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Sportspersons condemn Shobhaa De's 'unfair' remarks

August 9, 2016

Mumbai, Aug 9: Several sportspersons have unitedly condemned author Shobhaa De for critising Indian athletes for their medal no-show at the Rio Olympics so far.

shobhaaShobhaa tweeted on Monday night: "Goal of Team India at the Olympics: Rio jao (Go to Rio). Selfies lo (Take selfies). Khaali haat wapas aao (Return empty-handed). What a waste of money and opportunity. Only hope? Dependable Abhinav Bindra. Aim for gold, champion!"

The comment was made after the men's hockey team suffered a late 1-2 defeat to Germany, while the women's hockey side was thrashed 0-3 by Britain in group stages on Monday. Archer Laxmirani Majhi also added to the disappointment, crashing out in the Round of 32 eliminators.

The comment was considered offensive and unfair by many well known Indian sportspersons, many of them have voiced their disapproval on social media platforms and television.

India's sole individual Olympic gold medallist, shooter Abhinav Bindra, also missed the opportunity of winning another Olympic medal by a miniscule margin, finishing fourth in the final of the men's 10-metre Air Rifle final on Monday.

He was quick to hit back at Shobhaa.

"Shobhaa De, that's a tad unfair. You should be proud of your athletes persueing human excellence against the whole world," he said.

Two-time Olympic medallist Sushil Kumar also took a similar stance saying on television: "DeShobhaa should spend a day with the athletes, then she will get to know their hardwork."

India's badminton doubles specialist Jwala Gutta blasted the Mumbai-based author for poor attitude on Twitter : "DeShobhaa maybe things will change when the attitude of people like yourself change!!!!???? #Proudindian #proudsportsperson."

Tennis player Somdev Devvarman also wrote on Twitter :"DeShobhaa a little harsh to belittle the hard work put in by our athletes ...don't you think?"

Two-time Asian Games gold medallist long jumper Anju Bobby said: "Now is the time to support out India team not criticise them. I am hopeful that the Indian team will return in winning ways at Rio."

Former men's hockey team's captain Viren Rasquinha urged Shobhaa on Twitter to emulate what sportspersons do on their respective fields: "Ms. De, kindly run on the hockey pitch for 60 mins & hold a rifle like Abhinav and Gagan. Bit tougher than u think."

In an interview to a news channel, the author said: "Yes, of course I stand by it. Players are entitled to an opinion. In fact, I did comment about Abhinav (Bindra) being our sole hope."

Shobhaa was also criticised by many from the Bollywood film fraternity and other Twitter users.

Actress Gul Panag wrote: "Lots of lament about medal tally, but no lament about lack of fitness culture (which builds a sporting nation) Abhinav Bindra, Shobhaa De."

"Abhinav Bindra, And do so despite of and in spite of there being no infra and institutional support, and no sporting culture."

Actor Nikhil Dwivedi also didn't appreciate Shobhaa's comments.

"Another gem from Shobhaa De. The state has failed our sportsmen. They strive very hard. Don't mock them," he tweeted.

But despite the backlash, Shobhaa has refused to apologise for her statement.

In an interview to a news channel, the author said: "Yes, of course I stand by it. Players are entitled to an opinion. In fact, I did comment about Abhinav (Bindra) being our sole hope.

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coastaldigest.com web desk
August 3,2020

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) will not end its partnership with Chinese companies. Vivo, the Chinese smartphone maker, is the main sponsor of the new IPL season as well. Apart from Vivo, PayTM and Dream 11 will also be at the helm of the 13th edition of the IPL. The IPL governing council meeting on Sunday decided to retain the old sponsors.

As soon as the IPL GC announced the decision of retaining the sponsors, a huge number of fans took to Twitter to slam the board for the same. #BoycottIPL started trending as the users urged others to boycott the tournament for the Chinese connection.

Earlier, the demand for exclusion of Chinese companies from the IPL was strong in the wake of the India-China border dispute. But the BCCI cannot abruptly end its collaboration with them. Because of the signed contract itself. And in this age of declining economy, it is difficult to find new sponsors quickly.

