Hockey Unit of Tamil Nadu stuns Indian Army
However, the other two matches went largely according to the script with NCOE (Bhopal) putting it across Maharashtra 4-2 in Pool-A and multiple champion IOC eking out a 2-0 win over Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) in Pool-B.
HUTN took the day's honours with a splendid performance against an Army team that looked off-colour. The Army outfit's attack lacked sting and defence appeared lackadaisical. But full credit to the hosts who went all-out.
HUTN, comprising seven players from the Centre of Excellence, Kovilpatti, created opportunities from the centre and the flanks, flummoxing the opponent no end. The scoreline would have been more had it converted the half-chances.
Though Balachandar scored a brace, the hosts' triumph was a complete team effort. The defence comprising G.M. Pruthvi, Y. Anand, and Patras Tirkey thwarted quite a few dangerous run-ins by Army.
While NCOE had it relatively easy, it was a battle of nerves between IOC and CBDT. Till half-time, both the teams battled hard without conceding a goal. However, in the third quarter, Sumit Kumar struck gold when he deflected home a fierce drive from former Olympian V.R. Raghunath. Affan Yousuf made it 2-0 in the fourth quarter, off a move from the right flank.
The results: Pool-A: HUTN 5 (B. Sathish 14, Patras Tirkey 32, Balachandar 34 & 59, Manoj Kumar 57) bt Indian Army 1 (Atish Dodrai 42); NCOE (Bhopal) 4 (Tirloki Venvanshi 10, Mohit Karma 19, Vikas Valmiki 44, Mohammad Zaid Khan 55) bt Maharashtra 2 (Prajwal Moharkar 45, Rahul Shinde 48).
Pool-B: IOC 2 (Sumit Kumar 38, Affan Yousuf 48) bt CBDT 0.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Hindu
2 minutes ago
- The Hindu
Los Angeles 2028 to allow venue naming rights in first for Olympics; Comcast, Honda debut deals
The Los Angeles 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games will, for the first time in Games history, allow venue naming rights, organisers said on Thursday, unveiling Comcast and Honda as inaugural partners in a move aimed at boosting commercial revenues. The pilot program, developed with the International Olympic Committee (IOC), will let qualifying LA28 partners retain existing venue names during the Games and buy additional marketing assets. It also opens naming rights for up to 19 temporary venues to worldwide Olympic partners and LA28 sponsors, while standard 'clean venue' rules continue for non-partner sites. Comcast will lend its name to the Comcast Squash Center at Universal Studios, where squash will make its Olympic debut on the Courthouse Square backlot. Honda Center in Anaheim will become the first arena to keep its name during an Olympic competition, hosting indoor volleyball. 'Anytime you're the first to do something in the context of the Olympics, it's a big deal,' LA28 chair Casey Wasserman told Reuters. ALSO READ: Grand Chess Tour, Saint Louis: Gukesh in fourth spot after rapid section 'It's a big opportunity for us, and it's a big statement of support from the IOC. We think it will be a really powerful platform and opportunity in the commercial sector, so we're really excited.' Wasserman said the deals introduce a 'new commercial model' for the Olympic movement. The IOC traditionally enforces strict branding rules during the Games, masking corporate signage at competition venues. He noted money from selling venue naming rights would be in addition to the overall sponsorship revenue target of $2.5 billion, which LA28 calls the largest commercial revenue raise in sports. 'We've been very conservative, so we have none of this revenue in our budget, so any revenue is upside,' he said. 'Having said that, we think it could be significant. It's a really powerful platform for branded partners of ours to engage with us and also with the globe, because it's part of the broadcast. The reach is really stunning.' From a practical perspective, the potential for SoFi Stadium and Arena to maintain their names during the Games will help fans navigate the city. 'As a pure matter of wayfinding, it's actually an important piece of the puzzle,' he said. Comcast, which holds U.S. broadcast rights through NBC and Peacock, said it would support LA28 'across our entire company,' including coverage and the squash showcase. Honda, which in June was named the Games' automotive sponsor, said its long-backed Anaheim arena would 'step onto the international stage to power Olympic dreams,' according to Ed Beadle, a vice president at American Honda Motor Co. LA28 said additional naming-rights partners are expected as the three-year countdown continues. Related Topics Los Angeles Olympics 2028
