Page 2045 - Sports
Top sports stars laud Khelo India initiative
The country's sporting stalwarts such as P T Usha, Bhaichung Bhutia, Vijender Singh today lauded the government's 'Khelo India' initiative, saying the ongoing School Games will leave a lasting impact on Indian sports. "The pyramid structure of Khelo India will have a strong and lasting impact at the grassroots level. It is important that we reach out to the kids and encourage them to go out and play. I am sure this will help spot a good crop of fresh talent in greater numbers," former Indian football team captain Bhutia said. Olympics medallist boxer Vijender said the initiative will benefit the country in the years to come. "It is a very good initiative by the government and a step in the right direction. It will give a huge boost to India's Olympics aspirations. I lend my full support to the Khelo India initiative," Vijender said. Rio Paralympics medallist Deepa Malik said: "It is high time we pushed the country to become a sporting nation. It is only when we catch ...
CAS upholds appeals of 28 Russian winter athletes against IOC ban
The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) on Thursday upheld the appeals of 28 Russian athletes against the life ban imposed by the International Olympic Committee over accusations of breaching anti-doping rules at the 2014 Olympics in Sochi.
West Ham suspend transfer chief over racism claim
England football club West Ham United has suspended their head of transfers Tony Henry pending a full investigation over claims that he had said the club would not sign any more African players."The club can confirm that Director of Player Recruitment Tony Henry has been suspended pending a full and thorough investigation. West Ham United will not tolerate any type of discrimination and has, therefore, acted swiftly due to the serious nature of these claims," West Ham in an official statement said.The statement further said, "The West Ham United family is an inclusive one where, regardless of gender, age, ability, race, religion or sexual orientation, everybody feels welcome and included.Earlier, a British daily had claimed that Henry, in an email sent to another club official, had said that they will no more sign African players, reports the Independent.West Ham, 12th in the Premier League, currently have six African players in their match squad --Cheikhou Kouyate, Pedro Obiang, Joao
ICC launches probe into Ajman All Stars tourney
The International Cricket Council (ICC) on Thursday said it is continuing its investigation into a private Twenty20 league held in the United Arab Emirates, saying there was "strong evidence" to suggest it was a corrupt event.
Caribbean Premier League to start August 8
The sixth edition of the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) will take place between August 8 and September 16, with Guyana taking on Trinidad and Tobago in the opener.
Stage set for first round of national racing championship
: The first round of MRF MMSC FMSCI National Racing Championship 2018 kicks off at the refurbished and renovated MMRT circuit in Sriperumbudur near here tomorrow. The highlight of the weekend races will be fourth and concluding round of the MRF Challenge which boasts of a full grid of 18 2-litre formula cars, considered to be the quickest in Asia, said a press release here. The national championship, which has attracted over 30 entries, will see the saloon cars in four categories the top-end Indian Touring Cars, Indian Junior Touring Cars, Super Stock and Esteem Cup. Also in the mix are two support events, the Volkswagen Media Race and the Superbikes. Seventeen-year old Brazilian Felipe Drugovich heads the championship table in the MRF Challenge, having won eight of the 12 races contested over three rounds in Bahrain, Dubai and Abu Dhabi during November-December last year. He leads Indonesian Presley Mortono, also 17, by 86 points going into the final round of four ...
Kremlin 'very glad' at lifting of ban on 28 Russian athletes
Russia today welcomed a decision by the Court of Arbitration for Sport to lift bans on 28 of its athletes accused of doping, and said that its efforts to defend its rights were paying off. "We are very glad for our athletes," President Vladimir Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters. "The information about the decision of the Court of Arbitration for Sport proves that energetic work to stand up for our rights in court and elsewhere -- it is justified, it can be effective and it should continue," Peskov added. "And we are hoping that this work will certainly continue." Peskov said it was not clear whether the 28 Russian athletes would now be able to take part in the Winter Games set to begin in Pyeongchang, South Korea next week. "It is a difficult question," the Kremlin spokesman added, noting Russian officials would continue talking to the International Olympic Committee. Earlier Thursday, the Lausanne-based court lifted life bans on 28 of the 43 Russians accused
Durban ODI: Proteas ask India to bowl first
South Africa have won the toss and asked India to field first in the opening ODI of the six-match series here at the Kingsmead Cricket Ground on Thursday.Following the toss, Indian skipper Virat Kohli said that even he would have opted to bat first had he won the toss because of the conditions around."We would have batted first here as well. It's a pretty easy decision because of the conditions around. Playing two wrist spinners and Kedar as the offie, along with Bhuvi and Bumrah, gives us an opportunity to do whatever we have to do. We've played good cricket at this ground always. We'll have good crowd support too. Like I said, the balance of our team gives us the opportunity to have a crack at both innings equally," he said.Faf du Plessis, on the other hand, revealed that Aiden Markram is playing in place of the swashbuckling batsman AB de Villiers, who is out with a finger injury.Markram will come to bat at number four spot while Imran Tahir is also back in the squad.Meanwhile, ...
