Star paddler <keyword id="297208" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="manika-batra" source="Orion">Manika Batra</keyword> on Friday became the first Indian woman to reach the semifinals of the Asian Cup Table Tennis tournament with a 4-3 win over higher-ranked <keyword id="296675" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="chen" source="Orion">Chen</keyword> Szu-Yu of Chinese Taipei here. World number 44 <keyword id="1203505" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="manika" source="Orion">Manika</keyword> beat Chen, ranked 23rd in the ITTF chart, 6-11 11-6 11-5 11-7 8-11 9-11 11-9 in a hard-fought women's singles quarterfinals. The Indian ace had earlier shocked world No. 7 Chen Xingtong of China in a round of 16 matches on Thursday. In the semifinals, Manika will meet the winner of the match between <keyword id="15554336" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="jeon-jihee" source="Orion">Jeon Jihee</keyword> of Korea and <keyword id="15554335" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="mima-ito-of" source="Orion">Mima Ito of</keyword> Japan. SEE ALSO: <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/sports/news/fifa-world-cup-qatar-2022-top-young-players-to-watch-out/slidelist/95596704.cms">Top young players to watch for at the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022</a> <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/sports/news/ind-vs-nz-first-t20i-called-off-due-to-rain/articleshow/95599969.cms">Ind vs NZ: First T20I called off due to rain</a>

