Page 1349 - Sports
Shoulder injury further dents Saha's recovery prospects
Already out of the Indian squad for the first three tests against England due to a left thumb injury, wicketkeeper Wriddhiman Saha is now nursing a shoulder problem which he picked up while rehabilitating at the National Cricket Academy (NCA).
Australian players banned for basketball World Cup qualifier brawl
Australian basketball player Daniel Kickert was imposed a five-match ban by international body FIBA on Thursday for his involvement in a brawl during a 2019 World Cup Asian qualifier in Manila on July 2.
Betis hold Sporting Braga in bad-tempered friendly
Real Betis managed a 1-1 draw with Sporting Braga in a pre-season friendly that the Portuguese side finished with just eight men on the pitch.
River Plate wrap up pre-season, return to Argentina
River Plate returned to Buenos Aires on Wednesday after wrapping up its pre-season training in Orlando, Florida, and the club said players were now focusing on the Copa Argentina match this weekend against Fourth-Division team Central Norte from Salta.
BCCI to investigate UPCA bribery scandal
The BCCI's Anti-Corruption Unit today said it will launch a probe into an alleged bribery scandal unearthed by a sting operation, which claimed that a member of IPL Chairman Rajeev Shukla's personal staff sought bribes to facilitate selection of players. A Hindi news channel in Uttar Pradesh telecast an alleged phone conversation between Akram Saifi, an executive assistant of Shukla, and cricketer Rahul Sharma in which Saifi is heard seeking favours in "cash and kind" to ensure Sharma's selection in the state team. Shukla is currently the Uttar Pradesh Cricket Association (UPCA) Secretary. "We have taken note of the sting and will examine the entire matter. We will be asking the channel for the audio and also examine the player involved. Until we speak to the people involved, it is difficult to say anything as of now," BCCI's ACU chief Ajit Singh told PTI. Sharma has never played for India and has not been a part of the state team either. He has alleged that Saifi sought bribes and ...
Vettel needs to keep pressure firmly on Hamilton in Germany
Sebastian Vettel needs to keep the pressure firmly on Lewis Hamilton at this weekend's German Grand Prix. At the midway point of the Formula One season - the 11th race out of 21 - Vettel holds only an eight-point lead over rival Lewis Hamilton in an intriguing title contest. Vettel started strongly, then Hamilton took over, and now Vettel appears to be in the ascendancy again. While he leads Hamilton only 4-3 in wins this season, Vettel's most recent victory was particularly poignant seeing it was at Hamilton's home track at Silverstone - where Hamilton has enjoyed huge success. Vettel's win there heaped more misery on the British driver, considering he'd experienced a rare retirement at the Austrian GP one week earlier. In previous years, Ferrari was the team experiencing technical problems and frustrating inconsistency. Now the roles appear reversed, and Mercedes is the team under pressure. Having won the last four drivers' and constructors' championships, often by huge margins, ...
Winning Hong Kong event has given me a boost: Karman
Rising Indian tennis player Karman Kaur Thandi considers winning the $25,000 Hong Kong tournament a morale booster going into next month's Asian Games. Delhi girl Karman will be playing in the singles category at the Games to be held in Indonesia from August 18. She won her maiden singles title on the ITF Pro circuit after demolishing Jia-Jing Lu's challenge in straight sets in the final of the USD 25,000 Hong Kong event held last month. "Yes, winning the 25K Hong Kong has definitely given me a boost, and beating top-200 player without dropping a set in the whole tournament. So for sure a belief that I belong there and I can do it," the 20-year-old up and coming player told PTI in an interview. Karman, however, believes a tough challenge is in the offing at the continental games if all 10 Asian players from the top 100 choose to play. "Yes, I will be playing singles in the Asian Games, and I will try my best to get the medal for the country. The competition is going to .
Deportivo Cali defeat Bolivar in Copa Sudamericana clash
Deportivo Cali defeated Bolivar 4-0 in their Copa Sudamericana second round first leg match here.
