Category: Sports

Lin Yu-ting fought to remain poised and calm throughout the Paris Olympics boxing tournament, even when it seemed like most of the chattering world was maligning her, misrepresenting her and questioning the very nature of her being.

The flyweight shut off her social media, kept up her training and focused on earning one proficient victory after another.

But when she heard Taiwan’s anthem while standing on the top podium at Roland Garros with a gold medal around her neck, Lin suddenly broke down in cathartic sobs.

She cried not only for the tumult of the past two weeks, but for a lifetime in boxing that culminated in this gold-medal victory over previously unfathomable challenges.

“I saw images flashing, and I thought about the beginning of my career when I started boxing,” Lin said. “All the difficult practices, the times that I got injured, the competitors I fought against. All these images flashed in my head. There are times of great pain. There are times of great joy. I cried because I was so touched.”

Imane Khelif’s path through the 2024 Olympics — through the victories in her fights and the gender controversy that has overshadowed those wins — has ended with a gold medal.

Khelif, a 25-year-old from Algeria, defeated China’s Yang Liu on Friday by a 5-0 decision to secure the top spot in her welterweight boxing division.

She won the first two rounds and that set the stage for a celebration following the third one, which included an emotional medal ceremony where Khelif received plenty of support from fans in attendance at Roland Garros.

“For eight years, this has been my dream, and I’m now the Olympic champion and gold medalist,” Khelif said through an interpreter, per the Associated Press.

Her time in Paris, though, was filled with the lingering effects of a controversy that started last year when she was disqualified from the world championships — along with Taiwan boxer Lin Yu-ting — for allegedly failing a gender test issued by the International Boxing Association.

Yu-ting, who has a gold medal fight on Saturday in her division, has blasted that test as “false” and said that the process “didn’t follow any standards.”

Khelif added that winning was extra special with all of the recent detractors. “That also gives my success a special taste because of those attacks,” she said.

Khelif, according to the AP, said earlier in the week that she didn’t “care about that” controversy, which has followed her throughout her dominant victories.

“I wish to be ready and show a good standard, show my talent, because I want to entertain everyone,” Khelif, who has always identified as female, said, according to the Associated Press.

The controversy began after Khelif defeated Italy’s Angela Carini in just 46 seconds to start her first fight, with Carini withdrawing and saying that “this is unjust.”

Source: https://nypost.com/2024/08/09/sports/imane-khelif-wins-gold-medal-fight-to-cap-2024-olympics/

Vinesh Phogat appealed the CAS, an international body established in 1984 to settle disputes related to sport through arbitration, for a shared Olympic silver

Vinesh Phogat’s hearing in Paris at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has ended. The star Indian wrestler had appealed to the CAS after she was disqualified from the 50kg wrestling final at the Paris Olympics for being 100 gram overweight. Earlier, Vinesh was assured of a silver medal after entering the final of 5okg with three convincing wins but the disqualification saw her finish outside the medal bracket. Though Vinesh was within the permissible weight limit on the first day of the competition, on the second day she was found to be 100 gram overweight and was excluded from the Olympic wrestling final.

Vinesh appealed the CAS, an international body established in 1984 to settle disputes related to sport through arbitration, for a shared silver. The hearing of the appeal took place on Friday and went on for three hours in Paris.

Vinesh, who was represented by four French lawyers, was present at the hearing virtually. Also present were lawyers Haris Salve and Vidushpat Singhania representing the Indian Olympics Association (IOA). The United World Wrestling (UWW) had their lawyer too at the hearing. There were referee and technical officials from UWW present at the hearing.

Dr Annabelle Bennett AC SC (AUS) was the sole arbitrator for CAS. She heard both parties’ arguments patiently. Vinesh’s lawyers argued that the wrestlers disqualification was not right. The CAS said that there is an operating procedure for which it was taking time but added that the verdict will be delivered soon.

Singhania told NDTV that he was confident of a positive outcome. “We were the lawyers of the IOA. Harish Salve was leading the argument and I was assisting him. By an large everybody argument was heard,” he told NDTV.

“The CAS arbitrator said I will give the operational rules order soon. The detailed reasoning will be released later. The hearing went well. The basic ask of Vinesh’s lawyer was that she should be given silver medal.”

Earlier, the CAS had released a statement on Vinesh Phogat.

CAS Statement On Vinesh Phogat’s Plea:

“An application was filed at the CAS Ad hoc Division at 16:45 CEST on 7 August 2024 by Indian wrestler Vinesh Phogat (the Applicant) in relation to the decision taken by United World Wrestling (UWW) to replace her, because of her failed second weigh-in, before the gold medal match of the Women’s Freestyle 50kg competition at the Olympic Games Paris 2024 that was due to commence at 18:15 CEST the same day (the Challenged Decision),” the statement from the CAS, issued on Friday, read.

Source:https://sports.ndtv.com/olympics/vinesh-phogats-cas-hearing-for-olympic-silver-medal-ends-lawyers-confident-of-positive-outcome-6303303#pfrom=home-ndtv_topscroll

Japan’s b-girl Ami won gold at the Olympics ‘ first breaking event by spinning, flipping and toprocking past a field of 16 dancers Friday in a high-energy competition that may not return for future Games.

Ami, legally named Ami Yuasa, won all three rounds in a battle against b-girl Nicka (Dominika Banevič) from Lithuania to clinch the gold, wrapping up a long day of breakers putting hip-hop culture on the Olympic stage with their flow, rhythm and skill at Place de la Concorde stadium.

“Breaking is my expression,” Yuasa said. It’s an “expression, an art, but I want to say that breaking also could be part of sports.”

B-girls stunned the crowd with power moves like headspins, windmills and backflips. Fans remained energetic throughout the competition, which began in the afternoon and ended just before 10 p.m.

Beginning in the quarterfinals phase, eight b-girls from the original 17 squared off in knockout battles of three rounds each to narrow down to the finals. Banevič won the silver medal, and China’s b-girl 671 (Liu Qingyi) took the bronze after battling with b-girl India (India Sardjo) from the Netherlands to “Boom!” by The Roots. Liu is a relative newcomer to the breaking scene.

“Olympics needed breaking because it’s like a breath of fresh air,” Banevič said. “Such a big amount of people saw breaking for the first time, like it’s huge. And I’m happy that I was able to represent at the highest level of the art form for breaking.”

American disappointment at Olympic breaking
Both American b-girls were eliminated in the first round, a blow to the country representing the birthplace of hip-hop and breaking culture. B-girl Logistx (legal name Logan Edra) and b-girl Sunny (Sunny Choi) both ranked in the top 12 internationally but came up short of the quarterfinals.

“I feel like I still shined and I feel like I still represented the dance and had some moments,” Logistx said. “It was such a big opportunity, it’s such a big platform, and I’m really happy that we’re here.”

Breaking makes its Olympic debut
A panel of nine judges, all b-boys and b-girls in their own right from around the world, scored the breakers based on the Trivium judging system: on technique, vocabulary, execution, musicality and originality — each accounts for 20% of the final score.

Each of the b-girls began by catching the beat as they danced while on their feet — a series called “toprocking” — before launching into their footwork moves on the floor. The soundtrack to their routines was a surprise for each of them, as two DJs spun records on a turntable set up behind the judges.

The judges sat between the circular floor, modeled after a record, and a massive replica of a boombox, in a nod to the musical root of breaking — the breakbeat itself — which is the moment when a song’s vocals drop and the DJ loops the beat over and over. That allows b-boys and b-girls to make their mark on the dance floor.

Breaking is judged qualitatively because of its roots as an art form, and judges use a sliding scale to score each round and battle, adjusting the scale towards the breaker who is winning in each of the above criteria. Throughout, two emcees respond to the personalities and signature moves of each of the breakers to hype up the crowd.

The challenge for organizers was to bring breaking and hip-hop culture to a mass audience, including many viewers who were skeptical about the dance form’s addition to the Olympic roster. But after Friday’s marathon of battles, there’s no doubting the athletic ability and physicality.

Beyond their physical ability, breakers had to make sure to showcase their style and individuality — essential to the culture of hip-hop and breaking.

In all, 33 breakers representing 15 countries and the Refugee Olympic Team made Olympic history on Friday. On Saturday, the b-boys take the stage in what might be their only shot to battle it out for god at the Olympics in the foreseeable future. Breaking was added as an Olympic sport for Paris, but it is not on the slate for Los Angeles in 2028.

Before the battle began, American rapper Snoop Dogg made a grand entrance into the stadium to the soundtrack of “Drop it Like it’s Hot,” prompting cheers and dancing in the stands. The emcees introduced the 17 b-girls competing on Friday, with the b-girls from France and the U.S. received the loudest applause from the crowd.

Source: https://apnews.com/article/2024-olympics-breaking-aea17bcb4ec9ad60ea7222d4b608a05d

Down by 11 in the fourth quarter, against what looked like overwhelming odds, the U.S. Olympic men’s basketball team got a spark.

Six points in two seconds.

Kevin Durant and Devin Booker provided that wild sequence to start the comeback, Stephen Curry had a scoring night like almost none other in U.S. Olympic history, and the Americans will play for gold at the Paris Games. Curry scored 36 points, including a go-ahead 3-pointer with 2:16 left, and the U.S. beat Serbia 95-91 in a semifinal classic on Thursday night.

LeBron James had the fourth triple-double in Olympic history for the U.S., which trailed by 17 points in the first half and faced an 11-point halftime deficit — the biggest one successfully overcome by an American team since NBA players were added to the Olympic mix in 1992.

“I’ve seen a lot of Team USA basketball,” Curry said. “And that was a special one.”

Serbia led by 11 with 7:19 left. The rest of the way, it was all U.S. The Americans won a game where they led for 3 minutes, 25 seconds. Serbia led for 35:12 — nearly 90% of the game.

But it’ll be the U.S. against host France for gold in a dream matchup for the host nation on Saturday, while Serbia will face Germany earlier Saturday for bronze. The gold-medal game is a rematch from the Tokyo Games three years ago, where the Americans prevailed 87-82.

“I’m really humbled to have been a part of this game,” U.S. coach Steve Kerr said, tipping his hat multiple times to Serbia. “It’s one of the greatest basketball games I’ve ever been a part of. They were perfect. They played a perfect game. Our coaches were saying Villanova-Georgetown, for all of our older readers and viewers out there.

“But they played the perfect game, and they forced us to reach the highest level of competition that we could find. And our guys were incredible in that fourth quarter, and they got it done.”

Joel Embiid scored 19 points on 8 for 11 shooting and James added 16 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists for the U.S., which is now assured of its 20th medal in 20 Olympic appearances.

The appeal of Vinesh Phogat against her disqualification from the Paris Olympics will be heard by the Court of Arbitration for Sports today at 9 am (Paris time), or 12:30 PM IST. The wrestler, Vinesh Phogat, is demanding silver.

Paris: The Court of Arbitration for Sports will hear the appeal of Indian wrestler Vinesh Phogat against her disqualification at the Paris Olympics on August 9. Phogat is also requesting a joint silver medal, as she was found to be 100 grammes overweight after winning the semi-final in Paris.

Hearing In The Sports Court

Senior advocate Harish Salve has agreed to represent Phogat at the Court of Arbitration for Sports. The hearing is scheduled to start at 9:00 AM Paris time (12:30 PM IST), and the Indian contingent is working to secure the best legal representation for Phogat, according to reports by ANI.

Phogat Was Disqualified

Vinesh Phogat was disqualified from the final of the women’s 50 kg freestyle category at the Olympics because she was 100 grammes overweight during the weigh-in on the day of the final. Despite announcing her retirement from wrestling, Phogat appealed against the decision to the Court of Arbitration for Sports. The Court of Arbitration accepted Vinesh Phogat’s plea on August 8, and the hearing will take place at 9:00 AM local time in Paris on August 9.

Representation In Court

The CAS has asked Vinesh Phogat to appoint lawyers for the hearing, and the Indian government is working to get renowned lawyer Harish Salve on board for the case. The CAS has given a deadline for the appointment of lawyers, and the Indian camp is in the process of getting Harish Salve, who has previously appeared for the BCCI, among other big cases, on board.

Source: https://www.freepressjournal.in/sports/vinesh-phogats-plea-against-olympic-disqualification-to-be-heard-in-court-of-arbitration-for-sports-today

Vinesh made history on Tuesday by becoming the first Indian woman wrestler to reach the final at the Olympics.

India’s ace wrestler Vinesh Phogat has announced her retirement from wrestling hours after her disqualification from the Paris Olympics 2024.

She made the announcement in an early morning post on social platform X on Thursday. “Wrestling won the match against me, I lost… my courage is all broken, I don’t have any more strength now. Goodbye Wrestling 2001-2024. I will always be indebted to you all…,” Vinesh posted on X.

The wrestler lost the chance to fight for the gold medal after she was disqualified for being overweight in the morning weigh-in on Wednesday following her stupendous performance on Tuesday when she stunned the hitherto unbeaten Yui Susaki of Japan in her first bout.

Vinesh made history on Tuesday by becoming the first Indian woman wrestler to reach the final at the Olympics. But her redemption story following a disappointing performance in the Tokyo Olympics ended in heartbreak as she was disqualified from the competition after she was found overweight in the second weigh-in on the morning of the final.

Vinesh was found 100 grams over the limit for 50 kg and thus ruled out the competition and placed last as per United World Wrestling rules.

Women’s gymnastics is finally aging. In fact, four of the five United States athletes who took team gold in Paris were women in their 20s attending their second Olympics. And after picking up the all-around gold, 27-year-old Simone Biles is the oldest winner in 72 years.

The last time a non-teenager took that title was in 1972. And even then, 20-year-old Soviet Ludmila Turischeva’s win was upstaged by the electric performances of her younger teammate Olga Korbut, aged 17.

Korbut would be the first in a line of “teenage pixies” who emerged after the women’s discipline took an acrobatic turn in the 1970s, favouring a smaller physiology and younger athletes.

The media, ever enamoured with prodigious children, fuelled an enduring cultural fascination with these gymnast wunderkinds.

Young athletes, big pressure
Girls’ acrobatic feats were often seen as charming play or superhuman acts, instead of the product of intense labor undertaken by children.

By the late 1990s, however, journalist Joan Ryan’s book, Little Girls in Pretty Boxes, raised significant questions about the treatment and disposable careers of girls in

At the 2011 American Cup, when Mustafina made a competitive decision against her coach’s advice that didn’t work out, commentators treated it like a cautionary tale.

It was as if autonomy and self-possession were out of place in a sport for little girls.

Then, in 2016, came the sport’s greatest reckoning.

A torrid history of abuse
The Larry Nassar sexual abuse case ignited waves of present and former gymnasts worldwide to speak out about the silencing, abuse and toxic training environments they’d endured.

Over the next few years, athletes recounted the cost of childhood sporting careers.

Coaches were investigated. Independent reviews were undertaken.

Australia, too, confronted its past. A former national coach was sanctioned.

An Australian Human Rights Commission review concluded a “win at all costs” culture created “unacceptable risks” to young athletes.

The national governing body, Gymnastics Australia, apologized to survivors of abuse.

Age is by no means the only factor in vulnerability to abuse, but research shows that age and international-level training are significant risk factors in forms of interpersonal violence.

Source: https://studyfinds.org/womans-olympic-gymnastics-is-finally-evolving/?nab=0

Aside from Leon Marchand, who clinched his fourth swimming gold medal yesterday, another French athlete, 21-year-old pole vaulter Anthony Ammirati, has become an instant viral phenomenon after an incident involving his crotch.

Ammirati missed his target height and knocked down the pole with his bulge on Saturday, which caused him to fail his qualifying track for the final. The scene left commentators scrambling to find words but it quickly sparked memes and jokes all over social media.

“When you’re about to win an Olympic medal but your massive d*ck gets in the way while the whole world watches in slow motion,” one user on X (formerly Twitter) wrote.

Shortly after the viral moment, Ammirati shared his thoughts on failing to qualify for the final. “It’s a big disappointment,” he told the French Athletics Federation. “I’m a bit gutted, because I didn’t miss anything on the third attempt at 5.70 m. What I did miss was a bit of jumping in training to fine-tune the settings.”

“I was 100% physically, but I was missing a bit of pole vault. The conditions were good,” Ammirati added.

“It’s the first time I’ve started a competition without any stress. As I was a total outsider, I only had one goal: to play with the public. I was almost there.”

While social media has been flooded with jokes over Ammirati’s crotch, French outlets are highlighting the unfortunate twist of fate for Ammirati who won’t have another chance to compete for a medal and has exited the Olympics, along with other French pole vaulters. But the viral scene is providing needed comedic relief amid a series of controversies surrounding these Olympic Games, which have seen several people, including the event’s artistic director Thomas Jolly and Algerian boxer Imane Khelif, victim of online hate speech.

Olympic gymnastics from Paris ended with one final magical twirl.

After the conclusion of the women’s floor exercise final on Monday, podium finishers Rebeca Andrade, Simone Biles and Jordan Chiles took a photo with one another.

The fun, though, was that Biles and Chiles bowed in honor of the gold medalist Andrade, who raised her arms triumphantly while smiling.

“This is everything,” wrote the official Olympics X account on the post, which amassed over 550,000 likes in less than six hours of being shared.

The 25-year-old Andrade narrowly defeated Biles to win gold, besting the American star with a 14.166 score compared to Biles’ 14.133.

Meanwhile, Chiles wound up with bronze on inquiry at 13.766 for her first individual Olympic medal; she medaled in two team competitions, including winning gold this year.

Andrade’s win was her first gold medal of the 2024 Games after notching two silvers (individual all-around and women’s vault), plus a bronze in team all-around.

The Brazilian also went toe-to-toe with Team USA’s loaded lineup three years ago in Tokyo, winning gold in vault and silver in all-around.

A second straight Olympics pitting Andrade against Biles proved intense — yet inspired mutual respect.

“I don’t want to compete with Rebeca no more. I’m tired!” Biles said, according to USA Today. “It’s way too close. … It definitely put me on my toes, and it brought out the best athlete in myself. So I’m excited and proud to compete with her but… I don’t like it!”

Chiles also wanted to reciprocate a showing of support.

Source: https://nypost.com/2024/08/05/sports/simone-biles-jordan-chiles-bow-to-rebeca-andrade-in-epic-olympics-photo/

Neeraj Chopra is one of India’s medal hopefuls in athletics, having made history by becoming the first Indian athlete to win an Olympic gold medal in track and field at the Tokyo Olympics 2021.

Indian javelin throw star Neeraj Chopra is expected to hog the spotlight as he competes in the qualification round of the event at the Paris Olympics 2024 on Tuesday, August 6.

