An organisation of Olympic sports federations on Friday said the decision by World Athletics to award prize money to gold medallists in its events "undermines the values of Olympism". The Association of Summer Olympic International Federations (ASOIF) released a statement which made clear how unhappy it was at the announcement by World Athletics president Sebastian Coe that track and field gold medallists at the Paris Olympics will receive $50,000 (47,000 euros). World Athletics' move, announced last week, was for a first for a federation at an Olympics. It said it would extend prize money to all medallists in Los Angeles in four years' time. ASOIF, which has 30 full members and two associate members, said: "This move undermines the values of Olympism and the uniqueness of the Games. One cannot and should not put a price on an Olympic gold medal. This disregards the less privileged athletes lower down the final standings." It said other Olympics ports cannot afford to offer prize money. "Not all sports could or should replicate this move, even if they wanted to," said ASOIF. The organisation added that it accepted schemes by National Olympic Committees and governments to "reward athletes for outstanding performances...for purposes of national pride and ...consistently across all the sports at the Olympic Games." It also said that there had been a consensus that, where sports had a surplus, Olympic revenue should "be invested as a priority into development and integrity". Also Read: Indian wrestlers 'sleeping on floor' after Dubai airport flooded: Reports The organisation was also unhappy that Coe had announced the move without warning to its fellow federations, although it had informed the International Olympic Committee on the day of the announcement. "ASOIF was neither informed nor consulted in advance of the announcement, which was made one day after the ASOIF General Assembly," it said, adding "it is important and fair to discuss the matter at stake with the other federations in advance". World Athletics responded in a statement to AFP that its decision to award prize money was "about underscoring our unwavering commitment to empowering the athletes and recognising the critical role they play in the success of any Olympic Games". It said it agreed it was impossible to put a "marketable value" on winning an Olympic medal. "But we think it is important to make sure some of the revenues generated by our athletes at the Olympic Games are directly returned to those who make the Games the global spectacle that it is," World Athletics added The total World Athletics prize fund of $2.4 million will come from the International Olympic Committee's revenue share allocation that the federation receives every four years. (With AFP inputs)
19 April,2024 05:43 PM IST | Lausanne | mid-day online correspondentNelly Korda, who is looking to tie an LPGA Tour record with her fifth straight win, shot a 4-under 68 on Thursday in the opening round of the Chevron Championship, leaving her two shots behind leader Lauren Coughlin in the year's first major. Coughlin shot a bogey-free 66 in windy conditions at Carlton Woods, which is hosting the event for the second time. The top-ranked Korda is seeking her second major after winning the Women's PGA Championship in 2021. She could join Nancy Lopez (1978) and Annika Sorenstam (2004-05) as the only players to win five consecutive LPGA events. Korda said she was battling fatigue from recent tournaments at the beginning of her round. She bogeyed her first hole, the par-4 10th. I (could) definitely still feel maybe a little bit of tiredness, so it took me a while to get going, she said. I felt the nerves definitely at the start of the round. Once I made the turn, I was just playing free golf. She made her first birdie on the par-4 14th hole, something she half-jokingly credited to a snack. I actually had an apple on 13, and that gave me actually a nice boost, she said. I felt a lot better after that. Maybe I should have apples more often. The 25-year-old finished with six birdies, including four in the final six holes. Also Read: IPL 2024: Rishabh Pant set for emotional homecoming vs in-form SRH Two of them were par 5s, so I got to take advantage of that with my length, she said. Hit a really good tee shot, and then I was just on the front of the green on 17, and the other one I was just on the fringe, too. I two-putted pretty much for birdie on those. Then I had wedge shots in on the other two, too. Taking advantage of my length and hitting good tee shots. Marina Alex and Japan's Minami Katsu also shot 68. Lydia Ko was one of five