The former head of Russia's anti-doping agency RUSADA, Nikita Kamayev, who resigned last year over the state sponsored doping allegations scandal, has died suddenly, the agency said today.
	"The RUSADA former executive director died suddenly at the age of 52," RUSADA said in a statement. "The cause is presumed to be a massive heart attack."
	"It is a great loss and unexpected for us," the Russian anti-doping agency's interim general director Anna Antseliovich, who took charge after the scandal, told R-Sport news agency.
	Kamayev, who resigned as RUSADA's executive director in December, died after feeling ill while skiing, the former general director of the anti-doping agency, Ramil Khabriyev told TASS news agency earlier today.
	"I never heard before that he had heart problems. Maybe his wife knew about some problems," Khabriyev said.
	Kamayev had resigned along with three other RUSADA top officials after a report by a World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) independent commission accused ...

Disgraced ex-chief of Russia's anti-doping agency dies

PTI Automatic

The boxers hardly broke a sweat to scoop all the seven gold medals up for grabs, while shooters ended their campaign with an outstanding tally of 25 gold medals to ensure that India's reign at the top remained unhindered at the 12th South Asian Games, here today.
     On the penultimate day of competitions, the Indian contingent continued to be perched at the top with 299 medals (181 gold, 88 silver and 30 bronze).
     Sri Lanka were second on the table with 181 medals (25 gold, 60 silver and 96 bronze, followed by Pakistan with 100 medals (11 gold, 35 silver and 55 bronze).
     Besides, the boxers and shooters' good show, the judokas grabbed seven gold and a silver in a near sweep while India also bagged both the yellow metals in men's and women's kabbadi as well as in men's and women's handball in a complete domination yet again.
     The Indian women's football team also won a gold medal, defeating Nepal 4-0 in the summit clash. Their men's counterparts, however, lost to Nepal ...

Boxers, shooters, judokas' golden sweep keeps India on top

Hosts India will play West Indies and South Africa in their two warm-up matches in the run up to the ICC World Twenty20 to be staged at eight venues  starting next
month.
     While India will play West Indies at the historic Eden Gardens in Kolkata on March 10, the hosts last practice match against the Proteas will be hosted by Mumbai's Wankhede Stadium on Mar 12
.
     The teams taking part in the first round will play their warm-up matches in Dharamsala and Mohali from March 3 to 6, while sides featuring in the second round will play their practice games in Kolkata and Mumbai from March 10 to 15.
     The women's warm-up matches will take place in Bengaluru and Chennai from March 10 to 14.
     The Indian eves will play only one warm-up game against Ireland in Benguluru on March 10.
     Meanwhile according to the schedule announced by the ICC, the men's afternoon matches will take place from 15h00-18h10, while the evening matches will be played from 19h30-22h40. The semifinals and 

India to play West Indies, South Africa in warm-up games

: Smart Strider, ridden by P S Chouhan and trained by jockey B Suresh, won the South India Gold Cup, the main event of the races here today.
    B Suresh saddled three winners while jockey Md.Hesnian rode two winners.
     Three favourites obliged in a card of 7 events.

Smart Strider wins South India Gold Cup

An emotional Oinam Bembem Devi today thanked her teammates for giving her a fitting farewell as she hung her boots to mark an end to a career spanning more than two decades.
     "My junior players promised me the gold medal and they kept their word. I am very happy," the most capped Indian women football player said after captaining the eves to an emphatic 4-0 win over Nepal to defend their football title in the 12th South Asian Games, here today.
     "It looks like I am living a dream. I had never imagined that my playing career would span over two decades and here I am today. I want to thank the AIFF (All India Football Federation) for giving me the opportunity to represent the country and all the coaches who made me a better player. The last two decades have been nothing short of spectacular," she added.
     The Manipuri footballer wants to concentrate on coaching and paying back to the sport in her home state.
     "But I'm happy that I will now be able to devote my time to the 

Seemed like living a dream: Bembem

Indian men's football team's long wait for a gold in the South Asian Games after 1995 continued as they lost 1-2 against Nepal in the summit clash of the 12th edition of the event, here today.
     In a closely-fought final, India took the lead in the 31st minute with Holicharan Nazary converting a penalty kick but Nepal replied strongly in the second half by pumping in two goals through Prakash Thapa (66th) and Nawayug Shreshtha (72nd) to win the match at the Indira Gandhi Stadium.
     India thus settled for the silver while Bangladesh took the bronze after defeating Maldives 7-6 via penalty shoot-out in the third-place play-off today.
     India had won gold in 1995 in the then Madras and since then they have played in two finals, including today's summit clash but ended up on the losing side.
     In 2004, India had lost to Pakistan in the final in Islamabad. In 2006 and 2010, they had not reached the final.
     The match began on an even keel with India getting some fine ...

