Jeroen Baart, the head coach of Soorma Hockey Club featuring in the Hockey India League (HIL) 2024-25, opened up on his bond with Indian skipper Harmanpreet Singh, calling him a "composed, cold-blooded" player who would be a valuable asset to the team with his leadership skills. Baart spoke to ANI about the return of the HIL recently, with the men's competition starting from December 28 onwards. Soorma Hockey Club will be starting off against Tamil Nadu Dragons on December 29 in Rourkela. Harmanpreet is the most expensive player in the tournament, bought by the franchise for Rs 78 lakhs during the auction owing to his exceptional drag-flicking and goal-scoring abilities. Speaking to ANI about Harmanpreet, Baart said that he has had a special bond with the Indian captain ever since he started coaching the Belgium under-21 team and lost the Junior Hockey World Cup held in India back in 2016 to India. "The way that I have got to know Harman is that he is very composed. I mean, he is a player that is difficult to put under pressure. He is very cold-blooded in that way of sense and I think that is a massive strength. Not only that, but he is also just a very good leader. He is a nice guy," said the coach. "He connects. He has not a lot of ego. And the way that he shares that responsibility and the way that he shares that side of him, not only on the field but also off the field, makes him a very big asset for us inside our team," he added. Baart is extremely excited to be a part of the league and privileged to be leading the Soorma Hockey Club as a coach. "I have been in India now since December 12, working very closely with, first of all, the Indian core group. And now the international players are joining in and we cannot wait to get started. Looking forward to getting into Rourkela and starting the Hockey India League," he added. On working with Olympian, Commonwealth Games and Asian Games medalist former Indian captain Sardar Singh, Baart said that Sardar is a "legend" on the field but also a very nice guy. "He brings lots of experiences as a player and the way that the players view certain situations. That makes it very fascinating, I think, not only for myself but also for Indian and international players. It is very nice to get in connection with Sardar, getting his view, going to the discussion is and it is a big value to us to be able to work with him inside our team and Sardar's staff," he added. The coach is excited to work with all the Indian and international stars in the competition, noting that they all have their unique selling points and value to the team. Lastly, Baart hailed the return of HIL, saying that the return of this competition will help in the transfer of knowledge to Indian players from foreign stars up their game and develop the "Indian way" of Hockey further by providing a roadmap for future World Cups, Olympics etc. "The talented generation that became a junior world champion in 2016, 2016 of India, started all off with having the experience afterwards as well in the HIL at that time between 2013, 2017, and 2018. And you see, it gave India a massive boost. I think India has been striving on that generation a lot," he said. "And now I think it is a very important thing to be happening again, to have the HIL again happening. So the next generation also can have that connection with worldwide hockey and the knowledge of what foreign coaches and players bring. And there's no wrong or right there." "Just being able to talk and think in different ways, being able to have discussions with different kinds of cultures will develop the Indian way of growing again. And I believe HIL for the next few years will help Hockey India India to be on the roadmap for the coming World Cups, Asian Games, and also Olympic Games," he concluded. 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
28 December,2024 10:57 AM IST | Chandigarh | ANIFive-time world champion Magnus Carlsen was first fined and then disqualified from the World Rapid and Blitz Chess Championship here for his refusal to comply with FIDE's dress code after turning up in jeans. Defending champion Carlsen was fined USD 200 for wearing jeans, which are "explicitly prohibited" under tournament regulations and when he refused the request to change his attire immediately by chief arbiter Alex Holowczak, he was disqualified and was not paired for Round 9 of the Rapid championship taking place at Wall Street. One of the game's greatest players, the Norwegian ace had agreed to follow the dress from the next day but was not ready to do it immediately, resulting in his disqualification. In a statement, the game's global governing body FIDE emphasised that the dress code rules are well-communicated to all participants and designed to ensure professionalism. "The dress code regulations are drafted by members of the FIDE Athletes Commission, which is composed of professional players and experts. These rules have been in place for years and are well-known to all participants and are communicated to them ahead of each event," FIDE said in the statement which was posted on 'X'. "FIDE has also ensured that the players' accommodation is within a short walking distance from the playing venue, making adherence to the rules more convenient." It added, "Today, Mr. Magnus Carlsen breached the dress code by wearing jeans, which are explicitly prohibited under long-standing regulations for this event. The Chief Arbiter informed Mr. Carlsen of the breach, issued a USD 200 fine, and requested that he change his attire. "Unfortunately, Mr. Carlsen