Brijinder Singh re-elected IGU President; S.K. Sharma elected Hony. Secretary & Sanjiv Rattan as Hony Treasurer

By Deepak Arora

NEW DELHI: Brijinder Singh has been re-elected as the President of the Indian Golf Union (IGU) at its annual general meeting held successfully at the India Habitat Centre here on Sunday. The AGM was held under the supervision of Returning Officer Justice (Retd) Rameshwar Singh Malik. The other office-bearers elected were S.K. Sharma (Honorary Secretary) and Sanjiv Rattan (Honorary Treasurer)....more

International Series to debut at DLF Golf Club on Jan 30; LIV Golf star Anirban Lahiri to headline tournament

By Deepak Arora

GURUGRAM: The International Series will make its historic first entry into the Indian subcontinent next year, bringing the stars of the LIV Golf League and the cream of the Asian Tour to International Series India presented by DLF, the opening tournament in a groundbreaking 2025 calendar. The high-profile event will carry a prize purse of US$ 2 million and will take place at the picturesque and exclusive DLF Golf and Country Club in Gurugram, in the outskirts of Delhi from January 30 to February 2 next year. It is the first of 10 events on a carefully curated schedule in 2025 that offers a pathway onto the LIV Golf League for the end-of-season rankings champion....more

Manu Bhaker Said 'Shouldn't Have Gone To Olympics, Won Medals': Heartbroken Father

NEW DELHI, Dec 24: India's ace shooter Manu Bhaker, who made history in the 2024 Paris Olympics by winning two bronze medals, is heartbroken over the Khel Ratna snub. Manu claims that she had submitted her name in the online portal for the award, yet failed to make the 30-name shortlist.

Manu, who is the first sportsperson from the country to win two medals in the same Olympic Games, is understandably disappointed to see her name not being considered for the highest sports honour in the country.

In fact, her father has said that he regrets putting her into a sport like shooting. Should've, instead, made her a cricketer.

In a chat, Manu Bhaker's father took a sharp dig at the sports ministry and the committee finalising the list of Khel Ratna nominees. While the ministry has said that Manu didn't submit her name for the award, the shooter contradicts it.

"I regret putting her in the sport of shooting. I should have instead made her a cricketer. Then, all the awards and accolades would have come her way. She won two Olympic medals in a single edition, no one has ever done that. What else do you expect my child to do for the country? The govt must recognise her efforts. I spoke to Manu, and she was disheartened by all this. She told me 'I shouldn't have gone to the Olympics and won medals for the country. In fact, I shouldn't have become a sportsperson'," Manu's father said.

It has also been reported that Manu submitted her name on the web portal. The sports ministry and the federation are said to be in talks to fully understand the matter.

"Manu said she had applied on the portal. If that was the case, then the committee must have considered her name. Whatever the situation, the federation has approached the ministry and requested the officials to include her name," the source said.

Manu has also reportedly applied for the country's third and fourth-highest civilian awards - Padma Bhushan and Padma Shri, respectively. The applications, as per the paper, were submitted on the Padma awards portal on Sep 15.

Jasprit Bumrah Bags 12th 5-Wicket Haul; Breaks Kapil Dev's Record

BRISBANE, Dec 15: India pacer Jasprit Bumrah cracked 12th five-wicket haul on Day 2 of the third Test against Australia at The Gabba, Brisbane.

This is Bumrah's 8th in SENA countries (South Africa, England, New Zealand and Australia). He has become the first Indian to so do. Bumrah broke the record of legendary Kapil Dev, who is now second in the list with 7 fifers to his name.

Bumrah shone with figures of 5 for 72, helping the visitors make a strong comeback in the game after Travis Head's marathon 152-run knock.

Australia finished the day at 405 for 7 with Alex Carey and Mitchell Starc at the crease. It was Bumrah's magical spell with the second new ball that helped India bounce back. Australia were 316 for 3 when Bumrah opened the floodgates for the visitors.

Talking about the game, twin century-makers Travis Head and Steve Smith put on a fourth-wicket partnership of 241 as Australia finished the day on top.

