1800 athletes gather in Gandhinagar for the 4th PAFI National Armwrestling & Para Armwrestling Championship

Posted on by Vividh Bharathi

Gandhinagar, May 31 (IANS) The 4th National Armwrestling & Para Armwrestling Championship commenced at the Rashtriya Raksha University, Gandhinagar, bringing together over 1,800 athletes from across the country in one of the largest Armwrestling competitions in India.

Organised by the Armwrestling Sports Association Gujarat with the leadership of President Rajendrasinh Parmar and Treasurer Mayank Patel, under the aegis of the People’s Armwrestling Federation India (PAFI), the four-day championship will run from May 30 to June 1 and features competitions across male and female sub junior, junior, senior, youth, para, master across various weight categories. Athletes from multiple states have assembled at the university campus, where all participants are being accommodated throughout the duration of the event.

The championship also serves as a platform for several leading stars of the Pro Panja League to lock horns again, who are representing their respective states and competing for national honours.

The Athletes who win the top two positions across categories here will qualify for the World ArmWrestling & ParaArmwrestling Championship taking place in New Delhi from October 29-November 7th 2026.

The most exciting category has turned out to be the 90kgs senior men with several Pro Panja League atheletes like Denic Lalruattluanaga, Tawheed Shaikh, Dara Singh Handa, Asker Ali, Pranjit Saikia, Satnam Singh and Pramod Mukhi all vying for the Championship medals and a chance to represent India at the World Championships.

Speaking on the occasion, Preeti Jhangiani, President of the People’s Armwrestling Federation India (PAFI) and vice president of the Asian Armwrestling Federation (AAF) said, “The growth of arm wrestling in India is evident from the scale of this championship. Having more than 1,800 athletes under one roof is a testament to the passion, dedication and rapid development of the sport across the country. We look forward to witnessing some outstanding performances over the next few days. The top athletes will get a chance to participate in the upcoming World Championships in New Delhi.”

–IANS

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Pakistan women’s cricket team will not travel to India for Women’s World Cup

Islamabad, April 19 (IANS) The Chairman of Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and the country’s Interior Minister, Mohsin Naqvi has made it clear that Pakistan’s women’s cricket team will not travel to India for the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup to be held later in the year.

The statement comes after Pakistan secured its position in the ICC Women’s World Cup 2025 on Friday after beating Thailand in the Women’s World Cup Qualifier by 87 runs. The PCB Chairman, Mohsin Naqvi, said he was happy for the women’s cricket team for qualifying for the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2025, but added that the team will not travel to India.

“Pakistan team will not travel to India for the World Cup. It is now for India to decide where they will host our matches. Other than India, wherever the matches are hosted, our team will play. But not in India,” he said.

India will host the 2025 ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup in September, featuring eight teams, including six already qualified ones. Matches will occur across five cities, with the final in Mullanpur, near Chandigarh.

When asked about why the team cannot travel to India for the World Cup, he said: “This is part of the agreement and the hybrid model. And India will have to abide by it, the way we did during the Champions Trophy,” he added.

It is pertinent to note that India is the host nation for the ICC Women’s World Cup 2025. However, Pakistan’s matches will not be played in India. The decision stems from a mutual agreement signed and consented to between the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) before the Champions Trophy 2025.

At that time, India refused to travel to Pakistan to play their matches. Despite the protest by Pakistan with the ICC (International Cricket Council), it was mutually agreed that neutral venues would be arranged to facilitate cricket matches of the Indian cricket team, given the condition that while PCB accepts the hybrid model, it would also be applicable for matches in India. During the ICC Champions Trophy 2025, the Indian cricket team played its matches in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

It is also pertinent to note that cricket matches between India and Pakistan have been subjected to approvals from their respective governments for years due to the ongoing political tensions.

–IANS

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Hockey Masters Cup: Tamil Nadu, Punjab, Haryana and Maharashtra reach semis

Chennai, June 24 (IANS) Hockey Unit of Tamil Nadu takes on Chandigarh while Odisha take on Maharashtra in the semifinals in the men’s category, while Tamil Nadu play Odisha and Hockey Haryana take on neighbours Punjab in the last-four stage in the women’s section in the 1st Hockey India Masters Cup 2025 here on Wednesday.

As the tournament reaches its knockout stage, these teams will be hoping to secure their places in the finals in both categories in the inaugural edition of the event.

Hockey Unit of Tamil Nadu, Hockey Association of Odisha, Hockey Haryana, and Hockey Punjab won their respective matches in the quarterfinals to move ahead in the competition and face each other in the last-four stage of the women’s category.

In the first quarterfinal match in the women’s category on Tuesday, the Hockey Unit of Tamil Nadu defeated Hockey Karnataka 3-1. Chitra (18’), Rasna Suresh Babu (22’), and Saumya (39’) scored for the Hockey Unit of Tamil Nadu, whereas Rohini MR (57’) managed to score a consolation goal in the final minutes. With this win, the Hockey Unit of Tamil Nadu has secured its position in the semis.

