Page 1165 - Sports

Not given official blazers by IOA, say bridge medal winners

Pranab Bardhan and Shibhnath De Sarkar, who bagged gold in the men's pair bridge competition at the 18th Asian Games, are among the squad members who have not been provided Team India blazers by the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) for attending Prime Minister Narendra Modi's reception for medallists in New Delhi on Wednesday.

Woods shoots 68, moves to tied 16th as Ancer leads

Tiger Woods shot a mediocre three-under 68 to be placed tied 16th after three rounds at the Dell Technologies Golf Championship here. After 72 and 66 on first two days a 68 took Woods to seven-under for the tournament and six behind the leader Abraham Ancer of Mexico. Ancer opened with three straight birdies enroute to six-under 65 to take a one-shot lead over Bryson DeChambeau, who is coming off a four-shot victory in the first FedExCup Playoffs event. DeChambeau shot 63 while playing with Woods for the first time in a tournament to be tied with Tyrrell Hatton (69). Ancer, 92nd in the FedExCup, is hopeful of getting into the top 70 to advance to the playoff event next week. He was at 13-under 200 and a win would assure a trip to the TOUR Championship and the Masters. Ten players are within four shots of Ancer and it includes a group that has Justin Rose, Rory McIlroy and Jordan Spieth. Woods and DeChambeau have been regular practice partners though they had never been in the same ...

Asiad Bridge champions yet to receive India team blazers

They won a gold and couple of bronze medals at the just concluded Asian Games but Indian bridge contingent continue to be the victims of the official apathy from the Indian Olympic Association (IOA), who are yet to provide them with team blazers. The medal-winning members are planning to stitch IOA logos on their old blazers so that they are "eligible" for the official photo-op scheduled for Wednesday, non-playing captain and coach of the Indian men's bridge team Debasish Ray said. "Initially, we were told that we will not get any kits but later (after sports ministry's intervention) we got the jerseys but we have not still received the team blazers." "The official reception is just round the corner so we have thought of stitching the logos on our own," Ray said at a meet-the-press programme at the Calcutta Sports Journalists' Club Monday. Being non-affiliated, the IOA had at first refused to provide clothes including ceremonial wear but later the Sports Ministry stepped in and bore ..

Palestinian football chief calls ban for Messi comments 'political'

The head of the Palestinian football association pledged to appeal Monday against FIFA's 12-month ban for comments made about Lionel Messi, calling it an "unjust and political decision." FIFA last month banned Jibril Rajoub from attending matches for a year and fined him 20,000 Swiss francs ($20,600, 17,700 euros) for "inciting hatred and violence" after calling on fans to burn pictures and jerseys of Messi in the build-up to a friendly game with Israel. Rajoub had demanded that Barcelona star Messi not take part in the pre-World Cup friendly against Israel scheduled for June 9 and called on fans to burn shirts bearing his name if he did. The game was later cancelled after Argentina withdrew. In his first press conference since the ban was announced, Rajoub denied wrongdoing. "This is an unjust and political decision, an Israeli decision," he said, pointing out the complaint came from the Israeli FA, not the Argentinians. "Of course we respect the FIFA committees and will continue to .

Messi snubbed as Ronaldo, Salah and Modric nominated for FIFA best player award

Lionel Messi was left off the shortlist for the FIFA's men's player of the year award on Monday as his old rival Cristiano Ronaldo was named alongside Luka Modric and Mohamed Salah. Messi has dominated the award along with Ronaldo over the past decade, but the Barcelona star has been omitted from the list of contenders after featuring in the top three for 11 straight years. The 31-year-old Argentine was runner-up for the prestigious prize in 2007 and 2008 before winning it for the first of five successive years in 2009. Messi and Ronaldo, the world's two best players, have been engaged in a fascinating duel for the sport's top individual and club honours for over a decade. Now Messi's absence from the shortlist opens the way for Ronaldo, also a five-time winner of the award, to move ahead in their personal battle. Portugal forward Ronaldo lifted a fourth Champions League title in five years in May before joining Italian champions Juventus in July. The 33-year-old won the player of the

Son Heung-min vows to progress further after Asiad gold

South Korean forward Son Heung-min said on Monday that he will make further progress in his football career after winning a gold medal at the Asian Games.

India lost a Test series they should have won (Column: Just Sport)

After the fourth cricket Test, India are left counting the positives and England walked away with the five-match series 3-1 with one to play at the Oval.

Mancini wants more Italians playing regular, top-flight football

Italy coach Roberto Mancini has called on the coaches of Serie A squads to give younger players more playing time as he embarks on a program to relaunch the Azzurri after they missed the 2018 World Cup. "There have never been fewer Italians playing the game," Mancini told a press conference on Monday. "This is a low point." Mancini has called up 31 players for his Nations League squad for games with Poland on Friday and Portugal on Monday. But Mancini bemoaned the fact some of his squad are wasting their talents by sitting on the bench. "Often, the Italians on the bench can be better than those getting a start at some clubs," he suggested. "They need to be playing, especially the young ones." In Mancini's squad are five uncapped players including Monaco's Pietro Pellegri, 17, and Roma's Nicolo Zaniolo, who is 19 and has yet to start in a Serie A game. "At 19 years old if you are a good player you have to be playing. We have a lot of interesting prospects who need playing time to show .

