Indian sports wrap, March 3: Iniyan wins Cannes Open; Khelo India Winter Games to be held from March 9 to 12

CHESS

India’s Iniyan wins Cannes Open chess

Indian Grandmaster Pa Iniyan won the Cannes International Open, defeating compatriot V Pranesh in the ninth and final round in Cannes, France.

Iniyan ended the tournament on 7.5 points, a half point more than Delhi-based International Master Aradhya Garg, who finished second.

Matching Garg on seven points was reigning World junior champion Kazybek Noderbek of Kazakhstan, who had to be content with the third place following a tiebreak.

Iniyan remained undefeated through the course of the tournament scoring six wins and three draws.

The Indian picked up the necessary steam in the last three rounds winning one game after another and his most crucial victory was over Garg in the penultimate round.

The result helped Iniyan gain 12 rating points and is now closing in on the 2600 Elo barrier, taking his rating to 2579.

The 38th edition of the open tournament ended on Sunday and witnessed a participation of 147 players from 25 countries. A total of six Grandmasters and 21 International Masters took part in the event.

-PTI

HOCKEY

Hockey Women’s Senior Nationals: Assam Hockey defeated Hockey Association of Bihar in Division B on Day 3

Assam Hockey players in action against Hockey Association of Bihar.
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement

Assam Hockey edged out a 2-1 win over Hockey Association of Bihar on the third day of Division B during the 15th Hockey India Senior Women National Championship, at the Tau Devi Lal Hockey Stadium, Panchkula.

After a tightly contested first quarter, Assam Hockey broke the deadlock right before half-time as Captain Munmuni Das (29’) successfully converted a penalty corner to take the lead. The winning side was tight with its defence and ensured it held its slim lead through the third quarter. The game opened up again moments before the final whistle as Khushboo Prajapati (59’) converted another penalty corner for Assam Hockey. The very next minute, Hockey Association of Bihar registered a consolation goal coming from Nusrat Khatoon. With this win Assam Hockey have opened their account while Hockey Association of Bihar continue to struggle.

In a Division C match from yesterday (Sunday), Hockey Andhra Pradesh recorded a 4-2 win against Hockey Jammu and Kashmir in their Pool B game. Revathi Thalari (3’, 17’) scored a crucial brace for her side while Harathi Lomada (36’) and Madugula Bhavani (45’) also contributed with the goals for Hockey Andhra Pradesh. Rajni (10’) and Anju Kumari (57’) were the goalscorers for Hockey Jammu and Kashmir.

In the last Division C match from yesterday, Le Puducherry Hockey enjoyed a dominant 6-1 win over Hockey Arunachal in Pool B. Jayaprtha S (13’, 39’, 41’) scored an impressive hattrick with the other three goals came from B Deepika (4,’ 22’) and S Subasri (40’). Hema Navait (5’) was the lone goalscorer for Hockey Arunachal.

– Team Sportstar

WINTER SPORTS

Khelo India Winter Games to be held in Gulmarg from March 9 to 12

The Khelo India Winter Games (KIWG) 2025 will be held at Gulmarg from March 9 to 12 following heavy snowfall over the past few days in the higher reaches of the valley.

The Winter Games, which were earlier scheduled to be held from February 22 to 25, had to be postponed due to lack of snow at Gulmarg with Kashmir witnessing one of its driest winters in recent history.

“We are all set to host the Khelo India Winter Games 2025 from March 9 to 12. Top winter sports athletes from across the country are expected to participate in the event,” Jammu and Kashmir Sports Council secretary Nuzhat Gul told PTI.

This is the second leg of the Winter games where competitions will be held in skiing and snowboarding.

The first leg of the games were held in Leh district of Ladakh in January this year where athletes competed in ice-skating and ice-hockey events.

-PTI

PARA ATHLETICS

World Para Athletics Grand Prix to be held in New Delhi from March 11-13

Para athletes from more than 20 countries will participate in 90 events across three days as India hosts its first-ever World Para Athletics Grand Prix in Delhi from March 11-13.

