Page 103 - Sports
AICF plans Indian Chess League
The All-India Chess Federation (AICF) Sunday unveiled a slew of plans including promoting an Indian Chess League and engaging foreign coaches for 15 top juniors as part of 'Vision 2020'. The 'Vision 2020' received the nod from members at the AICG's annual general meeting held in Goa. The other plans of AICF include holding a round-robin event with top Grandmasters (GM) funded by sponsors, creating a separate division for promoting chess in schools, two women round-robin events for securing international title norms and engaging foreign coaches for 15 top junior players. According to AICF secretary Bharat Singh Chauhan, the possibility of conducting ICL was at a preliminary stage and discussions were in progress. "We are exploring the possibility of having the ICL with some a few people, who have shown interest. The format and modalities have to be discussed," he told PTI. He also said coaching camps and FIDE rated tournaments for girls in 15 states under the 'Smart Girl Project' under
Chawrasia finishes 53rd in Munich
Indian golfer SSP Chawrasia shot one-over 73 and Gaganjeet Bhullar carded two-over 74 as they finished Tied-53rd and Tied-62nd respectively in the BMW International Open here Sunday. Chawrasia had three birdies on front nine, but he also gave away a double bogey on third and two other bogeys on back nine. Bhullar, who shot an ace in the second round and won himself a BMW car M8 Coupe, had four birdies and four bogeys and a double bogey on third. Andrea Pavan beat Matthew Fitzpatrick in a play-off to win his second European Tour title at the BMW International Open. The Italian had set the pace on day one at Golfclub Mnchen Eichenried but entered the final round four shots off the lead before carding a closing 66 to set the clubhouse target at 15 under. It looked like that may not be enough as Fitzpatrick entered the scoreable closing stretch in a share of the lead but the Englishman bogeyed the 17th before picking the shot back up on the last to set up the play-off. Heavy rain began to
Diksha plays bogey free final round to finish Tied-13th
Diksha Dagar played her best round of the week with a flawless three-under 69 to rise to Tied-13th from overnight Tied-25th at the Ladies European Tour Thailand Open. Dagar, playing in her rookie year, is now eighth on the LET Order of Merit and second on the Rookie of the Year list. In 10 starts, she has made nine cuts, won once, been in Top-5 twice and twice more in Top-20 including this week. Diksha played her first three rounds in even par 72 each and ended the week at three-under 285. India's other women stars -- Tvesa Malik (75) ended Tied-48th at four-over 292 and Astha Madan had a final round of 75 for a total of eight-over 296. Thailand's amateur star Atthaya Thitikul has won the Ladies European Thailand Championship for the second time in three years. The 16-year-old finished with a five-under-par 67 on a weather-interrupted final day to win by five shots from Esther Henseleit. Thitikul's triumph at Phoenix Gold Golf and Country Club two years ago aged 14 years, four months .
Australian Barty on top of tennis world
Ashleigh Barty said it was in "another realm" to become only the second Australian woman to top the world rankings when she won the Birmingham WTA title on Sunday, beating Julia Goerges 6-3, 7-5. The 23-year-old French Open champion emulates Yvonne Goolagong Cawley -- like her an indigenous Australian -- who held it for a fortnight in 1976. Barty -- the first Australian to win the French Open since Margaret Court in 1973 -- displaces Japan's Naomi Osaka as women's world number one. Even more extraordinarily, it comes less than five years since she took time out from tennis to play cricket in 2014. Nevertheless, she said it had been a childhood dream to be tennis number one, even though this year her and her team had only targeted the top 10. "I mean you always dream of it as a little kid, but for it to become a reality is incredible, it really is," said Barty after receiving the trophy in a tournament she had not dropped a set in. "It's not something that was really in my realm. "We ..
'Not easy to dominate' - Federer feels for younger generation
Roger Federer expressed sympathy for the younger generation of tennis players on Sunday, saying that their successes outside of the Grand Slams were being overlooked. Federer, 37, won the ATP tournament in Halle for a record-stretching 10th time on Sunday, notching up his 102nd career singles title. He was one of two 37-year-olds to be playing in an ATP final on the same day, with veteran Spaniard Feliciano Lopez also in the singles final at Queen's. Federer admitted that the continuing success of older players such as himself, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic had left little elbow room for the younger generation. "As long as me, Rafa and Novak are around it is not going to be easy for a young guy to come up and dominate," he said. "Maybe it would be good for the sport if they did, I don't know. People seem to like it as it is." Yet Federer insisted that the success of players such as Stefanos Tsitsipas, Borna Coric and Karen Khachanov should not be overlooked. Coric, 22, beat Federer .
