Page 701 - Sports
IWF President Birendra Prasad Baishya will be Ched de Mission for Tokyo Olympics: IWF
Birendra Prasad Baishya, President of the Indian Weightlifting Federation (WIF) was on Thursday named Chef de Mission for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. "It is for the first time that the sport of weightlifting has been accorded with honour of Chef de Mission for the Olympic Games," IWF Secretary Sahdev Yadav said in a release. Baishya is also one of the IOA Vice Presidents besides holding several other positions like Executive Board Member - International Weightlifting Federation, Vice President of Asian Weightlifting Federation and Vice President of Commonwealth Weightlifting Federation.
Spartan Poker's India Online Poker Championship 2019 to feature Skoda Octavia and grand prizes galore
The Spartan Poker, India's leading digital poker gaming platform, has got the year off to a flying start, delighting all poker aficionados, with the announcement of its marquee tournament series-the India Online Poker Championship (IOPC).Looking at the growing demand of the online Poker industry and the success of previous editions, the January 2019 edition is all set to be the biggest and grandest ever edition till date. When we talk about the mammoth scale of the tournament with regards to the moolah, the guaranteed prize-pool has undergone a substantial increase from Rs. 7 Crores (July 2018) to over Rs. 8.5 crores.It's going to be a true test of skill, with the best poker players from the country contesting for grand prizes over the 10-day online tournament series, which will have a total of 55 tournaments from 11-20 January 2019.Positioning itself as the biggest online tournament series held till date, the IOPC is one of the most illustrious offerings by The Spartan Poker. Banking
World Champion Paralympic Athlete from India, globally imparting sports lessons through live streaming app
Paralympic winner Sangeeta Bishnoi from Jodhpur who is differently abled with one right hand missing and one left leg missing and has represented India in Paralympis, London 2003 (Cricket Ball Throw/Shot Put as a gold medal winner and Outstanding girl Award trophy in +215 Pound category), who was spotted delivering sports lessons and lectures on a live streaming app BIGO LIVE.Sangeeta Bishnoi has represented India in many national and international championships and has bagged various Indian and international awards and trophies.At the age of 6 years, she met with a tragic accident and was electrocuted by a pole at her house's terrace, since then she has been differently-abled. On her return from London, she has been awarded by the great APJ Abdul Kalam and by a bollywood celebrity Ajay Devgan. She has won gold medal four times in state level and 3 time gold medal in National level championship. In 2018, she had won 2 silver medals.Her passion for running is not only limited to India.
Halep to face Kanepi in first round of Australian Open
World No. 1 Romania's Simona Halep will face Estonia's Kaia Kanepi in the first round of the Australian Open, according to the draw on Thursday.
Men's draw revealed for Australian Open
Serbia's Novak Djokovic, favourite to win the Australian Open, will play his first match of the tournament against a qualifier, according to the draw on Thursday.
Real Kashmir renew title challenge away at Aizawl
Real Kashmir FC renew their dream debut campaign, aiming to grab the top spot on the points table in a 12th round I-League clash against Aizawl FC here on Friday. There can be no better illustration of the different directions that the campaigns of the two opposing teams have taken than the evident gulf on the points table. Kashmir are third while Aizawl are a rung above the bottom in the 11-team league. Aizawl have a new coach in Stanley Rosario appointed in place of Gift Raikhan, who resigned earlier after a string of poor shows, while Real Kashmir coach David Robertson has never looked more certain of what he was trying to achieve with his team. The Srinagar-based debutants have been built on the foundation of a sturdy defence and a strong and sound goalkeeper. Available local resources have been cleverly used with a mix of foreign recruits at crucial positions. The focus has also been on fit and young players and all have been shuffled around cleverly to get the maximum out of ...
