We must get used to playing in empty stadiums, that will happen: P V Sindhu
New Delhi: Playing in empty stadiums is going to be the norm in the immediate aftermath of COVID-19 pandemic and athletes must get used to it amid lingering fear among people, reckons PV Sindhu, one of India's greatest sportspersons.
The world of sports came to a screeching halt in March as the pandemic started to spread across the globe.
"People would be scared to come and watch matches and we should get use to playing without without spectators, empty stadiums. That will happen," champion shuttler Sindhu said during a webinar titled 'Let the Bird Fly! Moving On With Badminton', hosted by former India international Ameeta Sinh.
"It is safe for everyone in this situation and you have to be ready and prepared for anything and everything," the world champion and Olympic silver medallist added.
Also present in the webinar were former India internationals -- Ami Ghia Shah and Madhumita Bisht, an eight-time national singles champion and India's first woman to compete at the Olympics in badminton.
Ami Ghia Shah is a seven-time national singles champion, and like Bisht, has also performed well internationally.
During the interaction, Sindhu also spoke about how she fought her way back and qualified for the Rio Olympics after suffering a stress fracture in 2015, due to which she remained out of action for more than six months.
"When I had a stress fracture in 2015 I had pain but didn't tell anyone. I was bearing that pain and then told my dad that there was pain and we went and took an X-ray and a stress fracture was revealed. It was really bad.
"It took almost like eight months and I didn't play for six months. The 2016 Olympics qualification was there and I was almost depressed. I played almost 22 tournaments after the injury and got selected for Rio. It was not a small injury.
"Even though I was injured I was doing my upper body exercise. I believed that I can do it and I have done it."
Sindhu was "angry and sad" after being criticised for not finishing on top in the last two World Championship finals and the gold medal in the 2019 edition was her answer to all the critics who questioned her.
That triumph ended an agonising wait for an elusive gold for the ace.
"Maintaining the level is very difficult, tougher than reaching a level. I almost lost seven finals and people started asking if I have final phobia.
"I always wanted to win but there is always a next time I used to think it's a new match I need to give my best every time it's a different type of game.
"Every time it was a different strategy since there are 7-8 players in the circuit and we know each other's game."
Asked about handling pressure by Ameeta, who was also a minister in the Uttar Pradesh government, Sindhu said, "It has been very different before and after Rio. There are lots of expectations all the time. Last one year I have been doing meditation and it has helped me win matches which I was losing."
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Notices issued to Himachal conductor, driver for anti-Rahul Gandhi audio clip playing in govt bus
Shimla, Nov 30: After finding itself in soup over a CID enquiry on "missing samosas", the Himachal Pradesh government is again in a tight spot for issuing notices to a state roadways conductor and driver after an audio clip with defamatory remarks against Congress leader Rahul Gandhi was allegedly played in their bus.
A man in his complaint to the Chief Minister's Office said defamatory words were used against Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav and other leaders in an audio clip which was played in the Himachal Road Transport Corporation (HRTC) bus plying between Shimla and Sanjauli on November 5.
In a letter to the conductor and driver of the bus on November 25, the HRTC sought explanation from them. The letter went viral on the internet.
Talking to reporters on Friday, HRTC Managing Director Rohan Chand Thakur said a routine complaint was received from a customer after which a fact finding enquiry was initiated. The enquiry was closed as the allegations were found baseless.
However, the wording of the explanation sought could have been better and the officers have been verbally conveyed to improve in the coming times, he added.
The defamatory words were allegedly used in a debate being played in the audio clip.
Reacting sharply to the letter, BJP MLA from Dharamshala, Sudhir Sharma, said the government should appoint marshals to stop audios being played in buses.
"Such decisions of the government are damaging the reputation of the state government as well as the state," he added.
Earlier, the state CID department had ordered an internal enquiry on the samosas which were brought for Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu during a function and by mistake were served to the his security staff. A senior police official had termed the faux pas as an anti-CID and ant-Government act.
