Indian sports wrap, February 12: ESFI welcomes govt’s move to include e-sports medallists, coaches in cash incentive program
E-SPORTS
‘Landmark moment’
Hailing the sports ministry’s decision to include e-sports medallists and their coaches under its cash incentive program, the ESFI on Wednesday said the move would lead to “exponential rise in grassroots participation”.
The ministry has come out with a list of 51 sports that will be eligible for cash rewards, including all those which are part of the Olympic Games, Asian Games, Commonwealth Games and the World University Games roster.
The list includes sports like mallakhamb, e-sports and kho kho.
This move aligns e-sports with traditional sports, opening doors for millions of gamers to represent India on the global stage, the Esports Federation of India said in a media release.
“This is a landmark moment for Indian e-sports. The government’s recognition of Esports medalists and their coaches with financial incentives is a defining step for our sports,” Director of ESFI and VP-Asian Esports Federation Lokesh Suji said.
“India is already a force to reckon with in e-sports, and this initiative will inspire more young talents to compete on the international stage. We foresee an exponential rise in grassroots participation and the development of India’s e-sports ecosystem,” he added.
The inclusion of coaches for e-sports players in the incentive scheme will foster a whole new ecosystem of structured training and professional development of technical and coaching staff dedicated to e-sports, which currently is a biggest missing link for the country.
Indian e-sports has already made significant strides on the global stage, with players like Wasfi Bilal, Pavan Kampelli, Tirth Mehta, and DOTA2 Team bringing laurels to the country.
– PTI
GOLF
Pranavi, Aditi, Diksha and Tvesa aim to shine in Saudi Ladies International
Young golfer Pranavi Urs, the top Indian on the Ladies European Tour in 2024, will aim to make an impression when she makes her debut at the sixth PIF Saudi Ladies International, starting in Riyadh on Wednesday.
The other Indians in the field for the lucrative USD 5 million event include five-time LET winner Aditi Ashok, who also competes on the LPGA Tour, two-time LET winner Diksha Dagar, and Tvesa Malik Sandhu.
Pranavi, who impressed on the domestic Hero Women’s Golf Tour with several wins, secured five Top 10 finishes, including two third-place finishes at the Dormy Open and Andalucia Open de Espana.
In her rookie season on the Ladies European Tour, the 21-year-old finished 17th on the Money List and will hope for a good outing this week.
Diksha Dagar, who had a strong start to the 2025 season, finished second last week after losing in a play-off to Cara Gainer at the season-opening Lalla Meryem Cup.
Last season, Dagar, who represented India at the Paris Olympics, had a more modest campaign by her standards, recording four Top-10 finishes and finishing 29th in the OOM, after securing third place in 2023.
Tvesa Malik Sandhu, meanwhile, bounced back to regain her LET card and finished 60th on the Money List in 2024. She came close to her first win before losing a play-off to Alice Hewson at the VP Swiss Bank Ladies Open.
This week, a massive prize pool of USD 5 million is on offer, split across two events. The Team competition has a prize fund of USD 500,000, while the Individual competition boasts a total prize pool of USD 4.5 million.
– PTI