INDIAN RUNNERS AFFECTED BY 2020 INTERNATIONAL MARATHON EVENT CANCELLATIONS

Aug 18, 2020 | Sports

INDIAN RUNNERS AFFECTED BY 2020 INTERNATIONAL MARATHON EVENT CANCELLATIONS

With all six World Marathon Majors including some of the world’s largest participative sporting events cancelled runners feel the physical, mental and financial impact.

Bangalore: The announcement of the 40th edition of the Virgin Money London Marathon changing its format to an elite runner only event last week dashed all hopes of amateur runners who were expecting to run at least one of the Abbott World Marathon Major (WMM) races in 2020. The race was the last of the six WMM races to announce cancellation of its usual mass event format. Hundreds of Indian runners had been preparing to run at least one or more of the WMM races since 2019 or earlier.

‘Since February 2020 runners who’d been training hard to accomplish their personal goals at one of the WMM and other International races have been dealing with the disappointment of races getting postponed and eventually cancelled.’ said Gauri Jayaram, Founder of Active Holiday Company that represents all six of the WMM, along with other popular races such as the Comrades Marathon and the Antarctica Marathon, in India. ‘The safety of the runners and the spectators is above everything else, however many race participants have been deeply affected. Some were on the verge of getting their sixth star medal in 2020. With no clarity on when International running events will resume, some have taken a break from the sport while others have been financially impacted’

The six WMM races, that attract over 2,50,000 runners and about 4 million spectators collectively through the marathon course each year, shot to becoming a bucket list item for amateur runners in India around 5 years ago. While there are only 41 Indians who accomplished the WMM challenge, hundreds were expecting to run at least one of the WMM races in 2020. The Abbott World Marathon Majors (WMM) is a grand slam of marathons where participants run a full marathon (42.195 km) in six of the world’s best known races: Tokyo, Boston, London, Berlin, Chicago and New York. Runners who complete all six races are awarded the prestigious ‘Six Star Medal’. It can take several years to complete the challenge.

Running an International marathon entails several months of physical and mental commitment along with some financial planning to cover expenses such as flights, stay, race entry etc. While there are some offers of refunds or deferral of services to future years, expenses incurred in visas, training and nutrition etc. are a financial loss for athletes. Given the high quality of the WMM events, many runners aim to achieve their best performances at one of these races, in particular the BMW Berlin Marathon that has been host to as many as 11 World Records.

The ten times Boston Marathon participant, Six Star Medal finisher and Coach to scores of amateur runners Ashok Nath said on the topic ‘The WMMs are world class events. And a big step forward from the local and national level events. They serve as a big motivation to amateur runners to train. Psychologically, their absence takes away a key milestone and without a goal the result is then felt physically as there is reluctance to put in the necessary intensity, frequency or distance in training. As a Coach, one needs to cajole the athletes to help them stay mentally and physically committed to training.’

With international travel still largely restricted as well as to maintain social distancing, most of the WMMs are encouraging participants to join their virtual events where runners can register for an official version of the race that can be run in a broad time frame on their own in their home cities. Finishers can receive timing certificates and even official event medals. However, many runners agree that the experience is not even comparable.

‘While it has been possible to keep up a basic level of motivation through goal oriented workouts and milestones in the form of self-timed trials, it will never match the euphoria of pursuing goals at the running carnivals that WMM races are. In the process of training I usually visualize a strong finish amidst a cheering crowd; that’s what I miss the most. The lockdown and the cancellation of these races has diminished some of the progress that I was expecting to make in 2020. While training has not yet returned to pre-COVID levels, the eventuality of lining up next year has kept me going.’ Concludes Anubhav Karmakar, the fastest amateur Indian runner on the TCS New York Marathon course in November 2019.

adidas rallies the sporting community to play with more heart and harness the power of the game in new film narrated by athlete and icon, Siya Kolisi

Aug 18, 2020 | Sports

Today, adidas unveils Ready for Sport: The Anthem, a powerful campaign film that reflects on recent sporting history to celebrate the true magnitude of what it brings to the world. With a bold opening line exclaiming sport might not be the answer, the film goes on to explore how it can bring communities together as we see a montage of raw emotion, dedication and exhilaration through leading global athletes.