Sarri wants to meet Hazard over Chelsea future
Chelsea coach Maurizio Sarri called Eden Hazard one of the top two or three players in Europe on Wednesday, and said he wants to meet the Belgium forward face-to-face to discuss his future. Chelsea, the 2017 Premier League champion, later announced that Gianfranco Zola has returned to the club as an assistant to Sarri. Former Italy international Zola made more than 300 appearances and scored 80 goals for the Blues between 1996 and 2003. Sarri and Zola face the immediate task of keeping Hazard at Stamford Bridge. Hazard said at the World Cup in Russia that "it might be time to discover something different" after spending the last six years with Chelsea, which failed to qualify for this season's Champions League. He has been linked with a move to European champion Real Madrid, which recently sold Cristiano Ronaldo to Juventus. Hazard is taking time off after the World Cup along with Belgium teammate Thibaut Courtois, whose future is also the matter of some debate. Sarri said he doesn't
Kenyan's Chespol to skip Monaco Diamond League
World Junior steeplechase champion Celliphine Chespol will skip the Monaco Diamond League meeting to avoid burning out ahead of the Africa Championships.
Sao Paulo beat Flamengo in Brazil's Serie A
A second-half header from midfielder Everton gave Sao Paulo a 1-0 away victory over Flamengo in their Brazilian Serie A match here.
Thai soccer boys attend religious ceremony
The Thai soccer boys and their coach have attended a Buddhist ceremony at a temple to protect them against misfortunes, a day after they were discharged from a hospital following their rescue from a flooded cave. The 11 boys and the coach the remaining team member is reportedly a Muslim were joined by relatives and friends at the temple in the northern province of Chiang Rai, where they sat and put their hands together to the tune of chanting monks. The ceremony, which is meant to extend one's life and protect it from dangers, was held at the temple that sits on the northern Thai border overlooking Myanmar. Yesterday, the 12 boys and the coach faced the media for the first time since their ordeal, describing their shock at seeing the British divers who found them after they went missing inside the cave for almost 10 days. It would be another week before they were pulled out to safety in a complicated rescue that included diving them out of the cave.
Indian U-17 girls lose 1-5 to South Africa in BRICS football
India were blanked 1-5 by hosts South Africa in the opening game of the of the BRICS U-17 girls football tournament in Johannesburg. According to information received from the All India Football Federation, South Africa scored four goals in the second-half yesterday, while Vanlalhriattiri (40th minute) scored the lone goal for India. The hosts started on a positive note but Indian goalkeeper Archana Arumugam kept them at bay until the 25th minute when South Africa broke the deadlock. After conceding the opening goal, Indian girls took the challenge on to their opponents and eventually found the equaliser 15 minutes later. Samiksha put in a terrific cross from the flank which was darted in by Vanlalhriattiri in the 40th minute to keep the scoreline locked at 1-1 at the end of the first half. After the changeover, the South African girls hammered four goals within 20 minutes to pocket full three points. India will face Russia in their second match.
IOC adds 7 medal events to 2022 Beijing Winter Games program
Planning for its next three Olympic Games, the IOC has added seven medal events to the 2022 Beijing Winter Games, published a 2020 Tokyo Olympics schedule with no agreement on when to race swimming finals, and set a timetable to add new sports to the 2024 Paris Olympics. The next Winter Olympics will now include: women's monobob, Big Air freestyle skiing for men and women, plus mixed team events in short track speed skating, ski jumping, ski aerials and snowboardcross. The addition of gold medals to a 109-event program was combined with a reduction in how many athletes will compete. In an attempt to cut organising costs, amid recent failures of potential bidders in Europe for the 2026 Winter Games, there should be no additional venues required and 41 fewer athletes in Beijing than the 2,933 competitors at the Pyeongchang Olympics last February. IOC sports director Kit McConnell said yesterday that changes for Beijing were "really sending a strong message about controlling the size of .
