Latest news with #Inter-State
Time of India
15 hours ago
- Sport
- Time of India
The Athletics Federation of India (AFI) tells women athletes to undergo SRY gene test
Representational Image of a Track field. Bengaluru: With the World Athletics Council approving new regulations for athletes to compete in the women's category for world ranking competitions, the Athletics Federation of India (AFI) has informed top athletes and coaches that all female athletes who make the grade should undergo 'SRY gene test' to be eligible to compete in next month's World Championships to be held in Tokyo. 'All female athletes who meet the qualification standards for the World Athletics Championships should undergo the SRY gene test in consultation with the Athletics Federation of India,' AFI said in a communication to the athletes and coaches. 'All concerned are requested to ensure compliance with the above requirement at the earliest, failing which the concerned athlete shall not be permitted to compete in the female category,' Shailesh Kumar, chairman of AFI's medical commission, said in the letter. Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW! AFI sources told TOI that as the final list of Indian women athletes who will qualify will be known only at the end of the qualifying period on Aug 24, the tests will be ongoing, starting with those who have already made the grade or who are on the verge of making the cut. 'All athletes have been informed about the requirement and most of these samples will be tested at the National Dope Testing Laboratory (NDTL) in New Delhi,' they said. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like The Highest Earning College Majors—2025 Edition Best Paying Degrees | Search Ads Learn More Undo Asked if the samples would be sent abroad, the sources said NDTL is equipped to conduct the required tests. While Parul Chaudhary (3000m steeplechase) and Priyanka (35km race walk) have made the cut, Annu Rani (javelin throw) has more or less confirmed her berth through the world ranking quota. Another five athletes — Ankita (3000m steeplechase), Seema (10,000m), Shaili Singh (long jump), Vithya Ramraj (400m hurdles) and Pooja (high jump) — have kept their hopes alive and will look to give their best in the Inter-State meet beginning in Chennai on Aug 20. World Athletics announced the new test on July 30 and said the new regulations will come into effect on Sept 1, 2025 and will be applied to the Worlds that begin on Sept 13. 'All athletes wishing to compete in the female category at the World Championships are required to undergo a once-in-a-lifetime test for the SRY gene — a reliable proxy for determining biological sex,' the world body had said. Catch Rani Rampal's inspiring story on Game On, Episode 4. Watch Here!
NDTV
5 days ago
- Sport
- NDTV
Annu Rani Eyes World Championship Medal. Neeraj Chopra Of Indian Women's Javelin
India's ace javelin thrower Annu Rani has breached the 60m mark for a second time in two days, marking a come back to form after a dip in her performances. After hitting 62.01m at the World Athletics Continental Bronze level tour event in Bhubaneshwar and winning the 800 USD competition she told NDTV, "The experience of throwing here in front of a packed stadium was good. I was able to cross 62m twice in 2 days ago, and that too after 2 years. She found her rhythm in Poland, having thrown 65.59m last week. Annu arrived from Europe jet lagged, hence it was a humongous effort to get used to the conditions and replicate a good show. "I have travelled a long way and was fatigued as well. To have done 62m while I am so tired gives me immense satisfaction. Hopefully things will be good in the future." The UP girl spent some time training along with former Javelin world champion Johannes Vetter, who has also experienced a low in his sport after 2021, but kept pursuing for the love of it. She worked on her technique to find her way back in the sport, training under former Olympic medallist Sergey Makarov. She made two small changes, that were suggested by her coach "My runway is smooth now and I have tried to angle the javelin in a way that it keeps low. Earlier my angle was high generally. That was not giving me the results." "Crossing 62m has boosted a lot of confidence in me. This will be my 5th world championship. My eye will be on a medal," says Annu Rani. The qualification window for World Championships closes with the Inter-State meet, later this month
Time of India
6 days ago
- Sport
- Time of India
Lone Bihar athlete Sunny Kumar looking forward to compete with idol Murali Sreeshankar
