Indian boxers hope to overcome UK visa delay odds ahead of World championships
Several countries, including Uzbekistan, USA, Ireland and Poland, have begun their final training for the first-ever World championships in Liverpool, set to begin on September 4, under the banner of the new international federation World Boxing.
Only four women boxers, Minakshi, Nikhat Zareen, Pooja Rani and Nupur Sheoran, out of 10, have reached the camp in Sheffield.
Women's head coach D. Chandralal, who is part of the electoral college from Kerala for the Boxing Federation of India elections scheduled on Thursday, is in India.
'I'm monitoring the training from here. I want our girls to spar with boxers of heavier or lower weights so that they don't give away clues to the opponents too early. We're collecting videos of prospective opponents for our homework,' said Chandralal.
While men's head coach Dharmendra Yadav is in the UK, none of the 10 male boxers have been able to board the flight.
Nevertheless, the team is looking to switch to competition mode. 'Now the volume will go down and the intensity will increase. The boxers must learn how to deal with rough rivals,' said the men's coach.
Even though Indian boxers tasted success in the World Cups in Brazil and Kazakhstan, the World championships will pose a tougher challenge.
The squad: Men: Jadumani Singh (50kg), Pawan Bartwal (55kg), Sachin Siwach (60kg), Abinash Jamwal (65kg), Hitesh (70kg), Sumit Kundu (75kg), Lakshya Chahar (80kg), Jugnoo (85kg), Harsh Choudhary (90kg), Narender Berwal (90+kg).
Women: Minakshi (48kg), Nikhat Zareen (51kg), Sakshi Chaudhary (54kg), Jaismine Lamboriya (57kg), Sanju (60kg), Neeraj Phogat (65kg), Sanamacha Chanu (70kg), Lovlina Borgohain (75kg), Pooja Rani (80kg) and Nupur Sheoran (80+kg).
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
&w=3840&q=100)
Business Standard
28 minutes ago
- Business Standard
RMG loss may turn out to result in gains for casual gaming market
Casual gaming studios and publishers are set to benefit from the government's blanket ban on real money gaming (RMG) platforms such as Dream11, Games24x7, Mobile Premier League, and WinZO—even as the overall gaming industry contracts. Industry executives said the ban could push demand for casual, midcore, and AAA titles—games with low-to-moderate complexity and shorter session lengths that rely on advertising and in-app purchases. Popular titles such as Ludo King (Gametion), Real Cricket (Nautilus Mobile), Indus Battle Royale (SuperGaming), and Raji: An Ancient Epic (Nodding Heads Games) are among those expected to see a boost. 'I don't see a reason why RMG guys cannot compete with us since they have a large bank balance. But do they want to compete in that space? If they wanted to, they would have done it by now,' said the founder of a casual gaming firm. Casual gaming players expect RMG companies to enter the segment, leveraging their cash reserves to invest in e-sports or shooter games. However, market executives cautioned that not all of the 450 million Indians who have played real money games such as ludo, poker, or rummy are likely to shift to casual gaming overnight. 'Now the next part of it is, does this change anything from a gaming industry perspective? Who does it benefit? There is responsibility for us now to make great games that are played by the audiences and fill in the gap from an entertainment perspective,' the person quoted above added. The ban on RMG comes as multiple Indian studios, publishers, and developers gather at global gaming fair Gamescom in Germany. 'The Chinese games here are far ahead in terms of gameplay, graphics, and development. For us to get there as an industry and as a nation will take a few years,' one of the attendees told Business Standard. The Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Bill, passed in Parliament on Thursday and cleared by the Rajya Sabha, seeks to promote e-sports, educational games, and social gaming. A joint report by the US-India Strategic Partnership Forum, the Interactive Entertainment & Innovation Council, and WinZO noted that only about 1,500 competitive e-sports players are active in India. E-sports involve formal competitions dedicated to specific titles, typically played before spectators. Popular games in this category include Battlegrounds Mobile India (BGMI), League of Legends, Valorant, and Call of Duty. The RMG ban has put the jobs of more than 200,000 employees across over 400 entities at risk. Industry participants noted that while casual gaming firms continue to hire, the scale of employment remains limited and focused largely on specialised areas such as graphics and development. 'The industry is small in India today. Most of the development in the country services foreign clients for back-end work,' another executive employed with an RMG company explained. According to a report by Lumikai—an interactive and games-focused venture capital firm—the Indian gaming market is expected to reach $7.5 billion by FY28, growing at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 20 per cent, driven by rising in-app purchases and advertising revenues in casual and midcore games.
