Indian Olympians recall universal values on Olympic Day

Agencies
June 23, 2018

New Delhi, Jun 23: The Olympians Association of India (OAI) on Saturday recalled the power of sport in uniting peoples and cultures to mark the Olympic Day and vowed to work for the betterment of those who have brought laurels to the country so that they do not become "forgotten heroes".

Joining hands with their counterparts all over the world in celebrating the World Olympic Day, the Indian Olympians' umbrella body said it was facilitating various programmes to have the Olympians contribute their experiences and expertise to inspire all, including the next generation of budding champions.

"Recognising the power of sport and the Olympic movement, we look inwards at our 1985 Indian Olympians who have represented our country at Olympic Games since 1900," the OAI said in a press release.

"In the Olympic Charter, Olympism is expressed as a philosophy of life, exalting and combining in a balanced whole the qualities of body, will and mind. Blending sport with culture and education, Olympism seeks to create a way of life based on the joy of effort, the educational value of good example, social responsibility and respect for universal fundamental ethical principles," it added.

OAI President Shiva Keshavan, who has represented the country in six Winter Olympics, said, "Every four years we got inspired by these special individuals who reached the pinnacle of the sporting world in pursuit of excellence. They proudly marched behind our Indian flag and were lauded, but later they were the forgotten heroes.”

"Going ahead, OAI would like to impact all the past and future Olympians. It’s going to be a challenging journey, but we have to be patient and put our heads down and work. With the support of our Olympians and Indian fraternity, we believe we are headed in the right direction," he added.

Formed in 2015 to serve the Indian Olympians and further the cause of Olympism, the OAI is affiliated to the World Olympians Association (WOA) -- an integrated part of the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

OAI General Secretary Malav Shroff said, "As a not-for-profit organisation, we sought to do something for the Olympians, by the Olympians. We envisage ourselves as an alumni association for the Indian Olympians looking to act as a support system for them while encouraging them to give back to the sport and society in general.

“Five Sports Education sessions have been conducted at academies across India... Olympians highlighted the finer points of sports excellence and provided real solutions to everyday issues and shared their journey as an Olympian to motivate the trainees, their parents and coaches.

"Also, Academic Education has been enabled at three academies for young promising sportspersons who do not have the means or access to proper education," said Shroff, who is also a board member of the WOA.

Olympian sprinter and OAI treasurer Adille Sumariwalla said: "Olympians deserve recognition, respect and dignity. They are role models and assets for our nation. In our country, sport is slowly gaining the importance it deserves. At OAI we believe we can further this cause by collaborating with the government, sports administration bodies and various stakeholders.

"We aim to act as the welfare wing for Indian sports and supplement the efforts of the more established sports administration bodies such as Sports Authority of India and Indian Olympic Association. We hope to pool all the resources available for the continued development and improvement of our country’s sport and ecosystem in general.”

To mark the 70th anniversary of World Olympic Day, the OAI is releasing a video titled 'Olympism - Around Us, About Us, Within Us.' The video will be available for worldwide viewing on www.IndianOlympians.in and its other social media handles.

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News Network
February 5,2020

New Delhi, Feb 5: IPL franchise Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) has denied any financial dealings with the controversial Rose Valley Group except for it being a sponsor of the side's official jerseys in 2012 and 2013.

KKR issued the clarification after the Enforcement Directorate (ED) attached Rose Valley's assets worth over Rs 70 crore on Monday. The attached assets include Rs 11.87 crore bank deposits of Knight Riders Sports Pvt Ltd, that owns KKR, in connection with a money laundering probe.

The franchise said it hopes for the matter to be resolved expeditiously.

"Rose Valley Hotels was one of KKR's IPL jersey sponsors for IPL seasons 2012 and 2013. Rose Valley had paid KKR an approx. amount of Rs 11.87 crore as sponsorship fees," KKR CEO Venky Mysore said in a statement.

"KKR had no other dealings with the Rose Valley Group including Rose Valley’s micro finance business," he added.

The statement added that in July last year, KRSPL (Knight Riders Sports Pvt Ltd), received a "witness summon" from the ED in connection with an investigation relating to the Rose Valley Group, particularly its micro finance business.

