Page 2 - Sports News

How Supreme Court ruling on transgender athletes affects US women's sports

The Supreme Court ruling comes as international sports organisations increasingly move towards biological sex-based eligibility rules

India Open shifted to February as BWF unveils 2027-28 tournament calendar

The India Open Super 750 will be held in February next year and at the end of January in 2028, according to the World Tour Calendar for the next two years announced by the Badminton World Federation (BWF) on Tuesday. The 2026 edition of the country's flagship event was held from January 13 to 18 at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium. It will now be staged from February 2 to 7 in 2027, and from January 25 to 30 in 2028 in the national capital. The 2026 edition had faced widespread criticism from elite international players over hazardous air quality, freezing indoor court temperatures, and concerns related to venue hygiene. The Syed Modi India International, which has been downgraded to a Super 100 event, will be held in Lucknow from July 27 to August 1 in 2027 and from July 25 to 30 in 2028. The BWF confirmed a 35-tournament global circuit for 2027 and 2028, ranging from Super 1000 to Super 100 levels, along with the season-ending World Tour Finals. The calendar will run year-round

Netherlands suffer another penalty heartbreak as Morocco reach pre-quarters

Yassine Bounou saved Crysencio Summerville's spot kick before Ismael Saibari scored the winner as Morocco beat the Netherlands 3-2 on penalties

Germany lose World Cup shootout for first time as Paraguay spring upset

Paraguay beat Germany 4-3 on penalties after a 1-1 draw, with Orlando Gill making two saves and Jose Canale scoring the sudden-death winner

Who is Ancy Sojan? Kerala jumper who broke Anju Bobby's 22-year-old record

Besides rewriting the record books, the jump also secured Ancy the Athletics Federation of India's qualification mark for the 2026 Asian Games

Cape Verde defy football's rich list, set up Messi clash in World Cup's R32

Cape Verde, the smallest nation to reach a men's World Cup knockout round, will face Argentina after finishing second in Group H despite a squad value far below football's giants

World Cup: Iran, Fifa avoid questions on Seattle Pride Match against Egypt

Before coach Amir Ghalenoei or goalkeeper Alireza Beiranvand answered any questions Thursday ahead of Iran's World Cup match with Egypt, a FIFA official spoke up. Daniel Marin, FIFA's executive director of public relations, read a statement in light of the teams meeting in a "Pride Match" in Seattle on Friday. Egypt and Iran are two of the most repressive places in the world for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people, but they coincidentally will play each other while the host city honours the LGBTQ+ community. "This Islamic Republic of the Iran Football Federation has asked us to inform the media that they are only willing to answer questions in relation to the game," Marin said. "We fully respect the right of all journalists to ask questions. In this case, we ask you respect the rights of the federation here today to only answer questions in relation to the team, the tactics, the match, and so on." Nonetheless, Ghalenoei was peppered with questions about what will transpire

New Zealand just one win away from historic World Cup knockout berth

There are several World Cup teams ranked higher than New Zealand entering their final group-stage matches without any hope of advancing to the round of 32. "That's not us," New Zealand coach Darren Bazeley said Thursday ahead of his team's match against Belgium on Friday. "We're now in a game where we win, we go through." That scenario seemed unthinkable when the All Whites, among the lowest-ranked teams in the this year's World Cup, were drawn into Group G with Belgium, Egypt and Iran. But thanks to the expanded 48-team format and a group that has veered off script, New Zealand is one win away from advancing out of the group stage for the first time. "It never works out like you expect it to," Bazeley said. "Football doesn't." A win against Belgium could push New Zealand into second place in Group G -- and therefore the knockout rounds -- if Egypt and Iran play to a draw in a match that will be played simultaneously on Friday. Anything less than a win for New Zealand against Bel

Fifa WC 2026: Turkey stun US 3-2 with late goal as Americans eye knockouts

Kaan Ayhan scored on the final kick of the match, and Turkey beat the United States 3-2 Thursday night for its only win of the World Cup. Auston Trusty scored in the third minute and Sebastian Berhalter got a tying goal early in the second half for the Americans, who had already won Group D with victories over Paraguay and Australia. Coach Mauricio Pochettino's team will meet Bosnia-Herzegovina in the Round of 32 on Wednesday. Pochettino fielded nine new starters for this low-stakes game, but Christian Pulisic entered in the 58th minute. He hadn't played since the first half of the Americans' opener due to a calf injury. Arda Guler and Orkun Kokcu scored in the first half of a resilient performance by Turkey, which had already been eliminated. Turkey won in the eighth minute of stoppage time when Can Uzun got the ball in space on the back post and pushed it past sprawling goalkeeper Matt Turner to Ayhan, who slid to knock it home.

How Carlo Ancelotti finally unlocked best version of Vinícius Jr for Brazil

Few coaches understand Vinícius better than Carlo Ancelotti. The Italian spent four seasons working with the winger at Real Madrid.

IOC athlete grant: Why $10,000 payout may not stretch Olympic finances

The IOC's plan to pay eligible Olympians $10,000 marks a historic shift in athlete support, but its multibillion-dollar Olympic-year revenue suggests limited financial pressure

Asics, Rohan Bopanna academy join hands to nurture young tennis players

The partnership will provide product access, performance education, clinics, masterclasses and support to tennis professionals at Rohan Bopanna Tennis Academy (RBTA)

Fifa WC: Portugal vs Colombia match on June 28 to decide Group K toppers

Fifa World Cup 2026 group K round of 32 qualification scenarios: Colombia are through; Portugal need a point, while DR Congo and Uzbekistan must win and rely on third-place calculations.