Indian men's gold jinx in SAG football continues

India dethroned Pakistan in the men's handball, while their women counterparts also clinched the gold after beating Bangladesh to stamp the home country's supremacy in the discipline at the 12th South Asian Games here today.
     Indian men beat Pakistan 32-31 in a nail-biting summit clash that went down to the wire at the Laxmibai National Institute of Physical Education Northeast Regional Center grounds here.
     The Indian men's team thus exacted revenge of their loss in the 2010 edition summit clash in Dhaka.
     The Indian women's side, on the other hand, defended the title they had won in 2010 edition, by beating Bangladesh 45-25.
     In the men's final, India were leading the match by a good margin but Pakistan fought back towards the end to narrow down the gap.
     The home side faced some anxious moments as they were leading by just one goal, but ultimately they pulled it off and wild celebrations broke out at the stands where Indian Olympic Association President N ...

Indian men dethrone Pakistan in handball

Jaypee Punjab Warriors came back from behind to hold Kalinga Lancers to a 4-4 draw and seal their place in the semifinal of the fourth Hockey India league, here today.
     The match also marked the first draw of the fourth edition of HIL.
     Punjab Warriors, who now have 29 points in their kitty, became the second team after defending champions Ranchi Rays to book a semifinal berth.
     Kalinga Lancers raced to a 4-0 lead through two field goals from Malak Singh (14th minute) and Quirjin Caspers (29th) before Punjab Warriors made a strong comeback with field strikes from Matt Gohdes (35th) and Jake Whetton (59th).
     According to new scoring rules introduced in HIL, one field goal is counted as two.
     The match began with the visitors pressing hard to score. While Punjab Warriors put up a decent show in the first few minutes, the Lancers set up a strong attacking front to break through the hosts' defensive wall.
     The Lancers drew first blood in the 14th minute through a ..

Punjab Warriors draw 4-4 witl Lancers, seal semi-final berth

Wasim Jaffer, Parag Khanapurkar and Onkar Khanvilkar shone with the bat on the opening day of the 12th IDBI Federal Life Insurance DY Patil T20 tournament today.
	The opening day witnessed four matches with Air India, Tata Sports and DY Patil (B) registering contrasting wins in their league matches.
	The 16 teams will play each other once in the league phase, before the knockouts commences in the eight day event.
	The real heroes of the day were Jaffer and Khanvilkar as they helped their sides post wins.
	Jaffer scored an unbeaten 84 off 52 balls with nine boundaries and two sixes as Indian Oil chased Tata Sports Club's total of 164 for seven.
	Thanks to Jaffer, Indian Oil ended at 168 for five in 19 overs in the opening match at the DY Patil Stadium.
	At the adjoining University Ground, Air India posted a massive 236-6 in their 20 overs against Mumbai Customs, thanks mainly to Hiten Dalal's 90 (43b, 12x4, 5x6) and Robin Uthappa's 70 (38b, 5x4, 4x6).
	Mumbai Customs slipped to 88 for .

Jaffer, Khanapurkar shine

Indian judokas opened their campaign with a bang with seven gold and a silver to swell their overall medal tally on the penultimate day of the 12th South South Asian Games here today.
     Bhupinder Singh (60kg), Jasleen Singh Saini (66kg), Manjeet Nadal (73kg) and Karanjeet Singh Maan (81kg) won the gold medal in men's category, while Sushila Devi Likmabam (48kg), Kalpana Devi Thoudam (52kg) and Anita Chanu Angom (57kg) clinched the yellow metal in the women's section.
     Sunibala Devi Huidrom lost to Phupu Lhamukhatri of Nepal in 63kg final to settle for the silver.
     Glasgow Commonwealth Games silver and bronze medallists, Sushila Devi and Kalpana Devi led the charge in their respective sections.
     Sushila defeated Humair Ashiq of Pakistan, while Kalpana got the better of Nepal's Lila Adhikar to finish on the top of the podium. Anita Chanu earned the third gold in 57kg when she defeated Nepal's Manita Shrestha Pradhan.
     But India missed a clean sweep after a ...

India judokas bag seven gold

Barcelona maintained their grip on the Spanish title thanks to a wonderful Luis Suarez hat-trick, including an audacious penalty move with Lionel Messi, to see off a spirited Celta Vigo 6-1.
     Atletico Madrid remain three points behind as they were 1-0 winners at Getafe thanks to Fernando Torres's first minute goal. Real Madrid slip down to third, a further point adrift of Barca, who also have a game in hand on both clubs from the capital.
     Messi's brilliant free-kick opened the scoring at the Camp Nou, but Celta deservedly drew level before half-time through John Guidetti's penalty.
     However, Suarez took over in the final half hour as he swept home Messi's fine through ball and before prodding home from point-blank range.
     The best was still to come, though, as Messi passed a penalty into Suarez's path to complete his hat-trick before Ivan Rakitic and Neymar rounded off the scoring.
     "Some will like it, some won't, but as Barca players and members of the club, on ..