players at 69. The 31-year-old Coughlin, who played in college at Virginia and has never won on the LPGA Tour, made three birdies in a four-hole span from Nos. 2-5. She believes her game has benefited from her recent decision to make husband John Pond her full-time caddie. He's really good at talking through everything when I want to get really fast and make a decision really quickly, Coughlin said. He is really good at putting all the work in, all the extra work, all the extra walking ... making sure the strategy is really good and double checking everything. But ... he's always been really good with how he talks to me and communicates what he thinks I need to do and how I need to do it. Also Read: IPL 2024 |"It is going really well, I am almost there": Suryakumar opens up on his fitness Defending champion and world No. 2 Lilia Vu withdrew because of a back injury. She issued a statement on Instagram saying she had severe discomfort in her back during warmups. I have been dealing with a back injury for a while now, Vu said in the statement. Some days are better than others, and today was unfortunately not a good day. During my normal warmup routine, I had severe discomfort in my back and I felt that I could not compete up to my standards and made the decision to withdraw from the tournament ahead of my tee time. She added that she was returning home to see her doctors and determine the next steps. Later in the day, last year's runner-up Angel Yin withdrew because of an injury after shooting 78. A win by Ko would put her in the LPGA Hall of Fame. She won the Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions in January for her 20th LPGA title. The 26-year-old New Zealander admitted that she still gets nervous before tournaments despite all her experience and success. It doesn't matter what event we're playing or what circumstances, when you're younger you want to get away from the nerves, Ko said. To some extent as long as you can control it the nerves are good for you and you're able to excel and get the adrenaline to hit some shots that you may not be able to execute when you're just practicing.
19 April,2024 04:45 PM IST | The Woodlands | APWorld record holder Ariarne Titmus fired a warning shot on Friday to Katie Ledecky and Summer McIntosh ahead of the Paris Olympics with the fastest 400m freestyle of the year. The reigning Olympic champion went under four minutes at the Australian championships on the Gold Coast, hitting the wall in 3min 59.13sec to remain unbeaten in the event since 2019. Titmus beat Ledecky in a thrilling final at the Tokyo Olympics then broke the American great's long-standing world record in 2022, only for Canadian teenager McIntosh to better the mark last year. The Australian hit back to reclaim the world record months later with the expected clash between the three in Paris shaping as a blockbuster. "That's a good sign," said Titmus, who is again set to contest the 200-400-800 treble in France. She won gold over 200 and 400 in Tokyo and silver behind Ledecky in the 800. "I'm just trying to think about my expectations on myself and what I expect to do in Paris. I know a lot of people are willing me on and I'm just trying to use it in the best way possible," added the 23-year-old, who has swum four of the six fastest times in history. Also Read: Indian wrestlers 'sleeping on floor' after Dubai airport flooded: Reports Lani Pallister finished second in a personal best 4:01.75 ahead of the Australian Olympic trials in June. After her Australian record-breaking exploits in the 200m and 400m medley, Kaylee McKeown was again on fire in the 50m backstroke -- a non-Olympic event in which she holds the world record. The 22-year-old powered to a 27.07 finish ahead of Mollie O'Callaghan (27.16) in the fifth fastest time ever. "Had a bit of fun trying to change gears this meet, it's been good training," said McKeown, who is also the 100m and 200m backstroke world record holder. Matt Temple signalled his Paris intentions with the quickest 100m butterfly of the year, surging to the wall in 50.80. Former world champion Cameron McEvoy and sprint king Kyle Chalmers both went under 22 seconds in the 50m freestyle, with the former taking the title in 21.93 as he looks to make a fourth Olympics. Elijah Winnington continued his stellar form with victory in the men's 800m freestyle, powering home in 7:43.08 by half a length from Sam Short. Winnington set a world-leading time this year in the 400m free earlier in the meet. In other races, William Petric touched first in the 200m medley in 1:58.43 ahead of New Zealand's Lewis Clareburt, the 400m medley world champion. (With agency inputs)
