Decision to axe hockey from CWG is sad news, says India forward Mandeep Singh
The Indian men's hockey team forward Mandeep Singh called the decision to exclude hockey from the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow ‘sad news’ for Indian hockey.
Former World number 1, Saina Nehwal is back in business after injuries and she found the perfect way to make her comeback by winning her second consecutive gold medal in the Commonwealth Games.
However, Saina’s CWG tryst at Gold Coast, Australia, was bittersweet. First, her father Harvir Singh Nehwal’s accommodation in the Games Village became an issue and then Nehwal was criticised by people for her ‘pullout’ threat.
Talking to NDTV, Nehwal said she cried the night she landed in the CWG village.
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“I cried that night after long journey when they said father does not have accreditation,” Saina told NDTV.
“I will fight for my parents or people who are close to me, the respect should be there, it is not about the money, I will pay whatever is there, it is not right to insult someone after reaching there,” Saina added.
“I have to focus, I had to play the team championship in two days. Thankfully Gopi sir (coach P Gopichand) was not there, first day I did not even go for practise because I was upset,” Saina further said.
Earlier in the week, after winning her second individual gold in CWG, Saina had defended her compatriot PV Sindhu on her being termed as a ‘choker’. “It happens in tough situations, it has happened with me as well. You can’t write like that about any player. Today, I fought well. I didn’t attack much because my stamina was finishing. I just wanted to finish off rallies. She was doing very well in rallies too,” she said.
Talking about her achievements, Saina said, “I really term it as next to my Olympic medal and my World No. 1 ranking. So, I would keep it somewhere there. It’s a gift to my father and my mother, my country. It’s a very emotional moment for me after the disappointing loss in Rio due to injury.”
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