Indian coaches back to the drawing board

New Delhi, March 25

The athletes are playing the waiting game for now but coaches involved with India’s Olympics-bound athletes have already put their thinking hats on to redraw the preparation plans a day after the Games got postponed to 2021.

“It is going to affect the shooters in a big way, especially the young ones who are appearing in their first Olympics. We have been preparing for the past three years. Having said that, we need to accept this without any complaints,” national pistol shooting coach Jaspal Rana said.

Not worried: Nieva

Nine boxers and an equal number of track and field athletes have also made the cut so far.

“I will redraw the plan only after the dates for the 2021 Games are out. We need to know when the next qualifiers are,” said boxing’s High Performance Director Santiago Nieva, referring to the five men and four women, who have already made the cut for Tokyo. “We aren’t really worried because we have got the qualification in nine out of 13 weight categories,” he added.

Boxing was scheduled to have a world qualifying event in May, which was postponed. India will have a shot at more Olympics slots whenever that tournament takes place.

‘Not ideal’

Deputy national athletics coach P Radhakrishnan Nair struck a note of scepticism on what can be achieved and feels a postponement till 2022 would have been better. “It will be a challenge for us as far as planning of training and competition schedule is concerned. In this situation of lockdown I feel the athletics season is as good as over for this year,” Nair said. “I don’t think we can start doing anything before September or October. Then the seven-eight months before the Olympics (in 2021) may not be enough. Had it been 2022, it would have been better,” he added.

Expect no glitch: Gopi

National badminton coach Pullela Gopichand said he does not expect any major glitch in the shuttlers’ build-up. “I think a year is a good time… We will have enough time to come back. So, I don’t think there will be any problems or negative effect on our preparations,” he asserted.

Wrestler Vinesh Phogat, one of the biggest stars among the Indian hopefuls, will take the break positively, according to her coach Woller Akos. “We need to look at the positive side with Vinesh. We have got one more year to prepare against the best opponents,” the Hungarian said, asserting that the Asian Games champion is more than ready for any challenge even right now. “An athlete needs to be a maximalist. Vinesh is ready to follow our dreams and preparation,” he added as he spoke about the lone Indian woman wrestler to have qualified for Tokyo.

Put to best use

National weightlifting coach Vijay Sharma said he will have to re-work his planning to ensure that the one year in hand is put to best use. “We will have to plan everything again now. We are now waiting for the guidelines on the new qualifying system, accordingly, we will plan our training,” he said. “With the cancellation of the Asian Championships earlier we changed our plan a bit but now with the Olympics’ postponement, it will change completely. We will try and find the best way to benefit from this situation,” he added.

Table tennis player G Sathiyan’s coach S Raman welcomed the postponement. Based on the current rankings, Sathiyan is eligible for the men’s doubles event along with A Sharath Kamal. “Right decision… and should not have come later than now as it would have confused players…You don’t want panic training and the resultant virus among community of athletes,” he said. PTI

80 Indian athletes have qualified for the Games so far and the number is expected to swell once the qualifiers re-start

Tokyo Games likely before 2021 summer

IOC prez Bach says in changed circumstances, Olympics will have to change

Athens, March 25

The head of the global Olympic movement said the rescheduled Tokyo Games faced “thousands” of logistical and financial problems but could go ahead before summer 2021. Though most people have assumed the Games will be held around roughly the same July-August timetable as they were planned for this year, International Olympic Committee (IOC) president Thomas Bach said earlier dates in 2021 were possible.

“The agreement is that we want to organise these Games at the latest in the summer 2021,” he told a conference call. “This is not restricted just to the summer months. All the options are on the table including summer 2021,” he said.

Thousands of questions

The Tokyo Olympics was the last major international sporting event of 2020 to be cancelled, with many questioning why a seemingly inevitable decision took so long to make as the coronavirus epidemic raged around the world.

Bach said he could not guarantee all elements of the Games would remain as initially planned. For example, he did not know what would happen with the athletes’ village, where apartments were set to be sold after the Games this year. “This is one of the many thousands of questions this task force will have to address. We hope and we will do whatever we can so that there is an Olympic village, the village is where the heart of the Games beat,” he said.