Suarez, Messi penalty trick lights up Barca rout of Celta

Defending champions India today maintained their supremacy in kabbadi by clinching gold in both men's and women's events at the 12th South Asian Games, here today.
     Indian men beat arch rivals Pakistan 9-7 in a closely fought thrilling summit clash, while their women counterparts hardly broke a sweat in defending their gold medal which they had won in the previous edition by thrashing Bangladesh 36-12 in the final.
     It was a repeat of the 2010 summit clash in both the finals and Pakistan and Bangladesh had to be content with a silver in men's and women's events for second time in a row.
     It was tough fight in the men's final at the R G Baruah Sports Complex with both sides refusing to give in to their opponents.
     Both sides were locked 5-5 at the end of the first half before India showed in the second half why they are the reigning Asian Games champions.
     As usual, captain Anup Kumar played a big role in the win as he gave India a lead of 6-5 just as the second ...

India retain men and women kabaddi gold

India won a hat-trick of gold medals on the last day, but still finished second behind toppers Afghanistan in taekwondo at the 12th South Asian Games, here today.
     Women duo of Latika Bandari and Margerita Regi and male Navjeet Man won gold in their respective categories as India concluded their campaign in taekwondo with five gold, three silver and two bronze medals at the North Eastern Indira Gandhi Regional Institute of Health and Medical Sciences (NEIGRIHMS) on the outskirts of the city here.
     Latika defeated Nepal's Neema Gurung 16-8 in the women under-53kg final, while Margerita reigned supreme in under- 62kg by beating Nepal's Ayasha Shakya with a single blow in the additional time after bout was locked at 8-8 points at the end of the the first three rounds.
     In the men's under-80kg, Navjeet outclassed another Nepali opponent Shaksham Karki to complete a triple treat.
     Afghanistan edged out India to finish on top with six gold, one silver and one bronze.

India win 3 gold on last day, but finish behind Afghanistan

Professional football players have so much time at their disposal that they have little idea of how to spend time after training and practice, feels Paris Saint-Germain manager Laurent Blanc.
     PSG yesterday suspended first team full back Serge Aurier from Champions League game against Chelsea, for criticising Blanc along with senior teammates Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Angel di Maria during a private video chat on social networking site Periscope.
     "It is bad for the image of the club. I feel bad as I brought this boy two years ago. This is the problem with new generation players as they spend their time on expressing their feelings," Blanc said at Champions League pre match press conference.
     "To feel sorry after incident is not good enough. A player is a big boy. It was bad for the club. It is really pitiful that instead of preparing for the game against Chelsea, he would be sitting at home not knowing what do," Blanc said about the Ivory Coast international.
     When a ...

No club is safe from players' social media outbursts: Blanc

Suryakumar Yadav and Aditya Tare helped Mumbai amass a 429-run lead against Madhya Pradesh on day three of the Ranji Trophy semifinal here today.
     Yadav (97*) and Tare (90*) had taken Mumbai to 285 for three in their second innings after the bowlers, led by Balwinder Sandhu, did well to dismiss Madhya Pradesh for 227 in their first essay.
      Forty-time champions Mumbai, who had made 371 in their first innings, are well on their way to add to their record tally in the five-day semifinal.
      Madhya Pradesh, beginning the day at 197 for five, lost Naman Ojha, who was out for for an overnight 79 . Ankit Dane (44) too could not add much to his overnight score as the last five wickets fell for 30 runs.
      Medium pacer Sandhu starred with five wickets and was well supported by Abhishek Nayar (3/56).
      Mumbai then made Madhya Pradesh pay with the bat. Shreyas Iyer made an entertaining 58 off 46 balls before Yadav and Tare forged an unbeaten 190-run stand for the fourth ...

Yadav, Tare put Mumbai in driver's seat

Indian women's football team handed a fitting farewell to iconic Oinam Bembem Devi as the hosts trounced Nepal 4-0 to clinching the gold medal in the 12th South Asian Games at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, here today.
     Young and athletic Kamala Devi Yumnam was the architect of the win with a double strike (32nd, 56th minutes) while the experienced duo of captain Bembem and Ngangom Bala Devi marshalled the midfield brilliantly to hand India its second successive title at the SAG.
     India toyed with Nepalese defence in the second half with another Manipuri duo of Bala Devi (71st) and Ashalata Devi (80th) completing the rout.
     Odisha's Sasmita Malik too impressed from the left flank as she was instrumental in many of the moves, one of them resulting in the Bala Devi's goal.
     After a flurry of misses in the first half hour, Kamala Devi tapped her opportunity home following a cross to give the Indian eves 1-0 lead at the break.
     The agile Kamala Devi made it 2-0 for ...

