Twenty-five years ago professional tournament golf took its first steps in China and, despite a few stumbles, paved the way to establishing the sport in a country where it was once banned as a "bourgeois pursuit for millionaires".
An unlikely alliance between the China Golf Association and a Swedish carmaker with an eye on an emerging market resulted in a tentative toe being dipped into oriental waters in April 1995 for the first Volvo China Open.
China's first professional golfer, Zhang Lianwei, who had given up his amateur status just a few months before, finished third behind Paraguay's Raul Fretes in a field that contained 1988 US Masters champion Sandy Lyle.
Later that year, millions across the world tuned in to see Davis Love III and Fred Couples lift the 1995 World Cup of Golf for the US at China's newly opened Mission Hills resort.
Zhang and another new pro, Cheng Jun, represented China and finished a monster 45 shots adrift, 27th in a 32-nation field.
But it mattered not. ...

Baby steps, boom times and Tiger: pro golf in China marks 25 years

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Former pacer Shoaib Akhtar believes that Virender Sehwag's Pakistani contemporary, Imran Nazir, was more talented than the aggressive Indian but didn't have his brain and was also let down by the country's cricket administration.
The 44-year-old believes Pakistan, in general, did not take good care of the talent it had.
"I don't think Imran Nazir had the brain that Sehwag had. I don't think Sehwag had the talent that Imran Nazir had. There is no comparison with regards to talent. We tried to contain him a little," Akhtar told local media.
"When he hit a brutal hundred against India in a side match, I asked them to play Imran Nazir consistently but they didn't listen."
Nazir played only eight Tests for Pakistan, scoring 427 runs and featured in 79 ODIs to score 1895 runs.
Sehwag, on the other hand, scored 8586 Test runs from 104 matches and had 8273 ODI runs from 251 matches.
Criticising the Pakistan cricket establishment, the Rawalpindi Express said it did not nurture the players it ..

Nazir had more talent than Sehwag but Indian was more brainy: Akhtar

Former Australian batsman Mike Hussey on Wednesday picked the Indian trio of swashbuckling former opener Virender Sehwag, the legendary Sachin Tendulkar and current skipper Virat Kohli in his 'Best Enemies XI' in Test cricket.
Hussey, who played Test cricket for Australia from 2005 to 2013, picked the Best XI of opponents he has played against in Test cricket on "The Unplayable Podcast".
The 44-year-old named Sehwag, known for his explosive batting, and former South African captain Graeme Smith as openers in the strong batting line-up which also includes the likes of Brian Lara, Tendulkar, Kohli, Jacques Kallis and Kumar Sangakkara.
Hussey picked Tendulkar and Kohli to bat at number four and five respectively.
South Africans Dale Steyn, Morne Morkel, English pacer James Anderson and spin wizard Muttiah Muralitharan made for the bowling attack.
The Australian said it was difficult for him to leave out former Chennai Super Kings teammate MS Dhoni. He justified his decision, stating that 

Hussey picks Tendulkar, Kohli and Sehwag in 'Best of Enemies' XI

It is "highly unlikely" that Australia's scheduled limited-overs tour of England and Scotland will go ahead given the coronavirus pandemic, star batsman David Warner has said.
Australia are scheduled to take on Scotland in a T20 on June 29 before playing three T20s and three ODIs against world champions England from July 3.
"At the moment it's highly unlikely we're going to go over there given what's happened in England," Warner told cricket.com.au.
The England and Wales Cricket Board has suspended all cricket in the country until at least July 1 and England's Test series with the West Indies set for June has already been rescheduled.
The ECB chief executive Tom Harrison said any further delays to their season would likely mean "losing cricket rather than rescheduling".
Australia has already seen a two-Test tour of Bangladesh that had been scheduled for June called off, while a planned limited-overs home series against Zimbabwe in August is also unlikely to proceed.
British Prime ...