Manika becomes first Indian woman to reach Asian Cup TT semifinals

<ul><li>With one Gold, two silver and four bronze, India recorded its best-ever medal haul at the Tokyo Olympics this year, which ended on Sunday.</li><li>As the Tokyo Olympics came to an end, we talk to experts to find out who will land the most <keyword id="6359405" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="brand">brand</keyword> endorsement deals, and whether the new players will become as attractive to brands as someone like <keyword id="501707" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="PV-Sindhu">PV Sindhu</keyword>.</li></ul>This year at the Tokyo Olympics, Mirabai Chanu, Neeraj Chopra, Ravi Kumar Dahiya, PV Sindhu, Lovlina Borgohain, Bajrang Punia brought joy to a billion hearts by bringing home one gold, two silver and three bronze medals. India’s hockey team also clinched a bronze after 41 years. This was the first time that India has managed to secure seven medals across varied sporting events. India also had the largest contingent ever of 127 athletes travelling to Tokyo who participated in 69 cumulative events across, the highest ever for the country. With this historic win, underrepresented athletes and sports are back in the limelight in the endorsement world. Indian brands also made sure that they leave no stone unturned in celebrating our athletes and their glorious win. The first athlete to bring back a medal for India this year was 26-year-old weightlifter, Mirabai Chanu. Shortly after her win, she was also offered free pizza for life by <a href="https://twitter.com/dominos_india/status/1418934590950027269">Domino's </a>and the brand garnered a lot of attention from the press and the internet for this gesture. Hospitality brand <a href="https://twitter.com/rohitisb/status/1424620158929162243">OYO </a>also offered women’s hockey team a chance to stay at any of their hotels in India. Apart from that, small start-ups to masters like Amul, brands made the most of our gold-winning moment at the global stage to congratulate Neeraj Chopra, who became independent India’s first Olympian to win a medal in athletics/track and field. According to Facebook, Neeraj Chopra was the second most mentioned athlete on its platform across the globe, whereas on Instagram, he was the most mentioned athlete globally. Over the years, we have seen brands spend the most on players from popular sports like cricket. While athletes get some screentime in ads closer to tournaments like Olympics, very few brands have long-term deals with most of these athletes, unless it is someone like a PV Sindhu, who has been around for a while now and has won many accolades and tournaments for the country. So with the curtains falling on Tokyo Olympics and the next Olympics games still being three years away, will brands bring the newer winners or even players who came really close to bringing medals home? This year, however, many of the athletes have received a lot of attention from brands. It was not just Sindhu or Neeraj Chopra, who aren’t new to the endorsement world; other new medalists Mirabai Chanu, Ravi Kumar Dahiya, Lovlina Borgohain and Bajrang Punia have also received an overwhelming response. Slowly and steadily, brands in India are branching out from cricket and looking to associate with budding sports stars to connect with the youth. We spoke to experts to find out who will land the most brand endorsement deals among the six medalists and hockey team. Aviral Jain- Managing Director, Duff &amp; Phelps - A Kroll Business said, “We think it will be a combination of both, though PV Sindhu now carries the tag of “She did it again,” which is unique and privileged. Other non-cricketing sports celebrities such as Hima Das, T. Gopi, Manika Batra, and Deepika Kumari have recently done well in terms of brand endorsements, driven by their splendid individual achievements on the field. Major brands like PepsiCo (PV Sindhu, Neeraj Chopra and Hima Das), Tanishq (Manika Batra and Deepika Kumari), and ASICS (Bajrang Punia, Sakshi Malik, etc.) have successfully associated with various non-cricketing celebrities, and with these non-cricketing wins at the Tokyo Olympics, we can surely expect a greater share of athletes in the advertisement campaigns going ahead.” Anjan Ghosh - Executive Vice President- Hansa Research also echoes these views. He said, “In all probability, more brands will sign up PV Sindhu; her brand standing has gone up substantially, having won medals in multiple Olympics. Brands that want to stand for consistency, fidelity, and grit will find Sindhu a compelling endorser. Also, those who wish to appeal to the young, aspiring women eager to achieve will try to harness Sindhu’s determination and intent and infuse these into their brand personality. The best part is that her success is not a flash in the pan; longevity is something that many brands aspire.” Sahil Chopra, Founder &amp; CEO- iCubesWire said that apart from Sindhu, India’s national sport might also gain more attention this year. “I guess it will be a mix of both known faces and new faces, but yes, the likes of PV Sindhu who have refreshed the memories, will have an edge over the new ones. Only exception to this could be hockey, being the national sport and the way it has captured people’s hearts in the past.” According to media reports, Sindhu currently has 10 deals with Bank of Baroda, Bridgestone Tyres, Visa India, Google, real estate firm Pooja Developers, Chinese sports brand Li Ning, Stayfree, PNB Metlife, Sharechat and Vizag Steel. Experts said that her brand value is likely to double after her incredible performance. But Sindhu is just getting started. The 26-year-old shuttler still has a long career ahead of her, and we expect to witness more iconic wins from her. TRA Research’s CEO, N. Chandramouli said, “PV Sindhu’s winning medals twice in succession is a phenomenal performance at the Olympics. Her value seems to have gone along with her second-time win, and would nearly double. She is young yet, and still has at least one more Olympic Games to look forward to, and so more years of sporting success ahead of her.” On whether Sindhu and Chopra will attract the most brand roles or will newer medalists also get a chance, he added, “All Olympic medal winners from India will gain, some a little more than others. The newer medalists are just starting off, so it's only natural that they will have to prove themselves consistently to see their brand value increase.” Jain also said that Sindhu’s fees and her popularity is likely to double. “Today, she is the undisputed queen of the Indian brand endorsement market (women sportspersons) with more than 10 endorsements and more than 7 million followers on social media. And we expect both the number of brand endorsements and the endorsement fee to increase significantly post her phenomenal success at the Tokyo Olympics, resulting in a significant increase in her brand value.” New-age brands are more likely to onboard the new medalists as their fees is substantially lesser than a seasoned athlete. Mirabai Chanu and Lovlina Borgohain, who recently won Silver and Bronze medals, respectively, in the Tokyo Olympics seem to have caught the attention of many brands. While Mirabai Chanu is currently associated with brands like Adidas and Mobil, her endorsement portfolio is expected to rise post her success at the Olympics. “Not all brands will look for Lovlina and Mirabai given the lesser fan-following for these sports (as compared to say badminton or hockey) – however, those brands that want to epitomize empowerment for women, a burning desire to break into the mainstream from the fringes, or stand up against many adversities may try to build a narrative around personalities like Lovelina / Mirabai. Categories that are looking for evolution through innovation / competing against the conventional might want to weave a story around such personalities – say, solar panels, unconventional energy, electric bikes etc,” said Ghosh. Is the sports ecosystem really changing? With cricket matches being limited this year, brands are banking on Olympic stars to gain consumer attention and stay relevant. However, cricket still gets the bigger piece of the pie. Sahil Chopra is eager to see a sporting ecosystem where all sports get their due, equal recognition. He said, “I would personally love to see the change and this will be good for the ecosystem as well as the audience. The current ecosystem is so cricket-centric at times it isn’t good for the brand recall when you end up seeing the same faces all the time.” Ghosh said that while there is certainly going to be a change in the fortunes of other Indian athletes/sports stars, especially with the surge in enthusiasm over sports other than cricket, and many will see better brand endorsement contracts coming their way – however, a significant difference might take more time. He said, “Not sure whether the sports marketing ecosystem has changed in a radical way – the support / patronage is still lukewarm; the efforts are still guarded. Other sports stars are enjoying higher popularity and getting better visibility but the gap with cricket is still painfully wide.” Jain told us how a marketer evaluates new endorsement opportunities looking at the extent of media coverage given to the sport, the tournament’s share in the national media broadcast, and finally, the degree of relevance a player has for the audience. So, it is important for new medalists to stay in the news. He said, “While the Indian arena has a wide range of sports being followed by the masses, cricket continues to dominate and maintain a strong hold on the endorsement front. Lately, with the advent of professional leagues (on the lines of the IPL) for other sports like kabaddi, football, badminton, etc., brands and advertisers are favorably looking at these non-cricketing opportunities. However, brand endorsements by non-cricketing sporting stars in India are largely driven by individual visibility; this is in comparison to endorsements for cricketing stars that could be “across the board.” Brands typically feature athletes for their grit, patience and determination, and this helps in targeting millennials and Gen Z who are seeking new aspirational figures. With multiple Olympic achievements this year across non-cricketing sports (badminton, hockey, boxing, wrestling and weightlifting), these sports stars will definitely get more attention going ahead.” After a historic performance at the Olympics this year, experts are hopeful that non-cricketing sports stars will also bag more brand deals. <div type="Article" hostid="261" msid="85102342" title="As PV Sindhu takes 20 brands to court for using her name and image without permission, here's how agencies and brands can be careful with moment-marketing in the future" mstype="2" mssubtype="0"></div>

