HARIKRISHNA STARTS WEll
Gibraltar: Grandmaster P Harikrishna started his campaign by outclassing Eric De Haan of Holland in the first round of the Masters' section of Tradewise Gibraltar Chess festival at the Caleta here. On what turned out to be an easy first round, seventh seeded Harikrishna made most of his white pieces in a fluent win out of a Sicilian defense. De Haan was all at sea after the Indian traded the queens and the Dutchman lost a piece amidst mild tactical complexities. Harikrishna won in just 33 moves. All Indians in the fray got off a fantastic start in the Rs1.7 crore prize money event as all recorded victories in the first round.
MARY KOM MEETS PM MODI
New Delhi: Indian woman boxer M C Mary Kom on Thursday met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and invited him for the inauguration of her academy in Manipur in April. Mary Kom, the reigning Asian Games gold-medallist, called on Modi this morning and the Prime Minister later tweeted the pictures of the meeting. "I sought an appointment yesterday and he was ready to meet me today itself which was a very nice gesture on his part," Mary Kom said. "I wanted to invite him for the inauguration of my academy in Manipur. Its construction will be completed in April. I told him I would wait for him to find time for the inauguration and only then go ahead with the formal function," she said.
OlYMPIAN JAWANT PASSES
Kolkata: Two-time gold medal winning hockey Olympian Jaswant Singh Rajput passed away on Wednesday morning following a prolonged illness, according to the Bengal Hockey Association. He was 88. "He was suffering from age related illness for more than a month and was looked after by his niece at his Bradford lane residence near Park Street," a BHA official said. His last rites would be performed on Thursday. The former India centre-half was part of the gold medal winning teams in 1948 london and 1952 Helsinki Olympics.
BI PlANS SERIES OF BOXING
New Delhi: Keen to revolutionise the sport, Boxing India is planning to launch a professional-style Indian Series of Boxing, which would double up as a qualifying event for the World Series of Boxing. The BI, however, has not yet worked out the window for conducting the event. The top male boxers across all International Boxing Association (AIBA) approved weight categories will participate and have a chance to win prize money besides their regular salaries. The ISB would act as qualifier for the WSB, which will give the boxers an opportunity to directly qualify for the World Boxing Championships and the Olympics.
SUSPENSION FOR RONAlDO
Madrid: Real Madrid star Cristiano Ronaldo was handed a two-game suspension Wednesday following his red card in the 2-1 win over Cordoba CF at the la liga weekend. The prolific striker lost his temper in the closing stages of the game after failing to make an impact, kicking out and raising a hand to strike Cordoba defender Edimar in the face, leaving referee Alejandro Hernandez no other choice but to dismiss him. Ronaldo was quick to apologise after the incident, while Edimar called for la liga's disciplinary committee to show leniency, and the Portugal captain has escaped a lengthy ban. The 29-year-old will miss the la liga games against Real Sociedad and Sevilla as a result of his suspension. However, he would be available for the local Madrid derby with Atletico Madrid at Vicente Calderon.
ENTRIES FOR JNR C’SHIP
New Delhi: PNB Metlife is inviting entries for the PNB Metlife Junior Badminton Championship organised in association with the Badminton World Federation (BWF) and Badminton Association of India (BAI). The PNB Metlife Junior Open Badminton Championship will be held at Tyagraj Stadium from February 2-6. The tournament is open to players under the age group 9, 11, 13 and 15 years. Players are eligible to play in two age-categories (Boys and Girls). The championship will be held in all four zones (East, West, North and South). The Quarter finalist from zones will qualify for the Grand Final in New Delhi. Total prize money of Rs2,00, 000 is on offer and eight children across different age-groups will win part scholarships for top badminton academies. Agencies