Mandaviya lauds lacrosse teams for winning Asian gold
NEW DELHI, March 25: Set for an Olympic return after 100 years, the lesser known sport of lacrosse got acknowledgement from Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya on Wednesday as he felicitated the Indian men’s and women’s teams for their gold-winning show at a recent Asian meet and urged them to eye 2028 Los Angeles Games qualification.Lacrosse is a native American team sport in which a long-handled stick with a netted head is used to catch, pass and throw a rubber ball into the rival goal.It made its Olympic debut as a medal event in 1904 and featured again four years later before becoming a demonstration discipline in 1928, 1932 and 1948. Eventually dropped from the roster, the sport will return to the Games in the upcoming Los Angeles edition.“Lacrosse is an upcoming big sport for India. This was your first major international exposure and you have already brought home medals. Now the focus should be on working harder, gaining more exposure and making the country proud by aiming for qualification at LA 2028,” Mandaviya told the two teams.India delivered a dominant performance at the Asian Lacrosse Games held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia in February, securing gold medals in both the men’s and women’s events in the six-a-side format, which will be used in Los Angeles as well.Indian men and women defeated Iraq and Pakistan respectively in their final matches.The Indian women’s Lacrosse team made its international debut only in 2024, while the men’s team followed them last year 2025.The two teams feature athletes from all part of the coutry, including Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Haryana, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, Odisha, Assam, Jammu and Kashmir, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Uttar Pradesh.The Asian Lacrosse Games, organised under the Asia-Pacific Lacrosse Union, are part of a broader effort to develop competitive pathways in the region.India’s next major assignments include the third Asian Lacrosse Games in Chengdu, China, in April, and the Asia-Pacific Sixes Lacrosse Championships in Australia this October, which will serve as a qualification pathway for LA 2028. Approximately 100 lacrosse teams from around the world are expected to enter the qualification pathway (PTI)
Jeremy Coney, Haidee Tiffen inducted in NZC Hall of Fame
CHRISTCHURCH, March 25: Legendary New Zealand cricketers, Jeremy Coney and Haidee Tiffen, have been inducted into the NZC Hall of Fame, the first additions since the inaugural “First Eleven” was unveiled last summer. Last summer’s inauguration saw the induction of Bert Sutcliffe, John R. Reid, Jackie Lord, Trish McKelvey, Glenn Turner, Sir Richard Hadlee, Debbie Hockley, Martin Crowe, Emily Drumm, Daniel Vettori, and Brendon McCullum.Coney, who led the New Zealand men’s team through its first so-called “Golden Era” in the 1980s, and Tiffen, one of the best all-rounders in the world during the decade from 1999-2009, are the first to be added.One of New Zealand women’s cricket’s most accomplished leaders, Tiffen debuted against South Africa as a 19-year-old in 1999, and made 128 international appearances (53 as captain) across formats, including a remarkable streak of 71 consecutive ODIs.She was a star of New Zealand’s 2000 World Cup triumph on home soil, scoring 187 runs at 46.75.As captain, Tiffen led the team to the 2009 World Cup final in Australia, topping both aggregates and averages with 279 runs at 46.50, including a century against Pakistan in Sydney, her penultimate international innings.An elite all-rounder, she was shortlisted for the ICC Women’s Player of the Year in 2006 (one of seven nominees) and bowled with great skill alongside her reliable batting. She also featured in New Zealand’s inaugural women’s T20I against England in 2004, and scored 124 in her two Tests.Regarded as one New Zealand’s most courageous competitors, Coney led the New Zealand men’s team to three historic and successive Test series victories in 1985 and 1986: against Australia in Australia, Australia in New Zealand, and England in England, all of which were first-time achievements.Excelling in batting, bowling, fielding, and leadership, he was renowned for thriving in crises. His maiden Test century of 174 not out against England at the Basin Reserve in 1984 came after a 244-run first-innings deficit, rescuing New Zealand from near-certain defeat in an epic eight-hour stand. (IANS)
