Hockey India on Wednesday congratulated Rohini Bopanna on being promoted as FIH International Technical Official by the FIH Officials Committee. The World Governing Body for Hockey announced its decision on Wednesday. Earlier this year, Bopanna was also appointed as a Technical Official for the 5th Women’s Asian Champions Trophy 2018 held in Donghae City, South Korea, after having officiated as a Technical Official at the 9th Women’s Asia Cup 2017 in Kakamigahara, Japan.
Rohini Bopanna started her career as a Technical Official when she first officiated during the 4th Hockey India National Championship (Women) in 2014 where she was involved with the Junior, Sub-Junior and Senior categories. Being a former hockey player herself, the 38-year-old has since then officiated in various domestic and international events.
Bopanna considers her first International assignment as a key milestone in her career as a Technical Official which came when she officiated at the 12th South Asian Games 2016 in Guwahati, India. She was also assigned to officiate the 4th Women’s Asian Champions Trophy which was held in Singapore later that year.
Hailing from a family that has hockey in its roots, Bopanna also played for the state of Karnataka in all age groups – Junior, Sub-Junior and Senior level. Her husband, P. Bopanna, also used to play hockey as a Goalkeeper, and has supported the 38-year-old in her endeavor as a Technical Official.
“It is a huge honour for me to have been promoted as FIH International Technical Official by the FIH Officials Committee. Exposure at the 4th Hockey India National Championship (Women) in 2014 helped me start my career as a Technical Official, and I have been fortunate to have officiated in various domestic and international tournaments. I would like to thank my family for always supporting me and helping me in continuing with my duties of being a Technical Official.
“I would also like to extend my gratitude to the Hockey India Umpiring, Technical and Competitions Committee for believing in my abilities and for giving me opportunities to progress and grow as a Technical Official. This would not have been possible without their training, guidance and support,” an ecstatic Bopanna said.
Congratulating Rohini Bopanna on her promotion accorded by the FIH, Hockey India’s Secretary General, Rajinder Singh said, “I would like to wish Rohini Bopanna the very best for her promotion as FIH International Technical Official by FIH Officials Committee. It has been Hockey India Umpiring, Technical and Competitions Committee’s aim to train, guide and support the upcoming officials to the International level by providing them with exposure in domestic and international competitions.
“I am delighted to see several technical officials and umpires making their name through hard-work and determination in the International stage, and would like to wish Mrs. Bopanna the very best for the future.”
source: http:/www.sportskeeda.com / SportsKeeda.com / Home> Field Hockey> News / Press Release / New Delhi, October 24th, 2018
MLA K G Bopaiah, MLC Veena Acchaiah and others take part in the inaugural session of a skill development programme meant for flood-affected women from Kaluru village on Sunday.
MLA K G Bopaiah has called upon the flood victims not to lose hope but to rebuild their lives by boosting their confidence.
He was speaking after initiating a skill development and training session in sewing and food processing at the Government School at Kaluru.
The programme was organised by the Kodagu branch of the Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan and the Project Coorg as a part of the ‘Yashaswi’ project meant for the women of Kaluru, which was ravaged by natural calamity.
Bopaiah further said that assistance would be provided by the government for women from the village towards setting up a platform to market the processed food prepared by them. He also assured release of grants from the MLA fund towards construction of a community hall in Kaluru and Devasturu villages, along with providing a site, following the requests of the village residents.
MLC Veena Achaiah expressed hope that the project would help the trained women lead a self-sustainable life.
K S Devaiah, Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan Kodagu branch president, said that the food and dress items prepared by the women would be put up for sale at shops in the Kodava Samaja complex.
Project Coorg convener Balaji Kashyap said that the women from the flood-affected village would be provided training in sewing for three months, with 28 sewing machines. Also, 30 women would be provided training in food processing and the products would be released in the market with the brand name ‘Coorg Flavour’.
Kodava Samaja, Madikeri vice president M E Chinnappa and Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan member Kuppanda Premnath were present on the occasion.
Doubles star Ashwini Ponnappa, who moved from the Delhi Dashers to the Awadh Warriors for a whopping amount of Rs 32 Lakh, is happy with the importance and the pricing the doubles players have attracted during the recently concluded Premier Badminton League auctions.
Ponnappa believes doubles game is growing in India and there is awareness among the fans.
