Page 2021 - Sports
Russia hails Winter Olympics organisers
First Vice President of the Russian Olympic Committee Stanislav Pozdniakov has spoken highly of efforts made by the Organising Committee of the PyeongChang 2018 Games, which has been able to create a comfortable environment for Russian athletes.
IOC bars 15 Russian athletes from Winter Olympics
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has decided to decline 15 Russian athletes who had been earlier acquitted by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) access to the Winter Olympic Games, head of the IOC commission for admission of Russian athletes to the Games Nicole Hoevertsz has said.
Seedorf becomes coach of Spain's Deportivo
Former AC Milan and Holland star Clarence Seedorf has signed a contract to coach former Spanish football league champions Deportivo La Coruna through the end of this season.
'Grid kids' to replace 'grid girls' for new season: F1
A week after controversially abolishing its long-standing association with "grid girls", Formula One has announced their intention to replace the same with the 'grid kids' at every race of the 2018 season.Liberty Media, the F1's American owners, had earlier polarized fans by announcing the removal of the long-standing practice of using grid girls in the lead-up to F1 races , saying "it does not resonate with brand values and clearly is at odds with modern day societal norms."And now, the Federation Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA), the world governing body of motor sport, believes the move of using 'grid kids'--who are already involved in motor racing-would make the pre-race ceremony more relevant for fans.Confirming the news, FIA president Jean Todt said, "Formula One is the pinnacle of motor sport and the dream of every young racer competing in the junior series that make up the FIA's single-seater pyramid, from karting all the way to F1."We are therefore delighted to bring ...
'Young pacers need to go through the first class grind'
Bowling coach of the victorious India U-19 team Paras Mhambrey believes the young inexperienced pacers need to grind it out at the first class level in order to be battle ready for the tough challenges ahead. "They (young pacers) are far away. Yes, they have done well at the Under-19 level, yes they have hit certain speeds levels. But if you look at the challenges at the first class level, the quality of batting, it is going to be a while for them," 45-year-old Mhambrey told reporters here. "They need to go through the first class grind. They will experience failures as well as successes and will eventually evaluate themselves. As a fast bowler it is not just the ability to bowl fast, (but) also about understanding how to bowl, understanding your body, the conditions, the wickets." Mhambrey said it is too early to predict whether the young fast bowlers are ready for higher level cricket. Asked whether the boys were distracted by the IPL auction, Mhambrey said, "These boys
Las Palmas beat Malaga in relegation battle
Alen Halilovic scored in the 90th minute to give UD Las Palmas a 1-0 victory over Malaga in a battle between clubs facing relegation from the top division of Spanish football.
Goa cops told not to play for sports clubs without approval
The Goa Police have asked their personnel not to play for any sports club in the state without getting prior approval from authorities concerned. The move came after the Goa Police found their personnel playing against each other at the club-level tournaments, causing "great embarrassment" to the department. Superintendent of Police (Sports) Karthik Kashyap, in a circular issued yesterday, said the department had to face "great embarrassment" when its own athletes play in opposite teams without the permission from authorities. "It has been noticed that police personnel from the Goa Police or the India Reserve Battalion are playing in various sporting tournaments without permission. Sometimes they even compete against official team of Goa the Police," Kashyap said. In view of this, the department has issued guidelines, according to which, "none of the police personnel" will play in any sporting event without taking prior permission from the Goa Police Sports Cell or the ..
Chelsea's slump deepens with loss to Watford
Reigning English Premier League (EPL) champions Chelsea have lost 1-4 to Watford, their second straight EPL defeat and the hosts' first triumph of 2018.