Hindustan Times
an hour ago
- Hindustan Times
Gambhir under fire for 'ditching' Shreyas Iyer as bold Kohli-Shastri claim surfaces: 'He discards players he dislikes'
Following the backlash against BCCI chief selector Ajit Agarkar — to which the Indian board later responded — head coach Gautam Gambhir has now been dragged into the debate surrounding Shreyas Iyer's non-selection for the Asia Cup. Former India opener Sadagoppan Ramesh alleged that Gambhir did not back Iyer's inclusion, hinting at favouritism in the selection process. Shreyas Iyer (right) did not make the India squad for the Asia Cup(PTI) Despite a prolific season where Iyer amassed 604 runs in the 2025 IPL at a strike rate of 174 and scored 300-plus runs in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy at a strike rate of 188, he was overlooked for the Asia Cup, which begins on September 9 in the UAE. The decision has sparked widespread outrage. Speaking on his YouTube channel, Ramesh claimed that a false narrative was being built around India's 2-2 draw in the recent Test series in England. While the result was hailed as a great achievement for a young Indian side led by Shubman Gill in the absence of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, Ramesh argued it was only highlighted because India had struggled in Tests last year under Gambhir. He reminded that India's consistent success overseas had begun during the Virat Kohli–Ravi Shastri era. "He backs the players he likes but completely lets go of those he doesn't," Ramesh said. "Winning consistently abroad had started long back under Kohli and Shastri. But now, just the drawn series in England is being projected as a big achievement in Gambhir's track record." Ramesh also cited India's Champions Trophy win earlier this year, crediting Iyer as the decisive factor. Iyer scored 243 runs — the most by any Indian and second overall behind New Zealand's Rachin Ravindra (263) — to guide India to the title. "Gambhir's biggest achievement remains the Champions Trophy triumph, and Iyer was the biggest reason for that success. Yet, Gambhir is not backing him. Someone like Jaiswal, who is an X-factor player, must play all formats. Keeping him in standby is a poor move," Ramesh added. He further stressed: "Shreyas Iyer produced incredible performances in the same UAE during the Champions Trophy and should be a permanent fixture in India's white-ball teams. Players must be backed when they are high on confidence and in form, not when they fade away. This is the ideal time to reap the rewards of Iyer's sky-high confidence."
Indian Express
an hour ago
- Indian Express
Centre's ban on real-money gaming apps: Why enforcing it won't be easy
A nationwide blanket ban on real-money gaming (RMG) platforms in India is now all but certain after The Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Bill, 2025, was passed by the Rajya Sabha on Thursday, August 21, by means of a voice vote. The passage of the Bill took a little over an hour. The Lok Sabha had cleared the Bill on Wednesday. It will become law once it receives the President's assent. The Bill seeks 'to prohibit the offering, operation, facilitation, advertisement, promotion and participation in online money games,' targeting companies behind fantasy sports and card games that allow users to stake money for rewards with the risk of losses. The sweeping ban not only potentially puts an end to the legal cover secured by RMG firms through multiple court rulings but also marks a clear break from the past for the Indian government in terms of policy. The IT Ministry's earlier pro-industry rules had proposed a self-regulatory framework for online gaming in India, but implementation proved difficult amid concerns over the gaming industry policing itself. On the other hand, the provisions of the Bill pave the way for the promotion of e-sports as a legitimate competitive sport, alongside 'online social games' that may charge subscription or access fees, provided they do not involve stakes or wagers. However enforcing the ban on RMG platforms may prove challenging, as illegal betting sites and gambling apps have previously evaded restrictions by switching domains, using mirror websites, changing bank providers, using mule bank accounts, and relying on untraceable cryptocurrency wallets. As per the legislation, 'No person shall offer, aid, abet, induce or otherwise indulge or engage in the offering of online money game and online money gaming service,' failing which they could be imprisoned for up to three years and penalised Rs 1 crore. This would make it illegal for internet service providers (ISPs) and web-hosting services to support RMG platforms such as Dream11, Mobile Premier League (MPL), Winzo, etc. It would also force Apple and Google to remove such apps from their respective app stores. The legislation also prohibits banks and financial institutions from facilitating financial transactions on such promoting RMG platforms, such as social media influencers and celebrities, also face jail time of two years and a penalty of Rs 50 lakh. Social media platforms such as Instagram, YouTube, and X as well as communication apps, search engines, and any other form of media platform could also be held liable for failing to curb ads from RMG firms. To investigate offences under the legislation, the online gaming law empowers authorised officials to carry out search operations at physical and virtual places, even without a warrant. One of the main concerns is that banning all RMG platforms would drive players deeper into the dark web. 