"The ED continues the investigation of Rose Valley. KKR continues to cooperate with the authorities in all respects," Mysore said.

"As part of the investigative process, sometime in October 2019, the ED placed a lien on the said amount earlier paid by Rose Valley to KKR," he asserted.

The directors of KRSPL include Shah Rukh Khan's wife Gauri Khan, actor Juhi Chawla's husband Jay Mehta, Mysore and two others.

Mysore was questioned in this case by ED's Kolkata office in October last year.

Apart from KRSPL, the ED attached properties of two other entities -- Multiple Resorts Pvt. Ltd. and Kolkata's St Xavier's College on Monday.

The ED registered an FIR against the Rose Valley group, its chairman Gautam Kundu and others under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act in 2014.

Kundu was arrested by the agency in Kolkata in 2015 and is in judicial custody at present.

The ED has filed multiple charge sheets in Kolkata and Bhubaneswar courts in this connection and total attachments are now worth Rs 4,750 crore.

The group has been charged by the ED and the CBI with "illegally and fraudulently collecting deposits from public with the intention to cheat them by falsely promising high returns on their investment", thereby perpetrating a ponzi-like fraud.

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News Network
June 30,2020

Malabar, Jun 30: I-League club Gokulam Kerala's former assistant manager Muhammad Alloush on Monday died due to COVID-19. He was 44.

Alloush, who was with the football club in its inaugural season, was working as technical director at Egyptian club Tanta SC at the time of his demise.

Alloush's mother had also succumbed due to the deadly virus earlier.

"We're deeply saddened by the death of our former assistant manager Muhammad Alloush, aged 44, after contracting Covid_19. The thoughts of everybody at Gokulam Kerala Football Club are with Alloush's family and friends at this sad time. Rest in peace, Alloush," Gokulam Kerala FC tweeted.

Meanwhile, with a spike of 18,522 COVID-19 cases in the last 24 hours, India's coronavirus count stands at 5,66,840, said the Union Health and Family Welfare Ministry on Tuesday.

According to the Ministry, 418 deaths due to COVID-19 were reported in the last 24 hours. The number of deaths in the country now stands at 16,893.

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News Network
February 17,2020

Hamilton, Feb 17: Mayank Agarwal found form on his birthday and Rishabh Pant mixed caution with his customary aggression as India’s warm-up fixture against New Zealand XI ended in a draw here on Sunday.

The match was called off an hour after lunch with India reaching 252 for four just 48 overs into their second innings.

Agarwal, who had gone through a wretched period since the second Test against Bangladesh, retired on 81 off 99 balls with 10 fours and three sixes to his name.

To the relief of the Indian team management, Pant played in his customary manner to reach 70 off 65 balls, but also showed discretion when the opposition bowlers were in the midst of a good spell. There were four sixes -- two each off leg-spinner Ish Sodhi and off-spinner Henry Cooper.

While Sodhi was hit down the ground, Cooper was dispatched over extra cover on a couple of occasions. He didn’t curb his aggression, though, there were times when he was ready defend the spinners and also leave some of the deliveries.

Even though Pant is considered a better batsman than Wriddhiman Saha, the innings might have come too late in the day considering that the latter is a better keeper and possibly a more responsible batsman in pressure situations.

The biggest positive to have emerged from the New Zealand second innings is Agarwal’s poor run coming to an end. The Seddon Park track easing out was definitely a factor but Agarwal’s footwork was more assured as he played some glorious on-drives and pull-shots off fast bowlers.

Before this game, Agarwal had played 10 competitive games including first-class, ODIs and List A matches and couldn’t cross the 40-run mark in 11 completed innings. He even bagged a pair against New Zealand A in an unofficial Test match.

Once he had got his form back, he didn’t come out to bat after lunch giving Saha an opportunity to score an unbeaten 30, his runs coming mostly against non-regular bowlers.

The Agarwal-Pant pair added 100 runs in 14.3 overs and it also helped that part-timers like Cooper was introduced into the action.

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