Top seeds Senthilkumar, Anahat in QF of HCL Squash Indian Tour 4
Chennai, Dec 2: Velavan Senthilkumar and Anahat Singh, the reigning men’s and women’s national champions respectively, cruised into the quarterfinals of the HCL Squash Indian Tour 4 with clinical victories here on Tuesday. World No. 46 Senthilkumar dismantled Sri Lanka’s Ravindu Laksiri 11-7, 11-8, 11-7, while Delhi teenager Anahat, ranked 29th in the world, eased past Tamara Holzbauerova of Czech Republic 11-7, 11-7, 11-7 in the pre-quarterfinals after both the Indian top seeds received first-round byes. Former women’s world No. 10 Joshna Chinappa, women’s sixth seed Tanvi Khanna and men’s second seed Veer Chotrani were the other Indians who made it to the last-eight. (PTI)
Russian athletes win CAS ruling to try to qualify for Winter Olympics
Lausanne, Dec 2: Russian skiers and snowboarders won a court ruling to apply as neutral athletes for qualification events to the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics after nearly four years of being excluded during the war on Ukraine. Russian sports minister Mikhail Degtyaryov on Tuesday posted on social media that an appeal from Russia to the Court of Arbitration for Sport overturned a blanket ban imposed by the International Ski and Snowboard Federation (FIS) within days of the full military invasion in February 2022. FIS renewed the ban in October. CAS later published its ruling in another legal win for Russian and Belarusian winter sports athletes. In October, a similar appeal to CAS by the Russian luge federation and athletes ruled against a long-standing blanket ban based on their passports. Sports bodies have excluded Russians mainly for security reasons to protect athletes and prevent protests that also could disrupt the field of play. Still, there is little time for FIS to process applications from athletes to be approved with neutral status ahead of a Jan 18 qualification deadline. The Milan Cortina Winter Olympics begin on Feb 6. (AP)
Indian Pickleball League: Chennai stay perfect, Gurgaon seal first win
New Delhi, Dec 2: Chennai Super Warriors continued their flawless run with a commanding 4-2 win over Hyderabad Royals, while Capital Warriors Gurgaon clinched their first victory of the season in a heart-stopping grand rally finish against Bengaluru Blasters in the Indian Pickleball League here on Tuesday. Lucknow Leopards, meanwhile, staged a spirited comeback to earn a dramatic 3-3 draw against Mumbai Smashers on a high-voltage Day 2 of the IPBL. Game day 3 will see Bengaluru open against Mumbai Smashers before Capital Warriors take on league leaders Chennai Super Warriors. Lucknow Leopards will face Hyderabad Royals in the day’s final tie. (PTI)
Delhi HC dismisses petitions challenging WFI elections
New Delhi, Dec 2: The Delhi High Court has dismissed petitions filed by top wrestlers Bajrang Punia, Sakshi Malik, Vinesh Phogat and Satyawart Kadian challenging the Wrestling Federation of India’s (WFI) December 2023 elections, after they failed to appear before the court on multiple dates. Back then Sanjay Singh had become the president beating Anita Sheoran, a candidate backed by the three Olympians. Justice Mini Pushkarna, hearing the matter on November 27, noted that none of the petitioners were present when the matters were taken up, and recorded that they had also remained absent for the previous two hearings. “The petitioners do not seem to be interested in prosecuting the present matters,” the court said in its order. The wrestlers had moved the High Court, alleging that the WFI elections were not conducted in a fair and transparent manner. Their plea sought intervention against what they claimed were procedural lapses and irregularities in the election process. With continuous non-appearance from the petitioners, the court dismissed the petitions in default and for non-prosecution, bringing an end to the legal challenge against the WFI polls. (PTI)
Govt clears contingent for Asian Youth Para Games
New Delhi, Dec 2: The Sports Ministry has cleared a 161-strong Indian contingent for the Asian Youth Para Games in Dubai from December 7 to 14, and has mandated thorough background check of the members in view of some officials and athletes “disappearing in foreign countries in the past”. The cleared list comprises 99 athletes (61 male and 38 female) and 62 coaches, support staff, and contingent officials. The ministry has also sought a detailed report on the contingent’s performance, including action photographs and other visual highlights, within 30 days of its return to the country. The ministry’s directive to conduct background checks came after some top para-athletes raised the issue of “disappearing support staff and wheelchair escorts” during big events. Although no case of athletes leaving the contingent have come to light, there have been complaints of officials treating foreign competitions as “paid for holidays.” (PTI)
Vikramaditya Chaufla wins Indian Racketlon Open title
Mumbai, Dec 2: India captain Vikramaditya Chaufla waded through a competitive international field to lift the Willingdon Indian Racketlon Open trophy here. Chaufla, who has multiple World Championship medals to his name, had to dig deep to get the better of compatriot Animesh Kejriwal in the final of the B category held here over the weekend. The final scoreline read 21-18, 21-10, 10-21, 19-18 in Chaufla’s favour. The semifinal against Russian veteran Dmitry Dubovenko was an absorbing battle of attrition before the Indian prevailed 9-21, 21-16, 21-16, 21-17. Racketlon is a fast growing sport where the competitors are required to play four racket sports: table tennis, badminton, tennis and squash. The tournament – an international Super World Tour event – was hosted alongside the World Tour Finals featuring the world’s top eight men and women. The championship was organised by the Willingdon Sports Club with guidance from Ajoy Bhandare and Nikhil Bhandare. (PTI)