Squash great Jahangir Khan urges Pakistan to show World Cup fight
Pakistan squash great Jahangir Khan has urged Pakistan to show grit at the World Cup, saying they have the talent to reach the semi-finals despite a string of bad results. Jahangir, one of the finest squash players of all time, was in the stands at Lord's on Sunday to watch his side take on South Africa. "Pakistan still have a chance of qualifying for the semi-finals but for that I want them to be fighting throughout the match," he said. The 1992 champions, who came into the South Africa match with just one victory in five games, must realistically win all their remaining four ties and hope other results go their way. Jahangir, who won 10 British Open titles and six world titles, was known for his never-say-die approach and stamina, traits that he wants to see in the Pakistan team, who scored 308-7 in their 50 overs on Sunday. "What I have seen in the previous games was that the team lacked aggression, especially against India," said Jahangir, referring to last week's defeat against ..
India celebrates Olympic Day
The Indian Olympic Association (IOA), along with its member units, Sunday joined millions from around the world in celebrating Olympic Day. On this very day, 125 years ago, Frenchman Pierre de Coubertin founded the International Olympic Committee and revived the Olympic Games. India's lone individual Olympics gold medallist shooter Abhinav Bindra, IOC Honorary Member Randhir Singh, IOA President Narinder Batra and IOA Secretary Genera Rajeev Mehta took part in the celebration. Every year, Olympic Day sees Olympic Committees and Associations, international and national sports federations, organising committees of Olympic Games and Youth Olympic Games, National Olympian Associations and Young Ambassadors around the world organised and participate in a myriad of sports activities to promote a healthy and active lifestyle. This year, 13 State Olympic Associations in India, including those of Arunachal Pradesh, West Bengal, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Himachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Karnataka, Uttar
Vatican women's team refuses to play after anti-abortion protest
The newly formed Vatican women's team called off a friendly football match in Vienna after several Austrian players protested the church's anti-abortion stance, an Austrian football official said Sunday. The Vatican side, which was founded this year, refused to play Saturday after three Austrians lifted their shirts to reveal pro-choice messages painted on their stomachs and backs when the anthems were played before kick-off, said Ernst Lackner, chairman of Vienna's Mariahilf team. Lackner said football officials had not been aware of the women's protest plans and would review the incident, although he added freedom of expression "should be respected". "They (the Vatican team) didn't come out to play... It's really regrettable the game was called off," he told AFP, adding it was supposed to be the Vatican women's first match abroad. Austrian public broadcaster ORF quoted Danilo Zennaro, a representative of the Vatican sports association, as saying that the game was scrapped "because ..
CWC'19: New Zealand fined for slow over-rate against West Indies
New Zealand have been fined for a slow over-rate against West Indies during the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup match at Old Trafford in Manchester on Saturday.David Boon of the Emirates ICC Elite Panel of Match Referees imposed the fine after Kane Williamson-led side was ruled to be one over short of its target after time allowances were taken into consideration.On-field umpires Ian Gould and Ruchira Palliyaguruge, third umpire Nigel Llong and fourth umpire Rod Tucker had levelled the charge.In accordance with Article 2.22 of the ICC Code of Conduct for Players and Player Support Personnel, which relates to minor over-rate offences, players are fined 10 per cent of their match fees for every over their side fails to bowl in the allotted time, while the captain is fined double that amount.As such, Williamson has been fined 20 per cent of his match fee, while his teammates have been handed 10 per cent fines.If New Zealand commit another minor over-rate breach during the tournament with ...
PM Modi lauds Indian women's hockey team for winning FIH Series Finals
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday lauded the stupendous victory of Indian women's hockey team in the FIH Series Finals, saying the win will not only popularise the game but will also inspire young girls to excel in the sport.In a Tweet, PM Modi said, "Exceptional game, excellent outcome! Congratulations to our team for winning the Women's FIH Series Finals hockey tournament. This stupendous victory will further popularise hockey and also inspire many young girls to excel in the sport."Hockey India thanked the PM for his motivating words and said the win will drive more young women to choose sport as a career."Thank you Shri. Narendra Modi for the support and the motivating words. The win will only drive more young women to choose sport as a career," Hockey India tweeted.Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju took to Twitter and called the victory great news."Here comes the great news! India clinched the Women's FIH Series Finals hockey tournament by beating Japan 3-1 in the finals at ...