The current BCCI contract with Vivo is for five years. Vivo has invested Rs 2,199 crore to become the main sponsor of the IPL. The contract was signed in 2017. However, the BCCI’s move is paving the way for new discussions as calls are mounting across the country to boycott Chinese companies.

The BCCI announced other important decisions besides retaining sponsors. The IPL will be held from September 19 to November 10. The Indian government has given permission to the BCCI to hold the IPL in the UAE. With this, all obstacles in the way of organizing the tournament were removed.

The IPL matches will be played at 7.30 pm Indian time (6 pm UAE time). Most matches are about one match a day. There are a total of ten ‘double headers’ (two matches a day) in the tournament. Franchisees are allowed to appoint as many replacements as they want in the new season in view of the new health situation. At the same time, the maximum number of players a franchise can accommodate is 24. The BCCI is also planning to host a women’s IPL tournament.

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Agencies
July 31,2020

Northamptonshire, Jul 31: Mexican Formula One driver Sergio Perez has tested positive for coronavirus, and as a result, he will miss the British Grand Prix.

The Racing Point driver was absent from the circuit on Thursday after self-isolating following what his team called an "inconclusive" test. Perez then re-tested later in the day and it returned positive.

Formula 1 is following a strict testing regime as part of the safety protocols put in place when racing resumed earlier this month, and this is the first time a driver has tested positive.

"Perez has entered self-quarantine in accordance with the instructions of the relevant public health authorities, and will continue to follow the procedure mandated by those authorities," Formula 1 and the FIA said in a statement.

"With the assistance of the local organiser of the British Grand Prix, local health authorities and the FIA COVID-19 delegate, a full track and trace initiative has been undertaken and all close contacts have been quarantined," the statement added.

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Agencies
January 9,2020

Atlanta, Jan 9: Top tennis stars like Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Serena Williams will be playing an exhibition match to raise funds for Australia's bushfire relief.

Apart from these three, Naomi Osaka, Nick Kyrgios and Stefanos Tsitsipas have also confirmed their availability for the match, CNN reported.

The match will be played on January 15 at Melbourne's Rod Laver Arena. The Australian Open Rally for Relief will be donating the proceedings from the ticket sales to the bushfire relief efforts.

Tennis star Maria Sharapova had also announced on Wednesday that she had left 10 signed pairs of her tennis shoes in her Brisbane hotel that members of the public could buy with a donation to the Australian Red Cross.

"Brisbane, I have signed ten pairs of my tennis shoes, left them at the @BrisbaneTennis
desk at the Westin Hotel, alongside a donation envelope for fire rescue efforts.They're yours to keep,we just ask you to donate AUD 300 a pair. All money going directly to Red Cross," Sharapova tweeted.

Earlier, former Australian spinner Shane Warne on Monday had announced to auction his Baggy Green cap to raise funds for victims of devastating bushfires in Australia.

Taking to Twitter, Warne made the announcement and posted a statement.

"The horrific bushfires in Australia have left us all in disbelief. The impact these devastating fires are having on so many people is unthinkable and has touched us all. Lives have been lost, homes have been destroyed and over 500 million animals have died too," Warne wrote.

"Everyone is in this together and we continue to find ways to contribute and help on a daily basis. This has led me to auction my beloved baggy green cap (350) that I wore throughout my Test career," he added.

Warne joined a growing list of cricketers to raise money for the bushfire victims. Australian players Chris Lynn, Glenn Maxwell and D'Arcy Short have already announced that they will donate AUD 250 each for every six they hit in the ongoing Big Bash League (BBL) to support bushfire victims.

Athletes from other sports too joined the movement as tennis stars Maria Sharapova and Novak Djokovic decided to donate 25,000 dollars each for Australia's bushfire relief fund.

Wildfires have been raging across Australia for months, killing 23 people, burning about 6 million hectares (23,000 square miles) of bushland and killing a billion animals.

Naval and air rescue operations were launched on Friday as mass evacuations of towns at risk of being engulfed by flames got underway.b

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