Arvind Iyer emerges winner in All India Chess Masters
Mumbai, Aug 22: Arvind Iyer has been crowned champion of the All India Chess Masters Mumbai FIDE Classical Tournament after finishing with seven points in eight rounds to edge out Darsh Shetty in a strong competition. In fact, both Iyer and Shetty finished with seven points each but the former won the championship on super Buchholz tie-breaks. Shetty finished as the runner-up position while the third position was claimed by International Master Vikramaditya Kulkarni, who accumulated 6.5 points. The winner received a cash prize of Rs 40,000. In women’s category, Woman Candidate Master Kriti Mayur Patel was adjudged as the Best Player, followed by Reya Banker and Pradeepa Jayapal who secured second and third place respectively. Vinod Chaturvedi finished first in the veteran’s category, followed by Guru Prasad Patil and Ashok Govindrao Patil at second and third. (PTI)
Programme flags more than 162,000 abusive online comments to players
London, Aug 22: The ATP Tour said its Safe Sport initiative has flagged more than 162,000 abusive social media comments directed at players in its first year. The tour on Thursday said more than 3.1 million comments were scanned, with the ones classified as most severe hidden from the 245 players who were targeted. Safe Sport uses real-time AI to detect and hide social media comments from players’ accounts. It launched in July 2024 and is available to the top 250 players in singles and the top 50 in doubles. Andrew Azzopardi, the ATP’s director of safeguarding, said the initiative has “fundamentally changed how we protect our athletes online.” “More than 1 in 10 comments on players’ posts were abusive – rising to 50% in extreme cases,” Azzopardi said in a statement. “While it won’t eliminate abuse overnight, it’s our first line of defence. Safeguarding player well being is a long-term commitment.” Safe Sport also supports players facing email threats, impersonation, deepfakes and scams. (PTI)
MoS sports Khadse oversees talent identification camp in Srinagar
Srinagar, Aug 22: Minister of State for Youth Affairs and Sports Raksha Nikhil Khadse oversaw a Grassroots Talent Identification camp for athletics and volleyball at the University of Kashmir during her two-day visit to the city that is hosting the Khelo India Water Sports festival. On Thursday, Khadse had inaugurated the festival at the iconic Dal Lake. The event features competitions in rowing, canoeing, and kayaking. Khadse then oversaw a Grassroots Talent Identification camp at the University of Kashmir, Srinagar. This initiative focused on unearthing promising athletes in athletics and volleyball. Athletes shortlisted from this preliminary assessment will be inducted in Sports Authority of India’s initiatives such as the National Centre of Excellence and SAI Training Centres. (PTI)