Neeraj Chopra is one of India’s medal hopefuls in athletics, having made history by becoming the first Indian athlete to win a gold medal in track and field at the Tokyo Olympics 2021. Since then, an athlete from Haryana has consistently performed well at major tournament, including Diamond League title in 2022 and the World Championship title in 2023.

Chopra also clinched his maiden gold medal at the Asian Games last year. The 26-year-old has been one of the most consistent performer for India in international athletics tournaments.

Neeraj Chopra qualified for the Paris Olympics achieving the qualification mark of 84, with a throw of 88.36 at the 2023 World Athletics Championship. Ahead of the quadrennial multi-sport event in the capital of France, Chopra took participated at the Federation Cup Athletics Competition, his first participation in the national event since his historic gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics.

In the Paris Olympics 2024, India pinned their hopes on Neeraj Chopra as he is currently the medal hope in the 29-member athletics contingent. The 26-year-old is clubbed in Group B in the qualification round of the men’s javelin throw event. 12 javelin throwers with the best throws will qualify for the final event.

Source: https://www.freepressjournal.in/sports/india-at-paris-2024-olympics-live-streaming-when-and-where-to-watch-neeraj-chopra-starrer-javelin-throw-qualification

After all the talk and all the hype, Noah Lyles duly delivered when it mattered most by winning the closest-ever Olympic 100 metres final by five thousandths of a second on Sunday to give the United States the title for the first time in 20 years.
In a blanket finish Lyles believed he had left it too late to catch the powerful Kishane Thompson, but the giant screen confirmed him as the winner in a personal best 9.79 seconds, the same time as the Jamaican, but ahead by the width of a vest.

If the race had been 99 metres, Thompson would have been celebrating a fourth Jamaican men’s 100m win in five Olympics, but fast-finishing Lyles kept his form superbly and timed his dip expertly to add Olympic gold to his world title.
He ripped his name bib from his shirt and held it aloft with his red, white and blue varnished fingernails, announcing himself, as he had always promised he would be, as the fastest man in the world.

Team India had a mixed day at the office at the Paris Olympics 2024 on Sunday (August 4) as the men’s hockey team produced an inspired performance to reach the semifinal, but badminton star Lakshya Sen was outplayed by defending champion Viktor Axelsen in the semifinal match.

Tokyo Olympics bronze medallist Lovlina Borgohain was also shown the exit door in the quarterfinals of her boxing event, while Indian women’s skeet shooters and the men’s 25m rapid-fire pistol contestants failed to make it to the finals of their respective events.

Men’s Hockey: Indian team brushes Britain aside

The Indian men’s hockey team registered a thrilling win over the Great Britain side in the quarterfinal of the event to book their place in the semis. India, who were down to 10 men in the game managed to hold Britain to a 1-1 draw at the end of the 4th quarter to force a penalty shoot-out in which Indian keeper PR Sreejesh came up big to help the men in blue clinch a 4-2 win.

River’s water quality has been under microscope

Belgium will no longer compete in the mixed relay triathlon at the Paris Olympics after one of its athletes who previously swam in the Seine River fell ill, the country’s Olympic committee said.

Claire Michel “is unfortunately ill and will have to withdraw from the competition,” the Olympic committee and the Interfederal Committee said in a statement.

Michel competed in the women’s triathlon on Wednesday after days of training postponements over concerns about the water quality in the Seine River. She finished 38th.

Paris 2024 organizers said the triathlon would still go on at 8 a.m. local time. Belgian officials didn’t specify the type of illness that Michel suffered, but concerns were raised about the water quality in the days and weeks before the triathlon competitions started.

World Triathlon, the International Olympic Committee and Olympic organizers along with regional and weather authorities reviewed the water quality, and the results indicated that conditions had improved in recent hours and would be within the limits mandated by World Triathlon.

Under World Triathlon guidelines, E. coli levels up to 1,000 colony-forming units per 100 milliliters can be considered “good” and can allow competition to move forward. Daily water tests have taken place in the Seine.

Belgian Olympic officials expressed “hopes that lessons will be learned for future triathlon competitions at the Olympic Games. We are thinking here of the guarantee of training days, competition days and the competition format, which must be clarified in advance and ensure that there is no uncertainty for the athletes, entourage and supporters.”

Source: https://www.foxnews.com/sports/belgium-withdraws-from-mixed-relay-triathlon-after-athlete-who-swam-seine-river-gets-sick

Novak Djokovic described beating Carlos Alcaraz to claim the Olympic singles gold medal at the fifth attempt as the biggest achievement of his career on Sunday.
The 37-year-old Serb ended an eight-month trophy drought with a vintage display to win 7-6(3) 7-6(2) and complete his career Golden Slam in memorable fashion, not dropping a set in six matches at Roland Garros.
He is the oldest man to win the Olympic singles title since tennis returned to the Games in 1988 and remarkably he did it 21 days after being pummelled by Alcaraz in the Wimbledon final and two months after undergoing knee surgery.

“When I take everything into consideration, this probably is the biggest sporting success I’ve ever had in my career.”

The 24-time Grand Slam champion produced a level of tennis that has been missing this year to fight off Alcaraz.

After belting away a forehand winner to end a ferocious, near three-hour battle, the emotion poured out of Djokovic as he sobbed on court before climbing into the stands to embrace his family, including wife Jelena and son Stefan, and his team.

“Until today I thought that carrying the Serbian flag at the 2012 opening ceremony in London is the best feeling that an athlete could have,” he said.

“This kind of supersedes everything that I imagined, that I hoped that I could experience and that I could feel.”

Djokovic did not rule out playing at the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028, but said the realisation that Paris was probably his last swing at gold had motivated him.

“I was ready for this tournament and I didn’t drop a set the entire tournament,” he said. “I knew in the opening two rounds the way I was playing that this is my chance. If it’s ever going to be, it’s going to be now.

“When I qualified for the finals, I felt a big relief because that’s the hurdle I wasn’t able to surpass. I did celebrate like I won the tournament. But of course I wanted gold and I knew that I would have to climb the highest mountain there is at the moment, playing Alcaraz.”

Source: https://www.reuters.com/sports/olympics/tennis-djokovic-hails-gold-greatest-sporting-achievement-2024-08-04/

It was a night for war-torn Ukraine to rejoice.

Thousands of Ukrainians watched on YouTube as high jumper Yaroslava Mahuchikh won gold for the country she was forced to flee, then celebrated with two teammates who also medaled at the Paris Olympics on Sunday.

Iryna Gerashchenko shared bronze in the high jump and Mykhaylo Kokhan then claimed a bronze in the hammer throw, too — doubling Ukraine’s Olympic medal haul from three to six in the span of about an hour.

“Medals are very important for Ukraine because the people are having a very happy time, and they can cheer us and they can celebrate this with us and not think about the war for one day,” Kokhan said.

Mahuchikh, who left her home due to the war with Russia, earned Ukraine’s first individual gold of these Summer Games, following a victory in women’s team saber fencing on Saturday.

She is from Dnipro, a city of nearly 1 million located only about 100 kilometers (60 miles) from the front lines of the war. When Russia invaded, she piled as much as she could into her car and left town quickly. On her way out, she heard gunfire and could, at times, see shells raining down miles away.

The next time she returns, it will be as an Olympic champion.

Once the medals were assured, Mahuchikh and Gerashchenko ran down the track waiving Ukrainian flags, prompting a standing ovation at the Stade de France.

Then, when the two high jumpers were given special permission to run over and embrace Kokhan, all three Ukrainian medalists posed together with their blue and yellow flags.

It wasn’t all about celebrating, though. Mahuchikh also recalled the “almost 500 sportsman (who) died in this war.

“They will never compete. They will never celebrate. They will never feel this atmosphere,” she said, adding that her gold medal is “really for all of them.”

Mahuchikh succeeds Tokyo gold medalist Maria Lasitskene, a Russian who — along with everyone else from her country — has been banned from track and field’s international events since the country invaded Ukraine.

Russian rockets and missiles constantly knock out Ukraine’s power grid. But Gerashchenko said that the electricity was working on Sunday,

“Today we have internet, we have light and on the YouTube channel, around 160,000 people (watched) online,” she said.

Mahuchikh cleared 2.00 meters to finish ahead of Nicola Olyslagers of Australia, who also cleared 2.00 but then failed all three of her attempts at 2.02.

Eleanor Patterson of Australia and Gerashchenko shared the bronze at 1.95.

Mahuchikh considered jumping again and could have tried to break the world record of 2.10 that she set less than a month ago in another Paris stadium. But then she stopped and started celebrating.

The 27-year-old – who is the most-decorated gymnast in the world – was criticised by some for pulling out of most events at the Tokyo Olympics to focus on her mental health.

Simone Biles has addressed critics who took aim at her decision to withdraw from the Tokyo Olympics – saying they’ve been silenced by her three golds so far at the Paris games.

The Team USA gymnast won four gold medals and one bronze at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics in 2016 and had been expected to defend her titles in Tokyo in 2021.

However, she made the decision to pull out of almost all the events to “focus on my mental health”.

Biles later revealed she had suffered from the twisties – a condition that causes a temporary loss of spatial awareness.

In Paris, Biles is now on what she has described as a “redemption tour” – and she’s won gold in all three of the women’s gymnastics events so far: Team; all-round; and vault.

After dominating the vault final and performing one of her eponymous moves, she reflected on how her critics have been silent amid her renewed success.

“They’re really quiet now, so that’s strange,” she said.

Biles added she’s “really excited to be competing again” and continued: “Obviously the negative comments, they’re painful.

“But I’m still in therapy, working on all that stuff to just make sure my mental health is well.”

The gymnast – who is the most-decorated in the world – added she will have extra therapy sessions if needed during the games.

Source: https://news.sky.com/story/olympics-2024-simone-biles-addresses-critics-after-winning-third-gold-of-paris-games-theyre-really-quiet-now-13190261

BDE — but too big.

French pole vaulter Anthony Ammirati went viral after his “big” bulge got him cut from the 2024 Paris Olympics on Saturday.

As the 21-year-old athlete vaulted himself into the air, his package — which was highlighted by his skin-tight uniform — hit the crossbar, causing it to crash to the floor along with his dreams of winning an Olympic medal.

While the botched attempt, seen here, did not automatically disqualify Ammirati, his score of 5.60 was too low to allow him to move on.

The devastating blow came after he won gold at the World Athletics U20 Championships in 2022.

Fans watched the bizarre episode play out in slow motion at the qualifying track and field event — and they immediately took to the internet with memes about it.

“21-year-old French pole-vaulter Anthony Ammirati may have lost out on Olympic Gold, but I see big things in his future,” one X user quipped.

“oh he brought that baguette to the games,” another fan cheekily commented.

“He’s going to stroll out of this Olympics with more ladies’ phone numbers than medals!” a third viewer joked.

A fourth amused fan commented, “When big d–k energy has an actual big d–k.”

“The one time in your life you wish your pen15 was smaller,” added another.

Ammirati has not publicly addressed his head-turning loss, but France’s Envol sports club celebrated his efforts with an Instagram post dedicated to him on Saturday.

“We are proud of you @anthony_ammirati despite the last two weeks of being physically disturbed you managed to show up, even though we are frustrated like you for that 5m70 bar,” the club, founded by Olympian Renaud Lavillenie, wrote.

Source: https://pagesix.com/2024/08/03/entertainment/french-pole-vaulter-anthony-ammiratis-bulge-costs-him-olympic-gold-medal/

Paris Olympics 2024 Highlights, Day 8: Nishant Dev Loses 71kg Boxing Quarter-Final, Julien Wins Women’s 100m

Paris Olympics 2024 Day 8 Highlights: Boxer Nishant Dev lost the men’s 71kg boxing quarterfinal against Marco Alonso Verde Alvarez (Mexico). A win would have sealed a fourth medal for India at the Paris Olympics 2024. Meanwhile, Algerian boxer Imane Khelif, who is at the center of a gender row, is assured of a medal after she beat Anna Luca Hamori (Hungary) in the women’s 66kg boxing quarter-final. Earlier, Indian archer Deepika Kumari crashed out in the quarterfinals of the Women’s Individual event, losing to South Korea’s Nam Suhyeon. Indian shooter Manu Bhaker missed out on a medal after finishing 4th in the Women’s 25m Pistol final at the Paris Olympics 2024. Saint Lucia’s Julien Alfred stunned favourite Sha’Carri Richardson to win the Olympic women’s 100m gold medal. (India’s Day 8 Schedule | Medal Tally)

Here are the Highlights of Day 8 of the Paris Olympics 2024:

Paris Olympics 2024: Thank you
With that we come to the end of today’s coverage. Tomorrow is going to be a big day for Indian sport with big names in action. Do join use for the live coverage.

Paris Olympics 2024 Live, Athletics: More about Alfred
Alfred’s gold gave St. Lucia their first ever medal of any colour at an Olympics. The island nation only began competing at the Games in 1996.

Paris Olympics 2024, Athletics: Great achievement
Alfred — who had never finished on the podium at a major outdoor championships prior to Saturday’s final — conjured a superb race to win in 10.72sec as the USA’s Richardson took silver

Richardson, the reigning world champion over 100m, had been hotly tipped to become the first American to win the coveted Olympic crown since Gail Devers in 1996.

But the 24-year-old Texan found herself outgunned by the powerfully built Alfred, who led from start to finish after exploding out of the blocks at a rainswept Stade de France.

Source: https://sports.ndtv.com/olympics-2024/paris-olympics-2024-live-updates-manu-bhaker-nishant-dev-olympic-games-paris-2024-day-8-latest-updates-6252975

Already rated one of swimming’s all-time greats coming into the Paris Olympics, Katie Ledecky made it official on Saturday by storming to victory in her signature event, the 800 metres freestyle to end her work in the French capital in grand style.
French torpedo Leon Marchand may be the prince of Paris, electrifying the home nation with four spectacular gold medals.
But it is Ledecky leaving Paris sharing the throne of greatest female Olympian with Larisa Latynina after winning a ninth gold medal to equal the Russian gymnast’s record.”The week was kind of, you know, had its ups and downs like any other meet,” said Ledecky, whose Paris haul also included gold in the 1,500, silver in the 4×200 freestyle relay and bronze in the 400m free.
“I knew I just had to focus on the races, don’t focus on times, just focus on getting the job done, getting to hear the national anthem at the end of the races as many times as I could.”
In sharp contrast to Ledecky’s runaway win in the 1,500m the 800m freestyle was a thriller from start to finish, with Ariarne Titmus matching her stroke-for-stroke for almost the entire distance.

France’s Leon Marchand shattered 4 Olympic records en route his 4 Gold medal wins in Paris. Marchand, who is being dubbed as the French Michael Phelps said that he was glad for being compared to the greats.

Leon Marchand fulfilled what French fans may regard as destiny as he swept to a fourth gold medal at his home Paris Games with another dominant victory in the men’s 200 metres Individual Medley on Friday.

Roared on by a delirious crowd at La Defense Arena, Marchand took down Michael Phelps’s Olympic record from Beijing 2008 with a blistering swim of one minute 54.06 seconds, 0.06 seconds short of Ryan Lochte’s world record.

“It was my last individual final so I said to myself, I really have to enjoy it,” Marchand told reporters.

Italian boxer Angela Carini says she wants to apologise after quitting her Olympic boxing match against Imane Khelif.

Angela Carini says she wants to apologise to Imane Khelif after quitting their Olympic boxing match, triggering a row over gender eligibility rules.

Carini told the Italian publication, Gazzetta dello Sport, she respects the International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) decision to allow Khelif to take part in the Paris 2024 boxing tournament.

LGBTQ+ athletes, officials and observers have warned that a deluge of hateful comments misidentifying female boxer Imane Khelif in the Paris Olympics as transgender or a man could pose dangers for the LGBTQ+ community and female athletes.

The concerns come as famous figures — from former U.S. President Donald Trump to “Harry Potter” author J.K. Rowling — have railed against the Algerian boxer after her Italian competitor Angela Carini quit their bout Thursday. They and other social media comments falsely claimed Khelif was a man fighting a woman.

The comments have rippled across social media, pulling Khelif and Taiwanese boxer Lin Yu-Ting into the larger social contention about women in sports.

The International Olympic Committee spokesperson Mark Adams said Friday that Khelif “was born female, was registered female, lived her life as a female, boxed as a female, has a female passport.”

He warned “not turn it into some kind of witch hunt.”

Some athletes and LGBTQ+ observers worry that hateful comments from critics — and the IOC failing to address a larger global conversation before the Olympics — have already started to vilify transgender, nonbinary and other LGBTQ+ people at an event championing inclusion. It comes as expanding interpretations of gender identity have spurred a larger political tug-of-war, often centered around sports.

While the Paris Olympics has pushed an agenda of openness and a record 193 openly LGBTQ+ athletes are competing, a performance by drag queens during the opening ceremony faced intense backlash from religious conservatives and others contending that it mocked the Leonardo da Vinci’s “Last Supper.” Some performers and the opening ceremony’s artistic director say they have received threats.

Source: https://apnews.com/article/olympics-2024-lqbtq-transgender-boxing-ec1b367c5f09a9b4bc59bf684a713c24

The Indian Men’s Hockey Team will lock horns with Great Britain in the quarterfinals of the ongoing Paris Olympics 2024 on Sunday.

The Indian Men’s Hockey Team will lock horns with Great Britain in the quarterfinals of the ongoing Paris Olympics 2024 on Sunday. The Indian men’s hockey team bounced back in the men’s competition with a 3-2 win over Australia in their last Pool B match on Friday. It is their first victory against Australia in the Olympics since 1972 Munich games. India bounced back from a 1-2 loss to the defending champions, Belgium, in their previous game. With this victory, India finished second and will now face Great Britain in the quarterfinals of the ongoing marquee event.

The other three quarterfinals of the ongoing mega event will be between Belgium and Spain, Netherlands and Australia; and Germany and Australia.

All the matches will be played on Sunday. By a very strange coincidence, all 4 QF lineups are exactly the same at the Tokyo Olympics.

Talking about India’s performance in the event so far, they began their Paris 2024 campaign with a stunning 3-2 win against New Zealand in a nervy contest on last Saturday in Paris.

In the second game, with the help of skipper, Harmanpreet Singh’s late goal, the Indian team held Argentina 1-1 at the Yves-du-Manoir Stadium on Monday. The Indian team outclassed Ireland in their third group stage clash with a scoreline of 2-0 on Tuesday.

Hello and Welcome to the live coverage of India’s campaign on Day 5 at the Paris Olympics 2024.

11:00 pm: He Bingjiao emerges triumphant 21-19 and 21-14 over PV Sindhu in Round of 16 match in Women’s Badminton singles match.