India capable of podium finish in 2020 Olympics: TT star Sharath Kamal

Riding high on the success of the recently-concluded Asian Games, India's top-ranked paddler Achanta Sharath Kamal is hopeful that India will finish on the podium at the Tokyo Olympics in 2020. Kamal scripted history when the men's team won India's first medal, bronze, in table tennis at the Asian Games. He also won the bronze with Manika Batra in the mixed doubles category making it the best-ever outing for the country in the sport. "Winning a medal at the Asiad is close to bagging a medal at the World Championships or the Olympics. It is a good milestone to judge," Sharath Kamal said. "This (Asian Games) medal is an indication that we are capable of making it to the podium even at the Olympics. Seven of the top 10 countries in the sport are from Asia. To win a medal here is such a boost. It gives us a forward vision (ahead of the Olympics)." The veteran paddler said there is now also a possibility that he would qualify for three events -- men's singles, men's team and mixed doubles .

F1's McLaren put teenager Norris on the grid

British teenager Lando Norris has been given a dream contract to race in Formula 1 with McLaren from 2019, replacing the departing Belgian Stoffel Vandoorne. England's Norris, who had taken part in practice at the last two races in Belgium and Italy, was confirmed as McLaren's new driver just minutes after the team confirmed Vandoorne would be leaving. He will be the second Briton on the 2019 grid after world champion Lewis Hamilton. "To be announced as a race driver for McLaren is a dream come true. Although I've been part of the team for a while now, this is a special moment, one I could only hope would become reality," Norris said. "I'd like to thank the whole team for this amazing opportunity and for believing in me. "I'm also extremely grateful for the commitment McLaren has already shown in my development, allowing me to build my experience in a Formula 1 car in both testing and on Fridays during the past two race weekends. "I'll also be working closely with McLaren at every ...

Gill takes opening day honours at 10th Maruti Suzuki Dakshin Dare

India's ace rallyist Gaurav Gill came up with a powerful performance to race ahead of the pack on the opening day of the 10th edition of the Maruti Suzuki Dakshin Dare here on Monday. The Mahindra Adventure driver, along with his trusted co-driver Musa Sherif, was fast and aggressive in all the three special stages of the day, finishing them in 2:25:47s. He was a good five minutes faster than his teammate Philippos Matthai (with navigator VVS Moorthy), who came in second after clocking 2:30:19s. Amittrajit Ghosh (with Ashwin Naik) stayed right behind his Mahindra Adventure teammates by clocking 2:30:24s, just five seconds more than Philippos. In the two-wheeler category, Yuva Kumar took the opening day's honours, with a time of 1:43:30s. Vishwas SD finished the day second with 1:48:22s while Akash Aithal took the third position with a total time of 1:49:29s. The round one of Dakshin Dare saw the car compete in three special special stages (dirt/gravel) with a total distance of 129kms .

Mumbai City hold Chiangmai FC to draw in pre-season match

Indian Super League (ISL) club Mumbai City FC kicked off their pre-season campaign with a 2-2 draw against Chiangmai FC Sunday. Mumbai City's new recruit Bipin Singh scored both the goals against the tier two team in the Thai League. The game was played in Chiang Mai in Thailand, a media release issued by the club said. In the run up to the fifth edition of the ISL, Mumbai City FC are having their pre-season training in Thailand. Mumbai's new coach, Jorge Costa,marshalled his resources cleverly, assessing them in the first half by unleashing his brand of aggressive football. He opened up the game further in the second half which saw Chiangmai FC's Pichai draw first blood in the 61st minute, with a well executed corner. Mumbai City responded swiftly, with young Pranjal presenting a perfect cross from the left for Bipin to capitalise on and make it 1-1 in the 76th minute mark. Mumbai City, however, got lucky first, with the Chiangmai custodian fumbling in the 84th minute and

Stoffel Vandoorne to leave McLaren at season's end

Belgian driver Stoffel Vandoorne on Monday announced that he would leave Formula One team McLaren by the end of this season.Declaring the same on his official Instagram account, the 26-year-old thanked the team for providing him with growing opportunities, adding that he is now looking forward to a "new chapter" in his career."Dear Friends, I will be leaving McLaren at the end of this season. The past 2 seasons we didn't achieve the success we'd hoped, but I want to thank everyone for the opportunities they gave me. I met great people and made many friends during my time at McLaren and will give it everything for the final 7 races! We move forward and looking forward to a new chapter in my career!" he wrote.Last month, two-time F1 champion Fernando Alonso had also bid adieu to McLaren after announcing his retirement from the racing by the end of the ongoing season. Later, Renault driver Carlos Sainz was announced as his replacement in the team.Vandoorne, who raced in 34 Grand Prix ...

