Page 2005 - Sports
Eyeing title, Neroca FC want full points against Aizawl FC
After a minor blip, Neroca FC have registered back-to-back wins in the Hero I-League and their impressive title challenge will be put to the test when they take on defending champions Aizawl FC here tomorrow. Gift Raikhan's side are on a good run in the I-League. They are second on the table behind Minerva Punjab, with 27 points from 14 games. After a loss in the opening game of the season, Neroca went on an incredible nine-game unbeaten run before losing to Lajong and Minerva Punjab earlier this month. Since the two defeats, they have picked up momentum and edged out Churchill Brothers and Gokulam Kerala in their last two games. "There will always be pressure because we're on a very good run now. I feel pressure and all the players feel pressure. But football is all about pressure. We need to work hard. "If we don't win, there is no chance to be champions. So we need to go away from the pressure and work hard," said Raikhan ahead of their crucial game against Aizawl FC .
Kremlin regrets CAS ban on Russian athletes
The Kremlin on Friday regretted the Court of Arbitration for Sports (CAS) verdict to bar 47 Russian athletes from the PyeongChang Winter Olympics, saying it will continue to furnish support for the athletes in safeguarding their rights, Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.
National chess championship for blind: Gangolli leads after
Karnataka's Kishan Gangolli is leading after the tenth round with 8.5 points in the 13th AICFB National 'A' Chess Championship for the Visually Challenged 2018 being played here. Gangolli is followed by Gujarat's Ashvin Makwana with 7.5 points. Soundarya Kumar Pradhan has moved up to the 3rd position along with Aryan B Joshi of Maharashtra with 6.5 points each, a media release said. On the first board, defending champion Gangolli played queen's pawn opening with white pieces against his statemate Krishna Udupa. Udupa opted for the Bogo Indian Defence and played a little too carefully in the opening. Kishan won a pawn and forced his opponent to surrender on the 75th move, it said. On the fifth board, Odisha's Pradhan played queen's pawn opening with white pieces against Samant Milind of Maharashtra. Samant opted Nimzo Indian defence. He was in slight minus position. On the 21st move, Soundarya played a beautiful tactical move and won his opponents' queen for his rook. ..
Railways 'Coach Mitra' service used 7,000 times in 9 months:
SMS-based service "Coach Mitra" was used 7,000 times between April and December 2017 to register all coach-related complaints and requirements, the Railways said today. Minister of State for Railways Rajen Gohain told the Rajya Sabha that passengers can also use an android application or webpage for making a request. "'Clean My Coach' service is now being upgraded to 'Coach Mitra' facility which is a single window interface to register coach-related requirements of passengers such as cleaning, disinfection, linen, lighting, air conditioning and watering of coaches," he said. The service, which was announced in the 2017-2018 Union Budget, was introduced in April 2017 in 800 pairs of trains and till December 2017, 71,000 requests were received, the minister said. "Nearly 90 per cent of the requests were attended. Posters, stickers are displayed in coaches near the main gate or doorway to make the passengers aware about the facility," Gohain said.
It's Minerva's title to lose from here: Gouramangi (IANS Interview)
Veteran India defender and Neroca FC star Gouramangi Singh feels that the I-League title is for Minerva Punjab FC to lose and his team are taking it one game at a time.
Coppell and Co. look to push fine form forward
Jamshedpur FC will look to continue their push towards the top four of the Hero Indian Super League when they take on NorthEast United FC here tomorrow. Steve Coppell's side have won their last two home games, against Kerala Blasters and Delhi Dynamos, but they return to their base after three away games where they collected six out of a possible nine points. Jamshedpur's organised brand of football has seen a surprising and unlikely rise into the playoff spots but they cannot take it easy because their challengers Mumbai City FC and FC Goa have both played fewer games. The only result that could keep Jamshedpur in the hunt is a win and three points at the JRD Tata Sports Complex will also put the teams below them under pressure to win their remaining games. "We hope that we continue the good form at home. But now, each and every game becomes vital. Three points are more significant now. "Almost every game these last few weeks have been almost must-win for us. It would
Switzerland sets new Olympic curling record
Switzerland's Jenny Perret and Martin Rios on Friday set a new Olympic record for curling at the PyeongChang Winter Olympic Games, scoring six points in the eighth and final end of their mixed doubles match against American siblings Matt and Becca Hamilton.