S.Africa opt to bat in first ODI
South Africa skipper Faf du Plessis won the toss and elected to bat in the opener of the six-match ODI series against India at Kingsmead here on Thursday.
ICC extends investigation into Ajman All Stars T20 league
The International Cricket Council (ICC) on Thursday confirmed that it is continuing its investigation into the Ajman All Stars event, a private Twenty20 league held in the United Arab Emirates.The Ajman T20 All-Stars league, which was not sanctioned by either the local Ajman Cricket Council, the Emirates Cricket Board or the ICC, was slated for a five-match series across three days in late January.However, the private league was reportedly forced to shut down after just two days of competition after the local UAE officials denied the continuation of the competition at the Ajman Oval.It was only after video clips of bizarre dismissals went viral in cricket world that the ICC's Anti-Corruption Unit (ACU) started taking some interest, cricket.com.au reported.And now, the ICC's ACU general manager Alex Marshall revealed that they have "strong evidence" to suggest it was a corrupt league."The event was not approved or in any way sanctioned by the Emirates Cricket Board (ECB) and therefore .
Hugo Martins named Delhi United Football Club coach
I-League second division team Delhi United Football Club on Thursday appointed Portuguese Hugo Martins as their head coach for the upcomig season.
Pyeongchang sets Winter Olympic record - for condoms
This month's Winter Olympics in South Korea will set a record even before the first athlete comes out of a starting gate, organisers said today - for the largest number of free condoms handed out at a Winter Games. Over little more than two weeks from the opening of the Olympiad next Friday, a total of 110,000 contraceptive sheaths will be distributed, 10,000 more than at Vancouver in 2010 or Sochi in 2014. With 2,925 athletes taking part, it equates to an average of 37.6 condoms per sportsman and sportswoman. But they will be made available to all participants. "Baskets with condoms will be placed at both men's and women's toilets" at athletes' villages in Pyeongchang and Gangneung, the main press centre, the media village as well as medical centres, the organisers said. Rubber manufacturer Convenience Co has donated 100,000 of the condoms, saying it did so for "a successful hosting of the Winter Olympics and the prevention of the spread of the HIV virus". But spokesman .
Pakistan finish 3rd in ICC U-19 WC, thanks to washout
Two-time champions Pakistan claimed third position at the ICC U-19 Cricket World Cup 2018 after their third-fourth position play-off match against Afghanistan was washed-out today without a ball being bowled, here. Afghanistan and Pakistan were in Group D and though Afghanistan defeated Pakistan in their opener, Pakistan topped the group after Afghanistan suffered a surprise defeat against Ireland in their last group match. While this is Afghanistan's best finish in an ICC U-19 Cricket World Cup after they claimed 16th, 10th, seventh and ninth positions in the 2010, 2012, 2014 and 2016 events, respectively, this is the third time Pakistan have finished third after 2000 and 2010. Pakistan's worst performance in the ICC U-19 Cricket World Cup was in 2012 when they finished eighth. Pakistan, the only country to have won back-to-back titles, in 2004 and 2006, got past South Africa by three wickets in the quarter-finals but suffered a massive 203 runs defeat to India in the .
