India to meet Sweden for Davis Cup away tie in September
New Delhi, Feb 8: India were on Thursday drawn to meet Sweden in an away Davis Cup World Group I tie in September. The Indian Davis Cup team had blanked Pakistan 4-0 in the World Group I play-offs in Islamabad last week while Sweden lost 1-3 to Brazil at home in the Qualifiers first round. India have never defeated Sweden in five meetings so far but will have a great opportunity to get their first win as the hosts do not boast of intimidating singles players. The last time India competed against Sweden was in 2005 when India hosted them in Delhi and lost 1-3. Sweden have a very talented Elias Ymer, who is ranked 160, in their ranks. India have higher-ranked Sumit Nagal (121) and if he is available, it will be an interesting tie. India captain Rohit Rajpal seemed happy with the draw, considering that they could have been drawn against Novak Djokovic-led Serbia. (PTI)
Age-group wrestling nationals from Feb 28-Mar 5 in Patiala
New Delhi, Feb 8:The Under-15 and Under-20 National Championships, scheduled to be held in Gwalior next week, will now take place in Patiala from February 28, the wrestling ad-hoc committee announced on Thursday. The ad-hoc committee, which is in charge of the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI), postponed the age-group nationals after some state associations expressed their inability to participate in the tournament at such a short notice. The 2023 U20 and U15 freestyle, greco roman style and women National Wrestling Championship was scheduled to be held at the Lakshmibai National Institute of Physical Education, Gwalior, from February 11 to 17. “The U20 & U15 Free Style, Greco Roman Style and Women Wrestling National Championship has now been rescheduled to be held at the Netaji Subhas National Institute of Sports, Patiala, Punjab, from 28.02.2024 to 05.03.2024,” Bhupender Singh Bajwa, chairman of the ad-hoc committee said. “This was necessitated based on the request of the State Association in order to give more time to them to prepare for the championships so that the selection and other processes are completed with due attention and care. “The request for rescheduling was accepted by the Ad-hoc Committee in order to ensure that all the promising players and future medal prospects get the opportunity to participate in the championship event.” He further stated that around 1200 to 1400 athletes from 18 to 20 states will participate in the championships. The ad-hoc committee had conducted the Senior National Wrestling Championship in Jaipur last week. (PTI)
Accused of rape, Varun withdraws from FIH Pro League
New Delhi, Feb 8: Accused of rape under the stringent POCSO act, Arjuna award-winning Indian hockey player Varun Kumar has withdrawn from the FIH Pro League in Bhubaneswar to explore his legal options against the allegation, which he described as a “calculated attempt to extort money” from him. The 28-year-old has been granted “urgent leave” from national duty by Hockey India after he stated that the incident has taken a toll on his “physical and mental health”. Varun has been booked by the Bengaluru Police after a woman accused the defender of sexually abusing her multiple times when she was a minor. The 22-year-old, in her complaint filed on Monday, said that she came in contact with Varun in 2018 through Instagram, and the player raped her on multiple occasions promising her of marriage when she was 17. In a letter to Hockey India president Dilip Tirkey, Varun claimed that the complaint against him is false and a misuse of the “state machinery”. “Through media reports I got to know that a false and frivolous case has been filed against me by a girl with whom I was in a relationship previously and the said case has been culminated into an FIR in Bangalore though I have not been contacted by any police official in this regard,” Varun’s letter, sent on Wednesday to Tirkey, read. Varun, who was with the Indian team in Bhubaneswar for the Pro League matches, said he will fight the allegations legally. In her FIR, the woman has alleged that Varun insisted on meeting her after they got in touch on Instagram in 2018 and she relented after some of his friends convinced her. The two eventually became friends and got into a relationship. According the woman, he took her to a hotel in Bengaluru’s Jayanagar in July 2019 and made physical relations with her despite being aware that she was a minor and her resistance. According to HI sources, the victim was a volleyball player at the National Centre of Excellence in SAI, Bengaluru and the relationship between the two started there. (PTI)