Page 1040 - Sports
Messi to star in Cirque du Soleil show
Barcelona and Argentina star Lionel Messi's stellar career will be the subject of a new Cirque du Soleil show next year, the five-time world player of the year said Wednesday. "I am proud to announce the creation of a new Cirque du Soleil show in 2019 based on the story of my life and passion for football," said Messi, whose Instagram feed showed him clad in a T-shirt of the Canadian troupe famed for their extravagant shows. Messi had Monday posted a video of himself wearing the shirt and juggling what appeared to be a red clown nose. Cirque du Soleil said on their website that they were thrilled to confirm the link-up with Messi, 31. "The show will draw its inspiration from the incredible talent and accomplishments of the football legend, who embodies the unique spirit and values of his sport," the troupe said.
Paddler Archana enters YOG semis
India's Archana Girish Kamath had to summon all her skills, energy and nerves to overcome Azerbaijans Nign Jing 13-11, 8-11, 6-11, 11-3, 6-11, 12-10, 11-7 to enter the women's singles table tennis semi-finals at the 3rd Youth Olympics Games (YOG) here on Wednesday.
S Korea invites N Korea for 100th National Sports Festival
Do Jong-whan, the South Korean Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism has invited North Korea to participate in the 100th Korean National Sports Festival to be held in Seoul from October 4 to October 10 next year."I told North Korean Sports Minister Kim Il-guk to send the North's athletes to the 100th Korean National Sports Festival next year," Do said at a parliamentary audit at the National Assembly according to Yonhap News Agency. He further added that before making the proposal, he explained the games to his North Korean counterpart as the state is "not well aware" about them.Do also invited North Korea to participate in the 18th FINA World Championships (or World Aquatics Championships) which will be held in Gwangju in 2019, amongst other sports events."In return, the North has asked for South Korea's participation in its table tennis and weightlifting matches", the Sports minister said. He also added, "both sides will frequently hold working-level and ministerial talks to ...
Saurabh Chaudhary shoots down gold in Youth Olympics
Saurabh Chaudhary claimed the gold medal in the 10m air pistol event at the Youth Olympic Games here Wednesday, capping off the Indian shooting team's best-ever outing in the mega event on a rousing note. The 16-year-old Chaudhary shot 244.2 to finish on top of the podium ahead of South Korea's Sung Yunho (236.7). Switzerland's Solari Jason bagged the bronze with 215.6. The Indian had 18 scores of 10 and above in the eight-man finals. Chaudhary, an Asian Games and Junior ISSF World Championship gold medallist, also topped the qualifying with 580. Hailing from Kalina village near Meerut, Chaudhary led from start to finish to emerge winner, a day after another 16-year-old, Manu Bhaker, won the women's pistol event. Despite four scores of under 10 to start with, Chaudhary managed to stay ahead and then extended his domination with scores of 10.7 10.4 10.4 and 10.0. He continued to lead the pack as the finals entered the elimination stage.
ISL 5: ATK to host Bengaluru FC on October 31
Struggling ATK will host last year's runners-up Bengaluru FC at the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan on October 31 instead of December 13, the Indian Super League (ISL) announced on Wednesday.
Gopi, Rawat headline Indian field at ADHM
Gopi T and defending champion Nitendra Singh Rawat will lead the Indian challenge at the Airtel Delhi Half Marathon on October 21. The Indian contingent will put up a fierce fight as the Asian Marathon Champion Gopi will lead the Indian Elite Men's category alongside course record holder Nitendra Singh Rawat. The two ran a thrilling race at the 2018 Tata Mumbai Marathon where Gopi pipped Rawat only in the last 200 metres to win the title. Avinash Sable, who stood third in the 2017 Delhi Half Marathon, will also add teeth to the competition. In the recently concluded Open National Athletics Championships in Bhubaneswar, Sable clinched the gold in Steeplechase 3000m erasing the 37-year-old national record in the process. Sanjivani Jadhav and Monica Athare will lead the Indian Elite Women's category. Jadhav, who finished on top in the Half Marathon category at Mumbai Marathon earlier this year, also won a bronze at the 2018 Asian Cross Country Championships in China. She also went on to .
ICC to tighten sanctions on leagues
World cricket's governing body will discuss ways to tighten up how various Twenty20 and T10 leagues are sanctioned in the future when it meets next week, a top official said Wednesday. Since the inception of a lucrative Indian Premier League, many ICC member countries have launched their own leagues in what is seen by some as a threat to five-day Test cricket and international cricket fixtures. The latest format showcased in the game is the ICC-sanctioned T10 (10-over-a-side) league held in Sharjah last year. Geoff Allardice, general manager of cricket for the International Cricket Council (ICC), said the matter would be discussed at the body's board meeting in Singapore on October 20. "One of the things we will be talking about in our meeting next week is around regulations and sanctioning of events and also the release of players (for leagues)," Allardice told media. "So you look at all of the documentation and the ownership structures and how the league is going to be funded and ...
