
Ahmedabad To Host Asian Weightlifting Championships From April 1 To 10
The 2026 Asian Weightlifting Championships will be held in Ahmedabad from April 1 to 10, the Indian Weightlifting Federation (IWLF) confirmed on Wednesday. India was awarded the hosting rights last year by the Asian Weightlifting Federation (AWF) during its annual Congress. "The dates of the Championship has been decided. It will be held from April 1 to 10," IWLF President Sahdev Yadav told PTI. This will be the first edition of the Asian Championships to be conducted under the International Weightlifting Federation's revised weight categories.
Originally scheduled to take place in Gandhinagar, the event was later shifted to Ahmedabad. This marks the city's second major international weightlifting event, with the Commonwealth Weightlifting Championships also set to take place in August.
The Gujarat government is already developing sports infrastructure in Ahmedabad with an eye on the 2036 Olympics.
India has also formally submitted its bid to conduct the 2030 Commonwealth Games in Ahmedabad.
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Time of India
16 hours ago
- Time of India
Pranati well prepared for Women's Artistic Gymnastics Asian Championships
Kolkata: After grabbing a bronze medal at FIG World Cup in Antalya, Turkey, in March early this year, Pranati Nayak will be looking to put up another strong performance at Women's Artistic Gymnastics Asian Championships to be held in Jecheon, South Korea, from June 12-15. It will be quite a challenge for the veteran gymnast though in the Vault apparatus as the top athletes from all over the continent will be participating in the tournament including 49-year-old Oksana Chusovitina of Uzbekistan. However, according to her coach Ashok Mishra, the two-time Asian Championships bronze medallist is well prepared and was quite impressive during the final training sessions. "Pranati is in great shape physically and mentally and is full of confidence. She did really well during the podium training and was able to get a lot of speed while making the runs which will no doubt help her," said Mishra, during an interaction from Jecheon. The two vaults that she will be performing are — Tsukahara 720 Twist with fixed landing and Handspring Pike Salto with a 360-degree turn. She has been doing the first vault for a while now but the second one is something she has added to her armoury recently. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like استخدام مواد قابلة لإعادة التدوير يقلل النفايات بنسبة 50٪ Visionary Echo ابحث الآن Undo Although, she did struggle with it at times, she pulled it off perfectly on the final day ahead of the event and Mishra, who trains her at Gymnastics High-Performance Centre in Bhubaneswar, sounded quite pleased with it. Moreover, she has also been working on her leg strength over the past few months and its showing in her performance. Besides Nayak, the other athletes who will be representing India in the senior category are Protistha Samanta, Bidisha Gayen, Sneha Tariyal and Ritu Das. Meanwhile, Sreeparna Debnath, Sakshi Dalvi, Tora Saini and Avantika Negi will be competing in the junior section and coach Bishweshwar Nandi is hopeful of a good showing from the youngsters. "It's their first international tournament, and it's important for them to gain as much experience as possible. We always hope they will be able to perform what they have been training for. Based on that, we start having expectations, but this sport is all about technique, and it's not possible to do something you haven't learned," said Nandi, who trained Dipa Karmakar and helped her make it to the Olympics. Nandi though has a big task at hand now as he has been working with the juniors ahead of the event alongside coach Jimmi Anjana in Bhubaneswar. However, one of the junior members of the team — Priti Jhankar from Odisha — will sadly miss the event after she got infected with chicken pox and has been put in quarantine.