‘Wonderful Games’

“Our mission is to organise Games and make dreams of athletes come true,” he added. “We have no blueprint but we are confident we can put a beautiful jigsaw puzzle together and in the end have wonderful Olympic Games,” he said.

Bach, a 66-year-old German lawyer and former Olympics fencing champion, also said outright cancellation was discussed, even though the IOC had long insisted that was not an option. “Of course cancellation was discussed and considered like all options on the table, but it was very clear from the beginning that cancellation should not be something the IOC would in any way favour,” Bach said.

Asked by a German reporter whether he considered resigning over his organisation’s handling of the issue, Bach said: “No”. “In talks with athletes’ representatives and national Olympic committees last week, no one opposed the IOC’s stance,” he added.

Global pressure

After repeatedly insisting the Games were on as scheduled, the IOC at the weekend announced a month of consultations over possible postponement, before seemingly bowing to global pressure for a faster judgement. The body is due to start talks on Thursday with other global sporting bodies as moving the gigantic Olympics event has a knock-on effect for many other competitions. “We are in an unprecedented situation. I guess these postponed Olympic Games will need sacrifices, will need compromises by all stakeholders,” he added. — Reuters

1st postponement in the Olympics’ 124-year history due to risks from the coronavirus impact

12 billion dollars investment in the run-up to the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. The cost is likely to rise further with a massive headache to reorganise logistics, funding and sponsorship.

We want this Olympic flame to be the light at the end of the tunnel and so we will undertake this extremely challenging task of postponing the Games and of organising a postponed Games which has never happened before… You can be sure that you can make your Olympic dream come true. And imagine what this can mean for all of us. These Olympic Games could then finally be a celebration of humanity after having overcome this unprecedented crisis of the coronavirus

Thomas Bach, IOC president

IPL cancellation on cards

New Delhi, March 25

The cancellation of this year’s Indian Premier League looks inevitable with the Indian cricket board (BCCI) under tremendous pressure after the declaration of a 21-day nationwide lockdown to contain the deadly Covid-19 pandemic. When BCCI postponed the IPL to April 15 earlier this month, it said conducting the tournament could be considered only when the pandemic subsides. However, there hasn’t been any remarkable change in the situation.

BCCI president Sourav Ganguly did not have much to say on the current scenario, which was made worse by the postponement of the Tokyo Olympics to the summer of 2021, on Tuesday. “I can’t say anything at the moment. We are at the same place where we were on the day we postponed. Nothing has changed in the last 10 days. So, I don’t have an answer to it. Status quo remains,” Ganguly said, his helplessness palpable.

Kings XI Punjab owner Ness Wadia was more forthright. “BCCI should really consider postponing the IPL now. As a premier event, we need to act with great responsibility. Contemplation of IPL is inhuman right now. We need to save lives, not IPL,” KXIP co-owner Wadia said.

Earlier on Tuesday, a conference call between BCCI officials and the team owners was postponed.

“If Olympics can be postponed by a year, IPL is a much smaller entity in that regard. It is becoming increasingly difficult to organise. At this point, the government is not even thinking about allowing foreign visas,” a BCCI official said. Currently, each stakeholder is discussing ways to limit the financial damage with insurance companies as well as the broadcasters. — PTI

Looking at possibility of freezing rankings, will review Oly qualification: BWF

New Delhi, March 25

The Badminton World Federation (BWF) said it might freeze the world rankings for a while as it works on a “fair solution” to the Olympics qualification process after the postponement of the Tokyo Games.

There have been growing calls to freeze the world rankings after cancellations and postponements wrecked the sport’s calendar. Indian shuttlers Saina Nehwal, B Sai Praneeth, Parupalli Kashyap and HS Prannoy have been leading the way in expressing concerns. “For our athletes, we will review any impacts on the Olympics and Paralympics qualification system to ensure a fair solution is found to qualify players for the postponed Games,” the BWF said in a statement, adding: “BWF, in the short-term, is also looking into the possibility of freezing world rankings until international tournaments start again. However, we are still working on the technical solution to ensure the freezing and eventual un-freezing of world rankings works fairly for all players and we will announce this shortly.”

Shuttlers in the singles competition have to be inside the top-16 of world rankings to qualify for the Olympics. In doubles, a country can field one pair if they are in the top-16 and two if both the pairs are in the top-8. — PTI

Federer donates $1.02 million

Roger Federer has joined the list of sports stars helping out the needy during the coronavirus pandemic, with the former world No. 1 and his wife donating $1.02 million to vulnerable families in his native Switzerland.