Wadoo reunites with FC Pune City as Youth Team Coach
FCPune City has appointed former Indian national team footballer Mehrajuddin Wadoo as Head Coach for their Under 18 team. The defender will begin his career as a coach by reuniting with the Club four years after he played for them in the inaugural season of Indian Super League, a media release issued here said Wednesday. Speaking on his appointment of the Jammu & Kashmir player,FC Pune City Technical Director Pradhyum Reddysaid, "Mehrajuddinhas the experience of having represented FC Pune City as well as has had a highly decorated career in Indian football". Expressing his happiness, Mehrajuddinsaid he is looking forward to his first professional coaching assignment. Mehrajuddin will be joined by Ramesh Bista who has previously worked with DSK Shivajians International Football Academy in Pune. Ramesh is also completing his AFC 'A' License coaching program.
Abbas's triple bring Pakistan closer to win over Australia
Hard-working fast bowler Mohammad Abbas took three wickets in seven balls to bring Pakistan closer to victory in the first Test against Australia in Dubai on Wednesday. The right-arm medium pacer dismissed Aaron Finch (49) and the Marsh brothers -- Shaun and Mitchell - for ducks as Australia slumped from 87 without loss to finish the fourth day at 136-3. At stumps opener Usman Khawaja was batting on a fighting 50 and Travis Head on 34 as the pair had added an invaluable 49 for the unbroken fourth wicket stand to prolong Australia's resistance on a weary and spinning Dubai stadium pitch. Pakistan will need seven more wickets while Australia require another 326 runs for an improbable victory to take a 1-0 lead in the two-match series, with the second Test starting in Abu Dhabi from October 16. Abbas said he was "happy to be among the wickets". "I used the crease to bring the ball in and got wickets from those deliveries," he said. "We need seven more wickets so, God willing, we will get
Sherco TVS Rally Factory Team's Tanveer bags podium
Sherco TVS Rally Factory Team's Abdul W Tanveer finished the Rally of Morocco on a high, bagging the second position in the overall Enduro Moto category. Tanveer dominated most of the stages in the six-day rally despite technical challenges. His teammate Harith Noah also put up an impressive debut show, finishing at P27 despite a knee injury. Both Adrien Metge and Lorenzo Santolino showed strong performances in a few stages but due to penalties finished the Rally at P29 and P31 respectively. David Casteu, Team Manager, Sherco TVS Rally Factory Team said afterwards, "I am happy that all our racers could finish the Rally despite the route being quite challenging and intense. Tanveer has made us proud, he has shown tremendous strength and great performance in the last five days; keeping his bike in its best form. "Adrien and Lorenzo had a good start but slipped down on a couple of points in the later stages, I am glad that they are putting good use of their learning's on the track. For ..
Defeat for Sharan-Sitak and Balaji-Vardhan
Divij Sharan's maiden appearance at an ATP Masters tournament ended with a second round defeat as he and his partner Artem Sitak lost in straight sets to third seeds Marcelo Melo and Luksz Kubot in Shanghai on Wednesday. Sharan and his Kiwi partner lost 3-6 4-6 to the Brazilian-Polish combination, ranked sixth in the world. With this defeat, no Indian is left in the doubles draw as Rohan Bopanna had crashed in the first round with his French partner Edouard Roger-Vasselin. They had lost 6-7 (3) 4-6 to Ben Mclachlan and Jan-Lennard Struff. "We lost serve once in the first set. Lost serve twice in the second, both on deuce. Broke them once in the second on deuce and they held another game on deuce. So it was a close match. Would have liked to convert some of those points and the result could have been different. Still happy to get a chance to play in my first ATP 1000," said Sharan, who will be playing in Antwerp next. Meanwhile, at the Tashkent Challenger in Uzbekistan, the top seeded .
Tanveer finishes 2nd in Rally of Morocco
Sherco TVS Rally Factory Team's racer Abdul Wahid Tanveer finished the Rally of Morocco on a high after bagging the second position in the overall Enduro Moto category.
Change in fixtures for Bengaluru FC-ATK matches
Bengaluru FC's next home game against ATK in the ongoing Indian Super League (ISL) has now been swapped as the home game for the two-time champions. The change was necessitated due to Karnataka state government's requirement of Sree Kanteerava Stadium ground in preparation for Kannada Day. BFC were to host ATK at Sree Kanteerava Stadium on October 31 and travel to Kolkata on December 13 to play their away game. However, with the change in schedule, BFC will now first face ATK at Kolkata on October, 31 and play host on December 13, the ISL said in a release.
Registrations open for IDBI Federal Life Insurance Spice Coast marathon
Registrations opened on Wednesday for the IDBI Federal Life Insurance Spice Coast Marathon 2018 to be held here on November 11, the organisers announced in a statement.