6:20 pm: Lakshya Sen beats fellow countryman H.S. Prannoy comprehensively 21-12 and 21-6 to advance to the Men’s Badminton singles quarter-finals.

5:37 pm: The Malayasian pair of Aaron Chia and Wooi Yik Soh bounced back after losing the first game to beat Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty 13-21, 21-14, and 21-16 in the Badminton men’s doubles quarter-final.

5:14 pm: The Malaysian pair of Aaron Chia and Wooi Yik Soh have bounced back to win the 2nd game against Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty.

Indian shooting contingent brought yet more laurels to the nation at the Paris Olympics 2024 on Thursday as Swapnil Kusale clinched the nation’s first-ever bronze in the Men’s 50m Rifle 3 position event. However, there were also shockers as the highly touted badminton doubles pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty were shown the exit door, and so was pugilist Nikhat Zareen.

Lakshya Sen ousted HS Prannoy in the Round of 16 men’s badminton singles clash, while PV Sindhu was knocked out of the women’s singles by China’s He Bingjiao.

Shooting: Men’s 50m Rifle 3 position- Kusale scripts history, Sift and Anjum face exits

Swapnil Kusale became the first Indian to finish on the podium of the Men’s 50m Rifle 3 position event as he finished with a score of 451.4 in the final. The medal was the national contingent’s third honour in the 33rd edition of the Summer games, with all three medals coming from the shooting camp.

However, Anjum Moudgil and Sift Kaur Samra were ousted in the qualification round as they finished 18th and 31st with scores of 583 and 575 respectively in the women’s 50m Rifle 3 positions event.

Badminton: Lakshya through, PV Sindhu and Sat-Chi shocked!

Lakshya Sen continued his fine touch at the quadrennial event with a win over compatriot HS Prannoy in an all-Indian ro16 clash as the youngster claimed a 21-12, 21-6 triumph over the veteran.

The nation’s hopes for a medal in the men’s doubles badminton event were dashed as the highly acclaimed pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty was ousted in the quarterfinals of the event by the Malaysian pairing of Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik, who triumphed 21-13, 14-21, 16-21.

There was another shock as PV Sindhu was ousted by China’s He Bingjiao in the round of 16 encounter as the Indian missed out on a medal at the Summer Games for the first time.

Boxing: Women’s 50 kg- Nikhat out!

Nikhat Zareen was handed a Round of 16 exit at the hands of Chinese pugilist Wu Yu in the women’s 50kg event. The 28-year-old Indian boxer went down 0-5 to her opponent in a unanimous verdict.

Archery: Men’s individual recurve – Pravin Ramesh Jadhav goes down!

Indian archer Pravin Ramesh Jadhav lost to China’s Kao Wenchao 0-6 in the 1/32 elimination round of 64 of the men’s individual recurve event. Jhadhav lost 0-6 (28-29, 29-30, 27-28).

Hockey: India lose group game to Belgium!

Team India surrendered a goal lead to Belgium as the Harmanpreet Singh-led unit succumbed 1-2 to the European outfit to endure their first loss at the spectacle on Thursday.

However, the men in blue had already sealed their qualification to the quarterfinals of the event and the loss did not harm their progress.

Sailing: Men’s Dinghy- Vishnu stands 25th overall!

Vishnu Saravanan finished race 1 of the Men’s Dinghy ICLA 7 in the 10th position, before coming in 34th in the second. The Indian sailor came in 25th overall.

Sailing: Women’s Dinghy- Nethra comes in sixth in race 1!

Nethra Kumanan came in sixth in race 1 of the Women’s Dinghy ICLA 6 event, before the second race of the evening was suspended due to inclement weather conditions.

Race Walk: Women’s 20 Km – Priyanka finishes 41st!

Priyanka Goswami clocked 1:39.55 in the women’s 20 km racewalk event as she placed 41st on the list.

Race Walk: Men’s 20 Km Final- Vikas, Paramjeet finish course, Akashdeep DNF!

Vikash Singh placed 30th in the final of the Men’s 20 Km race walk event final as he completed the stretch in 1:22:36, while compatriot Paramjeet Singh Bisht finished 37th with a time of 1:23:48.

Akashdeep Singh, however, could not complete the race and came away with a Did Not Finish result.

Source: https://www.news18.com/olympics/india-at-paris-olympics-2024-day-6-wrap-swapnil-kusales-historic-bronze-adds-to-indian-tally-pv-sindhu-satwiksairaj-rankireddy-chirag-shetty-suffer-shocks-8986859.html

Biles may well be the greatest American Olympian to have ever lived as she picks up another gold medal in the Paris Olympic all-around final.

US gymnast Simone Biles has made history yet again as she won her second Olympics all-around gold medal.

Biles – who was already the most decorated gymnast before the 2024 Paris Olympics even started – beamed as she became the third woman to become a two-time Olympic all-around champion.

Her total score of 59.131 was just over a point ahead of Brazil’s Rebeca Andrade at 57.932, one of the closest calls Biles has ever endured at a major international event.

But it was enough for the 27-year-old to win her second gold of the Paris Olympics and her sixth Olympic gold medal overall.

Biles also broke boundaries by becoming the oldest woman to claim the biggest title in her sport since 1952.

The past 12 Olympic all-around women’s champions were teenagers. The last non-teen winner, Ludmilla Tourischeva, had turned 20 only a few weeks before she won in 1972.

Biles’s latest win is a testament to her longevity as a record-setting athlete who has also established herself as a mental health champion following her shock Tokyo Olympics withdrawal in 2020.

At the time, she suffered what are known in the world of gymnastics as “twisties”, where the athlete loses air awareness and feels unable to land, potentially creating life-threatening conditions.

Biles, a sexual abuse survivor, stayed out of the limelight for almost two years, during which she focused on rehabilitation and her mental health.

Her struggle as she tried to bounce back from Tokyo has been documented in the new Netflix documentary, Simone Biles Rising, which also gives a glimpse into Biles’s married life.

Wearing a silver goat chain (standing for GOAT, or the ‘greatest of all time’) Biles reacted to her latest win by saying: “It is crazy that I am in the conversation of ‘Greatest of all athletes’ because I just still think, ‘I’m Simone Biles from Spring, Texas who loves to flip.'”

With the contest against Brazil’s Andrade being so narrow, Biles said: “I don’t want to compete with Rebeca no more.

“I’m tired. Like, she’s way too close. I’ve never had an athlete that close.”

Biles made a last-minute decision to bring in her signature Yurchenko double pike vault, as she was worried about being caught by Andrade.

“I was like, ‘I think I have to bring up the big guns this time,'” she said.

Source: https://news.sky.com/story/simone-biles-makes-history-yet-again-as-she-becomes-oldest-female-gymnast-to-win-all-around-olympic-gold-13189052

PARIS (AP) — Simone Biles huddled with Sunisa Lee. She looked to her husband Jonathan Owens in the stands. Lost in the moment. And maybe a touch frantic.

The American gymnastics star knew she was trailing Brazil’s Rebeca Andrade and Algeria’s Kaylia Nemour through two rotations during the Olympic all-around final Thursday.

After a sloppy uneven bars that included a mistake Biles can never remember making in competition, she sat in a chair, closed her eyes, ignored the sea of cameras around her and attempted to refocus.

She and Lee tried to do the math. How bad was it? They weren’t sure. It had been a long time since it was this tight.

Biles checked with Owens, who reassured Biles that she was fine, even though she was in third. His wife of 15 months might not have believed him in the moment.

“I’ve just never been so stressed before,” Biles said.

Maybe because she hadn’t been pushed — not in a long time anyway — the way Andrade pushed inside an electric Bercy Arena.

Yet the jitters eventually faded. The 27-year-old who is redefining what a gymnast can do and how long she can do it went to work.

One stoic beam routine and one floor exercise that is unlike anything ever done in her sport later, Biles found herself accepting a gold medal from IOC president Thomas Bach for a second time, this time with Lee standing next to her with a bronze.

Eight years ago in Rio de Janeiro, Biles was a teenage prodigy. Now, she’s an icon. One who remains peerless even when she’s not perfect.

Biles now has nine Olympic medals, six of them gold. And while she says she doesn’t keep track of these things, she sort of does. The GOAT necklace she rocked in the aftermath isn’t a coincidence, even if she maintains she’s just “Simone Biles from Spring, Texas, that loves to flip.”

Maybe, but she’s also the third woman to become a two-time Olympic champion, joining Larisa Latynina of the Soviet Union in 1956 and 1960 and Vera Caslavska of Czechoslovakia in 1964 and 1968. Oh, and the oldest to finish atop the all-around podium since then 30-year-old Maria Gorokhovskaya of the Soviet Union won the first-ever Olympic all-around in Melbourne in 1952.

The sport then is not what it is now. The days of “little girls in pretty boxes” are long gone. Biles has fueled that transformation one performance at a time. There’s a reason stars like the U.S. men’s basketball team and Kendall Jenner flock to watch her Thursday.

When Biles tried to downplay her impact, Lee corrected her.

“Honestly Simone, I think a lot of it has to do with you,” Lee said.

Even if her 39th world or Olympic medal didn’t come as easily as most of the 38 before it.

She misjudged a transition on uneven bars, the weakest of her four events, letting go of the upper bar too soon and forcing her to reach for a larger-than-expect gap.

While she didn’t fall — Biles muscled her way back into the routine — it blunted her momentum and led to major deductions that left her behind Andrade through two rotations.

The deficit didn’t last.

Biles responded with a largely wobble-free 14.566 on the balance beam, the highest of the night among the 24 finalists, while Andrade was forced to do a major balance check during her slightly easier set that dropped her down to second heading into floor exercise, Biles’ signature event.

Andrade, the silver medalist behind Lee in 2021, needed the best floor set of her life to catch Biles. It didn’t quite happen. Andrade stepped out of bounds at one point, a minor problem but enough to create plenty of wiggle room for Biles.

“I don’t want to compete with Rebeca no more,” Biles said. “I’m tired. Like, she’s way too close. I’ve never had an athlete that close.”

Biles incorporated music from pop icons Taylor Swift and Beyonce into her current routine, a 75-second set that began with the opening bars of Swift’s hit “Ready For It?” and featured the hardest tumbling done by a woman in the history of the sport.

When she was done — sealing gold that served as a redemption of sorts three years after pulling out of multiple finals in Tokyo to focus on her mental health — Biles sprinted to hug Lee just off the podium and blew kisses to the cameras that have become fixtures wherever she goes under the Olympic rings.

Source: https://apnews.com/article/olympics-2024-simone-biles-gymnastics-allaround-ee448ffdf28570d3b99da0fa4cbec640

Virat Kohli and Gautam Gambhir cracked up during the training session as India warmed up for Sri Lanka ODIs; ICC, RCB, DC and RR issued noteworthy reactions.

Started from the bottom, now they are here. From Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) and Delhi Capitals (DC) to Rajasthan Royals (RR), Indian Premier League (IPL) giants feasted on the reunion of long-time India teammates Gautam Gambhir and Virat Kohli. While former Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) mentor Gambhir is busy ticking the right boxes in his first assignment as head coach, run-machine Kohli has just joined the Indian camp for the upcoming One Day International (ODI) series against hosts Sri Lanka.

Before pocketing his first series win as head coach, Gambhir had sanctioned the surprise returns of batting icons Kohli and Rohit Sharma for the ODI series against Sri Lanka. In the Gambhir era, stalwarts Kohli and Rohit will continue to headline the traditional formats in the lead-up to the forthcoming ICC events. In the build-up to the ODI series opener against a crestfallen Sri Lankan side, batting maestro Kohli enjoyed his first training camp under the watchful eyes of Gambhir.

Kohli’s chat with Gambhir invites spellbinding reactions from IPL giants and ICC

Former India skipper Kohli also chatted with the newly appointed head coach, Gambhir, in Colombo. Kohli was even spotted laughing with Gambhir during India’s training session. Kohli cracking up Gambhir in the training session soon became the talk of the town on social media. “Started from the bottom, now we here Gautam Gambhir | Virat Kohli,” Delhi Capitals captioned their post after recalling Gambhir’s unforgettable gesture for a young Kohli. Former IPL champions Rajasthan Royals (RR) also jumped on the bandwagon.

Source: https://www.hindustantimes.com/cricket/virat-kohli-long-chat-with-gautam-gambhir-sri-lanka-odis-icc-rcb-rr-dc-spellbinding-reactions-ind-vs-sl-101722449411669.html

Indian shooters Aishwary Pratap Singh & Swapnil Kusale will begin the Day 5 proceeding of India’s campaign as they will be featuring in the men’s 50m rifle 3 position qualification.

India’s medal tally has increased to two after Manu Bhaker and Sarabjot Singh teamed up to win a historic bronze in the 10m air pistol mixed team event on Day 4 of the Paris Olympics 2024.

The badminton doubles pair of Satwiksairaj Rankidreddy and Chirag Shetty qualified for the quarterfinals as they remained in unbeaten in the group stage, while Indian men’s hockey has advanced to quarterfinals with a win over Ireland in the group stage.

On Day 5 of India’s campaign at the ongoing edition of the Summer Games, Indian shooters Aishwary Pratap Singh & Swapnil Kusale will begin the proceeding as they will be featuring in the men’s 50m rifle 3 position qualification. India will be hoping for the third medal to their tally, continuing their impressive performance in shooting events.

Manika Batra will look to script another history with the quarterfinal berth when she takes on Zhu)/M Hirano in the Table Tennis women’s singles round of 16. In badminton, PV Sindhu, Lakshya Sen and HS Prannoy will look to qualify for the pre-quarters. Sen will be playing his extra match after his first Olympic win against Gautamela’s Kevin Cordon was deleted after latter withdrew from the games due to injury.

In archery, Deepika Kumari and Tarundeep Singh will be in action for the round of 32 of the individual recurve events. The veteran archers will look to keep India’s medal hopes alive in the sport by qualifying in the next round of the tournament.

Japan’s reigning Olympic all-around gymnastics champion Daiki Hashimoto had been on an emotional roller-coaster for months.
Back in May, injury had forced him to suddenly pull out of the NHK Trophy – the sport’s marquee tournament in Japan – that he hoped would be his chance to dress-rehearse his routines ahead of the Paris Games.
Still nursing a far-from-healed finger injury, he joined other Olympic-bound athletes at the team’s training camp even though he wondered whether he would be able to lead the five-man team to the gold medal that his nation expected.

“To be honest, I was starting to lose confidence,” Hashimoto told reporters on Monday. “When the camp ended, I still couldn’t visualise how I was going to win that gold.”
That sense of doubt seemed to have disappeared two days ago when Hashimoto stepped into the Bercy Arena in Paris, beaming and waving to the adoring fans.
But the confidence was short-lived.
On the high bar, Hashimoto botched his dismount by landing on his hands and feet, dashing his chance of reaching the final to defend the title in the apparatus.

Bella Hadid has spoken out about her involvement in Adidas’ controversial Munich Olympics-themed ad that sparked outrage.

On Monday, the model and activist posted a message to her Instagram Story, expressing her “disappointment in the lack of sensitivity that went into this campaign.”

“I would never knowingly engage with any art or work that is linked to a horrific tragedy of any kind,” she wrote.

Earlier this month, the brand unveiled an ad featuring Hadid holding a “coveted classic” sneaker from the ’70s to honor the 52nd anniversary of the Munich Olympics.

Those summer games were marred by tragedy when 11 Israeli athletes and one German police officer were killed by a Palestinian militant group.

Hadid — who said she was “shocked” and “upset” by the parallel — claimed to have “no knowledge of the historical connection to the atrocious events in 1972.”

“My team should have known, adidas should have known and I should have done more research so that I too would have known and understood, and spoken up,” the Vogue cover girl added.

Adidas has already apologized for the campaign and the “negative impact” on Hadid, 27, and the other models involved.

“Connections continue to be made to the terrible tragedy that occurred at the Munich Olympics due to our recent SL72 campaign,” the shoe brand said in a statement on Adidas Originals’ Instagram Story.

“These connections are not meant and we apologise for any upset or distress caused to communities around the world.”

Bella — whose father, Mohammed Hadid, is Palestinian — has long been an outspoken activist for Palestinian causes and denounced the campaign’s connection to the “liberation of the Palestinian people.”

“Palestine is not synonymous with terrorism,” she wrote on Monday, “and this campaign unintentionally highlighted an event that does not represent who we are.”

Source: https://pagesix.com/2024/07/29/celebrity-news/bella-hadid-addresses-controversial-adidas-ad/

As per the BWF General Competition Regulations for group stage play, the result from the match between Lakshya Sen and Kevin Cordon was deleted.

Ace India shuttler Lakshya Sen’s dominating win over Guatemala’s Kevin Cordon in the badminton men’s singles Group L match at the ongoing Paris Olympics has been ‘deleted after the Guatemalan pulled out of the multi-sport event due to a left elbow injury. According to Olympics.com, Cordon withdrew himself from the ongoing Paris Olympics for which his upcoming Group L matches against Indonesia’s Jonatan Christie and Belgium’s Julien Carraggi will not be played. As per the BWF General Competition Regulations for group stage play, the result from the match between Lakshya Sen and Kevin Cordon was deleted.

The Indian shuttler will be ranked based on the results of his remaining two matches in Group L. Meanwhile, Lakshya Sen will now take on Julien Carraggi on July 29 in his upcoming fixture.

Earlier on Saturday, Lakshya defeated Kevin Cordon 21-8, 22-20 in the Group L match of the ongoing Paris Olympics. Lakshya won in straight sets with the match lasting 42 minutes.

The Indian shuttler got off to a flying start after winning the first game 21-8 in 14 minutes. Cordon pulled things back, taking a commanding lead in the second and had four game points. However, the 22-year-old Indian turned things around by winning six points in a row to wrap up the game and match.

Meanwhile, India bagged its first medal at the Paris Olympics after ace shooter Manu Bhaker sealed a bronze medal in the 10 Metre Women’s Air Pistol event on Sunday.

The 22-year-old became the first Indian woman to win a medal in shooting at the Olympics.

Bhaker brought India’s first medal in the ongoing mega event as she won a bronze medal with a score of 221.7.

It was a redemption arc for Manu after her pistol malfunctioned at the Tokyo Olympics. She made history by becoming the first Indian woman in 20 years to reach a shooting final in an individual event of the Olympics since Suma Shirur in 2004.

South Korea’s Ye Jin clinched the gold medal with an Olympic record of 243.2 points. Her compatriot, Kim Yeji, settled for silver with 241.3 points.