Australian Barty on top of the tennis world
Ashleigh Barty became only the second Australian woman to top the world rankings when she won the Birmingham WTA title on Sunday, beating Julia Goerges 6-3, 7-5. The 23-year-old French Open champion emulates Yvonne Goolagong-Cawley, who held it for a fortnight in 1976. Barty displaces Japan's Naomi Osaka as women's world number one. Barty showed little sign of the arm injury -- the same one she had going into the French Open -- which saw her pull out of the doubles on Saturday where coincidentally she was partnering Goerges. Barty saved two break points early in the first set but she made no mistake when she was offered the opportunity -- Goerges putting a backhand wide to give the Australian a 4-2 lead. Barty closed out the set without further ado -- the pick of her shots a delightful lob into the far corner which Goerges tried valiantly to get back but it dropped short of the net to give her a 5-2 lead. Goerges, though, struck back in the second set, breaking Barty in her first ...
Meme experts enjoy field day as Tahir celebrates after taking wickets against Pak
In the ongoing ICC Men's Cricket World Cup match between South Africa and Pakistan, Proteas spinner Imran Tahir scalped two wickets and he sent the Twitterverse rolling with his trademark celebration style.Tahir has a knack of running around the ground to celebrate the dismissal and this habit allowed meme experts to enjoy a field day on Twitter."The nearest traffic officer must have stopped Tahir before reaching the nearest Expressway #CWC19 #PAKvSA," one fan tweeted."Breaking: ICC ordered to close all exit doors at Lord's stadium so Imran Tahir doesn't run out of the stadium after taking a wicket," one Twitter user posted.One fan posted a photo of Tahir having a sprint alongside Usain Bolt and captioned the post as "Imran Tahir after taking the 2nd wicket. #PakvsSA #CWC19".One Twitter user posted photos of chicken and captioned the post as "Imran Tahir as a chicken."One user posted a series of photos and captioned the post as "Imran Tahir has reached Kashmir after taking a ...
Hat-trick of podiums for Jehan in F3 with 3rd place finish in sprint
Jehan Daruvala continued to scorch the track as the young Indian racer completed a hat-trick of podiums by finishing third in the FIA Formula 3 Championship after starting eighth on the grid in the sprint race here Sunday. Jehan's victory on Saturday in the feature race meant he had to start from eighth on Sunday due to the regulations which dictate that the top eight finishers are reversed for the start of the sprint race. This was Jehan's third consecutive podium in four races and it came in front of the Formula 1 teams since the F3 now runs as a support event to the main F1 Grand Prix. "It's been a good weekend for the team and for me as well. This race was fun actually. At the start, I was a bit surprised by how quick the lights went out and then I was playing it a bit too safe for the first couple of laps," said Jehan after the race. "We knew we had the pace and the race was long, but maybe I took a bit too much time. When I got up to P6 the leading group of five cars was quite a
NZ fined for slow over-rate in their World Cup match against West Indies
New Zealand have been fined for maintaining a slow over-rate against the West Indies in their World Cup match at Old Trafford here. New Zealand defeated the West Indies by five runs on Saturday with captain Kane Williamson hitting a career-best 148. David Boon of the Emirates ICC Elite Panel of Match Referees imposed the fine after Williamson's side was ruled to be one over short of its target after time allowances were taken into consideration. "In accordance with Article 2.22 of the ICC Code of Conduct for Players and Player Support Personnel, which relates to minor over-rate offences, players are fined 10 per cent of their match fees for every over their side fails to bowl in the allotted time, with the captain fined double that amount," the ICC said Sunday. "As such, Williamson has been fined 20 per cent of his match fee, while his players have received 10 per cent fines. If New Zealand commit another minor over-rate breach during the tournament with Williamson in the side, it ...
It was one of our best games: Coach Tite on Brazil's win over Peru
Brazil defeated Peru 5-0 in the ongoing Copa America on Saturday and this win was lauded by Brazil's coach Tite saying the match against Peru was one of their best games.As a result of this win, Brazil reached the quarter-final stage of the Copa America. The team topped their group after winning their match against Peru."It was one of our best games. If the pitch is good, helps for a good performance. We have an average of 600 passes per game, but our score was low. Today we improved our effectiveness," Goal.com quoted Tite as saying.Tite said that the team should look to keep their winning momentum going in the tournament and said the team is out there to win the Copa America title for the ninth time."It is a game that must be continued," he continued. "At the interval, I told the players that we need to be prepared for all situations. We have to continue at the same pace, because this is our characteristic, and of course gives us confidence," Tite said."We are here to win and we ...