Nadal targets injury return at Mexico Open
World number one Rafael Nadal, who is currently recovering from a thigh injury, is hoping to make a return in competitive tennis by the end of this month.The Spanish maestro was forced to retire from season-opening Grand Slam-- Australian Open-in the quarter-final clash against Croatia's Marin Cilic due to the same injury.Nadal was also expected to miss the Mexican Open at the end of the month to allow him to recover fully, but he believes he would be fit in time to be back for the Acapulco tournament, beginning February 26."It's a small injury that needs time and rest and recovery, and that's what we're doing. For the moment my schedule is the same and I think I'll be able to travel to Mexico to play at Acapulco," the Daily Express quoted Nadal, as saying.The 31-year-old's comments came after bagging the Sportsperson of the Year award at the Mundo Deportivo Grand Gala.In case, Nadal does not play in Mexico or fails to reach the semi-finals of the tournament and Roger Federer wins the
India gets easy draw in mixed badminton team event of CWG
Formidable India are likely to have an easy passage to the knockout stage of badminton mixed team event as they have been drawn with minnows Pakistan, Scotland and Sri Lanka in Group A of the Commonwealth Games. The 2018 Commonwealth Games will be held in Gold Coast, Australia from from April 4 to 15. A total of 16 nations were drawn in four groups where each nation will play the other three countries in each group in the first two days of the competition at the Carrara Sports and Leisure Centre, which had hosted the Sudirman Cup last year. Besides India, medal-contenders Malaysia have been clubbed alongside Canada, Seychelles and Ghana in Group D, while England have been placed with Australia, South Africa and Uganda in Group C. Group B consists of Singapore, Mauritius, Zambia and Jamaica. The team event will have men's and women's singles and three doubles -- men's, women's and mixed in each tie. The top two teams will move to the quarterfinals. The draw for the ...
India eye historic lead against injury-hit South Africans
India will have their sights set on an unprecedented 3-0 lead when they take on a South African team, which has quite literally fallen apart due to injury blows, in the third ODI of the six-match series, here tomorrow. The visitors won the first two matches of the series in Durban and Centurion by six and nine wickets, respectively, dismantling the home side with consummate ease. Twice previously, India have managed to win two ODIs in a bilateral series in South Africa -- in 1992-93 and in 2010-11. In the latter instance, the visitors shot into a 2-1 lead, only to lose the five-match series 3-2 in the end. They had also lost 5-2 in the other instance. But given the hosts' current travails, history repeating itself would be a major disaster for the Men in Blue. This is because the Proteas are beset with injury problems. AB de Villiers was ruled out before the first ODI, Faf du Plessis before the second (both suffered finger injuries). And the list has only grown with ...
India women eye series win against South Africa
Dominant in the series-opener, the Indian women's cricket team would now look to seal the issue when it takes on South Africa in the second ODI of the three- match series, here tomorrow. Seven months after a stupendous show in the World Cup, the Indian women's team shook off rustiness with ease with a crushing 88-run win over South Africa in the series-opener here yesterday. The three-match series, also a first-round fixture of the ICC Women's Championship, gives both the teams a chance to directly qualify for the 2021 ICC Women's World Cup. After a runner-up finish in the World Cup, Mithali Raj and her team did not play any international games -- thanks to lackadaisical planning on the part of the BCCI. And the ongoing three-match series against South Africa was considered a big challenge for the Indians to get back into the groove. But in the first ODI, the Indian women never looked short of match practice as they shone bright in all departments to comfortably outclass
Nike Premier Cup 2018: Aizawl FC face defending champ Minerva
Defending champions Minerva Punjab FC will look to defend their crown when they lock horns with Aizawl FC in the semi-finals of the Nike Premier Cup 2018, which is organized by the All India Football Federation (AIFF).The second semi-final will be played at the Nagoa Ground in Goa later on Tuesday .The two teams come face-to-face in Goa after fighting teams from the length and breadth of the country to make their way into the final four of the competition.Minerva Punjab FC could be termed favourites, thanks to their title triumph last season led by Jeakson Singh who went onto feature in the Under-17 FIFA World Cup and scored India's first-ever goal in a FIFA World Cup.This time out, after a draw in their opening group game against Gokulam FC, the team rallied to top the group and the team is looking to put up a good show against Aizawl FC."The draw Gokulam FC was kind of a shock for us. After that, the players were motivated and they were scoring every-time and beating their ...