Will the brandverse give equal attention to all medalists of Tokyo Olympics or will PV Sindhu be the biggest gainer?

<ul><li> Star cricketer <keyword id="13937" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Rohit-Sharma">Rohit Sharma</keyword> and decorated woman wrestler <keyword id="2449644" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Vinesh-Phogat">Vinesh Phogat</keyword> were among the four athletes recommended on Tuesday for this year's <keyword id="28214" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Rajiv-Gandhi-Khel-Ratna">Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna</keyword> award -- the country's highest sporting honour. </li><li>This is only the second time that four athletes have been recommended for the top sporting accolade.</li><li>In 2016, star shuttler P V Sindhu, gymnast Dipa Karmakar, shooter Jitu Rai, and wrestler Sakshi Malik were collectively given this award. </li></ul>Star cricketer Rohit Sharma and decorated woman wrestler Vinesh Phogat were among the four athletes recommended on Tuesday for this year's Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna award -- the country's highest sporting honour. Woman paddler Manika Batra and Rio Paralympic gold-winning high jumper Mariappan Thangavelu were the other two sportspersons recommended for the prestigious award by a 12-member selection committee of the Sports Ministry. This is only the second time that four athletes have been recommended for the top sporting accolade. In 2016, star shuttler P V Sindhu, gymnast Dipa Karmakar, shooter Jitu Rai, and wrestler Sakshi Malik were collectively given this award. The 33-year-old Rohit will only be the fourth cricketer after Sachin Tendulkar, just-retired <keyword id="10138" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Mahendra-Singh-Dhoni">Mahendra Singh Dhoni</keyword> and current skipper Virat Kohli to be conferred with the Khel Ratna. Tendulkar was the first Indian cricketer to get the Khel Ratna in 1998, followed by Dhoni in 2007 and Kohli in 2018, who won it jointly with weightlifter <keyword id="1512866" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Mirabai-Chanu">Mirabai Chanu</keyword>. The committee, comprising the likes of Virender Sehwag and former hockey captain Sardar Singh, met at the Sports Authority of India (SAI) headquarters here. While Rohit has been recognised for his ever-rising accomplishments with the bat, Vinesh has been rewarded for her gold medals in the 2018 Commonwealth and Asian Games besides a bronze in the 2019 Asian Wrestling Championships. Thangavelu got the recognition for his gold medal in the 2016 Rio Paralympics in the T42 high jump category. T42 applies to athletes with single above the knee amputations or a disability that is comparable. Star paddler Manika was recommended for her remarkable performance in 2018, a year during which she won the Commonwealth Games gold medal and Asian Games bronze in women's singles. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/careers/latest-job-openings-at-google-microsoft-jp-morgan-goldman-sachs-ericsson-amazon-adobe-zomato-for-software-engineers/slidelist/77585263.cms">Google, Microsoft, JP Morgan, Goldman Sachs, Ericsson and other companies hiring software engineers in India right now</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/politics/world/news/barack-obama-has-privately-voiced-concerns-that-joe-biden-could-f-things-up-according-to-a-report/articleshow/77574349.cms">Barack Obama has privately voiced concerns that Joe Biden could 'f--- things up,' according to a report</a>

