Karnataka to 'positively review' 2 % quota for sportspersons in govt departments: CM Siddaramaiah
Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Wednesday said currently a three per cent reservation is being given to sportspersons in police and forest departments, and it will be "positively reviewed" to give a two per cent quota for employment in other government departments.
He was speaking after felicitating athletes and coaches of the state, who won medals in the recently held 19th Asian Games in China, and presenting cash awards to them.
Stating that the sportspersons have brought laurels to the country and the state, Siddaramaiah said, it is a matter of pride for all Kannadigas.
Indian athletes have won the maximum number of medals in the Asian Games in China this time, he said, noting that 70 medals were won last time and this time it is 107.
He further opined that "India ranks first in population in the entire world, and the country's honour will increase if we get first or second position in the Asian Games as well."
Noting that the state government is committed to promoting sports, Siddaramaiah said, when he was the chief minister in his previous tenure, prize money was announced to the winners of the Asian Games and Olympics. He explained that Karnataka is the first state to announce the "highest" prize amount.
The CM congratulated the sportspersons on behalf of the government and seven crore Kannadigas.
"This time eight people from the state have won medals. Winning a medal at the international level is no small feat. It requires a lot of effort. You have done an amazing job," he said, as he also wished them good luck winning medals in the Olympics as well.
Siddaramaiah felicitated medal winners of the state and presented the cash prizes to Rajeshwari Gaikwad (Cricket- Gold), Rohan Bopanna (Tennis- Mixed Doubles- Gold), Mijo Chacko Kurien, Nihal Joel (Athletics Men's 4*400m Relay - Reserved Athlete - Gold), Mithun Manjunath (Men's Badminton - Silver), Sai Pratheek (Men's Badminton Silver), Divya (Shooting - Two Silver Medals), and coaches -- V Tejaswini Bai (Kabaddi - Gold), Ankita B S (Hockey- Bronze), C A Kuttappa (Chief Boxing Coach- 1 Silver and 4 Bronze) .
According to official sources, cash award of Rs 25 lakh was given to gold medalists, Rs 15 lakh for silver medalists and Rs 5 lakh each for coaches.
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Real Madrid fines Valverde and Tchouaméni half a million euros each for altercation
Barcelona (AP): Real Madrid slapped players Federico Valverde and Aurélien Tchouaméni with half-a-million-euro ($588,000) fines on Friday for their altercation during practice.
The massive fines came a day after the midfielders tussled when the team trained. Valverde said in a post on social media on Thursday that no punches were thrown. But Valverde knocked his head on a table and he suffered a small cut that required a brief hospital visit.
On social media, Valverde initially called it a “meaningless fight” with a teammate and said “everything has been blown out of proportion."
His employers, however, considered it a significant enough breach of team discipline to nail both Valverde and Tchouaméni with fines that bite even the bank account of a top soccer player. The half-a-million euro penalties reflect the reputational damage the club was enduring in a chaotic end to a disappointing season.
In a statement, the 15-time European champion said its disciplinary action was concluded after both players expressed to the club “their complete remorse for what happened and apologized to one another.”
Madrid added they also apologized to their teammates, the coaching staff and club supporters, as well as showing their willingness to accept whatever disciplinary action the club deemed “opportune.”
Tchouaméni was back training with Madrid on Friday, two days before they play at Barcelona in a clasico. Madrid has to win otherwise Barcelona will be crowned La Liga champion.
After being notified of the fine, he posted a public apology to the club and its fans on social media.
“What happened this week in training is unacceptable,” Tchouaméni wrote. "I say this while thinking about the example we are expected to set for young people, whether in football or at school.
“Above all, I am sorry for the image we projected of the club.”
Valverde was not at practice due to the head knock.
Both players are set to play in the World Cup next month, with Tchouaméni playing for France and Valverde for Uruguay.
Chaotic end to a poor season
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The run-in between the players, who for seasons have played side by side in Madrid's midfield, came after they argued this week in previous training sessions. But tempers boiled over on Thursday. Spanish media was rife with reports that the players previously disagreed over the club's decision to let coach Xabi Alonso go after just months on the job.
It was not the only altercation involving Madrid players during training this week. Álvaro Carreras confirmed he was in a “minor” incident with a teammate. Spanish media said he and fellow defender Antonio Rüdiger got into a scuffle.
Álvaro Arbeloa, the coach who was promoted from Madrid's reserve team when Alonso was fired in January, will face tough questions on what went wrong inside the changing room when he gives a press conference on Saturday ahead of the clasico at Camp Nou.
Madrid is facing a second consecutive campaign without a major trophy amid rumors in the Spanish media that club president Florentino Pérez is considering bringing back Jose Mourinho to straighten out his underperforming team.
