Category: Sports

Who Holds the Highest Number of Olympic medal??

Olympic is one of the most prestigious game event. To secure even one Olympic is a matter of pride for sports men. Imagine how a athlete would feel , if he/ she have the highest number of Olympic medal. Michael Phelps have the privilege of knowing this feeling, with 28 medals in total.

Michael Fred Phelps born on 30th June 1985 is a former competitive swimmer of America. He holds the maximum number of medals in the history of Olympic games. In Beijing Games he won eight gold medals breaking Mark Spitz’s 1972 record of seven first place finishes at any single Olympic games. At 2004 summer Athens Olympics he won 8 medals — 6 gold and 2 bronze. At 2012 summer Olympics in London , Phelps won four gold medal and 2 silver and at Rio De Janeiro he won 5 gold medals and 1 silver. This made him the most successful athletes of the Games for fourth Olympics in row.

Phelps announced retirement after 2012 Olympics but made a come back in April 2014. In 2016 Olympics he was selected as flag bearer of United States. He announced his second retirement on August 2016 and has never participated ever since then. He is regarded as the greatest swimmer as well as athlete of the time.

Phelps began swimming at the age of 7 because of influence of his sister and to provide him outlet for his energy. He liked swimming since then. Following his retirement in 2016 , he said,”The only reason I got in the water was my mom wanted me to just learn how to swim . My sister and myself fell in love with the sport, and we decided to swim”.

History Of Olympics

Olympics has been one of the most renowned sporting competitions in the world. Olympics originated around 3,000 years ago in ancient Greece. Games were held in Olympia every four years in honor of Zues god. Modern Olympics arised in Athens in 1896 for the fist time. Olympics was a success with 280 participants from 12 countries. However, last year was an exception due to Covid-19 Pandemic, Olympics could not be conducted in 2020. Olympics are are now currently being held in Tokyo, Japan.

Olympics had been going on for a long time but there were no written records of it. According to the written records, Olympics held in 776 B.C. had its first Olympic champion , who was a cook named Coreobus. He had won the game of meter footrace also called ‘Stade’ during that time. Olympics is known to be founded by son of Zues, Hercales and Alcene. This competition has been a prestigious platform to showcase incredible talent from around the world. In honor of Zues, Olympics were held during 6th August and 19th September. Olympia was a scared location in southern Greece where games were held. Olympics had such an intense influence on people that time of 4 years was being calculated as people were desperately waiting for it. 25-mile marathon was introduced for the first time in Olympics. The route of the marathon was followed by soldiers, who would later inform the news of victory. Spyridon Louis won the first gold medal in this game.

After a few games in Olympics, new games were featured. 400 meter race called ‘Diaulos’ and ‘Dolicho’ that was a longer distance race of 1,500 meters or more races were featured. Long jump, disc throw, javelin throw games were introduced in 708 B.C.. These games were ‘called Pentathlon’ in ancient Greece. Boxing and wrestling with no specific rules was played. Chariot racing in 608 B.C. and in 688 B.C. Boxing had attracted participants to show-off their skills.

Olympics were originally confined to male participation. Unlike now, woman events were not included in the games. Women who were married were prohibited from attending the games.

Though, Olympics were consecutively held every 4 years but could not be held during World War I and World War II. Olympiads have still been numbered according to those years despite the wars.

Olympics were not really played on an international level, but it became a global competition after it was conducted in Paris in 1924. There was a participation from 44 nations including a closing ceremony. Winter Olympics had made its fist appearance in that very year. Games like ice hockey, ice skating were featured. Modern Olympics has an official symbol representing North and South America, Australia, Europe, Africa and Australia continents being a global sporting competition.

When Olympics returned after eight years to Greece in Athens, largest participation seen in the history of Olympics with participation of 11,000 athletes from more than 200 countries. Ancient and modern traditions had merged during Olympics. Shotput games were held in Olympia where initially Olympic games were held.

Is Russia Banned From Olympics??

If you are following Tokyo Olympics 2020 closely, you might notice that there is no name of Russia instead you will find acronym ROC ( Russian Olympic Committee) . Even at the inauguration ceremony Russian flag was slightly modified and represented. Why is this so?? Is Russia banned from Olympics?? Here’s what to know—

In December 2019 World Anti Doping Agency (WADA) banned Russia from participating in any international events for four years. It was after the new revelation came up about a doping programme that Russia had been accused of. Many whistleblower and investigator reported that Russia had been running dope programme for many years in order to reach new heights. This investigation was going on for many years and in September 2018 WADA promised to lift the sanction only at the condition that Russia will hand over the data of athletes , so that thorough check could be done on them. Later Russia had been found tempering with the data, which led to the banning of Russia for 4 years.