BHUBANESWAR: Long jumper Sunny Kumar , who will be competing at the Bronze level Continental Tour at Kalinga Stadium here, is the only athlete from Bihar to take part in the competition. It's the first international competition for the 24-year-old and he got the chance courtesy of a 7.90m jump that he achieved at the Indian Open Athletics meet held at Sree Kanteerava Stadium in Bengaluru in June. He even achieved a mark of 7.80m at the Indian Open Jumps Competition but his big target now is to break the 8m mark. But for now, he is just looking forward to competing with Murali Sreeshankar , whom he idolises. 'I had competed with him when I was in my juniors but this will be my first as a senior and it's going to be really special,' said Sunny on Saturday. Asked what it is that he likes about the Commonwealth Games silver-medalist, Sunny said, 'He has a great mindset. It always seems he can achieve anything. And his running is just mind-blowing. I have also been training with him for a while and watching him train only gave me goosebumps.' However, on Sunday, rather than being awestruck by Murali, Sunny will need to focus better on his own jumps. Asked where he will need to work on in the coming days, the Bihar athlete said, 'I need to work on my technique as far as my landing is concerned. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like These Hotels Redefine Luxury – Wait Until You See What's Inside Explore Undo It's not always consistent because of which I am unable to achieve the maximum distance.' While he has been working on these aspects under coach Bhupinder Singh in Trivandrum over the past two years, he credited his first coach Mukesh Kumar Singh in helping him build the foundation when he first started out in 2018 at Patliputra Sports Complex in Patna. 'He trained me really well and built a very good foundation thanks to which I can do all the advanced training quite easily,' added the Begusarai resident, who will next take part in the Inter-State Athletics meet later this month. Asked what made him take up the sport, Sunny, meanwhile, added, 'I used to take part in the school athletics meets regularly. Later after shifting to Patna for high schooling, I thought of taking up the sport because I felt that I am made for this. I did a lot of research and eventually chose the long jump.' Meanwhile, although he is the only one from the state to be competing in this event, he believes his feat will inspire many others in Bihar to take up the sport and excel. But his big target is to make it to the Asian Games next year. Considering how he has gone from 7.17m that he achieved in April last year to 7.90m this year, it doesn't seem impossible at all. Stay updated with the latest local news from your city on Times of India (TOI). Check upcoming bank holidays , public holidays , and current gold rates and silver prices in your area.
The Hindu
02-08-2025
- Sport
- The Hindu
Kirpal Singh's 53.62m throw lands him the discus gold
Discus thrower Kirpal Singh won his second consecutive competition at the Indian Grand Prix 3 at the Guru Nanak Stadium here on Saturday. The former Inter-State and Federation Cup champion followed up on his gold-winning performance at the Indian Open meet last week with a best throw of 53.62m. Kirpal, the last Indian and one of only five to cross the 60m mark in 2022, is returning from a two-year dope ban. Also winning was Yashvir Singh in javelin throw with a best of 77.79m even as his main competitors — Sahil Silwal and Vikrant Malik — did not start. Talented youngster Dipanshu Sharma failed to reach 70m, settling for a fifth place finish with 66.98m. Among the women, quartermiler Anakha B.A. registered her personal best with her first-ever sub-54 timing, winning the 400m in 53.40s. Anakha was also part of the 4x400m relay squad at the recent World University Games, where the team finished fifth. In long jump, only Sherin A. and Sandra Babu crossed the 6m mark, the former winning with 6.12m while Amandeep Kaur ran alone in the 1500m after the only other entrant, Shivechha Patil of Maharashtra, failed to turn up. The results (winners only): Men: 100m: Harjit Singh (Air Force, 10.50s), 200m: Jishnu Prasad P.K. (BSF, 21.48s), 800m: Nilkantha Ray (Army, 1:51.49), 5000m: Onkar Panhalkar (Army, 14:32.36), 400mH: Aswin Krishnan L. (TN, 50.98s), 3000m steeple chase: Benjamin Babu (Ker, 9:47.59), Long jump: Mohd. Atta Sazid (Har, 7.79m), High jump: Sarvesh Kushare (Mah, 2.23m), Triple jump: Jay Shah (Mah, 15.67m), Shot put: Tajinderpal Singh Toor (Pun, 18.93m), Discus throw: Kirpal Singh (ONGC, 53.62m), Hammer throw: Shantanu Uchale (Mah, 62.76m), Javelin throw: Yashvir Singh (Raj, 77.79m). Women: 100m: Jilna M.V. (AIPSCB, 11.70s), 400m: Anakha B.A. (JSW, 53.40s), 800m: Amandeep Kaur (Pun, 2:09.31), 1500m: Amandeep (4:38.42), 5000m: Antima Pal (Rel, 17:30.60), 100mH: Nithya Ramraj (TN, 13.29s), 400mH: R. Vithya Ramraj (TN, 1:01.01), Long jump: Sherin A (TN, 6.12m), High jump: Jonika Pahal (Har, 1.75m), Shot put: Shiksha (NCOE, 15.27m), Discus throw: Anisha (Har, 49.38m), Hammer throw: Tanya Chaudhary (UP, 60.34m).
