Olympic Tales

Olympic Tales

The Olympics are here. Paris plays host to the biggest sporting festival this time. Just three years after Tokyo, the world’s best have descended in the French capital to create a lifetime of memories. A total of over 2000 athletes will be in action and 117 of them are from India. Never miss a single moment of the Games.  Join the fun on Olympic Tales, a Paris 2024 special podcast from India Today, as we bring you the best of stories from the City of Light. The usual suspects from the Sledging Room will be here as IndiaToday.in sports team will keep you updated with the inspiring tales from Paris. Are you ready for adrenaline-pumping action? Well, fasten your seat belts and join us on the thrilling Olympic ride this time.

  1. Hockey team ends 52-year-wait, Vinesh Phogat’s appeal against disqualification explained | Olympic Tales, Ep 11

    AUG 8

    Hockey team ends 52-year-wait, Vinesh Phogat’s appeal against disqualification explained | Olympic Tales, Ep 11

    Harmanpreet Singh and his men have proved their naysayers wrong. After the heartbreak of the World Cup at home last year, the Indian men’s hockey team won its successive Olympic bronze medal. It came after India beat Spain 3-2 in the final in Paris on August 8. It was the 13th medal for Olympic hockey's most successful men’s team. It was a validation for the core group of Indian players, including PR Sreejesh, Manpreet Singh and Amit Rohidas, who had a topsy-turvy ride after winning the Tokyo Olympics medal. In Paris, India was not labelled as a favourite after being drawn into a tough group that also included Australia and Belgium. However, they laid down an early marker after hammering Australia. With the victory, India’s legendary PR Sreejesh bowed out. He was emotional after the win as he bowed down to his equipment and recreated the Tokyo 2020 pose. Meanwhile, there is a glimmer of hope for Vinesh Phogat, who was disqualified. The wrestler retired in a heartbreaking post on social media on Thursday. She appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, saying she should be given a joint silver medal for her actions on the opening day of the women’s 50kg wrestling competition in Paris. Akshay Ramesh and Saurabh Kumar discuss the historic hockey victory and the details of Vinesh Phogat’s appeal to the CAS. Tune in! Produced by Anna Priyadarshini Sound mix by Kapil Dev Singh

    20 min
  2. Vinesh Phogat’s disqualification and irritating conspiracy theories | Olympic Tales, Ep 10

    AUG 7

    Vinesh Phogat’s disqualification and irritating conspiracy theories | Olympic Tales, Ep 10

    Vinesh Phogat was a win away from becoming India's first female Olympic champion. The nation was waiting for Gold. On Tuesday, Vinesh Phogat had a dream day as she scripted one of the biggest upsets in Olympic history by beating Yui Susaki, the Japanese wrestler who had not lost an international bout until then and had an 82-0 record. After conquering the opening hurdle, Vinesh breezed into the final and looked good to script history. However, disaster struck! Vinesh Phogat was disqualified for not meeting the weight category of 50kg during the weigh-in on the morning of the big Gold medal match. Vinesh was deemed overweight by just 100 grams. Yes, that’s less than what your phone weighs. It was one of the most heartbreaking stories of the Olympic Games for India. Vinesh had seen heartbreaks in the 2016 and 2021 Olympics. She was the face of the wrestlers’ protests in India. She had very little time to even qualify for the Paris Olympics. But she fought against the odds and aced all challenges to book her ticket to Paris. However, disaster struck on Wednesday morning, leaving a billion hearts crushed. Who is to blame for the fiasco? Why blame Vinesh Phogat or her trainers? Could she have won silver had she claimed injury and avoided the weigh-in on the second day? Many conspiracy theories are floating around. Heartbroken Akshay Ramesh and Kingshuk Kusari discuss the harrowing day for India at the Paris Olympics. Tune in! Produced by Anna Priyadarshini Sound mix by Kapil Dev Singh

    16 min
  3. On a bittersweet day for India, big boxing controversy erupts in Paris | Olympic Tales, Ep 07

