Page 1659 - Sports
India clubbed with UAE, Thailand and Bahrain in Asian Cup
The Indian football team were on Friday clubbed with hosts United Arab Emirates, Thailand and Bahrain in Group A of the AFC Asian Cup, the official draw for which was held at the Armani Hotel Ballroom at the iconic Burj Khalifa here.
IPL: Mumbai beat Punjab by six wickets
Opener SuryaKumar Yadav's 57 run knock and some useful contributions from other batters helped Mumbai Indians beat Kings XI Punjab by six wickets in an Indian Premier League (IPL) match here on Friday.
Mumbai Indians stay alive in IPL with tense 6-wicket win over KXIP
Rohit Sharma and Krunal Pandya delivered in desperate times as Mumbai Indians stayed alive in the IPL with a tense six-wicket win over Kings XI Punjab here tonight. Captain Rohit (24* off 15) and Krunal (31* off 12) shared a match-winning 56-run stand off just 21 balls as Mumbai Indians reached the 175-run target in 19 overs. The three-time champions needed 75 runs off the last seven overs but eventually got over the line rather comfortably. Mumbai's thrilling chase came after the heroics of Chris Gayle, who continued his explosive run in the IPL with a 50 off 40 balls to propel Kings XI Punjab to 174 for six. The much needed victory pushed Mumbai up to fifth from the bottom position in the points table while KXIP remained in fourth spot with five wins from eight games. Mumbai, who have now won three out of their nine games, are tied on six points with RCB, Delhi Daredevils and Rajasthan Royals. Suryakumar Yadav (57 off 52) too made a significant contribution in the successful chase .
Blazing Semenya ignores IAAF 'nonsense'
Caster Semenya put all the "nonsense" about controversial new IAAF rules on women's testosterone behind her by storming to victory in a personal best in the 1500m at the opening Diamond League meet of the season today. "I don't talk about nonsense," the double Olympic 800m gold medallist angrily rebutted when asked about why she never commented on the regulations to counteract hyperandrogenism, the medical condition which causes women to produce high levels of male sex hormones. IAAF president Sebastian Coe had earlier hit a defiant note amid criticism of the new rules, insisting they were "appropriate for the sport". The issue is controversial because it pits principles of fair competition against the rights of women born with the condition. Athletes such as Semenya will only be able to compete when the rules come into effect on November 1 if they take medication to reduce their levels of male sex hormones. Semenya showed her 800-1500m double at the Commonwealth Games had set up for .
Neeraj shatters own national record, finishes 4th in Doha Diamond League
Star Indian javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra shattered his own national record by clearing a distance of 87.43m en route finishing fourth in a star-studded field in the season opening Diamond League series meeting here tonight. Neeraj, who recently won a gold in the Commonwealth Games with a throw of 86.47m, was up against Olympic champion Thomas Rohler, world champion Johannes Vetter and Andreas Hoffman, all of them Germans and all in the 90m club, but the 22-year-old Indian was not intimidated as he sent the spear to 87.43m in his second attempt to better his earlier national mark of 86.48m. In the process, Neeraj beat 2017 London World Championships silver medallist Jakub Vadlejch of Czech Republic, who finished fifth with a best throw of 86.67m. Neeraj had the earlier national record of 86.48m when he won the gold in the 2016 World Junior Championships in Poland. That mark is also the existing world junior record. Just after winning gold in the Gold Coast CWG, he had said that he ...
India clubbed with UAE, Thailand and Bahrain in Asian Cup football
India has been clubbed with hosts United Arab Emirates, Thailand and Bahrain in Group A of the 2019 AFC Asian Cup football to be held in United Arab Emirates after the official draw held here tonight. National team captain Sunil Chhetri, Iranian legend Ali Daei, iconic Chinese player Sun Jihai and Philippines' star Philip James Younghusband helped AFC General Secretary Dato Windsor John in conducting the draw. National team head coach Stephen Constantine was also present on the occasion. The top 24 teams from all over Asia, including hosts UAE, were drawn into six groups of four teams each. Teams in a group will play each other once and the top two from each group will qualify to the Round of 16 along with the best four third-placed teams. The continental championship will be held across eight stadia in four cities in the UAE -- Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Sharjah and Al Ain -- January 5 to February 1 next year. Speaking at the draw, Chhetri said: "The AFC Asian Cup is an enormous opportunity ..