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On the opening day, Bhaker finished third in the qualification round of Women’s 10 Metre Air Pistol to qualify for the final at the ongoing Paris Olympics on Saturday. While Rhythm Sangwan failed to make her place in the final after finishing in 15th place.

Source: https://sports.ndtv.com/olympics-2024/badminton-star-lakshya-sens-paris-olympics-group-match-victory-deleted-heres-why-6210741

The Indian contingent opened its account at the Paris Olympics 2024 as shooter Manu Bhaker struck bronze in the women’s 10m air pistol event on Day 2 of the quadrennial event on Sunday.

Indian athletes from other events had a solid day too as boxer Nikhat Zareen, shuttlers PV Sindhu, and HS Prannoy, shooters Ramita Jindal, and Arjun Babuta, rower Balraj Panwar, TT stars Sreeja Akula, and Manika Batra all earned qualification.

However, tennis star Sumit Nagal, TT players Harmeet Desai, and Sharath Kamal Achanta, swimmers Srihari Natraj, and Dhinidhi Desinghu and the women’s archery team had to endure defeats on the day.

Women’s 10m air pistol final: Bhaker Bronze

Manu Bhaker broke a prolonged wait for an Olympic medal in shooting as she buried ghosts of the Tokyo Olympics, where she was hamstrung by a pistol malfunction, to clinch the bronze medal and open the account for India in France.

Women’s Boxing- 50 Kg: Nikhat Zareen Rallies to Progress

Indian boxer Nikhat Zareen opened her Olympic medal dream with a 5-0 win over Germany’s Maxi Kloetzer in the women’s 50kg pre-quarterfinals to move into the round of 16. Zareen was rather slow off the blocks as she was outscored by her opponent in the first round, but the two-time world champion recovered magnificently to seal progress.

Men’s TT- Individual: Shock defeat for Sharath Kamal, Harmeet goes down to Labrun!

There was a huge upset in the Men’s TT individual event as India’s flagbearer and five-time Olympian Sharath Kamal went down to Slovenian Deni Kozul of 2-4 (12-10, 9-11, 6-11, 7-11, 11-8, 10-12) in the round of 64 clash. The 42-year-old veteran fell to his lower-ranked opposition despite taking the tight first game in the match that lasted 53 minutes.

Harmeet Desai also suffered a defeat at the hands of home hope Felix Lebrun, who thrashed the Indian 4-0 in the Round of 64 clash. The Frenchman ran out winner in straight games as he posted an 11-8, 11-8, 11-6, 11-8 triumph.

Women’s TT- Individual: Akula in cruise control

Sreeja Akula entered the round of 32 as she posted a clinical 4-0 win over Sweden’s Christina Kallberg. Sreeja registered an 11-4, 11-9, 11-7, 11-8 victory in a 30-minute win.

Men’s 10m Air Rifle: Babuta Through, Sandeep out of luck

Arjun Babuta sealed his place in the final of the Men’s 10m Air Rifle event, while compatriot Sandeep Singh failed to make it to the medal round.

Arjun posted a total of 630.1, to secure a 7th-placed finish in the qualifying round, while Sandeep could only finish 12th with his total of 629.3 to exit the event.

Women’s 10m Air Rifle: Ramita Through, Valarivan Out

Ramita Jindal tallied 631.5 to come in 5th in the Women’s 10m Air Rifle qualification and punch a ticket in the final of the event.

However, Elavenil Valarivan could only manage a 10th-place finish, thereby bowing out of contention.

Rowin- Men’s Single Sculls: Balraj finishes repechage second

Balraj Panwar sealed his passage into the quarterfinals of the men’s single sculls event. India’s lone rower at the Paris Olympics 2024, finished second in the second repechage with a timing of 07:12.41 to advance.

Badminton Women’s Singles: PV Sindhu cruises

PV Sindhu started her hunt for a third medal at the Olympics with a thrashing of Maldives’ Fathimath Abdul Razzaq in the women’s singles group stage match. The two-time Olympic required less than half an hour to dispatch her opponent 21-9 21-6 in the Group M fixture.

Swimming: Nataraj, and Desinghu shown exit door

The Indian challenge in the pools came to an end as Srihari Nataraj finished joint-second in his heat with a timing of 55.01s but the 23-year-old could only come in 33rd in the overall standing for the 100m men’s backstroke event and failed to progress.

14-year-old Olympic debutant Dhinidhi Desinghu finished 23rd out of 30 participants in the 200m women’s freestyle heat, despite topping Heat 1 with a timing of 2:06.96.

Women’s Archery Team Event: India lose to the Dutch

The Indian women’s archery team were handed a 0-6 defeat by the Netherlands in the quarterfinals as the trio of Ankita Bhakat, Bhajan Kaur and Deepika Kumari lost 51-52, 49-54, 48-53 to the Dutch.

Men’s Tennis Singles: Nagal Out

Sumit Nagal was shown the exit door in the men’s singles event following his loss to Corentin Moutet of France in his first round as the 26-year-old Indian number went down 2-6, 6-2, 5-7 in 2 hours and 28 minutes.

Source: https://www.news18.com/olympics/india-at-paris-olympics-2024-day-2-wrap-manu-bhaker-opens-indias-medal-tally-with-bronze-nikhat-zareen-advacnes-pv-sindhu-hs-prannoy-post-victories-8981744.html

Italian high jumper Gianmarco Tamberi has issued a grovelling apology to his wife after losing his wedding ring during the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics.
The 32-year-old world champion was flag-waving for Italy, as the boat carrying its athletes sailed down the River Seine, when the ring slipped off his finger.
“I’m sorry my love, I’m so sorry,” he wrote on Instagram in a post dedicated to his wife, Chiara Bontempi Tamberi.
The athlete blamed “losing too many kilos” and “irrepressible enthusiasm” for the mishap.

Below are the names of the Indian athletes who will participate in various sport events in Paris on Day 2 of Olympic Games 2024.

Paris: Following is India’s schedule at the Olympics here on Sunday.

Badminton

* Women’s Singles (Group stage): PV Sindhu vs FN Abdul Razzaq (Maldives) — 12.50 pm

* Men’s Singles (Group stage): Prannoy HS vs Fabian Roth (Germany) — 8.00 pm

Shooting

* Women’s 10m Air Rifle Qualification: Elavenil Valarivan — 12.45 pm

* Men’s 10m Air Rifle Qualification: Sandeep Singh and Arjun Babuta — 2.45 pm

* Women’s 10m Air Pistol Final: Manu Bhaker — 3.30 pm

Rowing

* Men’s Single Sculls (Repechage 2): Balraj Panwar — 1.18 pm

Table tennis

* Women’s Singles (Round 2): Sreeja Akula vs Christina Källberg (Sweden) — 12.15 pm onwards

* Women’s Singles (Round 2): Manika Batra vs Anna Hursey (Great Britain) — 12.15 pm onwards

* Men’s Singles (Round 2): Sharath Kamal vs Deni Kozul (Slovenia) — 3.00 pm onwards

Source: https://www.deccanherald.com/sports/olympics-2024-india-schedule-day-2-list-of-events-indian-athletes-will-be-participating-in-today-3125507#5

India coach Gautam Gambhir sported a big smile as Indian players, including captain Suryakumar Yadav and Hardik Pandya, bonded over a fielded session ahead of the three-match T20I series against Sri Lanka at the Pallekele International Stadium. The players had a great time as they stepped up preparations for the Sri Lankan challenge and Gambhir was delighted to watch players in action mode.

Later, it was revealed that Hardik Pandya’s fitness was a concern for the selectors and coach which is why Suryaumar Yadav was named the captain of the side. Chief selector Ajit Agarkar also labeled Suryakumar Yadav as the most deserving candidate for T20I leadership.

“Suryakumar Yadav was made the captain, because he is one of the most deserving candidates. We have been getting the feedbacks from the dressing room. He has got great cricket brain, he is one of the best T20 batters in the world, and the one who is likely to play all the games. Surya has got the necessary quality that you need to succeed as a captain,” said Agarkar.

Source: https://www.timesnownews.com/sports/cricket/gautam-gambhirs-reaction-goes-viral-as-team-india-bond-over-a-fielding-session-ahead-of-1st-t20i-vs-sri-lanka-article-112055051

Arsonists attacked France’s high-speed rail network early Friday, setting fires that paralyzed train travel to Paris for some 800,000 people across Europe, including athletes heading to the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games.

Targeting remote locations far from the capital, the apparently coordinated attacks sought to cut off rail routes into the city from all directions. The fires were predominantly set in pipes containing critical signaling cables for the system known as the TGV.

There were no reports of injuries. Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo said the damage would not affect the ceremony in which 7,000 Olympic athletes were due to sail down the Seine past iconic Parisian monuments such as Notre-Dame Cathedral, the Louvre Museum and the Musee d’Orsay.

Fires were reported before dawn near the tracks on three separate lines, causing widespread disruptions. Another arson attempt, in the south in Vergigny, was thwarted by rail agents who scared off several suspects.

French authorities did not publicly comment on who might have carried out the attacks or why; none of them said the sabotage was directly related to the Games.

Prime Minister Gabriel Attal said intelligence services were mobilized to find the arsonists, whose attacks he described as “premeditated” and “calculated.”

The evidence indicates “a desire to seriously harm” the French people, said the CEO of national railway company SNCF, Jean-Pierre Farandou, who estimated the number of customers affected at 800,000. “The places were especially chosen to have the most serious impact, since each fire cut off two lines.”

The rail company said in a statement Friday evening that it would ensure transport for all Olympic delegations, without elaborating. It stepped up ground and air surveillance, including with 50 drones.

Prosecutors in Paris opened a national investigation, saying the crimes included property damage threatening the nation’s “fundamental interests” and could carry prison sentences of up to 20 years.

“Disturbing such a festival of peace with acts of violence can never be accepted and demands the most determined rejection,” German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said in Paris.

Two out of four trains carrying athletes to Paris on the western line were stopped hours before the opening ceremony, an SNCF official said.

Two German athletes who were on a Paris-bound train for the opening ceremony had to turn back in Belgium because of the closures, German news agency dpa reported.

Repairs were being made as police conducted forensic tests. “We have to repair cable by cable, so it’s very meticulous work,” Farandou said.

French Transport Minister Patrice Vergriete said train traffic began to resume in the afternoon.

Rail officials said they expected most trains to be working again Saturday, with possible delays. Some disruptions were likely to continue into Sunday.

The attack occurred against a backdrop of global tensions and heightened security measures as the city prepared for the Games.

French authorities have said they foiled several plots to disrupt the Olympics, including arresting a Russian man on suspicion of planning to destabilize the games.

Earlier this week, French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said about 1,000 people suspected of possibly meddling on behalf of a foreign power have been blocked from attending the Games. Among those blocked were people suspected of Islamic radicalization or left- or right-wing political extremism, or who had significant criminal records, he said.

Although he has repeatedly pointed to suspicions of Russia-backed interference, Darmanin added that such threats have also come from other countries that he did not name.

The Paris police prefecture “concentrated its personnel” in train stations after the attack, Paris Police Chief Laurent Nuñez told France Info television.

In the capital, 35,000 police officers are being deployed each day for the Olympics, with a peak of 45,000 for the opening ceremony.

Paris has been the target of deadly terror attacks in the past decade, and some French officials saw the Games as a chance for the nation to heal from years of trauma.

Source: https://apnews.com/article/france-trains-olympics-74c9727d33ac86bfc126f98e45cb874f

Shubman Gill is all set to replace Jasprit Bumrah as the Indian cricket team vice-captain in the upcoming Test series against Bangladesh, according to a report.

Shubman Gill is all set to replace Jasprit Bumrah as the Indian cricket team vice-captain in the upcoming Test series against Bangladesh, according to a report by Revsportz. The youngster was reportedly as Rohit Sharma’s deputy in white-ball cricket over the past few games and it looks like Gill will also be given an extremely important role in red-ball cricket. Gill is currently considered as one of the big contenders to take over the captaincy in all formats and this move can be a huge step in that direction. Coming to the series against Bangladesh, the opening Test will be played on September 19 in Chennai, while the second encounter will be played on September 27 at Green Park in Nagpur.

Gill will also be the vice-captain in the both the T20I and ODI series against Sri Lanka.

Meanwhile, Suryakumar Yadav, the newly-appointed T20I captain, asserted that India will continue to play the aggressive brand of cricket which hallmarked the regime of his predecessor Rohit Sharma.

Under Rohit, who retired from T20Is after the World Cup triumph in the Americas, India played a template-changing attacking game from last year’s ODI showpiece at home.

“The same train will go ahead; only the engine has changed and the bogies remain unchanged,” Suryakumar said on the eve of the first of the three T20Is against Sri Lanka here.

“Nothing changes; the brand of cricket remains the same. It (the captaincy role) doesn’t change anything. It has given me an added responsibility. It is good that now I can do a ‘walk the talk’,” he added.

For that, Suryakumar said he wanted to tread the path that Rohit had set during his captaincy stint.

Source: https://sports.ndtv.com/cricket/jasprit-bumrah-no-longer-indias-test-vice-captain-report-names-rohit-sharmas-new-deputy-6197356#pfrom=home-ndtv_topstories

India returned from Tokyo with seven medals, and it is only natural that a double-digit performance is now desired in Paris.

Paris: Some would be carrying a huge burden of expectations, some others would look to spring a surprise and a few more would be eyeing the perfect closure to their glittering careers as the 117-strong Indian contingent aims for a better-than-before performance in the Olympic Games, starting here on Friday.

India returned from Tokyo with seven medals, and it is only natural that a double-digit performance is now desired in Paris.

Except for wrestlers, who have waded through a highly controversial build-up, athletes in all disciplines have had no complaints about their preparations.

Whether it was training abroad or getting the best of facilities to sharpen their skills, there was planning in place.

But will the hard work, the strategies and the unbridled support translate into medals?

The Big Picture:

It will be a Heculean task to match the Tokyo figures of seven medals, given that except for reigning Olympic champion Neeraj Chopra, not many are top contenders in their respective disciplines.

More than half of the 117-member contingent is from three sports — athletics (29 ), shooting (21) and hockey (19). Of these 69 athletes, 40 are debutants.

In other sports too, there are debutants like tennis player N Sriram Balaji and wrestler Reetika Hooda. They are not exactly inexperienced, but largely, India’s campaign will be driven by the athletes, who will be competing on a stage this grand for the first time.

Then there are the seasoned ones who would be expected to raise their game suitably.

Two-time medallist shuttler PV Sindhu, tennis player Rohan Bopanna, legendary table tennis player Sharath Kamal and hockey goalkeeper PR Sreejesh are certainly playing their last Olympics.

The hockey team has endured patchy form in the build-up to the Games, the boxers and wrestlers are lacking in real competition time. The shooters too have notched up mixed results heading into the Olympics.

The track and field athletes, especially Avinash Sable, have done well of late, but compared to their global rivals, their performances don’t seem enough to put them in the bracket of medal hopefuls.

Source: https://www.deccanherald.com/sports/other-sports/olympics-2024-indians-eye-double-digit-medal-haul-as-paris-games-set-for-grand-start-3121351

After a tame start, Indian archers roared back to begin India’s campaign at the Paris Olympics on a positive note. Dhiraj Bommadevara and Ankita Bhakat starred as Indian archers secured a direct entry into the quarterfinals of both the men’s and women’s team events after finishing third and fourth respectively in the ranking round at the Esplanade des Invalides in Paris on Thursday.

Debutants Dhiraj and Ankita’s spectacular show in the qualifications helped India finish in the top four, giving them favourable draws to clinch an elusive Olympic medal in archery.

It’s usually not a good sign when a swimsuit needs instructions for how to put it on. More concerning? When you learn that even Olympians need about 10 minutes to get into Speedo’s new Fastskin LZR Intent and LZR Valor suits.

Determined to squeeze into the latest skin-tight polyurethane compression suit, I grabbed a red Pure Valor 2.0 openback kneeskin and entered the crowded women’s changing room at The Molitor Hotel to see what the big deal is about the newest version of the suit many swimmers will be wearing during the Paris Olympics.

Wedged inside the changing room, I followed the directions and rolled up the leg openings to work around the rubber gripper at the bottom that is designed to help the suit stick to your skin. Those who didn’t listen to the instructions were grunting, tugging and wiggling as they tried to shimmy the suit now stuck to their calves.

I was ahead of them all and had the suit to my thighs! The race was on!

And then the trouble began.

I pulled and the suit moved less than an inch. I pulled some more and same result. Not a chance this thing was making it over my hips.

The Fastskin isn’t like a regular one-piece bathing suit. It looks more like a singlet worn by a wrestler and is meant to sit above the knee and worn like a one-piece romper. A very, very, tight romper.

France aims to wow the world on Friday with an extravagant Olympics opening ceremony through the heart of Paris, officially kicking off a Games fraught with security risks at a time of heightened geopolitical tensions.
Some 45,000 police, 10,000 soldiers and 2,000 private security staff will ensure the safety of the parade along the river Seine, its banks and surrounding monuments, in an unprecedented display of security.

A video of an apparent brawl between baseball fans at Yankee Stadium on Tuesday night circulated widely on social media on Wednesday.

The footage from a since-deleted post on X purported to be from after the Mets’ 3-2 win on Tuesday night in The Bronx first showed what appeared to be two female fans wearing Yankees attire grappling with one another before a larger melee broke out on one of the Yankee Stadium concourses.

The situation escalated when a male fan wearing a pinstriped Yankees jersey attempted to push one of the female combatants, which prompted a fan in a Mets jersey to try and push him back.

The opposing fans then engaged in pushing and shoving, with the Yankees fan removing his jersey before the bare-chested Bombers supporter seemed to connect a right hook to the Mets fan’s face, sending sent him to the ground briefly.

Another Yankees fan — wearing a gray Aaron Judge jersey — then came up and pushed the Mets fan once more while the camera panned back over to the two women grappling on the ground.

The shirtless then appeared to celebrate by high-fiving nearby fans and flexing in front of the camera.

Just as the situation seemed to calm down, the Mets fan wearing a blue Pete Alonso jersey — and the other Yankee fan in a gray jersey began sparring again when security and fans finally broke the two up.

The Yankees did not immediately respond when asked to comment on the incident.

Another angle of the fight showed the two female fans being separated, but not before one violently shoved the other one away.

Source: https://nypost.com/2024/07/24/sports/mets-yankees-fans-throw-punches-in-wild-chaotic-subway-series-brawl/

Simone Biles will lead a U.S. gymnastics squad eager to reclaim their team title at the Paris Olympics and put the memory of the tumultuous Tokyo Games behind them, coach Chellsie Memmel told reporters on Tuesday.
Biles withdrew from several events three years ago in Tokyo due to mental health issues and the favoured U.S. team were forced to settle for silver behind Russia.
Since returning from a two-year break from the sport, the 27-year-old is once again dominating competitions and is mentally and physically sound in the lead-up to her third Games.