Rohit Sharma, Vinesh Phogat among four recommended for Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award

Table tennis star Manika Batra and cricketer Deepti Sharma were among those who were presented the <keyword id="127507" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="National-Sports-Awards">National Sports Awards</keyword> by President <keyword id="6354561" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="ram-nath-kovind">Ram Nath Kovind</keyword> on Saturday. Commonwealth Games gold medallist Batra, alongwith Indian women's hockey captain Rani Rampal and 2016 Rio Paralympics gold medallist Mariyappan Thangavelu were presented the <keyword id="9847721" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Rajiv-Gandhi-Khel-Ratna-Award-">Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award.</keyword> Deepti meanwhile was conferred the Arjuna, as were Atanu Das (archery), Chirag Shetty (badminton), Vishesh Bhriguvanshi (basketball), Manish Kaushik and Lovlina Bograhain (boxing), Sawant Ajay Anant (Equestrian), Sandesh Jhingan (football), Akashdeep Singh(hockey), Deepak (kabaddi), Kale Sarika Sudhakar (kho kho), Dattu Baban Bhokanal (rowing), Saurabh Chaudhary and Manu Bhaker (Shooting), Madhurika Suhas Patkar (table tennis), Divya Kakran and Rahul Aware (wrestling), Shiva Keshavan (luge), Suyash Narayan Jadhav (para swimming), Sandeep (para athletics) and Manish Narwal (para shooting). Shooting coach Jaspal Rana, who is credited with overseeing the careers of the likes of Saurabh and Manu and thus playing a major role in India's recent dominance in the sport, is among nine coaches who have been conferred the Dronacharya Award in the regular category. Yogesh Malviya (Mallakhamb), Jude Felix Sebastian (Hockey), Kuldeep Kumar Handoo (Wushu), and Gaurav Khanna (Para Badminton) were also conferred the Dronacharya. Meanwhile Dharmendra Tiwary (archery), Purushotham Rai (athletics), Shiv Singh (boxing), Romesh Pathania (hockey), Krishan Kumar Hooda (kabaddi) and Vijay Bhalchandra Munishwar (para powerlifting) received the Dronacharya Lifetime award. Kuldip Singh Bhullar (athletics), Jincy Philips (athletics), Pradeep Shrikrishna Gandhe (badminton), Trupti Murgunde (badminton), N Usha (boxing), Ajit Singh (hockey), Manpreet Singh (kabaddi), J Ranjith Kumar (para athletics), Satyaprakash Tiwari (para badminton), Manjeet Singh (rowing), Late Sachin Nag (swimming), Nandan P Bal (tennis) and Netarpal Hooda (wrestling) were conferred the Dhyan Chand Award. The Tenzing Norgay National Adventure Awards were conferred to Anita Devi (Land Adventure), Col Sarfraz Singh (Land Adventure), Taka Tamut (Land Adventure), Keval Hiren Kakka (Land Adventure), Satendra Singh (Water Adventure) and Late Magan Bissa (Life Time Achievement). Panjab University won the Maulana Abul Kalam Azad (MAKA) Trophy. Pune's Army Sport Institute, Lakshya Institute, Delhi's ONGC, Air Force Sports Control Board, and International Institute of Sports Management (IISM) in Mumbai were conferred the Rahstriya Khel Protsahan Puraskar.

National Sports Awards presented by President Ram Nath Kovind to India’s top sportspersons

