Commonwealth Games 2022 Live: Indian Flag HOISTED at CWG village at Birmingham; event to kick-off today - Opening Ceremony at this time

Birmingham Buzz: Of 'Gay Village', bhindi masala and much more... 

Be happy and gay is the mantra of Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) which is trying to walk an extra mile in its bid to become more inclusive and empathetic towards the LGBTQ+ community.

British diving star Tom Daley, who has publicly spoken about his relationship with another man, is one off the torch bearers and many see that as the first step towards embracing inclusiveness.

Daley, who had announced of being in a relationship with a man in a video on his YouTube nine years ago, will make a very public stand in support of LGBTQ+ rights at Thursday night's opening ceremony in his role as a baton-bearer.

"We have been working with Tom and we have been working with a wider group," CGF chief executive Katie Sadleir said.

"We set up a Commonwealth Pride network where we brought together athletes and Commonwealth Games Associations from around the world to talk about what it is that we can do to create a safe environment for people to discuss and learn and respect each other."

"You will see Pride flags, this is a city that absolutely embraces Pride and Pride messaging and it's definitely something that we're working in close co-operation with Tom Daley on," Katie added.
"Pride" of place

The CWG has thrown open a 'Pride House' for the duration of the Games in the city's official Gay Village.

Katie said 'Pride House' pop-ups would also appear in each of the athletes' villages.

"We do pride ourselves as being what we think is probably the most inclusive games," she added.

Almost half of Commonwealth member states still have laws against same-sex relationships but Daley said: "We can't go into changing the rules in respective countries, but what we can do is create opportunities for people to discuss issues in a safe environment.

"Whenever we're given the opportunity to talk about our values, we do that," she said, CGF president Dame Louise Martin summed it up: "We see everybody as equal, we don't see gender, we don't see race, colour. We are one of the most inclusive Games."

Bhindi Masala, quintessential 'Ghar Ka Khaana'

Athletes and team officials may have stayed put in three different Villages across Birmingham but there is a "homely feeling", said gymnastics coach Ashok Mishra.

"It very much feels like being in India. There are so many people from the Indian diaspora working as security officials, volunteers and even cooks," Mishra told PTI.

"The other day the cook surprised us with Bhindi Masala and our athletes had a great time. We feel ourselves being at home," he said.

The athletes are currently housed in three 'campus' villages close to competition venues at The University of Birmingham, The University of Warwick, and The NEC Hotel Campus.

"May be, that's the way forward in times of pandemic," said one of the top officials at the pre-Games media conference on Thursday.

Trinidad and Tobago to host CYWG

The Trinidad and Tobago will be hosting next year's rescheduled Commonwealth Youth Games.

This was postponed in 2021 for the outbreak of COVID-19 and Katie said that they are now gearing up for next year's YCWG. The Caribbean island was first awarded the hosting rights in June 2019, after Belfast was stripped of the event due to political reasons.

Birmingham: An Indian supporter adjusts the tricolor near Birmingham library, ahead of opening ceremony of Commonwealth Games 2022 (CWG), in Birmingham, UK, Thursday, July 28, 2022. Source: PTI

 Source: IANS

India's Medal Tally hopes:

Will Indis's overall medals tally take a hit because of the non-inclusion of shooting and archery? India had bagged 66 medals in the previous edition of the Commonwealth Games held at Gold Coast in Australia and shooting contributed 16 of them including seven of the 26 gold medals that India won. The Indians will be participating in 15 sports disciplines in Birmingham.

Though the Indians are expecting to bag a few medals in para-sports and athletics to make up for the shortfall, it may still not be enough. However, if they manage to equal their Gold Coast haul of 66 medals, it would mark a huge uptick for the contingent that has already lost a sure-shot medal winner in javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra, who will not be defending the gold medal he won in Gold Coast.

Chopra had to pull out of the Commonwealth Games due to an injury that he suffered during the Athletics World Championships in Oregon, the USA where he won India`s maiden silver medal in World Championships despite a below-par overall performance. IANS

CWG 2022 India: Indian flag hoisted at CWG village in Birmingham

Several athletes, including the hockey men`s and women`s teams of India, took part in the flag-hoisting ceremony at the Commonwealth Games Village, Birmingham, on the eve of the Opening Ceremony of the Games.

In the presence of Indian Olympic Association (IOA) Acting President Anil Khanna, IOA Treasurer Anandeshwar Panday, Anil Dhupar, the Deputy Chef de Mission for the Games, and other IOA officials, Team India`s Chef de Mission, Rajesh Bhandari, hoisted the flag in a ceremony filled with music and dance. IANS

CWG 2022 schedule 28 July: The stage is set for the Commonwealth Games 2022 in Birmingham, England. The opening ceremony at Edgbaston Stadium in Birmingham on June 28 will kick off the games.