In what’s described as the last step before the Eiffel Tower, Snoop Dogg will carry the famous torch through a Paris suburb.

Snoop Dogg will carry the Olympic torch in the final stages of its journey, just before it heads towards the Eiffel Tower.

The US rapper, whose real name is Calvin Broadus Jr, is in Paris as a special correspondent for Sky’s partner network NBC.

Snoop, 52, shared a photo of himself outside the city hall Hotel de Ville with the caption: “U Ready? Paris 2024 Olympics ya digggg.”

He will carry the torch through the Paris suburb of Saint-Denis, where the local mayor said there will be a concert by French 2024 Eurovision star Slimane in front of the Basilica Cathedral.

He also said it would be the “last step before the Eiffel Tower”.

Adverts featuring the model for Adidas’s relaunch of a shoe from the Munich Olympics – when Israeli athletes were killed by terrorists – were pulled, after pro-Israel groups called them offensive. Hadid has a Palestinian father and has been a critic of Israel’s war against Hamas.

Adidas has apologised to Bella Hadid after the supermodel was removed from a campaign that referenced an Olympics at which Israeli athletes were killed by pro-Palestinian terrorists.

Adverts featuring the US supermodel for a relaunch of an Adidas shoe from the 1972 Munich Olympics were pulled on Friday, after pro-Israel groups called them “sick” and offensive.

Hadid – whose father is Palestinian – has been outspoken against Israel’s war on Hamas.

After reports suggested Hadid was considering legal action against Adidas, the company has now issued an apology to the model, and a number of others.

“Connections continue to be made to the terrible tragedy that occurred at the Munich Olympics due to our recent SL72 campaign,” it said on its Adidas Originals Instagram feed.

“These connections are not meant, and we apologise for any upset or distress caused to communities around the world. We made an unintentional mistake.

“We also apologise to our partners, Bella Hadid, ASAP Nast, Jules Koundé, and others, for any negative impact on them and we are revising the campaign.”

Palestinian terrorists from the group Black September killed 11 Israeli athletes and a German police officer at the 1972 Games.

The American Jewish Committee said Adidas was using “a vocal anti-Israel model” for the campaign, which they said “is either a massive oversight or intentionally inflammatory”.

Source: https://news.sky.com/story/adidas-apologises-to-bella-hadid-after-pulling-1972-olympic-shoe-campaign-called-sick-by-antisemitism-groups-13183936

Gautam Gambhir was appointed Indian cricket team head coach after Rahul Dravid’s tenure ended following the T20 World Cup 2024 triumph.

Gautam Gambhir was appointed Indian cricket team head coach after Rahul Dravid’s tenure ended following the T20 World Cup 2024 triumph. It was a fresh chapter for the team as the trio of Virat Kohli, Ravindra Jadeja, and Rohit Sharma also announced their retirement from T20Is. While the names of WV Raman and National Cricket Academy (NCA) chief VVS Laxman did make the rounds, Gambhir ultimately emerged as the top contender. While the move was welcomed by the majority of experts and fans, former Pakistan cricketer Tanveer Ahmed believes that Gambhir did not deserve the role.

Tanveer took to social media to call Gambhir’s appointment a ‘parchi’ case and added that VVS Laxman should have been appointed the head coach due to his work with the youngsters.

The word ‘parchi’ refers to someone making the team based on “sources or recommendations”.

“VVS Laxman should have become the head coach of the Indian team because he has been with the India B team as coach for a long time. It seems as if Gautam Gambhir’s appointment is a ‘parchi’ case,” the former Pakistan cricket team star posted on X (formerly known as Twitter).

Source: https://sports.ndtv.com/cricket/parchi-ex-pakistan-stars-explosive-allegation-on-gautam-gambhir-6173605

– As Paris makes final preparations for the Summer Olympics, the grand opening ceremony along the river Seine on Friday has created an unprecedented security challenge that organisers hope won’t dampen the party vibe.
For the first time, a Games opening ceremony will not take place in a stadium. Instead, dozens of boats will carry thousands of athletes and performers on a 6-km (3.7-mile) floating parade down the Seine, showcasing the beauty and history of the French capital.

“It’s part of the objective to guarantee the security and to propose a fantastic celebration of the Games… But to have this kind of unique celebration, you also need to have a very, very strong security plan. And that’s the case.”
The ceremony, which will start at 7:30 p.m. local time(1730 GMT), will be “a large fresco” celebrating Paris, France and the Games and will interweave the traditional parade by athletes with artistic performances and elements of protocol, said Thomas Jolly, the artistic director of the opening ceremony.

Source: https://www.reuters.com/sports/olympics/paris-hopes-security-wont-spoil-party-2024-olympics-opening-2024-07-21/

Vivian Richards and Carl Hooper have demanded an apology from Brian Lara for his remarks that Richards used to make Carl Hooper cry once a week. Lara made the remarks in his book and wrote that Richards’ voice was intimidating and he used to make Lara cry once in three weeks but Carl Hooper cried every week. The remarks did not sit well with Richards and Hooper who released a statement and denied Lara’s claims.

Viv Richards, Carl Hooper demand apology from Brian Lara (Source: PTI/BCCI)

“Sir Vivian Richards and Mr. Carl Hooper are deeply disheartened by the gross misrepresentations made about them in Mr. Brian Lara’s recently released book,” the duo said in a statement put out by Hooper. “The allegations presented not only distort the reality of their relationship but also impugn their characters in an unjust and harmful manner,” said a statement.

Source: https://www.timesnownews.com/sports/cricket/brian-lara-in-trouble-as-viv-richards-carl-hooper-demand-apology-for-false-and-hurtful-remarks-article-111912930

Legendary England cricket team batter and captain Geoffrey Boycott had to be readmitted to the hospital just days after undergoing surgery for throat cancer.

Legendary England cricket team batter and captain Geoffrey Boycott had to be readmitted to the hospital just days after undergoing surgery for throat cancer. An official statement was issued on social media from Boycott’s family that he has developed pneumonia after he was released from the hospital and his condition has taken “a turn for the worse”. The statement further stated that the legendary batter was unable to eat or drink and will have to use a feeding tube for the “foreseeable future”.

“Thank you all for the well wishes, we’ve been blown away by the sheer number of them! Unfortunately things have taken a turn for the worse and my Father has developed pneumonia and is unable to eat or drink so is back in hospital on oxygen and a feeding tube for the foreseeable,” read a statement that was issued from Boycott’s official X (formerly known as Twitter) account.

Boycott scored 8,114 runs in 108 Tests from 1964 to 1982 and even captained England on four occasions in 1978 when Mike Brearley was injured. He scored his hundredth first-class hundred against Australia at Headingley in 1977. His Test career was worth 108 matches, 8114 runs coming at an average of 47.72, including 22 centuries and 42 half-centuries.

Source: https://sports.ndtv.com/cricket/geoffrey-boycott-readmitted-to-hospital-after-surgery-family-shares-worrying-update-6156611

The rumours about Mohammed Shami began through various social media posts after Sania Mirza’s divorce from former Pakistan captain Shoaib Malik.

Veteran India cricketer Mohammed Shami addressed rumours about his supposed marriage to Indian tennis legend Sania Mirza. The rumours began through various social media posts after Sania’s divorce from former Pakistan captain Shoaib Malik.

Speaking to Shubhankar Mishra on his YouTube show, ‘Unplugged,’ Shami not only dismissed the rumours with a fiery response but also criticised those spreading fake news. He said that while he understands that memes are made for the sake of humour and entertainment, one should make it responsibly without hurting the sentiments of others.

Shami also added that had the memes been shared from a verified account on social media, he would have responded to them accordingly.

“Ajeeb hi hai aur hai kya usme? zabardasti kiya hai par kya karien? Phone kholo toh apna hi photo dikhta hai. Lekin mai ek hi cheez bolna chahunga – Kisiko nehi kheechna chahiye aisa. Main maanta hu memes aapke mazaak ke liye hai lekin kisi ke life se related hote hai. Toh aapko bari soch samajh kar memes banana chahiye. Aaj aap verified page nehi ho, aapka address nehi hai, known nehi ho toh aap bol sakte ho.” ( It is weird and done purposely for some lame fun. But what can be done? If I open my phone then I could see those memes. But I would only like to say I think that memes are made for fun, but if they are related to someone’s life, then you must think about it and then share such things. These people share from unverified pages and get away by saying anything and everything).”

“Lekin mai ek hi cheez bolna chahunga – agar aap mein dum hai toh verified page se bolke dikhao, fir hum batate hai. Dusre ki taang kheechna bohot aasan hai. Success achieve karo, apna level upar karo. Tab main manunga aap acche insaan hai.” ( But I would like to say one thing – if you have the guts to say all these things from a verified page, then I will reply. Try achieving success, help people and upgrade yourself then I will believe that you are a good person),” Shami said.

Shami also spoke about the recent T20I retirements from Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma after India’s T20 World Cup win last month in Barbados.

Kohli was the first to announce his retirement from the format after he collected the Player of the Match award for his knock of 76 off 59, which helped India beat South Africa by just seven runs in the final at the Kensington Oval on June 29. Kohli eventually ended his career as the second-highest run-getter in T20I cricket, amassing 4188 runs un 125 appearances in the format, laced with a solitary ton and 38 fifties. Shortly after, Rohit, the highest-ever run-getter in T20Is, with 4231 runs in 159 matches, announced his retirement in the post-game presser, and it was followed by all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja.

Source: https://www.hindustantimes.com/cricket/mohammed-shami-ends-silence-on-rumours-of-marrying-tennis-legend-sania-mirza-have-the-guts-of-saying-101721538874197.html

Hardik Pandya, India’s vice-captain at the 2024 T20 World Cup, now finds himself in an interesting spot

It’s tough to be Hardik Pandya at this point of time. The star all-rounder, who played a big role in Indian cricket team winning the 2024 T20 World Cup, has been effectively kept out of the leadership group for the upcoming T20Is against Sri Lanka. On the personal front, on Thursday, Pandya parted ways with wife Natasa Stankovic. Now, Suryakumar Yadav will be India’s designated captain in T20Is with Shubman Gill being his deputy.

Pandya, India’s vice-captain at the 2024 T20 World Cup, now finds himself in an interesting spot. A Hindustan Times report has said that Pandya’s place in the ODIs is also not guaranteed. The report quoted a BCCI official as saying that Gambhir called Pandya and told him to play the Vijay Hazare Trophy to prove his bowling fitness.

“Hardik was also reminded by Gambhir on the call, that he was looking forward to see him bowl his full quota in ODIs,” the report quoted a BCCI official as saying.

Meanwhile, in an interview to news agency IANS, former Indian cricket team star Mohammad Kaif

“I think Hardik Pandya ‘shayad captain banne chahiye the’ (for Sri Lanka tour). Hardik has captained the Gujarat Titans for two years and in their first year itself, they made it to the final…Hardik has experience captaining the T20I side. He was also the vice-captain at the T20 World Cup. Now, a new coach has arrived, there will be new planning. Surya is also a good player, he has been playing for years. He is a No.1 T20 player, I hope he will shoulder the captain’s responsibility well. But I feel they should have backed Hardik,” Kaif said.

Source: https://sports.ndtv.com/cricket/hardik-pandya-reminded-by-gautam-gambhir-report-reveals-india-coachs-stern-message-over-odi-future-6141530

The Indian men’s hockey team reached Paris ahead of the Olympics 2024 on Saturday evening.

The Indian men’s hockey team reached Paris ahead of the Olympics 2024 on Saturday evening. The official X handle of Hockey India shared the news with the fans, marking the beginning of India’s Olympic dreams and men’s hockey’s first gold medal since 1980. The Union Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya encouraged the fans to cheer for the team India as they look all set to kickstart another illustrious chapter of Indian hockey history.

“Our incredible Hockey team has just touched down in Paris to join the rest of #TeamIndia at the Olympic Village. Let’s cheer them on as they embark on their quest for the big medal. We believe in you, team. All the best! #Cheer4Bharat,” tweeted Mandaviya.

India will commence their Paris 2024 Olympics campaign on July 27 when they take on New Zealand in their first pool B match at 2100 hrs IST. After a bronze medal at the Tokyo Olympics 2020, the Indian team will look to change the colour of their medal to gold.

India will begin their Paris 2024 Olympics journey in Pool B, with a match against New Zealand on July 27, followed by a match against Argentina on July 29. They will then face Ireland and Belgium on July 30 and August 1 with their final group-stage game against Australia on August 2. A top-four finish will ensure that India advances to the knockout stages.

Source: https://sports.ndtv.com/hockey/indian-mens-hockey-team-reaches-paris-for-olympics-2024-6150067

Shoe was set to honor Israeli athletes, coaches killed in 1972 Olympics massacre

Adidas said it was “revising the remainder of the campaign” with Bella Hadid after their collaboration on a shoe to honor the victims of the massacre at the 1972 Munich Olympics drew fury from the Israeli government.

Eleven Israeli athletes and coaches were killed by members of a Palestinian militant organization during the Games. The new Adidas shoe drew attention to the massacre.

But the Israeli government’s X account pointed out that Hadid has been a part of the anti-Israel rhetoric for years. Hadid and Adidas’ campaign launched Monday.

“.@Adidas recently launched a new campaign for their shoes to highlight the 1972 Munich Olympics. Eleven Israelis were murdered by Palestinian terrorists during the Munich Olympics.

“Guess who the face of their campaign is? Bella Hadid, a half-Palestinian model who has a history of spreading antisemitism and calling for violence against Israelis and Jews.

“She and her father frequently promote blood libels and antisemitic conspiracies against Jews. @Adidas, any comment?”

Adidas issued a statement to FOX Business later Thursday.

“The adidas Originals SL72 campaign unites a broad range of partners to celebrate our lightweight running shoe, designed more than 50 years ago and worn in sport and culture around the world,” an Adidas spokesperson wrote. “We are conscious that connections have been made to tragic historical events – though these are completely unintentional – and we apologize for any upset or distress caused.

“As a result we are revising the remainder of the campaign. We believe in sport as a unifying force around the world and will continue our efforts to champion diversity and equality in everything we do.”

In May 2021, Hadid was accused of sharing antisemitic rhetoric. The model stated in a deleted post that Israel is not a country but a land settled by colonizers that practice “ethnic cleansing, military occupation and apartheid over the Palestinian people.”

Source: https://www.foxbusiness.com/sports/adidas-revising-bella-hadid-campaign-after-backlash-from-israel

Speeding along a road in the foothills of the Swiss Alps, Fariba Hashimi rises out of the saddle of her £15,000 bike and works the pedals even harder to close the gap between her and her sister, Yulduz, a few metres up ahead.
Training rides like this are the last steps on a journey that began with the two siblings from rural Afghanistan racing in disguise on borrowed bikes, before having to escape when the Taliban came to power.
Now they’re on their way to the Olympic Games in Paris. And, despite a Taliban ruling banning women from sport, they will compete under their country’s flag.

Uphill challenge

They kept on entering races and kept on winning until their parents eventually found out when they saw pictures of them in the local media.
“They were upset at first. They asked me to stop cycling,” Fariba says. “But I didn’t give up. I secretly continued,” she smiles.
It didn’t come without dangers – people tried to hit them with cars or rickshaws as they rode or threw stones at them as they cycled past.
“People were abusive. All I wanted to do was win races,” says Yulduz.
And the situation was about to get worse.

Fleeing their home

In 2021, four years after the sisters started riding, the Taliban retook control of the country and clamped down on women’s rights, restricting their access to education and limiting how they could travel. They also banned women from taking part in sport.

Yulduz and Fariba had dreamed of one day competing in the Olympics. Now they knew if they wanted to race at all they had to leave Afghanistan.

Using contacts in the cycling community they managed to secure seats on an Italian evacuation flight, along with three teammates.

Once in Italy, the women joined a cycling team and got proper coaching for the first time.

“Back in Afghanistan, we didn’t have professional training,” says Yulduz. “All we used to do was take our bikes and ride.”

But leaving their homeland and family was not easy.

“The biggest thing for me is to be away from my mother,” says Fariba. “I never thought that because of cycling I would be separated from my brothers and sisters.”

“I’ve sacrificed a lot.”

The Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan also threw into doubt whether the country would even be allowed to compete at the Olympics.

National Olympic Committees are supposed to select athletes for the Games without any government interference.

As the Taliban’s ban on women playing sport breaks this rule, by preventing women being chosen for Afghanistan’s team, it led to calls for the country to be banned from the Olympics – as it had been when the militant group was last in power.

But the International Olympic Committee wanted to find a way to allow Afghan women to compete at the Games.

Behind the scenes talks took place between the heads of Afghan sporting bodies, including some now living in exile, about putting together a special team to represent the country in Paris.

Heading to Paris

As time ticked by, and Paris 2024 got ever closer, it looked as if no Afghan athletes would be at the Games.

Then, in June, International Olympic Committee announced that it had arranged for a special gender-equal team representing Afghanistan to go the Paris Olympics. It would be made up of three women and three men. And both the sisters are among them.

Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c720jxej1ewo

Angel City is set to become the world’s most valuable professional women’s sports team after finalising a landmark new ownership agreement with Walt Disney CEO Bob Iger and his wife Willow Bay, the Los Angeles-based club announced on Wednesday.
Iger and Bay, dean of the USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism, will become the controlling owners of Angel City in a sale that will value the club at $250 million.

The value shatters the $120 million for the San Diego Wave sale in March, which was then a record-breaking price for a National Women’s Soccer League team.
Bay said as fans and friends of the club she and Iger are thrilled to join ACFC “as owners at this historic moment in sports.
“ACFC and these incredible athletes have already had a tremendous impact on the NWSL, women’s soccer, and the Los Angeles community,” she said in a statement. “With this investment of resources and capital, we hope to accelerate the growth of the Club and the NWSL.”

Lionel Messi faced calls on Wednesday to apologize for racist chants made by Argentina’s players after they won the Copa America.

An Argentinean government official said Messi, who is the team captain, and the president of the country’s soccer federation, Claudio Tapia, should apologize after a video was shared on social media showing members of Argentina’s triumphant squad singing a racist chant about French players with African heritage.

Midfielder Enzo Fernandez said he was “truly sorry” for the incident and his Premier League club Chelsea said it had begun disciplinary action, describing discriminatory behavior as “completely unacceptable.”

