Page 1921 - Sports
PSG in French Cup semis
Three-time defending champions Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) recorded their second straight 3-0 victory over Marseille in three days and secured a berth in the French Cup semifinals here.
US Olympics Committee chief resigns
US Olympics Committee (USOC) chief Scott Blackmun resigned citing health problems as the reason, according to various media reports.Blackmum led the federation for more than eight years.The 60-year-old was reportedly diagnosed with prostate cancer earlier this winter, and did not attend the Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang.The resignation comes amid calls for his departure in accusation of not doing enough to react to sex abuse cases inside the US Gymnastics team, by former team doctor Larry Nassar.In a statement, USOC chairman Larry Probst said, "Given Scott's current health situation, we have mutually agreed it is in the best interest of both Scott and the USOC that we identify new leadership so that we can immediately address the urgent initiatives ahead of us."The USOC is at a critical point in its history. The important work that Scott started needs to continue and will require especially vigorous attention in light of Larry Nassar's decades-long abuse of athletes affiliated with ..
Virat Kohli launches Forca Goa Foundation
FC Goa co-owner Virat Kohli launched the Forca Goa Foundation ahead of the team's last home game of the league stage of the Hero Indian Super League (ISL) against ATK at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Fatorda.Forca Goa Foundation is a multi-programme NGO that provides grassroots training to children and uses football as a vehicle for positive development in the state.The Indian skipper attended the match as a show of support for the Gaurs as well as to extend his support to the launch of the foundation. On the occasion, he also unveiled the special edition FC Goa jersey that the team has chosen to adopt at the match against ATK to show their solidarity with the Forca Goa Foundation's mission of a better future for Goa.The Gaurs will steer away from their traditional blue home kit and will sport a brand new jersey with the brand colours and logo of its sister organisation for the last home game of the league stage against ATK. The idea behind the change in the jersey colour and design
'Dipa Karmakar is my role model': Aruna Reddy
Aruna Budda Reddy, who recently became the first Indian gymnast to bag an individual medal in Gymnastics World Cup on Wednesday said that Dipa Karmakar is her role model.Talking to ANI, Reddy said that alike Karmakar, she too wants to make her own identity and create history in the respective field."Dipa (Karmakar) didi is my role model. She has won many awards and has created history, I also want to do the same and create an identity of my own. Every athlete needs to do hard work. Without that, no one can succeed," she said.She also expressed happiness for making India proud by bagging the medal in the tournament.Aruna Budda Reddy scripted history by winning a medal at the Gymnastics World Cup in Melbourne.Aruna left an inedible mark in the annals of Indian sports history by winning a bronze medal in the women's vault event of Gymnastic World Cup.The 22-year-old finished third with an average score of 13.699 following her two attempts in the women's vault event. Slovenia's Tjasa ...
ISL: Goa enhance playoffs chances with 5-1 rout of ATK
FC Goa thrashed ATK 5-1 here on Wednesday to enhance their chances of a playoffs berth by moving to fourth position in the points table of the Indian Super League (ISL).
Australia skipper Smith eager for South Africa revenge
Australia captain Steve Smith is looking for revenge in the upcoming Tests against South Africa to continue the trend which has seen the tourists dominate in recent series between the sides. "Certainly it's a big series for us. We've had a lot of great contests over the years. South Africa got the better of us at home so we'd love to get them back for that one," said Smith ahead of the start of the first Test at Kingsmead in Durban on Thursday. South Africa won 2-1 in a three-Test series in Australia in November 2016, their third straight series win there. However, Australia have a brilliant record away in South Africa, and it is an anomaly that Smith and his opposite number Faf Du Plessis put down to the similar conditions in both countries. Australia are aiming to build on a "magnificent" home summer which included a 4-0 Ashes defeat of England. "The conditions are similar but it's still an away tour for us. I've got a goal as captain to play really well away from home and start ...
Goa score first ever win against ATK, move closer to semi-final spot
Manuel Lanzarote struck twice as FC Goa notched up a dominating 5-1 win over ATK and inched closer to a semifinal spot in the Hero Indian Super league (ISL) at the Nehru Stadium here today. It was FC Goa's first ever win over ATK as the hosts dominated most part of the match with Sergio Juste Marin (10th), Lanzarote (15th and 21st), Ferran Corominas Telechea (64th) and substitute Markos Johannus (90th) sounding the board for them. For ATK, Robbie Keane (87th) scored the solitary goal in the match. Goa thus took their tally to 27 points from 17 matches, one point ahead of Jamshedpur FC, against whom they will play in their last league match on March 4. A draw will take Goa to the semi-final as they will finish fourth with 28 points, while Jamshedpur who too are in the race for the knock out round need to win against the Goan side. ATK, who remained on ninth place with 13 points from 17 matches, came back strongly in the last quarter to pull one back through Robert Keane in the 87th ...