declined, and as a result, he was not paired for round nine. This decision was made impartially and applies equally to all players." Earlier, Russian Grandmaster Ian Nepomniachtchi was also penalised for a similar violation but he complied by changing his attire, allowing him to continue in the event. Meanwhile, "upset" with the turn of events, Carlsen said he won't participate in the Blitz section of the championship as he is "pretty tired" of FIDE's dress code policies. "I am pretty tired of FIDE, so I want no more of this. I don't want anything to do with them. I am sorry to everyone at home, maybe it's a stupid principle, but I don't think it's any fun," Carlsen told Norwegian broadcasting channel NRK. "I said I don't want to bother changing now, but I can change until tomorrow, that's fine. But they didn't want to compromise. I've reached a point where I am pretty upset with FIDE, so I didn't want to either. Then that's how it goes," he added. (With agency inputs)
28 December,2024 10:17 AM IST | New York | mid-day online correspondentTokyo Olympic medallist Lovlina Borgohain has been included in the Athletes’ Commission while six Boxing Federation of India (BFI) officials, including president Ajay Singh, will be part of the newly-formed interim Asian body established by the breakaway organisation World Boxing. India will play a pivotal role in shaping the future of Asian boxing within this new structure, with the BFI holding seven key positions, including Singh, who has been appointed as a board member. Borgohain will represent the athletes’ voices in Asian and global boxing. Key BFI officials, including secretary general Hemanta Kumar Kalita and treasurer Digvijay Singh, will hold positions on the Olympic Commission and Finance and Audit Committee respectively. “The creation of Asian Boxing marks a significant milestone for World Boxing and a crucial step toward ensuring that boxing remains a part of the Olympic Games in LA 2028 and beyond,” Singh was quoted as saying in a media release. “India is proud to be at the heart of this transformative initiative, contributing to the process of securing boxing’s Olympic future. “With strong representation across key commissions, India is strategically positioned to influence key policies, drive the development of Indian boxing, and champion the growth and prominence of the sport not only within the country but across Asia,” Singh said on the formation of the interim Asian body and BFI’s role. 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
28 December,2024 06:41 AM IST | New Delhi | PTIJockey P Trevor excelled on Friday at the Mahalaxmi racetrack when he won not only the day's feature event, the Hyderabad Race Club Trophy (astride Democracy), but also rode his other two mounts to victory, accomplishing a cent percent strike rate for the day. The Pesi Shroff-trained Democracy put up a scintillating show. Lying last of five as Cellini (V Bunde up) worked up a runaway lead by cutting blazing fractions, Trevor alerted Democracy to task after turning for home, and the four-year-old filly moved up magnificently to cover almost a dozen lengths, before sweeping past the field for an easy victory. Trevor had earlier ridden another facile winner for Shroff when Constable decisively won the Behram A Engineer Salver despite a compromised start caused by the fall of Esperanza (P Vinod up) which nearly put Constable out of the race. Not losing heart, Trevor got Constable going, and galvanized the colt into action opposite the stands in such spectacular style, his class III rivals didn't know what whizzed past them. Trevor's first win on the Friday card was scored on Fourth Wing in the Topspin Plate for two-year-old maiden horses. The Aman Hussain -trained Sanus Per Aquam - Centrestage filly making debut hit the front soon after the start and decisively beat the hot favourite, Among The Stars, trained by Malesh Narredu who, incidentally, managed to open his account for the season immediately in the next race when apprentice rider A Waydande won the lower division of the World's Oldest Barbershop Trophy astride Quicker. Interestingly, the other division of the same race was also won by another apprentice rider, Siddharth, who steered trainer Shazaan Shah's filly Credence first past the wire. The day opened to a dream finish for the official handicapper whose job is to assign a handicap (weight) to each runner in such a way that every horse, theoretically, finishes in a dead-heat at the wire. Well, not all but three of the six horses in the Samuel Nathan Plate--Red Dust (6/1), Daianne (first favourite at 16/10) and her stable-mate Swarovski (25/1)--went past the winning post "locked" together. The photo finish camera revealed jockey Amyn Merchant astride the first-named having finished a short head ahead of Swarovski (Bharat Singh up) who was ahead of Daianne (Bhavani Singh up) by the same margin. Trainer Faisal Abbas saddled the winner. Jockey S Zervaan, who returned to the saddle after a longish gap, scored with his first ride of the season. He drove the Narendra Lagad-trained Daulat Mai to win the last race of the day, the DW Reid Plate.
28 December,2024 06:40 AM IST | Mumbai | Prakash GosaviMumbai Schools Sports Association Honorary Joint Secretary Mr Joseph Monteiro, 64, passed away on December 27. A dedicated sports mentor, Joseph touched countless lives of St Anne’s High School & Jr College (Orlem). He is survived by his loving family (Evelyn, Everaldo and Joel). He served Central Railways for more than 35 years and retired in 2020.
