MEMBERS of Consolidated Fitness Trainers Welfare Association and Nagpur Gym Owners’ Association handed over a memorandum to Sports Minister Sunil Kedar requesting him to reopen gyms and sport facilities across Maharashtra, informs Pranay Tidke, President (CFTWA) through a press release. They informed Kedar that sport facilities will help in boosting immune system and that over 50,000 fitness trainers will be able to retain their employment...

FA Umesh Panbude Online Blitz Chess Tournament 2020 got under way at 6 pm through the platform of ‘Lichess.org’ on Sunday. As many as 58 players are participating in the tournament. In all nine rounds will be played...

URGING coaches to chalk out a long-term plan to train budding athletes so that they produce results, Dr Dhananjay Welukar, Member, Board of Sports and Physical Education, Rashtrasant Tukadoji Maharaj Nagpur University, said athletes and players should be asked to focus on winning medals for the country from beginning itself. Dr Welukar was speaking on the opening day of the 10-day Webinar ‘Making of Champions’ organised by the Physical Education and Sports Department of RTMNU. Speaking on the topic ..

THE Department of Physical Education and Sports, Rashtrasant Tukadoji Maharaj Nagpur University, will be organising 10-day online Webinar on ‘Making of Champions’. The theme of Webinar will be on how to make champions after the lockdown ends and how to overcome the obstacles while making the champions. The Webinar will begin from Friday and will continue till June 7 in two categories of A-B and C-D between 11 am and 12.15 pm...

WHEN a smashing cricket shot broke the rear view mirror of abike passing by, that’s when thefather of a little girl realised thathis daughter has an exceptional talent of hitting the cricket ball hard. The small incident which took place in the life of the Vidarbha’s star batswomanBharati Fulmali introduced herto the world of cricket. The top order opener, whomade her India debut against England in 2019 at Guwahati,always had an interest in cricket but she actually came across theleather ball cricket ..

OPPOSING the move of Maharashtra Government of helping only those sportspersons having BPL cards, played at international level and representing Olympic sport, a delegation comprising various sports associations met Dr Subhash Rewatkar, Deputy Director, Sports and Youth Affairs, Nagpur Division on Tuesday and submitted a memorandum with a request to invite details of other sports and medal winning sportsperson as well for financial aid...

SPANDAN Seth scored eight points from nine matches to emerge champion in the Nagpur District Online Blitz Tournament that concluded on Friday. The results were declared on Sunday after the organisers — Nagpur District Chess Association, got the anti-cheating report. Unseeded Seth confirmed the title with a round remaining after securing eight straight wins. In his inconsequential last and final round, Seth lost to Sumedh Ramteke. Seth was followed by Ansh Dhanvij and R Shivasubramanian on second and ..

SPORTS would not be the same post COVID-19. A lot will change, though not in the format or rules in any particular sport, but in the way it will be played. The coronavirus pandemic, which has halted all the sporting events for past two months, will make a big impact in the style of playing as well as celebrating. The unknown, invisible disease has forced mankind to maintain social distancing and has made masks part of their life in an attempt to break the chain of the spread of the virus. But once ..

IN A joint venture, the Physically Challenged Cricket Association Nagpur (PCCAN) and Deepjyoti Bahuuddeshiya Sanstha Nagpur have come forward with help for needy sportspersons during the tough times. The corona pandemic enforced lockdown has affected all including sportspersons. One of city’s top athletes Prajakta Godbole, who has represented India in many events and has won medals for the nation has been severely affected by the lockdown...

FOOTBALL will have a new address this season. Rules will be tweaked a bit. Matches, to some extent, will be played “behind closed doors”. With the Maharashtra Government taking Nagpur out of the Red Zone, football in the city could be seen played on the green lawn turf, by the middle or end of June. After around two months of lockdown which was imposed to break the chain of COVID-19, Nagpur saw ease in curbs on functioning of s..

SAMARTH Vyayamshala’s Volleyball Krida Mandal has come out in support of COVID-19 affected persons. The mandal is helping those individuals from the city who have been kept in quarantine or isolation wards and migratory labourers. Secretary of the sports association Sunil Hande, has handed over 1500 face masks to Inspector of Pratap Nagar Police Station Bhimrao Khandadale. Senior players of the mandal Nilesh Matte, Saurabh Rokade, Nayan Watkar a..

SUPERKIDS team comprising Grandmaster Raunak Sadhwani and Woman International Master Divya Deshmukh finished second best in the recently held blitz online chess meet. The event, which saw around 25 Indian Grandmasters participate, was sponsored by Sukooon Resorts and was played on a blitz format. Chess Gurukul, consisting of young Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa and Karthikeyan Murali emerged winner defeating Superkids in the ‘Superfinal’ to win Indian chess.com League. Praggnanandhaa drew his game against ..

