Yogeshwar gets an Olympic upgrade

Russia’s Besik Kudukhov, The 2012 Olympic silver medallist, has been found guilty of using banned substances.

Even though India’s wrestlers had a controversial, forgettable outing at the Rio Olympics, there is good news on the Yogeshwar Dutt front.

With Russia’s Besik Kudukhov being found guilty of using banned substances, he has been stripped of his silver medal in the 60kg freestyle category at the 2012 Games, clearing the way for Yogeshwar’s bronze medal to now be upgraded to silver.

The Russian, who beat Yogeshwar and went on to finish runner-up, died in an accident in 2013. He was a four-time world champion and had won a bronze medal at the 2008 Olympics.

The Wrestling Federation of India admitted to having been informed about the decision but was waiting for a written confirmation from the International Olympic Committee before making an official statement.

“Hearing into his case had been on in the CAS for a while but a decision has come only now. We are still waiting for a written communiqué,” a WFI official said.

With this, Yogeshwar will join Sushil Kumar as the second Indian wrestler, and only the fifth Indian ever, to win an individual silver medal at the Olympics.

USA’s Coleman Scott will now be the sole bronze medallist.

Scott had lost to champion Toghrul Asgarov of Azerbaijan. According to repechage rules in wrestling, upgradation is on the basis of who the bronze medallist lost to in the opening round.

In case Asgarov had been convicted of doping, the American, who had lost to him in the semifinals, would have been upgraded.

The World Anti Doping Agency has been getting several samples from both the Beijing (2008) and the London (2012) Olympics retested in recent times, and many medallists have been stripped of their medals after being found guilty.

Tendulkar presents car to Sindhu, Sakshi and Dipa Karmakar

Sachin, accompanied by his wife Anjali who were in Hyderabd to attend a wedding, reminded that the entire country prayed for you and showered their blessings.

Legendary cricketer Sachin Tendulkar, on Sunday, remarked that the journey to bigger stardom has just begun for the Rio Olympic medallists shuttler P.V. Sindhu and wrestler Sakshi Malik and gymnast Dipa Karmakar who missed a medal by a whisker in the recent Rio Olympics.

“You have all done the entire country proud. We all know how focussed you were in the run-up to the Olympics during preparatory phase and even in Rio also where you were not accessible to remind about the intensity in the preparations,” Sachin said at the presentation of BMW cars to the three athletes and also the chief national badminton coach Pullela Gopi Chand.

“Now is the time to go for gold in the next Olympics and we are all with you to see many more wonderful moments in your career. Keep going and keep winning medals,” Tendulkar said.

Looking at Gopi, Sachin observed: “You are wonderful. Always showing that urge to produce champions. Shown great qualities as a coach. You are a role model for all and wish you many more laurels.” Everyone looked up to you.

Sachin, accompanied by his wife Anjali who were in Hyderabd to attend a wedding, reminded that the entire country prayed for you and showered their blessings. “This is what every athlete looks for in their pursuit for excellence,” he added.

Replying to the felicitation, Sakshi thanked all those who showed their love and affection and promised to go for gold in next the Tokyo Olympics.

“I am grateful to JSW, Railways, Sachin Sir for all their best wishes,” she said.

And, she quipped that her brother is a big fan of Sachin and they all wanted to have a selfie with him.

Gymnast Dipa Karmakar was crisp in her response thanking all for the support and encouragement.

Local girl Sindhu recalled that when Sachin presented a car to her last time he promised to present another one if she wins an Olympic medal. “My dream has come true and I thank all and especially Gopi Sir,” she said. “Definitely, I will try my best to keep winning laurels at the highest level,” she added.

For his part Gopi congratulated all the champion athletes present on the occasion.

“You have made the entire nation proud with your fantastic efforts and wish you many more successes at the highest level,” he said.

Gopi taking a line from the Save the girl campaign of the Union Government, he said it was the girls who saved India in the recent Rio Olympics.

The former All England champion also recalled the financial help he got from entrepreneur Nimmagadda Prasad who had come forward when struggling to raise funds for the construction of his Badminton Academy in the early stages. “Today what I am is to a large extent because of him,” he said.