Barcelona forward Lionel Messi and Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola had each donated $1.08 million each to help clinics and medical centres fight the outbreak.

Portugal and Juventus forward Cristiano Ronaldo and his agent Jorge Mendes also came together to donate lifesaving equipment to Portuguese hospitals.

Indian men’s, women’s hockey teams take postponement in stride

Bengaluru, March 25

The news of the postponement of the Tokyo Olympics is yet to sink in but India’s hockey captains Manpreet Singh and Rani Rampal are confident that they would be able to deal with the disappointment as they continue to work hard over the next one year.

“We had just finished the day’s evening session when chief coach Graham Reid informed us about the postponement of the Olympic Games,” Manpreet said. “I think the news is yet to sink in for us. We were mentally gearing up for our first match on 25th July, so the disappointment is surely there but it is important for us to now look at the positives,” he added.

The Indian men’s and women’s teams have shaped up well over the course of the last year, winning big competitions such as the FIH Series Finals and the Olympics qualifiers in front of the home crowd in November last year.

Will continue hard work: Rani

Expressing her team’s disappointment over the announcement, women’s team skipper Rani emphasised that her side will utilise the next one year to hone their skills further ahead of the Olympic Games in 2021. “We were already in a meeting when chief coach Sjoerd Marijne received the news and broke it to us. Personally, I was very disappointed because the team was in good rhythm as we approached the Tokyo Olympics,” Rani said. “If you see our team’s performance in the past two years, we have grown from strength to strength, challenging every top team in the world. We are looking at this postponement as a positive to continue to work hard and take our game to the next level,” she added.

Rani emphasised that it’s important for the team to maintain the same focus over the next year. “It is important for the team to remain focused and continue to keep up the intensity. This one year postponement also gives us more time with analytical coach Janneke Schopman, who has been a fantastic addition to the support staff and her experience as an Olympics gold medallist is very inspiring for us,” Rani added. PTI

Covid-19: Kohli & boys handed customised indoor workout routines

New Delhi: The Indian cricketers are all home and spending time with their families. But strength and conditioning coach Nick Webb in consultation with physio Nitin Patel has customised routines for Virat Kohli and his team to ensure they stay in top shape despite the pandemic-induced break. The duo of Webb and Patel have made player-specific routines for all the contracted players to ensure that they can continue to stay in shape even as the country fights the coronavirus outbreak. “All the players, irrespective of whether they play red-ball cricket or white-ball cricket or all formats have been given fitness routines which they are to follow and give updates to Webb and Patel from time to time,” a BCCI official said. “The routines have been created keeping in mind the demands of the players. So, for example, a bowler will has been given exercises which work to make his core and lower-body strong. Similarly, a batsman has been given exercises which also work on his shoulders and wrists,” he added.

IOA, Sports Ministry to revise preparation plans

New Delhi: The Indian Olympic Association (IOA) has conceded that the careers and plans of some of India’s elite athletes would be impacted by the postponement of the Tokyo Olympics. IOA would look to address this when it makes revised preparation plans in consultation with the Sports Ministry. “One year postponement might impact the career/qualification and plans of some athletes, which would be addressed in the coming months and all the necessary support would also be extended by us,” IOA secretary general Rajeev Mehta said in a letter to the International Olympic Committee and the Tokyo Games organisers, without specifying any names.

Keep indoors, it’s not a vacation: Tendulkar

Mumbai: Sachin Tendulkar has requested Indian people to not step outside their houses and adhere to the guidelines of the government and the health authorities in the wake of ongoing coronavirus pandemic. “Our government and health experts across the world have requested us to stay indoors and not step outside our houses until there’s an emergency. But some people are not taking this advice seriously. I have seen some videos where people are playing cricket outside,” the 47-year-old said. “Everyone feels that they should go outside and meet friends. But now is not the right time. This is very dangerous for the entire nation. Remember, these days are not holidays. If coronavirus has reached our country, it’s because of us only. We need to stay indoors for the doctors, nurses and the medical professionals who are risking their lives for us. This is the least that we can do for them by following their advice,” he added.