OFFICE bearers of Nagpur Sports and Fitness Traders Association (NSFTA) submitted memorandum to Nagpur Municipal Corporation requesting them to allow re-opening of their shops with restrictions. The memorandum was submitted to Additional Municipal Commissioner Ram Joshi. Since lockdown, sports shops have downed their shutters and it is of great inconvenience to general public to get indoor sports items like carrom, chess, skip..

City’s international athlete Prajakta Godbole, whose family was finding it difficult to arrange even two square meal, is getting help from various organisations and NGOs from Nagpur as well as from other cities. Like several others, Shiv Sena members came forward and provided Prajakta, who represented India in World University Games at Italy last year, ration and financial aid, the other day. According to Rajesh Tumsare, Shiv Sena City Chief, Manarashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackrey, had asked his ..

DR AMIT Samarth, Director of Miles N Milers Endurance sports Academy and ProHealth Foundation, did a 48-hour fund-raising cycling ride which generated over Rs two lakh. Dr Samarth virtually pedalled a distance of 1301 kms in 48 hours in his state-of-art training centre. During this 48 hours he was able to raise Rs 2,09,500 after payment gateway deductions...

DURING the lockdown period, one of the easiest ways to keep the body fit is rope jumping, informs Snehlata Bhagat, Secretary, Nagpur District Jump Rope Association, through a press release. In the absence of any ground activity, rope jumping offers an easy solution and can be practised by all age group persons who have no major health issues, the release adds...

CITY athletes, who were living in dire straits, without a penny and unaware from where their next meal would be arranged since past several days, are now heaving a sigh of relief after several NGO, NMC and citizens came forward to help them with ration. ‘The Hitavada’ had reported the plight of international athlete Jyoti Chavan and her family a few days ago. Similar was the situation of another international athlete Prajakta Godbole who also represented India in World University Games held in Italy, ..

IT WAS for his son Satyam’s fitness in the rainy season that Advocate Rajesh Bhoyar admitted his kids (daughter Sai) at a tennis coaching centre. That fitness class would be only for three months, Adv Bhoyar had decided. At the end of three months, Satyam, had to reluctantly leave tennis, despite “knocking” the tennis ball well, while Sai continued with the sport, in which she had generated interest immediately. Those three months made Sai an acclaimed tennis prodigy of the city...

THE Twenty20 format of cricket was some 14 years in the womb of future when Madhya Pradesh, led by mercurial India star Sandeep Patil, chased a target of 218 in 22.3 overs losing three wickets in a four-day match. The Vidarbha versus MP Ranji Trophy Central Zone League game played at VCA Civil Lines ground in November-December 1991-92 was an interesting match that saw a lot of records rewritten from both sides...

“I have no words to express my gratitude,” said Jyoti Chavan, after she received ration and financial help from several citizens, policemen and the civic body. In this trying time that has disrupted normal life, the family of city’s international athlete, Jyoti, too, was finding it difficult to make ends meet and had to stand in long queues for two square meals every day...

THE coronavirus pandemic, which has forced a countrywide lockdown, is making life miserable for one and all. Those well off are somehow managing with their daily bread but there are a few who are finding it difficult to make ends meet. City’s international athlete Jyoti Chavan’s family is in dire straits. With all the savings spent, the family is now dependent on the food packets being distributed by the NGOs and others, it has been learnt. Jyoti, who has won several medals at district, divisional, ..

‘KEEP every promise you make and only make promises you can keep’ — the adage goes quite well with city’s quintessential pacer Aditya Thakare who, during his childhood had made a promise to his father that one day he will play extraordinary cricket and will also become number one cricketer for him. The lanky pacer, who has taken 31 wickets in First-Class cricket in a short span of time, not only lived up to the promise he had made to..

AMRAVATI, FAREWELL was accorded to 75 members of healthcare team which had extended services in the ‘very risky’ COVID-19 Hospital here. At the same time, the fourth team was accorded grand welcome amid beating of bands at the COVID-19 Hospital. Special COVID-19 Hospital has been set up at the Divisional Super-Speciality hospital. A squad of about 100 healthcare staffers including doctors, nurses, ward boys, sanitation employees, technici..

CITY’S international cricketer Gurudas Raut, who was part of physically challenged India cricket team that won the World T20 series in England earlier this year, finally received the promised dues of Rs 2.7 lakh from the Indian cricket board. After India won the World T20 Series in August last year, BCCI invited captain Vikrant Keni and Raut to Mumbai in March and had felicitated them and had handed over a token cheque of Rs 65 lakh to the team...

