Page 16 - Sports

A city scarred by terrorism prepares an Olympic opening without walls

Since the 2015 deadly Islamist attacks, France has become sadly accustomed to terrorist threats and to soldiers patrolling its crowded squares and train stations

Chess: Gukesh wins Candidates, becomes youngest challenger for world title

India's 17-year-old Grandmaster D Gukesh scripted history by winning the Candidates Chess Tournament here to become the youngest ever challenger to the world title, bettering a record created by the legendary Garry Kasparov 40 years ago. Gukesh played out an easy draw with American Hikaru Nakamura in the 14th and final round to finish with nine out of a possible 14 points in the tournament that is held to decide the challenger to the world champion. The triumph entitles Gukesh a clash against reigning world champion Ding Liren of China in the last quarter of the year. The Chennai-based teen bettered Kasparov's record by quite a distance as the Russian great was 22 when he qualified in 1984 to clash with compatriot Anatoly Karpov. "So relieved and so happy. I was following this crazy game (between Fabio Caruana and Ian Nepomniachtchi), and then I went for a walk with my second (Gregorz Gazevsky), I think that helped," Gukesh said after winning. Gukesh also won a cash award of 88,50

King at 17, Chennai lad Gukesh sets his sights on chess World Championship

The Toronto win makes D Gukesh the youngest World Championship contender in chess history

Encourage girls in sports, they will bring smile on parents' faces: Sachin

Cricket icon Sachin Tendulkar on Saturday urged people to encourage and support girls in the field of sports, and said the children will shine and bring a smile on parents' faces. Tendulkar and his wife Anjali were in Ranchi to motivate girl football players of the Yuwa Foundation' at Ormanjhi block of the district. Yuwa and the Sachin Tendulkar Foundation work together here to train and promote girl footballers. The cricket legend interacted with the players at their school located near Rukka Dam, and termed the day as remarkable. "Children's energy is infectious. I saw them working hard and enjoying themselves. I recalled my childhood," Tendulkar said, speaking to media persons. "I got inspiration from many children because this journey is not easy for them. There are several difficulties in their lives. They go to play football, which sometimes is not liked by parents. I would like to tell them to encourage children and support them. These children will bring a smile on their ..

25-30% more Indian fans flying across globe for key sporting events in 2024

Indian sports fans are flying across the world in huge numbers for T20 World Cup 2024 as well as Wimbledon in London, and Formula One races in Abu Dhabi, Singapore and Bahrain

Commonwealth Games Federation to announce new 2026 host next month

The Commonwealth Games Federation plans to announce a new host for its 2026 event next month, saying it has multiple proposals to replace Australia's Victoria state. The CGF on Monday said it was keeping the proposals confidential. Victoria state lawmakers last July withdrew from plans to host the 2026 Games in three regional hubs, citing escalating costs. Significant progress has been made and we are excited by the early concepts, which aim to reset and reframe the Games, the CGF said in a statement following its April meeting. We are working collaboratively with the relevant (members) to undertake further detailed assessments, and aim to announce the 2026 Commonwealth Games host in May. Victoria state agreed to a compensation package with the Commonwealth Games Federation, which will help offset costs for the next hosts. Australia's Gold Coast, which held the 2018 Commonwealth Games, was flagged as a potential host for 2026 but couldn't get state or federal funding. The CGF said

S Sreesanth escaped due to vacuum of law, says ex-Delhi CP Neeraj Kumar

Stakeholders have shown a distinct lack of seriousness in bringing a law against corruption in Indian sports, a reason why someone like tainted former pacer S Sreesanth got away despite strong evidence of spot-fixing against him in the 2013 IPL, former Delhi Police Commissioner Neeraj Kumar has said. Kumar, a celebrated IPS officer who served for 37 years, was in charge of Delhi Police when its Special Cell under his guidance arrested Sreesanth and fellow Rajasthan Royals cricketers Ajit Chandila and Ankit Chavan on spot-fixing charges. However, in 2019, the Supreme Court, despite ruling that there was evidence against the former India player, asked BCCI to reconsider the life ban on him. The punishment was eventually reduced to a seven-year suspension that ended in September, 2020. "The case seemingly didn't go anywhere...unfortunately, there is no law (in India) to deal with corruption in cricket or corruption in sports in general," Kumar said during an exclusive interaction with

Centre Court Capital launches Rs 350 cr maiden fund for sports, gaming

Fund has raised Rs 200 cr in commitments from investors, will focus on early-stage opportunities

Beyond boundaries: Shafali, Smriti and Jemimah lead the brand lineup

The top three to garner attention after the second season of WPL include Smriti Mandhana, Shefali Verma and Jemimah Rodrigues