It all started when in 2014 , 800 m runner of Russia ,Yolia Stepanova and her husband , who was the former employee of Russian Anti Doping Agency revealed that sophisticated doping programmes had been running in sports history of Russia. Two years later , another whistle blower – Grigory Rodchaenkov , a former head of RUSADA revealed the same.

This is the reason why ,though 335 sportsmen from Russia are participating in Olympics this year, they are refrained from using country’s name , flag and even national anthem. These are only the athletes that have been found having no relation with doping programmes. Russia is not only banned from Olympics but also from Fifa World Cup 2022 and Winter Olympics that will be held in 2022.

India’s Record At Summer Olympics.

India holds total of 29 medal in Olympic , 8 of which is secured by India National Field Hockey Team. India has always been dominant in hockey. India first stepped at Olympics games in 1900 which was held in Paris. India then was represented by only athlete Norman Richard who secured two silver medals both in athletics. He was a British Indian and he also became first ever Asian to secure medal at Olympics

After 1900 India participated at Summer Olympics in 1920 and has been participating ever since then. It was due to Sir Dorabji Tata and Governor of Bombay Geaorge Llyod that India had privilege to participate in 1920. They secured 4 athletes who could represent India . In 1923 All India Olympic Committee was formed and ever since then they are responsible for selecting athletes to participate at Olympics and any other games.

KD Jadhav was the first individual to win medal for independent India in 1952. Indian Hockey Team has always been dominating in securing medal, they hold 11 medals — 8 gold, 1 silver and 2 bronze. After hockey , shooting dominates the position, it accounts for 4 medals — 1 gold , 2 silver and 1 bronze

Karman Malleshwar was the first Indian woman to bag a medal in 2000 Sydney Olympics. Saina Nehwal was first Indian women to secure medal in badminton in 2012 summer Olympics. Pugilist Mary Kom became the first Indian woman to win medal at boxing. In 2016 Summer Olympics Sakhshi Malik became the first Indian woman wrestler to win Olympic medal in wrestling. Shuttler PV Sindhu became the first Indian women to win a silver medal in Olympics and also the youngest Indian Olympics medalist.

India has participated in many winter Olympics game, no medals have been secured yet!!

THE REAL STORY OF THE ANCIENT OLYMPIC GAMES

A short history of the winter olympic games | Sutori

The Olympic Games, which originated in ancient Greece as many as 3,000 years ago, were revived in the late 19th century and have become the world’s preeminent sporting competition. From the 8th century B.C. to the 4th century A.D., the Games were held every four years in Olympia, located in the western Peloponnese peninsula, in honor of the god Zeus. The first modern Olympics took place in 1896 in Athens, and featured 280 participants from 12 nations, competing in 43 events. Since 1994, the Summer and Winter Olympic Games have been held separately and have alternated every two years. The 2020 Summer Olympics, delayed one year because of the COVID-19 pandemic, will be held from July 23 to August 8, 2021 in Tokyo, Japan.

The Olympics Begin in Ancient Greece

The first written records of the ancient Olympic Games date to 776 B.C., when a cook named Coroebus won the only event—a 192-meter footrace called the stade (the origin of the modern “stadium”)—to become the first Olympic champion. However, it is generally believed that the Games had been going on for many years by that time. Legend has it that Heracles (the Roman Hercules), son of Zeus and the mortal woman Alcmene, founded the Games, which by the end of the 6th century B.C had become the most famous of all Greek sporting festivals. 

The ancient Olympics were held every four years between August 6 and September 19 during a religious festival honoring Zeus. The Games were named for their location at Olympia, a sacred site located near the western coast of the Peloponnese peninsula in southern Greece. Their influence was so great that ancient historians began to measure time by the four-year increments in between Olympic Games, which were known as Olympiads.

