Page 2016 - Sports
FIH announces Hockey Pro League schedule
The International Hockey Federation (FIH) has revealed the full schedule for the inaugural season of the Hockey Pro League which begins on January 19, 2019.
India football team coach Constantine handed contract extension
India football team head coach Stephen Constantine on Wednesday was handed contract extension by the All India Football Federation (AIFF).
Olympics medical team issues guidelines to prevent norovirus infection
The South Korean Olympic medical team on Wednesday sent out guidelines to national athletes to prevent norovirus infections.
Sangakkara calls for Test pay minimum to stop T20 exodus
Sri Lankan veteran Kumar Sangakkara has called for Test cricket to introduce a minimum match fee for all countries to stop young players ditching the long-form for lucrative Twenty20 leagues. Sangakkara, the fifth-highest run scorer in the history of Test cricket, retired from the first-class game last year but has continued playing for domestic T20 franchises around the world, including in this week's Hong Kong T20 Blitz. The 40-year-old praised the shorter format for spreading the game's popularity to new markets but warned that without change Test cricket could face a battle to remain relevant for young players and fans. "T20 is the ideal format to introduce -- you talk about the Americas, with China," Sangakkara told AFP on Wednesday. "Since its inception it's been a huge pillar of strength for world cricket. "But there are a few negatives ... a lot of young players taking up T20 instead of playing international cricket. "There are various things that have been ...
Nadal signs on for Queen's challenge
World number one Rafael Nadal has confirmed he will play in the Wimbledon warm-up event at Queen's Club later this year. Nadal has missed the grass-court tournament in west London for the last two years after suffering a wrist injury in 2016 and then prioritising rest after his French Open victory in 2017. But the Spaniard, who won the Queen's title in 2008, intends to participate in this year's event, which begins on June 18. "I am very excited to communicate that I am going to come to Queen's in 2018," Nadal said. "It is going to be the 10th anniversary of my victory in 2008, it's a great memory, winning there and three weeks later winning Wimbledon. "It was an unforgettable year. I am very excited to be coming back and playing Queen's again." Nadal's best performances at Wimbledon have always come after he has played at Queen's. He reached the Wimbledon final five times between 2006 and 2011, winning in 2008 and 2010, and making the quarter- finals at Queen's prior to
Koeman named Netherlands coach
Former Dutch footballer Ronald Koeman has appointed as the coach of Netherlands team on contract until the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
CAS starts hearing appeals by 32 Russian athletes
The Ad Hoc Division of the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in South Korea started to review appeals by 32 Russian athletes against the International Olympic Committee's decision not to invite them to this year's Olympic Games.
Must improve young talent to promote grassroots football: Hood
The promotion of grassroots football works best when all stakeholders focus on improving the quality and quantity of young talent by working hand-in- hand with the national federation, feels AIFF's head of player development, Richard Hood. The All India Football Federation last year launched the 'Baby League', a grassroots development programme that intends to involve greater participation from children starting as early as five years of age and centered as much around match- play as it is around skills development. "We have enjoyed a lot of success through our presentations to stakeholders in explaining the state of Indian football and the need to address the change from the bottom," Hood said. "The use of facts and evidence with an honest reflection of the past has allowed for a strong and clear message to be conveyed and we are seeing the entities willing to take the league forward grow steadily." State associations play a pivotal role in the development of ...
Tendulkar bats for recognition of India's blind cricket body
Legendary Indian cricketer Sachin Tendulkar has requested the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to consider recognition of Cricket Association for the Blind in India (CABI) and bring its visually-impaired players under the BCCI's pension scheme.The master blaster's comments came just weeks after the Indian team defeated their arch-rivals Pakistan by two wickets to lift their second Blind Cricket World Cup title in Sharjah.In a letter to the Committee of Administrator's (CoA) chairman Vinod Rai, Tendulkar wrote, "As we celebrate the fourth consecutive victory of the Indian team in the Blind World Cup, I urge you to consider recognition of Cricket Association for the Blind in India by the BCCI."Insisting that the recognition would truly be an acknowledgement of their passion for the sport, Tendulkar further urged the BCCI to bring the blind cricketers under the BCCI pension scheme for their long-term financial security."However, I believe that it is time that a long-standing .
Ankle injury forces Halep out of Fed Cup tie
World number two Simona Halep will miss Romania's first round tie of the Fed Cup World Group II against Canada this weekend after failing to recover fully from an ankle injury.The 26-year-old sustained the injury during her first-round match against Destanee Aiava at the Australian Open.Taking to her Facebook account, Halep now confirmed that she has unfortunately failed to recover fully from the injury and, therefore, would miss the Fed Cup tie, which is to be held on indoor hard-court in Cluj on February 3 and February 4."After spending the last week resting and rehabbing my injury from the Australian Open, unfortunately it has not recovered quickly enough," she wrote on Facebook."I'm sad as playing for Romania is very important to me but I look forward to seeing everyone in Cluj as I will travel to support my team-mates in this very important tie. Good luck Romania!" she added.Halep had struggled in Melbourne last month as she twisted her ankle and battled her way through several ..
Fed Cup: Ankita helps India draw level against China
Ankita Raina defeated Lin Zhu in straight sets to help India draw level at 1-1 in their Federation Cup tennis tie against China here on Wednesday.