The athletes participating in the Grand Prix to be held at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium are from countries such as Germany, Japan, Australia, Saudi Arabia, Brazil, Russia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, among others.

The event will be attended by Majid Rashed, the Asian Paralympic Committee (APC) president, and Tarek Souei, CEO of the Asian Paralympic Committee.

“Hosting the Grand Prix in India is a testament to our nation’s dedication to para-sports. This event is not just about competition; it’s about setting a precedent for future international tournaments in the country,” Paralympic Committee of India President Devendra Jhajharia said.

– PTI

MORE SPORTS

Australia-India sports excellence forum to be held in Gujarat on March 5 and 6

The Gujarat International Finance Tec (GIFT) City, the first operational smart city in the country, located on the banks of the Sabarmati river, will host the Australia-India Sports Excellence Forum, a joint initiative by the Australian and Gujarat government, on March 5 and 6.

The forum will have Australian and Indian decision makers from across the sports ecosystem to further the Australia-India sports cooperation.

The agenda will feature discussions on the key to successful Olympics and Paralympics bids, fostering elite sports talent, paralympic sports development, sports science and technology, apart from the key aspect of hosting major events.

With Brisbane set to host the Olympics and Paralympics in 2032, and India having expressed interest to host the 2036 Games, the forum will present an opportunity to discuss the synergies in the Australia-India sports collaboration.

“Australia and India have always shared a passion for sport. It is only natural that we partner with the Government of Gujarat for the Australia-India Sports Excellence Forum. Both countries will share their experiences and expertise to further develop our sporting cooperation and capabilities. Australia is committed to supporting India’s sports ecosystem, which is reflected by the calibre of the Australian delegation at the forum, led by Olympian and CEO of the Australian Sports Commission, Kieren Perkins,” said the Australian High Commissioner, Philip Green.

“India and Australia share a rich history of sporting excellence. This forum marks an exciting new chapter in our shared commitment to elevating sports, empowering youth and promoting healthy competition on the global stage,” said the Gujarat Minister of Sports, Harsh Sanghavi.

-Kamesh Srinivasan

TENNIS

ITF women’s tennis: Sahaja to face top seed Carlota Cirez of Spain

Sahaja Yamalapalli will open against top seed Carlota Cirez of Spain in the $30,000 ITF women’s tennis tournament to be played at the Tennis Project, Baliyawas from Tuesday.

It will be another good opportunity for Sahaja and the rest of the Indian players to capitalise on the home advantage and improve their status on the WTA ranking list.

It will be a challenging week in the presence of high-quality players from around the world, especially the Russians and the Japanese, but that would only improve the quality of the Indian players.

The top quarter has Vaidehi Chaudhari and Shrivalli Bhamidipaty also, apart from Sahaja. It will be interesting to see how the Indian players cope with the newly resurfaced courts that play true, slow and high.

The country’s No.1 Ankita Raina is the only Indian player to be seeded, at No.7 and will play compatriot Riya Bhatia in the first round. Zeel Desai, Smriti Bhasin and Aditi Rawat are the other wild card entrants apart from Riya.

Only Aditi has her first-round main draw match against fourth seed Haruka Kaji of Japan on Tuesday. Thus, the rest of the players will have one more day to sharpen their form and fitness.

Humera Bharmus, Yashaswini Panwar, Shruti Ahlawat, Pooja Ingale, Akanksha Nitture and Prathyusha Rachapudi have reached the third and final qualifying round. That would mean at least one more Indian in the main draw, as Pooja and Akanksha meet each other in the final round. The other five have also been playing very good quality and thus it should not be a surprise if more Indian players make the cut.

It will be a great chance for the captain of the Indian team for the Billie Jean King Cup, Vishal Uppal, who is also the Tournament Director, to observe the players and gauge the quality of their game and fitness, before the Asia-Oceania event scheduled in Pune in April.

-Kamesh Srinivasan