WHEN the result came it was 5.40 pm. The official scorers sitting below the NMC pavilion at the VCA Civil Lines Stadium were doing their job with a tubelight on. And this was no Day-Night match! It was month of January and mid-winter meant the Sun was setting earlier, making it dark much sooner. In those days, if the captains agreed, the match would go on till the completion of the required number of (mandatory) overs...

Orange City Runners Nagpur, Raipur Runners Raipur, Rajnandgoan Runners, and Dhamtari Runners recently organised Virtual Indoor Run, the other day. The run, which was organised to pay tributes to the doctors, police force and NGOs for fighting against COVID-19, evoked good response in which more than 3,500 participants participated. The run was organised from 6 am to 9 pm. Participants were asked to run 3 km, 5 km and 10 km distance in thei..

AMONG city badminton coaches who are taking online training, Ajay Dayal was mightily impressed by chief national coach Pullela Gopichand and Indonesian Augus Dwi Santoso’s session on finger power session that was conducted on Thursday. “Gopi Sir and 55-year-old Santoso, who has been a national coach for his home team, Korean and Malaysian national teams, held impressive session on finger power. “They shared some important tips with examples...

ON ANY given day, this factory in Amravati manufactures hundreds of sports wear and archery equipment. But with the nation under complete lockdown, the production of sports wear and archery equipment has stopped. Instead, the factory is now helping the nation in making Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) kits. Former international archer and Secretary General of Archery Association of India Pramod Chandurkar, who is the managing direct..

CRICKET sometimes can be cruel. As a spin bowler one might be getting enough purchase from the wicket, but not the edges from the opponent’s bats; one might beat the batsmen umpteen number of times without any success, then there are a few dropped catches, some missed stumping chances and the bowler returns with not much to show in the fourth column of his statistics. And if some members from the team and the team management,..

IN A joint effort, Sports Authority of India (SAI) and Swimming Federation of India (SFI) have come out with an online knowledge series for enhancing the knowledge of Indian swimming coaches. This online workshop ‘Swim Coaches Knowledge Series # 1’ is helping all the coaches to get advanced knowledge of technical aspects and soft skills of coaching. With this knowledge workshop, the coaches may utilise the lockdown period productively and can plan their coaching programme effectively for the coming ..

AS A part of its social responsibility, Dr Ambedkar College Sports Academy (DACSA) in association with Shyam Dairy distributed 250 litre milk to the poor and needy during the lockdown at Kachipura slums on Friday. Secretary of academy and vice-principal of Dr Ambedkar College, Deekshabhoomi Dr Arvind Joshi; Director of Shyam Dairy Hemant Pande, Prashant Bambal, Shailesh Raulkar, Dr Shailesh Bahadure, Capt Sujit Chavan, Sanjay Bhivgade and Prashant Kantode were present on the occasion...

CITY’S badminton coaches Ajay Dayal and Chetak Khedikar are among 920 coaches from all over India taking part in the Sports Authority of India (SAI) and Badminton Association of India (BAI) organised Online Coach Education Programme that started on April 20 and runs till May 8, 2020. Pullela Gopichand, Chief National Coach made introductory remarks and was followed by briefings from Augus Dwi Santoso and Namrih Suroto...

CRICKETING legends like Sachin Tendulkar, Virat Kohli and Wasim Jaffer were only devoted to cricket from the very beginning and they actually lived their life in between the 22 yards. For them cricket was everything and apart from cricket they never particularly liked any other sport. Same was the case with city’s right-hand batsman and wicketkeeper Siddhesh Wath, who from his early youth, picked the bat and ball above everything else. Little Siddhesh, who used to play with plastic bat, would have ..

JUDGING a book by its cover is never considered prudent. But sometimes a gut feeling tells you to overrule it. When young Vidarbha seamer Sandeep Singh was handed the new ball by skipper Pritam Gandhe at the green and hard wicket at Madhavrao Scindia Cricket Ground in Rajkot, he judged the wicket with the first cherry. And then he wrote his own story! Vidarbha had opted to bowl against Saurashtra in this Ranji Trophy match played from December 17, 2005. Right-arm seamer Singh was instinctively very ..

HER father used to play chess as a hobby while her great grandfather (maternal) used to spend Saturdays challenging the great revolutionary Vinoba Bhave in the game of 64 square. Inculcating father’s hobby and grandfather’s ‘roots’, Nagpur’s Divya Deshmukh carved a niche for herself to become a Woman International ..