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Anshul Bhatt wins triple gold at U-16 Youth Bridge Championships

“I had a dream run at the championships and am elated to have won three Golds for India on the 75th anniversary of our independence,” Anshul said…reports Asian Lite News

After winning the pairs event, 13-year-old Anshul Bhatt captained Team Blitz to win the teams event in the U-16 World Youth Transnational Bridge Championships teams’ event in Salsomaggiore, Italy.

He was awarded the Gold in Overall Performance in the U-16 category. Anshul, who has been playing bridge since the age of six, is the youngest winner of three gold medals at the World Bridge championships where participants from over 30 countries took part.

“I had a dream run at the championships and am elated to have won three Golds for India on the 75th anniversary of our independence,” Anshul said.

“I have been coached and mentored by many great bridge players in India and abroad throughout my career. I would like to thank Mr Keyzad Anklesaria from India and Mr Eric Kokish from Canada for coaching Darwin and me for the 2022 championships. I would also like to thank the entire bridge community in India for their support,” he added.

Bob Hamman, one of the greatest bridge players of all time, said in a lighter vein, “Well done. I am glad that my opponents are not as tough as Anshul.”

Anshul Bhatt (captain), Canada’s Darwin Li, and Estonia’s Jasper Vahk and Albert Pedmanson won the Gold medal on August 13. The four players came together in July 2022 to form Team Blitz.

Eleven teams had participated in the qualifying rounds, and Team Blitz was the fourth and last team to enter the semifinals, which were played on August 12 against Poland’s CKIS Skawina U15.

In the finals against the USS Unsinkable, the Blitz team, which was trailing by 10 points after the second round, recovered lost ground in the third round with a two-point lead and ended the fourth round with a 23-point lead to bag the championship.

Anshul won the gold medal with Canada’s 15-year-old Darwin Li in the pairs event at the under-16 World Youth Transnational Bridge Championships.

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Khelo India women’s hockey league for under-16 begins

“The U-16 Women’s Hockey League is a good opportunity to shine and it’s a great platform to learn also. And like our Hon’ble PM said to our athletes before the CWG, give your best and don’t worry about win or lose.”…reports Asian Lite News

Indian hockey legend Zafar Iqbal declared the 1st Khelo India Women’s Hockey League (U-16) open at the Major Dhyanchand National Stadium here on Tuesday.

The Phase 1 of the tournament, scheduled until August 23, started earlier in the morning.

Also present during the opening ceremony were Ekta Vishnoi, Senior Director, Khelo India, Vineet Kumar, former Indian men’s team hockey player, Asunta Lakra, former Indian women’s team hockey player, Piyush Kumar Dubey, former coach of the Indian men’s hockey team, amongst others.

“It is great to see the kind of enthusiasm our Hon’ble Prime Minister has for sports and today we have so many platforms like the Khelo India scheme, which has made this U-16 tournament possible,” mentioned Iqbal, gold medalist, 1980 Moscow Olympics.

“The Commonwealth Games recently showed us that be it in Hockey or Athletics, our girls are capable of defeating any team in the world. You have the skill and stamina and you are the future,” Iqbal added, addressing close to 300 players across the 16 teams participating.

“The U-16 Women’s Hockey League is a good opportunity to shine and it’s a great platform to learn also. And like our Hon’ble PM said to our athletes before the CWG, give your best and don’t worry about win or lose.”

Speaking at the inauguration of the first Khelo India Women’s Hockey League (U-21) last year, Sports minister Anurag Thakur had mentioned that junior athletes train at the camp throughout the year but they have limited exposure to competition which is very crucial to perform well at international platforms and that was the idea of behind launching the women’s leagues in India.

A total of 56 matches will be played in Phase 1. The Sports Authority of India has allocated a total of Rs 53.72 lakh for 3 phases of the competition, which includes Prize money of Rs 15.5 lakh.