Seoul to discuss joint Korean teams with Asian Olympic chief
The head of South Korea's top sports body on Friday said he will soon meet with the Asian Olympic chief over joint Korean teams at an upcoming continental multi-sport competition.
Joint Korean women's TT team takes bronze at worlds
The joint Korean women's table tennis team won the bronze medal at the World Team Table Tennis Championships at Halmstad Arena here on Friday.
IPL: Gayle, Stoinis lift Punjab to 174/6 vs Mumbai
A half-century by Chris Gayle followed by some fireworks by Marcus Stoinis in the final moments helped Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) post a challenging 174/6 against Mumbai Indians in an Indian Premier League (IPL) clash at the Holkar Cricket Stadium here on Friday.
Putin to attend FIFA World Cup opening match
Russian President Vladimir Putin will attend the 2018 FIFA World Cup opening match between Russia and Saudi Arabia on June 14, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Friday.
3-time 1500m world champ Kiprop tests positive for banned substance
Athletics Kenya (AK) and the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) have both confirmed that former Olympic and world 1,500 metres champion Asbel Kiprop tested positive for the banned blood booster erythropoietin (EPO).
Steven Gerrard unveiled as new Rangers boss
Rangers unveiled former Liverpool and England captain Steven Gerrard as their new manager today, handing the rookie boss the daunting task of ending Celtic's domination of the Scottish Premiership. Gerrard, who has previously only worked with Liverpool's Under-18s, takes the helm of the giant club who have fallen on hard times in the past decade despite winning a record 54 Scottish titles. Celtic -- under Brendan Rodgers, Gerrard's former boss at Anfield -- are bidding for an unprecedented successive treble and are unbeaten against their Old Firm rivals in 11 games but Gerrard said he could not wait to get his teeth into the new role. "I'm very aware of Rangers, the size of the club, I've watched them from afar and been lucky enough to watch some of the Old Firm games," he told a press conference at the club's Ibrox stadium. "It was a no-brainer for me. There were a lot of different things to think about but from that first phone call I got a special feeling and I knew that Rangers ...
Brazil star Neymar flies into Paris after operation
Brazil star Neymar flew back into France today to rejoin his club Paris Saint-Germain after an operation on a broken foot bone in March. An AFP photographer at the scene took shots of Neymar seemingly at ease as he strolled to an awaiting van wearing sports shoes, no sign of a foot brace and not using crutches. Neymar, who arrived by private jet at an airport outside Paris, is continuing his recovery following the operation and his focus is firmly set on being fit to lead Brazil's World Cup challenge in Russia this summer. Neymar's injury sent shockwaves through Brazil after the iconic forward had also been injured in their home World Cup in 2014, with the team losing 7-1 in the semi-finals to Germany in a landmark humiliation in his absence. The 26-year-old forward -- whose 222 million-euro ($263 million) transfer from Barcelona to PSG last year made him the most expensive player in history -- broke a bone in his right foot while playing for the French club on February 25 and has ...
Ex-WADA chief calls for global sports integrity body
Athletics Integrity Unit chairman David Howman has called for a global body to stamp out corruption plaguing world sport, warning that without concerted action "the bad guys will win". The former head of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) said a worldwide integrity body should have input from the sports and betting industries, governments and law enforcement agencies. "The breadth of them (corruption issues) is huge if you look at some of the current problems we have in sport like match manipulation and criminal underworld engagement with ownership of sport," Howman told a conference in London. "Be very careful of people who come out with a lot of money and say 'we will live stream your third-rate football for millions of dollars a year'. Why? Because they want to bet on them. "How much money is there in the Asian unregulated betting market? $1.5 trillion, and who is using that market? A lot of terrorist groups as it is a really easy way to launder money. We sit back and let it ...