'Hungrier' Yuvraj Sandhu eyes 'Major' glory, cherishes Asian Games dream

India's top-ranked golfer Yuvraj Sandhu says he is "hungrier than ever" and has set himself an ambitious target of winning a major championship within the next two to three years. Sandhu clinched an unprecedented seven titles last year during a record-breaking domestic season, topping the Professional Golf Tour of India (PGTI) Order of Merit to earn a full-season card on the prestigious DP World Tour. "I'm just a little hungrier than ever before. Now that I've tasted the European tour, I feel like this is exactly where professional golf is... it's literally where you want to be. So I see myself playing a lot of majors next year, contending as well. And ideally, it would be -- winning a major next year," Yuvraj told PTI. "So I'm just going to stick to the process, work hard and let's see if I can win a major next year. That'll be golden. But I definitely see myself winning a major in the coming two or three years. "I definitely see that because I know that, to begin with, I have the

Fifa mulls keeping hydration breaks for future World Cups: Infantino

FIFA will consider keeping hydration breaks for future World Cups despite backlash to the extra stoppages in play at this year's tournament. Gianni Infantino, the soccer body's president, defended the decision to introduce breaks - which come midway through each half - at this World Cup and said Tuesday they may be providing more entertainment for fans. He said FIFA would analyze what it will do in future tournaments "based on this experience." But after criticism that the breaks were a stealth way to insert advertising or American-style timeouts, Infantino suggested the stoppages have been positive. "Maybe the coach can reassess certain situations, correct certain mistakes. The players get a little rest and come back in full speed. Well, is that bad necessarily? Maybe it's good," Infantino said. "And we see as well the intensity of the games. We've never seen 90 minutes in a tournament like this played in such an intensity. "Until the last second of the match, players attack and s

Fifa WC 2026: Paraguay's Miguel Almiron handed one-game ban after red card

Paraguay midfielder Miguel Almiron has been given a one-match suspension after he was the first player to be sent off at the World Cup for covering his mouth. FIFA confirmed on Tuesday that Almiron will miss Paraguay's final group game against Australia on Thursday. World soccer's governing body said the decision was not subject to appeal. Almiron made history when he was issued a red card for covering his mouth during a confrontation with Turkey's Mert Mulder late in the first half of Paraguay's 1-0 win last Friday. Under new rules, players are not allowed to cover their mouths to disguise what they are saying during confrontations, with infringements leading to an instant dismissal. FIFA president Gianni Infantino pushed for the legislation after a high-profile incident in a Champions League game between Real Madrid and Benfica last season. Benfica's Gianluca Prestianni tried to hide verbal insults toward Madrid's Vinicius Junior. UEFA later issued Prestianni a six-game ban --

Fifa World Cup 2026: Croatia stay alive, eliminate Panama With 1-0 win

Josip Stanisic lifted a curving cross onto the boot of Ante Budimir, who tapped it into an open net in the 54th minute Tuesday, giving Croatia a 1-0 win over Panama in the World Cup. Croatia remains in contention for the knockout round ahead of its third and final group-stage match against Ghana on Saturday. Panama was eliminated and is still seeking its first World Cup point in two appearances. After a slow-moving first half at BMO Field, Croatia broke through Panama's strong back line after the break, with substitute Budimir finding the net just four minutes after coming on. The Vatreni nearly added another goal three minutes later when 40-year-old Luka Modric -- making his 200th international appearance -- passed ahead to Marco Pasalic on a breakaway, but Panama goalkeeper Orlando Mosquera blocked Pasalic's shot. Panama had three straight chances in the 67th minute to knot things up. Croatia goalkeeper Dominik Livakovic made a trio of dazzling saves; on the third, he just manage

England, Ghana play out goalless draw after late World Cup drama

England dominated possession but came up empty on several late scoring opportunities in a 0-0 draw with Ghana on Tuesday at the World Cup. Both teams won their opening matches, with Ghana beating Panama 1-0 and England defeating Croatia 4-2. Now both still have work to do in Group L before securing a spot in the knockout round. England, which has not lost to an African country at the World Cup in nine meetings, outshot Ghana 19-1 but failed capitalise on multiple chances in the closing minutes. England lost to France in the quarterfinals at the 2022 tournament in Qatar. Ghana has not made it to the knockout round since reaching the quarterfinals at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. The Three Lions had a chance to take the lead in the 86th minute when Nico O'Reilly's header hit the crossbar. Harry Kane gathered the rebound but could not get enough on it with his left foot and shot high. Ghana's best chance came in the 78th minute came when Abdul Fatawu outfought England midfielde

IPL insurers may see fewer claims this year on lower weather disruptions

Insurers' loss ratio is estimated at 60-70%, 10-15 percentage points lower than last season

World Cup 2026 Group E scenarios: Germany through, race wide open for R32

Germany are through to the Round of 32 at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, but Group E remains open as Ivory Coast, Ecuador and Curacao battle to qualify.