Warner casts fresh doubts over Australia's UK tour in July

Thierry Henry is adjusting to life on pause with the Montreal Impact as the Major League Soccer side awaits the end of the coronavirus shutdown.
Former France, Arsenal and Barcelona star Henry took over as manager of Montreal ahead of the 2020 season, but saw his reign effectively put on hold after just two games when COVID-19 brought sport in North America to a standstill last month.
Speaking on a video conference call on Tuesday, Henry said he is staying positive as he waits to see how the virus plays out.
Major League Soccer chiefs have said the league won't resume until June 8 at the earliest, as they work through different scenarios which could allow the 2020 season to be completed.
"Nobody knows who is going to move when, what's going to happen. We are waiting to see if we are going to play football again," Henry said Tuesday.
"All we can do on our side is to be focused and prepare to whatever is going to come our way. They are going to take the decision and we are going to have 

Henry playing waiting game with MLS in limbo

A Swiss court has  scheduled a September trial date for Paris Saint-Germain president Nasser Al-Khelaifi and FIFA's former secretary general Jerome Valcke, in an alleged corruption case.
The case, involving the pair and a third, unnamed man, relates to alleged criminal mismanagement, incitement to criminal mismanagement, falsifying documents and corruption, the Federal Criminal Court said on its website.
The court is based in the southeastern Swiss city of Bellinzona.  When filing the indictment in February, the office of Switzerland's attorney general (OAG) said the men faced charges linked "with the award of media rights to various World Cup and FIFA Confederations Cup tournaments."
After the date was set on Tuesday, Al-Khelaifi's lawyers issued a statement insisting the case was "completely unfounded", and said the allegation against their client was "manifestly artificial."
They also indicated that they had requested the recusal of the prosecutors in the case and had filed a ...

Swiss set trial date for PSG chief, ex-FIFA no.2

Italy's footballers' union (AIC) has slammed the government's decision not to allow a return to training for team sports while easing coronavirus restrictions for individual athletes.
Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte has announced that individual athletes can train from May 4, but team sports, including football, must wait until at least May 18.
The AIC said the decision left footballers "perplexed and surprised".
"The idea seems discriminatory, even illogical to let individual sporting disciplines enter training grounds, but not professional footballers and other athletes registered for team disciplines," the AIC, headed by former Italian international Damiano Tommasi, said in a statement.
"The rule also risks aggravating and not containing the risk.
"For professional athletes this phase of training after such a long period of enforced stop is necessary to avoid injuries and be ready to start training in groups from May 18."
Italy's 20 top-flight clubs have voted unanimously to complete 

Italian footballers' union furious at ban on team training

The French league (LFP) has said its executive board will meet on Thursday to discuss the effect of Prime Minister Edouard Philippe's earlier announcement about cancelling the season.
Philippe said professional football and other sports in France cannot resume until September because of coronavirus restrictions.
France's sports ministry told AFP after Philippe's speech that fixtures could not take place even behind closed doors before the end of July, leaving open the possibility that some matches could still be played in August.
A source told AFP that sports minister Roxana Maracineanu had confirmed the later announcement with club directors from Ligue 1 outfits.
LFP's administrative council will meet at a later date and are set to formally cancel the campaign before calling a general meeting where the end of season standings will be decided.

Ligue 1 delays decision on season fate until Thursday

Spain's professional athletes including La Liga players can restart basic training from May 4, the country's government has announced.
The Spanish top-flight has been on hold since March 12 due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said the decision was the first move in lifting lockdown measures which will be done in four stages across two months.
"The first phase, or phase 0, is the preparation to transition phase or the de-escalation phase, which we are already in," Sanchez said.
"In the best-case scenario, this de-escalation phase will take a minimum of six weeks and the maximum duration we want to see is eight weeks for the whole of Spain," he added.
Only later in later stages of the process will full sessions be able to take place.
The announcement allows the league's clubs to restart individual sessions with their squad members, a protocol agreed upon by La Liga and the Spanish Football Federation earlier this month.
According to local reports players will ..

La Liga set for individual training return on May 4

This year's Deutschland Tour originally set for August 20-23 has been cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic, organisers have announced.
Large-scale public events in Germany have been banned until August 31 due to the COVID-19 outbreak.
"As big as the disappointment is, the current circumstances and the decision by the German authorities make it clear that the Deutschland Tour cannot take place this year," race director Claude Rach said in a statement.
Next year's race will take 2020's course starting in the north-eastern town of Stralsund and ending in Nuremberg.
Cycling's three Grand Tours have all been postponed with the Tour de France re-scheduled for August 29-September 20.

Deutschland Tour cancelled due to virus

Paris Saint-Germain will complete their Champions League season abroad if France's new coronavirus regulations don't allow them to them to play matches in the country, the club's president has said.
Nasser Al-Khelaifi made the announcement after French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe said that professional football could not restart until September, putting the current Ligue 1 season in serious danger of being cancelled.
"We respect the French government decision. With agreement from UEFA, we plan on competing in the Champions League, wherever and whenever it is held," Al-Khelaifi said in a statement.
"If it is not possible to play in France we will play our matches abroad, ensuring the best medical safety conditions for our players and all of our staff."
Philippe's announcement to France's National Assembly on Tuesday appeared to spell the end to the current Ligue 1 and 2 campaigns.
However France's sports ministry told AFP after the speech that sports fixtures could not take place ..