Lahiri gets dramatic last-minute spot, Bhullar hopeful of good showing at CIMB
Indian golfer Anirban Lahiri hopes to make the most of a last-minute dash to Kuala Lumpur to participate in the USD 7 million CIMB Classic, where he has enjoyed good results in the past. The 31-year-old from Bengaluru finished tied third at the TPC Kuala Lumpur in 2015, which matches the best result by an Asian player in the only PGA Tour event in southeast Asia. He also won the Malaysian Open on the same golf course in 2015, his first win on the European Tour. Lahiri is part of a quartet of Indian golfers in the field, making it the first time that so many players from the country have featured in a PGA Tour event. The field includes Gaganjeet Bhullar, apart from Shubhankar Sharma and Rahil Gangjee. Fiji International champion Bhullar has been in good form and he decided to take a week's break before the CIMB Classic. Lahiri making it to CIMB was rather dramatic. It was a close call and Lahiri almost did not make it. Ranked 99th on the FedEx Cup last season, he presumed he'd get an ..
Indian football team lands in China for international friendly
Indian football coach Stephen Constantine said Wednesday that the friendly international against China will be an indicator to the team's progress ahead of next year's AFC Asian Cup. The Indian team arrived here for the international friendly against 76th ranked China on Saturday. "China are obviously a good side. They play some good football. Our performance against China will be a great indication of where we are and how far we need to go," Constantine said. Defender Pritam Kotal said they need to play friendlies against stronger opponents in order to "tighten their screws". "We need to play more games against the stronger teams to tighten the screws before we land in the UAE for the Asian Cup. We are eagerly waiting to give our best in front of the Chinese crowd on 13th," Kotal said. The team was greeted by a pleasant temperature of 15 degrees. The match is slated to be held at the Suzhou City Centre Olympic Stadium in Suzhou City. This is the first time an Indian senior national ..
Grassroots need to be worked on: Aditi Chauhan
A lot of work needs to be done at grassroots in football, said Indian women's national team goalkeeper Aditi Chauhan, who also doesn't want to belittle the momentum gained since the FIFA U-17 World Cup. In 2015, Aditi became the first Indian female footballer to play for a professional club in the United Kingdom but she had to return as her student visa expired. The Indian soon made a comeback when Loubourough University, where she was studying, gave her a part-time job, which offered her chance to continue playing for West Ham ladies. "It (FIFA-U17 World Cup) has bought a lot of awareness. Parents are more approving of football as a profession now. It's not a hobby anymore. The professionalisation of the game - the ISL and I-League have helped a lot," Aditi told PTI on the sidelines of a Godrej event. "The structure is really shaping up and a lot of great initiatives have been started by corporates in women's football as well. They have started professional leagues for girls that's ..
Andrew Johnston wins Hero Challenge
Andrew Johnston sparkled under lights at Canary Wharf, winning his second Hero Challenge of 2018. The crowd favourite overcame a strong challenge from World No. 2 and tournament host, Justin Rose, defending British Masters champion Paul Dunne, Hero Indian Open winner Matt Wallace and Danish Ryder Cup heroes skipper Thomas Bjorn and Thorbjorn Olesen. Pawan Munjal, MD and CEO of Hero MotoCorp Ltd, presented the winner's trophy to Johnston, who joined Alexander Levy, Lee Westwood, Patrick Reed, Li Haotong and Matt Kuchar as Hero Challenge champions. The crowds chanted in a "Ryder Cup" manner at the South Dock at Canary Wharf, which had the spectacular backdrop of skyscrapers with fans lined the area all around the water, making for an electric atmosphere. The players had to find "floating pontoon green" off a custom built target platform being used as a tee-box. They were split into two groups, with each player having six shots to score as many points as they could. The top two players .
If fit, Gayle will certainly play 2019 World Cup: Holder
He may have chosen the Afghanistan Premier League over international cricket but Chris Gayle will "definitely play" next year's World Cup, provided his near 40-year-old-body is able to withstand the rigours, West Indies captain Jason Holder said Wednesday. Gayle, who is not a centrally contracted West Indies cricketer, signed off his List A career for Jamaica with a century against Barbados last week and will now play for Balkh Legends in APL. "He (Gayle) is definitely going to play the World Cup once his body holds up and he's fit. We'd welcome him into the team. If you go back to the beginning of the year, Chris made himself available for the World Cup qualifiers. He only did that really because he wants to play the World Cup, he wants to play well for West Indies and he wants to do well," Holder said. Holder said that Gayle's exploits in international cricket has made him a household name in T20 leagues and no one should grudge that. "When he does that he has plenty of options ...
Think twice before comparing Shaw to Sehwag: Gambhir
While praising young Prithvi Shaw, who cracked a Test century on debut in Rajkot in the opening Test against the West Indies, India discard Gautam Gambhir asked people to think hard before comparing the diminutive Mumbaikar to his former opening partner, Virender Sehwag. "Whoever is comparing (Prithvi with Sehwag) needs to think twice before comparing. Ultimately you should not compare anyone to anyone. He (Shaw) has just started his career and there is a long way to go. I have never believed in comparisons. "He (Shaw) has got his own individuality and Sehwag had his own individuality. He (Shaw) has just started his career and someone like Sehwag has played 100 Test matches," said Gambhir at a promotional event of 'Vicks' on Wednesday. "Obviously, he's (Shaw) impressive. He's very talented and that's why he is there. The important thing is that he started off his Test career on a very good note but there will be far bigger and far difficult challenges waiting for him," .