Top doubles player Ashwini Ponnappa, her partner N Sikki Reddy, and coach Tan Kim Her give us some pro tips to become a better doubles badminton player.
If badminton is rock music, doubles badminton is heavy metal.
Faster, sharper, more chaotic, more emphatic beats per second; the doubles game feels like someone has turned up the volume and energy levels on a badminton court. It’s busy and breathless calling for action and reaction every second.
Unlike doubles in racquet sports like tennis and squash, doubles badminton is a specialist art. Players are meant to be groomed from a young age for doubles badminton. It is rare to see a badminton player compete in both singles and doubles.
To understand exactly what it takes to be a top-level doubles player, we spoke with Ponnappa, N Sikki Reddy and doubles coach Tan Kim Her. Here is what they had to say.
Delight in doubles
Even though doubles is usually seen as a fall back choice in India, it is treated on par with singles around the world. Players are selected when they are 15-16 years of age to be specifically groomed for doubles. India’s doubles coach Tan Kim Her believes that the first step for the country towards becoming an all-round badminton powerhouse is giving doubles badminton the same respect and importance as singles.
“Doubles is also an Olympic event,” says Malaysia’s Tan, who was appointed the doubles coach in 2016. “People don’t understand that if you win an Olympic medal in doubles, it’s still an Olympic medal. We need to change that mindset. And for that to happen, players, coaches and parents all need to sit down and decide to take up doubles at an early age.”
Get out of your comfort zone
The norm around the world is that coaches pair up doubles players. Going against that trend, Indian players usually choose their partners based on whom they are comfortable with rather than who complements them most on the court. While understanding between partners is absolutely critical, players may not be in the best position to objectively pick the right partner for themselves.
“In India, we have grown up thinking, ‘Oh no, I don’t like her. I don’t want to play with her!’” says N Sikki Reddy. Involvement of parents has also been a factor at times. “But for the betterment of the game, I think coaches should pair up players by seeing potential,” adds Reddy.
Serve, receive
In doubles, the first two shots can prove critical. The whole aim of doubles is to keep the shuttle as low as possible. Playing a shot high into the air is a cardinal sin. With doubles being a quick-paced game, the placement of the serve and return can immediately decide if your team wins the point or not. The quicker you force your opponent into a weaker shot, the greater chance you have to attack and win the point.
“I was very good at serving and receiving – which are very important in doubles,” Jwala Gutta had said in 2017. “If you observe all my matches, I used to make sure that I finish it. I could take advantage of my partner’s smash or my partner’s placing. Or I used to place it in such a way that my partner had an advantage.”
For youngsters, according to doubles coach Akshay Dewalkar, the first three strokes make up the bulk of their basic training. “How to serve, where to move, where to play the shuttle, that’s very important,” adds Dewalkar.
Trust and understanding
Trust yourself, trust your partner. That is the foundation of any partnership.
In doubles badminton, the roles of the two players are usually very well defined. While the attacking player hangs back to smash and finish off points, the defensive player stays at the net, controlling the pace and pattern of the rally. Do your job, and trust your partner to do hers.
“I would say focus on your game and what you could bring to your partnership,” says Ponnappa. “Don’t focus on what your partner isn’t doing – look at the positives. Watch and learn from top doubles players. Learn to understand what sort of game you like playing, what sort of game your partner plays. Which is your strong point? It’s very important to understand doubles. There’s a lot of information online on various doubles drills and techniques. In case you don’t have a specialised doubles coach, sit with your coach and watch a few videos and see what drills you could incorporate to improve your doubles game.”
Read between the moves
The coaching manual of the Badminton World Federation counts ‘open skills’ as a pre-requisite for the game. These open skills are defined as: “being able to adapt to the different challenges presented by their opponent’s strokes.” This ability to pick on playing patterns, strengths, and weaknesses quickly is decisive in doubles, since it gives the competitors little breathing space.
Moreover, doubles is a game of power and strength; one that is more suited to the lean, athletic East Asian body structure. That is the reason European and Indian players have often relied on movement and tactics when playing against more adept opponents.
“We are smart on the court,” says Ponnappa. “Strength and speed are important factors – and what a lot of players lack – which makes it difficult to match players from Asia. The Europeans are very good strategically. They play smart and to their advantage.”