Unfit Ashwin replaced by Nadeem in India A squad
India A captain and veteran off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has been ruled out of the upcoming Paytm Prof D.B. Deodhar Trophy to be held in Dharamsala due to an injury.
Zverev advances to Mexican Open round of 16
Second-seeded German Alexander Zverev defeated American Mackenzie McDonald 6-3, 7-5 to advance to the round of 16 of the Mexican Open, a hard court event.
Naseer Hussain called me a bus driver in Natwest Series: Kaif
Former India batsman Mohammad Kaif today claimed that he was once called a 'bus driver' by former England captain Nasser Hussain in the final of the 2002 NatWest Series. Kaif, who was holding a Question and Answer session on his Twitter account, was asked by a fan how the Nasser Hussain-led England had sledged him during his match-winning 87 in that crucial match. Replying to the query, Kaif wrote: "Yes, Nasser Hussain actually called me a Bus driver :) was good to take them for a ride!" Kaif had shared a match-winning 121-run partnership with Yuvraj Singh (69) as the duo pulled off a record 326-run chase after being reduced to 146 for 5 at one stage during the match.
IOC restores Russia's Olympic membership
The Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) has said that the International Olympic Committee (IOC) fully 'restored' his organisation's membership after suspending them over doping allegation from 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics.ROC president Alexander Zhukov welcomed the IOC's "important" decision."The Russian Olympic Committee has had its rights fully restored.It's a decision of the utmost importance for us," the Guardian quoted Zhukov as saying.A team of "cleaned" Russians competed as a part of a neutral 'Olympic athlete from Russia' (OAR) team at the recently-concluded 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics after the IOC suspended Russia in December, saying that the country had engaged in "unprecedented systematic manipulation" at the 2014 Sochi Olympics.Just a few hours ahead of the opening ceremony of the Winter Games on February 29, all 45 Russian athletes and two coaches had lost their appeals against the IOC's decision to bar them from participating in the 2018 Winter Olympics.The OAR ...
ISL:Kerala Blasters face stern test against Bengaluru
Kerala Blasters will face the stern test of getting the better of Bengaluru FC at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium, Bengaluru, on Thursday in a bid to make it to the Indian Super League (ISL) playoffs.Nothing less than a win will do for Kerala Blasters, although that may not be enough with Jamshedpur FC and FC Goa breathing down their neck. But they have to win and wait for the other results to go their way.Kerala Blasters are placed fifth at the moment with 25 points from 17 matches.They can reach a maximum of 28 and hope that Jamshedpur FC (26 points) and FC Goa (24 points with a match in hand) don't move ahead.Hosts Bengaluru have already confirmed their place in the semi-finals and will play for momentum ahead of the knockout stages."We are in a difficult situation and at the mercy of Jamshedpur and Goa. But we will do everything to win and we are unbeaten," Blasters coach David James said.The former England goalkeeper also sounded frustrated with the two draws in their five-match ...
'Injured' Ashwin ruled out of Deodhar Trophy 2018
India A captain Ravichandran Ashwin has been ruled out of the upcoming Deodhar Trophy due to an injury."India A captain has been ruled out of the upcoming Prof D B Deodhar Trophy 2017-18 to be held in Dharamsala," the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) said.The Indian off-spinner, who was recently named as the captain of the Kings XI Punjab for the upcoming 11th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL), has a niggling issue and, therefore, the BCCI medical team has advised him a week's rest.In Ashwin's absence, left-arm spinner Shahbaz Nadeem has been named as his replacement, while Ankit Bawne will lead the India A team in the upcoming Deodhar Trophy."The All-India Senior Selection Committee has decided to include Shahbaz Nadeem as the replacement. The selectors have named Ankit Bawne as captain of the India A team and suggested that Akshdeep Nath will move to India B squad to facilitate the change," the BCCI statement added.The 2018 Deodhar Trophy is slated to be held ...