New Indian Express
21 hours ago
- New Indian Express
After Thailand high, boxer Deepak aiming for bigger bouts
CHENNAI: Indian boxers have largely been in the shadows due to the current predicament surrounding the Boxing Federation of India (BFI). In this unfavourable climate, two boxers stood out during the Thailand Open International Boxing Tournament that was held recently. Deepak Poonia, who plies his trade in the 75kg category, was one of the pugilists from the country who returned with a golden gong. As compared to other marquee events, this gold might not hold much weight but it was a momentous occasion for Deepak, the No 2-ranked Indian in the said category. It was Deepak's first-ever medal at the senior international level. The youngster from Haryana had taken down three boxers en route to gold in Bangkok. "It was a great experience. It was my first medal at the senior international level. I had undergone good training and things went according to the plans. So it was a good feeling," Deepak, who hails from Burak Village in Hisar District, recalled. Deepak, who'll turn 21 in October, has no time to dwell on the victory as he has bigger fish to fry in the months to come. Currently part of the national training camp in Patiala, the youngster is looking to add more weight in his punches. One of the many young faces in the senior team, Deepak is naturally hungry for more. With some massive events — World Championships in England and World Cup Boxing in India — scheduled to be held later this year, it is vital for youngsters like Deepak to maintain his competitive edge. For Deepak, who is part of Garhwal Unit with the Indian Army, it's all about maintaining his discipline. "I have put up notes (targets) on my wall. The things that I need to work on on a weekly basis and I try to ensure that the targets are met. It's all about discipline. I think that is critical. I keep an eye on those notes and I feel like working," he said. His immediate focus right now is the U-22 Asian Championships which is scheduled to be held next month. "In regards to my targets inside the ring, it's a step-by-step process. My main focus is the Asian trials. It's happening next month and my training is based on that. After that, there'll be more trials and I'll move accordingly." As Deepak plans his future, his elder sisters Sonu and Poonam will be two people who'll also be keeping a close eye on his progress. Both are also part of the women's national camp in Patiala. It was because of them that Deepak, supported by Olympic Gold Quest, took up the craft. "I started after watching Sonu and Poonam. I was into basketball earlier. I had taken up the gloves to maintain my fitness and I gradually started getting more interested in it. I started to spare myself from studies and then I began liking it," he said. "We have a good bonding. They teach me a lot. Both of them are my mentors. They create a path for me and I follow it," he added. Late in 2023, he had captured a gold medal in the national boxing championship. However, he could not replicate that performance this year and could only win a silver medal instead. The result is a clear indicator that he still has work to do. Deepak, who also looks up to Prince Naseem's (boxing great from UK); he often watches his highlights on YouTube and is hopeful of gaining vital experience in the months to come. "If I can gain experience along the way, that will certainly help me attain maturity in my game. I also need to focus on my strength. The main thing is experience, if I keep getting international exposure, that will come handy." With his undeniable talent, willingness to stay disciplined and the constant support of his two elder sisters, Deepak has the right platform to make more inroads in the near future.


Indian Express
a day ago
- Indian Express
Bengaluru stampede: Hospital records show first death occurred before RCB felicitation at Vidhana Soudha
Investigations of the deaths of 11 Royal Challengers Bengaluru fans in stampedes at the M Chinnaswamy stadium on June 4 during a celebration of RCB's first IPL crown in 18 years have revealed that the first death was recorded at 3.45 pm. The investigations–based on hospital records and movement of bodies to two mortuaries for postmortems–have also revealed that 10 more deaths were recorded at three hospitals in central Bengaluru, from 4.15 pm to 5.15 pm on June 4, even as the celebration was on at two separate events held between 4 pm and 6 pm. The timing of the recording of the deaths of RCB fans at hospitals has become a subject of controversy in Karnataka on account of the IPL victory celebrations at the Vidhana Soudha, the government headquarters, and the Chinnaswamy stadium continuing despite the fan deaths. A felicitation for the IPL-winning RCB team was conducted from 4 pm to 5 pm on the steps of the Vidhana Soudha, with Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar and several members of the Congress cabinet in attendance. A celebration was also held between 5 pm and 6 pm at the Chinnaswamy cricket stadium, where RCB fans had been gathering in thousands from 1 pm to gain entry to what was advertised by the team as a free event. The stampede occurred around the 21 gates surrounding the stadium as fans tried to force their way in while security personnel at the stadium tried to keep the gates closed. No deaths were reported in the