After 13 Olympiads, two more races joined the stade as Olympic events: the diaulos (roughly equal to today’s 400-meter race), and the dolichos (a longer-distance race, possibly comparable to the 1,500-meter or 5,000-meter event). The pentathlon (consisting of five events: a foot race, a long jump, discus and javelin throws and a wrestling match) was introduced in 708 B.C., boxing in 688 B.C. and chariot racing in 680 B.C. In 648 B.C., pankration, a combination of boxing and wrestling with virtually no rules, debuted as an Olympic event. Participation in the ancient Olympic Games was initially limited to freeborn male citizens of Greece; there were no women’s events, and married women were prohibited from attending the competition.

Tokyo Olympic Torch to be powered by hydrogen

Decline and Revival of the Olympic Tradition

After the Roman Empire conquered Greece in the mid-2nd century B.C., the Games continued, but their standards and quality declined. In one notorious example from A.D. 67, the decadent Emperor Nero entered an Olympic chariot race, only to disgrace himself by declaring himself the winner even after he fell off his chariot during the event. In A.D. 393, Emperor Theodosius I, a Christian, called for a ban on all “pagan” festivals, ending the ancient Olympic tradition after nearly 12 centuries.

It would be another 1,500 years before the Games would rise again, largely thanks to the efforts of Baron Pierre de Coubertin (1863-1937) of France. Dedicated to the promotion of physical education, the young baron became inspired by the idea of creating a modern Olympic Games after visiting the ancient Olympic site. In November 1892, at a meeting of the Union des Sports Athlétiques in Paris, Coubertin proposed the idea of reviving the Olympics as an international athletic competition held every four years. Two years later, he got the approval he needed to found the International Olympic Committee (IOC), which would become the governing body of the modern Olympic Games.

The Olympics Through the Years

The first modern Olympics were held in Athens, Greece, in 1896. In the opening ceremony, King Georgios I and a crowd of 60,000 spectators welcomed 280 participants from 12 nations (all male), who would compete in 43 events, including track and field, gymnastics, swimming, wrestling, cycling, tennis, weightlifting, shooting and fencing. All subsequent Olympiads have been numbered even when no Games take place (as in 1916, during World War I, and in 1940 and 1944, during World War II). The official symbol of the modern Games is five interlocking colored rings, representing the continents of North and South America, Asia, Africa, Europe and Australia. The Olympic flag, featuring this symbol on a white background, flew for the first time at the Antwerp Games in 1920.

The Olympics truly took off as an international sporting event after 1924, when the VIII Games were held in Paris. Some 3,000 athletes (with more than 100 women among them) from 44 nations competed that year, and for the first time the Games featured a closing ceremony. The Winter Olympics debuted that year, including such events as figure skating, ice hockey, bobsledding and the biathlon. Eighty years later, when the 2004 Summer Olympics returned to Athens for the first time in more than a century, nearly 11,000 athletes from a record 201 countries competed. In a gesture that joined both ancient and modern Olympic traditions, the shotput competition that year was held at the site of the classical Games in Olympia.

Youngest Skateboarder at Olympics.

Skateboarding is one of the four newly added sports in Tokyo Olympic 2020, other three being Surfing, Karate and Sport Climbing. This new sport is dominated by the host ie Japan. Gold medal in skateboarding both in men’s and women’s category is won by Japan.

Japan’s 13-year-old Momiji Nishiya became one of the youngest gold medalist in the history of Olympics. She is only months older than current female record holder Majone Gestring who won gold in diving at the age of 13 years and 267 days, at Berlin Olympics 1936. Nishiya is also now the youngest gold medalist of Japan , it was previously held by Kyoko Iwaski , who at the age of 14 won gold for swimming at Barcelona Olympic 1992.

This 13 year old Champion also participated at Summer X Games in the women’s street event where she scored 90.00 and achieved a silver . She also secured a silver at 2021 street Skateboarding World Championship with a score of 14.17. She is truly a rising star of Japan and has more to come.

Horigame Yuto is equally impressive as Nishiya. He rocked the Olympics by securing gold at skateboarding in its debut. His all tricks scored 9.5 in the final round and made him the winner.

Lovelina Borgohain Saves the Day!!!

Lovelina Borgohain lifted the day of India as whole nation was disappointed by shooters. Lovelina Borgohain defeated German Boxer N. Apetz on women’s welterweight Round of 16 at Tokyo Olympics 2020.She is only one match away to bring a medal home. Here’s the detail to know her—

Lovelina Borgohain was born on 2nd October 1997 Golaghat ,Assam. At first she started as kickboxer , following the example of her twin sisters Licha and Lima. Later she shifted to boxing after seeing an opportunity. Her parents were never financially stable and did a lot of struggle to raise the kids.