Gopi thanked Sachin for gracing the occasion and said the latter was always a huge source of inspiration before, during and after the Rio Olympics.

Thanking V. Chamundeswaranath (more familiar as Chamundi in sporting circles) for taking the initiative in presenting the cars. “He was also instrumental in presenting cars on 13 previous occasions to outstanding sportspersons.”

“It is not these cars which matter a lot. His small gestures in sponsoring a knee cap or soul or a shuttle racket to the need have always been very encouraging,” Gopi said.

#Rio2016 on social media: Top Olympic moments on Facebook

Here's a look back on the memorable moments that made #Rio2016 one of the 'most social and interactive sporting events' to date

MANILA, Philippines – The world came together for the greatest sporting event on the planet and for this year, social media users worldwide turned to Facebook to show support for their countries and favorite Olympic athletes.

According to a blog post published by Facebook, 277 million people across the globe had 1.5 billion interactions related to the Olympic Games, making it one of the "most social and interactive sporting events" to date.

Infographic from Facebook

Top posts on Facebook

During the 16-day sporting event in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, several athletes and other notable personalities shared their special Olympic moments on Facebook.

Below are some of the most engaging and most shared posts about the Olympics:

1. Real Madrid's Cristiano Ronaldo congratulated Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt for his triple gold in athletics.

2. Neymar posted about Brazil's first Olympic football gold medal.

3. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated badminton player PV Sindhu.

4. Zac Efron surprised American gymnast Simone Biles.

5. Usain Bolt posed with one of his 3 Rio gold medals.

Facebook profile frame feature

The Philippines joins India and Pakistan as the top countries which used Facebook's profile frame feature. About 15.2 million people used this feature during the Olympics. It allowed users to show their support for their countries by adding a national flag and Rio 2016 Olympic logo as the border in their profile photos.

Screenshot from Facebook

Most viewed Facebook Live video

USA swimmer and 23-time Olympic gold medalist Michael Phelps went live on Facebook for almost an hour before his final event and confirmed his retirement from the Games.

This was the most viewed live video by an Olympian during the Rio Games, with over 3.9 million views as of posting.

The most decorated Olympian capped his epic Olympic career with 5 gold medals and one silver in Rio. (READ: Phelps' Olympic career of gold, anger and contentment)

Rappler's top Facebook posts

History was also made in Rio when the Philippines won its first Olympic medal in 20 years courtesy of weightlifting silver medalist Hidilyn Diaz.

Here are some of Rappler's top Facebook posts about the Rio Olympics:

Meanwhile, 21-year-old swimmer Joseph Schooling won the first Olympic gold medal for Singapore when he finished first in the men's 100m butterfly division, beating Phelps.

These posts about Schooling are also among Rappler's top Facebook posts during the Olympics.

Source By: Rappler

When reality failed to match expectation

Sakshi Malik and P.V. Sindhu saved India’s blushes at the Rio Olympics.

After repeated heart-breaks, there was a real worry that India might return empty-handed from the Olympics. The fact that Sindhu won the badminton silver and Sakshi brought home a wrestling bronze was the saving grace for a contingent of 118 athletes.

The Indian contingent’s realisation of just two medals from a projection in double digits exposes the folly in the belief that merely an enhanced flow of funds would solve the problems that sport in the nation faces.

Before dissecting the performances, castigating the athletes, blaming the system and contemplating possible solutions, creditable performances at Rio need to be acknowledged.

Abhinav Bindra fell short of the medal bracket by the narrowest of margins in the 10m air rifle, coming up agonisingly short in a shoot-off. One cannot hit the bull’s eye every single time. The sport is such that one needs a bit of luck no matter how hard one trains and tries.

In the 50m pistol competition, Jitu Rai had shots of 6 and 7 in qualification, but missed out on the final with the last few shots. He made the final in the 10m air pistol event, though, eventually finishing eighth.

Rai is young and is bound to ride on this experience for future glory.

Skeet shooter Mairaj Ahmad Khan missed a berth in the knock-out phase in a shoot-off after a score of 121 out of 125.

