Latest news with #ASMITA
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Business Standard
a day ago
- Sport
- Business Standard
Manisha Kalyan dreams of playing in FIFA World Cup and Olympics someday
Trailblazing Indian woman footballer Manisha Kalyan on Friday said she harbours the dream of playing in the FIFA World Cup and the Olympics, a belief that has been bolstered by the national team's qualification for the AFC Women's Asian Cup in Australia next year. Manisha, the only Indian footballer to have played in the UEFA Champions League for women, was the cynosure of all eyes at the ASMITA under-13 league for girls at Nehru Stadium here on Friday. She said ASMITA is a "rare platform for young girls to realise their football dreams." "I am still dreaming of playing in the FIFA World Cup and the Olympics and after we qualified for the AFC Women's Asian Cup in Australia next year, our belief has been bolstered," the 23-year-old Manisha told the eight teams taking part in the Guwahati leg of ASMITA aimed at scouting talent at the grassroots level across India. "You now have a platform like ASMITA and the more quality matches you play, the better you will get," she added. Manisha was present alongside two emerging talents from Assam -- Rekha Kataki and Dosomi Rowtia. Both Rekha and Dosomi are products of the ASMITA league. While Dosomi has made it to the national camp, Rekha has captained NorthEast United Football Club in the Indian Women's League Division 2. "Football is in the genes of North-East people. I grew up watching Bala Devi and now 11 of my colleagues in the senior national team are from this region. This only shows how much talent is present here. "Maybe, five years from now, one of these kids will play for Assam and then India. Just work hard and only think about football. The ecosystem is surely developing and with government's support, we can only do better," said Manisha. Sports in north-east is a focus area for the sports ministry. Sports minister Mansukh Mandaviya has already announced that a NorthEast-specific Games will be added to the Khelo India calendar. "That will be a great addition. Not only football, this region is contributing to all sports and to give them more exposure is the right way to go," said Manisha, who has played professionally in Cyprus and Greece. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
News18
a day ago
- Sport
- News18
I dream of playing in World Cup and Olympics: Manisha Kalyan
Guwahati, Aug 8 (PTI) Trailblazing Indian woman footballer Manisha Kalyan on Friday said she harbours the dream of playing in the FIFA World Cup and the Olympics, a belief that has been bolstered by the national team's qualification for the AFC Women's Asian Cup in Australia next year. Manisha, the only Indian footballer to have played in the UEFA Champions League for women, was the cynosure of all eyes at the ASMITA under-13 league for girls at Nehru Stadium here on Friday. She said ASMITA is a 'rare platform for young girls to realise their football dreams." 'I am still dreaming of playing in the FIFA World Cup and the Olympics and after we qualified for the AFC Women's Asian Cup in Australia next year, our belief has been bolstered," the 23-year-old Manisha told the eight teams taking part in the Guwahati leg of ASMITA aimed at scouting talent at the grassroots level across India. 'You now have a platform like ASMITA and the more quality matches you play, the better you will get," she added. Manisha was present alongside two emerging talents from Assam — Rekha Kataki and Dosomi Rowtia. Both Rekha and Dosomi are products of the ASMITA league. While Dosomi has made it to the national camp, Rekha has captained NorthEast United Football Club in the Indian Women's League Division 2. 'Football is in the genes of North-East people. I grew up watching Bala Devi and now 11 of my colleagues in the senior national team are from this region. This only shows how much talent is present here. 'Maybe, five years from now, one of these kids will play for Assam and then India. Just work hard and only think about football. The ecosystem is surely developing and with government's support, we can only do better," said Manisha. Sports in north-east is a focus area for the sports ministry. Sports minister Mansukh Mandaviya has already announced that a NorthEast-specific Games will be added to the Khelo India calendar. 'That will be a great addition. Not only football, this region is contributing to all sports and to give them more exposure is the right way to go," said Manisha, who has played professionally in Cyprus and Greece. PTI PM PM PDS PDS view comments First Published: August 08, 2025, 15:15 IST Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
