OCA trims disciplines to 35 from 42 from 2014 Asian Games

October 11th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Hundreds of sports enthusiasts took part in a run organised here on Sunday to sensitise people about the 2010 Commonwealth Games. Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit, who flagged off the run, said more similar events would be organised in the coming days.

October 11th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Even as the 2010 Commonwealth Games buzz is on India's infrastructural preparedness, a million-dollar programme has been quietly training away athletes to make the country a sporting power. At the last edition of the Commonwealth Games in Melbourne three years ago, India's medal count was 50, including 22 gold, and they were placed fourth behind Australia, England and Canada, as they were at the previous Games in Manchester.

October 10th, 2009 BHOPAL - Indian wrestlers participating in the 54th National Wrestling championship are hoping to perform well at the forthcoming Asian Games. The three-day wrestling event, which is being held at Motilal Nehru stadium here, was inaugurated on Friday.

October 9th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Commonwealth Games Organising Committee secretary general Lalit Bhanot has said that the visiting CGF delegation was confident that all infrastructure in New Delhi would be put in place before the deadline. Delegates from all the 71 member nations of the CGF are presently in New Delhi ahead of the CGF General Assembly on October 12.

September 18th, 2009 Volkswagen to sponsor Sochi 2014 Winter OlympicsSOCHI, Russia — Volkswagen became a sponsor of the 2014 Winter Olympics on Friday in a deal that Sochi organizers said brings total sponsorship revenues to more than $750 million. Sochi organizing committee chief Dmitry Chernyshenko signed the agreement with Dietmar Korzekwa, director general of Volkswagen Group Rus, in the Black Sea resort city.

September 7th, 2009 KARACHI - Pakistan's pugilists are awaiting the arrival of Cuban coach Francisco Roland, hired by the country's sports authorities, to lift the dipping standard of Pakistan boxing. A Pakistan Boxing Federation (PBF) spokesman told IANS here Monday that Roland is expected to arrive in Karachi next week and will get to the job right away.

August 19th, 2009 Russia's Aeroflot to sponsor 2014 Sochi OlympicsMOSCOW — Russian airline Aeroflot has signed up as a domestic sponsor of the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi in a deal worth more than $100 million. The carrier becomes the fifth top-tier sponsor of the games, along with telecommunication firms Rostelecom and Megafon, oil and gas company Rosneft and lender Sberbank.

July 22nd, 2009 NEW DELHI - The sports ministry will give a Rs.100 million grant to the All India Football Federation (AIFF) to prepare the U-23 team for the 2010 Asian Games in Guangzhou, China. A top sports ministry official told IANS that they are in consultation with the AIFF to chart out a roadmap for the team's preparation.

July 18th, 2009 NEW DELHI - The Indian challenge in the Asian Junior Badminton Championships ended Saturday with the 12-21, 15-21 loss of Pranav Chopra and Prajakta Sawant to China's Lu Kai and Bao Yixin in the mixed doubles semi-final at Kuala Lumpur. In the final, Kui and Yixin play compatriots Liu Peixuan and Xia Huan, who shocked top seed Thai pair Jongjit Maneepong and Chuthabunditkul Rodjana 21-18, 21-13.

July 14th, 2009 NEW DELHI - The Indian team returned home on Tuesday after winning 14 medals at the three-day junior Asian Wrestling Championship in Manila.he team arrived at the international airport here this morning. Raj Singh, vice president, Wrestling Federation of India, who accompanied the team, said that this was the teams' best performance at the Asian Wrestling Championship.

July 6th, 2009 NHL MVP Ovechkin takes role with 2014 Sochi GamesLONDON — NHL MVP Alex Ovechkin is offering his help to organizers of the first Winter Olympics in his native Russia. The Washington Capitals star, who has earned the Hart Trophy as league MVP the past two seasons, will be an "official ambassador" for the 2014 Sochi Games, organizers said Monday.

July 3rd, 2009 NEW DELHI - Indian athletes kept up their fine performance as they won two more golds to take their tally to 10 medals at the Asian Youth Games in Singapore Friday. On the last day of the track and field competition, Ravi Kumar won the gold in the 800 metres while Namita Kabat was the champion in the women's event.

July 2nd, 2009 NEW DELHI - Indian athletes continued their impressive run at the Asian Youth Games in Singapore, winning three medals Thursday to take their tally to six. According to information received here, Rohit Kumar won the gold in the javelin throw event with 74.60 metres and broke his own national record of 71.52 metres set at the junior nationals in Mysore last year.

June 30th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Indian athletes won three medals on the first day of the inaugural Asian Youth Games in Singapore. Delhi lad Arjun Kumar won the first gold medal of the event with an effort of 58.72 metres in discus throw.

June 25th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Indian football team's preparation for the 2011 Asian Cup in Doha received a big boost with the sports ministry finding ways to bear a part of the training cost. A top sports ministry official told IANS Thursday that the Department of Sports is studying the feasibility report of the All India Football Federation (AIFF) Asian Cup project Goal 2011 to see how best can it help the team prepare for the continental cup.