Indian sports wrap, October 13: Ootacamund Gymkhana Club launches Academy of Golf Excellence – Sportstar

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Updated : Oct 13, 2025 21:17 IST , Chennai – 4 MINS READ
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The Nilgiris District Collector Lakshmi Bhavya Thanneeru (third from right) officially inaugurated the Academy on Sunday | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
OGC launches Academy of Golf Excellence
The Ootacamund Gymkhana Club (OGC) launched the Academy of Golf Excellence, powered by Tarun Sardesai Golf Academy (TGSA), on Sunday.
It will be the first structured high-performance golf training partnership in OGC’s 130-year history thus creating a clear pathway for juniors and youth to pursue competitive golf and future scholarship opportunities in India and abroad.
“This is about legacy and access. For more than a century, OGC has been a home for golf in the Nilgiris. Partnering with TSGA allows us to open that legacy to every child who wants to learn the sport the right way,” said Shyam Sundar, the OGC Head.
Known for its High Performance Center in Kolar, TSGA has built one of India’s leading pipelines for developing elite golfers. The Ooty program will adapt TSGA’s curriculum for the Nilgiris while making top-tier coaching accessible to adults and children, both beginners and existing golfers.
“Our commitment is simple – grow the game by making world-class training and knowledge available to young players, early,” said Tarun Sardesai.
“Whether a child dreams of becoming a tour professional, aims for college golf and scholarships abroad, or simply wants a sport for life, good coaching at the right age changes the trajectory,” he added.
“As a club, we are committed to supporting this program for the long term – from dedicated access to our course and practice facilities to continuous coach availability and outreach with local private and government schools. We want every youngster in The Nilgiris to have a fair shot at the game,” said Satish Balagopal, Golf Captain, OGC.
The Academy was officially inaugurated by The Nilgiris District Collector Lakshmi Bhavya Thanneeru.
– Rayan Rozario
Uttar Pradesh Kabaddi League season 2 player auction to be held on November 3
The Uttar Pradesh Kabaddi League (UPKL) season 2 player auction is set to be held on November 3 in Noida.
The second season will see the league expand from eight to ten teams.
The two new franchises joining the competition are Aligarh Tigers and Kanpur Warriors, alongside returning teams Lucknow Lions, Yamuna Yoddha, Noida Ninja, Kashi Kings, Avadh Ramdoot, Bridge Stars, Sangam Challengers, and Ganga Kings of Mirzapur.
Each team will enter the auction with a total budget of ₹12 lakh to assemble their full roster, bringing the overall player purse to ₹1.2 crore. 
Players will be drawn from a comprehensive pool of 500 athletes shortlisted through the league’s scouting and registration process.
The auction will feature four player categories (A, B, C, and D) classified based on players’ experience and performance levels, with fixed base prices set at ₹1,00,000 for Category A, ₹60,000 for Category B, ₹40,000 for Category C, and ₹25,000 for Category D.
The auction will follow an open-bid format, conducted live in the presence of franchise owners, team representatives, and league officials.
Each team will be required to fill its roster following the composition guidelines outlined in the official UPKL Auction Handbook. 
As per the structure, each franchise must pick a minimum of three players from Category A, four players each from Categories B and C, and three players from Category D, ensuring a balanced squad across experience and performance levels.
-Team Sportstar
10-year-old Atiqa Mir bosses male pack for memorable win in RMC UAE Championship
Indian racing prodigy Atiqa Mir bossed a male-dominated grid to become the first-ever female winner in the minimax category of the RMC UAE Karting Championship here.
In a fledgling career of many firsts, the 10-year-old took the race lead on lap four before breaking away from the pack and eventually completing a commanding win by over four seconds at the Al Ain Raceway on Sunday.
The 15-driver diverse grid represented eight different nationalities. With her stellar performance, the F1 Academy-backed driver made it a memorable RMC debut for her team Akcel GP.
Atiqa fought adversity from third on the grid before coming out on top in a tight race. She made a decisive move on the inside for the lead and never looked back, setting blistering pace in rather windy conditions.
The win came after a difficult last weekend when Atiqa injured her hand but still managed a top-10 finish in the UAE IAME series.
“That felt good. It was tough for the first four laps. I was being pushed around but I fought hard and held on. I got a run on the back straight and went for the overtake for the lead,” said the racer from Jammu and Kashmir.
-PTI
National Junior Athletics Championships: Deepika defends women’s U-20 javelin title
Deepika bettered her own meet record to defend her women’s under-20 javelin title with an effort of 54.16m in the National Junior Athletics Championships at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar on Monday.
Nischay smashed the men’s under-18 discus meet record with a throw of 63.69m, which was more than the World Under-20 qualifying standard of 56m.
Aarti Siwach (under-18, 200m, 24.25), Neeru Pathak (under-20, 200m, 24.05), and Pratik Maharana (under-20, 200m, 21.24) also performed better than the World under-20 qualifying marks (24.35 for women and 21.25 for men). Neeru and Maharana broke their respective meet records.
-Team Sportstar
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Published on Oct 13, 2025
Joshna Chinappa
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