This season has been a challenging one, says Balwant
Mumbai City FC forward Balwant Singh today said the current Indian Super League (ISL) season has been a challenging one and rued the missed chances. "It's been a challenging but a good season. I'm glad I could score on the occasions I did score and I regret the chances I've missed. I don't want to judge or rate myself," Balwant told PTI. Mumbai are presently languishing at the seventh spot with 17 points from 13 matches and will play against FC Pune City on Sunday. Balwant has appeared in 12 of these matches and scored six goals. Asked if the team can make it to the top 4, Balwant quipped, "I cannot predict the final standings, of course. "But I can say that the spirit in the camp is good at the moment. The squad has been a strong unit all throughout the season both, in good and the not so good moments. "Our focus remains on giving it our all in the remaining games and hopefully we can clinch a spot in the playoffs," the 31-year-old India international said. Mumbai have ..
Gujrathi brand ambassador of All India Chess Federation for
Grand Master Vidit Gujrathi has been appointed as the brand ambassador of All India Chess Federation for the Blind (AICFB). The announcement was made by Dr Charudatta Jadhav, President of AICFB, a media release said. 23-year-old Gujrathi had broken the 2700 rating barrier and has a current rating of 2718, thereby becoming the fourth Indian to achieve the feat after legend Viswanathan Anand, Sasikiran and P Harikrishna, it added. He recently won the Tata Steel Chess Challengers 2018 in Wijk Aan Zee and has made the cut for the Tata Steel Chess Masters next year. Gujrathi was present for the 13th edition of National A Chess Championship for the visually challenged today. "We aim to spread awareness about blind chess and help in giving recognition and perks to the players who put India on the global map in blind chess. I am looking forward to doing interesting activities with AICFB and do all that I can to help the visually challenged players make a mark in the country and .
Moin Khan bats for extension of Sarfraz's contract as Pak captain
Former cricketer Moin Khan has called on the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) to extend the tenure of national skipper Sarfraz Ahmed for at least by two more years in order to avoid potential dressing-room conflicts.It should be noted that the Pakistan cricket has seen much internal strife between rival clique, including the infamous Waqar Younis-led mutiny against the then skipper Wasim Akram during the 1990s.Such conflicts reared its head again when Hasan Ali stared at Sarfraz in an act of apparent dissent after the skipper criticised the fast-bowler for some wayward bowling during the tour to New Zealand.Meanwhile, there were also reports of some senior players not getting along with Sarfraz as well as coach Mickey Arthur during the same tour.Reflecting on the same, Moin urged PCB to help earn Sarfraz more respect in the dressing room by extending his tenure as a captain until at least the 2019 World Cup."Pakistan cricket needs a long-term captain.With long-term stability, the team ...
Asia Team C'ships: Sindhu wins but India lose in quarters
Rio Olympics silver-medallist P.V. Sindhu won her singles encounter but her efforts went in vain as Indian women team's campaign came to an end in the Badminton Asian Team Championships after losing 1-3 to Indonesia at the Sultan Abdul Halim Stadium here on Friday.Before going into the game, India's singles player G Ruthvika Shivani was ruled out due to back pain and was replaced by doubles specialist Rutuparna Panda.In the first women's singles match of the tournament, which also serves as Asian qualification for the 2018 Thomas and Uber Cup, Sindhu outplayed Fitriani Fitriani 21-13, 24-22.In the second game, the duo of Ashwini Ponnappa and Sikki Reddy were defeated 5-21, 16-21 by world No. 7 Greysia Polii and Apriyani Rahayu in a 29 minutes encounter.Sri Krishna Priya Kudaravalli also lost her women's singles match 8-21, 15-21 to Hanna Ramadini to make the tie 1-2 in Indonesia's favour.In the decisive match, the doubles pair of Sanyogita Ghorpade and Sindhu went down to Anggia ...
India win 2 silver, 1 bronze at ITTF Oman Open
India won two silver and a bronze medal at the ITTF Oman World Junior & Cadet Open Table Tennis Tournament here today. Swastika Ghosh, who is supported by the Virat Kohli Foundation, teamed up with compatriot Varuni Jaiswal clinched the silver in sub junior girls team after beating Syria. They, however, lost to China in the final at Sultan Qaboos Sports Complex. In the cadet boys, Rishikesh Malhotra and Jash Modi defeated Soudi Arabia and Indonesia in the qualifying round. The duo then won against Oman A, Jordan, top seed Egypt before losing to China in the final. In the cadet girls team, Suhana Saini and Ananya won bronze.
Sindhu wins again but India lose 1-3 to Indonesia
The Indian women's team went down to Indonesia 1-3 for its second loss in the Badminton Asia Team Championships here today. Just like in the loss against Japan yesterday, PV Sindhu was the only one to win her match. She beat Fitriani Fitriani 21-13, 24-22 in the first singles. It was all downhill for India from there on as they lost the next three matches. Greysia Polli and Apriyani Rahayu defeated Ashwini Ponnappa and Sikki Reddy 21-5, 21-16 in the first women's doubles clash. In the second singles, Hanna Ramadini breezed past Priya Kudaravalli 21-8, 21-15. The second doubles sealed the tie for Indonesia as Anggia Shitta Awanda and Mahadewi Istarani beat Sindhu and Sanyogita Ghorpade 21-9, 21-18.