vicinity of the venue at the Vidhana Soudha, held 1 km away from the stadium. Advocate-General K M Shashi Kiran Shetty told the Karnataka High Court last week–during the hearing of a suo motu petition–that 'four deaths were recorded of fans from Gate 7, one from Gate 1, two from Gate 2 and four from Gates 17 to 21'. The state government has argued that the gathering of nearly three lakh RCB fans–at the prompting of messages posted on social media by the team for its fan base of over three crores, to gather to celebrate the June 3 IPL victory without any police clearances for the event–had overwhelmed the police and security personnel outside the stadium, which only has a capacity of 33,000. The Karnataka government is due to file a report in a sealed cover on the findings on the stampede deaths on Thursday before the high court. The recording of the 11 deaths Information gathered from multiple sources, on the recording of the stampede deaths by three hospitals and the subsequent movement to mortuaries, reveals that the first death was recorded at 3.45 pm, at Vydehi Superspeciality Hospital, of Prajwal G, 22, an engineering graduate and an employee at a private firm. The second death was recorded at 4.15 pm, at Bowring Hospital, of Divyanshi B S, 14, a Class 9 student; the third was recorded at 4.27 pm, at Bowring Hospital, of Manoj Kumar N D, 19, a college student; the fourth was recorded at 4.34 pm, at Vydehi Hospital, of Poornachandra C, 20, a civil engineer; the fifth at 4.40 pm, at Bowring Hospital, of Kamakshi Devi S, 29, an Amazon employee. The next five deaths were recorded in the 30 minutes from 4.45 pm to 5.15 pm–with the death of Bhumik L, a 19-year-old student, recorded at Vydehi Hospital at 4.45 pm; of Chinmayi Shetty, also a 19-year-old student, recorded at Manipal (Vikram) Hospital around 5 pm; of Sahana Rajesh, 23, a Bosch employee, recorded at Vydehi Hospital at 5.07 pm; of Shivalingu C, 17, a student, recorded at Bowring Hospital, also at 5.07 pm; of Shravan K T, 20, a student, recorded at Bowring Hospital at 5.10 pm; and Akshata Pai, 26, a chartered accountant at Bowring Hospital at 5.15 pm. The postmortems of five victims were conducted at Victoria Hospital and six postmortems were conducted at Bowring Hospital. The first postmortem took place at 8 pm at Bowring Hospital and the last at 11.40 pm at Victoria Hospital. A postmortem can take place only after a near relative identifies the body. Although the first death declared in the stampede was that of Prajwal G, 22, at Vydehi Hospital at 3.45 pm, his postmortem was conducted only at 11.40 pm as his body was identified late by his family, before it was moved to Victoria Hospital for the procedure. 'The last postmortem at Bowring Hospital was conducted at 11.20 pm because the parents of the victim (Kamakshi Devi) had to come from Salem for the identification,' a source said. 'Siddaramiah informed of the first death late' The Opposition parties in Karnataka have accused the Congress government of going on with the victory felicitation and celebrations, at the Vidhana Soudha and the Chinnaswamy stadium, respectively, on the evening of June 4 despite the deaths of fans being registered at hospitals ahead of the first event and through the course of the first and second events. Sources in the government said that one of the primary reasons Siddaramaiah decided on June 5 to suspend five police officers, including the then Bengaluru police commissioner B Dayananda, was the fact that the news of the deaths outside the stadium was not brought to his notice. 'If the news of the first death had been communicated to the CM, the programme at the Vidhana Soudha and the stadium could have been cancelled, leading to fewer deaths. The CM was livid that he was not informed of the stampede incidents,' a government source said. The 'situation was not discussed with the higher-ups for taking necessary guidance and advice in the matter. As a result, the situation went out of control and brought a lot of misery, loss of precious life and embarrassment to the government,' says the suspension orders for the police officers. 'Although the injured were admitted to the hospital at 3.50 pm, I received information at 5.45 pm that a stampede had occurred near the stadium and people had died. The stampede incident should not have happened. It is very saddening,' Siddaramaiah said last week. 'The first death due to the stampede occurred at 3.10 pm. But D K Shivakumar was seen kissing the cup at the stadium. Meanwhile, CM Siddaramaiah took his grandson to Janardhan Hotel to eat masala dosa and halwa,' Union minister H D Kumaraswamy said last week. Political row Leader of the Opposition R Ashoka claimed that 'the police had informed them of the first death by noon'. 'Eight children had already died when the event began, yet the programme continued, showing that these leaders have hearts of stone,' the BJP MLA alleged. D K Shivakumar, who participated in the events at the Vidhana Soudha and the Chinnaswamy stadium, said that he had directed the ending of the stadium felicitation as soon as he learned of the stampede deaths. 'The police commissioner told the organisers to cut the programme down to 10 minutes. We also spoke to the RCB management to cut the programme short. My media friends informed me about the stampede. The police commissioner too spoke to me,' the deputy chief minister said.