Page 23 - Sports

Indian air pistol team clinches first bronze in World Championship

The Indian men's 10m air pistol team, comprising Shiva Narwal, Sarabjot Singh and Arjun Singh Cheema won the country its first medal -- a bronze -- in the ISSF World Championship, which got underway here on Thursday. Their aggregate score of 1,734 was nine points adrift of Germany, who clinched the silver medal. China took the gold medal in the event. Narwal shot 579, Sarabjot 578 and Cheema 577 to aggregate 1,734 points. The World Championship also serves as the 2024 Paris Olympics qualification tournament. The Chinese team of Zhang Bowen (587), Liu Junhui (582) and Xie Yu (580) took the top podium with an aggregate of 1749 points, while the German team, comprising Robin Walter (586), Michael Schwald (581) and Paul Froehlich (576) bagged the silver medal with an aggregate score of 1743. However, none of the three Indian shooters could make the eight-player final and are not in contention for individual medals.

Difficult to focus on wrestling when sports' future is at stake: Bajrang

After calling off the protest, we wanted to give 100 per cent to training, but how is that possible when we got to know Brijbhushan's people could run the federation again, says Bajrang Punia

Tennis: Novak Djokovic wins first singles match in the US since 2021

Novak Djokovic had a short night in his first singles match in the U.S. since 2021, beating Alejandro Davidovich Fokina on Wednesday in the Western and Southern Open after the Spaniard retired early in the second set with a lower back injury. The second-ranked Djokovic won the first set 6-4, then two points into the second set, Davidovich Fokina hunched over in pain following his return and ended the match after 46 minutes. "Kind of a mixed emotions tonight," Djokovic said. "Really like Alejandro. Get along really well off the court. We train with each other while in Spain. He told me he has a lower back issue that appeared yesterday. It's unfortunate." Djokovic, 36, lost in doubles on Tuesday in his return to the country after missing events because of COVID-19 vaccine restrictions. It's his first appearance in Cincinnati since 2019. The 2020 Western & Southern Open was played in New York due to COVID-19. It was Djokovic's first singles match since losing to Carlos Alcaraz in the

US Open 2023: Marin Cilic, Denis Shapovalov out due to knee injuries

Marin Cilic, the 2014 U.S. Open champion, and Denis Shapovalov will miss the tournament this year because of knee injuries. Cilic used his title in Flushing Meadows and runner-up finishes at Wimbledon in 2017 and the Australian Open in 2018 to reach as high as No. 3 in the ranking. But the Croatian has fallen to No. 121 this week after playing in just two matches none in Grand Slam tournaments this year. Shapovalov hasn't played since a fourth-round loss at Wimbledon to Roman Safiullin on July 9. He had reached the semifinals there two years earlier for his best Grand Slam result. The Canadian wrote in a social media post Wednesday that he had done everything possible to be healthy for the Aug. 28 start of play but that his knee needed more time. "That grand slam energy, especially in NYC, is unlike anything else and I'm really going to miss playing in front of the amazing fans there this year!" he added, along with an emoji of a broken heart. Shapovalov's best U.S. Open finish

Manchester City win UEFA Super Cup, beat Sevilla in a penalty shootout

Manchester City marked its first appearance in the UEFA Super Cup by beating Sevilla 5-4 in a penalty shootout on Wednesday to add another piece of silverware to its vast haul under manager Pep Guardiola. After a 1-1 draw in regulation time and then nine successful spot kicks in the shootout, Nemanja Gudelj struck his attempt against the crossbar to hand City victory inside Stadio Georgios Karaiskakis. It was a 15th trophy won by City in Guardiola's reign that started in 2016 and made up for the loss to Arsenal in a penalty shootout in the Community Shield 10 days ago. "The manager made it so clear to us before the game how much he wants to win this trophy," City midfielder Jack Grealish said about the annual match between last season's winners of the Champions League (City) and Europa League (Sevilla). "You want to win everything anyway but that gave us more of an urge. This club has never won it. It's a brilliant feeling. Youssef En-Nesyri's towering header gave Sevilla the lead

Cabinet approves MoU on Cooperation in sports between India and Australia

The arrangement is aimed at providing reciprocal benefits to accredited and trusted exporters of both the signatories in the clearance of goods by the Customs authorities of the importing country

Selection for int'l events responsibility of sports federations: IOA to HC

The Indian Olympic Association (IOA) on Wednesday told the Punjab and Haryana High Court that the selection of sportspersons for participation in major international events is the responsibility of national sports federations. The IOA was responding to a petition filed by three boxers over they not being selected for the upcoming Asian Games in China's Hangzhou. Pugilists Amit Panghal, a World Boxing Championship silver medallist, Rohit Mor and Sagar Ahlawat had moved the high court last month against the Boxing Federation of India (BFI) and others after they were left out of the Indian squad for the Asian Games to be held from September 23 to October 8. They had petitioned against the BFI's evaluation process for the selection of the Asian Games squad. The petitioners had alleged that the BFI had changed the selection criteria for national coaching camps, world championships and Asian Games in violation of the National Sports Development Code of India (NSCI)-2011. The petitioners

