Cross-country skier Jagdish Singh has qualified for the Winter Olympics, one of only two Indian athletes who will be seen in action at Pyeongchang, South Korea.
Singh and veteran luger Shiva Keshavan will comprise the Indian contingent for the Games starting February 9, Indian Olympic Association (IOA) secretary-general Rajeev Mehta told AFP on Saturday.
It will be a maiden Olympic appearance for 26-year-old Singh, who booked his place with just one point over the qualification mark.
He will be participating in the 15-km Nordic skiing freestyle event that is scheduled for February 16.
The Winter Games Federation of India (WGFI) is not recognised by the IOA, which has made it tough for Indian athletes to break through to the big stage.
Keshavan, 36, has been India's only regular face in the Winter Games since making his debut in 1998.
In the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics, India was represented by three athletes: Keshavan, Himanshu Thakur (alpine skiing) and Nadeem Iqbal (cross-country skiing).
Cricket-crazy India has never won a medal at the winter games and has only ever scooped one individual gold at an Olympics, with Abhinav Bindra taking the honours in a rifle shooting event at the 2008 Beijing summer games.
Ahmedabad recommended as host city for the 2030 Commonwealth Games.
The 2030 Games will mark 100 years since the first event in Hamilton, Canada.
India also bidding to host the 2036 Summer Olympics.
AHMEDABAD has been recommended to host the 2030 Commonwealth Games, the Executive Board of Commonwealth Sport announced on Wednesday.
The board said Ahmedabad, also known as Amdavad, will be proposed to the full Commonwealth Sport membership, with a final decision to be made at the Commonwealth Sport General Assembly in Glasgow on November 26.
"The Executive Board of Commonwealth Sport has today confirmed that it will recommend Amdavad, India, as the proposed host city for the 2030 Centenary Commonwealth Games," the Executive Board said in a statement.
Ahmedabad is the main city in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s home state of Gujarat and has a 130,000-capacity arena, the world’s largest cricket stadium, named after the prime minister.
India has also expressed interest in hosting the 2036 Summer Olympics, having submitted a formal letter of intent to the International Olympic Committee last year.
Ahmedabad was chosen over the Nigerian capital Abuja.
India’s Home Minister Amit Shah said the announcement was “a day of immense joy and pride for India.”
“Heartiest congratulations to every citizen of India on Commonwealth Association’s approval of India’s bid to host the Commonwealth Games 2030 in Ahmedabad,” Shah said.
The Commonwealth Games faced uncertainty last year after the Australian state of Victoria withdrew as host for the 2026 edition due to costs. The Scottish city of Glasgow later agreed to host a scaled-down version of the event, meaning Britain will stage two consecutive editions, following Birmingham in 2022.
The 2030 Games will mark 100 years since the first Commonwealth Games were held in Hamilton, Canada, in 1930.
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