It is unclear from the video if Messi — widely regarded as one of the greatest soccer players of all time — participated in the chant. But Argentina’s sports sub-secretary, Julio Garro, said he should say sorry.

“The national team captain must also come out to apologize for this case. The same AFA (Argentina Football Association) president,” Garro said in radio statements. “I think it is appropriate. It leaves us as a country in a bad position, with so much glory.”

Argentina beat Colombia 1-0 on Sunday at Miami Gardens, Florida. Afterwards a video posted on Instagram showed Fernandez and Argentina players chanting about France’s team as they celebrated.

The same chants — by some Argentina fans — emerged before the team beat France in the World Cup final in 2022. The derogatory chants single out France players of African heritage, from several countries, and holding a French passport.

FIFA said it was also looking into the incident after the French soccer federation pledged to file a complaint with the sport’s world governing body over “racist and discriminatory remarks.”

Chelsea’s response comes after one of Fernandez’s clubmates, France defender Wesley Fofana, posted the video on his social media accounts Tuesday and called it “uninhibited racism.”

Fofana has family ties to Ivory Coast and is among several French players who are Black in the Chelsea first-team squad.

“We are proud to be a diverse, inclusive club where people from all cultures, communities and identities feel welcome,” Chelsea said in a statement Wednesday. “We acknowledge and appreciate our player’s public apology and will use this as an opportunity to educate.

“The Club has instigated an internal disciplinary procedure.”

Fernandez apologized for “getting caught up in the euphoria of our Copa America celebrations.”

“That video, that moment, those words, do not reflect my beliefs or my character,” he said on Instagram. “I am truly sorry.”

Source: https://apnews.com/article/enzo-fernandez-chants-argentina-france-b6ff158f5d9045eafe0b567f2fcd8785

Suryakumar Yadav or Hardik Pandya, who will lead Gautam Gambhir’s new-look Team India in the Sri Lanka series?

Not long ago, Hardik Pandya was heavily tipped to become India’s new captain in the shortest format. With Pandya completing his redemption at the T20 World Cup, there was no brainer that the all-rounder would succeed Rohit Sharma after the Hitman announced his retirement from the shortest format last month. Pandya has stepped up in Rohit’s absence as the captain of the Asian giants in the shortest format. So has Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant, KL Rahul and even Jasprit Bumrah.

The constant changing of guards in the last couple of seasons might have made the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) consider having a full-time T20I captain in the Gautam Gambhir era. India will go through a tough transition period after a triumphant run at the T20 World Cup. Since Gambhir has taken over the coaching reins, Rohit-less Team India is expected to have a full-time captain, even in the shortest format.

Gambhir and Rohit favouring Suryakumar, not Hardik
Frontrunner Hardik has a challenger in the form of Suryakumar, who might pip the overwhelming favourite in the captaincy race. According to a few media reports, Gambhir and Rohit have favoured Suryakumar as the next captain of the T20I side. Gambhir and chief selector Ajit Agarkar have already shared their views with Pandya. If elected as T20I captain, Suryakumar will continue leading India until the T20 World Cup 2026.

Source: https://www.hindustantimes.com/cricket/suryakumar-yadav-vs-hardik-pandya-rohit-sharma-gautam-gambhir-settle-india-captain-debate-india-vs-sri-lanka-t20is-101721235046206.html

The territory’s football association calls the comments “extremely provocative” and is to lodge an official complaint with UEFA.

Gibraltar has accused Spanish players of making “rancid” and “hugely offensive” statements while celebrating their Euro 2024 win over England.

Manchester City star Rodri sang “Gibraltar is Spanish” as he took the mic in front of thousands of fans in Madrid on Monday night.

Gibraltar has been a British Overseas Territory since 1713, but many in Spain believe it should be returned and it remains a delicate diplomatic topic.

Rodri’s on-stage antics happened as he and the other players partied in front of supporters a day after their 2-1 win over the Three Lions.

The football association of Gibraltar said it had “noted the extremely provocative and insulting nature of the celebrations” and would make an official complaint to UEFA.

A statement from the territory’s government claimed “several” Spanish players had chanted “rancid remarks about Gibraltar”.

“This is a totally unnecessary mixing of sporting success with discriminatory political statements that are hugely offensive to Gibraltarians,” it added.

Fabian Picardo, Gibraltar’s chief minister, was equally scathing in a post on X – which he signed off: “The Rock is OURS”.

“Mixing a sporting victory and the chant that glorifies the dictatorial politics of a mass murderer like Franco and his fascist regime’s attempt to usurp a neighbouring territory, that is also a UEFA nation, is worse than disgusting.”

Source : https://news.sky.com/story/gibraltar-accuses-spanish-players-of-hugely-offensive-remarks-during-euro-2024-celebrations-13179007

“We’ve taken care of business and we can prepare now to get the most out of ourselves,” says captain Leah Williamson.

The Lionesses have qualified for the European Championships after drawing 0-0 away to Sweden.

The stalemate in Gothenburg secured them the point required to confirm their place in next year’s tournament.

However, the game ended up a largely uneventful affair and meant England failed to score for the first time in nearly a year.

The Swedish goalkeeper had to make just two saves – Lucy Bronze heading straight at Zecira Musovic, while Georgia Stanway also twice went close.

Meanwhile, sub Rosa Kafaji was unlucky not to get a second-half penalty for the Swedes after a challenge from Leah Williamson.

England captain Williamson told ITV Sport: “They changed tactics, have different threats including height but I think we stood firm and stayed true.

“We couldn’t play the football we wanted in the second half, which put us under a lot of pressure.”

Source: https://news.sky.com/story/lionesses-qualify-for-euro-2025-after-0-0-draw-against-sweden-13179113

James and his family were forced to leave his hometown in Southampton for the sake of their children after they were attacked by unknown people who damaged their property.

England cricketer James Vince opened up about the ordeal that his family had to go through after their house was attacked twice by unknown miscreants in Southampton. Vince and his family spent their eight years in the east of Southampton but haven’t faced any issues until now.

However, the Hampshire captain and his family were forced to leave his hometown in Southampton for the sake of their children’s safety after they were attacked by unknown people who damaged their property.

James Vince and wife rushed to their kids

Speaking to the Telegraph, James Vince recalled how he and his wife heard the sound of smashing glass in the middle of the night and rushed towards their kids to ensure their safety. The 33-year-old added that he was completely shaken up by the incident and contacted police to inform the authorities about the attack.

“My wife and I woke suddenly to a load of smashing and alarms going off. We had no idea what was going on, and it was obviously very unnerving so we rushed straight to get the kids to make sure they were safe.” Vince said.

“They were clearly very shaken up. By the time we had done that and contacted the police, they had gone, and we did not see them. A neighbour saw a car drive away.” he added.

Shocking CCTV footage emerges

After James Vince’s shocking revelations, a CCTV video footage from May 11 went viral on social media, where a miscreant was seen pelting stones at their house and breaking the windows.

The culprit was spotted wearing a white shirt and completely covered his face in order to avoid being exposed himself or identified. The England cricketer and his family was first attacked on April 15.

The Hampshire Cricket Board and The England and Wales Cricket Board did their level best to track down preperators, but they were unable to identify or apprehend the culprits who attacked James Vince’s family.

However, the England cricketer asked the fans to go to Hampshire police station if they got information about miscreants.

Source: https://www.freepressjournal.in/sports/we-had-no-idea-what-was-going-on-england-cricketer-james-vince-reveals-how-his-family-was-attacked-twice-by-miscreants-shocking-video-goes-viral

Veteran India spinner Amit Mishra made a big accusation on Virat Kohli, saying the former skipper never gave him a clear answer about his non-selection in team, despite being asked.

Veteran Indian spinner Amit Mishra, who remains one of the highest wicket-takers in the Indian Premier League history, has made some explosive revelations about his time under Virat Kohli in the Indian cricket team. Mishra also played under the captaincy of MS Dhoni, and claimed that the wicket-keeper batter was always honest with him about his inclusion and exclusion from the team. However, Mishra has suggested that it wasn’t the same case with Virat who never gave him a clear answer despite being asked.

Mishra, during a chat on Shubhankar Mishra’s YouTube show ‘Unplugged’, made quite an explosive claim as he said that being good at your skill isn’t the only thing that is required to consistently remain a part of the Indian team, being liked is also important.

“Being liked matters a lot in team selection. Just playing good cricket isn’t enough. The captain always decides the Playing XI. I had an excellent rapport with MS Dhoni. I asked him twice why I wasn’t getting picked, he told me that I don’t fit the combination,” he said.

“I was told that I was being given a rest. I never asked for it. I hadn’t even played 10 Test matches by then, why would I ask for a rest or break? If I have to tell you honestly, I wasn’t in a position [to question Dhoni]. Yes, I asked the coach, and he told me to go ask Dhoni, but like I said, I wasn’t in that position to go and ask Dhoni. I asked the coach again and he just said we are giving you rest,” he added.

Mishra then revealed the ‘worst feeling’ he ever got in his career, saying he was forced to take rest after picking up a knee injury. While the rule was that injured players, upon making full recovery, were automatically selected in the team, the same didn’t happen with Mishra.

“The worst I’ve felt in my career was when I picked up a knee injury five years ago. It happened in between the match. The series before I was the Man of the Series and the Man of the match against New Zealand. And this used to be the rule back then, not sure if it still happens but if you get injured while playing, you are given an automatic comeback. It happened with Wriddhiman Saha, Anil Kumble and Hardik Pandya, but I never got it,” said Mishra.

Source: https://sports.ndtv.com/cricket/asked-virat-kohli-to-give-clear-picture-he-never-did-veteran-spinners-big-accusation-6115064

Lionel Messi cried uncontrollably after he exited from a Copa America final before fulltime for the first time in his career.

Beyond the severe pain in his right ankle on Sunday night in Miami Gardens, the tears on the face of Argentina’s captain showed a deeper anguish.

Despite winning the title in one of his “last battles,” as Messi described this Copa, the 37-year-old superstar did not pass the fitness test that could have opened the way for him to play his sixth World Cup in 2026.

Argentina successfully defended its South American title with a hard-fought 1-0 extra-time win against Colombia. Messi left the pitch in Hard Rock Stadium in the 64th minute, breaking down without being touched.

The Copa was Messi’s first major tournament since leaving European soccer to play in the less competitive Major League Soccer in the U.S. Still, he has missed several games over the last year for his Inter Miami club and Argentina due to muscle issues.

Messi felt muscular pains in his right leg in the second group match against Chile, which sidelined him from the following game against Peru. He did not deliver an impressive performance in the quarterfinals against Ecuador and missed his chance in the penalty shootout. In the semifinal victory over Canada, he scored his only goal in the tournament in the 2-0 win.

With a limp, Messi celebrated his second Copa title in modest fashion on the field. The injury still hurt the star on Monday.

“One more,” he said on his social media channels.

Messi did not speak to the media after the injury, and Argentina did not give details about the damage.

Messi’s farewell to the national team is still on hold, but there’s other players aged above 35 who are likely to have played their last major international tournament; winger Ángel Di María (36), defender Nicolás Otamendi (36), and substitute goalkeeper Franco Armani (37).

Source: https://apnews.com/article/argentina-messi-injury-127d5b82001fde6fa047f63df0e6451f

The eight-times Ballon d’Or winner was seen sobbing on the sidelines, with an ice pack on his ankle.

Source: https://www.deccanherald.com/sports/football/a-pained-goodbye-argentinas-messi-goes-off-injured-in-copa-final-3105729

Spain is the king of European soccer for a record fourth time. For England, it’s another agonizing near-miss in the team’s decades-long tale of underachievement.

Completing a tournament the team dominated from start to finish, Spain beat England 2-1 in the European Championship final on Sunday with Mikel Oyarzabal the unlikely match-winner in the 86th minute.

Oyarzabal, a backup striker who came on as a substitute for captain Alvaro Morata, slid in to poke home a left-wing cross by Marc Cucurella, just when the game at Berlin’s Olympiastadion seemed destined for extra time.

England, the birthplace of soccer, is still without a major title in the men’s game since winning the 1966 World Cup and its players watched on forlornly as Morata raised aloft the silver trophy to backdrop of confetti and fireworks inside the stadium built for the 1936 Olympics.

Add 2024 to the titles won by Spain in 1964, 2008 and 2012.

“Here we are, champions of Europe,” said Nico Williams, whose opening goal for Spain in the 47th minute was canceled out by England substitute Cole Palmer in the 73rd. “We are thrilled and hope this can keep going and we can go for the (2026) World Cup.”

Lamine Yamal, the prodigy who turned 17 on Saturday and is the youngest player to have appeared at a European Championship, set up Williams’ goal with an inside run before passing across the face of the area. The two wingers have become the poster boys of an exciting, multicultural team that reflects Spain’s changing demographics.

Yamal’s mother is from Equatorial Guinea and his father is from Morocco, while the 22-year-old Williams has Ghanaian parents who made the long journey to Europe looking for a better life. To make it to Spain, they had to ride on the back of a crowded truck and walk barefoot through the Sahara desert.

“I believe there is a historical change, we are really grateful,” said Williams, the player of the match with his darting runs and his second goal of Euro 2024.

“My parents have suffered a lot to get here. They are the ones who have suffered the most and they have instilled this sort of respect and loyalty in me,” he said. “I’m really happy because we are making history.”

Unlike his brother Inaki, who is a Ghana international, Nico chose to play for Spain and will now be regarded as a national hero there.

Spain is back as a major player in senior soccer after winning both the Women’s World Cup — also against England — and the men’s UEFA Nations League in 2023.

Since 2001, Spanish men’s teams have won 23 consecutive major finals in club and international soccer.

“I said before the tournament, nobody can hang with us,” Williams said.

Spain won all seven games at this European Championship — an unprecedented feat — and broke the record for goals scored in a single tournament, with 15.

There were joyous scenes after the final whistle, with defender Dani Carvajal piled on by jubilant teammates after slumping to the ground. Spain coach Luis de la Fuente was thrown into the air by his players. Both Cucurella and Yamal led Spain’s players in jumping over the advertising boards to reach the red-and-yellow-clad Spanish fans in the stadium’s east end.

Source: https://apnews.com/article/spain-england-euro-2024-final-dc46b104e6bf3b94b7d6d70e18f8220d

Carlos Alcaraz was ready from the get-go this time. A year ago in the Wimbledon final against Novak Djokovic, Alcaraz got off to a slow start, dropped the opening set and needed five to claim his first championship at the All England Club.

Sunday’s rematch began with a game that felt monumental: 20 points across nearly 15 minutes, portending an engrossing, back-and forth contest — and a long one. There were moments of brilliance from both men. Alcaraz, though, was better. Just as he would be for nearly all of the next two hours.

Alcaraz learned from 2023 and applied those lessons to 2024, adding up to a 6-2, 6-2, 7-6 (4) victory over Djokovic for a second consecutive Wimbledon championship and fourth Grand Slam title in all. And to think: He is still just 21.

“At the end of my career, I want to sit at the same table as the big guys,” said Alcaraz, who won the French Open last month and, after receiving Wimbledon’s gold trophy from Kate, the Princes of Wales, is now just the sixth man to triumph on the red clay at Roland Garros and the grass at the All England Club in the same season. “That’s my main goal. That’s my dream right now.”

Alcaraz improved to 4-0 in major finals, including at the 2022 U.S. Open; only Roger Federer got off to a better start to a career among men, going 7-0.

“He just was better than me in every aspect of the game,” said the 37-year-old Djokovic, who had knee surgery less than 1 1/2 months ago yet was hoping to tie Federer’s men’s record of eight Wimbledon titles and become the first player in tennis history to win 25 Grand Slam tournaments. “In movement, in the way he was just striking the ball beautifully, serving great. Everything.”

For Alcaraz, there was one brief blip, a five-point stretch that took him from the verge of victory to close to a collapse. It happened when he was a point from the championship while serving at 5-4, 40-love. But he double-faulted. Then missed a backhand. Then a volley. Then a forehand. And another forehand. Suddenly, it was 5-all. Suddenly, Alcaraz appeared rattled. Suddenly, Djokovic could hope.

Suddenly, there was intrigue.

But only briefly. Alcaraz regrouped, got to the tiebreaker, then closed things out.

Last year, Djokovic recalled, “We went toe to toe.”

“This year,” he continued, “it was nothing like that. It was all about him. He was the dominant force on the court and deserved to win.”

Wearing a gray sleeve on his knee, Djokovic was hardly at his best on a cloudy afternoon at Centre Court — and there’s no doubt Alcaraz was a big part of the problem.

The very first game, it turned out, was the most competitive portion of the proceedings until the third set.

Not to say there weren’t hints of excitement the rest of the way. It’s more that the outcome never really seemed in dispute.

“The first game was incredible. One of the longest first games I’ve ever played,” Djokovic said. “That set the tone. He was coming out from the blocks ready to battle and ready to play his best level right away, which wasn’t the case last year.”

Djokovic double-faulted to hand over a 5-1 lead in the first set. He put a volley into the net to fall behind by a break to begin the second, then double-faulted to end that one. Finally, in the third, Djokovic perked up a bit, registering his only break of serve all day, as spectators chanted his two-syllable nickname — “No-le! No-le!” — while others replied with choruses of “Let’s go, Carlos! Let’s go!”

Still, this was not the body-contorting, get-to-everything Djokovic everyone is accustomed to seeing, which makes sense considering there were serious questions about whether it would be possible to even participate at Wimbledon.

Against Alcaraz, Djokovic occasionally hopped awkwardly when he landed after serving or stepped gingerly — as if barefoot on a beach’s hot sand — between points. Missing volleys he usually makes, Djokovic won just 27 of 53 points when he went to the net. After netting a volley to close one early 11-stroke exchange, Djokovic sighed and walked to his sideline seat to grab a purple-and-green towel for dabbing at sweat. His facial expression was saying: “Come on, Carlitos, pick on someone your own age.”

Source: https://apnews.com/article/wimbledon-7-14-2024-men-final-djokovic-alcaraz-29160fa7a3653edc1ba493940dddc5eb

Being a sports fan, whether you’re watching top flight football, the Olympic games or your favorite local team, can be a rollercoaster ride. Incredible highs if you win, depressing lows if you don’t, and lots of stressful feelings in between.

Thankfully, the overall impact should be a positive one because research has shown that people who watch sports experience greater wellbeing than those who don’t – and that this is probably linked to the social aspects of watching sport.

By wellbeing we mean a person’s psychological state – how well someone feels. People with higher wellbeing tend to have better physical health and live longer than people with lower wellbeing.

Research carried out by our group at Anglia Ruskin University – led by Helen – used data from 7,209 adults, aged 16-85, living in England who participated in the Taking Part Survey commissioned by the UK government.