Akhil to fight 2nd pro bout tomorrow
Nearly a year after turning professional, seasoned Indian boxer Akhil Kumar will fight his second bout in the circuit when he takes on Tanzanian Sadiki Momba here tomorrow under the aegis of a brand new promoter. Akhil, a former Commonwealth Games gold-medallist who turned professional with the IOS Boxing Promotions is now contracted with Hope and Glory Boxing. Tomorrow's fight card at the Talkatora Stadium is being organised in association with World Boxing Council (WBC). Also fighting tomorrow would be Akhil's protege Jitender Kumar, who had turned professional with him last year. Also on the fight-card are WBC Asian Champion Brijesh Kumar Meena, Maharashtra's first pro boxer Siddharth Varma along with female boxers Preeti Dahiya, Rupinder Kaur and Rashmi Gorh. The man Akhil faces tomorrow in a lightweight contest is an experienced one in the circuit, having appeared in 37 fights, winning 25 of them. "He is an experienced fighter but I am also not short of experience. .
Minerva Punjab FC win third Nike Premier Cup
Minerva Punjab FC made it a hat-trick of Nike Premier Cup titles as they convincingly beat DSK Shivajians 4-0 to lift the cup for the third year running.
I-League: Aussie footballer Nick Ward to join Neroca FC
In a bid to bolster their squad for the final few games, I-League contenders Neroca FC are on the verge of signing Australian attacking midfielder Nick Ward, with Kyrgyzstani left winger Akhlidin Israilov set to be released.
Bhambri spearheads Indian challenge at Chennai Open Challenger
The focus will be on India's top singles player Yuki Bhambri when the Chennai Open ATP Challenger tournament gets underway here tomorrow with the qualifying rounds. The world no.112 Bhambri, who recently qualified for the main draw of the Australian Open, will be the second seed behind Australia's Jordan Thompson (ranked 103). Spain's Marcel Granollers, a former top-20 player, currently ranked 134, will be among the contenders along with Korea's Duckhee Lee. Three other Indians - Prajnesh Gunneswaran, Sumit Nagal and Saketh Myneni - are direct entries in the main draw. Four others - Sasikumar Mukund, Manish Suresh Kumar, Nitin Kumar Sinha and Vijay Sundar Prashanth - will join them, courtesy wild cards awarded yesterday by the organisers. The main draw consists of 32 players: 22 direct entries, two special exempts, four qualifiers and four wild cards. The main draw commences on February 12.
Indra Nooyi becomes ICC's first independent female director
Pepsico chairman Indra Nooyi was on Friday named the first independent female director of the International Cricket Council ICC).
Pak batsman Nasir Jamshed faces corruption charges
The Pakistan Cricket Board's (PCB) anti-corruption unit has charged opening left-handed batsman Nasir Jamshed with five violations of the board's Anti-Corruption Code.In an official statement, the PCB said, "The Pakistan Cricket Board has today issued a Notice of Charge to Cricketer, Nasir Jamshaid, wherein he has been charged with multiple violations of Articles 2.1.1, 2.1.2, 2.1.3, 2.1.4 and 2.4.4 of the PCB's Anti-Corruption Code for Participants ("the Code"). Nasir Jamshaid now has fourteen days to respond to the Notice of Charge."The 28-year-old is already facing a one-year ban for non-cooperation with the board in the spot-fixing scandal that marred the second edition of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) last year.Sharjeel Khan and Khalid Latif were suspended for five years, while Mohammad Irfan and Mohammad Nawaz were handed a 12-month ban in the same case.The PCB gave 14 days to Jamshed to respond to the Notice of Charge.
Shaping sports in a Naxal land
The once-silent and isolated Bijapur district is changing - It now has a sports academy, with running feet kicking up a storm in there.Abujmarh and Bastar, some of the heavily affected areas by Naxalites, had seen stunned silence after 5 p.m. until the district administration took a bold step of setting up the academy in the area eight months back.About 17 sportspersons have played national championships in less than eight months of training.Speaking on the success of the academy, Bijapur collector Ayyaz Tamboli told ANI, "Never thought something like this could be possible in the Bijapur district."Such has been the success of the academy that students who were once living in fear are now showing their skills in nine different games.Over 240 students from the Naxal-affected villages are now getting trained from the Sports Academy of India (SAI) accredited head coach.Assistant Coach Somaru Kashyap, who is now earning a "satisfactory" salary of Rs 15,000 per month, was once pressurised .