In the second Quarterfinal match, the Hockey Association of Odisha defeated Kerala Hockey 10-0. Sarita Lakra (14’, 32’, 36’, 46’, 50’) stood out to be the top goal scorer after scoring five goals in the match. Pratima Ekka (11’) scored one goal while MINZ Sarita Roshan (23’, 26’, 43’) netted a hat-trick to strengthen their position in the game. Captain Lucela Ekka (8’) also scored one goal to take the total of the goals scored in double digits, convincingly securing their berth in the last four stages.

In the next QF, Hockey Haryana successfully got a step closer to lifting the trophy after entering the semifinals with an 8-0 victory against Hockey Himachal in the women’s category.

Chingshubam Sanggai Ibemhal (2’, 12’, 26’, 33’) managed to score a sum of four goals throughout the first three quarters and took the game away from Hockey Himachal. Nishi Shivendra Singh (4’), Sonika Yadav (8’), Captain Pritam Siwach (27’), and Anchal Verma (54’) also scored one goal each to help their team reach the semis.

In the fourth QF match of the women’s category, Hockey Punjab defeated Hockey Maharashtra 13-0. Captain Amandeep Kaur (2’, 7’, 19’, 20’, 54’) led from the front and stood out to be the goal scorer as she scored five goals in the match. Baljit Kaur Marar (3’, 31’, 44’, 46’) also scored four goals to take the game further away from the opponent. Sania Sharma (23’), Arun Bala (29’), Sangita Minz (37’), and Jaspreet Kaur (58’) also contributed with one goal each to enter the Semi-Finals.

On the other hand, in the third quarterfinal match of the men’s category, Hockey Maharashtra defeated Hockey Karnataka 2-1. Paramesh KS (15’) opened the numbers on the scoreboard in the game for Hockey Karnataka. In response, Captain Dhananjay Mahadik (19) scored an equaliser for Hockey Maharashtra. Also, Sandesh Ganesh More (39) scored a match-winning goal to take his team to the Semi-Finals.

In the last Quarterfinal match of the men’s category, Hockey Chandigarh defeated Hockey Haryana 2-2 (SO 3-1). Vivek Dahiya (29’) and Jitender Kumar (47’) scored one goal each for Hockey Haryana. On the opposite side, Ravinder Singh (43’, 58’) scored a brace to end the game in a draw, by the final whistle. In the shoot-out, goalkeeper Arundeep Sanghotra stood out to be a top performer for Hockey Chandigarh as he saved three out of the four chances. Virender Singh managed to score one goal for Hockey Haryana, whereas Ravinder Singh, Sanjiv Kumar, and Vikram Saini scored for Hockey Chandigarh to register the win.

Line Up for semifinals:

Men’s Category: June 25, 2025

semis1: Hockey Unit of Tamil Nadu vs Hockey Chandigarh – 1400 HRS

Semifinal 2: Hockey Association of Odisha vs Hockey Maharashtra – 1600 HRS

Women’s Category: June 26, 2026

Semifinal 1: Hockey Unit of Tamil Nadu vs Hockey Association of Odisha – 0600 HRS

Semifinal 2: Hockey Haryana vs Hockey Punjab – 0800 HRS

–IANS

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He’s done a lot of things right: Smith on Labuschagne making a strong case ahead of Ashes

New Delhi, Oct 21 (IANS) Australia cricketer Steve Smith has backed Marnus Labuschagne to do well in the upcoming Ashes series. The former skipper revealed his conversation with the Queenslander and mentioned how difficult it is for a player to prove his worth after being dropped from the side.

Labuschagne was dropped from Australia’s Test side for the first time in six years, with Cameron Green replacing him in Australia’s XI at No. 3, and was seen carrying drinks during the recent match against the West Indies in the Caribbean.

Smith revealed the conversation he had with Labuschagne and lauded the latter’s resilience and positive attitude to do well.

“He said to me at the start of the summer, ‘I’ll be in that Test team come the first (Ashes) Test.’ He’s backed up his words, probably. I sent him a message a couple of days ago saying how proud I was of him. He’s obviously got dropped from the team. He’s gone back and he’s got four hundreds in five hits. It’s a pretty big statement. He’s obviously not selected yet, but he’s done a lot of things right,” Smith told reporters on Tuesday, as quoted by Fox Sports.

Even after being dropped, Labuschagne proved his worth by putting up impressive and consistent performances in domestic cricket, thereby stamping his authority in the format and making a strong case for selection ahead of the all-important Ashes Tests.

“It’s always tough when you get dropped. We’ve all been there at some point in our careers. I think he knew he probably wasn’t batting as well as he had been four years ago, when he was scoring a mountain of runs. My advice to him was to stop thinking so technically. Just go and play the game, watch the ball and react,” Smith added.

Speaking further about the No. 3 batter’s recent performances and his ability to bat at different positions based on the team’s needs, Smith said:

“I think he’s been doing that really beautifully and he’s played so nicely. He can open, as we saw in the Test Championship Final, he can bat three, he’s versatile. (Opening) is not too different to batting three, to be honest. It’s essentially the same thing. I don’t think he needs to change anything if that’s the case. Just play the game, play how he has been.”

— IANS

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