We found that people in the UK who attended a live sporting event in the last year are more satisfied with their lives, feel their lives are more worthwhile, and are less lonely than people who have not. These findings chime with other studies, which found that people who watch sports in person at least once a year have fewer depressive symptoms than those who do not.

Can’t get to live events? Watching sports on TV and online can also be good for your wellbeing. Research has shown that people who watch sports on TV or on the internet were also less depressed than those who did not, and depressive symptoms were even less likely for those who watched sports with increasing frequency.

Those who watch sports are more likely to report higher feelings of life fulfilment than people who don’t, regardless of whether they watch sports in-person, on TV, or online.

All these findings are correlational, which means we can’t be certain which factor influences the other or whether they might both be influenced by another factor altogether (like wealth, or number of friends). However, social identity theory and brain imaging research tells us that watching sports could provide the primary wellbeing boost rather than other factors.

The positive effect of watching sports is likely about social identity. We seek connection through the formulation of in-groups: communities of people with whom we share something in common. These communities form part of our identities, and through them we find social and emotional support.

An example of in-group formation is the community we share with people who support the same sports teams as us. Research has shown that people who identified strongly with a sports team were more likely to feel emotionally supported by fellow fans, which increased life satisfaction.

Source: https://studyfinds.org/watching-sports-live-longer-happier/

Delhi Capitals parted ways with head coach Ricky Ponting in the Indian Premier League (IPL), the franchise confirmed on Saturday.

Delhi Capitals parted ways with head coach Ricky Ponting in the Indian Premier League (IPL), the franchise confirmed on Saturday. Ponting was appointed head coach of Delhi Capitals (then Delhi Daredevils) in 2018 but during his seven-year tenure, the franchise was unable to win the IPL title even once. With Ponting not longer with the franchise and the mega auction taking place, Director of Cricket Sourav Ganguly has emerged as one of the front-runners for the job. In a recent interaction, Ganguly was asked whether he will be becoming the next DC head coach and he had an explosive reply.

“I have to plan for next year’s IPL. I want to win the IPL for Delhi Capitals once. The mega auction is next year, and hence I have started planning from now on. Geoffrey Boycott was right, as Ponting has not been able to take the franchise forward in the past 7 years. I have to speak with the franchise and ask them to look at Indian coaches,” Ganguly said in an interview with Bengali newspaper Aajkal.

When asked about who can replace Ponting as the next Delhi Capitals head coach, Ganguly dropped a massive hint as he said that there is a chance that he can take up the coaching responsibilities.

“I will be the head coach. Let’s see how I perform. Will need to recruit some new players,” he said.

Praveen Amre, the hardworking assistant coach, is set to continue.

The DC co-owners – JSW and GMR group – are scheduled to have a meeting either at the end of this month or early next month to discuss the road ahead.

The players’ retention is another issue that will be up for discussion and if the number stays at four, then DC will have to let go either Australia’s Jake-Fraser McGurk or South Africa’s Tristan Stubbs with only one overseas slot available.

Source: https://sports.ndtv.com/cricket/who-will-replace-ricky-ponting-as-delhi-capitals-head-coach-sourav-ganguly-drops-explosive-hint-6099014

Legendary allrounder Kapil Dev has urged the BCCI to offer financial support to former India teammate Anshuman Gaikwad who is currently battling blood cancer. Gaikwad reportedly was in London but has since returned to Baroda where’s he’s undergoing treatment.

As per a report in Sportstar, a host of former India cricketers including Sunil Gavaskar, Ravi Shastri, Dilip Vengsarkar, Mohinder Amarnath, Sandeep Patil, Madan Lal and Kirti Azad have been collecting funds by contacting friends and corporates to help Gaekwad meet the expenses.

The publication quoted Kapil as saying that he’s quite depressed to see his former teammate in the current state and is hopeful BCCI will come forward to take care of him,

“It is a sad and very depressing. I am in pain because I have played alongside Anshu and can’t bear to see him in this state. No one should suffer. I know the Board will take care of him,” Kapil was quoted as saying.

Anshuman, 71, played 40 Tests and 15 ODIs for India between 1975 and 1987. Post retirement, he also served as the coach of Indian team.

“We are not compelling anyone. Any help for Anshu will have to come from your heart. He took blows on his face and chest when standing up to some of the ferocious fast bowlers. Now is the time for us to stand up for him. I am sure our cricket fans will not fail him. They should pray for his recovery,” Kapil said.

Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic will take on each other in the Wimbledon Final for the second time on the trot.

Team India skipper Rohit Sharma hesitated to pick his winner between Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic at the Wimbledon 2024 Final. Rohit was in attendance for the semifinal match between the defending champion Carlos Alcaraz and Daniil Medvedev at the Centre Court of the Wimbledon.

Spainish star Alcaraz continued his fine Wimbledon-run as he advanced to the second successive final with a four-set win against Medvedev of Russia at the prestigious Grand Slam tournament. Later in the day, the seven-time champion Novak Djokovic defeated Lorenzo Musetti of Italian in three straight sets to advance to the 10th Wimbledon Final of his illustrious career.

Speaking on Star Sports, Rohit Sharma revealed that he is a big tennis fan and that being in London gave him a good opportunity to watch the semifinals. Team India skipper refused to pick his winner of Wimbledon Final, citing his past experiences where people pick their names and sides.

“I’m a big tennis fan. Since I was in London, it was a good opportunity for me to catch up on the semifinals and I was lucky enough to get in there to watch an exciting game.” Rohit said.

“It’s going to be Alcaraz and Djokovic that’s my guess. I’m not going to say who is going to win but I would say may the best player win. I don’t want to pick sides because I myself have been in that position before where people are picking names or sides. So, I would say may the best player win.” he added.

Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic will take on each other in the Wimbledon Final for the second time on the trot. Last year, Alcaraz endured a tough battle against Serbian tennis star to clinch his maiden Wimbledon triumph and second Grand Slam title after winning the US Open in 2022.

Djokovic will be aiming for his record-extending 25th Grand Slam title and record-equalling eighth Wimbledon Triumph, while Alcaraz will look to his defend his crown to add fourth Major title to his trophy cabinet.

Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic will lock horns in a sequel to last year’s Wimbledon title blockbuster after producing commanding displays to ease through their semi-finals on Friday.
Spain’s defending champion Alcaraz took a hammer to the wall that is Russia’s Daniil Medvedev as he beat the fifth seed 6-7(1) 6-3 6-4 6-4 before seven-time champion Djokovic clinically disposed of Italian Lorenzo Musetti 6-4 7-6(2) 6-4.

In an interview with Sky News, the England boss also says winning the Euros has been his “sole focus for two years” as it remains unclear whether he will lead the team through the World Cup in 2026.

Gareth Southgate has said it is emotionally impossible for him to make a “logical decision at the moment” on whether to stay on as England manager – even if he wins the European Championship.

In an interview with Sky News ahead of Sunday’s final with Spain in Berlin, Southgate insisted he had “improved the credibility” of English football – having felt hurt by criticism earlier in the tournament due to the team’s sluggish progress.

However, the Three Lions have still made their first-ever overseas final and the second final of his eight-year reign after being denied the Euros trophy by Italy three years ago.

Southgate indicated before the tournament he could leave the job if he does not lead the team to Euros glory.

Asked how difficult it would be to walk away if he does land their first trophy since 1966, Southgate told Sky News: “Nothing’s that difficult, but emotionally it would be impossible for me to make a logical decision at the moment on any of that because my sole focus for two years has been winning this tournament.

“The last five, six weeks have been an absolute rollercoaster, so I don’t actually know where I am with anything other than, very focused on preparing the team for this game, and determined to keep leading them in the way we have over the last month.”

Southgate has reached levels of consistency no predecessor has achieved aside from Sir Alf Ramsey who won his only final – and England’s only title – at the 1966 World Cup.

And it is all the years of hurt for England since that makes the potential of winning on Sunday such a potentially defining moment for the nation.

England could also become double European champions since the Lionesses won their title in 2022.

“I definitely took the job to try to help English football improve,” Southgate said. “I know what it [winning] would mean not only to the general public in England, but particularly to people involved in English football – from those that develop young players to those that run clubs to every level of the game.

“Really, I think we’ve improved the credibility of English football in how it’s perceived around the world.

“But ultimately, until you win that trophy, then there will always be those questions, both abroad and at home, about what we’ve done.”

Sunday’s final will be Southgate’s 102nd game in charge of England and he wants to ensure “detachment from the enormity of the occasion”.

Asked how proud his family are, the 53-year-old father-of-two said: “That doesn’t depend on me winning a football match or not.

“So I’m lucky in that regard.”

But a focus is on his legacy and his future, especially while leaving open for now the question of staying on until the 2026 World Cup.

Earlier in these Euros, the booing and abuse indicated a fracturing of the relationship with the fans.

Had they gone out to much lower-ranked nations Slovakia or Switzerland it would have been hard to envisage Southgate staying.

But the FA privately now seems determined to persuade Southgate to extend his contract that expires at the end of this year.

After the lows of a group-stage winless exit at the 2014 World Cup and Euro 2016 embarrassment against Iceland, Southgate has taken England from rock bottom to three semi-finals in his four tournaments.

Separately, at the team’s Blackenhain base today, Southgate spoke about the growth of the men’s team under his watch when it had not reached a final since 1966 until the Euros final in 2021 and the penalties’ pain.

“There’s a different feel – to have reached the first final in 50-plus years was enormous,” Southgate said. “We’re now in a different moment as a team at tournaments.

“So, a lot more big match experience. So I guess there was less of a celebration, perhaps less satisfaction reaching a final.

“I don’t say it becomes run of the mill, but it’s a little bit more normal for us. And, that statement in itself is probably a bit ridiculous, given our history.”

Southgate described it as a “complicated tournament” – reflecting the group stage featuring just one win and two draws and late comebacks or winners in the three knockout stage games so far.

“We’ve held our nerve, held belief, and during which we’ve improved and learned as a team,” he said. “We’re in a final, and we want to go that step further than we went three years ago.”

Half of this squad was not with Southgate at the last World Cup when he followed up a semi-final appearance at Russia 2018 with a quarter-final defeat to France at Qatar 2022.

Ollie Watkins, England’s match-winner in the semi-final against the Netherlands, is among the players making their tournament debuts.

Source: https://news.sky.com/story/gareth-southgate-suggests-he-has-not-yet-made-a-decision-about-his-england-future-13177149

Gautam Gambhir was appointed the new Indian cricket team head coach with Rahul Dravid’s tenure coming to an end following the T20 World Cup 2024 triumph.

Gautam Gambhir was appointed the new Indian cricket team head coach with Rahul Dravid’s tenure coming to an end following the T20 World Cup 2024 triumph. Gambhir was the frontrunner to succeed Dravid for quite some time and his first assignment as head coach will be the upcoming T20I and ODI series against Sri Lanka. However, the appointment meant that Kolkata Knight Riders lost their mentor under whom they clinched the IPL 2024 title. There have been multiple reports that assistant coach Abhishek Nayar can join Gambhir in the Team India coaching staff and as a result, KKR are looking to revamp their coaching staff for the 2025 season. While Dravid was rumoured to be one of their choices, a report claims that KKR can be looking at legendary South Africa cricketer Jacques Kallis.

Kallis was part of KKR during his playing days and as a player, he won the IPL title in 2012 and 2014 under the captaincy of Gambhir. Kallis was also the batting consultant for KKR in the 2015 season and he was appointed head coach after Trevor Bayliss resigned to take over as England head coach.

Kallis was the KKR head coach for four Indian Premier League (IPL) seasons till 2019 when he stepped down from his position and went on to join South Africa cricket team as their batting consultant.

Source: https://sports.ndtv.com/cricket/kkr-consider-surprise-pick-to-replace-gautam-gambhir-as-mentor-its-not-rahul-dravid-6084465

Shaheen Afridi found himself in the headlines after media reports claimed that he ‘misbehaved’ with head coach Gary Kirsten and other coaching staff during the England tour as well as the T20 World Cup 2024.

Pakistan fast bowler Shaheen Afridi found himself in the headlines after media reports claimed that he ‘misbehaved’ with head coach Gary Kirsten and other coaching staff during the England tour as well as the T20 World Cup 2024. The reports said that the managers accompanying the side were aware of the situation but they did not take any action against the pacer. While the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) did not say anything on the topic, Shaheen took to social media to post a cryptic message. He posted a video of himself bowling at the nets along with the caption – “Rise Above”.

Earlier, Shaheen was accused of misbehaviour in multiple media reports in Pakistan.

“Shaheen misbehaved with the coaches and management during recent tours but no action was taken by the team managers on the pacer’s inappropriate behaviour,” sources told Geo News.

“Maintaining discipline in the team was the responsibility of the managers which is why it is being investigated why action was not taken against Shaheen despite misbehaving,” the report added.

Meanwhile, PCB confirmed that they had notified Abdul Razzaq and Wahab Riaz that their services would no longer be required in the national selection committee set-up.

Source: https://sports.ndtv.com/cricket/shaheen-afridi-drops-a-cryptic-post-amid-massive-misbehaviour-allegations-6084797

Shahid Afridi has urged Team India to come and play Champions Trophy in Pakistan next year.

As the 2025 Champions Trophy finds itself in a state of limbo following India’s reported stance of not travelling to Pakistan, former captain Shahid Afridi has urged the BCCI to think otherwise. Afridi wants India to come and play in Pakistan, as it will not just help the cricketing ties between two nations grow but also give the crowd in his country the opportunity to witness Virat Kohli play.

Bilateral cricketing ties between India and Pakistan have been put on hold since 2013. Pakistan recently visited India for last year’s 50-overs World Cup, and for the longest time, it was believed that India would return the favour by going and playing in Pakistan. As per reports, India’s matches were expected to be played in Lahore, which is close to the border, but ANI on Thursday reported that the BCCI is not keen to send their team across the border and that it has once again proposed a hybrid model, much like the Asia Cup last year.

Kohli has played for India all around the world except Pakistan. The prospect of him playing there has always been exciting as Kohli fans are abundant across the border. The last time India toured Pakistan was in 2006 when Kohli was still two years away from his India debut. For the 25-year-old Kohli, this could be his last opportunity to represent India in Pakistan. Kohli has already retired from T20Is and is set to enter a very interesting phase in his career, which will see his focus solely on ODIs, Tests and the IPL.

“I will welcome Team India. Even when Pakistan used to tour, we received a lot of respect and love from India, and when India came in 2005-06, all their players enjoyed. There is no better advent of peace than India and Pakistan going to each other’s country and playing cricket. If Virat Kohli comes to Pakistan, he’ll forget the love and hospitality of India. He has his own class,” Afridi told News 24.

Kohli could have carried on playing T20Is, adds Afridi
The former Pakistan captain believes that Kohli should have continued playing T20I cricket for India. After India won the T20 World Cup by beating South Africa in the final on June 29, Kohli and Rohit Sharma announced their retirements from T20 internationals finishing India’s top two highest run-getters in the format, but Afridi reckons the incoming youngsters would have benefitted a lot more having Kohli around.

Source: https://www.hindustantimes.com/cricket/if-virat-kohli-comes-to-pakistan-hell-forget-the-hospitality-of-india-shahid-afridi-amid-champions-trophy-2025-row-101720725013808.html

BCCI did not consult Virat Kohli before naming Gautam Gambhir as India’s new head coach, following Rahul Dravid’s exit. The board kept Hardik Pandya in loop.

Virat Kohli’s much-talked-about, out-in-the-open, feisty on-field relationship with Gautam Gambhir did not become a hindrance in the former opener’s appointment as India’s new head coach as BCCI did not even consult the modern-day great. Hindustan Times understands that Kohli’s opinion on the matter was not sought by the Indian cricket board before Gambhir’s appointment was made public.

The Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC), comprising Ashok Malhotra, Jatin Paranjape, and Sulakshana Naik, unanimously recommended Gambhir’s name, who, along with former batter WV Raman, were the only ones to appear for the interview for India’s head coach’s position. On Tuesday, BCCI announced that Gambhir will replace Rahul Dravid. The former opener will take charge of the team from the Sri Lanka white-ball series.

At 42, Gambhir is India’s youngest head coach. Although his predecessor, Dravid, also shared the dressing room with the current team stars during the latter stage of his playing career, Gambhir announced his retirement from all forms barely five years ago. His last Test match, in fact, was under Kohli’s captaincy in 2016.

His relationship with Kohli, at least on the field, is not something to boast about. The duo have been involved in multiple on-field feuds in the IPL, the most infamous one being in IPL 2023 when Gambhir and Kohli came very close to landing blows after an IPL match between Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Lucknow Super Giants. Gambhir was LSG’s mentor then.

Things, however, took a turn in the right direction in the last IPL. Kohli took the mic to tease at suggestions of friction between him and Gambhir; their embrace during the IPL is to be seen as an exhibition that the relationship was being repaired.

But the board did not want to take any chances. With Kohli now retired from T20Is, the BCCI top brass wanted to look at the future and hence, the former captain was not consulted.

“There is enough time for the two to have conversations over the table. But it was important for the BCCI to look at the big picture with many youngsters likely to feature in the coming years,” a BCCI official told Hindustan Times.

Source: https://www.hindustantimes.com/cricket/virat-kohli-not-consulted-by-bcci-before-gautam-gambhirs-appointment-as-india-head-coach-hardik-pandya-kept-in-loop-101720666098254.html

With four openers in the line-up, the tour has become an audition to stake claim for spots now that Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli have made way.

The Zimbabwe tour is turning out to be an audition for India’s top order going forward, now that Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma have retired from T20Is. After Abhishek Sharma’s century in the previous match, it was the turn of Shubman Gill and Yashasvi Jaiswal to show what they can offer as India posted another comprehensive win in Harare on Wednesday. After the batting unit powered them to 182/4, Washington Sundar’s Player-of-the-Match spell of 3/15 gave India a 23-run win.

India lead the series 2-1 with the last two T20Is set to be played over the weekend.

With Jaiswal joining the team ahead of Wednesday’s match, all eyes were on how India were going to shape their batting order. With a top-heavy squad at their disposal, it was a given that at least one of their four openers on tour would have to bat out of position, what Ruturaj Gaikwad did in the first two matches. But India went a step further, slotting Jaiswal as Gill’s partner at the top.

It meant Abhishek, who made it to the team on the back of his electrifying performances in the IPL and scored a century off 46 deliveries as an opener in the last game, was pushed down to No.3 and Gaikwad went further down. Warming the bench on Wednesday were Riyan Parag, Dhruv Jurel and Jitesh Sharma.