Love thy labour
As important as the tweaks in training and tactics are to push you to become a good doubles player, none of it can sustain without absolute dedication to the craft. You have to be disciplined and diligent, push yourself in training and on the court to get the results.
However long it takes.
“Prepare for long rallies, have patience, be strong mentally,” says Sikki Reddy. “Love the game and your practice sessions, and always believe in yourself no matter what.”
Click here to read about Red Bull Shuttle Up – an exclusive women’s doubles-only badminton tournament.
To register to participate in Red Bull Shuttle Up, click here.
source: http://www.redbull.com / Redbull.com / Home / by Deepti Patwardhan
Rohan Bopanna-Divij Sharan clinch Gold in Asian Games Men’s Tennis Doubles
This is the fifth Gold medal for India in the Men‘s Doubles (Tennis) since the Asian Games started.
Indian doubles pair of Rohan Bopanna and Divij Sharan beat Kazakhstan‘s Aleksandr Bublik and Denis Yevseyev in the Men‘s Tennis Doubles on Friday to secure India‘s 6th Gold (22nd Overall) at the Asian Games.
The Indian doubles pair thrashed the Kazakhstan duo 6-3, 6-4 to win the Gold.
Earlier, Bopanna and Sharan got the better of Japan‘s Uesugi K and Shimabukuro S 4-6, 6-3, 10-8 on Thursday after a nervy tie-breaker to reach the finals.
This is the fifth Gold medal for India in the Men‘s Doubles (Tennis) since the Asian Games started.
Previously, the team that won gold for India in Men‘s Doubles (Tennis) were – Gaurav Natekar/Leander Paes (1994, Hiroshima), Mahesh Bhupathi/Leander Paes (2002 Busan), Mahesh Bhupathi, Leander Paes (2006, Doha), and Somdev Devvarman, Sanam Singh (2010, Guangzhou).
On Thursday, Prajnesh Gunneswaran ensured another podium finish for India when he beat Korea’s Soonwoo Kwon 6(2)-7, 6-4, 7-6(8) to enter the semifinals of Tennis Men’s Singles.
In Tennis, Ankita Raina had to settle for a Bronze medal on Thursday after she lost 4-6, 6(6)-7 after a tough tie-breaker against China’s Zhang Shuai.
source: http://www.hermannherald.com / Hermann Herald / Home / October 14th, 2018
Gulshan Devaiah, who is set to experiment with a Bihari avatar in the web series Smoke, says he prefers challenging roles over those he can do easily. “Challenges attract me.
Roles that are difficult and that need work are ones that interest me. Roles I feel I can sleepwalk in don’t attract me. I give these roles everything I possibly can and then it’s for the audience to enjoy it or not,” Gulshan said.
Be it the Maharashtrian Mandar Ponkshe in Hunterrr or Kutchi Bhavani in Ram-Leela, Chittappa Gowda from That Girl in Yellow Boots or the Goan Ricky in Dum Maaro Dum, Gulshan has displayed his versatility in his projects.
Smoke is being touted as a gritty and dark crime drama set in the underbelly of Goa. It will premiere at the global entertainment content market MIPCOM 2018 in Cannes under the ‘Made in India Originals’ category on October 15.
According to a source, Gulshan kept his Bihari accent on and off the set throughout the duration of the shoot of Smoke, which will release digitally on October 26.
He will also be seen in a double role in Mard Ko Dard Nahi Hota and as a parallel lead with Vidyut Jammwal in Commando 3.
source: http://www.ahmedabadmirror.indiatimes.com / Ahmedabad Mirror / Home> Entertainment> Bollywood / IANS / October 11th, 2018
Lieutenant General Pattacheravanda Chengappa Thimmaiah has been posted as commander of the Indian Army’s Training Command in Shimla, which is one of the seven commands of the army.
Thimmaiah hails from Chettalli in Virajpet taluk. He is the third commander from Kodagu to have been appointed to the post after K C Cariappa and B C Nanda.
Recently, Aichettira B Uttaiah was elevated to the rank of rear admiral in the Indian Navy.
source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> In Brief / by Ashwani Kumar NKR – DH News Service, Madikeri / September 29th, 2018
She believes the tournament will encourage young players to participate in doubles competition. Shuttler Ashwini Ponnappa interacts with media at an event in Hyderabad on Wednesday to launch a women’s doubles badminton tournament.
