Welcome to ESPN India's daily blog, where we aim to bring you all the news from the dynamic world of Indian sports: from the wide variety of Olympic sports to franchise leagues.
July has plenty of sporting action taking place - which you can find listed out in ESPN India's sporting calendar.
Bajrang calls NADA arrogant, says he is being targetted
Wrestler Bajrang Punia has alleged that NADA was targeting him for pointing out flaws in their system and vowed to challenge the arrogance of the doping agency, which he claimed wants to end his sporting career.
Bajrang was suspended by NADA for the second time on June 24 after the wrestler got relief from the Anti-Doping Disciplinary Panel (ADDP) of the agency.
The ADDP had lifted the first suspension on the grounds that NADA had not officially charged him for doping by serving the wrestler a formal notice.
NADA then issued the notice to the Tokyo Games medallist and suspended him again.
"This shows how NADA is targeting me, they don't want me to continue wrestling at any cost," Bajrang posted on X.
Bajrang was suspended for refusing to provide his sample during the selection trials held in Sonepat on March 10. He had lost the trials and thus missed out on the chance to qualify for the Paris Olympics.
The 30-year-old multiple-time World Championship medallist claimed that he never refused to give a sample but only sought an answer to why NADA sent an expired kit for sample collection in December 2023.
"They have no answers and they don't want to take responsibility for their mistakes. They just want to harass the athlete to get rid of him.
"NADA doesn't want anyone to question their wrong ways and if someone does, he is targeted so that he cannot continue his sport.
"Why doesn't NADA answer about the expired kit? Why doesn't NADA answer how an unregistered chaperone who was not named in the mission order approached and pressured me for sample collection? "Why doesn't NADA answer why I was pressured to collect samples between two matches when they knew I had only 20 minutes to prepare for the next bout," said Bajrang.
Bajrang said he won't go down without a fight.
"If NADA wants to challenge the grit and determination of wrestlers to stand up for their rights for the sake of their arrogance, let them do it. The wrestler is here and will fight till the end. My lawyer will file his reply on time," he wrote.
Chess: Singapore to host FIDE World Championship Match
Singapore has been selected as the host of FIDE World Championship Match between defending champion Ding Liren of China and challenger D Gukesh of India.
According to a FIDE statement, the match which carries a prize money of $2.5 million, is set to take place between November 20 and December 15, 2024.
The statement added, "FIDE received three competitive applications for hosting the World Championship Match -- from New Delhi (India), Chennai (India), and Singapore. After reviewing the bids and inspecting all potential host cities for their venues, amenities, event programs, and opportunities, the International Chess Federation has selected Singapore as the host."
"We are delighted that for the first time in the history of FIDE, a match for the World Championship will take place in Singapore. Not only is Singapore one of the most iconic global tourist and business hubs, but it is also a thriving chess center with great ambitions and talent," FIDE President Arkady Dvorkovich said."
Singapore's bid was submitted on May 31, 2024, and the inspection of the venues took place on June 11 and 12. FIDE has also added that "four possible venues are being considered for the match, and the final decision on the exact location will be announced in due course."
Cricket: Rana's 10-wicket haul highlights India's 10-wicket win
India won the one-off Test against South Africa by 10 wickets on the final session of the final day at Chepauk, keeping the visitors winless in the series so far. Shafali Verma's double-century, Smriti Mandhana's 149, Sneh Rana's sensational 10-wicket haul. There were multiple high-points for India. The match will also be remembered for the way South Africa fought hard for almost 240 overs in testing conditions.
Read the full report here.
What's on today?
Tennis: Sumit Nagal is in action at Wimbledon in the men's singles first round, making his main round debut against higher-ranked WR53 Miomir Kecmanovic of Serbia. [8:30 PM]
Olympics: India's Olympic contingent prepares for the Parisian extravaganza, beginning on July 26.
Cricket: India (W) look to clinch Test match against South Africa in Chennai.
What happened yesterday?
Wrestling: Anshu Malik suffered a shoulder strain during training, putting her Olympics in doubt
Chess: Praggnanandhaa beat Giri, Gukesh drew Alireza in Superbet Classic Round 4
Olympics: Sindhu, Sable focused on eliminating mistakes and being perfect at the Olympics
Inter-States Athletics: Mixed relay team misses Olympics; Jena reveals ankle pain
Cricket: India (W) enforced a follow-on from South Africa
You can find the details of yesterday's news events here.