'The illegal market, currently estimated at over USD 100 billion annually, poses significant risks to tax collections and national security, exploiting payment channels like UPI mule accounts, hawala networks, and cryptocurrencies,' Kazim Rizvi, founding director, The Dialogue, told The Indian Express. 'Cutting off the legitimate RMG industry through prohibitive regulation will not curb such illicit activity, rather, it would drive players further into these shadow markets, amplifying fiscal losses and regulatory challenges,' he added. The cumulative size of illegal betting firms was estimated at Rs 8.2 lakh crore, according to a 2024 report by Think Change Forum, an independent think tank. Another report published by Digital India Foundation (DIF) in March 2025 found that four online gambling platforms – Parimatch, Stake, 1xBet, and Batery Bet – saw over 1.6 billion visits from Indian users in a span of three months. Online casinos, gambling and betting apps were deemed illegal as they were considered to be games of chance. Rummy games and fantasy sports apps were permissible as the courts had held that they were games of skill. However, the new law moves past this distinction as its provisions apply to all online money gaming platforms, irrespective of whether they are games of skill or chance. 'It wipes out domestic companies that the government could regulate, and opens the door for illegal offshore betting and gambling entities to exploit and defraud users further,' Meghna Bal, director of Esya Centre, opined. The new online gaming law suggests that RMG platforms will be blocked through orders issued under Section 69A of the IT Act, 2000, similar to the blocking of illegal betting and gambling sites. Last month, the IT Ministry informed Parliament that it has blocked 1,524 gambling and betting websites and mobile apps since 2022, using powers under the IT Act, 2000 and the IGST Act, 2017. However, prohibiting access to these platforms has been difficult as they use tactics such as: Domain switching: Offshore gambling websites frequently evade restrictions by switching domains to stay online. For instance, three different mirror websites of online betting platform Parimatch (such as and saw 266 million visits from Indian users over three months, as per the DIF report. 'Moreover, during account creation, we discovered that the same login credentials worked across multiple mirror sites,' it added. Mule bank accounts: These are bank accounts that are often rented from small vendors and may belong to unsuspecting individuals. Gambling platforms use such mule bank accounts to covertly move money and route it outside India. These accounts threaten to weaken the legislation's payment blocking provisions and risk penalising innocent account holders rather than the outlawed platforms themselves. Advanced digital marketing strategies: While popular influencers with more than a million or so followers may be easily identified and penalised under the new online gaming law, betting companies such as Stake reportedly promote their platform by relying on a network of micro and nano influencers who may be harder to trace. The law also does not make an exception for influencers or celebrities whose likeness has been used to promote RMG platforms without their consent. Direct communication: Direct calls or messages guiding users to specific URLs may also keep their services visible and accessible to Indian users despite the official ban. The government is expected to issue supplemental rules in order to operationalise the new online gaming law. A key area requiring clarity, according to Vikram Jeet Singh, Partner, BTG Advaya, is how websites and apps offering online money games will be identified. 'A game developer will always strongly argue that their game is not subject to the prohibition, for any number of reasons. If there is a dispute on whether an online game is an online money game, the government should clarify what authority (or court) will settle the dispute. There are 'in game purchases' available in most games, and it is not clear if these or other 'micro-transactions' in games are now prohibited,' he told The Indian Express.
