Hockey India announces free entry for fans at Asia Cup
Rajgir, Aug 26: Hockey India on Tuesday announced free entry for fans for the Asia Cup beginning here on August 29. “Fans can register for their free tickets by visiting www.ticketgenie.in or Hockey India app, where they will receive a virtual ticket upon completion of the process. “This system has been designed to provide a seamless and hassle-free experience, eliminating the need for physical redemption and ensuring smooth access to the venue,” said Hockey India in a statement. The Hero Men’s Asia Cup will feature eight top Asian nations – India, Japan, China, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Korea, Bangladesh, and Chinese Taipei. The event also serves as a qualifier for the 2026 FIH Hockey World Cup, adding extra significance to every game. Hosts India have been placed in Pool A alongside Japan, China, and Kazakhstan. They will kick off their campaign against China on August 29, followed by a clash with Japan on August 31 before their facing Kazakhstan on September 1. (PTI)
FIDE World Cup to be held in Goa from October 30 to November 27
Mumbai, Aug 26: Goa will host the FIDE World Cup from October 30-November 27, a tournament offering three coveted berths for next year’s Candidates and a prize purse of USD 2 million. The 206-member field features world champion D Gukesh, Magnus Carlsen, Fabiano Caruana and R Praggnanandhaa among others. But the reigning world champion, Gukesh is not part of the Candidates qualification race so it remains to be seen if competes for prize money and rating points. Hosts India have 21 players in the entry list including reigning five-time world champion Viswanathan Anand, who has made the cut via the June 2025 FIDE rating list. But given that Anand has not played classical chess for a while his participation also remains uncertain. The tournament returns to India after 23 years, the last being in Hyderabad in 2002 when Anand lifted the trophy. The tournament will be played in a two-game knockout format over eight rounds. There will be two classical games with rapid and blitz playoffs if tied. The top-50 seeds will enter from round two as they will receive byes in the first, while the players ranked from 51 to 206 will compete on pairings based on principle of the top half against the bottom. (PTI)
Koyel Bar sets two youth world records at Commonwealth C’ships
Ahmedabad, Aug 26: Indian weightlifter Koyel Bar etched her name in history by setting two new youth world records en route to winning both the youth and junior titles in the women’s 53kg event at the Commonwealth Championships here on Tuesday. Competing in both the junior and youth categories, the teenager produced a stunning total lift of 192kg (85kg+ 107kg). She first equalled the snatch youth world record with an 85kg effort, before bettering the clean and jerk mark of 105kg by lifting 107kg in her second attempt. With that, she also erased the existing youth world total record of 188kg. Koyel’s effort was three kilograms more than her compatriot Sneha Soren, who claimed silver in the senior category with 185kg (81kg + 104kg). Sneha, however, finished well behind Nigeria’s Omolola Didih, who smashed the Commonwealth snatch and total records with 197kg (90kg + 107kg). In the men’s 65kg division, Raja Muthupandi narrowly missed out on gold after failing in two snatch attempts. His total of 296kg (128kg+168kg) left him just a kilogram short of Malaysia’s Muhamad Aznil Bin Bidin, who totalled 297kg (125kg + 172kg). Papua New Guinea’s Morea Baru took bronze. (PTI)