The full-fledged action will start on June 29. The games will conclude on August 8 and the closing ceremony is also scheduled on the same day.

All the Commonwealth countries including India will take part in the games. 

On the eve of the Opening Ceremony of the Games, athletes, including the hockey men's and women's teams of India, took part in the flag-hoisting ceremony at the Commonwealth Games Village, Birmingham.

CWG 2022 schedule 29-30 July (IST): 

5:30pm - 11:15pm-Lawn Bowls and Para Lawn Bowls

6:00pm- 9:30pm -Badminton

6:00pm- 12:00am-Gymnastics - Artistic

6:00pm- 9:30pm-Hockey

6:00pm- 10:30pm-Rugby Sevens

6:30pm- 11:30pm-Table Tennis and Para Table Tennis

7:00pm- 10:00pm -Cycling - Track and Para Track

7:30pm- 10:15pm-Aquatics - Swimming and Para Swimming

8:00pm- 11:30pm-Cricket T20

8:00pm- 1:00am-Triathlon and Para Triathlon

9:00pm- 11:45pm-Boxing

9:00pm- 2:30 am-Netball

9:00pm- 0:15am-Squash

11:00pm-2:30am-Badminton

11:00pm- 2:30am-Hockey

12:00am- 5:15am-Lawn Bowls and Para Lawn Bowls

12:30am-3:00 am-Basketball 3x3 and Wheelchair Basketball 3x3

1:00am- 3:30am-Cycling - Track and Para Track

1:00am- 6:00am-Table Tennis and Para Table Tennis

3:00am - 6:15am-Gymnastics - Artistic

2:30am - 7:00am-Rugby Sevens

3:00am - 6:30am-Cricket T20

3:00am - 6:30am-Netball

3:00am - 5:30am-Squash

3:30am - 6:00am-Boxing

4:00am- 7:30am-Badminton

4:00am- 7:30am-Hockey

4:00am- 11:15am-Aquatics - Swimming and Para Swimming

4:30am- 7:00am -Basketball 3x3 and Wheelchair Basketball 3x3

CWG 2022 India Vs Australia cricket match: India batter Sabbhineni Meghana is all set to join the women`s T20 squad for the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham ahead of their first group match against Australia on Friday.

On Thursday, after recovering from Covid-19 and coming out of quarantine, Meghana posted a story on her official Instagram account of the boarding pass of her flight to Birmingham, indicating that she is on her way to join the Indian team for the multi-nation event. It remains to be seen if she will be included in the playing eleven for Friday`s match.

Earlier, just a day after the team led by Harmanpreet Kaur left for Birmingham to participate in the 2022 Commonwealth Games, it was brought to the light that Meghana and all-rounder Pooja were left behind in Bengaluru after testing positive for Covid-19 and serving their isolation period.

India squad: Harmanpreet Kaur (captain), Smriti Mandhana (vice-captain), Shafali Verma, S. Meghana, Taniyaa Sapna Bhatia (wicket-keeper), Yastika Bhatia (wicket-keeper), Deepti Sharma, Rajeshwari Gayakwad, Pooja Vastrakar, Meghna Singh, Renuka Thakur, Jemimah Rodrigues, Radha Yadav, Harleen Deol, Sneh Rana.

CWG 2022 India: India Vs England: Women's hockey team to recapture the gold medal

Manchester is around 140 kilometres from Birmingham and the venue of one of the biggest triumphs for the Indian women`s hockey team -- final of the 2002 Commonwealth Games in which India defeated the host to win their one and the only gold medal in the competition so far.

India defeated hosts England 3-2 in extra time to win the gold medal -- coming back to score the winner in the final moments of extra time. The two teams are on the path to collision in Birmingham too as they are in the same Pool A with Canada, Wales and Ghana as the other teams and will face off in their preliminary round match on August 2. Winning that match and topping the group could be crucial so as to avoid strong Australia in the semifinals.

India had reached England in quarter finals to reach the semis for Argentina followed by a narrow defeat in the Tokyo Olympic Games last year. So, it`s redemption time for the Indian women`s hockey team as it will aim to recapture the gold medal it won in 2002. India followed it up by finishing second in the 2006 edition.

Team India will also try to redeem itself following a disastrous campaign in the FIH Women`s World Cup in Amsterdam and Spain as they finished ninth overall

With players such as penalty corner specialists Gurjit Kaur, goalkeeper, and captain Savita and young star Lalremsiami, expect India to bounce back in Birmingham.

Though seasoned forward Rani Rampal is not in the squad this time around.