Indian eves win football gold as Bembem signs off on a high

Outsider, 'Rafa' ably ridden by T S Jodha, won the Godolphin Barb Million, the main event of Hyderabad Winter Races held here today.
	Winner was trained by Dominic.
	Trainers Deshmukh, A'pamSharma, Prasad R and Jockey P Trevor scored a double each.
	Two favourites obliged in a card of nine events.

'Rafa' wins the main race

Riding on half-centuries from Smriti Mandhana and Harmanpreet Kaur followed by Poonam Yadav's four-wicket haul, India Women thrashed Sri Lanka by 107 runs in the first ODI here today.
      With this victory, India Women have taken a 1-0 lead in the three-match series over Sri Lanka.
     Put in to bat, India scored 245 for six in their allotted 50 overs and then bundled out Sri Lanka for a meagre 138 in 45.2 overs.
     Besides the two half-centurions, skipper Mithali Raj also chipped in with a crucial 49.
     Opener Mandhana anchored the first half of the innings with a solid 55 that came off 81 deliveries and was studded with eight fours.
     After Mandhana's dismissal, Harmanpreet took charge with a 61-ball 50, while Mithali's 49 off 74 deliveries also came in handy for the team.
     Chasing 246, Sri Lanka lost Chamari Jayangani (1) early, but the other opener in Prasadani Weerakkody played a patient innings of 113-ball 69 to steady the boat.
     At one stage, Sri Lanka were ..

India beat Sri Lanka by 107 runs

India captain Mahendra Singh today stayed away from commenting on the sweeping changes Supreme Court appointed Lodha Commission has recommended on the functioning of the Indian cricket board.
     "Lodha Commission has not given me the report. So you have to ask the BCCI (about what they plan to do," said Dhoni here today.
     IPL and controversies go hand in hand but Dhoni defended the cash-rich league.
     "Yes, it (IPL) has got its share of bad name but you have to look at the positives as well. It is a platform where you can identify the players on the domestic circuit, gauge their performance throughout the season. It is also about how the young players handle pressure, you see youngsters embracing it. I think that is fantastic for Indian cricket.
     "Yes, money is a big factor. People talk about cricketers getting a lot of money. Yes, a lot of cricketers are getting a lot of money but at the same time, thousands and thousands of them are not."
     Sanjiv Goenka, owner of ...

Dhoni ducks question on Lodha Commission

The boxers hardly broke a sweat to scoop all the seven gold medals up for grabs, while shooters ended their campaign with an outstanding tally of 25 gold medals to ensure that India's reign at the top remained unhindered in the 12th South Asian Games here today.
     On the penultimate day of competitions, the Indian contingent continued to be perched at the top with 289 medals (173 gold, 86 silver and 30 bronze).
     Sri Lanka were second on the table with 174 medals (25 gold, 59 silver and 90 bronze, followed by Pakistan (90 medals = 11 gold, 33 silver and 47 bronze).
     Besides, the boxers and shooters' good show, the Indian women's football team also won the gold medal, defeating Nepal 4-0 in the summit clash.
     The boxers were the stars of the show today in Shillong with all the 7 men in the final notching up mostly comprehensive victories.
     Commonwealth Games silver-medallist L Devendro Singh (49kg) began India's gold rush when he thrashed Pakistan's Mohib Ulla at the .

Boxers, shooters' golden sweep keeps India on top at SAG

Afghanistan today cried foul over the loss of Rahemi Alla Dada in the final of the men's 69kg boxing competition, alleging that the referees "favoured" home favourite Mandeep Jangra.
     Jangra won the gold to help India make a clean sweep of in men's section at the ongoing 12th South Asian Games here.
     "They (judges) want the host country to win all the medals. You ask Bhutan, Pakistan, Sri Lanka or any other contingent, who will here about who won the bout. You will get your answer," Afghanistan Amateur Boxing Federation president Abdulla Sattari told PTI after the final bout.
     "I even told the Indian head coach (G S Sandhu) why have a final event? We're ready to co-operate and hand the gold to you," the fuming Afghan boxing official added.
     The Afghans, however, have decided not to protest the decision.
     "There's no point lodging a protest. They are the hosts. The same will happen when we host in our country," Sattari said.
     As far as Jangra's bout was ...

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