The national shooting federation will need to take a hard look at the performances at Rio after the last three Games yielded a gold, two silvers and a bronze.

In tennis, Sania Mirza and Rohan Bopanna seemed to suddenly lose their touch after two fabulous matches. Even in the semifinals against Venus Williams and Rajeev Ram, they ran away with the first set before letting the Americans back into the match and eventually losing via match tie-break. The intensity of focus had possibly wavered.

As the only seeded team left in the field at that stage in the mixed doubles, Sania and Bopanna would have fancied their chances.

The fact that their preparations — or for that matter Bopanna’s and Leander Paes’s for the men’s doubles — were far from ideal will weigh heavily in the minds of fans.

The debacle ought to serve as a reminder that officialdom needs to win the players’ confidence and work in close harmony with them.

In the women’s doubles, the inexperienced Prarthana Thombare did play her part well, highlighting the need for Indian tennis to support its women players a lot more to have a player who can play alongside Sania.

In the archery women’s team competition, India made the quarters before losing narrowly to Russia.

In the individual events, Atanu Das, Deepika Kumari and Bombayla Devi were sharp in patches, but they were all beaten in the pre-quarterfinals.

The archers need better guidance and training to conquer the Olympic jitters.

There were expectations from boxers and wrestlers after medals from Beijing and London.

While Sakshi Malik did account for a wrestling medal this time, the controversies leading up to Rio were jarring. To deny Sushil Kumar — who won silver at London and bronze at Beijing — the basic clarity on qualification and a simple trial was a grave error.

Champions deserve to be treated fairly.

There is not much to say for the 30-odd track and field athletes who had qualified for Rio. The experts had reckoned that only Lalita Babar and Sudha Singh stood a chance of making the finals. Lalita did in the women’s 3,000m steeplechase.

While Saina Nehwal, a former world No.1 and the bronze medallist at London, limped out with a knee injury that required surgery, K. Srikanth lacked the conviction to pin down Lin Dan in the quarters.

It is in this context that Sindhu’s achievement ought to be evaluated. The intensity, intent and clarity with which Sindhu played, mindful of neither the stage nor the opponent’s reputation, was a lesson for Indian sport.

Though she fell in the final to Carolina Marin, a two-time World Champion, Sindhu showed that desire, if channelised suitably, can drive the athletes to great deeds.

Aditi Ashok kindled hopes with two good rounds in the women’s golf tournament before her chances were swept away in the wind. She will accomplish a lot on the strength of her Olympic experience.

Indian hockey showed character and grit, but lacked consistency. The fact that Argentina, a team that the Indian men had beaten in the league, won the gold should open the eyes of those who control the sport.

If the talent pool is tapped and trained properly, India, which won the silver in the recent Champions Trophy, is definitely capable of winning the World Cup and Olympic medals.

More than anyone, it was Dipa Karmakar who showcased the potential of Indian women.

As far-fetched as the idea of an Indian girl in a gymnastics final at the Olympics is, Dipa marched on with remarkable assurance before finishing fourth.

The takeaway from Rio for Indian sport is that pre-conceived notions ought to be discarded and a fresh start made, with a hard reassessment of priorities.

Every national federation needs to have a competent core group of experts who can show the athletes the way to be at their best on the big stage.

What is clear is that cash cannot buy Olympic medals.

So, instead of harping on the money being spent on the athletes, resources and thoughts ought to be channelised better.

For Sindhu, it is raining rewards

Sindhu’s fabulous achievement is being claimed as their ‘very own’ as evident by the Telangana government giving Rs. 5 crore, A.P. Rs. 3 crore besides 1,000 square yard house site each.

Pullela Gopichand’s diplomatic reply when asked whether Rio Olympic silver medallist P. V. Sindhu belonged to Andhra or Telangana was typical of his character. “I would like Sindhu to be called as an Indian first. And, let us all celebrate her fabulous achievement and not debate on this,” was his counter to the raging debate on Sindhu’s nativity.