Gayle scores another fifty before MI fight back
Chris Gayle continued his explosive run in the IPL with a 50 off 40 balls, propelling Kings XI Punjab 174 for six against Mumbai Indians here tonight. Gayle collected just one run off the first eight balls he faced before racing to his half century, his fourth fifty plus score in five innings of the IPL so far. He alongside Lokesh Rahul (24 off 20) gave KXIP another cracking start as the destructive duo shared a 54-run stand off 40 balls. Rahul too was in sublime touch and looked set for a big score. He got the innings a move on with couple of lofted cover drives that went all the way into the stands. At the other end, Gayle got going by smashing Hardik Pandya for three fours in the fourth over. The 38-year-old was on song, having got a much needed week's break in an otherwise hectic tournament. Two overs later, Gayle pulled a short ball off Mitchel McClenaghan out of the Holkar Stadium. Mumbai Indians heaved a sigh of relief when the big-hitting could not go past the 50-run ...
Isco, Varane, Carvajal train on sidelines ahead of Clasico
Real Madrid's Isco Alarcon, Raphael Varane and Dani Carvajal on Friday trained individually on the sidelines of the team's group session, two days before the La Liga football match against Barcelona at the Camp Nou Stadium.
We are not focussing on qualifying for play-offs: Moody
Sunrisers Hyderabad are currently at the top of IPL table but their head coach Tom Moody said they were at the moment not focussing on qualifying for the play-offs. "We are not focusing on qualifying. We are concentrating on improvement. With improvement, we feel the wins will come our way and will get the reward we want, that is to be in the top four. We feel there are areas we can improve. That's what we are striving to do, Moody said. He was addressing the media at the pre-match conference ahead of Sunrisers' match against Delhi Daredevils here tomorrow. "They (Daredevils) have got a couple of very exciting young players. No question about that. We are looking forward to the opportunity of playing against them. We will have some specific ideas for certain players like we do with any other team," he said. On pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar who missed some recent games owing to a back injury, Moody said his key bowler was progressing well. "He (Kumar) has had a full bowl today and completed .
Is Germany keeper Neuer ready for the World Cup?
After Germany's star goalkeeper Manuel Neuer was sidelined with a broken foot in September last year, millions of Germans are preoccupied with his health and fitness. Not only are they giving Neuer advice but they all have an opinion on whether or not he will return to action in time for the 2018 FIFA World Cup.
Capital city's football body takes new name of Football Delhi
Delhi Soccer Association was today renamed as Football Delhi in a move which its president Shaji Prabhakran said was aimed at making the national capital a model football state in the country by 2021. Launching the new Football Delhi brand, Prabhakaran also announced a slew of initiatives and tournaments to be started from this season. He also announced that August 3, the birthday of Delhi player and India captain Sunil Chhetri, would be celebrated as the Football Delhi Day every year. "Delhi Soccer Association, now called Football Delhi has entered into a new chapter in the development of the sport in the city. Today is a historic day. We want to make Delhi a model football state in the country by 2021," Prabhakaran said. "This re-branding of DSA as Football Delhi is the beginning of a journey of transformation. It will not be a mere talk but we will work tirelessly as a team and will achieve our objectives," he said while launching the new logo. He said "the new brand captures the ..
England 'old boys' in Ireland squad for Pakistan
Former England internationals Boyd Rankin and Ed Joyce were included in a 14-man Ireland squad named by coach Graham Ford on Friday for next week's inaugural Test against Pakistan. Ireland will again be led by experienced captain William Porterfield for what will be their first taste of the five-day format since being elevated to Test status. Meanwhile Kevin O'Brien, the century-making star of Ireland's 2011 World Cup win over England in Bangalore, has been included in the squad, as have county cricketers Tim Murtagh, Gary Wilson and Paul Stirling. Pace bowler Rankin is the only player with previous Test experience, having represented England in the final match of their 5-0 Ashes series loss to Australia in 2013/14. Veteran batsman Joyce, who like Rankin started his international career in Irish colours, played limited-overs cricket for England before switching back to play for Ireland again. Ireland knocked Pakistan out of the 2007 World Cup in the Caribbean with a shock three-wicket