ALSO READ-Anshul Bhatt wins triple gold at U-16 Youth Bridge Championships

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Praggnanandhaa stuns Firouzja at Champions Chess Tour

In the third game, Pragg looked lost but, incredibly, managed to turn things around and score an improbable second win to go 2-1 up…reports Asian Lite News

Indian prodigy Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa came back strongly from a disadvantageous position to beat World’s No. 1 junior player, Alireza Firouzja, in the third encounter of their four-game match as the FTX Crypto Cup, the American finale of Champions Chess Tour, which got off to a thrilling start here.

The 2.5-1.5 win in the first-round encounter on Sunday night in Miami, the first offline event of the tour, put Praggnanandhaa in the top spot along with World No. 1 Magnus Carlsen, Jan-Krzysztof Duda of Poland and Kevin Aronian in the eight-player all-play-all field.

With USD7,500 at stake for each match win at the Eden Roc Miami Beach Hotel, the Meltwater Champions Chess Tour Major started with plenty of fire and fighting chess.

Carlsen defeated Dutch No. 1 Anish Giri. Duda got the better of Hans Niemann of the United States while Aronian beat Liem Quang Le of Vietnam. Each match will be played over four rapid games, with blitz tiebreaks in case of a 2:2 draw.

Praggnanandhaa, India’s 17-year-old hotshot, got off to the best start possible in the battle of the prodigies, sealing a first-game win by taking advantage of a tiny mistake from Alireza Firouzja.

Pragg followed up Firouzja’s pawn push (21… c5) by taking it (22. cxd5) and then made a fine rook move (23. Rac1) to set up tactics in his favour. The Indian Grandmaster from Chennai capatilised on the small tactical advantage to duly convert it into a win.

Firouzja, the French Iranian prodigy, however, is not known as the world’s best junior for nothing. Immediately, he hit back in the second game to level the score before building up a strong advantage in the third.

In the third game, Pragg looked lost but, incredibly, managed to turn things around and score an improbable second win to go 2-1 up.

In the fourth and final game of the tie, Pragg closed out the draw he needed to take the 3 points and continue his incredible form in Meltwater Champions Chess Tour events. He had finished second to China’s Ding Liren in the first event of the hybrid series in which players are playing on their personal laptops to maintain continuity.

Meanwhile, World Champion Carlsen put on a masterclass to secure a first-round win against Anish Giri. Norway’s world champion went up the gears as he ended the round with two dominant wins to blow Giri away 3-1. It was an ominous sign for the rest of the field, Play Magnus Group, the organisers of the Champions Chess Tour, informed in a release on Monday.

Giri, the Dutch No.1, did have a strong position in game 2 but was left ruing his decision to bail out for a draw without taking advantage and really going for a win.

Carlsen said afterwards, “It was a lot of fun, we played really, really fighting games. Finally, I managed to break him in the third.”

Carlsen now marches into Round 2 against the American Hans Niemann who had drama-packed day which ended with him losing 3-0.

Niemann suffered a disastrous start against Poland’s Oslo Esports Cup winner Jan-Krzysztof Duda — and not of his own making.

The New Yorker’s laptop ran out of power and had to be restarted, allowing his opponent five minutes to find the best moves.

In the last match to finish, Aronian took an early lead against Vietnam’s Liem Quang Le and then held on for three draws to take the match win, USD7,500 and three points.

ALSO READ-Bronze medal at CEC 2022 opens up new horizons for Indian esports

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Bronze medal at CEC 2022 opens up new horizons for Indian esports

Up until 2010, esports as a concept was relatively obscure in India and rather non-existent, with low public awareness, lack of infrastructure, and little involvement in the development of this sector…reports Asian Lite News

India’s DOTA 2 esports team’s victory at the Commonwealth Esports Championship 2022 is a significant milestone in the history of the Indian esports and gaming ecosystem.

The Industry experts feel that the victory of Indian team will open up new horizons for aspiring athletes who dream to compete in international tournaments in the future. The win will open floodgates for subsequent industries to rise, birthing new-gen pro-gamers, careers, tournaments, brand associations and sponsorship opportunities among others. As the country celebrates 75 years of Independence today, this victory marks a historical achievement for India in the international gaming arena.