India Gazette
09-07-2025
- Sport
- India Gazette
Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya kicks off ASMITA Weightlifting League, says 'Mirabai Chanu perfect role model'
Modinagar (Uttar Pradesh) [India], July 9 (ANI): The Union Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports, Mansukh Mandaviya, inaugurated the 2025 season of the ASMITA league in Modinagar, Uttar Pradesh, on Tuesday. The 2025 season of ASMITA began with the weightlifting league, where forty-two girls participated in eight different weight categories in a two-day event held in the Open category. In the current financial year 2025-26, 852 leagues across 15 sports disciplines have been planned. The leagues spread across the states and Union Territories will feature over 70,000 female athletes. Last season, 550 leagues were conducted across 27 sports disciplines that enabled the participation of 53,101 female athletes. 'It is our mission to create opportunities at every level and then spot talent and groom them. I see there is a lot of fire in the eyes of these kids who have turned up here in Modinagar. I am sure we will be able to find another Mirabai Chanu,' said Mansukh Mandaviya. Tokyo Olympics silver medallist Mirabai Chanu was among the host of dignitaries who were present at the inauguration of the ASMITA weightlifting league. Boosting the morale of the participants was the Union Minister of State for Sports and Youth Affairs, Raksha Nikhil Khadse. 'ASMITA is a big pillar in our robust sports programme. Women have demonstrated their ability to excel in sports, and the sky is the limit for them. The intent in the eyes of the kids is something that needs to be cultivated,' said Raksha Khadse. 'You can't have a better role model than Mirabai Chanu. Having come from a remote Manipur village and achieved excellence at the highest levels, she has created a benchmark for all women weightlifters. Her presence should inspire the young girls who are taking part in weightlifting,' said Mansukh Mandaviya. Mandaviya reiterated the government's '360 degrees' commitment to sports and emphasised how this is reflected in the sports budget that has increased fourfold in the last 10 years. 'We are looking to reach every corner of India and tell aspiring sportspersons that we now have a pathway for you to rise and shine. Our Khelo Bharat Niti (sports policy) has been designed in this manner, and having collaborated with the National Education Policy, we are giving a lot of impetus to school sports. These will be reflected in the Khelo India calendar that we have created. There will be no dearth of opportunities,' said Mandaviya. Olympian Mirabai said the ASMITA Leagues, which started in 2021, have been a huge boon to women in sports. 'Its tiered structure is perfectly scripted. Everyone now has a vision on how to make it to the highest level. We didn't get such opportunities, and that's why ASMITA is a blessing for women who want to play a sport and dream big,' said Mirabai. (ANI)
Hindustan Times
08-07-2025
- Sport
- Hindustan Times
Fit-again Mirabai Chanu finetunes technique on comeback trail
New Delhi: It's been almost a year since Mirabai Chanu finished an agonising fourth at the Paris Olympics. Beset with niggles and injuries for the better part of that Olympic cycle, Chanu exited the stage with a resigned smile and promise to return stronger. Saikhom Mirabai Chanu will be in action at the Commonwealth championships in Ahmedabad next month. (Getty Images) 'Paris was very disappointing. I knew an aggregate of 200kg will surely win me a medal, and to miss the podium after coming so close did hurt,' the Tokyo Games silver medallist, who missed out on a second podium after lifting one kg less in 49kg, said on the sidelines of the two-day ASMITA weightlifting league in Modinagar on Tuesday. A three-month break followed after which Chanu went to St Louis, USA to consult Dr Aaron Horschig on a hip injury that had troubled her since the 2023 Asian Games. She also shifted base from NIS Patiala to national coach Vijay Sharma's academy, where she also mentors the trainees. Chanu will return to action at the Commonwealth championships in Ahmedabad next month (Aug 24-30), one of the three mandatory qualifiers for next year's Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. It will offer the 30-year-old an opportunity to test her technique. She competed at the trials for the Commonwealth championships in Patiala last month and, in Sharma's assessment, 'performed beyond expectations'. 