Rajasthan Swimmer set to create another record
Gauravi Singhvi swimmer from Rajasthan's Udaipur is all set to create another record by swimming for a distance of approximately 48 kilometers.The 14-year-old, will swim for nine hours from Juhu Beach to Gateway of India.Gauravi touched the sea waters in Mumbai at 3:30 a.m. on Tuesday and aims to achieve her target by 12:30 p.m later today.Last month, Singhvi had swum 26 km within six hours.It may be noted that she is the youngest one to have covered 36 kilometres in the Arabian Sea and set a record in swimming."Today I will swim from Juhu to the Gateway of India that is 48 kilometers. Last year in March I have swum 36 km. I started participating in different swimming competitions from Class 3 and I practice day and night," said Gauravi Sighavi told media."From last one year, Gauravi has been practicing regularly for 8to 10 hours. After this she will be practicing for English channel," Coach Mahesh Paliwal told media.
I-League: High-flying Churchill face defending champ Aizawl
After having edged past Minerva Punjab FC in their last I-League clash, Churchill Brothers will have another big task to cut out when they face defending champions Aizawl FC in their next encounter at the Tilak Maidan in Goa on Wednesday.The Paulo Menezes-coached side, who are coming from a stalemate against Chennai City FC, would be wary of the Churchill Brothers who are looking to be the team to beat at the moment.Aizawl have reasons to be worried as they are winless in their last five matches - counting the AFC Champions League game against Zob Ahan.The not-so-decent run of results has seen them slump to a lowly sixth on 16 points and Churchill Brothers are only three points behind the defending champions.Churchill Brothers are growing in confidence with each passing game and they have targeted a top half finish for the season.After the addition of players like Koffi Mechac, Kalu Ogba, Eldor Hussein and others, the Red Machines look like a different animal."It is my belief that if .
'Injured' Mathews ruled out of B'desh T20Is
Limited-overs skipper Angelo Mathews' injury troubles continue to hurt Sri Lanka as he has been ruled out of the two-match T20I series against Bangladesh, beginning February 15 at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Dhaka.The 30-year-old has been struggling with a hamstring injury since the start of the last year after picking up the same during South Africa tour, ESPNcricinfo reported.As a result, the all-rounder was subsequently forced to skip South Africa and India tour and now he is all set to miss the third-consecutive overseas series in Bangladesh.Earlier, it was suggested that Mathews could have been fit enough to play in the ongoing Test series, but it now looks unlikely that he would even be available for next month's Nidahas Trophy - a T20 tri-series featuring Bangladesh and India.Last month, Mathews was reappointed as the captain of Sri Lanka's limited-overs side, less than six months after stepping down from the post.The shift in captaincy came in less than two ..
FIFA hold Spain talks amid World Cup ban fears
FIFA and the Spanish government has agreed the "need to clarify as quickly as possible" the situation regarding the country's football federation (RFEF) to avoid a potential World Cup ban. World football's governing body warned the Spanish federation in December that it could be suspended from the Russia 2018 because of government interference. The issue arose after long-time RFEF president Angel Maria Villar was forced to resign last year from the post he had occupied since 1988 following his arrest as part of a corruption investigation. He was detained in July on allegations of collusion, embezzlement and falsifying documents and spent two weeks in custody before being released on bail. However, the Spanish Sports Council's (CSD) insistence that new elections be called for the presidency of the football federation attracted FIFA's interest for political interference. FIFA secretary general Fatma Samoura yesterday met with Spanish sports minister Inigo Mendez de Vigo in
2 Assam Rifles jawans injured in Imphal blast
Two Assam Rifles (AR) jawans were injured after a hand grenade exploded at the Imphal pologround shortly after an equestrian event today, police said. An unidentified person lobbed the grenade around 5.30pm. The 15th Sentinel Cup and 9th Junior State Equestrian Championships, 2018 were organised at the ground by Assam Rifles and Manipur Equestrian Association (MEA), the police said. The Manipur Equestrian Association condemned the incident of explosion in a statement.
Aim of IOC verdict is to cause political harm to Russia: PM
The purpose of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) commissions decision to bar acquitted Russian athletes from the Winter Olympics in South Korea is to cause political harm to Russia, Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said on Monday.
Porel likely to miss Vijay Hazare Trophy due to injury
India U-19 World Cup winning medium-pacer Ishan Porel is likely to miss the ongoing Vijay Hazare 50-overs domestic tournament due to injury.