India Today
17 minutes ago
- India Today
Michael Phelps slams USA Swimming leadership, calls for urgent overhaul
Michael Phelps, the most decorated Olympian in history with 28 medals, has launched a stinging attack on USA Swimming, accusing its leadership of poor governance and calling for sweeping reforms to restore the sport's a candid Instagram post, Phelps said the sport's decline over the past decade has left him questioning whether he would want his four young sons to compete under the current regime. He revealed that even during his competitive career, his concerns were brushed aside. 'I was told to be grateful for the chance to compete and that it was more important to stay quiet and keep the peace,' he clarified that his criticism was not directed at athletes, praising the U.S. swimmers who competed at the World Championships. Instead, he pointed to systemic issues. 'There have always been cracks, but in the last nine years I've seen those cracks grow,' he said. Highlighting the team's lowest Olympic medal haul since Athens 2004 — 28 medals at Paris 2024 — Phelps contrasted it with their peak of 33 medals at Rio 2016. He claimed that a letter he sent to USA Swimming outlining his concerns 'fell on deaf ears.''This isn't on the athletes — they're doing the best they can with what they've been given,' Phelps added. 'This is on the leadership. Poor leadership trickles down and impacts every level. Money is a factor, but poor operational controls and weak leadership are at the core.'PROPOSED CHANGES AND SUPPORT FROM LOCHTEPhelps' recommendations include an independent review of the Board of Directors, improved athlete services, and stronger grassroots programs to reverse declining membership. He also offered his own expertise to help drive comments follow a similar outburst from six-time Olympic champion Ryan Lochte, who posted an image of a tombstone reading: 'In loving memory of United States Swimming. They set the bar high — until they stopped reaching for it.' Phelps shared the post, adding: 'Is this the wake-up call USA Swimming needed?'Despite recent struggles, the U.S. still topped the medal table at the 2025 World Championships in Singapore, securing nine golds and 29 medals overall.- Ends
Indian Express
an hour ago
- Indian Express
Dr Vece Paes obituary: The big-hearted all-rounder of Indian sports
At a corporate hockey tournament in Kolkata once, young Jehan Mehta witnessed what multitudes resided in Dr Vece Paes. Playing on the opposing team that day, first the 1972 Olympic bronze medallist neutralised Jehan with a cheeky stick-tap on his carpals when the youngster got a little too close in man-to-man marking. Then the good doctor stitched up the split webbing he had himself caused. While at it, he advised (coached) Jehan on clever trapping and dispossessing a rival – like himself – off the ball and muscling into the D. And when Jehan scored 3 goals in the finals dipping into the said advice, Dr Vece Paes was deliriously proud, picking the tab on beverages. While an Olympian hockey star, it was his post-playing stint, where he forsook what could have been a lucrative medical practice, and set about putting the broader framework of sports science in Indian sport, that set Dr Vece apart from the several decorated legends of his sport. 'Can never forget how he would take Leander along on his Vespa scooter around different Calcutta clubs, to get him practice on all kinds of surfaces. He made Leander. At times, he tended as physio and masseuse to 6-7 athletes on the same day, because he never said No to any sportsperson. And all this by leaving his reputation behind,' Mehta adds. The former BCCI head Jagmohan Dalmiya was fascinated by Dr Paes's intellect and energy, and invited him to deal with one massive headache – age-fraud. 'Those days, BCCI had an immense problem of overage players, and bone tests would be inconclusive,' recalls Prof Ratnakar Shetty, former secretary of the board. While age-fraud is far from being wiped out, Dr Paes was brought in to set up a literal skeletal structure of dealing with the menace. He would bring in the Tanner Whitehouse-3 (TW-3) Test, but always insist on the rider – a limitation of science. 