The Indian women`s team opens their campaign with a match against lowly Ghana in their preliminary round match. The major competition in the Group stage for India will be against England and India will be hoping to get the better of them to top their group. IANS

CWG 2022 India: Indian medal hopefuls in Badminton at Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games:

India, who emerged as the most successful team in Gold Coast with six medals are the defending champion in the Mixed Team competition having won the title four years back in Gold Coast ahead of Malaysia.

They have in their ranks stars like former World No 1 and ex-World Champion PV Sindhu, the two-time Olympic medallist, Kidambi Srikanth, silver medallist in the World Championship in December 2021 and Lakshya Sen, bronze medallist in the World Championship who had made a brilliant start to the year by winning the India Open and finishing runner-up in the All-England Championship here.

In the men`s doubles, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty are ranked eighth in the World.
 

The preliminary round match may not go ahead as there are reports that Pakistan may not send their team because of the team`s inability to win a medal. Even if the team takes the court in the Mixed Team competition their clash with India is unlikely to create much buzz because the two teams come from the opposite ends of the spectrum.

Group 1 Teams:

India, Pakistan, Australia and Sri Lanka in the four-team preliminary round.

Group 2 Teams

Hosts England, Singapore, Mauritius and Barbados

Group 3 Teams

Canada, Scotland, Maldives and Uganda

Group 4 Teams

Malaysia, South Africa, Jamaica and Zambia, who came in place of Nigeria who pulled out after the draw was made a few weeks back.

The top two teams after the preliminary round matches will qualify for the knockout quarterfinals.

India and Malaysia are likely to contest for the gold medal if things go as per the seedings. However, Indian players like Srikanth and Lakshya have had indifferent results in BWF tournaments in the buildup for the Commonwealth Games, and therefore the team management is likely to put them up in the first few matches to help them warm up for the tougher encounters later in the competition.

India are the world champion in men`s team competition having won their maiden Thomas Cup title a few months back and Sindhu is also in top form and won the Singapore Open earlier this month. IANS

She will be the favourite for the singles title while in men`s singles, Singapore`s Loh Kean Yew, the reigning World Champion, and Malaysia`s Lee Zii Jia are ranked higher than the Indian players and will be the favourite for the title.

In the 2018 edition, Sindhu and Saina Nehwal contested the women`s singles final with Saina winning the gold. This time around Sindhu looks the best suited to win the women`s title as World No 7.--IANS

CWG 2022 India: Indian medal hopefuls in Badminton at Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games:

India, who emerged as the most successful team in Gold Coast with six medals are the defending champion in the Mixed Team competition having won the title four years back in Gold Coast ahead of Malaysia.

They have in their ranks stars like former World No 1 and ex-World Champion PV Sindhu, the two-time Olympic medallist, Kidambi Srikanth, silver medallist in the World Championship in December 2021 and Lakshya Sen, bronze medallist in the World Championship who had made a brilliant start to the year by winning the India Open and finishing runner-up in the All-England Championship here.

In the men`s doubles, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty are ranked eighth in the World.
 

The preliminary round match may not go ahead as there are reports that Pakistan may not send their team because of the team`s inability to win a medal. Even if the team takes the court in the Mixed Team competition their clash with India is unlikely to create much buzz because the two teams come from the opposite ends of the spectrum.

Group 1 Teams:

India, Pakistan, Australia and Sri Lanka in the four-team preliminary round.

Group 2 Teams

Hosts England, Singapore, Mauritius and Barbados

Group 3 Teams

Canada, Scotland, Maldives and Uganda

Group 4 Teams

Malaysia, South Africa, Jamaica and Zambia, who came in place of Nigeria who pulled out after the draw was made a few weeks back.

The top two teams after the preliminary round matches will qualify for the knockout quarterfinals.

India and Malaysia are likely to contest for the gold medal if things go as per the seedings. However, Indian players like Srikanth and Lakshya have had indifferent results in BWF tournaments in the buildup for the Commonwealth Games, and therefore the team management is likely to put them up in the first few matches to help them warm up for the tougher encounters later in the competition.

India are the world champion in men`s team competition having won their maiden Thomas Cup title a few months back and Sindhu is also in top form and won the Singapore Open earlier this month. IANS

She will be the favourite for the singles title while in men`s singles, Singapore`s Loh Kean Yew, the reigning World Champion, and Malaysia`s Lee Zii Jia are ranked higher than the Indian players and will be the favourite for the title.

In the 2018 edition, Sindhu and Saina Nehwal contested the women`s singles final with Saina winning the gold. This time around Sindhu looks the best suited to win the women`s title as World No 7.--IANS

CWG 2022 India: Delhi High Court clears Indian judoka Jasleen to compete at CWG

In a big boost to India's judo contingent, the Delhi High Court on Wednesday cleared Jasleen Singh of all misconduct charges, paving the way for his participation at the Commonwealth Games.