As athletes face unprecedented challenges, the 60-second film is narrated by South African rugby icon, Siya Kolisi, who made history as the first Black man to be appointed Test captain of the South African team in 129 years of rugby, and with sheer determination, led the South African Rugby team as they were crowned world champions against England in 2019. His personal journey of growing up in the impoverished township of Zwide to captaining the national team embodies adidas’ belief that sport has the power to change lives.

“Sports might not be the answer right now, but it teaches us that impossible challenges must be faced and overcome,” says Kolisi. “Now that sport is back, we can’t waste this chance. We should be playing with more heart and more fire, because nobody knows what the future holds. Opportunities will come, and we must be ready”

Kolisi’s poignant message is echoed to athletes in the film against a backdrop of scenes including Paul Pogba scoring the winning penalty with seconds to go, Noah Lyles racing to finish line and going for gold, Caroline Dubois practicing her knockout in the boxing ring, and Candace Parker’s steely focus as she practices her shot – showcasing the sheer optimism and excitement that sport can bring to elite and every day athletes alike.

Florian Alt, Vice President, Brand Communications, Global Brands at adidas, said, “With the world thrust into the unknown, sport has been the one constant, fuelling people with joy and optimism. We brought our community together with a positive outlook through workouts, and a series that humanizes our sports icons by offering unprecedented access into their hearts and minds. Now, we want to inspire our community to get back in the game, master their craft and play like never before. We chose Siya to narrate the film because his story serves as a reminder that sport has the power to bring hope, and he is the true embodiment of how maintaining focus can lead to greatness.”

Whilst sport has started returning to screens, one element is still missing for athletes and spectators alike: the stadium experience. Coinciding with the release of Ready for Sport: The Anthem, adidas has created an immersive Ready for Sport face filter on Instagram that brings this to life. In a digital-first, the innovation allows consumers to relive the live sport experience virtually, placing them inside the stadium where they can hear the roar of the crowds once again by closing their eyes. The filter goes live on @adidas Instagram from Monday 17 August until Monday 7 September.

Since the campaign launched in March this year, adidas has engaged over 3,000 athletes and artists to support the hearts, minds and bodies of the community. With a 300% spike in social conversation following the announcement that team sports would be returning, The Anthem is the culmination of the Ready for Sport story so far and seeks to inspire the community, sparking feelings of joy and optimism for what lies ahead.

Link to the Film – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V_ozu_7Xweg&feature=youtu.be

Eve Echoes – Ban PvP in high-sec, monetization ammo and plans for Capitals

Aug 17, 2020 | Sports

In the conclusion of this past year, the Icelandic studio CCP Games and also the Chinese firm NetEase Games ran an open beta test of this Eve Echoes mobile MMO sandbox. Eve Echoes was received and found its viewers. Now the servers have been all disconnected, and the job is currently preparing for official launching. An information vacuum formed, however, the gaming community decided to correct the situation by interviewing one of the developers.

The system has information that Eve Echoes might be published in the 3rd quarter of 2020. It is true? Yes. (Note: at the light of the COVID-19 pandemic, the developers said that Eve Echoes is going to be postponed for a month out of the first planned release date). During the AMA session, it became understood that ability point injectors would be sold to the shop. Are they the same as in the game or is it a certain kind of skill reset to your personality? Injectors work nearly the same as in EVE Online. The timing of the inclusion to Eve Echoes has not been determined.

There were speculations about the constraints of alpha / omega accounts. What to expect pilots with status? In training abilities, free accounts will be limited in general, using manufacturing, specific ships, etc. Is group content planned like the invasions of the Sanshi pirates as well as the Triglavian team? Can you shed any light onto this? We have a record on intrusions, it was discussed. But we think that it’s too premature for the Echoes now. This will be accomplished when the time comes.

