Indian shooting coach denied US visa
New Delhi: India’s pistol shooters competing in the ISSF World Cup in Fort Benning, US will be without the services of coach Sayed Wajid Ali as he has been denied visa to travel for the May 4-13 tournament. The National Rifle Association of India (NRAI) said the US embassy is yet to give a reason for denying the government core-group coach visa. Normally, four coaches are employed as part of the core group, and they are entitled to travel with the team for international tournaments.
New trophy for I-league champions
New Delhi: A new glittering trophy awaits the 2012-13 I-league Champions, as the All India Football Federation has designed a dedicated silverware which will be handed over to the winners on the day of their coronation. The trophy, a gold-plated one and which has a full-sized silver football at the top, has been designed in Europe. It will do the rounds every year like it happens across the world. As it stands, Churchill Brothers are on the brink of winning their second I-league crown and need just one point from the two remaining matches against Mohun Bagan tomorrow and Air India on Sunday. As per the I-league table, Churchill Brothers would be handed over the trophy tomorrow itself if they are able to earn a point against Mohun Bagan. But if they are unable to do so, the trophy would travel to Pune for the last round where it will be handed over to either Churchill Brothers or Pune FC.
Mahindra team gets another top-10 finish
New Delhi: The Mahindra team celebrated a third successive top-10 finish in the Motorcycle Grand Prix with Monday’s Spanish Grand Prix, where rider Efren Vazquez finished eighth in a fighting race. For Vazquez, it was the reward for a strong ride, the MGP3O’s superb handling helping him also battle in the same big group as his team-mate. The race was stopped early after a crash, the second time in succession a red flag took the place of the chequered flag in the very competitive Moto3 class. This time more than two thirds distance had been completed, and the results were taken from one lap earlier - the 15th of a scheduled 23. This was the third of 17 rounds, and in every race so far the only Indian team in motorcycle grand prix racing has taken at least one top-10 position at every round.
Sporting extends Coach Bruzon’s contract
Panaji: Sporting Clube de Goa has extended the contract of its Spanish coach Oscar Bruzon for another three years, it was announced on Monday. Bruzon, who came in at a time when the club was fighting to avoid relegation in the ongoing I-league, transformed the side winning eight of the last eleven matches to take the team to sixth place.
Sindhu sets sight on top-10 bracket
Hyderabad: Indian shuttler P V Sindhu is aiming to break into top 10 by the end of this year. She is currently ranked world number 13. She hopes do well in the Sudirman Cup and other tournaments to be played in the near future. Sindhu dedicated her title victory to coach Gopichand, who she says is her role model. PNS/Agencies