PSG could play Champions League matches abroad, says Al-Khelaifi

Andy Murray insists tennis must take it slowly as the sport's bosses consider when to return after the coronavirus.
The men's ATP and women's WTA tours are suspended until at least July 13 due to the pandemic, while this year's Wimbledon has been cancelled.  Premier League football clubs are hoping to finish their postponed season in the summer.
But former world number one Murray believes tennis will be one of the last sports to resume due to the travel required.
"I'm sure all tennis players want to get back to competing and playing as soon as possible. But right now that is not the most important thing, Murray said on Tuesday.
"First of all, we want to get our normal lives back, just being able to go out, see friends, go to restaurants and have your normal freedoms.
"And then hopefully over time, things will start to allow for travelling and sport will be able to go back to normal as well. But I don't see that happening very soon."
Murray believes containing the virus is essential ...

Murray warns tennis chiefs against quick return after virus

The chairman of FIFA's medical committee has said he is "sceptical" about restarting league football during the coronavirus pandemic and suggested national competitions concentrate on getting ready for next season instead.
There has been talk of Germany's Bundesliga and England's Premier League resuming behind closed doors.
But Michel D'Hooghe, the head of global governing body FIFA's medical panel, told the BBC on Tuesday: "My proposal is if it is possible, avoid playing competitive football in the coming weeks.
"Try to be prepared for the start of good competition next season."
Dutch football chiefs have already abandoned this season's Eredivisie, with no promotion or relegation, while the future of the 2019/20 Ligue 1 campaign was thrown into doubt when the French Prime Minister said Tuesday that no major sport in the country could take place until the end of the summer.
Meanwhile D'Hooghe warned too quick a resumption of football could have "consequences of life and death".
The ...

FIFA medical chief wary of resuming season amid virus threat

Opener Tom Latham has won the Redpath Cup as New Zealand's best batsman, breaking a seven-year streak in which the trophy was won by either Kane Williamson or Ross Taylor.
Latham won the annual award for the first time after scoring 608 runs in nine tests at an average of 40.53. His best innings was his 154 against Sri Lanka in Colombo in August which helped New Zealand win the second test and level the two-match series.
Latham was selected as an opener in the International Cricket Council's world test team of 2019.
"This season we faced some of the very best bowling attacks in the world and Tom was an absolute rock at the top for us," New Zealand coach Gary Stead said.
Tim Southee won the Windsor Cup as New Zealand's best bowler for the first time since 2014. The trophy has been won by either Trent Boult or Neil Wagner over the previous five seasons.
Southee took 40 wickets at an average of 21.47 in the awards periods, contributing to test match wins over Sri Lanka in Colombo, ...

Latham, Southee feature in NZ Cricket's virual awards Latham

Turkish athlete Gulcan Mingir, a 3,000 metre steeplechase specialist, was "disqualified" from the London 2012 Olympics after a positive doping test, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) said.
Mingir, 30, finished 27th in the women's steeplechase eight years ago, but has had that result scrapped.
"Re-analysis of Mingir's samples from London 2012 resulted in a positive test for the prohibited substance dehydrochlormethyltestosterone (turabinol)," the IOC said in a statement.
Mingir won the gold medal in the event at the 2012 European Championships in Helsinki.

Turkish athlete has London 2012 sample test positive for doping

All players from overseas seeking to join Premier League clubs are set to be subject to points-based criteria for work permits after Britain's departure from the European Union is complete.
Currently, only players from outside of the European single market have to meet certain soccer-specific immigration requirements. But new regulations are required because clubs will no longer have the unrestricted ability to sign players from the continent after the transition period for Britain's divorce from the EU.
The English Football Association disclosed in its annual financial report on Tuesday plans for a points-based system for the Premier League, which had wanted a way of maintaining the status quo.
The FA and Premier League are yet to come to an agreement on the specifics of the number of homegrown players in the 25-man squads, with eight currently required.
The new points system will expand the current assessment for work permits for non-European players, so taking into consideration ...