'I have been working on slight tweaks in my technique, particularly in snatch,' said Chanu, currently training at 70-80% of her load capacity. She has been trying to snatch 90kg for a few years now, but the technical work has almost always hit the injury roadblock. 'We did some technical work before Tokyo Olympics, but the rhythm was disrupted after repeated injuries in the Paris cycle,' said Sharma. 'However, we are confident she can snatch 90kg. She crossed that mark in training in the lead up to Paris. She would also lift 115-116kg in clean and jerk, so we were confident of a medal in Paris,' he added. At the Games, Chanu failed to go beyond 88kg in snatch and failed in her opening clean and jerk effort of 111kg. 'I had lifted much more in training but things didn't work out on the day that mattered. That hasn't dented my resolve. My goals are still the same,' she said. Snatching 90kg and winning an elusive Asian Games medal next year are among them. It will need some doing considering the challenge that Chinese and North Korean lifters present. Chanu is aware of the competition but is unfazed. 'Recently a junior lifter in China snatched 90kg, so I really need to hit that mark,' the double World Championships medallist said. 'Snatch is all technique while clean and jerk is more power based. How to lift and progress, how to control the back, execution of the second pull, all those aspects need technical refinement. These are little changes but over the years, the body develops muscle memory which is hard to let go.' Chanu is also working to add speed to her first pull – the motion where an athlete lifts the bar to her waist. 'The body should be in sync in that motion, but that has been my weakness since the start. We have added speed to the second pull and also on the hip thrust. The technique can't be corrected instantly. We have to work on it carefully because my body is ageing.' Weight management, in this Olympic cycle, too will be daunting. With the world body rejigging weight classes, Chanu has now moved to 48kg, a division in which she became world champion in 2017. 'Controlling weight will be difficult because my maintenance weight now has to be around 49.5kg. It looks just one kg from outside but requires a very close look at the training programme,' she said. Her training load is still the same – she was in 49kg earlier – but it has been broken up to ensure the body is not over exerted, Sharma said. 'We are peaking towards the World Championships in October and from there, the focus will shift towards the Asian Games,' Chanu said.
New Indian Express
08-07-2025
- Sport
- New Indian Express
Sports minister Mandaviya inaugurates ASMITA weightlifting league
CHENNAI: The Union sports minister inaugurated the ASMITA league 2025 in Modinagar on Tuesday. According to a sports ministry media release, Mansukh Mandaviya opened the league where 42 girls are participating in eight different weight categories in the two-day. The events are organised as Open category. In the current financial year, 852 leagues across 15 sports disciplines have been planned. The leagues spread across states and Union Territories. It will feature over 70,000 female athletes. Last season, 550 leagues were conducted across 27 sports disciplines where 53,101 female athletes participated. 'It our mission to create opportunities at every level and then spot talent and groom them. I see there is a lot of fire in the eyes of these kids who have turned up here in Modinagar. I am sure we will be able to find another Mirabai Chanu,' Mandaviya said in the statement. Tokyo Olympics silver medallist Mirabai Chanu was among the host of dignitaries who were present at the inauguration of the ASMITA weightlifting league. Union minister of state for sports Raksha Nikhil Khadse too was present. 'ASMITA is a big pillar in our robust sports programme. Women have demonstrated their ability to excel in sports and sky is the limit for them. The intent in the eyes of the kids is something that needs to be cultivated,' said Smt Khadse. Know Asmita ASMITA (Achieving Sports Milestone by Inspiring Women) is part of Khelo India's gender neutral mission to promote sports among women through leagues and competition. As such, the Sports Authority of India supports National Sports Federations to conduct Khelo India women's leagues across multiple age groups at both zonal and national levels. Started in 2021, ASMITA leagues not only aim to increase the participation of women in sports but to utilise the leagues as a platform for identification of new talent across the length and breadth of India.