When Lovelina participated at trials done by Sport Authority of India, held at her school Barpathar Girls High school, she was noticed by renown coach Padum Boro. That’s how she started her career as Boxer.

She won bronze medal at 2018 AIBA women’s World Boxing Championship and 2019 AIBA Women’s World Boxing Championship. She won her first gold at Open International Boxing held in New Delhi and Silver medal at 2nd Open International Boxing held in Guwahati, India. She was also ranked as 3rd in the 69kg welterweight category.

She became pride of Assam at the age of 23 by qualifying for Olympics and she is the first woman from the state to do so. She is also the 6th person from Assam to receive Arjuna Award. She is second boxer from the state to represent the country after Shiva Thapa.

DOPING IN SPORTS

Do athletes always abide to the “spirit of the sport”?. While most of them do, there are some who go against it and fall as a prey to some unethical and wicked act such as doping.

“Doping” refers to the use of prohibited medications, drugs, or treatments by athletes with the intension of improving the athlete’s performance. The idea of doping has been in practice by athlete’s centuries ago but recently its rate has been increased due to the wide variety of potential in upcoming athletes. It has found to be unethical and banned by most of the sports organization.

HISTORY:

Doping was first noted at the Olympic Games, in 1904, in a runner who was injected with strychnine to assist with speed and therefore giving him the strength to finish the race. It adverse outcomes and effects lead to the first ban on doping by the International Association of Athletics Federation in 1928.Later in 1967 the International Olympic Committee (IOC) banned doping, and in 1999 the IOC led the initiative to form the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA).

SUBSTANCES USED FOR DOPING:

Doping substances are used to increase muscle mass, decrease recovery time, increase energy and endurance, and also mask the presence of other drug. Some of the drugs used for doping are

  • ERYTHROPOIETIN (EPO)
  • SYNTHETIC OXYGEN CARRIERS
  • CERA
  • DIURETICS

WHY IS DOPING SUCH A BIG DEAL?

It is indeed a big deal because it has many substances that can be harmful and has a long lasting effects on health of the person who uses it. It can also put an individual’s life at risk. Doping leads to several issues in human health such as

  • Abnormal growth
  • Diabetes
  • Blood cancers
  • Arthritis
  • Enlarged heart and

In the worst case it also leads to premature death.

TESTING:

A urine and/or blood sample will be collected from an athlete. In case of urine sample, the athlete will collect the sample himself/herself. However, to ensure that the sample has been provided from the athlete’s body and that no other dishonest practice has been committed, a specialist of the same gender as the athlete will be present during the sample collection. These samples will be collected and tested to find out if any doping substances are used.

WADA and the IOC aim to decrease the incidence of doping and eliminate its use in sport. But its not all about it. Its also in the hands of the individual and the athletes taking part in sports and promise an oath to themselves not to involve in unethical and immoral activities that goes against the spirit of the game.

NOTE: In Tokyo Olympics 2020, INDIAN player MIRABAI CHANU stands chance to get gold if Chinese weightlifter fails in dope test.

Why physical activity is important in this pandemic

Pandemic has changed our lifestyles , made us stuck in our phones & laptops , & left us with no physical activity .

The COVID-19 pandemic is an unprecedented time all across the world. Worldwide, extensive social distancing policies are put into place, restricting people’s daily activities and worldwide pleas from governments asking people to stay safe and stay at home. This of course means that most people will spend much of their time (if not all) at home.

These social distancing measures mean that people have far fewer opportunities to be physically active, especially if activities such as walking or cycling as transportation, or taking part in a leisurely activity (e.g. jogging, walking the dog, going to the gym) are being restricted. Furthermore, these drastic measures also make it so much easier to be sedentary at home for long periods of time. The impact of this physical inactivity may very likely be seen in many areas such as health and social care and the mental well-being of people all across the globe Though this social distancing is the need of now , but physical activities are also the need of now.

In light of the current situation worldwide, certain benefits of physical activity may be specifically pertinent to the COVID-19 Pandemic. These benefits are:

  • Physical activity enhances immune function and reduces inflammation therefore it could reduce the severity of infections which will automatically leads to good health.
  • Physical activity improves common chronic conditions that increase the risk for severe COVID-19 (i.e. Cardiovascular Disease, Diabetes) , but taking these physical activities in your daily lives , risk of death due to corona virus will reduce .
  • Physical activity is a great stress management tool by reducing symptoms of anxiety and depression.
  • Physical activity helps bring cortisol levels in balance. Stress and distress (such as during a pandemic) creates an imbalance in cortisol levels and this negatively influences immune function and inflammation.
  • Instead of always keeping an eye on your phone & laptops keeping an eye on your physical activities will leads to rest for your eyes, neck, & back.