The Indian DOTA 2 esports team displayed a smacking performance and won the bronze at the inaugural Commonwealth Esports Championships 2022 (CEC) held recently in Birmingham, England.

The winners of the Indian DOTA 2 team, consisting of Moin Ejaz (captain), Ketan Goyal, Abhishek Yadav, Shubhnam Goli, and Vishal Vernekar, defeated New Zealand by 2-0 in an unsurpassed format.

Up until 2010, esports as a concept was relatively obscure in India and rather non-existent, with low public awareness, lack of infrastructure, and little involvement in the development of this sector.

However, 2010 saw an enormous surge in the user base due to the popularity of smartphones, affordable high-speed internet, and notable investments in the space.
According to a report by the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) and EY India, the Indian esports industry rose to Rs 3 billion in FY2021 and is expected to reach Rs 11 billion by FY2025. This only confirms that the growth opportunity for esports in India is exponential and expansive.

Bharat Patel, Co-Founder, and Director, of Yudiz Solutions Limited, said, “A big congratulations to team India for claiming the bronze medal at the Commonwealth Esports Championship for DOTA 2. A remarkable achievement, considering the countless scrims, lengthy LAN games, and complex strategies involved.”

With reference to esports athletes he said, “The intelligence, mettle, and enthusiasm DOTA players display is utterly amazing. This win will boost the morale of the younger generation to become more active participants, encouraging the industry and the gaming community going forward.”

Anurag Khurana, CEO & Founder of Penta Esports said, “Congratulations to team India on winning the bronze medal at CEC for DOTA 2. This win will surely bring esports more recognition in India and inspire more aspiring esports athletes at the grassroots level in the country.”

Talking about the win Abhishek Aggarwal, Co-Founder, and CEO, of Trinity Gaming India, said, “These are exciting times for the esports industry and a very proud moment for the country and the gaming community. This win by the DOTA 2 team at the Commonwealth Esports Championship has earned a spot for India on the global gaming map and the future of esports looks very bright. This will encourage a new breed of gamers to build their careers leading to a larger pool of talent in the country.

“This is also an opportunity for brands to step forward in supporting the industry and encouraging the new athletes who aspire to have a career in this arena. We, as industry players, are confident that the government will support this form of sport by providing adequate support to the esports athletes.”

The Indian esports ecosystem witnessed its first international representation (demonstration) at the Asian Games in 2018. Tirth Mehta, who won a bronze at the time, drew the attention of many developers and investors and their interest in Indian esports grew. Coverage and promotional campaigns on various online social media platforms like YouTube, Facebook, and Instagram increased public awareness and further stimulated the popularity of esports in India.

As esports is declared as a medal event at the next Asian Games and Commonwealth Games, India’s performance and win at the CEC 2022 has upped the ante for Indian esports in the international arena.

ALSO READ-Indian wrestlers hope for tough tasks at Paris

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Indian wrestlers hope for tough tasks at Paris

Wrestling as a sport has a rich history, and it has been part of the Olympics since 1896. It is one of the few sports which featured in every Olympic right from 1896….writes Chetan Sharma

As expected, Indian wrestlers had a medal rush as they got a perfect 12 at the Commonwealth Games from their contingent. However, a tougher test awaits them at Asiad, World Championships and Paris Olympics.

Before the start of the Birmingham Games, we had said that the Indian grapplers had a great opportunity to bag 12 medals in all their weight categories. And the results are in front of everybody to see.

Well, there is no rocket science to it. Actually, the past records have suggested that the CWG have always been a happy hunting ground for the Indian wrestlers. And the reason is the level of competition in CWG.

In 2022, the nation ruled the wrestling mat in a depleted field, getting medals in all 12 weight categories and also improving the gold tally from previous editions’ five to six this time.

Asked ‘if it is enough?’ Wrestling ‘gurus’ have their opinions.