In a way, this also seems to be the theme of the Telangana and Andhra Pradesh governments which are harping on and getting engaged in a hot race in not only in announcing cash incentives, house sites and jobs but now in hosting civic receptions in a big manner.

No doubt, it is a unique race which could have made even the legendary Usain Bolt sport a big smile! It is pretty apparent that Sindhu’s fabulous achievement is being claimed as their ‘very own’ as evident by the Telangana government giving Rs. 5 crore, A.P. Rs. 3 crore besides 1,000 square yard house site each and to cap it all, a government job. The A.P. government deputed two State Ministers besides a Member of Parliament to receive Sindhu at the airport on Monday morning to make a statement of sorts.

After the grand reception in Hyderabad, Vijayawada is gearing up to accord a rousing welcome to Sindhu onTuesday. She is being flown in a chartered flight from Hyderabad to Gannavaram airport at 8.40 a.m. Member of Parliament Kesineni Srinivas (Nani) will be accompanying her.

Sindhu will be attending a series of programme in Vijayawada in which city elite, including politicians cutting across party ideologies, will take part.

More than 50 vehicles with badminton lovers will be reaching the airport to receive her. From the airport to Indira Gandhi Municipal Stadium, school and college students, standing on both sides of the road, will cheer the champion waving the tricolour.

Sindhu, along with coach Gopichand and parents P.V. Ramana and Vijayalakshmi, will proceed to IGMC stadium where she will be presented a cheque for Rs. 3 crore by Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu. A cheque for Rs. 50 lakh will be presented to Gopichand.

The stadium will also witness the presence of members of the A.P. Olympic Association and badminton fraternity of A.P. Later, the ace shuttler and her parents will take a look at the Command and Control Centre set up for monitoring Krishna pushkaram near the Durga Ghat before taking a holy dip. They will participate in ‘harati’ at Pavithra Sangamam near Ibrahimpatnam where Sindhu will be felicitated by the government.

“She will be presented a 2.5-foot-high statue of Lord Venkateswara made of precious stones and brought specially from Italy,” said P. R. Mohan, chairman of Sports Authority of AP.

Rio bids farewell to athletes in colourful closing

Led by Sakshi Malik, the country’s contingent also braved the rains as she stood tall waving the tri-colour.

Rains failed to dampen the famous Rio carnival spirit as this Brazilian city bid an emotional farewell to the thousands of athletes of the world in a colourful closing ceremony to bring down curtains on the 31st Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.

International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach declared the Games closed to mark the official end of the 16-day sporting spectacle competed among more than 11,000 athletes from 205 countries in 42 disciplines.

“I declare the Games of the 31st Olympiad closed. In accordance with tradition, I call upon the youth of the world to assemble in four years time in Tokyo, Japan to celebrate the Games of the 32nd Olympiad,” Bach said to the huge applause of the packed gathering at the iconic Maracana Stadium on Sunday night.

This was after the Olympic flag was lowered and handed over to the representative of Tokyo 2020, the next host of the Games. Bach handed over the flag to female Governor of Tokyo Yuriko Koike.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe made a dramatic entry in a high-tech show, a trademark of the far eastern country, during a short but impressive performance titled ‘See You in Tokyo’.

Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe made a comical cameo as Nintendo video game character Super Mario as Tokyo set out its store for 2020.

"The Japanese government will... work hard so it will be the best Olympics ever," Abe said as he met Japanese medal-winners earlier.

The athletes braved harsh winter winds, accompanied by torrential showers, and enjoyed the festive atmosphere after intense competition in their respective events ended.

Torrential showers continued unabated but it did not matter to the athletes who sported translucent raincoats with several of them singing, dancing and taking selfies during the nearly three-hour-long closing ceremony.

The athletes entered the pitch with Greece coming first according to tradition.

Led by Sakshi Malik, the first Indian woman wrestler to win an Olympic medal whose bronze opened the medal count of two including a silver, the country’s contingent also braved the rains as she stood tall waving the tri-colour.

The honour of bearing the Indian flag came to Sakshi as silver medalist shuttler P.V. Sindhu had left on Saturday as about 50 Indians, including the men’s and women’s hockey teams, the wrestlers and boxer duo of Shiva Thapa and Manoj Kumar, participated in the athletes’ parade.