We all know that this pandemic will stay with us for a long go , even if you are save with no corona virus symptoms , poor physical health will lead you to major heath issues . Instead of surrounding yourself with heath problems , indulge yourself into physical exercise, like yoga , meditation , exercise ,etc. ” STAK HOME , STAY SAFE , INDULGE YOUR SELF WITH INDOOR PHYSICAL ACTIVITES & HENCE SATY FIT”.

Men in blue beats Spain 3-0,to progress into next round of Tokyo Olympics

In Pool A today,Spanish side lead by Miguel Delas locked horns with the Indian side lead by Manpreet Singh.

Spain in their first match leveled 1-1 against defending champions Argentina. In their next match they lost 4-3 to New Zealand. They conceded 2 goals in the last quarter and eventually lost their lead and match too.

India on the other hand started their campaign with defeating New Zealand 3-2, vice-captain Harmanpreet singh scored 2 goals and Rupinder pal singh scored 1 goal. In their next match, India encountered the number 1 team Australia. Australia defeated India by a margin of 7-1 and it’s one of the worst defeat for the Indian Hockey team in Olympics.

Rupinder pal and simranjeet singh handed Spain a 3-0 defeat

Today morning in OI Hockey Stadium, India and Spain locked horns and India dominated throughout the game and handed Spain a 3-0 defeat.

India’s Rupinder Pal Singh celebrates after scoring against Spain 

Simranjeet Singh scored in 14th minute and Rupinder Pal Singh was hero of the match and he striked twice in 15th and 51st minute.

Spain side got many chances but they failed to convert them into goals. With this win India have inched closer to a quarterfinal berth. India have moved to the second spot in Pool A of the Tokyo Olympics. India will face Olympic champion Argentina on Thursday. Spain are yet to register their first win.

Magnificent Mary

Born in the Khangati Village of Manipur,where very girl only wished for marriage, Mary Kom dared to dream. It is her dream that keeps her still going. Nicknamed as Magnificent Mary, Mary Kom was born on 24th November 1982

As a kid Mary Kom was always interested in all kind of sports. She played football , volleyball and athletics. She was very fond of marathon and volleyball. But when Dingko Singh, a fellow Manipuri returned with a gold medal from 1998 Bangkok Asian Games, Mary kom took inspiration from him. She was so enthralled that she decided to learn boxing.

At the age of 15, she left her hometown to study at Sports Academy in the state capital , Imphal. After that she won the state level boxing championship. She hid her love for boxing from her father. Her father never supported her for boxing as he was afraid that she might hurt her face and would not find a man to marry. When her father show the picture of Mary Kom on newspaper in 2000 after her win, he was furious. It was only after 3 years later, that he grew to accept Mary Kom’s love for boxing.

Today, Mary Kom is the only female to win the World Amateur Boxing Championship for six times. She is also the only boxer ( male or female) with eight World Championship. She has many titles in her name and has also been ranked no. 1 female light – flyweight by International Boxing Association. She also represented India in Olympics in 2012 and bagged a bronze home . Her list of achievements goes on and on.

Mary Kom was married in 2005 and has 3 children. She is currently representing India in Tokyo Olympics 2020. Many Indian women after being married leave all the dreams behind, but Mary was never one of those. She is inspiration for many, especially women. She is the definition of “Will Power”.

Do You Know This Indian Professional ‘GOLFER’?

Ashok Kumar.

Rags- to- Riches story of Ashok kumar, who is a Professional Golfer of India.

Ashok Kumar, one of the country’s leading golfers who rose from the ranks of a caddie, remembers his very humble beginnings very distinctly. “The reason I am here in this swanky restaurant of the Oberoi, sipping coffee with you is because of golf. It has brought me name, fame and money and all that I could possibly ask for in life. Without golf, I am a zero ,” said the 27-year-old golfer with rare candour in a chat with Kalyan Ashok, a sports journalist working with Sportstar, one of India’s leading sports weeklies.