“Gold medallists are fine, because they can’t go beyond gold (laughs). But that doesn’t mean they should not work on their weaknesses. Like the margin of win can be improved. But whoever loses gold, will have to work hard as the level of competition will go up from here to Asiad, Worlds and then the Paris Olympics.

“I was impressed with many wins by fall. This is good for wrestling,” a former coach told.

Another coach said, “Women could have won five gold medals. Not impressed with the number frankly. Nothing less than gold in CWG excites me. Paris is too far, so WFI (Wrestling Federation of India) must plan accordingly and grapplers need to give everything in training.”

With a good show at CWG 2022, wrestling fans would be upset with the news that the sports will not be part of the 2026 Games as the host nation Victoria has decided to exclude shooting and wrestling. However, the matter is still in discussion and the decision might get changed (under pressure from several nations).

Wrestling as a sport has a rich history, and it has been part of the Olympics since 1896. It is one of the few sports which featured in every Olympic right from 1896.

Focusing on India’s ‘Road to Paris’ blog, if one checks records, the country has so far won seven medals in wrestling in Olympics.

The first Indian wrestler to win an Olympic medal was K.D. Jadhav, who won bronze way back in the 1952 Helsinki Games. Though India’s next triumph came after a long wait of 56 years with Sushil Kumar’s bronze at Beijing 2008. From there on, India has won at least one wrestling medal in each of the last four Olympics.

The latest Olympics medallists in wrestling are Ravi Dahiya (Silver) and Bajrang Punia (Bronze) from Tokyo 2020. Both are in prime form as they also won gold in Birmingham.

Apart from them, few familiar names continued their dominant run, youngsters shot to the limelight, and old guards successfully sought redemption in Birmingham. Sakshi Malik scripted a superb comeback after she was written off following her failure to qualify for Tokyo Olympics. Deepak Punia dethroned two-time gold medallist from Pakistan, Muhammad Inam, to win Gold.

Young Anshu Malik lost her final but finished with a silver in her maiden Commonwealth Games appearance. Vinesh Phogat overcame the lows of Tokyo Olympics and her battle with mental health to become the first Indian woman to win three successive Gold medals at the Commonwealth Games.

Ravi Kumar Dahiya needed a little less than seven minutes to win his maiden Commonwealth Games gold medal as the Tokyo Olympics silver medallist was at his dominant best in the men’s 57kg category. On the other hand, the 19-year-old Naveen won Gold, beating Pakistan’s Mohammed Sharif in the final.

The WFI would be feeling proud with all the wrestlers coming home with medals in their hands.

Overall, the performances were satisfactory but this is just the beginning of a tough journey ahead.

ALSO READ-Olympic champion Eve Muirhead announces retirement

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Sandesh Jhingan joins Bengaluru FC

The centre-back, who was named as AIFF Player of the Year for the 2020-21 campaign, is also an Arjuna Award winner…reports Asian Lite News

Bengaluru FC announced the arrival of star defender Sandesh Jhingan ahead of the upcoming Hero ISL season, the club revealed the signing through their social media handles on Sunday.

Jhingan has had a marvellous career in the league, after plying trade for Kerala Blasters FC and ATK Mohun Bagan, having played an integral role for both sides.

Making his Hero ISL debut with Kerala Blasters FC, the centre-back was adjudged as the Emerging Player of the League in the inaugural season in 2014 and since then, has been one of the most prominent Indian defenders the league has witnessed.

Jhingan made nine appearances for the Mariners in Hero ISL 2021-22, making 30 clearances, 25 tackles, 14 interceptions, and 13 blocks along with a passing accuracy of 86 per cent. The centre-back, who was named as AIFF Player of the Year for the 2020-21 campaign, is also an Arjuna Award winner.

With the arrival of Englishman Simon Grayson as the head coach, Jhingan will have his laces on the front to be the face of the Blues defence as the side complete their fifth domestic signing of the season.