Ankita produces fiery game under pressure to level tie
A fired-up Ankita Raina produced a stunning performance under pressure to shock world number 120 Lin Zhu and help India lock the Asia/Oceania Group I Fed Cup tie against China 1-1 after Karman Kaur Thandi had suffered a tame defeat in the opening match here today. Playing with a lot of passion and energy, the 253rd- ranked Ankita came out with relentless hitting to catch Lin by surprise and beat her higher-ranked rival 6-3 6-2 on the Centre Court at the Delhi Lawn Tennis Association (DLTA). This was after 19-year-old Karman lost the first match 2 -6 2-6 to world number 125 Yafan Wang. Ankita will come back to play the decisive doubles with Prarthana Thombare, taking on the combo of Wang and Zhaoxuan Yang. This is Ankita's first win over Lin in fourth attempt as she lost twice to her on the Tour and once in the Fed Cup. Ankita never took her foot off the pedal as she kept throwing the balls back to Lin, who struggled to cope with consistent returns from the Indian. Lin ...
N. Korean, Iranian athletes denied smartphone handout
PyeongChang Olympic organisers won't provide North Korean and Iranian players with Samsung smartphones, which are available free to all other athletes, for fear of violating international sanctions on the countries, officials said Wednesday.
Sandeep urges government to build physiotherapy and rehab centre (IANS Interview)
Recalling the struggles he faced during his comeback after being shot during a train journey in 2006, former India hockey team captain Sandeep Singh urged the sports ministry to work on building a world-class physiotheraphy and rehabiliatiion centre for athletes across all disciplines.
Nadal to play at Queen's Club in 2018
World number one Rafael Nadal, who is currently recovering from a thigh injury, has given his commitment to play in the Wimbledon warm-up event at the Queen's Club later this year.Having won the Queen's title in 2008, the Spanish maestro missed the grass-court tournament in London for the last two years-first due to a wrist injury in 2016 and then prioritizing rest following his French Open triumph in 2017.However, Nadal took to his Twitter account and confirmed that he has signed up for this year's Queen's Club Championships, which is slated to begin from June 18, the Daily Express quoted Nadal, as saying."I am very excited to communicate that I am going to come to Queen's in 2018. It is going to be the 10th anniversary of my victory in 2008, it's a great memory, winning there and three weeks later winning Wimbledon," Nadal said."It was an unforgettable year. I am very excited to be coming back and playing Queen's again," he added.Earlier, the world number one said that he was hoping
Defending champs Spain qualify for futsal EuroCup
Spain cleared another hurdle in the defense of their EuroCup futsal title with a 1-0 quarterfinal win here over Ukraine.
Bayer Leverkusen in German Cup semis
Bayer Leverkusen defeated Werder Bremen 4-2 in extra time here to advance to the semifinals of the German Cup for the first time in nine years.
Karman's tame defeat puts India under pressure against China
Karman Kaur Thandi struggled to execute her game as Yafan Wang walked away with an easy straight sets win to give China a 1-0 lead over India in the Asia/Oceania Group I Fed Cup tie here today. The gulf between the players was evident as Wang struck the ball with authority while Karman's game was littered with errors as she lost the first match of the tournament 2-6 2-6 to Wang, ranked 125. The onus to bring India back in the contest is now on the country's top singles player Ankita Raina, who is up against world number 125 Lin Zhu. The Chinese team arrived here only Tuesday morning but Wang still managed to adjust to the bounce of the Centre court and the conditions. Wang is coming to the Fed Cup after a semifinal finish at the WTA Taipei Open, where she lost the last-four match to world number 45 Timea Babos after beating Eugeni Bouchard. It was the second meeting between Karman, ranked 284, and Wang, who now leads the head-to-head 2-0, having won the first match ...
To give or not Samsung phone to North Korean Olympians
Here is an Olympian question that Pyeongchang Winter Olympics organizer is wrestling with: to give or not to give the Samsung Galaxy phone to the 22 North Korean athletes. Olympic Partner Samsung Electronics has donated some 4,000 Galaxy Note 8 phones for athletes and officials at the International Olympic Committee so that they can document every moment and share their memories with the world. But the Winter Olympic Games organizer is in limbo whether giving the device that costs at least USD 1,000 to North Koreans would violate global sanctions designed to punish their government's nuclear ambitions. It's also unclear if the phones would work on networks inside North Korea. The Galaxy Note 8 Olympic Games phone distributed to athletes is a limited edition not for sale, but Samsung's Note series are some of the most expensive available in the market. The United Nations sanctions ban supplying or transferring luxury items to North Korea or to North Korean nationals. The .
India's U-17 WC star Dheeraj leaves for Scotland
His confidence bolstered after a stint with former England goalkeeper David James, India's U-17 custodian Dheeraj Singh Moirangthem today left for a trial at Scottish Premiership club Motherwell FC. His training sting is starting from tomorrow. Dheeraj, who manned India's post at the FIFA U-17 World Cup at home last year, quit Indian Arrows, the All India Football Federation's developmental squad playing in the I- League, after the end of his contract on December 31, 2017. And while Arrows' Portuguese coach Luis Norton de Matos was disappointed by his decision, a stint with James at Indian Super League (ISL) franchise Kerala Blasters has been encouraging. According to Dheeraj's agent Anuj Kichlu, the 17-year-old goalkeeper from Manipur will train with Motherwell FC's first time. In case he manages to impress the coaches at Motherwell FC, Dheeraj will still have to wait till July, when he turns 18, to obtain an international transfer. Motherwell's interest in the Indian ...