India’s No.3 golfer may not exactly be rolling in luxury at the moment, but he definitely leads a comfortable life-a far cry from the days when he used to sleep in a stable. “It’s destiny that brought me to this stage in life and I can’t sav that I deserve it, but it’s God’s gift to me through golf, sald Ashok. Not the one to forget his past, Ashok Kumar keeps reminding himself how he came up in life.

His story is stranger than fiction. Ashok was born into a poor family in Bihar that struggled to make both ends meet. (He has four brothers and two sisters.) In 1988, his parents sent him away with his elder brother to Delhi and he worked as an errand boy at the Jaipur Polo Club.

“I used to work in the day assisting my brother and sleep in the stable at night. The club also had the Air Force golf course and I wandered on to it one day and watched the players and caddies. I thought of becoming a caddie, but I was too young then. I did not get the job, but the club hired me a few years later,” recalls Ashok. It was then that he took to golf. He started practising in the club when no one was around. However, he was caught playing one day and was suspended from his job, as caddies were not allowed to practise golf.

“I was back to square one. Then I went away to help a lorry owner who was transporting sand. I remember the days when I had to pay five rupees to hire a blanket during winter and sleep in Connaught Place,” Ashok said wistfully.

Six months later, when things cooled down, he moved back to the Air Force golt course and became a caddie to Amit Luthra, who was India’s top golfer and an Asian Games gold medallist. “Luthra saab spoke to the club authorities and got me in,” Ashok said with gratitude writ large on his face.

Ashok learnt a lot from Luthra and one day he challenged his mentor to a play-of “I don’t know what got into my head and I told him that I will beat him, to which Luthraji said that if I did that he would waive a month’s caddie fee. We played on the road, but I lost,” Ashok smiled.

Luthra, however, was very impressed with the young man’s talent and got him enrolled at the Delhi Golf Club, which allowed caddies to play. Seizing this opportunity with both hands, Ashok went on to improve his game by leaps and bounds and in 1995, DGC selected him to play in the All India Junior tournament in Kolkata.

Image Source – google.

“I didn’t know where Kolkata was. I thought it was outside the country! I travelled in an unreserved compartment, spending most of the time sitting in the bathroom or just outside as there was no place elsewhere.” In Kolkata, he finished third and in the next two years he became the Junior Champion of the country. In 2000, he moved to the amateur ranks and two years later he became a pro, finishing his first season as India’s No.5 golf player. Riding a wave of success, Ashok held the No.1 spot in 2006 and 2008 and currently (2010) he is ranked No.3.

The moment he cherishes the most as a player is not the time when he won his first major title but when he finished 18th in the Hero Honda-DLF Tournament in 2002. It fetched him a cheque of Rs. 1 lakh. “I never looked back after that,”Ashok remarked.

In the early part of 2010, Ashok’s golfing career got a boost when the Bangalore- based business and software company, Kaseya India, run by golf enthusiast, Mr. Girish Krishnamurthy, decided to sponsor him. “I am a simple guy and with Kaseya around to take care of other things, I can concentrate better on my game now,” Ashok says with determination as well as gratitude. It is his ardent wish that all golf links in the country should support caddies, as he feels that many of them have a lot of inherent talent simply waiting to be tapped.

Ashok has modelled his game on his golfing idol, Tiger Woods. Incidentally, he had met Tiger when he was a caddie to Arjun Atwal in Bangkok a decade ago. “He hugged me when he was introduced by Atwal as a top amateur from India. I asked him for his advice, to which the legendary golfer simply said-‘don’t think of beating others, they should think of beating you,” Ashok’s eyes sparkled when he recalled his meeting with Tiger.

He faithfully follows that advice from the maestro and hopes to play with him one day. “For the moment, I eat, drink and sleep golf. There’s no distraction in my life. I relax with some music and watch CDs of Tiger Woods,” Ashok concluded.

Pusarla Venkata Sindhu

Determination and hard work is all we need to achieve what we want. Anything is possible with sheer dedication. PV Sindhu , the professional badminton player is the example of determination and hardwork.

Being 56 Km away from her coaching camp , she did not fail to report on time every day. This is enough to prove her dedication for badminton

Pusarla Venkata Sindhu was born on 5th July 1995. Both her parents were national level volleyball player . Though born in the family of volleyball players she was always drawn towards badminton. She was a huge fan of Pullela Gopichand ,2001 All England Open Badminton Champion and that’s from where she took the inspiration for playing badminton. She started playing at the mere age of eight. And later on she joined Pullela Gopichand’s Gopichand Badminton Academy. After joining the Academy she won many medals. Seeing her success Pullela himself remarked,” the most striking feature is Pusarla’s game is her attitude and the never – say – die spirit”. What could be more inspirational for Sindhu than the compliment coming from her idol himself?