ALSO READ-Olympic champion Eve Muirhead announces retirement

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Olympic champion Eve Muirhead announces retirement 

Muirhead competed in four Winter Olympic competitions, and also won bronze at the Sochi 2014 Games…reports Asian Lite News

Olympic curling champion Eve Muirhead on Thursday announced her retirement from the sport, calling it “the hardest decision of my life”.

The Scot was the skipper of the Great Britain women’s team who claimed the gold medal at the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing in February. The 32-year-old Muirhead, who is reigning Winter Olympic, world, and European champion, revealed her decision on social media.

“After 15 years of international curling and 21 international titles I have made the hardest decision of my life to hang up my curling shoes and retire,” Muirhead said in a statement on Twitter.

Muirhead competed in four Winter Olympic competitions, and also won bronze at the Sochi 2014 Games.

She won her first world title in 2013, is a three-time European women’s team champion, claimed European mixed team gold too, and “completed the set” with her fourth major title by winning gold in the World Mixed Doubles Curling championships alongside Scottish teammate Bobby Lammie in April.

“Retiring from curling as a current European, World, and Olympic champion is something I’ve always dreamed of, and I am signing off with a huge smile on my face,” Muirhead further said.

“I always dreamed of winning all three and to do it all in one season was amazing. To bow out at this stage is definitely the right time.With regards to what’s next… I’m looking forward to exploring more opportunities and getting my golf clubs out… but watch this space,” she added.

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Serena announces retirement after US Open

The 40-year-old admitted afterwards she was “getting close to the light at the end of the tunnel” with regards to her remarkable career, before furthering that statement with her article…reports Asian Lite News

Serena Williams, the 23-time Grand Slam singles champion, on Tuesday hinted towards her retirement, saying that she is “evolving away from tennis” after the US Open.

Writing for Vogue, the American said she is moving towards “other things that are important to me”, adding she does not like the word “retirement”.

Williams made her singles return at Wimbledon in June after a lengthy injury lay-off that had led to speculation about her retirement. She registered her first singles win in 14 months, beating Spain’s Nuria Parrizas Diaz to reach the second round of the National Bank Open in Toronto on Monday.

The 40-year-old admitted afterwards she was “getting close to the light at the end of the tunnel” with regards to her remarkable career, before furthering that statement with her article.

“I have never liked the word retirement. It doesn’t feel like a modern word to me. I’ve been thinking of this as a transition but I want to be sensitive about how I use that word, which means something very specific and important to a community of people,” Williams wrote in Vogue.

“Maybe the best word to describe what I’m up to is evolution. I’m here to tell you that I’m evolving away from tennis, toward other things that are important to me.

“I’ve been reluctant to admit that I have to move on from playing tennis. It’s like a taboo topic. It comes up, and I start to cry. I think the only person I’ve really gone there with is my therapist,” she added.

The star player was knocked out by Harmony Tan at Wimbledon in her first singles match for a year earlier this summer, but has her sights set on the US Open in what could prove her farewell tournament.

Williams’ last Grand Slam title came in 2017 to take her tally to 23, leaving her one shy of a 24th that would bring her level with Margaret Court’s record for most majors.

“Unfortunately I wasn’t ready to win Wimbledon this year. And I don’t know if I will be ready to win New York. But I’m going to try. And the lead-up tournaments will be fun,” she added in the article.

“I know there’s a fan fantasy that I might have tied Margaret that day in London, then maybe beat her record in New York, and then at the trophy ceremony say, ‘See ya!’, I get that. It’s a good fantasy. But I’m not looking for some ceremonial, final on-court moment. I’m terrible at goodbyes, the world’s worst.”

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Qatar WC to start a day earlier

Under the requested change the Netherlands game would then move from a 1pm kick-off slot to the 7pm slot originally for Qatar v Ecuador, while the England and US games would not be affected…reports Asian Lite News

The upcoming football World Cup is to start a day earlier than planned to allow hosts Qatar playing the first match.