19 April,2024 04:33 PM IST | Gold Coast | mid-day online correspondentSeven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton said on Thursday he was shutting out the noise surrounding his move to Ferrari next year, saying he didn’t need “vindicating” that it was right for him. Hamilton was asked on Thursday ahead of this weekend’s Chinese Grand Prix if Ferrari’s strong start to the season—they have been consistently closest to the dominant Red Bulls—meant the decision to switch had been justified. “I don’t feel like I need my decision vindicating,” Hamilton told reporters. “I know what was right for me, and that hasn’t changed since the moment that I made the decision.” Also Read: French Open will be the moment to give everything: Rafa Nadal after exit This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
19 April,2024 08:04 AM IST | Shanghai | AFPRafael Nadal said the upcoming French Open will be the moment to “give everything and die” on the court after his comeback from injury in Barcelona was curtailed by Alex de Minaur on Wednesday. Also Read: Modern CC clinch Shamrao Thosar Memorial cricket title The 22-time Grand Slam title winner, battled well but eventually crumbled 7-5, 6-1 against the World No. 11 from Australia in the second round. “It wasn’t today that I had to give everything and die, I have to give myself the chance to do that in a few weeks, or at least try to,” Nadal told reporters. “I will try to take a step further in Madrid, then another one in Rome and, in Paris... there is the moment to do it, whatever happens, there is no better place to.” This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
19 April,2024 08:02 AM IST | Barcelona | AFPDon Bosco (Matunga) ‘B’ entered the boys U-14 final of the 43rd Willingdon Catholic Gymkhana (WCG) rink hockey tournament in Santacruz on Thursday. The Bosco boys beat arch-rivals St Stanislaus 6-0 to storm into the summit clash where they will face India Rush. Daksh Gaikwad and Bhavik Parocha scored two goals each for the Bosco boys while Sanjith Narayan and Samarth Singh added one each. India Rush beat Children’s Academy 2-1 in their first game and then got the better of Our Lady of Egypt (Kalina) by the same scoreline to enter the final of the eight-team competition. Also Read: Bandra Gymkhana rink hockey from April 22
19 April,2024 07:55 AM IST | Mumbai | A CorrespondentDefending champions Mumbai Customs ‘A’ in the men’s category and Central Railway in the women’s division will look to uphold their titles as the Bandra Gymkhana rink hockey tournament begins from Monday, April 22. This year’s event will be held across four categories—men’s open, women’s open, boys U-14 and girls U-14. The men’s draw has attracted 18 teams while the women’s event will see 10 sides competing for top honours. In the junior competition, there are eight boys and 10 girls teams. The finals will be held on April 27. Also Read: MFA League: Kambli strikes as Bank of Baroda win
19 April,2024 07:50 AM IST | Mumbai | A CorrespondentGrandmaster D Gukesh played out a creditable draw against top seed Fabiano Caruana but slipped a rung to the joint second position on a day when two other Indians endured frustrating losses in the Candidates Chess Tournament’s 11th round. Also Read: Two Indian wrestlers stranded at Dubai airport Nerves finally came into play as R Praggnanandhaa and Vidit Gujrathi lost their way against American Hikaru Nakamura and Russian Ian Nepomniachtchi respectively.In the other encounter, Frenchman Firouza Alireza proved superior to Nijat Abasov of Azerbaijan. With just three rounds remaining, the die seems to be cast in favour of Nepomniachtchi, who is gunning for his third straight Candidates title. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
19 April,2024 07:40 AM IST | Toronto | PTIIndian wrestlers Deepak Punia and Sujeet Kalakal’s chances of qualifying for the Paris Olympics hit a roadblock as the two Kyrgyzstan-bound grapplers were left stranded at the Dubai International Airport due to unprecedented rains in the gulf nation. Also Read: ‘Depression, under-eating caused early retirement’ Deepak (86kg), who had come close to winning a medal at the Tokyo Games, and Sujeet (65kg), were on their way to Bishkek for the Asia Oly qualfiers, but were stuck in Dubai after heavy rains left highways, roads and one of the world’s busiest airports in disarray. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
