Page 3 - Sports News

After Venus Williams' remark, a look at athletes' health insurance

Venus Williams' recent singles win at the DC Open showcased her longevity and brought attention to health coverage for aging athletes following a joking comment she made in an on-court interview. "I had to come back for the insurance," the five-time Wimbledon champion said after Tuesday's match, her first in 16 months. "They informed me this year that I'm on COBRA, so it's like, I got to get my benefits on." The 45-year-old Williams, who has won seven major singles titles in her career, became the second-oldest woman to win a tour-level singles match in professional tennis with Tuesday's victory. After losing on Thursday, she acknowledged that her comment on health insurance was a "fun and funny moment." The Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act, more commonly referred to as COBRA, allows Americans to stay on their employer's insurance plan for a limited amount of time after leaving their job. It comes with high costs. Williams' comment led to questions about health insur

Sports Minister tables bill for cleaner, accountable sports governance

The proposed National Sports Governance Bill is designed to promote transparency and strengthen accountability across national sports bodies.

Centre to table Sports Bill today; BCCI to come under govt purview

Once the National Sports Governance Bill, 2025 is enacted, the BCCI will need to apply for annual recognition just like any other National Sports Federation.

Anush Agarwalla with his mare Floriana wins dressage event in Germany

India's Anush Agarwalla won the the dressage event of the Jubilaumsturnier Hofgeismar Open to record his maiden victory with his mare Floriana here. Agarwalla, who represented the country at the Paris Olympics, recorded an impressive 69.891 per cent points to finish atop in the six-member field with each of the other competitors being from Germany. Pia Piotrowski and Katharina Hemmer finished second and third respectively. The win marked the first triumph for the pair at the S level as it also was only the second time Agarwalla and his seven-year-old mare were competing in an event. "I'm incredibly proud of Floriana, this was only her second S competition and she handled it with maturity beyond her years," Agarwalla said in a release. "Winning here is a special moment for both of us. I want to sincerely thank Anna Scholermann for her constant guidance, training, and belief in us. This is just the beginning for Floriana, and I'm excited about what the future holds," he added.

How much money is getting involved in football transfer market globally?

Although 2024 saw a 10% decline, the €10.96 bn spent remains the second-highest total ever. Intriguingly, domestic transfers also hit a new high in 2024, reaching €3.63 bn.

Consulted IOC for drafting of National Sports Bill, says Mandaviya

Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya on Thursday said that the National Sports Governance Bill, which will be tabled in the Parliament during next week's monsoon session, has been drafted with inputs from not just the stakeholders here but also international bodies like the IOC and FIFA. Addressing the one-day 'Khelo Bharat Conclave', featuring representatives from the Indian Olympic Association (IOA), National Sports Federations (NSFs), the corporate world and athletes, the minister reiterated his commitment to have the bill passed for which he has even held discussions with former sports minister and Congress leader Ajay Maken. The monsoon session of the Parliament will start on July 21. "I did a series of consultations with NSFs, athletes, coaches, also got 600 inputs from the public when the draft was put online for suggestions. I also had a three-hour meeting with sports lawyers to understand their perspective," Mandaviya stated in his address. "The IOC (International Olympic ...

How to buy tickets for FIFA World Cup 2025? Official details announced

Check the details for booking FIFA World Cup 2026 tickets here.

Top surfers to participate in Asian Surfing Championships at Chennai

Top surfers from the 20 countries in the continent will converge at Mahabalipuram for the Asian Surfing Championships 2025 to be held here from August 3 to 12. The tournament, under the aegis of Asian Surfing Federation (ASF), will see competition in shortboard divisions: Open Men, Open Women, U18 Boys, and U18 Girls. The surfers will also vie for qualification spots for the 2026 Asian Games to be staged in Japan during this event. Udhayanidhi Stalin, Deputy Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu and Minister for Youth Welfare & Sports Development, said: "Hosting the ASF Asian Surfing Championships 2025 in Tamil Nadu highlights our commitment to nurturing new sports like surfing, creating world-class opportunities for our athletes, and strengthening." The men's and women's champions of this tournament will also receive direct berths to the SurfCity El Salvador ALAS Global Finals, scheduled for November 1723, 2025. Shu Miyabe, General Secretary, Asian Surfing Federation, said: "By combining

Indian government open to Pakistan participation in global sports events

Speaking to media ahead of key upcoming events, the minister stressed that India has no issue competing against Pakistan in multi-nation events, but bilateral series are off the table.

National sports governance bill set to be tabled in monsoon session

Mandaviya emphasized the government's intent to move forward with reformative legislation aimed at enhancing transparency and accountability in sports administration.