IOC reinstates Russia's Olympic membership, says country
The head of Russia's Olympic Committee (ROC) has claimed that the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has reinstated his organisation's membership.President of the Russian Olympic Committee Alexander Zhukov in comments broadcast on state TV, said, "The Russian Olympic Committee has had its rights fully restored. It's a decision of the utmost importance for us," reported the Guardian."I would like to thank our athletes who were able to perform well even despite the provocations. I thank the fans who did not cross the line and what could result in sanctions. Today's IOC's decision is very important for us. The ROC is an absolutely full-fledged member of the Olympic family," the ROC chief added.Russia was prohibited from February's Pyeongchang Winter Olympics by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) over state-sponsored doping, saying it had found evidence of an "unprecedented systematic manipulation" of the anti-doping system.They were allowed to compete in the Games under a ...
BCB appeals against ICC's 'below average' rating for Mirpur pitch
The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has appealed against the one demerit point imposed on the Sher-e-Bangla Stadium in Mirpur for a "below average" pitch used during the second Test of the two-match series between Bangladesh and Sri Lanka earlier this month.David Boon of the Emirates Elite Panel of ICC Match Referees had rated the pitch 'below average' and received one demerit point according to the ICC Pitch and Outfield Monitoring Process, citing uneven bounce throughout the match and inconsistent turn.The appeal will be heard by March 14 as per the period stipulated in the Pitch Monitoring Process and will be determined by Geoff Allardice, General Manager - Cricket, and Anil Kumble, Chair of the Cricket Committee.The appeal will be determined taking into consideration the match referee's report, report from the home board, videos of the match and the grounds for appeal as submitted by the BCB.Sri Lanka went on to win that Test by 215 runs inside three days with 681 runs being scored
Premier League still the greatest prize for Guardiola
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has insisted the Premier League title is the most important trophy for his team to win this season, ahead of even potential Champions League success. The runaway Premier League leaders already have one piece of silverware in the bag, after winning the English League Cup Final in convincing fashion against Arsenal at Wembley on Sunday. But, as he prepared to face the same side in a league game at the Emirates, Guardiola is far more interested in the six victories that will make the English title a mathematical certainty for City. "We are fighting for the most important title of the season by far, the Premier League," Guardiola told a news conference on Tuesday. "More important than the Champions League, more important than the FA Cup, Carabao (league) Cup. That is enough encouragement to be focused. The next six fixtures are terrible in terms of quality of the opponents, and we have four games away and we still have to win six games. "When you ...
Sporting Gijon's late Quini gets last farewell from fans
Thousands of Sporting Gijon's fans on Wednesday bid a last farewell to the Spanish club's late star Enrique Castro, best known as "Quini," at the Molinon stadium.
Ashwin ruled out of Deodhar Trophy
Senior off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has been ruled out of the upcoming Deodhar Trophy to be held in Dharamsala from March 4-8. "Ashwin has a niggling issue and the BCCI Medical Team has advised him a weeks rest," acting secretary Amitabh Chaudhary was quoted as saying in a BCCI press release. However it was not specified what exactly is the niggle. The Deodhar Trophy was a chance for Ashwin to showcase his 50-over bowling skills and convince the selectors, whose preferred choices in the shorter format are Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav. The motivation level for a senior player to play a particular format diminishes if he knows that his chances of immediate comeback is next to nil. The selection committee decided to include Shahbaz Nadeem as the replacement. The selectors have named Ankit Bawne as captain of the India A team and suggested that Akshdeep Nath will move to India B squad to facilitate the change.
ISL: FC Goa launch foundation
Indian Super League (ISL) franchise FC Goa launched the Forca Goa Foundation ahead of their last home game against ATK in Fatorda, it was announced on Wednesday.
IOC lifts doping ban on Russia: Moscow officials
The International Olympic Committee has lifted a ban against Russia, Moscow officials said Wednesday, after the country was barred from the Pyeongchang games over state-sponsored doping. "The rights of the Russian Olympic Committee have been fully restored," said the president of the Russian Olympic Committee, Alexander Zhukov. Zhukov said Russia received a letter from the IOC Wednesday which confirms that no other Olympic athletes from Russia had tested positive for doping, following two positive Russian drug tests at this month's Winter Games in Pyeongchang. "All of the doping tests that were conducted on our athletes in the last days of the Olympics were negative," Zhukov said. The IOC decided in a meeting Sunday that in such an event the suspension of the Russian Olympic Committee would be lifted. Russia was banned in December from taking part in the 2018 Olympics following revelations of widespread doping, though 168 athletes were deemed "clean" and were cleared to go to ...