The Indian Panorama

Tag: Olympics

  • Commonwealth Games Begin in Birmingham

    Commonwealth Games Begin in Birmingham

    • The biggest and the most expensive sporting event in the U.K. since the 2012 London Olympics
    • P.V. Sindhu, Manpreet Singh Lead Indian Contingent at Birmingham Commonwealth Games  Opening Ceremony

    BIRMINGHAM (TIP): The opening ceremony of the 22nd Commonwealth Games began here on Thursday, July 28,  amid much fanfare and in front of an estimated 30,000 spectators, showcasing the very best of Birmingham and the whole of the U.K. The Games is set to be the biggest and most expensive sporting event in the U.K. since the 2012 London Olympics. Drummer-percussionist Abraham Paddy Tetteh started things off at the Alexander Stadium, and then, Indian classical vocalist and composer Ranjana Ghatak took the lead, the section intended to showcase the diversity of the city. The Games, set to be the biggest and most expensive sporting event in the U.K. since the 2012 London Olympics, have had to deal with the adverse impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. It comes almost 10 years to the day since the much-acclaimed opening ceremony of the London Games. The opening act marked the beginning of 11 days of sporting action in the city, with 19 events over 15 venues in the West Midlands. Seven of those events will be contested in Birmingham, the UK’s second-largest city with a population of 1.15 million. More than 5000 athletes from 72 countries will compete in 280 events across 19 sports. The U.K. is hosting the mega event for the third time in the last 20 years with the Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) unable to attract new bidders out of the 56 countries that make up the sporting body due to cost constraints. Having stepped up to host the Games after South African city Durban pulled out because of financial constraints, the organizers went ahead without any change in the original schedule at a time when both the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and this year’s Asian Games were postponed by a year owing to COVID-19. As far as India is concerned, its double Olympic medalist badminton ace PV Sindhu and Indian men’s hockey team captain Manpreet Singh were chosen as the country’s flag bearers for the opening ceremony.

    (With inputs from PTI )

  • August 6 New York & Dallas E – Edition

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    E-Edition

    [/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”2/3″][vc_custom_heading text=”Dual Edition” font_container=”tag:h2|text_align:center” google_fonts=”font_family:Istok%20Web%3Aregular%2Citalic%2C700%2C700italic|font_style:700%20bold%20regular%3A700%3Anormal” link=”url:https%3A%2F%2Fwww.theindianpanorama.news%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2021%2F08%2FTIP-August-6-Dual-Edition.pdf|||”][vc_single_image image=”112787″ img_size=”full” add_caption=”yes” alignment=”center” onclick=”custom_link” link=”https://www.theindianpanorama.news/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/TIP-August-6-Dual-Edition.pdf”][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_single_image image=”82828″ img_size=”medium” alignment=”center” onclick=”custom_link” link=”https://www.theindianpanorama.news/advertising-media-kit-portal-indian-panorama/”][vc_single_image image=”82829″ img_size=”medium” alignment=”center” onclick=”custom_link” link=”https://www.theindianpanorama.news/advertising-media-kit-portal-indian-panorama/”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”2/3″][vc_custom_heading text=”Lead Stories This Week” font_container=”tag:h2|text_align:center” google_fonts=”font_family:Istok%20Web%3Aregular%2Citalic%2C700%2C700italic|font_style:700%20bold%20regular%3A700%3Anormal” link=”url:https%3A%2F%2Fwww.theindianpanorama.news%2F%20|||”][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_widget_sidebar sidebar_id=”mh-sidebar”][/vc_column][/vc_row]

  • Sports minister launches official song on Indian contingent at Tokyo Olympics

    Sports Minister Anurag Thakur on Wednesday, July 14, launched the ‘Cheer4India’ song of the country’s Olympic contingent and urged the public to wholeheartedly rally behind its athletes during the Tokyo Games. Grammy Award winning composer AR Rahman and young singer Ananya Birla collaborated to present the official song of the Indian contingent for the Tokyo Olympics, titled Cheer4India: Hindustani Way. “I urge all my countrymen to listen to the song, share it to fellow citizens and also cheer for the entire Indian contingent for the Tokyo Olympics to show that we are behind them,” Thakur said. He thanked Rahman and Ananya for composing the song in such difficult times of Covid-19 pandemic.

  • ‘No Plan B’: Japan’s sponsors shelve ads as mood sours over Olympics

    ‘No Plan B’: Japan’s sponsors shelve ads as mood sours over Olympics

    Tokyo (TIP): Japan’s Olympic sponsors are scaling back advertising campaigns and delaying marketing events for this year’s Summer Games, concerned that public sentiment toward the event is souring amid a fresh wave of COVID-19.

    Sponsors also worry that organisers have not told them what contingency plans there are in case the pandemic derails the Games again this year. That uncertainty over the Olympics marks a fresh blow to domestic sponsors, including many of Japan’s biggest companies, such as Canon Inc and Japan Airlines Co Ltd, who have collectively pitched in more than $3 billion to support the event.

    Assurances by both the Japanese government and the International Olympic Committee this month that the Games would begin as scheduled on July 23 have not quelled concerns.

    In interviews with two dozen sponsors, organisers and officials, sources described deepening uncertainty and frustration as national infection numbers hit record highs in January, turning the public mood against the event.

    Nearly 80 per cent of the public now believes the Games should be cancelled or delayed further, according to a January survey by Kyodo. Fears that an extended emergency declaration could further erode public confidence in the Games was also a worry, at least 11 of the sources said.

    “We’re asking ourselves, ‘Are we really going to do this?’” said a person seconded by his company to the Olympic organising committee. The person, who like most of those interviewed, declined to be named as he is not allowed to speak to the media, said even raising the topic of a “Plan B” was discouraged.

    Canon’s chief financial officer Toshizo Tanaka told reporters on Thursday the company was working under the assumption that the event would go ahead as planned. “But we are considering internally how to respond just in case it can’t be held,” he said.

    In response to Reuters questions about sponsors altering their ad and marketing strategy, the Tokyo organising committee said it was working closely with all of its stakeholders towards the success of the Games and said it was receiving their full support.

    The committee also said it expects a series of measures implemented by Japan’s government, Tokyo, and other prefectural authorities to improve the virus situation.

    For some local sponsors, the perks of supporting the Tokyo Olympics have long since faded. Six sources at sponsor companies said they were still waiting on details from organisers so they could finalise preparations and roll out advertising campaigns. Several said they had held back out of fear of alienating the public.

    “It’s a little hard to say ‘we support Tokyo 2021’ when the government is under so much criticism,” said a source who works for a financial institution that is also a games sponsor.

    Though Japan has contained the spread of the virus better than many other countries, hospitals are still besieged by patients and the public has been advised to stay indoors as much as possible.

    Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga, who has pledged to hold the Olympics this year, has seen his support slide in recent weeks over the handling of the pandemic.

    Asahi Group Holdings, the holding company of beer maker Asahi Breweries, a top-tier Olympics partner, postponed some of the ads it had planned to air last year, after the Games were delayed, said a company official on condition of anonymity, as it waits for more clarity on the schedule.

    A spokesman for Asahi confirmed it postponed some of its advertisements after the Games were delayed.

    Five sources at separate sponsor companies said they were also delaying ads and reconsidering marketing events. But many sources said they saw the Olympics as a “national project” that they must support.

    Source: Reuters