DPA and other media have learnt that the council of the world governing body FIFA is dealing with an according request. The match between Qatar and Ecuador on November 20 would start at 7pm (1700 GMT) at Al Bayt Stadium.

FIFA is yet to comment on the issue.

Under the original tournament format the game would have been the third of four matches scheduled for the first day, November 21, starting with the Netherlands v Senegal and the other games being England v Iran and the United States v Wales.

Under the requested change the Netherlands game would then move from a 1pm kick-off slot to the 7pm slot originally for Qatar v Ecuador, while the England and US games would not be affected.

The request was made after an according agreement of both teams and the South American confederation CONMEBOL. It also apparently won’t lead to changes of release dates for players.

The host nation has played the first match between 1958 and 1970, and again since the 2006 tournament in Germany.

The 1974-2002 tournaments were opened by the defending champion who however is no longer automatically qualified. There was no official opening game between 1930 and 1954.

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PV Sindhu, Lakshya Sen, Saina Nehwal handed tough draws in BWF

Malvika Bansod is the third Indian in the women’s singles draw and starts her campaign against Danish world No. 21 Line Christophersen…reports Asian Lite News

After a successful campaign at the recently concluded Commonwealth Games, Indian badminton players, including PV Sindhu and Lakshya Sen, will be keen to continue their stellar run at the BWF World Championships 2022 which starts in Tokyo from August 22.

World No 7 Sindhu, who won her maiden singles gold at CWG 2022 in Birmingham, will be eyeing her second world title, having won the event in 2019.

However, it will be a challenging task for the two-time Olympic medallist, who may run into Wang Zhi Yi of China, the reigning Asian champion, and An Se Young of Korea, ranked No. 3 in the world badminton rankings, even before the semi-finals.

Sindhu got a bye in the first round and will potentially face Wang Zhi Yi in round three. An Se Young remains a possible opponent for the quarterfinals if the seedings play out.

Meanwhile, former World No 1 Saina Nehwal will return to the court after missing the CWG. The London Olympics bronze medallist, currently ranked 28th, will meet Jong Kong’s Cheung Ngan Yi in her opener and may come across world No 6 Nozomi Okuhara of Japan as early as in the second round.

Malvika Bansod is the third Indian in the women’s singles draw and starts her campaign against Danish world No. 21 Line Christophersen.

Among the men, India’s Kidambi Srikanth (ranked 13th), Lakshya Sen (10th) and HS Prannoy (18th) are in the same half of the draw, and only one of them can make the semi-finals.

The focus will be on Lakshya, who won the men’s singles gold in Birmingham this week. He also got a first-round bye for the Tokyo world championships.

Srikanth and Lakshya won the silver and bronze medals, respectively, at the last edition of the world championships in Spain. World No 5 Lee Zii Jia of Malaysia and World No 2 Kento Momota of Japan will be the major threats for the Indian men.

B Sai Praneeth is also part of the touring party but has a tough first assignment against Chinese Taipei’s Chou Tien Chen, the current world No 4 in his way, an olympics.com report said.

Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty, gold medallists from Birmingham 2022, will lead the Indian charge in men’s doubles. Indian pairs Manu Attri/B Sumeeth Reddy, Krishna Prasad Garaga/ Vishnuvardhan Goud Panjala and MR Arjun/Dhruv Kapila are also in the fray.

On the other hand, Treesa Jolly/Gayatri Gopichand and Ashwini Ponnappa/ N Sikki Reddy will be India’s best hopes in the women’s doubles, where Pooja Dandu/ Sanjana Santosh and Ashwini Bhat K/ Shikha Gautam will also be looking to impress.

The mixed doubles section will see two Indian pairs, Ishaan Bhatnagar/Tanisha Crasto and Venkat Gaurav Prasad/ Juhi Dewangan, in action. Overall, a total of 27 shuttlers will be part of the Indian contingent in Japan.

Indian shuttlers have ensured 12 podium finishes at the world badminton championships but Sindhu’s gold medal in women’s singles back in 2019 remains the only gold in the lot.

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