Olympic officials, local organisers move to present games in positive light

After weeks of uncertainty about billion-dollar stadium projects for the 2032 Brisbane Olympics, the IOC and local organizers moved Wednesday to present the games more positively. Plans for a $2 billion rebuild of the storied Gabba cricket stadium as an Olympics centerpiece were dropped this month after the expected price spiraled. Australia's most influential Olympic official, John Coates, had called the stadium issues in Brisbane's home state Queensland damaging to the Olympics brand. Queensland Premier Steven Miles, who faces state elections in October, had asked for a review of Olympic venue construction and prefers renovating an existing rugby stadium for the opening and closing ceremonies. Reports that Queensland had explored getting out of its commitment to host the Olympics was dismissed as fake news last week by International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach. It led to IOC and local organizing officials being asked Wednesday after their annual review of preparation

BS Manthan: From Viksit Bharat by 2047 to AI, Here's what happened on Day 1

At the Business Standard's annual event, FM Nirmala Sitharaman talked about opportunities in the public sector companies, while industry leaders talked about upcoming technologies and challenges

Pankaj Advani aims to maintain winning streak at CCI Billiards Classic

Defending champion Pankaj Advani will be aiming to maintain his winning streak at the upcoming CCI Billiards Classic starting here on Tuesday. Winner of 27 World Championship titles, Advani has displayed far superior skills compared to his rivals as he secured three back to back titles at various CCI events in the past year and half. Bagging the CCI Classic Snooker title in January 2023 and having defended it successfully recently, he is eyeing another conquest in the upcoming tournament. However, top Indian cuesists like national champion Dhruv Sitwala, runner-up Sourav Kothari and Maharashtra No. 1 Mahesh Jagdale will pose a tough challenge to Advani. The field also comprises international players like multiple world champion Peter Gilchrist of Singapore and Englishmen David Causier, Peter Sheehan, Chris Taylor, and last year's runner-up Rob Hall. Former world champions like Rupesh Shah, Ashok Shandilya, and Devendra Joshi will also be vying for the title. The competition has a

Mumbai cricketers to get 100% pay raise from 2024-25 domestic season

The decision was approved at the MCA's recent apex council meeting. It will effectively double a player's earnings through the season, as per ESPNCricinfo

McDonald's becomes French soccer league's title sponsor for 3 seasons

McDonald's will become the title sponsor of the French league from July for the next three season, the league said on Thursday. The fast-food chain is succeeding Uber Eats as the title sponsor of Ligue 1. Financial details of the deal were not disclosed. According to L'Equipe newspaper, which did not specify its sources, McDonald's will pay 30 million euros per season ($33 million). The sports outlet said the food delivery service Uber Eats currently pays about 16 million euros ($17.5 million) per season. This partnership marks the coming together of two major institutions that are deeply rooted in the daily lives and collective imagination of the French people, the French league said. Through its national network of 1,560 restaurants, McDonald's will enable Ligue 1 to get even closer to its fans across the country.

India's sport audience base 678 mn; 2 cricketers are most liked: Report

Cricket, football, kabaddi are top three favourites on TV and streaming platforms, it says

Decision to cancel 2026 CWG in Australia based on overstated cost estimates

An inquiry into the Australian state of Victoria's decision to cancel its planned hosting of the 2026 Commonwealth Games said it cost the state 589 million Australian dollars ($385 million) and the price estimate that resulted in it being shelved was overstated and not transparent. Victoria's Auditor-General's Office on Wednesday said agencies failed to work together to give frank, full and timely advice to the government before it decided to host the games. The total cost of the games to Victorians is over $589 million, the office said in a report. This waste would have been avoided." In 2022 the Labor government led by then-Premier Daniel Andrews agreed to host the 2026 Games in regional cities in Victoria at an expected cost of about A$2.6 billion ($1.7 billion). But it pulled out in July 2023 after saying the figure had blown out to A$6.9 billion ($4.5 billion), and instead had to compensate the Commonwealth Games Federation for breaking the contract. Craig Phillips, CEO of ...

No global expansion plans, focus on India's growth: Dream11 CEO Harsh Jain

Dream11 is one of three gaming unicorns - companies valued at over $1 billion - in the country, aside from Games24x7 and Mobile Premier League (MPL)

RCB has been officially renamed as Royal Challengers Bengaluru ahead of IPL

It's a dream of mine to know how it feels like winning IPL trophy, says Kohli

IPL 2024 Opening Ceremony: Akshay Kumar, AR Rehman likely to perform

IPL 2024 Opening Ceremony: The inaugural event will be held at MA Chidambaram International Cricket Stadium, Chennai. Akshay Kumar, AR Rehman and others are expected to perform at the event

Cricket presses its field advantage, scores big in Rs 15.7K cr sports biz

The Indian Premier League or IPL, a cricketing event, remains the largest in revenue, reach, and popularity