Mitchell Marsh ruled out of first ODI against India
Australia all-rounder Mitchell Marsh has been ruled out of the first ODI against India due to gastritis.Australia have called up batsman Ashton Turner as cover for Marsh, who has reportedly spent two days in the hospital. The head coach Justin Langer on Thursday confirmed that Marsh would be monitored before deciding on his availability for the final two matches in Adelaide and Melbourne.Talking about Turner's ability to finish an innings and his quick running between the wickets, Langer as quoted by ICC, said: "He (Turner) is such a great athlete, it puts so much pressure on the opposition. He can finish the innings off well, an elite athlete in the field and he is also a captain.""You see the way he finishes off an innings that he is a good thinker of the game like most of the great finishes and a really good leader, good person around the group. It is a basic skill but we have also been talking about getting players who can finish off innings and he's shown that in what we can go ..
Cilic cruises at Kooyong ahead of Grand Slam
Last year's Australian Open finalist Marin Cilic rounded off his preparations for this year's edition in style Thursday, winning his second match in as many days at the Kooyong Classic. With the first Grand Slam of the season starting on Monday, every opportunity is important for the Croatian, who went down in a battle to Roger Federer in the Melbourne Park decider in 2018. The world number seven beat Spain's Fernando Verdasco 6-4, 6-4, backing up his three-set victory a day before over world No. 6 Kevin Anderson. Earlier, American Jack Sock lost to fast-rising Canadian teenager Denis Shapovalov 6-2, 3-6, 10-7 after a final set played as a 10-point tiebreak -- the format which will be used at the Australian Open from Monday. Under the rules, the first player to win at least 10 points by a two-point margin takes the match. Ahead of the Australian Open last year, Sock was at a career-high eighth in the world rankings, but after a horror season he has plunged outside the top 100 and is ..
Djokovic faces qualifier at Open, Federer takes on Istomin
World number one Novak Djokovic will start his bid to win a record seventh Australian Open title next week against a qualifier following Thursday's draw. The Serb had a magnificent 2018, making an astonishing climb back from outside the world's top 20 in June, winning Wimbledon and the US Open on the way to reclaiming the number one ranking in November. He will start his drive to make history against a yet-to-be-decided qualifier and could meet France's Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the second round. Champion Roger Federer, seeded three and also gunning for a seventh Melbourne title, starts his title defence against world number 99 Denis Istomin and could meet Rafael Nadal in the semi-finals. "He (Djokovic) continues to challenge me. I played him in his prime when he was virtually unbeatable. It was important not to get frustrated by it. I always enjoy my matches against him," 20-time Grand Slam winner Federer said at the draw. "We are both natural attacking players. We are aggressive. He is .
Bancroft keen to resume opening with Warner despite scandal
Cameron Bancroft insists he holds no grudges against David Warner and is keen to resume their opening partnership for Australia that was derailed by the ball-tampering scandal. The 26-year-old Bancroft, who has completed his nine-month ban for the cheating, confirmed in an explosive television interview last month it was Warner who asked him to alter the ball. Warner and Steve Smith still have three months of their suspensions left to run over the incident last March in South Africa that rocked the game. Despite some pundits suggesting their relationship was now untenable, Bancroft said he held no ill feeling and was in touch with both Warner and Smith. "Absolutely," he told reporters when asked if he would want to play with Warner again. "We're good people, very honest and passionate people. Dave, like Steve, all of us, we've all gone through our challenges, haven't we?" Bancroft, who has admitted he nearly walked away from the game to become a yoga teacher in the wake of the vitriol
Serena handed tough draw in quest for record 24th Slam
Serena Williams has been handed a challenging draw in her quest for a record-equalling 24th Grand Slam title at the Australian Open, starting with Germany's Tatjana Maria in the first round. The American, seeded 16, is gunning to match Margaret Court's record of singles majors and claim an eighth Australian Open crown. But Williams is in a tough half of the draw and could meet world number one Simona Halep in round four, and if she gets through that Karolina Pliskova in the last eight. Before those potential ties, either Chinese wildcard Peng Shui or Canadian Eugenie Bouchard would await Williams in the second round. Halep, who enters the tournament having played just one game in four months after a back injury, was handed a chance to avenge Estonia's Kaia Kanepi, who beat her in the first round of the US Open in August. If she comes through that dangerous opening showdown, she could meet Venus Williams in round three. Defending champion and third seed Caroline Wozniacki starts ...