Premier League set for points-based work permits post-Brexit

The Boxing Federation of India (BFI) asserted that the International Boxing Association (AIBA) acted in "haste" after the hosting rights of the 2021 men's world championship were taken away from the country for non-payment of host city fee.
In a statement on Monday night, AIBA handed over the championship, originally allotted to India in 2017, to Serbian capital Belgrade.
The BFI acknowledged the delay in payment but blamed it on "procedural complications" arising out of the AIBA's failure to resolve "issues" with regards to the account in which the money was to be transferred.
The payment of what is estimated to be USD 4 million was due to be made on December 2 last year.
"After New Delhi didn't fulfill its obligations to pay host fee as mentioned in the Host City Agreement terms, AIBA has terminated the contract. Therefore, India would have to pay a cancellation penalty of USD 500," the AIBA said in a statement.
The elite competition would have happened for the first time in the ...

AIBA acted in haste, says BFI after India loses 2021 men's World C'ship hosting rights

India on Tuesday lost the hosting rights of the 2021 men's world boxing championship to Serbia after the International Boxing association alleged non-payment of host fee by the national federation, which claimed that AIBA "acted in haste".
The Boxing Federation of India acknowledged the delay but blamed it on "procedural complications" arising out of the AIBA's failure to resolve "issues" with regards to the account in which the money was to be transferred.
The payment of what is estimated to be USD 4 million was due to be made on December 2 last year.
"After New Delhi didn't fulfill its obligations to pay host fee as mentioned in the Host City Agreement terms, AIBA has terminated the contract. Therefore, India would have to pay a cancellation penalty of USD 500," the AIBA said in a statement.
The elite competition, which would have happened for the first time in the country, will now be held in the Serbian city of Belgrade.
"Serbia has everything to organize a great event for ...

2021 men's World Boxing C'ship: India loses hosting rights

England captain Joe Root said Tuesday he had been sledged during his cricket career for looking like American comedian and chat show host Ellen DeGeneres.
Sledging, the practice where a fielding side verbally abuses a batsman to disturb his concentration, can take many forms.
But Root said he understood what had led opponents to come up with the unusual jibe.
"I've been called Ellen DeGeneres on a number of occasions over the course of my career," Root told BBC Radio 1.
"I think there's a likeness there."
With the start of the English cricket season suspended until July at the earliest because of the coronavirus, Root, 29, appeared on the pop music station to select some of his favourite records.
He opted for 'Mardy Bum' by the Arctic Monkeys and 'She Moves In Her Own Way' by the Kooks as his opening two 'Mancave Anthems'.
His choices also included 'The Greatest Show' as a tribute to England star all-rounder Ben Stokes.

England captain Root reveals Ellen DeGeneres sledges

Premier all-rounder Ben Stokes on Tuesday asserted that Test cricket will never lose its sheen and said the world's top players, including Virat Kohli, wouldn't support any tinkering with the traditional format to make it look "easy".
During a podcast organised by IPL franchise Rajasthan Royals, Stokes also spoke about playing alongside and against Steve Smith. He termed former Rajasthan Ranji keeper Dishant Yagnik (who played for Royals) as a "great fielding coach".
"For me, Test cricket is the pinnacle. There's been a lot of talk recently about Test cricket dying, but I don't know where that comes from," Stokes said.
"You ask all the players who, or maybe not all the players, but I know the likes of Virat (Kohli) and (Joe) Root have spoken about how Test cricket is where you really get tested.
"It's where you find out what you are really about as a cricketer and for me it is the purest form of the sport. It has to stay around, it would be a sad, sad day if Test cricket was changed. .

Test cricket needs to stay as it is, could become 'easy cricket' if changed: Stokes

Asian Games gold-medal winning boxer Dingko Singh has revealed that he went into depression as he was unable to travel to the national capital for his cancer treatment due to the nationwide lockdown.
Dingko Singh was on Saturday airlifted from Imphal to the national capital for his liver cancer treatment.
"If the ambulance wouldn't have been arranged, it could have been a big problem for me. Even though I wanted to come to Delhi, I couldn't come because of the lockdown," Dingko said in a video message released by the Boxing Federation of India (BFI).
"During the critical time when doctors had told me to come, I could not manage to come time to time, and so I went into depression."
Dingko's transfer to Delhi by a Spicejet air ambulance was personally facilitated by BFI president Ajay Singh, after he missed a scheduled radiation therapy session due to the ongoing national lockdown.
The 41-year-old was due to undergo radiation therapy a fortnight back but could not come to Delhi because .

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