Hyderabad:
Ace shuttler Ashwini Ponnappa is gung-ho about an exclusive women’s doubles tournament, the first ever, that will commence from October 5 and will be played across various cities in India.
Red Bull Shuttle Up will be played in Delhi (October 5), Bengaluru (October 7), Guwahati (October 13), Mumbai (October 20) and Hyderabad (October 14). “I have been dreaming of something like this. I have spoken about women’s doubles needing motivation and encouragement. I do hope that with this tournament we do get a lot of doubles players coming out there and enjoying themselves,” she said after announcing the tournament on Wednesday.
She believes the tournament will encourage young players to participate in doubles competition. “We are encouraging young girls to take up the event. It is quite often that the young girls want to take up singles but I would like to make them believe that they can take up women’s doubles and do well,” Ashwini said.
The doubles specialist also spoke of her experiences on the badminton circuit this year, about her coach Tan Kim Her and how it feels to be the senior most player in the team.
“I am happy at the way we have performed at the Commonwealth Games. Asian Games could have been better. We reached the quarters which was the first. Personally, I am happy that we won a medal at the CWG,” she said
“I am happy that the team won a gold that was a proud moment not just for me but for the entire team. I loved how the team got together… from the support staff, coaches to the players. It’s probably one of the best feelings I have being a part of this team. I respect everyone in the team and we work together,” she added.
She also spoke of her transition in the team after Jwala Gutta’s departure from the circuit. “From being one of the youngest in 2010 to the eldest in the team now, it is funny. I think that the entire team is quite experienced. In doubles, I have much more experience than my partners but they have their mind in place, so it becomes easier for me with them. When Jwala was there in 2010, I was the rookie and I did not know anything. These guys have experience and they do not need to start from scratch,” she said.
Ashwini also feels that having a specialist doubles coach in Tan Kim Her has helped the team a lot. “He is looking at doubles in particular. He wants to make doubles players do well. His attention makes a huge difference. There are a lot of new partnerships that were formed after he came in. He broke broke the older partnerships and formed new ones. None of us were happy back then but it is nice to see that those partnerships have done well,” she expressed.
However, Ashwini feels the teams need more coaches in order to get better training. “Tan is the only one in seniors so it is really tough for him to focus on everyone who is in the national camp. It is important to get more coaches so that the entire pool can be looked after,” she said.
source: http://www.deccanchronicle.com / Deccan Chronicle / Home> Sports> Badminton / by Conrad Dias, Deccan Chronicle September 27th, 2018
The annual get-together of Sri Igguthappa Kodava Association, Vivekanandanagar, will be held on Sept. 30 (Sunday) at Kodagu Sahakara Sangha in Jayalakshmipuram from 9.30 am onwards.
Kalapanda B. Vishwanath, President, Sri Sri Shivabalayogi Maharaja, Mysuru Division, will be chief guest.
Sangha President Moodera B. Belliappa will preside.
The day-long event includes presentation of Scholarships to meritorious students, sports and games, lucky-draw.
For details contact Mob: 99013-92444.
source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> In Briefs / September 28th, 2018
Gulshan Devaiah is getting all the praises at the prestigious Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) 2018 for his performance in the upcoming Vasan Bala directorial ‘Mard Ko Dard Nahi Hota’ (‘The Man Who Feels No Pain’). The actor’s film which premiered at the TIFF 2018 has gone on to win the Grolsch People’s Choice Midnight Madness section award after beating big-budget Hollywood franchises like ‘Halloween’ and ‘Predator’.
Gulshan is playing a double role in the film — a mysterious Karate Master named Mani and his psychotic twin named Jimmy. His dual performance is being lauded by the critics and audiences with Gulshan being called “an irreplaceable component to the film who brings great energy to every scene he is in”.
“Vasan and I worked again after his first film ‘Peddlers’. Vasan is a fabulous talent. I am so happy for him that ‘MKDNH’ was so widely appreciated by the audiences and critics in Toronto where they were demanding a sequel. I am so overwhelmed by what people are saying and writing about our film and my performances,” says Gulshan.
‘Mard Ko Dard Nahi Hota’ is Gulshan and director Vasan Bala’s second collaboration after the 2012 crime thriller film ‘Peddlers’.
source: http://www.freepressjournal.in / The Free Press Journal / Home> Entertainment / by FPJ Bureau / September 25th, 2018
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