28 December,2024 06:33 AM IST | Mumbai | A CorrespondentA new era in Indian hockey will be ushered in when the much-anticipated Hockey India League League (HIL) restarts with the opening clash between Delhi SG Pipers and Gonasika of Vizag here on Saturday. The HIL is set to be revived in a new avatar after seven years with eight men’s teams in the fray. The icing of the cake is the introduction of the women’s league, comprising four teams, which will be played in Ranchi from January 12. The Birsa Munda Stadium will host the men’s teams till the final on February 1, while the women’s teams will compete from January 12 to 26 in Ranchi. The first phase of men’s HIL, from December 28 to January 18, will see the teams play each other once. 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
28 December,2024 06:33 AM IST | Rourkela | PTIIndian Grandmaster Arjun Erigaisi opened his campaign with four wins and a solitary loss in the World Rapid Chess Championship to be tied fifth even as defending champion Magnus Carlsen endured a frustrating day, managing to log just one victory here. Carlsen of Norway, who could not find his mojo, drew three games and a late loss against Russian Denis Lazavik. Another Indian to impress was 13-year-old Raunak Sadhwani, who took down Alireza Firouzja of France on Thursday. With the first five rounds done in USD 550,000 championship, Murzin Volodar of Russia, Shant Sargsyan of Armenia and the American duo of Daniel Naroditsky and Lenier Dominguez Perez share the lead on 4.5 points apiece. 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
28 December,2024 06:32 AM IST | New York | PTISumit Nagal has yet again refused to play for the country in the Davis Cup, putting “unreasonable conditions” for his return even as Sasikumar Mukund on Friday came back to the national squad for the tie against Togo after his suspension was revoked by the AITA Executive Committee. Nagal, who has been struggling on the ATP tour, had pulled out of the tie against Sweden in September citing a back strain. He had also refused to travel to Islamabad for the contest against Pakistan in January-February, saying the grass courts do not suit his style of play. The All India Tennis Association (AITA) selection panel picked a five-member squad in which Mukund will be the highest-ranked singles player at number 368. 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
28 December,2024 06:31 AM IST | New Delhi | PTIIndia’s Lakshya Sen came up with a spirited performance to overcome Hong Kong China’s Angus Ng Ka Long in three games and sail into the semi-finals of the inaugural King Cup International Badminton Open here on Friday. The 12th ranked Indian, who narrowly missed out on a bronze medal at the Paris Olympics after losing the playoff, defeated his 30-year-old opponent 10-21, 21-13, 21-13. It was a slow start for Lakshya, but once he got things going against the 17th-ranked opponent, he won the next two games with ease to beat Long for the first time in four attempts. The 23-year-old from Almora, who ended a title-drought with his triumph at the Syed Modi Super 300 tournament in Lucknow earlier this month, is among eight leading shuttlers in the world competing for the top prize in the three-day event. 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
28 December,2024 06:31 AM IST | Shenzhen (China) | PTIIn an emotional conversation about PKL Melbourne Raid, set to take place on November 28 in Australia, PKL legend Pardeep Narwal revealed the profound impact the sport has had on his life. Speaking candidly about his early days, Narwal shared that when he first started playing kabaddi, his modest dream was simply to secure a job in the armed forces through sports quota; little did he imagine representing the sport in a country like Australia. “I never imagined this,” Narwal reflected, his voice carrying the weight of his journey. “I only thought about getting a job, maybe in the army through kabaddi, just to help run my household better. I never dreamed that I would travel to other countries to play, that my name would become so big. What can I say - life has completely transformed.” The PKL Melbourne Raid holds special significance as it marks the league – and Mashal Sports’ – ambitious international expansion. For Narwal, who has been with Pro Kabaddi League since its second season, this Australian venture represents more than just matches. “Since Pro Kabaddi League Season 2, our lives have changed completely. This Australia tour is significant not just for us but also for the junior players going with us, and even for the seniors who have left kabaddi.” He emphasized that PKL hasn't just transformed his life but has been a life-changing force for every player involved in the league. “Not just one person - everyone who plays Pro Kabaddi, their lives have been transformed by PKL. I believe this firmly. The upcoming junior players will also rise up - if not today, then tomorrow or in the next season. Their lives will definitely change when they reach this level.” Looking toward the future with hope, Narwal spoke warmly about the upcoming generation. “The biggest thing is that they're going with such senior players,” he noted, emphasizing how the juniors will learn crucial discipline from veterans. He believes this tour will create opportunities for cultural exchange and learning, even for the Australian team: “We've heard a coach from India has been training them for one and a half months... our senior players who are going will teach them something too. In the future, it will be a joy to see their team and players reach Pro Kabaddi.” The PKL Melbourne Raid isn't just another tournament for Narwal - it's a dream he never dared to dream, now becoming reality. His journey from aspiring for a modest job to playing in international stadiums embodies the transformative power of PKL and the sport of kabaddi.
27 December,2024 02:41 PM IST | Melbourne | mid-day online correspondentWorld number one Aryna Sabalenka says she is “fresh and ready to go” in her bid for a third straight Australian Open title. The 26-year-old enjoyed a sensational 2024, winning four titles. Should she win in Australia again, she will become the first woman to claim three straight Melbourne Park titles since Martina Hingis in 1997-1999. “I feel fresh and ready to go. I love Australia and I always come here hungry and ready,” she said, according to the WTA website Thursday, ahead of the tournament that begins on January 12. 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
27 December,2024 06:16 AM IST | Brisbane | AFPADVERTISEMENT