UEFA Super Cup final, Man City vs Sevilla live match starts at 12:30 AM IST

Sony Sports Ten 2 HD/SD will live telecast Man City vs Sevilla Super Cup match with English Commentary in India from 12:30 AM IST on August 17

Lady coach who filed sexual harassment case against Sandeep Singh suspended

Due to the complaint of sexual harassment by a woman athletics coach, case was registered against former Indian men's hockey team captain Sandeep Singh who served as sports minister of Haryana

Ronaldo to Neymar: Saudi Arabia is changing football one player at a time

Saudi Pro League has signed at least 22 big names from European football since January. The contracts are also bigger than usual. How is it doing so, and why?

Sri Lanka all-rounder Wanindu Hasaranga retires from Test cricket

Sri Lankan all-rounder Wanindu Hasaranga on Tuesday announced his retirement from Test cricket as he seeks to prolong his career in limited-over format of the game. The Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) said it has accepted the decision of the 26-year-old Hasaranga. We will accept his decision and are confident that Hasaranga will be a vital part of our white-ball programme going forward, said SLC CEO Ashley De Silva. Hasaranga made his Test debut against South Africa at Centurion in 2020, and played three more Tests thereafter. From four Tests, he took four wickets with his leg-spin. His last Test was against Bangladesh in Pallekele in 2021. However, Hasaranga continues to be a prominent figure for Sri Lanka in white ball formats as the spin spearhead and a handy lower-order batsman. From 48 ODIs, Hasaranga grabbed 67 wickets and made 832 runs with four fifties. Hasaranga has 91 wickets from 58 T20Is and amassed 533 runs with a fifty. The Lankan is also a much sought-after player in var

Premier League: Varane's late goal help Man United beat dominant Wolves 1-0

Manchester United needed a rare goal from defender Raphael Varane and a slew of late saves from Andre Onana to eke out a 1-0 win over Wolverhampton after being outplayed for long periods of their Premier League opener. The former France center back headed home from point-blank range in the 76th minute after Aaron Wan Bissaka ran onto a lofted pass from Bruno Fernandes and lobbed a cross into the six-yard box on Monday. It was one of the few slick moves produced by United, which gave competitive debuts to Onana and midfielder Mason Mount and failed to look cohesive against a visiting team that dominated midfield and was a constant danger on the break. Wolves struck the post through Matheus Cunha early in the second half, while substitute Fabio Silva drew two saves from the feet of Onana in the closing stages as United hung on. Wolves had 23 shots the most by a visiting team at Old Trafford in the Premier League since 2005 but lacked a cutting edge just like last season, when it was

World Championship: Trials for Indian wrestlers on Aug 25-26 in Patiala

The trials for the wrestling World Championships will be held on August 25-26 in Patiala, the ad-hoc panel announced on Monday, ending weeks of uncertainty around the selection competition. The exemption given to Bajrang Punia and Vinesh Phogat from the Asian Games trials had created a huge furore with majority of the wrestling fraternity criticising the decision taken by the ad-hoc panel. However, the ad-hoc panel has not announced exemption for any wrestler for the trials World Championship, set to be held in Belgrade from September 16-24 In the criteria mentioned for "shortlisting of athletes" for the Worlds, the ad-hoc panel said, "Medallists and participants of all international/ ranking/ Asian/ World Championships/ Commonwealth Games held in 2022 and 2023 and participants of 2022 Tokyo Olympic Games (will have to appear for trials in order to get selected selected for the Worlds)." Bajrang and Vinesh, have, however, not yet made up their mind on appearing in the trials for th

CM Stalin announces prize of Rs 1.1 cr for ACT-winning Indian hockey team

The Indian men's hockey team on Saturday produced a resilient performance and staged an incredible comeback to defeat Malaysia 4-3

ICC World Cup 2023: Renovation works in full swing at M Chinnaswamy Stadium

Ahead of the ICC T20 World Cup 2023, the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) has undertaken the renovation works that are essential prior to the quadrennial extravaganza that is being played across October and November. The M Chinnaswamy Stadium will host five matches during the World Cup. "After the ICC team's inspection a few days back, we have started the required renovation works such as refurbishing the stands, placing some new seats and renewing the toilets in the stadium. "Our aim is to arrange the best possible facilities in the stadium, and as it is we have top-class facilities here at the venue," said Raghuram Bhatt, the KSCA president, on Thursday after a function to unveil the KSCA Maharaja Trophy T20 trophy. Bengaluru will host Australia vs Pakistan (October 20), England vs Sri Lanka (October 26), New Zealand vs Pakistan (November 4), New Zealand vs Sri Lanka (November 9) and India vs Netherlands (November 12) matches during the World Cup. The ICC had recently

