Country’s top sprinters gear up in search of World Relays berths
Chandigarh, March 27: The country’s top sprinters will hope to earn their tickets for the World Athletics Relays in Botswana in May during the first edition of the International Invitation Relay Competition here on Saturday. The domestic competition at the Sector 7 Sports Complex here will be the last event for the national relay teams to qualify for the World Relays to be held on May 2 and 3 in Gaborone in Botswana. Bhutan, Maldives, Sri Lanka and Nepal are the other nations participating in the invitational relay competition. As per World Athletics guidelines, the qualification period started from January1, 2025 and will end on April 5, 2026. Teams within 24th place on Road to Gaborone will be eligible to compete in Botswana. Based on the national men’s 4x100m relay performance of 38.75 seconds clocked last year in Chinese Taipei on June 7, the Indian team’s current world ranking is 25. The national women’s 4x100m relay team is within the qualification zone as its current world ranking is 23. The Indian team’s global ranking is based on a time of 43.86 seconds clocked at the 2025 Gumi Asian Athletics Championships. The national 4x400m mixed relay team is also on track to compete in Botswana due to its world ranking of 22. The national team had clocked a time of 3:14.81 last year in Guangzhou, China. (PTI)
Indian women’s rowing camp for Asian Games begins in Gorakhpur
New Delhi, March 27: A 51-day national rowing camp for women commenced in Gorakhpur on Friday to further strengthen the team’s preparations for the Asian Games in Japan later this year. The camp, being held at the Water Sports Complex at Ramgarh Lake, is organised by the Sports Authority of India at the request of the Rowing Federation of India. It aims to train the rowers for the continental showpiece scheduled to take place in Aichi-Nagoya from September 19 to October 4. Sudhir Sharma, Vice President of the Rowing Federation of India and Secretary of the UP Rowing Association, informed that the selected players and coaches have already arrived in Gorakhpur. The rowing competitions at the Asian Games will be held from September 20 to 25 at the Nagaragawa International Regatta Course in Kaizu City, Gifu Prefecture. (PTI)
Kabaddi camp for Asian Games to be held in Bellary in Karnataka
Bellary, March 27: Several prominent kabaddi players from the men’s and women’s sections, including Naveen Kumar, Pawan Sehrawat, Arjun Deshwal and Sonali Vishnu Shingate, will take part in a high-performance strength and conditioning camp for probable athletes ahead of the Asian Games in Japan later this year. The camp, scheduled from March 27 to April 2, aims to strengthen India’s kabaddi ecosystem, with a focused approach to athlete development, fitness optimisation, and long-term performance excellence. India has long been a powerhouse in the sport, dominating at the continental level in both the men’s and women’s sections for decades. They are the defending champions in both men’s and women’s kabaddi at the Asian Games. (PTI)
Two-time Olympic medallist Gurjant retires from international hockey
New Delhi, March 27: India’s two-time Olympic medallist Gurjant Singh on Friday retired from international hockey after an illustrious career, saying it’s the appropriate time to quit after losing his place in the national team due to a back injury last year. Gurjant represented India in 130 matches at the senior level and also helped the team win a gold medal at the 2023 Asian Games in China. The 31-year-old forward from Khailara village in Amritsar was a member of the Indian team that won back-to-back bronze medals at the Tokyo and Paris Olympics. He announced his retirement during the eighth Hockey India Annual Awards ceremony here on Friday. (PTI)
PSL captains to submit two team sheets and choose one after toss
Lahore, March 27: In order to offset dew factor in day/night matches, Pakistan Super League (PSL) has introduced a new rule, allowing the captains to submit two team sheets and pick one after the toss of coin. The 11th edition of the PSL which began on Thursday in Lahore now requires captains to submit two separate team sheets, including playing elevens and four substitute fielders, to the match referee before the toss. After the toss, captains can choose either one of the two teams they have submitted to the referee. A PCB official said the rule had been introduced to ensure fair competition, especially when the dew factor is prominent at either of the two venues (Lahore and Karachi). Sometime back, the PCB had also introduced a rule in domestic first class matches of doing away with the toss and allowing the visiting captain to make a call on whether he will bat or bowl first. The PCB said on Sunday that because of the conflict in the region and the austerity and revenue saving measures announced by the government, the PSL matches would be held without spectators. The Board also cancelled the opening ceremony and restricted the event to just two venues – Lahore and Karachi. (PTI)