    AUG 2

    On a bittersweet day for India, big boxing controversy erupts in Paris | Olympic Tales, Ep 07

    Pune-born Swapnil Kusale secured India's first-ever Olympic medal in the 50m rifle three positions event on a day when four strong podium contenders from the country, including PV Sindhu and Satwik-Chirag, were knocked out of the Games. While Swapnil won the bronze medal, Anjum Moudgil and Samra failed to qualify for the final of the women's 50m rifle three positions event. In-form Lakshya Sen continued his pursuit of a maiden Olympic medal, while Satwik and Chirag's hopes were dashed following a heartbreaking three-game loss in the men's doubles quarterfinals. Two-time world champion Nikhat Zareen's Olympic debut ended in a heartbreak after she lost to China's Wu Yu in the women's 50kg division. Even Sindhu's pursuit of an unparalleled third Olympic medal ended in heartbreak as she lost to China's He Bing Jiao. India's athletics campaign was off to a poor start as 20km race walkers failed to put up creditable performances. But, the biggest highlight of August 1 was the boxing controversy. Italy's Angela Carini abandoned her bout against Algerian boxer Imane Khelif after just 46 seconds, saying that one punch from Khelif "hurt too much" to continue. It was enough for her to withdraw from the fight and fuelled debate on social media about the fairness of the contest as many started to label Imane Khelif as "biologically male" and a "transgender". However, the International Olympic Committee defended its decision to allow two female boxers to compete at the Paris Olympics despite an ongoing gender row, saying the pair were facing 'aggression' because of an arbitrary decision. Produced by Anna Priyadarshini Sound mix by Kapil Dev Singh

    17 min
  4. Boxing duo keeps India's double-digit medal hopes alive | Olympic Tales, Ep 06

    AUG 1

    Boxing duo keeps India's double-digit medal hopes alive | Olympic Tales, Ep 06

    After shooters, Indian boxers look to add to the medals tally at the Paris 2024 Olympics. Lovlina Borgohain advanced to the quarter-finals of the women's 75kg boxing event after defeating Norway's Sunniva Hofstad by unanimous decision. On the other hand, unseeded Nishant Dev won his opening match against seventh-seeded Jose Rodriguez Tenorio of Ecuador with a 3:2 split decision. In the quarter-finals, Nishant will face second-seeded Marco Verde of Mexico, the reigning Pan-American champion. Mind you, both Nishant and Lovlina are just one step away from a podium finish at the Paris Olympics. Manika Batra and Sreeja Akula also scripted history by becoming the first Indian Table Tennis players to reach the Round of 16 at the Olympics. However, India's hopes of a historic medal in TT crashed after both Manika and Sreeja lost their Round of 16 matches. Akula fought hard before losing to world number one Yingshaw Sun on her bitter-sweet birthday. But this is just the start for Indian paddlers in the Olympics. Never ever India had two singles players competing for quarterfinal berths, but seasoned Manika and Sreeja showed that TT had the potential to do better on the big stage by reaching the Round of 16. Saurabh Kumar and Akshay Ramesh reflect on the first five days of the Paris Olympics in the latest episode of the Olympic Tales podcast. Tune in! Produced by Anna Priyadarshini Sound mix by Nitin Rawat

    13 min

About

The Olympics are here. Paris plays host to the biggest sporting festival this time. Just three years after Tokyo, the world’s best have descended in the French capital to create a lifetime of memories. A total of over 2000 athletes will be in action and 117 of them are from India. Never miss a single moment of the Games.  Join the fun on Olympic Tales, a Paris 2024 special podcast from India Today, as we bring you the best of stories from the City of Light. The usual suspects from the Sledging Room will be here as IndiaToday.in sports team will keep you updated with the inspiring tales from Paris. Are you ready for adrenaline-pumping action? Well, fasten your seat belts and join us on the thrilling Olympic ride this time.

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