We did nothing wrong against Japan in final match: Marijne
Indian women's hockey team head coach Sjoerd Marijne Sunday said his players dished out a perfect game against hosts Japan in the summit clash of the FIH Series Finals here. India beat Asian Games champions Japan 3-1 in the final match Sunday to clinch the title. The Indian team has already secured a place in the final round of the 2020 Olympics qualifiers by entering the final of this tournament. "It was a hard-fought match, it was a difficult match. We did nothing wrong," Marijne said after the match. "I think we defended very well, we play fast combination hockey and have a good drag-flick. She (drag-flicker Gurjit Kaur) was impressive again today," he added. Gurjit was adjudged the highest scorer of the tournament with 11 strikes to her name while captain Rani Rampal was declared the player of the tournament. The final round tournament of the 2020 Olympics qualifiers will be held later this year but the venue is yet to be decided by the international hockey federation. Marijne ...
Double delight for Gayatri Gopichand at Senior Ranking tourney
National badminton coach Pullela Gopichand's daughter Gayatri put up a fine show at the Yonex-Sunrise All India Senior Ranking tournament, finishing with two titles. Gayatri, who had upset the fourth seed Aakarshi Kashyap this week, announced her arrival in the senior category with a title in women's singles as well as women's doubles. Meanwhile, sixth seed Lakshya Sen staved off a stiff resistance from second seed Rahul Yadav Chittaboina to triumph in men's singles. In singles, the 16-year-old Gayatri, who was seeded 13th, needed just 37 minutes to see off Tanvi Lad 21-19 21-16 to lay her hands on her first Senior Ranking Tournament trophy. She later teamed up with Rutaparna Panda and defeated the fourth seeds and reigning national champions Shikha Gautam and Ashwini Bhat K, 19-21 21-14 21-10. The 17-year-old Sen, who reached the China Masters final in March, was put to a stern test by Chittaboina, who edged the Prakash Padukone protege 25-23 in the first game in an absorbing men's ..
Indian women's hockey team beat Japan 3-1 to win FIH Series Finals
A day after qualifying for the FIH Olympic Qualifiers, Indian women's hockey team on Sunday won the FIH Women's Series Finals after defeating the tournament hosts Japan 3-1 at the Hiroshima Hockey Stadium.Skipper Rani Rampal, the best player of the tournament, netted a goal in the third minute but India conceded an equalizer in the 11th minute as Japan's Kanon Mori scored. However, a brace from Gurjit Kaur, the top scorer of the tournament, scored in the 45th and 60th minutes took India to an emphatic victory.In the first quarter, skipper Rani stepped up to score for India in the first penalty corner. Rani struck the ball along the ground and beat the Japanese goalkeeper Akio Tanaka on her right side to give India a 1-0 advantage.India's dominance saw them win their second penalty corner in the ninth minute, but the team gave a foul away in the execution. Japan were unable to create opportunities for themselves as they could only manage two circle entries in the entire first 15 ...
Comeback man Sohail lifts Pakistan to 308/7 against SA
Haris Sohail marked his return with a scintillating 59-ball 89 and powered Pakistan to a competitive 308 for seven against South Africa in the ICC World Cup here Sunday. Playing in his first match of the tournament since the outing against West Indies in their opener, Sohail smashed nine fours and three sixes to help the cause of Pakistan, who are struggling to stay alive in the semifinal race. The 30-year-old Sohail added 81 runs for the fourth wicket with Babar Azam (69 off 80 balls), but it was his brisk 71-run partnership with Imad Wasim (23 off 15 balls) that gave Pakistan innings the impetus it needed in this must-win game. The last 10 overs yielded 91 runs, with Sohail doing most of the damage. Batting first, Pakistan were off to their most convincing start in the tournament, with the opening duo of Fakhar Zaman and Imam-ul-Haq adding 81 runs in just under 15 overs. Both the openers struck half-a-dozen boundaries each during their stay in the middle but fell for an identical ...
PM Modi congratulates women's hockey team for winning FIH tournament
Prime Minister Narendra Modi Sunday said India's victory in women's FIH hockey tournament will inspire many young girls to excel in the sport. India clinched the Women's FIH Series Finalshockey tournament by beating Japan 3-1 in the finals at Hiroshima. "Exceptional game, excellent outcome!Congratulations to our team for winning the Women's FIH Series Finalshockey tournament," Modi tweeted. This stupendous victory will further popularise hockey and also inspire many young girls to excel in the sport, the prime minister said. The Indian women's team has already secured its place in the final round of the 2020 Olympics qualifiers after entering the final of this tournament.