Olympics which opens on July 23. Pictures showed the Indian sailing team of Varun Thakkar, Ganapathy Chengappa, Vishnu Saravanan and Nethra Kumanan and their coaches arriving at the Haneda airport. Nethra Kumanan will compete in the laser radial event, Vishnu Saravanan in laser standard class and the pair of Varun Thakkar and Ganapathy Chengappa in 49er class. The sailing competition starts on July 25. For the first time in history, a record four sailors will represent India at the Games. (PTI)
Ronak, Oleg among 7 shooting coaches bound for Tokyo
New Delhi, July 13: Ronak Pandit, who has been training medal prospect Manu Bhaker for past six months, Oleg Mikhailov and Samaresh Jung are among the seven coaches travelling with the Indian shooting squad to the upcoming Tokyo Olympics. Mikhailov, appointed in 2017, will be in charge of the rifle team along with Deepali Deshpande and Suma Shirur. Samaresh Jung and Ronak Pandit will be training the pistol contingent comprising Saurabh Chadhary, Manu Bhaker, Abhishek Verma, Yashaswini Singh Deswal and Rahi Sarnobat. (PTI)
US, UK Olympic contractors arrested for alleged drug use
Tokyo, July 13: Four U.S. and British men working for a power company contracted for the Olympics were arrested on suspicion of using cocaine, officials said Tuesday. Tokyo metropolitan police said the four men were arrested July 3-5 on suspicion of using cocaine in Tokyo or nearby areas in violation of drug laws. Tokyo-based Aggreko Events Services Japan, which provides electrical services to the Games, confirmed four employees were arrested and apologized for causing trouble for people and Olympic officials. In its statement, the company said it was cooperating with the investigation and pledged to abide by the rules. (AP)
Para Athletes commence national camp for Tokyo Games
new delhi, July 13: A record 25 para-athletes, including 2016 Paralympics gold medal winning javelin thrower Devender Jhajharia and high jumper Mariyappan Thangavelu, have started their final preparations for the Tokyo Paralympic Games. The Paralympics Games will be held in Tokyo from August 24-September 5. The national coaching camp for para-athletes has commenced at various Sports Authority of India (SAI) centres across the country. Jhajharia is training at SAI’s Gandhinagar centre while Mariyappan is preparing at SAI South Centre in Bengaluru. (IANS)
Bengaluru FC sign defender Sarthak Golui
Bengaluru, July 13: Indian Super League (ISL) side Bengaluru FC have signed young Indian defender Sarthak Golui on a two-year deal, the team has announced. The 23-year-old becomes the club’s fourth signing of the summer, after Yrondu Musavu-King, Alan Costa and Rohit Kumar. Kolkata-born Golui rose through the ranks with the AIFF Elite Academy and has represented clubs in the I-League and the Indian Super League. Across stints at FC Pune City, Mumbai City FC and SC East Bengal, Golui has amassed 49 caps in the ISL prior to his move to Bengaluru. (IANS)
Midfielder Bidyananda Singh shifts over to ATK Mohun Bagan
Kolkata, July 13: Indian Super League’s finalists in 2020/21 ATK Mohun Bagan on Tuesday signed 23-year-old midfielder Bidyananda Singh on a one-year contract. Bidyananda was with Mumbai City FC last season. It will be the second time that Bidyananda will be representing a Kolkata-based ISL club. He was also part of the ATK FC team that won the title in 2016 under Spaniard Jose Francisco Molina. After featuring in six matches that season, he moved to Bengaluru FC in 2017 and played for their B team. (IANS)