<ul><li>All the nine athletes recommended for <keyword id="15575" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Padma-Vibhushan">Padma Vibhushan</keyword>, <keyword id="100507" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Padma-Bhushan">Padma Bhushan</keyword> and <keyword id="25105" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Padma-Shri">Padma Shri</keyword> are women, reported the Times of India. </li><li>Boxing champion, <keyword id="56244" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="MC-Mary-Kom">MC Mary Kom</keyword> is nominated for Padma Vibhushan. </li><li>P V Sindhu, the first Indian to win gold at BWF World Championships is nominated for Padma Bhushan. </li></ul>The sports ministry has recommended nine people for Padma awards--India’s highest civilian honour — and all of them are women,<a href="https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/more-sports/others/sports-ministry-sends-9-names-for-padmas-all-women/articleshow/71088910.cms"> reported the Times of India.</a> Boxing champion, MC Mary Kom is nominated for Padma Vibhushan. The government had earlier awarded her with Padma Shri 2006 and Padma Bhushan in 2013. Further, P V Sindhu, the first Indian to win gold at BWF World Championships is nominated for Padma Bhushan. She earlier got a Padma Shri in 2015. The other seven athletes in the list are: Wrestler Vinesh Phogat, table tennis star Manika Batra, T20I skipper Harmanpreet Kaur, hockey captain Rani Rampal, former shooter Suma Shirur and mountaineer twin sisters, Tashi and Nungshi Malik, <a href="https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/more-sports/others/sports-ministry-sends-9-names-for-padmas-all-women/articleshow/71088910.cms">said the report.</a> The Indian government awarded three sportspeople with Padma Vibhushan -- Chess champion Viswanathan Anand in 2007, Sachin Tendulkar in 2008 and Sir Edmund Hillary in 2008. Sports Ministry has sent the list to Home Ministry. The government will announce the award on the upcoming Republic Day. See also: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/a-look-back-at-pv-sindhu-journey-to-be-indias-first-badminton-world-champion/articleshow/70841055.cms">A look back at PV Sindhu journey to be India's first badminton world champion</a>

An all-women list for the highest civilian honours from India's Sports Ministry

By Bharat Sharma New Delhi, May 18 () The Table Tennis Federation of India on Monday sought written consent from its top 16 players to join a training camp after the government allowed sports complexes to open but wary paddlers said they would prefer to wait a while. Most players, including India's leading players Sharath Kamal and G Sathiyan, said they were not comfortable travelling anytime soon amid the COVID-19 pandemic. TT camps are held at NIS Patiala, Sonepat and Kolkata. "We were asked to join camp at the end of the month but I feel it is too early for that. Cases continue to rise and travel restrictions are in place. Training can wait until situation improves significantly," world number 31 Sharath, who is based in Chennai, told . "Anyway, all ITTF (international body) activities are suspended till end of June. There is no event planned in the near future. It would be nice for the whole team to be together again but not anytime soon." The players have been confined to their homes ever since the lockdown was enforced almost two months ago. The government on Sunday extended the lockdown till May 31 with more relaxations. Like Sharath, world number 32 Sathiyan is based in Chennai and said he would rather train in his hometown given the current situation. "It is not safe to travel in the given situation. I would prefer to train in Chennai at Raman TTHPC along with my coach (S Raman) and a few sparring partners post the lockdown. "Also, I have a great setup here with the necessary fitness training regime under Ramji Srinivasan (former Indian cricket team trainer). Hope I will get the necessary permission from the authorities," said Sathiyan. TTFI secretary general M P Singh wrote to the players on Monday morning, seeking their availability for the training camp following government's announcement. "We have written to the players (8 men and 8 women) to check their availability for the training camp as early as next week. If they are ready to resume training, we can organise something by next week or end of the month," Singh told . However, with travel restrictions in place, it remains to be seen how willing players assemble at one place. While Sharath and Sathiyan are in Chennai, star women paddler Manika Batra is in Pune. "Since, the government announced the opening of stadiums and complexes, it must have thought about how it would reopen sporting activity in the country. It can only answer on how it plans to assemble the players at one place. Either of the three centres -- NIS Patiala, Sonepat and Kolkata -- will be fine with us," said Singh. The federation has also written to coaches Soumyadeep Roy and Arup Basak on their availability for the camp. **Arjuna Award nomination** Singh also informed that TTFI will be nominating Sanil Shetty, Madhurika Patkar and Sutirtha Mukherjee for the Arjuna Award. "They are our best bets for the award this year. They will soon be sending their application. Since there is still time for application deadline (June 3), more players can also send their applications," Singh added. BS PMPM

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Manika becomes first Indian woman to reach Asian Cup TT semifinals

PTI

Will the brandverse give equal attention to all medalists of Tokyo Olympics or will PV Sindhu be the biggest gainer?

Karuna Sharma

Rohit Sharma, Vinesh Phogat among four recommended for Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award

PTI

National Sports Awards presented by President Ram Nath Kovind to India’s top sportspersons

IANS

An all-women list for the highest civilian honours from India's Sports Ministry

Preeti Soni

TTFI asks players to join training camp following lockdown relaxation, they say it is "too early"

PTI