Head scored a magnificent 152 and Smith a gritty 101 at the Gabba in Brisbane to put Australia into a strong position to go 2-1 up in the five-Test series.

With rain forecast over the next three days, India seem to have virtually no chance of winning the match and can only realistically hope for a draw.

After all but 13.2 overs of the first day were washed out on Saturday, India started strongly Sunday with three wickets in the first hour.

But Head and Smith batted India out of the game despite a superb spell from pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah (5-72) after tea with the second new ball.

At the close of play, Alex Carey was on 45 and Mitchell Starc was on seven.

Gukesh Becomes Youngest Ever World Chess Champion

SINGAPORE, Dec 12: Indian Grandmaster D Gukesh on Thursday became the youngest world chess champion at 18 years after beating title-holder Ding Liren of China in the 14th and last game of a roller-coaster showdown that went right down to the wire.

Gukesh secured the requisite 7.5 points as against 6.5 of Liren after winning the last classical time control game of the 14-game match that seemed headed for a draw for most part. As title winner, he will get a major share of the USD 2.5 million prize purse.

The reticent teenager grinned widely and raised his arms in celebration after the triumph, a stark contrast from the poker face he usually sports while playing.

Before Gukesh's feat on Thursday, the legendary Garry Kasparov of Russia was the youngest world champion when he won the title at the age of 22, dethroning Anatoly Karpov in 1985.

Gukesh had entered the match as the youngest ever challenger to the world crown after winning the Candidates tournament earlier this year.

He is the second Indian after the legendary Viswanathan Anand to win the global title. Anand, a five-time world champion, had last held the title in 2013 before going down to Magnus Carlsen.

Gukesh, who won the 14th game against Liren after 58 moves in four hours, is the 18th world chess champion overall.

If Thursday's game was also drawn, winner was to be decided in shorter duration tie-breaks on Friday.

Gukesh had won the third and 11th rounds before Thursday's decisive game, while the 32-year-old Liren emerged victorious in the opening and 12th games.

All other games were drawn in the match.

SBI honours 29 Paralympic Champions

By Deepak Arora

NEW DELHI, Dec 4: The State Bank of India (SBI), the country’s largest bank, hosted a felicitation ceremony to honour India’s Paralympic champions from the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games on the International Day of Persons with Disabilities.

During the event, the Bank presented cheques to 29 Paralympic winners, celebrating their extraordinary achievements that secured India’s best-ever 18th-place finish at the Paralympics.

Expressing his thoughts at the ceremony, CS Setty, Chairman, SBI, said, “India’s performance at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games marked a defining moment in our nation’s sporting journey. These athletes have redefined what is possible through sheer determination and resilience, breaking barriers and inspiring a nation. At SBI, we are honoured to support these champions and are steadfast with our commitment to nurturing talent and building a more inclusive, thriving ecosystem for Indian sports.”

In line with its commitment to inclusivity, SBI also announced a collaboration with the Artificial Limbs Manufacturing Corporation of India (ALIMCO) as part of its FY 2024-25 CSR initiatives. The partnership aims to distribute assistive devices to approximately 9,000 Divyangjan across 20 locations nationwide.

These initiatives underscore SBI’s dedication to empowering individuals, promoting inclusivity, and supporting Indian sports.

Medalists at a Glance:

Gold: Harvinder Singh, Sumit Antil, Dharambir, Praveen Kumar, Navdeep Singh, Nitesh Kumar, Avani Lekhara

Silver: Nishad Kumar, Yogesh Kanthuniya, Sharad Kumar, Ajeet Singh, Sachin Khilari, Pranav Soorma, Thulasimathi Murugesan, Suhas Yathiraj, Manish Narwal

Bronze: Sheetal Devi, Rakesh Kumar, Preethi Pal, Deepthi Jeevanji, Mariyappan Thangavelu, Sundar Singh Gurjar, Hokato Hotozhe Sema, Simran Sharma, Manisha Ramadass, Nithya Sre Sivan, Kapil Parmar, Mona Agarwal, Rubina Francis.