Sindhu is the first Indian woman to win Olympic silver medal in Badminton and first Indian to become the Badminton World Champion.She was ranked no. 2 in April 2017. This young lady is inspiration for many Indians and the world. She is currently representing India at Tokyo Olympics 2020.

Saina Nehwal

Every parents want to fullfil their unfulfilled dreams through their children. Rani Nehwal, mother of Saina Nehwal was a state level badminton player and had always dreamt of becoming national level player. Though she couldn’t achieve it , her daughter Saina Nehwal did not back off from her dream.

Saina Nehwal was born on 17th March 1990 in Hisar, Haryana. When her father was transferred from Hisar to Hyderabad , she took badminton as a means to communicate with others, as she didn’t know their language. She started playing badminton at the age of eight. She took her passion further by participating at Under-19 National Championship. She created history by winning “Asian Satellite Badminton Tournament” twice at the age of 16 and became the first player to do so.

She is former no 1 and has won many international titles and superseries titles. She has represented India in Olympics for three times and won bronze at her second appearance.

Her father and mother were the biggest supporter in her journey. Her father Harvir Singh , used his provident fund so that Saina could get professional training. Saina has evein got her biopic played by Pareeniti Chopra which was released on 26 March 2021.

Olympics

The modern Olympic Games or Olympics (French: Jeux olympiques) are leading international sporting events featuring summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of athletes from around the world participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games are considered the world’s foremost sports competition with more than 200 nations participating. The Olympic Games are normally held every four years, alternating between the Summer and Winter Olympics every two years in the four-year period.

Their creation was inspired by the ancient Olympic Games (Ancient Greek: Ὀλυμπιακοί Ἀγῶνες), held in Olympia, Greece from the 8th century BC to the 4th century AD. Baron Pierre de Coubertin founded the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in 1894, leading to the first modern Games in Athens in 1896. The IOC is the governing body of the Olympic Movement , with the Olympic Charter defining its structure and authority.

The evolution of the Olympic Movement during the 20th and 21st centuries has resulted in several changes to the Olympic Games. Some of these adjustments include the creation of the Winter Olympic Games for snow and ice sports, the Paralympic Games for athletes with disabilities, the Youth Olympic Games for athletes aged 14 to 18, the five Continental games (Pan American, African, Asian, European, and Pacific), and the World Games for sports that are not contested in the Olympic Games. The IOC also endorses the Deaflympics and the Special Olympics. The IOC has needed to adapt to a variety of economic, political, and technological advancements. The abuse of amateur rules by the Eastern Bloc nations prompted the IOC to shift away from pure amateurism, as envisioned by Coubertin, to the acceptance of professional athletes participating at the Games. The growing importance of mass media has created the issue of corporate sponsorship and general commercialisation of the Games. World wars led to the cancellation of the 1916, 1940, and 1944 Olympics; large-scale boycotts during the Cold War limited participation in the 1980 and 1984 Olympics; and the 2020 Olympics were postponed until 2021 as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Olympic Movement consists of international sports federations (IFs), National Olympic Committees (NOCs), and organising committees for each specific Olympic Games. As the decision-making body, the IOC is responsible for choosing the host city for each Games, and organises and funds the Games according to the Olympic Charter. The IOC also determines the Olympic programme, consisting of the sports to be contested at the Games. There are several Olympic rituals and symbols, such as the Olympic flag and torch, as well as the opening and closing ceremonies. Over 14,000 athletes competed at the 2016 Summer Olympics and 2018 Winter Olympics combined, in 35 different sports and over 400 events. The first, second, and third-place finishers in each event receive Olympic medals: gold, silver, and bronze, respectively.