Young Subhashish to lead Indian football team in SAFF Cup opener

Young defender Subhasish Bose will captain India in the opening match of the SAFF Suzuki Cup 2018 against Sri Lanka at the Bangabandhu Stadium in Dhaka on September 5, said national football team coach Stepehn Constantine. "Subhasish has been very impressive in the recent camps. In the first few days, he had to work a lot and being a fighter, he has made a strong comeback. I'm very proud of him and obviously, it's going to be a very special moment for him," said the coach. Asked whether the defending champions will start as favourites, the 55-year-old Constantine replied: "I have always looked to this opportunity to provide some international experience to the youngsters and that's why we have come with a U-23 squad. "Obviously, we have come to win the tournament as we have always done. We have a fair chance of getting the job done but I won't say that we're going to start as favourites," he said. "The whole squad is eagerly waiting to get the ball rolling. Everyone will be up for the

Chennaiyin FC participate in CSR initiative with MIFA

Chennaiyin FC participated in a Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiative with the Malaysian Indian Football Association (MIFA) here.

Rallyist Gaurav takes lead on Day 1 Maruti Suzuki Dakshin Dare

Indias ace rallyist Gaurav Gill came up with a powerful performance to race ahead of the pack on the opening day of the 10th edition of the Maruti Suzuki Dakshin Dare here on Monday.

Official Apathy: Deputy CDM Sacheti upgrades himself to business class while players travel economy

The deputy chef de mission of the Indian contingent, R K Sacheti, was flying back home on a business class ticket while the athletes who competed at the Asian Games were made to travel economy class. Most Indian athletes fly economy and they are okay with that as long as the officials do the same. "They are here because of us. Not the other way around. I am okay flying economy but not if these officials are given better seats," said a member of the Indian volleyball team on board SQ 967 from Jakarta to Singapore. Sacheti, in his defence, said he used his air miles to upgrade to business. "We too are supposed to fly economy but I have used my air miles to upgrade," the top official from Boxing Federation of India (BFI) reasoned. The sports ministry had objected to this controversial official's presence as one of the four deputy CDMs at the Games that concluded yesterday. But IOA cleared him on its own expense.

India Red takes on India Blue in Duleep Trophy final tomorrow

Abhinav Mukund-led India Red takes on India Blue, led by Faiz Fazal, in the final of the Duleep Trophy, the first tournament of the 2018-19 domestic season, at the NPR College ground here, beginning tomorrow. A number of players have performed for India Red, the defending champion, with J&K off-spinner Parvez Rasool, Jharkand tweaker Shahbaz Nadeem and Vidarbha pacer Rajneesh Gurbani have been in top form in the tournament played under floodlights with the pink ball. Among the batsmen, Sanjay Ramaswamy of Vidarbha, Siddhesh Lad (Mumbai) and Tamil Nadu's Baba Aparajith have stolen the show and would be aiming to impress the selectors with good performances in the summit clash. Skipper Abhinav Mukund hasn't had a great run so far and would be looking to put his hand up with the Indian openers (Murali Vijay, KL Rahul and Shikhar Dhawan) not having the best of times in the ongoing series in England. The stylish southpaw, who last featured in a Test in Sri Lanka last ...

Bawne scores 91 as India A take slender first innings lead

Ankit Bawne's patient 91 enabled India A to recover from a middle-order collapse before taking a slender first innings lead against Australia A on the second day of the opening 'Test'. Courtesy Bawne's 91 off 159 balls, India A recovered from a precarious 127 for 5 to reach a respectable 274 in reply to Australia's first innings score of 243. When the stumps were drawn, Australia A were 42 for 1 in their second innings, having erased the deficit and taken a lead of 11 runs. First innings centurion Usman Khawaja and Travis Head were batting on 16 and 13, respectively, after Kurtis Patterson was dismissed for 13. The opener edged one off Mohammed Siraj to wicketkeeper Kona Bharat. Ealier, Bawne hit six boundaries and three sixes and also added 51 runs with Krishnappa Gowtham (31) for the sixth wicket and another 47 for the seventh wicket with Kuldeep Yadav (18). Pacer Michael Neser was the star bowler for Austraila A as he ended the innings with figures of 4 for 61 in 20 overs. Left-arm

Ronaldo buys 51 per cent stakes in Real Valladolid

Former Brazilian striker Ronaldo has become the primary owner of Spanish football club Real Valladolid after buying 51 per cent stakes in the team for 30 million euros.Welcoming Ronaldo into the management, club president Carlos Suarez hoped that the team would grow in his leadership."Today is a starting point. Ronaldo personally acquires 51% of the shares of Real Valladolid. He is an idol that falls in love and spreads illusion. The arrival of Ronaldo puts Real Valladolid on the map and will allow the club to take a leap in quality. I welcome you to your home," the club's official Twitter account quoted Suarez, as saying.Reflecting on his future plans with the club, Ronaldo said that the management would try to build the best possible team while also assuring a rapid growth of the club in the coming time."This new management will be defined by four words: competitiveness, transparency, revolution and social. We will have the friend Carlos Suarez and the workers in recent times. We ...