The Hindu
25-06-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
Enabling voting rights for migrants
Bihar, a State with one of the largest out-migration populations in India, is going to the polls later this year. This time, again a significant proportion of the State's population will be unable to exercise their franchise. In the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, voter turnout in Bihar was 56%, significantly lower than the national average of 66%. Since more than half the households in Bihar are exposed to migration in some form, a likely factor to have significantly influenced low voter turnout was the large migrant population, which was unable to return home to vote. Patterns of migration In 2021, the overall migration rate in India was 28.9%. A significant portion of migration in India is for marriage, especially among women. Around 10%, however, migrate for work. This number is significantly higher in certain northern and eastern States such as Bihar. With an ever-increasing number of migrants travelling from poorer to richer areas in search of employment, the number of those effectively disenfranchised will only increase, unless mechanisms are put in place to facilitate voting by migrants. In an attempt to solve the issue, public discussions have been held. The Election Commission of India (ECI) put forth a concrete proposal in 2024. But no single mechanism for voting for migrants has been implemented. Different kinds of policies and mechanisms are needed to enable voting for different kinds of migrants (intra and inter-State migrants). Intra-State migrants (around 85% of migrants) working in the informal sector could be encouraged to travel relatively shorter distances to vote in their original place of residence. However, they would need a measure of support from the government. Stricter enforcement of the statutory holiday on polling day would ensure that these workers are able to travel to vote without loss of wages. Special bus services could also be scheduled on the eve of and on polling day. Different mechanisms Inter-State migrants working in the informal sector are a large, growing and vulnerable population and need a different set of voting mechanisms. Three possibilities can be explored for this section. The first is an option designed to cater to the large population of migrants in irregular and low-paying jobs, such as in the construction sector. Workers in these jobs may not have permanent residences with address proofs. In 2023, the ECI showcased a pilot project of remote electronic voting machines (RVMs). Each of these was an EVM modified to cater to up to 72 constituencies. Political parties objected to this project. They said there was ambiguity over its functioning. They also cited issues such as problems in identification of migrants and the Code of Conduct being in place in the constituency where the migrant was residing. The project also appeared to be administratively difficult to implement at scale: when a large State with a large out-migration population goes to the polls, migrants from the State who currently reside across the country would be required to notify the ECI months in advance so that the ECI can make the necessary arrangements on polling day. If the ECI finds that in a given city, there are migrants from all 243 constituencies of Bihar, it would need to set up at least four RVMs across the city. The administrative difficulties would only be compounded during the Lok Sabha elections. As complex and challenging as the RVM proposal seems, it was the first major attempt by the ECI to facilitate voting for migrants. With more consultation and fine-tuning, this system could benefit many. Another option is postal ballots. This system is already being implemented by the ECI for members of the armed forces. An extension of this model could help many migrants. Here, too, the ECI would require migrants to register with the body well in advance, so the postal ballots can be issued. Operationally, this appears to be the easier form of remote voting to implement. However, the ECI would have to organise registration, issue ballot papers, and despatch these ballots to counting centres after voting — all major administrative efforts. The last option — switching voting constituencies — is suitable for the longer term for more permanent migrants who can prove their residence in a constituency for at least six months. The argument here is that longer-term migrants of an area would likely be more concerned about the politics and policies of their current place of residence. The ECI should also take extra effort to enrol longer-term migrants of the informal sector in their current place of residence. This will empower them to pressure governments to implement more migrant-friendly policies. While this move may face significant opposition from longer-term residents of the area, it would empower one of the most vulnerable sections of the population. Separately, as a significant number of migrant populations across the country are women who migrate after marriage, voting drives could also be carried out to enrol these women on the voter lists of their new place of residence. A mixed approach Each of these options has its advantages and disadvantages. Enabling voting by migrants is a complex task and is made more complex by the heterogeneity of migrants. Therefore, an approach that uses all these options will enable a significant share of both inter- and intra-State salaried and casual migrants to exercise their right to vote.
