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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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News Network
May 28,2020

New Delhi, May 28: India is not at risk of losing hosting rights for next year's Twenty20 World Cup despite its cricket board's failure to secure a tax exemption for the event, a key BCCI official has told Reuters.

Tax exemptions for International Cricket Council (ICC) events are listed as a requirement in host agreements and the BCCI was supposed to confirm they had secured one by May 18.

ESPNcricinfo, citing correspondence between the two bodies, has reported that the ICC has threatened to shift the tournament away from India over the issue.

However, BCCI treasurer Arun Singh Dhumal told Reuters that would not happen and that negotiations were continuing.

"There is no risk to the tournament," he said by telephone.

"That is a work in progress. We are discussing it with the ICC and we'll resolve it."

The BCCI encountered a similar problem when it hosted the event in 2016 when the government refused to provide a tax exemption, and there has been no change in New Delhi's stance despite the board's appeals.

Failure to secure that exemption in 2016 saw the ICC withhold an equivalent sum from India's share of revenue from the governing body's grants and it appears to be taking an even harder line this time around.

"There are certain timelines within the agreements that we collectively work towards to ensure we can deliver successful world class events and continue to invest in the sport of cricket," an ICC spokesperson told Reuters.

"In addition to this the ICC Board agreed clear timelines for the resolution of the tax issues which we are guided by."

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News Network
May 11,2020

Mumbai, May 11: The French Open, which was postponed to September from May due to the novel coronavirus outbreak, could be held without fans, the organisers of the claycourt Grand Slam have said.

Roland Garros had been scheduled for May 24 to June 7 before the French tennis federation (FFT) pushed it back to Sept. 20-Oct 4 in a bid to save the tournament from falling victim to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Last week the FFT said all tickets purchased for this year's French Open would be cancelled and reimbursed instead of being transferred.

"Organising it without fans would allow a part of the economy to keep turning, (like) television rights and partnerships. It's not to be overlooked," FFT President Bernard Giudicelli told French newspaper Le Journal du Dimanche.

"We're not ruling any option out."

The tennis season was suspended in early March due to the pandemic and the hiatus will continue at least until mid-July with many countries in lockdown.

Wimbledon has been cancelled while the status of the U.S. Open, scheduled to take place in late August, is still unclear.

COVID-19 Pandemic Tracker: 15 countries with the highest number of coronavirus cases, deaths

The FFT was widely criticised when they announced in mid-March that the French Open would be switched, with players bemoaning a lack of communication as the new dates clashed with the hardcourt season.

Organisers said last week they had been in talks with the sport's governing bodies to fine tune the calendar amid media reports that the Grand Slam tournament would be delayed further by a week and start on Sept. 27.

The delayed start would give players a two-week window between the end of the U.S. Open, played on the hardcourts of New York, and the Paris tournament.

"The 20th or the 27th, that does not change much," Giudicelli said.

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Agencies
August 5,2020

New Delhi, Aug 5: "Want to know what makes him tick," said Australian pacer Kane Richardson will talking about playing alongside Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) skipper Virat Kohli in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020.

The IPL 2020 will be played in the UAE from September 19-November 10 and the tournament will run for 53 days.

In the players' auction which was conducted in December 2019, RCB managed to bag key players like Richardson, Chris Morris, Aaron Finch, Dale Steyn, Joshua Philippe, and Isuru Udana.

In an interaction with news agency, Richardson talked about playing alongside Kohli and the learning curve which is in store for him by being in the same squad as Proteas great Dale Steyn.
"Huge. These guys (Virat, AB de Villiers) are the absolute legends of the game. Anything I can learn from them will be a bonus, that's for sure.

I am really looking forward to playing with Virat, there are few more competitive players in the world. I am really looking forward to seeing what makes him tick," Richardson said.

The 29-year-old pacer also said that he would want to learn from Steyn as to how to be consistent in all formats of the game over a long period of time.

"There are loads I can learn from Dale. He has been amongst the best at the highest level for so long. His control and ability to swing the ball without losing his pace is really impressive. 

I look forward to getting in his ear about how he performs so consistently over a long period, in all forms," said Richardson who has 39 ODI wickets to his credit.

Richardson has so far played 14 games in his IPL career so far and has picked up 18 wickets. The bowler played for Pune Warriors India in 2013, Rajasthan Royals in 2014, and RCB in 2016.

For this year's IPL, RCB has also bagged Australia's limited-overs skipper Aaron Finch, and Richardson thinks having a familiar face in the camp would help him to settle better in the franchise.

"Finchey is an awesome player and a fantastic leader. I am sure it will help to have two Aussies in the side along with Josh who is playing his first tournament after a massive summer in the BBL. We are all professionals, I'm sure it won't take long for us to gel as a side," Richardson said.

However, before the IPL starts, Australia is expected to tour England for a limited-overs series, comprising of three ODIs and as many T20Is.

The side was last seen in action in March this year as they played one ODI against New Zealand in Sydney. After the first match, the remaining two ODIs were postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Talking about the series against England, Kane replied: "We will be fresh, that's one thing, while the England players have been in a bubble for some time now. As long as we get enough practice in before and possibly some centre wicket it should not be an issue."

"They are World Cup holders and the number one ranked side for a very good reason. It will be a tough series also given they will have played a fair bit of cricket together by then. We know we need to work hard on our one-day game which will be a priority over the next period," he added.

The pacer also talked about how the lockdown was like for him, and Richardson feels that everyone would come back strong as a result of this break.

"The break from playing has been refreshing, to be honest. We have come back strong and are well into pre-season training with our states. As a bowler, our loads are not at their peak but we are working towards getting ready for a tour of the UK in a few weeks," Richardson said.

The Australian quick has so far played 25 ODIs and 18 T20Is, managing to take 39 and 19 wickets respectively.

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