19 April,2024 07:35 AM IST | New Delhi | PTIIndia's ace long jumper Murali Sreeshankar has withdrawn from the upcoming 2024 Paris Olympics after sustaining a knee injury in training. In a social media post, the 25-year-old Sreeshankar said that he hurt his knee during training on Tuesday and will need surgery. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Sreeshankar Murali (@sreeshankarmurali) "All my life, I've had the courage to look at a setback in the eye, accept situations I can't change, and work hard at dictating the outcomes of those I can. Unfortunately, in what feels like a nightmare, but is a reality, my Paris Olympic Games dream is over," Sreeshankar said in a post on social media on Thursday. After multiple tests, it has been decided that he will need surgery, which rules him out from the Paris Olympics. "I suffered a knee injury during training on Tuesday, and all the tests and consultations later, it's been decided that I would need surgery, ruling me out of the one single thing I have chased relentlessly all these years," the post further read. Also Read: Indian wrestlers 'sleeping on floor' after Dubai airport flooded: Reports Sreeshankar qualified for the Olympics with an 8.37-meter leap at the Asian Athletics Championships in Bangkok. The effort also earned him a silver medal in the event. The men's long jump qualification mark for Paris 2024 is 8.27 metres. "To wake up healthy every single day, and watch yourself get into the best shape of your life, is every athlete's dream. I was living it, until this incident. Life writes strange scripts, and some times there is courage in accepting it and moving on. That's what I will do," he added. Sreeshankar said his comeback journey started the moment he injured his knee and expressed optimism that he will "have a lot to give" on a "difficult" road of recovery. "My journey to a comeback began the minute I injured my knee. This road is going to be long, difficult and will take a lot out of me. The good thing is, I have a lot to give. I will overcome this because that's what Mamba Mentality is all about," he added. The ace jumper said he need positive energy and prayers while he takes "biggest" leap. "I will need your prayers, love and positive energy. I may jump alone, but it takes a collective push before every leap. This is my biggest one yet," he added.
18 April,2024 06:02 PM IST | New Delhi | mid-day online correspondentTwo top Indian wrestlers have been "sleeping on the floor" at Dubai airport after record rainfall disrupted travel to and from the Middle East financial centre, Indian media reported. The Indian Express newspaper said Paris Olympics hopeful Deepak Punia and fellow wrestler Sujeet Kalkal had been stuck at the airport since Tuesday while en route to Bishkek for the Asian Olympic Qualifying Tournament. Scores of flights were delayed, cancelled or diverted during Tuesday's torrential rain, when planes were seen taxiing on submerged runways. Kalkal's father said the athletes were hoping to get on a flight from Dubai late on Thursday to make it in time for their bouts, scheduled in Bishkek for Friday. "They have been sleeping on the floor of the terminal and have not been able to eat proper food. They are in a terrible situation," the newspaper quoted Kalkal's father Dayanand as saying. Operations have slowed to a crawl at Dubai airport, the world's busiest by international traffic, because staff were unable to arrive with roads flooded and most public transport suspended. With nearly every flight repeatedly delayed, passengers were told to stay away "unless absolutely necessary", Dubai Airports said. Also Read: Vinesh Phogat takes center stage as Indian wrestlers embark on Olympic quota pursuit Meanwhile, as many as 36 quotas will be up for grabs in 18 weight categories across three disciplines -- freestyle, women and greco-roman -- during the event, with India representing in all but one weight category. Antim Panghal, 19, has already sealed a quota place in women's 53kg for India en route to her bronze medal winning feat at the 2023 World Wrestling Championships in Belgrade, Serbia. It will be time for the rest of the Indian wrestlers such as Vinesh (50kg), Reetika Hooda (76kg), the current Under-23 world champion Anshu (57kg), Mansi (62kg) and Nisha (68kg) to put their best foot forward and seal their quota places. However, none of the Indians will be under the scanner like Vinesh, the 2018 Asian Games and 2022 Commonwealth Games medallist, who was one of the face of Indian wrestlers' protest against former national federation (WFI) president Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh. (With agency inputs)
18 April,2024 05:39 PM IST | New Delhi | mid-day online correspondentADVERTISEMENT