They will work like scripts in EVE Online, altering the selection of harm and weapons. Cartridges are used to weapons. We believe that ammunition that is normal is infinite, therefore we won’t set them in inventory. Weapon damage is simply changed by ammo. For instance, an ordinary Guristas rocket and so forth. There are so. Currently, the team believes it is probable that we’ll finish before the fourth quarter of 2020 (including testing).

Warp rigs and stubs. In the present edition, they seem strong, a few people literally can’t be stopped. Is that how it ought to be? Yes, that was exactly what was intended. Encountering an adversary with a search-engine blocking module can be quite so desperate. In Echoes you can really make a difference. You might also use warp disruptors that are more potent. So is it intended to depart on release? Although I normally feel that there’s a zone beginners to get on their feet. However, cubes can us this to save items in high-sec.

For more information about EVE ECHOES ISK, please click https://www.fastisk.com/

Indian brands challenging foreign brands and helping India become AatmNirbhar

Aug 14, 2020 | Sports

As Honorable Prime Minister stressed on the importance of India increasing its self-reliance for things in May and people have started taking a conscious step to make India self-reliant by preferring Indian brands over foreign. There are many startups too that are contributing to the initiative by supporting and encouraging local businesses and brands. Here are few examples of Indian Brands that are challenging foreign brands and helping India become AatmNirbhar by supporting local businesses-

· Gympik- The fitness industry is one of the most hit businesses and might take a lot of time to become profitable again post lockdown. Gympik,is helping gyms to get back to the business through their initiatives. The brand has integrated virtual training in its club management software, increasing the demand for fitness centers’ by 35-45%. It also launched e-book- Gym Owner’s Playbook To Survive The COVID-19 Challenge to support mid-size gyms and fitness clubs in India. It has upgraded its software- Traqade by Gympik and app Traqade Connect to provide members contacless training.

· 750ad Healthcare- Post Covid-outbreak, the ongoing conflict of chemists and e-pharmacies has worsened. As people unwilling to go out of their homes to buy medicines due to Covid-19, are relying on e-pharmacies due to which local chemists and pharmacies are suffering. 750ad healthcare, an Indian healthcare startup is a revolutionary platform that amalgamates various aspects of healthcare on one single platform. Being in a healthcare industry the brand understands the loss the offline and local chemists are going through. It is all set up to support local chemists by providing them an online platform to deliver online medical equipment/medicines to their customers and compete with the e-pharmacies.

· Illumnus- A Pune based startup is helping Indian educational institute by providing them a platform to continue imparting knowledge to the students. It is the world’s first Collaborative Learning Management System (C-LMS) that brings together all 4 stakeholders (students, teachers, parents and administration). The brand has also introduced new features like online exams, Smart Attendance, Institute Library post lockdown. Educational institutes do not have teachers and administration who are technology-friendly nor do all parents are comfortable using education apps available in the market, Illumnus’s app is as easy to use as Whatsapp so that a 12-year old student or 60-year old teacher or parent can access it.

· TAA Music Label- Lockdown has caused a great deal to artists. Aanchal Shrivastava, an independent artist herself understands the hardships afced by artists in India. She along with Tarun Jolly, Founder, IBOX STUDIOS launched TAA Music Label to provide a platform to the extremely talented, energetic, upcoming musicians and artists who deserve an opportunity, purely based on their phenomenal talent in order to make it big in the music industry. TAA Music Label will work towards making dreams of artists come true by providing a fair opportunity to those who deserve it.

· Gem Selections- Gem Selections, a unit of Khanna Gems Pvt Ltd provides gemstones to more than 300 Indian jewelers and dealers. As the lockdown has affected gems and jewellery business, the brand is trying to provide constant support to their dealers to ensure their business keep running. The brand is also helping Indian customers by providing them an option to buy gemstones on EMI during tough times. It is the only company selling gemstones on EMI in India.