India ended the Games at 64th position with one silver and a bronze. United States of America topped the medals tally with 121 medals (46 Gold, 37 Silver, 38 Bronze), followed by Great Britain (27 23 17) and China (26 18 26). Host country Brazil were at 13th position with 7 Gold, 6 Silver and 6 Bronze.

A day after a frenzied Brazil celebrated its maiden gold in men’s football with a win over Germany at the same iconic venue, the closing ceremony added colour and glitz and cheered the likes of Neymar and Usain Bolt when they were displayed on giant screen during a video of Rio 2016’s defining moments.

Accompanied by fireworks, the countdown to the start of the 13—segment show honoured ‘father of aviation’ Santos Dumont, creator of first controllable aircraft with an engine as he announced the “party to begin“.

Projections of watch gears were put on the field of play, signifying the countdown for the show.

Welcoming the spectators to the Maracana, a projection from the point of view of a bird flying over the host city of Rio de Janeiro was shown as the city’s landmark points —— Christ the Reedemer, Sugarloaf —— were seen and it reached the climax with the formation of five Olympic rings.

Music took over the field as icon of Rio’s samba Martinho da Silva, accompanied by his three daughters, dished out a soul—stirring performance of ‘Carinhoso’, one of the all—time Brazilian popular songs.

Brazilian National Anthem was then sung by 27 children, representing country’s 26 states plus the Federal District, accompanied by a powerful percussion band, which was preceded by a tribute to some important songs and composers of Brazilian popular music.

The real heroes of the Summer Games, athletes from 207 delegations including the Refugee Olympic Team, entered the arena together sending out a message of communion and fellowship in the longest show of the closing ceremony spanning 47 minutes and 51 seconds.

Electronic music superstar Kygo and singer—song writer Julia Michaels took to the main stage and enlivened the end of the Athletes’ Parade with the song ‘Carry Me’

The next segment celebrated Brazilian artists, which was followed by a two—minute feature on the defining moments of Rio, followed by the Games last medal ceremony — the men’s marathon.

11 minutes 45 minutes were dedicated to Tokyo 2020 as the Japanese expressed their gratitude and put up a display of grit, determination, courage and hope to make it a greater success in four years’ time.

It was followed by the official protocol of speech giving before a carnival parade entertained the spectators. The spectacular fireworks display emanating from the Maracana lighted the Rio sky and Olympic flame was finally doused as it was time to bid goodbye and bring curtains down on the sporting spectacle.

But it was not before Brazil’s signature samba carnival march that has become an anthem. Traditionally attired samba dance masters and flag bearers’ entered the pitch after six singers began singing ‘Cidade Maravilhosa.

To the sound of popular samba songs, Brazilian top model Izabel Goulart was joined by Renato Sorriso, a dustman and road sweeper who became famous for his good humour and smile while cleaning up after Carnival in 1997 in a unique gesture.

Bach thanked the volunteers, athletes and the Refugee Olympic Team who participated in the Games for the first time.

“You the athletes of the world have shown us all the power of sport to unite the world. Together, we can go further. Together, we can aim even higher. United in our diversity, we are stronger,” Bach said.

“Thank you, dear refugee athletes. You have inspired us with your talent and human spirit. You are a symbol of hope to the millions of refugees in the world. We will continue to stay at your side after these Olympic Games.

“We arrived in Brazil as guests. Today we depart as your friends. You will have a place in our hearts forever,” he added in an emotional speech.

Bach was accompanied by Carlos Arthur Nuzman, the president of the Rio 2016 Organising Committee.

“I’m the happiest man alive at the moment. Let’s celebrate together the Games of Rio. It will stay forever,” Nuzman said.

The IOC also honoured the people who made this ‘miracle’ happen by awarding the Cariocas (native of Rio) the Olympic Cup, which was constituted by the the founder of the modern Olympic Games, Pierre de Coubertin.

“The IOC has invited six of you to accept this Cup here tonight,” Bach said.