National Sports Governance Bill to be tabled in monsoon session: Mandaviya

Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya on Monday said the long-awaited National Sports Governance Bill will be tabled in Parliament during the monsoon session beginning July 21. The minister, while speaking to the media on the sidelines of an event to launch department of youth affairs' initiatives against drug addiction, also reiterated the government's position that Pakistani athletes will not be stopped from coming to India for multi-lateral sporting engagements. "The bill will be tabled in the Parliament during the upcoming session. I will give more details in a couple of days," Mandaviya said. The bill seeks to ensure greater accountability for the country's sports administrators with the provision of a regulatory board which would have the power to grant recognition and decide funding to National Sports Federations (NSFs) based on their adherence to provisions related to good governance. The board will also be responsible for ensuring compliance with the highest governance, ...

Pro Kabaddi League 2025 start date, timings, PKL 2025 live streaming

Venues and full fixtures for Pro Kabaddi League 2025 will be announced at a later date

India's doping woes: WADA numbers shows high positivity rate for India

India's doping woes came to the fore once again with the country topping the World Anti-Doping Agency's 2023 testing figures among countries which analysed 5,000 or more samples even as the sports ministry promised an "aggressive clean-up" and an amended Anti-Doping Act after addressing objections from the WADA. India's positivity rate for banned substances stood at 3.8 per cent -- 214 Adverse Analytical Findings (AAF) from 5606 samples. The sample size was significantly higher from 2022 when 3865 tests returned an AAF rate of 3.2 per cent. Of the 5606 tests, 2748 were conducted in-competition. India's positivity rate for banned substances was significantly higher than China (28,197 samples, 0.2 per cent AAF rate), USA (6798 samples, 1.0 per cent AAF rate), France (11,368 samples, 0.9 per cent AAF rate), Germany (15,153 samples, 0.4 per cent AAF rate) and Russia (10,395 samples, 1.0 per cent AAF rate). As compared to India's 214, France, Russia, USA, China and Germany recorded 105,

155 register for second season of Indian Supercross Racing League

A record-breaking 155 riders including six-time German Supercross champion Greg Aranda have registered for the mega auction for the second edition of the Indian Supercross Racing League, organisers announced on Friday. With riders hailing from 21 countries and from across 6 continents, the 2025 roster of the ISRL showcases a powerful blend of world champions, rising stars, and homegrown Indian talent. Joining the league for the first time are globally renowned supercross athletes including Aranda, French SX1 vice champion Anthony Bourdon, French MX & SX champion Maxime Desprey and Justin Starling, an AMA SX veteran with 106 main events . They will race alongside returning international stars including season one 450cc champion Australian Matt Moss MXON world champion Jordi Tixier of France and five time Italian SX/MX champion Lorenzo Camporese. From India, top performers like Ikshan Shanbhag and Rugved Barguje, who stood out in season 1, reaffirm ISRL's commitment to nurturing .

French Open 2025: Men's singles final date, time, live streaming details

Sony Sports Network will live telecast the French Open 2025 men's singles final matches in India.

Gukesh gets even with Carlsen, beats the world No 1 in Norway Chess

Reigning world champion D Gukesh finally got his revenge on Magnus Carlsen, defeating the No.1 player for the first time in a classical game in Round 6 of Norway Chess here on Sunday. Days after Carlsen, the five-time world champion, inflicted a huge blow to Gukesh's chances in the opening round of the tournament, the world champion, who turned 19 only a few days back, struck back, catching the Norwegian by surprise just when it seemed he was on the verge of losing the game to earn three points. The Indian jumped to third spot with 8.5 points and now trails the world No.1 Gukesh and American Fabiano Caruana by just one point. It was a huge comeback for Gukesh, who had looked out of sorts in the opening game against Carlsen. He seemed to be losing Sunday's game as well before he turned things around to win his maiden Classical chess contest in 62 moves and over four hours of nerve-wracking chess. While Gukesh refused to speak to the media, his Polish coach Grzegorz Gajewski said the

Gulveer Singh wins Gold as India bags two medals at Asian Athletics 2025

Gulveer Singh secured India's first gold of the championships in the men's 10,000m race, clocking 28:38.63.

Kush Maini creates history, becomes first Indian to win Formula 2 race

Maini began the Sprint Race on pole thanks to the reverse-grid rule after qualifying 10th for the Feature Race

Carlos Alcaraz beats Jannik Sinner again to win the Italian Open

There's only one player who is consistently beating Jannik Sinner. Carlos Alcaraz defeated the top-ranked player again, beating Sinner 7-6 (5), 6-1 to win his first Italian Open on Sunday and add another big clay-court title to his resume. Since the start of last year, Alcaraz is the only player to beat Sinner more than once and now he's done it four straight times. Alcaraz's victory before Sinner's home fans at the Foro Italico snapped the Italian's 26-match winning streak, which stretched back to October when Alcaraz beat him in the China Open final in a third-set tiebreaker. Alcaraz now leads the career series 7-4. It was Sinner's first tournament back after a three-month doping ban. Alcaraz also solidified his status as the favorite to defend his title at the French Open, which starts next Sunday.

Season four of ILT20 set to return with a new December-January window

Chairman of ILT20 and Vice-Chairman of the ECB, Khalid Al Zarooni, said that launching the tournament on UAE National Day is a tribute to the country and its diverse population of cricket fans