Germany's Stich, Czech Sukova to join Tennis Hall of Fame
Former Wimbledon champion Michael Stich of Germany and 14-time Grand Slam doubles champion Helena Sukova of the Czech Republic will be inducted Saturday into the International Tennis Hall of Fame. Stich, 49, and Sukova, 53, will be enshrined Saturday in ceremonies at the ATP Hall of Fame Classic in the sporting showplace at Newport, Rhode Island. Stich won his only Grand Slam singles crown at Wimbledon in 1991, downing countryman Boris Becker in straight sets in the final. He was a runner-up at the 1994 US Open, falling to Andre Agassi, and in the 1996 French Open, losing to Russian Yevgeny Kafelnikov. Former world number two Stich partnered with Becker to win the 1992 Barcelona Olympic men's doubles crown and joined American John McEnroe to claim the 1992 Wimbledon men's doubles title. Stich, now tournament director of the ATP German Open in Hamburg, won 18 career singles titles in 31 finals before retiring in 1997. "It's quite an honor," Stich said. "I'm humbled to be included among
Chelsea name Zola as Sarri's right-hand man
Gianfranco Zola has been named as assistant coach to new manager Maurizio Sarri, marking a return to the club where he spent seven years as a player, the Premier League outfit announced. Zola, 52, played for the Londoners from 1996 until 2003, scoring 80 goals, including the winner in the 1998 European Cup Winners Cup final. He also won the Super Cup, two FA Cups and the League Cup. "For me it is an amazing thing. I am very willing to work hard because it is going to be a difficult challenge but I am pleased to be here, and to work hard with Maurizio to be successful," Zola said yesterday. "It would be great to be successful with Maurizio and for the club and I will give my best, as I did in the past as a player, so I will give my best in my new position. "I am very much looking forward to the challenge in general. I would love us to start well and we are all very excited to start this new adventure." Zola also played club football for Napoli and Parma and won 35 caps for Italy. As a .
2-time finalist Azarenka misses direct entry for US Open
Two-time US Open runner-up Victoria Azarenka is ranked just below the cutoff for direct entry into the year's last Grand Slam tournament. Azarenka, a former No. 1 and twice the champion at the Australian Open, is No. 108 this week, seven spots outside of an automatic spot in the main draw. The US Tennis Association announced yesterday that defending champion and top-ranked Rafael Nadal is one of six past male singles champions in the US Open field, along with Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray, Juan Martin del Potro and Marin Cilic. Another past title winner at Flushing Meadows, Stan Wawrinka, is ranked 199th this week. The women's winners with direct entry based on this week's rankings are six-time champion Serena Williams, two-time champ Venus Williams, defending champ Sloane Stephens, Maria Sharapova and Samantha Stosur.
Qatar ploughs ahead with World Cup plans despite crises
Last year, Qatar's finance minister Ali Sharif Al-Emadi said his country was determined to have everything ready for the 2022 World Cup well before fans started landing in the Gulf. "We don't want to be painting while people arrive in the country," he said, before going on to reveal Qatar is spending almost USD 500 million a week on infrastructure projects for football's biggest tournament. It is highly unlikely that any visitor to the World Cup is going to see rushed last-minute preparations. With four and a half years until the 2022 World Cup kicks off, Qatar is ahead of schedule when it comes to venues, related major projects and even paint. Of the eight stadiums it will build or renovate for 2022, one -- Khalifa International -- is already open and will host the World Athletics Championships next year. Two more, Al-Wakrah and Al-Bayt stadiums, are expected to be finished by the end of this year and officially opened early in 2019. Work is also well underway on Lusail Stadium, ...
Liverpool close in on record 75 million euro deal for Alisson - reports
Brazilian international Alisson is expected to sign for Liverpool on a five-year deal worth 75 million euros, a world record for a goalkeeper, media reports suggested. The 25-year-old, who currently plays for Roma in Italy, is cutting short his vacation to undergo a medical on Merseyside after being given permission to talk to Liverpool. "An official announcement should follow in the next 24 to 48 hours," claimed the Liverpool Echo yesterday. The deal will cost the Anfield giants 75 millions euros, smashing the amount paid to Benfica by Manchester City for Alisson's compatriot Ederson last summer. Liverpool are desperate to sign a new goalkeeper to replace Loris Karius following his calamitous Champions League final performance. Chelsea have also been linked with Alisson who began his career with Internacional before moving to Roma two years ago. Italian website Forza Roma, which is affiliated to newspaper La Gazzetta Dello Sport, published a video which it said showed Alisson at ...
7 new events included in 2022 Winter Olympics
Seven new events will be included in the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Executive Board has said.