Sports court lifts life bans of 28 Russians accused of doping
The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS0 today lifted life bans on 28 of the 43 Russians accused of doping at the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics, meaning some could still compete at this month's Pyeongchang Games. Sport's top court ruled there was "insufficient" evidence that the athletes had benefited from a system of state- sponsored doping at the last Winter Games, hosted by Russia. CAS said in its judgement: "In 28 cases, the evidence collected was found to be insufficient to establish that an anti-doping rule violation (ADRV) was committed by the athletes concerned." It added: "The evidence put forward by the IOC in relation to this matter did not have the same weight in each individual case." Russian President Vladimir Putin's spokesman said he was "very glad" about the ruling. The International Olympic Committee has banned Russia from competing at Pyeongchang as a team over the doping scandal, although 169 Russian competitors have been cleared to take part as ...
Olympic doping ban on 28 Russian athletes lifted
Lifetime Olympic ban for doping violations at the 2014 Sochi Winter Games on twenty-eight Russian athletes was lifted by the Court of Arbitration for Sport [Cas] on Thursday.The ruling means that the athletes' results at the 2014 Olympics have also been reinstated.Meanwhile, suspensions on 11 other players have been partially upheld, which means they will only miss the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang beginning on February 9, reports the New York Times."In 28 cases, the evidence collected was found to be insufficient to establish that an anti-doping rule violation (ADRV) was committed by the athletes concerned", an official statement from the sports court read.The statement further said that the court has unanimously found that the evidence put forward by the IOC in the doping matter did not have the same weight in each individual case.The International Olympic Committee (IOC) had last year banned 43 Russians over doping offenses at the Sochi Olympics.
National 'A' Chess Tourney for the Blind from Feb 3
The 13th edition of the 'AICFB National A Chess Championship for the visually challenged' will be held here from February 3 to 11. The championship is being organised by theAll India Chess Federation for the Blind (AICFB), a media release said here today. There will be a selection of Indian team for the forthcoming 'World Team Chess Championship' in July 2018. Total 14 players have been selected to take part in the prestigious tournament on the basis of their performance in the National 'B' Chess tournament. The National 'A' chess championship is considered to be the strongest chess tournament in India where nine international players, who have represented India in the past world championships including medal winners in Olympiad, will be present, the release added. The winner will be crowned as India's 'National Blind Chess Champion' for 2018. These top players will form Indian teams for the forthcoming 'World Team Championship' and 'World Junior' championships for the ..
Sindhu's defeats can't be termed as failures: Gopi
He is known to be a demanding coach but Pullela Gopichand is of the opinion that Olympic silver medallist PV Sindhu's odd defeats can't be termed as her failure, not even by a single percent "I am not too bothered about a loss if the progression is happening. We are talking about very high level players here, world number 1s and 3s. It is not like we have been producing world No 1s forever in our country," Gopichand told PTI during a chat. "World No 1 Tai Tzu is playing well but Sindhu beat her at the Olympics, when it mattered. She also reached the world championship finals. Yes, some may argue that second is not good enough but I am more positive. I am happy with her result. I cannot think of it as a failure even by 1 per cent." Sindhu had lost in the finals of World Championship to Japan's Nozomi Okuhara in an epic battle, before suffering losses to world number one Tai Tzu Ying at Hong Open final and world No 2 Akane Yamaguchi in the Dubai Super Series ...
Strong evidence of corruption: ICC on Ajman All Stars Meet
The ICC today confirmed that there is "strong evidence" to indicate that the Ajman All Stars tournament is a "corrupt event" but at the same time clarified that the parent body cannot take action as it is not under their sanctioning purview. The tournament being held in Dubai has come under the scanner for the bizarre way of dismissals during one of its matches, leading ICC to conduct investigations against it. ICC's GM (Anti-Corruption Unit) Alex Marshall on his part stated: "The event was not approved or in any way sanctioned by the Emirates Cricket Board (ECB) and therefore neither the ECB nor the ICC has authority to take action under cricket's anti-corruption rules against anybody who may have engaged in any corrupt practice. "However, after speaking to a number of those involved we consider there to be strong evidence to indicate this was a corrupt event and damaging to the wider reputation of cricket and as such will continue the investigation," he added. Marshall
Pochettino hails Eriksen after Man Utd win
Tottenham Hotspur head coach Mauricio Pochettino heaped praise on his midfielder Christian Eriksen after producing a star-studded performance against Manchester United in the English Premier League (EPL).
Man Utd failed to execute plans against Spurs: Mourinho
Manchester United head coach Jose Mourinho highlighted several mistakes by his players and said their opponents Tottenham were better on the day.