Aarogya Setu must, no sparring, no baton exchange for contact sports

Athletics, hockey, badminton, boxing and shooting were among the 11 disciplines that were permitted to resume outdoor training following relaxations in the lockdown.

Baton exchange won’t be allowed in relay training, boxers will not have access to rings and only singles players will get to practice at indoor badminton courts, according to the Sports Authority of India’s SOP for resumption of training, the timeline for which is still not clear.

Athletics, hockey, badminton, boxing and shooting were among the 11 disciplines that were permitted to resume outdoor training following relaxations in the lockdown. Weightlifters, archers, cyclists, fencers, wrestlers, and paddlers, too, can resume training with requisite safety measures. The document makes the Aarogya Setu app mandatory for all athletes and staff and calls for strict social distancing at training.

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The SOP, however, prohibits sparring for contact disciplines and has barred the use of swimming pools for now.

The SOP came after the Centre allowed the opening of sports complexes and stadia in its guidelines for the fourth phase of the lockdown, which has been extended till May 31. But there has been no clarity on when the training will resume.

Badminton world number 1 Momota hurt in Malaysia crash, driver dead: Report

The accident happened in the early hours on a major highway as the group headed for Kuala Lumpur International Airport in a van, official news agency Bernama reported.

Badminton world number one Kento Momota was among four people lightly injured in a crash in Malaysia on Monday which left their driver dead, reports said, hours after he won the Malaysia Masters tournament.

The accident happened in the early hours on a major highway as the group headed for Kuala Lumpur International Airport in a van, official news agency Bernama reported.

The vehicle crashed into the back of a lorry, which was travelling slowly, and the driver died at the scene, the agency said.

"The victim's body and all the injured were sent to" hospital in administrative capital Putrajaya, fire and rescue department senior official Norazam Khamis was cited as saying.

The fire and rescue department did not immediately respond to requests for comment and the identity of the others hurt was not immediately clear.

Kento Momota had been in Kuala Lumpur to take part in the Malaysia Masters badminton tournament.

He won easily on Sunday, defeating Denmark's Viktor Axelsen 24-22, 21-11 in a boost for his Tokyo Olympics preparations.

The 25-year-old Japanese enjoyed a stellar 2019, winning a record 11 titles including the World Championships, Asia Championships and All England Open.

Sports News

PV Sindhu, Saina Nehwal to lead Indian challenge at Denmark Open badminton

Sindhu will take on USA's Beiwen Zhang, Saina will be up against Cheung Ngan Yi of Hong Kong.

Olympic medallists PV Sindhu and Saina Nehwal will lead a strong Indian challenge at the Denmark Open badminton tournament which gets underway here on Tuesday.

While Sindhu has been seeded third in the event, world no.11 Saina is unseeded here.

Sindhu will take on USA's Beiwen Zhang in the opening round of the women's singles. Saina Nehwal, on the other hand, will be up against Cheung Ngan Yi of Hong Kong.

In men's singles competition, world no.6 Kidambi Srikanth will be India's best bet and has been seeded seventh in the tournament.

Srikanth will face Hans-Kristian Solberg Vittinghus of Denmark in the opening round, while B Sai Praneeth will play Huang Yuxiang of China.

However, it will be a difficult opening encounter for another Indian, Sameer Verma, as he will square off against third seed Shi Yuqi of China.

The other Indian in fray, HS Prannoy also faces a tough first round match as he will be up against sixth seed Son Wan Ho of Korea.

Commonwealth Games champion Parupalli Kashyap, who lost his passport at Amsterdam and sought the Indian government's help on Friday, however doesn't feature in the men's singles draw.

In men's doubles, the Indian pair of Manu Attri and B Sumeeth Reddy will take on local hope Kim Astrup and Anders Skaarup Rasmussen in the opening round.

Ashwini Ponappa and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy will face the Korean combination of Seo Seung Jae and Chae Yujung in the first round of the mixed doubles competition.

Ponappa will pair up with N Sikki Reddy and play the American duo of Ariel Lee and Sydney Lee in the opening round of the women's doubles event.

Business Standard

Asian Games 2018: India thrash Maldives 3-0 in badminton team event

The Indian men's team will next face hosts Indonesia on Monday in the quarterfinals.

Àsian Games 2018 : The Indian badminton team, led by Kidambi Srikanth, made a resounding start to its campaign at the 18th Asian Games, thrashing minnows Maldives 3-0 in the opening match of the team competition here today.

World No 8. Srikanth brushed aside Maldives' Hussein Zayan Shaheed Zaki 21-4 21-5 in 18 minutes to give India a 1-0 lead.

World No. 11 H S Prannoy then took 21 minutes to outclass Mohamed Sarim 21-8 21-6 and make it 2-0 in India's favour.

B Sai Praneeth, who had clinched the 2017 Singapore Open, then ended the challenge of Mohamed Ajfan Rasheed in just 22 minutes with a 21-7 21-8 demolition as India wrapped up the contest 3-0.

The Indian men's team will next face hosts Indonesia tomorrow in the quarterfinals.

Indonesia, who received a first-round bye, boasts of good players such as Jonathan Christie and Anthony Sinisuka Ginting in the singles, while their doubles line-up comprise World No. 1 Marcus Fernaldi Gideon and Kevin Sanjaya Sukamuljo and World No. 9 Fajar Alfian and Muhammad Rian Ardianto.

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The women's team, led by Olympic silver medallist P V Sindhu, will play formidable Japan in the quarterfinals after receiving a bye in the opening round.

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