La Liga 2023-24: Barcelona to miss Camp Nou advantage this season

Beyond courting and developing some of the world's top talent, Barcelona has also based its success on a strong home advantage thanks to Europe's largest soccer stadium. That will be different this season, when the team plays at a smaller, less accessible stadium while its 99,000-seat Camp Nou undergoes a complete facelift that won't be finished for at least three years. Barcelona will spend its time away from Camp Nou at the Llus Companys Olympic Stadium, which can hold 49,000 people. That will surely translate to a quieter, less intimidating atmosphere for rivals, as well as less revenue for a club still battling severe financial problems. Some 35,000 people turned out for Barcelona's first game at its temporary home on Tuesday, against Tottenham in a friendly that the club uses to present its team for the upcoming campaign. That's compared to the 83,000 who showed up at Camp Nou for the equivalent game on year ago. Coach Xavi Hernndez took the microphone to address the crowd tha

Manika Batra thanks aviation minister after getting her lost baggage

India's table tennis star Manika Batra's missing baggage has been found and delivered to her, she said on Tuesday and thanked aviation minister Jyotiraditya Scindia and his office for their "prompt" action. Batra lost her baggage containing sports equipment, while returning home from a tournament in Peru in a KLM Airlines flight and she had sought help from the government to recover it. "Thank you so much @JM_Scindia sir and his office for prompt action and helping me in getting my baggage. I have received it this morning," Batra wrote on X, formerly Twitter. On Tuesday evening, after Batra sought help from the union minister, his office said, "Hi, the suitcase has been placed into the container bound for Delhi. We anticipate its arrival on today's flight, scheduled to land at 01:55 AM tomorrow." The world number 35 Batra said she was travelling in business class in the Dutch flag carrier and never expected to lose baggage with priority tag. "Unbelievable disappointment with @KLM.

Asiad: Uncertainty over selection of gymnasts causing confusion - GFI chief

Gymnastic Federation of India (GFI) president Sudhir Mital on Tuesday said the uncertainty over the participation of Indian gymnasts in the upcoming Asian Games is causing confusion and having a "psychological" impact on the athletes. GFI had written to the Sports Authority of India (SAI) and the Sports Ministry, regarding the selection of nine gymnasts, including Dipa Karmakar, Rakesh Patra, and Yogeshwar Singh, for the Asian Games as per the criteria specified by the Ministry. However, during the meeting on July 19, "SAI officials informed that only 2 gymnasts are eligible as per the selection criteria," following which GFI wrote to the Sports Ministry and SAI but still hasn't got any response. "We haven't received any communication, we have written thrice to SAI and Ministry saying that at least nine gymnasts -- two women and five men in artistic and two in trampoline -- are eligible as per the criteria set out by Ministry but what criteria SAI is using now, we don't know," Mital

Our performance in World Uni Games will make every Indian proud: PM

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday hailed India's improved show at the World University Games, saying it is a performance which will make every Indian proud. India ended their World University Games (WUG) campaign with their best-ever performance, winning a record haul of 26 medals, including 11 gold, in Chengdu, China. Modi tweeted, "A sporting performance that will make every Indian proud!... A salute to our incredible athletes who have brought glory to the nation and inspired upcoming sportspersons." He noted that at the 31st World University Games, Indian athletes returned with a record-breaking haul of 26 medals! "Our best performance ever, it includes 11 Golds, 5 Silvers, and 10 Bronzes," he said. India finished at seventh spot with 11 gold, 5 silver and 10 bronze, the best ever standing in the medal tally. This edition's haul is even more than the combined total of all the past WUG medals won by the country. India had won just 21 medals (6 gold, 6 silver and 9 bronze)

Sports Ministry funds 28 Indian athletes for World Athletics Championship

The Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports (MYAS) is all set to fund the Indian contingent, consisting of 28 athletes, participating in the World Athletics Championships, which gets underway in Budapest, Hungary, on August 19. The total Indian contingent will be a 42-member squad, which would also include coaches and support staff, as they head to the Hungarian capital to compete against the world's best athletes. The earlier edition last year saw six athletes from India making it to the finals and three managing to finish within the top eight. India's ace javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra bagged the silver medal. The funding is set to cover the training cost of the team, accommodation costs, airfare, visa and Out of Pocket Allowance, MYAS said in a media release. Among the 28 athletes competing, 13 belong to the Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS), whereas 15 would be making their World Championships debut. Shaili Singh (19) is the youngest member of the squad, who will be making her .