"The High Court has given a decision in favor of Jasleen and he will now travel to Birmingham," IOA secretary general Rajeev Mehta told PTI.

A gold medallist at the Commonwealth Championships held here two years ago, Jasleen along with his roommate, were embroiled in a controversy after they were involved in a brawl with a group of Spanish women during their month-long training-cum-exposure trip in June in Alicante, Benidorm.

While the duo were given a "clean chit" by the group of women the next day, the federation, which is run by administrator Justice Pankaj Naqvi, called them back as a "precautionary measure".

"But as it turned out the duo were not involved and another group were involved in the brawl. The women were also given clean chits and there was no police complaint against them," a coach said.

Following the controversy, Jasleen, who competes in 66kg, was dropped from the Commonwealth judo squad. Source: PTI

Birmingham 2022: Artists pose for pictures ahead of the Opening Ceremony of the Commonwealth Games 2022 (CWG), in Birmingham, UK, Wednesday, July 27, 2022. Source: PTI

CWG 2022: Hockey team captain Manpreet named flag-bearer along with Sindhu

The Indian Olympic Association (IOA) has selected Manpreet Singh, the captain of the men`s hockey team, as co-flagbearer of Team India for the opening ceremony of the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games alongside badminton star P.V. Sindhu.

The decision to name Singh, who led the Indian men`s hockey team to a bronze medal at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games in 2021, as the second flagbearer for the said occasion was arrived at after the IOA was intimated by the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games Organising Committee that two flagbearers -- one male and one female -- must be named by each country for the opening ceremony.

The four-member committee, comprising IOA Acting President Anil Khanna, IOA Secretary General Rajeev Mehta, IOA Treasurer Anandeshwar Panday, and Team India Chef de Mission Rajesh Bhandari, that named Sindhu as the first flagbearer earlier on Wednesday was also in charge of selecting Manpreet Singh as a flag-bearer, the IOA said in a release. Usually, each national contingent is asked to name a flagbearer for the ceremonies.

The selection process followed for zeroing in on the male flagbearer was the same as naming the female flagbearer. The four-member committee had initially shortlisted Singh alongside boxer Amit Panghal and paddler Achanta Sharath Kamal before Khanna and Mehta chose Manpreet for the honour.

IOA Acting President Anil Khanna said, "Manpreet Singh ended Indian hockey`s 41-year Olympic medal drought with a bronze at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021. He is one of the finest athletes to have ever represented India on the international stage. We are delighted to name him and Sindhu as the two flagbearers who will lead the Indian contingent out at the Parade of Nations on Thursday during the opening ceremony of the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games."

IOA Secretary General Rajeev Mehta said, "As with the three female shortlisted athletes, their three male counterparts were all deserving candidates, but we decided that Singh be named a flagbearer with Sindhu because of the leadership he showed at Tokyo 2020, which played a part in our men`s hockey team clinching a sensational bronze medal." Source: IANS

 CWG 2022 India: India Vs Ghana Hockey

Indian men's hockey team captain Manpreet Singh and chief coach Graham Reid on Wednesday said that they are not burdened by the expectations of the fans as they prepare for their tournament opener against Ghana on Sunday.

The national side reached here on Saturday for the 12th edition of the Commonwealth Games (CWG) and ever since their arrival they have been training vigorously as they aim for a podium finish in the colossal event.

Asked about the expectations of the Indian hockey fans during a virtual press conference, Reid said, "I must say, I don`t think that anyone`s expectations of us are more than that of our own expectations. We really have high expectations of what we expect from ourselves and also from each other. So, yes, we are not weighed down by these expectations."

The chief coach added, "Of course, we cannot do much about the external expectation, but we can do something about our own expectations and that`s what we do as it keeps the pressure on us but it`s in a good way because we are the ones that can control that."

Meanwhile, Manpreet Singh, who is set to make his 300th appearance for India in the CWG tournament opener against Ghana said, "I am really glad to have played 299 games for India. I am excited about it but my focus at the moment is on the game against Ghana and the team and I am not that concerned about the personal milestone."

Speaking about the fans` expectations, Manpreet said, "Yes, we know that fans have expectations from us that we will win a medal here. We discussed the same before arriving here that if our focus is on winning a medal, we will eventually be victorious in our efforts but we need to work on it first. We want to do our best in every single game, we are not going to take any team lightly and yes our final goal is to win a medal here." IANS

Commonwealth Games 2022 - Second biggest multi-discipline sports extravaganza after Olympics

Second biggest multi-discipline sports extravaganza after the Olympics, the Commonwealth Games of Birmingham 2022 has competitors from 72 nations and territories entered to compete, equalling the record held by the 2002 edition held at Manchester, around a one-and-half-hour drive from here. The sports will open with a gala opening ceremony on Thursday with competitions set to start early on Friday.

Inputs from IANS