The Chhattisgarh

Tag: table tennis

  • SFA Championship 2024 Kicks Off In Delhi With 14,500 Athletes On October 5 | Other

    The Sports For All (SFA) Championship, the largest grassroots competition, will be held in ten cities in 2024–2025. The inaugural event will take place in Delhi on October 5 at the esteemed Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium. This year, 19, sports will be played at seven different locations by 14,500 athletes from 545 schools in the Delhi NCR. In addition, as part of the “She is Gold” and “Coaches Day” campaigns, the 2024 edition will honor female coaches and athletes during the Championship.

    With the goal of promoting a national sports culture that values ​​and invests in sports, Sports For All (SFA) is dedicated to professionalising, organising, and monetising grassroots sports. The competition will take place throughout the entire city until October 11.

    The city’s Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, which has played host to some of the nation’s largest sporting events, including the 2010 Commonwealth Games, will be used to host five Olympic sports: volleyball, athletics, basketball, football, tennis (which will also be played at Thyagraj Sports Complex), and basketball. Additionally, the indigenous sport of Kho-Kho will be played there. The Indira Gandhi Sports Complex will provide yogasana, taekwondo, karate, chess, kabaddi, and badminton. The Gymnastics Academy in Dwarka will host gymnastics, the Siri Fort Sports Complex will host shooting, GR International School will host skating, and the Dr. Syama Prasad Swimming Pool Complex will host swimming.

    Rajas Joshi who is the Founder and COO of SFA, said, “This event is both a competitive platform and a celebration of grassroots sports. By hosting at renowned venues like Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium and Indira Gandhi Stadium, where historic events such as the Commonwealth and Asian Games have occurred, we aim to offer young athletes a thrilling experience, performing in arenas where India’s sports legends have triumphed.”

    “She is Gold” Day, dedicated to celebrating women in sports, will take place on October 8. On this day, 90% of the matches will feature female athletes and officials. The day involves special matches with female athletes, coaches, and officials.

  • Paris Olympics 2024: ‘We Have Ability To Beat Any Team’, Says TT Star Harmeet Desai | Other

    Having played an important role in helping India clinch Commonwealth Games gold medals in 2018 and 2022, star Indian paddler Harmeet Desai believes that the Indian team has the ability to upset any team at the Paris Olympics and insisted that the team’s preparation was well on track to perform at their optimum best in the French capital.

    The Indian table tennis contingent created history earlier this year when both the men’s and women’s teams qualified for the Olympics for the first time and the preparatory camps, in Bengaluru from June 7-16 and in Saarbrucken, Germany earlier this month, were focused on working. out the perfect combinations for the team events at the Paris Olympics, scheduled from July 26 to August 11.

    “On a given day, I think we really have a very good chance of beating any team. We have won against top teams in the world in the past and it is possible this time also if we give our best. In the Olympics, if all three of us can put on the best show then anything is possible,” the 31-year-old said during an interview with Ultimate Table Tennis.

    Desai is part of the Indian men’s team along with Achanta Sharath Kamal, Manav Thakkar, and Sathiyan Gnanasekaran. He will also be competing in the individual events.

    Desai’s confidence stems from the fact that the Indian men’s team had defeated the mighty Japan in the quarter-finals to clinch the bronze medal at the 2018 Asian Games. (Paris Olympics 2024: India’s Full Schedule; Date, Time, Athletes And More)

    Speaking about the rise of Indian table tennis on the world stage, Desai credited the central government’s various schemes and the launch of Ultimate Table Tennis in 2017 for the development of the sport.

    “UTT has helped us get more experience and exposure to play with international players and get guidance from foreign coaches. That was not the case before 2017. So, this kind of experience has helped the players get more self-belief and perform well in the international arena,” he said.

    The Indian men’s team will face China in the opening round while the women’s team will open their campaign against Romania. The individual events will be played from July 27 to August 4 whereas the team events are scheduled from August 5 to 10.

    After the Paris Olympics, India’s representatives at the Games and upcoming talent from the country will rub shoulders against each other and some international stars in the IndianOil Ultimate Table Tennis 2024, scheduled to take place in Chennai from August 22 to September 7.

  • Asian Games 2023: After 20 years of tireless work, Sutirtha and Ahika Mukherjee won medal in table tennis.

    Just as there is a craze for cricket in India, the atmosphere of table tennis in China is also similar. This is the reason that asian games And China prevails in the table tennis competition in the Commonwealth Games. of India Sutirtha Mukherjee And the pair of Ahika Mukherjee won a historic bronze medal in the table tennis match at the Asian Games 2023 on Monday. Both of them had started planning two decades ago in Naihati, West Bengal. This bronze medal is the result of nearly 20 years of tireless efforts. The Indian pair fulfilled their dream of playing brilliantly in the Asian Games with a bronze medal in table tennis women’s doubles.

    Reached the semi-finals after defeating China

    Two days before their semi-final loss, Mukherjee had defeated defending world champion Chen Meng and Yidi Wang of China in their last-eight match. The Indian pair had to settle for a bronze medal after losing 3-4 to North Korea in a tough match in the women’s doubles semi-finals. With this medal, India’s challenge in Asian Games table tennis has now ended. This time India has won this only medal in table tennis. India had won bronze medals in men’s team and mixed doubles in Jakarta in 2018.

    Sutirtha and Ahika are not sisters

    According to a report in Times of India, the same surname of two Indian girls led some foreign journalists to believe that they were sisters. Ahika then revealed that we are not sisters, but our surname is the same. We know each other and have played together since childhood, so it is very easy to understand each other. I can read her mind and she can read mine. And we really have fun at the table, whether we’re losing or playing against the best in the world.

    India won only one medal in table tennis

    Entry into the semi-finals had assured a medal for this pair. But on Monday, the last-four match against North Korea’s Cha Suyong and Pak Sugyong ended in a painful defeat. The Korean pair won 7-11, 11-8, 7-11, 11-8, 11-9, 5-11, 11-2 to make it to the gold medal match. Coach Mamta Prabhu said, ‘They (Ahika and Sutirtha) started from the same club. Their friendship is more than 20 years old. They know each other very well, know each other inside and out. This is why the bonding is really strong.

    Gave a good fight to Korea

    The Mukherjee pair did not make a good start, but made strong efforts to make a comeback. They lost the fourth and fifth games. At one point he made the score 3-3 and took the match to a decider. Coach Mamata said that I think the North Koreans had some good games where they played really well and they (the Indian team) were completely out of rhythm then. I can say that this is not a happy day for us.

    The pain of not reaching the finals

    The crowd on Monday was not as significant as in the quarterfinals, but the locals still supported the Koreans. Mamta said, ‘We are accustomed to this. In the last match (quarter final) we played against China. There was much more excitement than this. This time the crowd was in favor of North Korea but we are used to it. Naihati’s childhood friends Sutirtha and Ayhika are happy, although the disappointment of not being able to progress beyond the semi-finals was also clearly visible in their words. Ahika said after the match, ‘It feels surreal to win this medal, but it could have been better. We are happy with what we have.

    India’s medal winning players in Asian Games on Monday

    1. Ansi Sojan – Women’s Long Jump – Silver

    2. Athletics Team – 4x400m Mixed Relay – Silver

    3. Parul Chaudhary – 3000m Steeplechase – Silver

    4. Preeti – 3000m Steeplechase – Bronze

    5. Women’s Speed ​​Skating Team – 3000m Relay – Bronze

    6. Men’s Speed ​​Skating Team – 3000m Relay – Bronze

    7. Sutirtha and Ahika Mukherjee – Table Tennis Women’s Doubles – Bronze