Real Madrid roll to 3-0 victory over Leganes in Copa del Rey
Vinicius Junior scored a goal and assisted on another in Real Madrid's 3-0 victory over Leganes in round-of-16 action in the Copa del Rey, Spain's annual knockout football competition.
Will be happy if I could do even half of what Sehwag achieved, says Mayank Agarwal
Overwhelmed by the comparisons with Virender Sehwag after his 'dream debut' in Australia, Mayank Agarwal says he will be happy if he could do even half of what the former India opener achieved in his illustrious career. Former India batsman Sanjay Manjrekar and his personal coach Irfan Sait are among those who feel that "there is a little bit of Sehwag" in Agarwal, who drew the flattering comparison with his aggressive style of play. Drafted into the squad in the middle of a well-poised series, the 27-year-old rose to the occasion with a 77, 76 and 42 in Melbourne and Sydney, playing a crucial hand in India's maiden Test series triumph Down Under. "Honestly, I am not a fan of comparisons but he is one of the greats of Indian cricket. I just like to go in the middle, give my best and see what comes out of it. Having said that, if I could do even half of what he (Sehwag) did, I will be happy, the Karnataka batsman told PTI after returning home. He did not have a sponsor's logo on his ..
Schwartzman in Sydney International semis
Argentina's Diego Schwartzman knocked out Japan's Yoshihito Nishioka 6-1, 3-6, 7-6 from the Sydney International men's singles quarterfinals on Thursday.
It's a challenge bringing up kids: Roger Federer
Tennis icon Roger Federer says he wants to make sure that his children remember what "normal" is as their "lives are not normal".
Prajnesh gets close to Australian Open main draw; Ankita, Ramkumar out after narrow defeats
In-form Prajnesh Gunneswaran inched closer to his maiden Grand Slam appearance with another straight-set win but Ankita Raina and Ramkumar Ramanathan were ousted from the Australian Open Qualifiers after suffering narrow defeats, here Thursday. Prajnesh, seeded sixth, got the better of Spain's Enrique Lopez Perez 6-3 6-3 in the men's singles second round. "I played a better match than yesterday and remained solid throughout. I broke three times and there were not too many games where my serve was in danger. I played good mentally as well," Prajnesh told PTI. "I did the right things, attacked when I got chances. Looking forward to the final round tomorrow," he added. The world number 112 will next take on Japan's Yosuke Watanaki, ranked 192 in the world. If Prajnesh wins tomorrow's match, it will be his first main draw competition at a Grand Slam. He unfortunately missed out on playing at 2018 French Open when as a lucky loser he made the main draw but since he had left Paris and ...
Ex-Uruguay striker Abreu ready to play for 28th club
Former Uruguay international striker Sebastian "El Loco" Abreu insisted he still has something to offer as a footballer as he prepares to extend his professional career to a 26th season.
Barty beats Mertens in straight sets to grab semifinal spot
Australia's Ashleigh Barty defeated Belgium's world No. 12 Elise Mertens 6-3, 6-3 on Thursday to reach the last four in the Sydney International tournament for a second year in a row.
Bayern Munich's Rafinha close to Flamengo move
Bayern Munich's Brazilian right-back Rafinha has revealed he is in advanced talks over a move to Rio de Janeiro giants Flamengo.
Villarreal battle back to draw with Espanyol in Copa del Rey
Villarreal scored twice in the final five minutes of regulation to salvage a 2-2 draw with Espanyol in the first leg of their Copa del Rey knockout stage tie.