'He explained that TW-3 was reliable for verification till age 16, but not beyond. Still 5-6 high courts across India noted their gratitude to him for clearing out the fog around these cases and laying out a process for a level-playing field,' Shetty recalls. Things got tricky once when a father of a pair of twins approached Delhi HC, after one brother cleared the TW-3 test, and another failed it. 'An appeal went to the SC division bench on how one can be eligible and the other not if they are twins! But Dr Paes drafted a reply that was so good, the court arrived at a solution from this tricky matter,' Shetty says, adding, 'We were clueless in cricket, but he never tired of answering queries.' Setting up an anti-doping framework was another almighty challenge for a board that had been archaic for years. From drafting the anti-doping code to bringing in Sachin Tendulkar, MS Dhoni and Rahul Dravid to shoot videos for messaging against drug use in educational videos, Dr Paes would lug the board out of its ancient ways. 'Some cases were genuine. But even for those that were slapped with sanctions, Dr Paes ensured the young athletes weren't scarred. He empathised as an athlete, talked them through it all,' Shetty recalls. Vece Paes, the hockey player, always remained in the shadow of India's finest centre-half Ajitpal Singh, though he was a worthy understudy in an era without rolling substitutions. 'He always carried a dignity even when he was not getting chances with only one spot available. He was a qualified doctor and an excellent centre half…his interception and parallel and through passes in attack were as good as anybody,' says retd Brigadier Harcharan Singh, member of the 1972 team. A regular with the Mohun Bagan and Bengal teams of Gurbux Singh and Inam-ur Rehman, he would study for medicine at Patiala national camps while with the team, and became go-to for all sports medicine queries even at Munich. 'He was a team player … years later when Leander won 1996 Atlanta bronze, the whole 1972 team were glad that a son of one of our members had become an Olympics medallist,' he added. A day after Leander's medal, Dr Paes would invite the Indian boxing team of Gurcharan, Lakha and Devendra Thapa to meet the medallist. 'I'll always remember Dr Paes for raising a player as dedicated and disciplined as Leander who gave it all,' recalls boxing coach GS Sandhu. Elsewhere in rugby, he played the bridge between perennially passionate rivals. In Kolkata, the La Martiniere Old Boys (LMOB) played with a perennial siege mentality of the whole world being against them, like Manchester United. 'Doc, playing for CCFC against LMOB, understood this chip on the shoulder, took it in his stride, and played with caution though he had height, strength, and weight to rampage. Also gracious, and the first person to buy everyone drinks,' Mehta recalls. When the rugby behemoths of Bombay and Calcutta came together to form the federation in 1996, the unanimous choice was Dr Paes as president. On the first trip of the Indian rugby team abroad in 1998, all the money gaps were plugged by Dr Paes dipping into Leander's account. In Thailand, he earned the tag 'joy guru.' 'He would spout wisdom on all sorts of things and became popular with young players! But the mischief was always within bounds,' Mehta recalls. Once when accompanying a hockey team to Singapore, the astroturf burnt shoe soles as Indians weren't wearing the right pairs of playing boots. 'Heat caused blisters and there was no money to buy new gear. He spoke to Leander, and they got shoes for the whole team,' Mehta recalls. But it was in 1996 at the All India rugby in a blistering game of Bombay Gymkhana vs CCFC that Dr Vece Paes left a lasting mark (and some sutures) on future captain Nasser Hussain. 'I must've been 16-17, and ended up with a cut on the back of my head. Dr Vece Paes took me aside, and there on the field, while I watched the match carry on, told me 'Son, this is going to hurt.' It sure did, there was no anaesthesia, and I was sitting there getting treatment from the President of the rugby federation! But now that I think of it, I fell in love with rugby right there, he let me watch the game, stitched me up as opposed to taking me to hospital, and I was back with my team in 30 minutes.' The doctor knew the minds and bodies of athletes, and it endeared him to legions across many sports. As an opponent he was tough, unsparing in fouling rivals, laughing it off after a warning that boomed, 'Rascal, now dekho saala.' As a doctor, he gently soothed away pains and fears.