The Games have grown so much that nearly every nation is now represented. This growth has created numerous challenges and controversies, including boycotts, doping, bribery, and a terrorist attack in 1972. Every two years the Olympics and its media exposure provide athletes with the chance to attain national and sometimes international fame. The Games also provide an opportunity for the host city and country to showcase themselves to the world

Ancient Olympics

The Ancient Olympic Games were religious and athletic festivals held every four years at the sanctuary of Zeus in Olympia, Greece. Competition was among representatives of several city-states and kingdoms of Ancient Greece. These Games featured mainly athletic but also combat sports such as wrestling and the pankration, horse and chariot racing events. It has been widely written that during the Games, all conflicts among the participating city-states were postponed until the Games were finished. This cessation of hostilities was known as the Olympic peace or truce.[7] This idea is a modern myth because the Greeks never suspended their wars. The truce did allow those religious pilgrims who were travelling to Olympia to pass through warring territories unmolested because they were protected by Zeus.[8] The origin of the Olympics is shrouded in mystery and legend; one of the most popular myths identifies Heracles and his father Zeus as the progenitors of the Games.According to legend, it was Heracles who first called the Games “Olympic” and established the custom of holding them every four years. The myth continues that after Heracles completed his twelve labours, he built the Olympic Stadium as an honour to Zeus. Following its completion, he walked in a straight line for 200 steps and called this distance a “stadion” (Greek: στάδιον, Latin: stadium, “stage”), which later became a unit of distance. The most widely accepted inception date for the Ancient Olympics is 776 BC; this is based on inscriptions, found at Olympia, listing the winners of a footrace held every four years starting in 776 BC.[14] The Ancient Games featured running events, a pentathlon (consisting of a jumping event, discus and javelin throws, a foot race, and wrestling), boxing, wrestling, pankration, and equestrian events. Tradition has it that Coroebus, a cook from the city of Elis, was the first Olympic champion.

The Olympics were of fundamental religious importance, featuring sporting events alongside ritual sacrifices honouring both Zeus (whose famous statue by Phidias stood in his temple at Olympia) and Pelops, divine hero and mythical king of Olympia. Pelops was famous for his chariot race with King Oenomaus of Pisatis. The winners of the events were admired and immortalised in poems and statues. The Games were held every four years, and this period, known as an Olympiad, was used by Greeks as one of their units of time measurement. The Games were part of a cycle known as the Panhellenic Games, which included the Pythian Games, the Nemean Games, and the Isthmian Games.

The Olympic Games reached the height of their success in the 6th and 5th centuries BC, but then gradually declined in importance as the Romans gained power and influence in Greece. While there is no scholarly consensus as to when the Games officially ended, the most commonly held date is 393 AD, when the emperor Theodosius I decreed that all pagan cults and practices be eliminated Another date commonly cited is 426 AD, when his successor, Theodosius II, ordered the destruction of all Greek temples.

Modern Games

Forerunners

Baron Pierre de Coubertin

Various uses of the term “Olympic” to describe athletic events in the modern era have been documented since the 17th century. The first such event was the Cotswold Games or “Cotswold Olimpick Games”, an annual meeting near Chipping Campden, England, involving various sports. It was first organised by the lawyer Robert Dover between 1612 and 1642, with several later celebrations leading up to the present day. The British Olympic Association, in its bid for the 2012 Olympic Games in London, mentioned these games as “the first stirrings of Britain’s Olympic beginnings”.

L’Olympiade de la République, a national Olympic festival held annually from 1796 to 1798 in Revolutionary France also attempted to emulate the ancient Olympic Games. The competition included several disciplines from the ancient Greek Olympics. The 1796 Games also marked the introduction of the metric system into sport.

In 1834 and 1836, Olympic games were held in Ramlösa (Olympiska spelen i Ramlösa), and an additional in Stockholm, Sweden in 1843, all organised by Gustaf Johan Schartau and others. At most 25,000 spectators saw the games.

In 1850, an Olympian Class was started by William Penny Brookes at Much Wenlock, in Shropshire, England. In 1859, Brookes changed the name to the Wenlock Olympian Games. This annual sports festival continues to this day. The Wenlock Olympian Society was founded by Brookes on 15 November 1860.

Between 1862 and 1867, Liverpool held an annual Grand Olympic Festival. Devised by John Hulley and Charles Melly, these games were the first to be wholly amateur in nature and international in outlook, although only ‘gentlemen amateurs’ could compete.The programme of the first modern Olympiad in Athens in 1896 was almost identical to that of the Liverpool Olympics. In 1865 Hulley, Brookes and E.G. Ravenstein founded the National Olympian Association in Liverpool, a forerunner of the British Olympic Association. Its articles of foundation provided the framework for the International Olympic Charter. In 1866, a national Olympic Games in Great Britain was organised at London’s Crystal Palace.