With Jaiswal and Gill putting together a 67-run stand, Abhishek came in only in the ninth over, well past the Powerplay. In what were the most batter-friendly conditions they have witnessed so far on this tour, he struggled for fluency and fell for just 10.

Gaikwad reached the middle in the 11th over off the innings. Right through the IPL, he played as an opener who accelerated gradually. Batting in the middle overs, where teams mostly rely on explosive batsmen, he had an unfamiliar role to don.

Coming to the party

But on Wednesday, he didn’t have any choice but to hit top gear straight away as Gill was striking only at 120.68 at the half-way stage.

Zimbabwe’s fielding helped him on his way to an impressive 49 off just 28 deliveries. After an unbeaten 77 at No.3, another creditable performance at No.4 means he will most likely vie for a slot alongside Gill for the right-handed opener’s role going forward. For the left-hander’s role, it seems a battle between Jaiswal and Abhishek.

Between Jaiswal and Abhishek, it is evident who is higher in the pecking order despite modest returns in IPL 2024. Jaiswal may not be as explosive and natural fit in T20s like Abhishek, but few can hit the ball as long and hard as he does. And unlike Abhishek, Jaiswal also has the game to bat deep into the innings without having to change his game. It is this trait that is making India look at him as an all-format player. It hasn’t come off for him in T20Is as yet, as he got out after making 36 in his first match since the IPL.

For Gill, it was an innings that showed him the mirror in terms of where he stood in T20Is. The high-risk, intent-full batting doesn’t seem to come naturally to him. Like Virat Kohli did in the IPL, he is showing a willingness to change his approach, showing aggressive intent. But there are plenty of yards for him to gain as despite departing only on the last ball off the 18th over, he only had 66 runs to show from 49 deliveries.

India’s top-heavy line-up meant Sanju Samson and Rinku Singh only managed 8 deliveries between them. But are sure-shot inclusions going forward, and it won’t make India sweat about their form as India still managed a decent score.

Washington special

The total proved way beyond Zimbabwe’s reach. By the time Avesh Khan and Khaleel Ahmed had combined to leave the hosts struggling at 19/3 in 3.1 overs, the chase was more or less over. From there on, it was an opportunity for Washington to send a reminder.

Source: https://indianexpress.com/article/sports/cricket/zimbabwe-vs-india-shubman-gill-ruturaj-gaikwad-washington-sundar-9445458/

Substitute Ollie Watkins scored a stoppage-time winner to send England deservedly through to their second successive European Championship final on Wednesday as they finally turned on the style to beat Netherlands 2-1 on a memorable night in Dortmund.
With the match looking set for extra time, Watkins received a pass from fellow sub Cole Palmer and fired a sweet strike into the far corner.
Xavi Simons had brilliantly put the Dutch ahead after seven minutes, with England equalising 11 minutes later with a Harry Kane penalty.

Chances came and went in an all action first half, but things settled in the second before the late drama that sends England through to play Spain in Berlin on Sunday.
“History made – amazing achievement,” said Kane as England reached their first major final on foreign soil.
“We talk about being ready – you might get five minutes, one minute, but you can make a difference, you can win a tournament, and Ollie’s been patient, and what he did out there was outstanding.”

They levelled when Kane was caught by the studs of Denzel Dumfries as he shot, earning a VAR-reviewed penalty that the captain drilled into the bottom corner.
They were desperately close to a second when Phil Foden brilliantly skipped through a series of tackles only for his shot to be cleared off the line by Dumfries.
The Dutch centre back then thumped a header against the bar, only for a livewire Foden to respond again with a lovely, curling shot that hit the post.

England’s fans, who had been bored into silence in their previous three games, were shocked by what they were seeing and responded to win the singing war despite being massively outnumbered by the massed ranks of orange shirts.
Foden, Jude Bellingham and Bukayo Saka were playing with the swagger that they showed all season for their clubs while the incredible 19-year-old Kobbie Mainoo was running midfield like a veteran.
It was a scarcely believable transformation as the team who barely mustered a shot against Slovenia, Slovakia and Switzerland sent in crosses high and low, attempted probing through balls and even a couple of backheels in the box while forcing Bart Verbruggen into three sprawling saves.
The Dutch threw on striker Wout Weghorst for the second half while England brought on Luke Shaw but England seemed to lose their energy, playing deeper and more cautiously.
For fans who saw the same pattern in the 2018 World Cup semi-final against Croatia and Euro 2020 final against Italy, it was a worry, but this time coach Gareth Southgate took dramatic action by removing Foden and Kane, bringing on Watkins and Palmer after 80 minutes.
“We wanted to take that gamble in normal time rather than extra time,” said Southgate, who had been criticised in earlier games for his reluctance to make changes.
Palmer, who has looked dangerous every time he has come on in the tournament, duly threaded a trademark pass into the path of Watkins to cue bedlam as England came from behind to win for the third successive match.

Source: https://www.reuters.com/sports/soccer/last-minute-watkins-winner-sends-england-into-euros-final-2024-07-11/

Virat Kohli owned Bengaluru pub gets called out by the cops for this reason, An FIR was filed against the management of the pub, read to know below!

The police have registered an FIR against several establishments on MG Road, including One8 Commune-Bengaluru, a café co-owned by cricketer Virat Kohli, for operating beyond the allowed time. The Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Central stated that these pubs were found open until 1:30 am, exceeding the permitted closing time of 1 am. This action was taken following multiple complaints about loud music being played late at night. One8 Commune, located near M Chinnaswamy Stadium, was among those booked for these violations. The Bengaluru branch, launched in December 2023, is part of a chain with locations in Delhi, Mumbai, Pune, and Kolkata.

A police officer mentioned that the investigation is ongoing and further actions will be taken as necessary. The café’s prime location on the 6th floor of Ratnam’s Complex on Kasturba Road offers scenic views of the cricket stadium, making it a popular spot. Despite the recent legal issues, the chain is well-regarded in metro cities across India. The case highlights the importance of adhering to local regulations and maintaining neighbourhood peace. The authorities are taking the necessary steps to ensure compliance and address residents’ concerns.

Source: https://www.spotboye.com/trending/trending-news/virat-kohli-co-owned-one8-commune-pub-in-bengaluru-faces-legal-trouble-after-cops-file-fir-against-management-for-this-reason/668e8a94ed47ace075122bff

Gautam Gambhir will take over the high-profile job from another legend in Rahul Dravid, who ended his extended tenure as Team India head coach last month after winning the T20 World Cup 2024 in Barbados.

Former cricketer Gautam Gambhir on Tuesday was appointed the new head coach of the Indian cricket team by the BCCI, secretary Jay Shah announced.

Gambhir will take over the high-profile job from another legend in Rahul Dravid, who ended his extended tenure as the head coach after India’s title triumph in the T20 World Cup 2024 in Barbados last month.

Gambhir, who mentored the Kolkata Knight Riders to victory in IPL 2024 after returning to the franchise this year, will start his new job on the tour of Sri Lanka where the Men in Blue will play 3 T20Is and 3 ODIs from July 27 to August 7.

“It is with immense pleasure that I welcome Mr @GautamGambhir as the new Head Coach of the Indian Cricket Team. Modern-day cricket has evolved rapidly, and Gautam has witnessed this changing landscape up close. Having endured the grind and excelled in various roles throughout his career, I am confident that Gautam is the ideal person to steer Indian Cricket forward.

“His clear vision for #TeamIndia, coupled with his vast experience, positions him perfectly to take on this exciting and most sought-after coaching role. The @BCCI fully supports him as he embarks on this new journey,” BCCI secretary Jay Shah tweeted.

Spain struck twice in five minutes in a pulsating first half to secure a 2-1 comeback win over France on Tuesday as a record-breaking goal from teenager Lamine Yamal and a Dani Olmo effort propelled them into the Euro 2024 final.
The 16-year-old Yamal cancelled out Randal Kolo Muani’s opener with a sublime shot in the 21st minute to become the youngest scorer in a Euro or World Cup before Olmo added another in the 25th for his third goal in the knockout stage.

“I wanted to put it in where it went in, and I’m very happy. I’m happy and content with the victory. I want to win, win and win,” added the teenager.

They will now face the winners of Wednesday’s match between England and Netherlands in the final in Berlin on Sunday as they hunt a record-breaking fourth European crown.

It was a anti-climactic end to France’s tournament, although the 2022 World Cup finalists never lived up to expectations in Germany with a very low conversion rate that carried into the semi-final.

“Spain proved tonight that they are a very good team. We were fortunate to open the scoring, but they caused us problems because they were superior in terms of control,” said France coach Didier Deschamps.

“Tonight they showed all their qualities. We were… perhaps a little less fresh, which led to some technical waste, particularly in the build-up of the game. We didn’t push forward often enough.”

Spain had an early chance when Yamal, the youngest player to feature in a World Cup or Euro semi-final, floated a cross to the far post but Fabian Ruiz headed over the bar.

FRANCE GOAL

France did better from an almost identical move in the ninth minute with Kylian Mbappe, playing without a mask after breaking his nose earlier in the tournament, crossing for Kolo Muani to head in their first goal from open play at Euro 2024.

But the Spaniards, who were missing suspended Dani Carvajal and Robin Le Normand as well as injured Pedri, quickly turned the game around.

Yamal curled a stunning left-footed effort from 25 metres in off the post to break another record held by Brazil great Pele, as the youngest scorer in a Euro or World Cup.

Before France had any time to recover Olmo completed their lightning-quick comeback in the 25th with a shot that was deflected in by France’s Jules Kounde.

Source: https://www.reuters.com/sports/soccer/spain-beat-france-2-1-book-place-euro-2024-final-2024-07-09/

Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma are expected to miss India’s ODI series against Sri Lanka. Hardik Pandya and KL Rahul are the frontrunners to lead India.

Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma’s blockbuster return has been reportedly delayed; the ICC T20 World Cup-winning duo is unlikely to feature in the upcoming One Day International (ODI) series against Sri Lanka. With Gautam Gambhir set to replace an already departed Rahul Dravid as India’s next head coach, hosts India will pick Hardik Pandya or KL Rahul to lead the side in the Sri Lanka series.

India might miss the services of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma in the Sri Lanka series(PTI-ANI)
It has been almost six months since Rohit enjoyed a break from international cricket. The veteran Indian opener has featured in every India assignment since the South Africa Test series in December-January. After touring the Rainbow Nation, Rohit returned as India’s T20I captain for the Afghanistan series. The 37-year-old then guided India to a Test series win over England.

Loaded season for Hitman

The Hitman masterminded India’s second T20 World Cup title win before joining Kohli in retirement from the shortest format. Though Kohli and Rohit bid farewell to the T20I format after ending India’s long wait for a World Cup title in the Caribbean last month, the batting icons will continue to feature in the traditional formats of the game.

Why Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma will miss Sri Lanka series

“Both are automatic choices in ODI set up and the three 50 over games against England before the Champions Trophy is good enough practice for them. For next few months, they both will prioritize Tests and India will play 10 of them between September to January,” a Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) source told PTI.

BCCI secretary Jay Shah recently confirmed Rohit as India’s captain for the ICC Champions Trophy and the ongoing edition of the World Test Championship (WTC). Rohit and Co. will meet Bangladesh for a two-Test series in the WTC. After the bilateral series against New Zealand, India will tour Australia for the high-profile Border Gavaskar Trophy.

Source: https://www.hindustantimes.com/cricket/virat-kohli-rohit-sharma-unlikely-to-headline-india-vs-sri-lanka-odis-hardik-pandya-vs-kl-rahul-india-captaincy-101720459570502.html

Djokovic launched an angry outburst at a section of fans who constantly chanted “Rune” throughout his Wimbledon match, which the Serb took to be booing.

Novak Djokovic accused Wimbledon fans of “disrespect” in a withering on-court tirade after reaching a 60th Grand Slam quarter-final and 15th at the All England Club on Monday.

World number two Djokovic, the seven-time champion at Wimbledon and chasing a record-setting 25th major, defeated 15th-ranked Holger Rune 6-3, 6-4, 6-2.

Djokovic then launched an angry outburst at a section of Centre Court fans who constantly chanted “Rune” throughout the match and which the Serb took to be booing.

“To all the fans that have had respect and stayed here tonight, I thank you from the bottom of my heart and I appreciate it,” said an angry Djokovic.

“And to all those people that have chosen to disrespect the player — in this case me — have a goooooooood night,” he added, mocking his tormentors’ exaggerated “Ruuuuune”.

When told by the TV interviewer that some fans were shouting “Rune” rather than “boo” Djokovic hit back.

“They were (booing). They were. I am not accepting it. No, no, no. I know they were cheering for Rune but that’s an excuse to also boo,” he said.

“Listen, I have been on the tour for more than 20 years. I know all the tricks, I know how it works. I focus on the respectful people that pay for the ticket, and love tennis and appreciate the players.

“I have played in much more hostile environments, trust me — you guys can’t touch me.”

“I’m not sure what Wimbledon can do about it. You can’t remove a whole section of the crowd if they are misbehaving,” he said.

“I respect true fans but if someone steps over the line I will react.”

The 37-year-old Serb, still sporting a knee support on his right leg after undergoing surgery last month, set the tone for Monday’s fourth-round tie when Rune failed to win a single point in the opening three games.

Source: https://www.hindustantimes.com/sports/tennis/you-can-t-touch-me-novak-djokovic-explodes-against-fans-disrespect-after-reaching-wimbledon-quarterfinal-101720487496198.html

Nothing, absolutely nothing, worked for Coco Gauff on Sunday.
The killer shots and the champion’s mentality Gauff had meticulously curated during her run to a maiden Grand Slam title at the U.S. Open last year all went AWOL as her hopes of reaching the Wimbledon quarter-finals for the first time were brutally ended with a 6-4 6-3 mauling by Emma Navarro.
When the draw put second seed Gauff on a fourth-round collision course with fellow American Navarro, it almost seemed like a foregone conclusion which player would emerge triumphant.

After coming back from 1-0 down, Gareth Southgate’s side battled through extra time without a goal – and then calmly won the penalty shootout as fans including Prince William watched on at the Dusseldorf Arena.

England are through to the Euro 2024 semi-finals after beating Switzerland on penalties.

The tense game ended 1-1 after extra-time, with both sides unable to break the deadlock.

England then faced a penalty shootout without their captain and de facto penalty taker Harry Kane, who had been replaced by Ivan Toney in the second half of extra time.

There was no need for England fans to panic though, as Gareth Southgate’s side scored all five of their penalties.

After Cole Palmer stepped up first and scored for England, goalkeeper Jordan Pickford helped the team to an early advantage in the shootout as he saved Manuel Akanji’s strike.

England’s Jude Bellingham, Bukayo Saka and Ivan Toney then followed suit with three more goals, leaving Trent Alexander-Arnold to coolly put away the fifth.

The triumphant display came three years after England were denied the Euro 2020 title when they lost on penalties to Italy.

The Prince of Wales was among fans who cheered England on at the Dusseldorf Arena and could be seen out of his seat and punching the air after their 80th minute equaliser.

England will play their semi-final match on Wednesday and face the Netherlands, who beat Turkey 2-1 later on Saturday evening.

The match had seen Switzerland go 1-0 up in the 75th minute after a goal from Breel Embolo – but England levelled the score just five minutes later with a goal from Saka.

For the second match in a row, England then faced extra time.

Declan Rice came close to giving England the lead five minutes in to the extra half an hour of play, but his long-range effort was tipped around the post by Switzerland’s keeper, Yann Sommer.

England’s quarter-final fightback comes after they were almost eliminated from the tournament last Sunday, after falling 1-0 down to Slovakia – until Bellingham scored a stunning equaliser with seconds to spare.

Source: https://news.sky.com/story/england-through-to-euro-2024-semi-finals-after-beating-switzerland-on-penalties-13174184

The BCCI had announced a cash reward of Rs. 125 crore for the Indian cricket team that won the T20 World Cup 2024.

Team India’s victorious T20 World Cup 2024 campaign earned Rohit Sharma’s side a handsome prize of Rs. 125 crore. A total of 42 people travelled to the United States of America and the West Indies for the global cricketing event, including 15 first-team players, support staff, reserves, etc. The prize money of Rs. 125 crores that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) wouldn’t just be distributed among players but also the support staff, reserves, and others who constituted the 42-member contingent. However, the prize money’s share varies from role to role.

As per a report in the Indian Express, the 15 members of India’s team, including those who didn’t get to play a single game, will get Rs. 5 crore each. Even head coach Rahul Dravid will get Rs. 5 crore from the pool.

As far as Dravid’s coaching staff is concerned, including batting coach Vikram Rathour, fielding coach T Dilip, and bowling coach Paras Mhambrey, they all get Rs. 2.5 crore each. Rs. 1 crore each will be distributed among the selection committee members, including their chief Ajit Agarkar.

Among the support staff — the three physiotherapists, three throwdown specialists, two masseurs, and the strength and conditioning coach will receive Rs 2 crore each.

“Players and support staff have been informed about the amount of prize money they will be receiving from the BCCI and we have asked everyone to submit an invoice,” a BCCI source told the paper.

Source: https://sports.ndtv.com/t20-world-cup-2024/bccis-rs-125-crore-prize-for-team-india-virat-kohli-rohit-sharma-rahul-dravids-share-to-be-6057529

Trent Alexander-Arnold converted the winning spot kick in a penalty shootout to send England into the semi-finals of Euro 2024 after Manuel Akanji missed for Switzerland.
Alexander-Arnold fired into the top left corner to send pre-tournament favourites England through, winning the shootout 5-3 after the match was level at 1-1 after extra time.
Breel Embolo had put Switzerland ahead after 75 minutes when he poked home from close range after John Stones failed to clear, and Bukayo Saka levelled for England five minutes later with a brilliant strike in off the far post.

Source: https://www.reuters.com/sports/soccer/england-beat-switzerland-penalties-reach-euros-semis-2024-07-06/

U.S. wrestling superstar and actor John Cena announced retirement from in-ring competition in 2025, World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) said in a post on social media platform X on Saturday.

Source: https://www.reuters.com/sports/john-cena-announces-retirement-in-ring-competition-2025-wwe-says-2024-07-07/

During a chat with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Virat Kohli opened up that he had zero confidence heading into the final.

Virat Kohli’s form became a topic of concern for the team during the T20 World Cup 2024 as the star batter only managed 75 runs before the final. However, Kohli delivered when it mattered the most, scoring a match-winning 76 in the final against South Africa in Barbados. During a chat with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Kohli opened up that he had zero confidence heading into the final, and how the then head coach Rahul Dravid and India captain Rohit Sharma motivated him.

Kohli also revealed that he even told Dravid that he hasn’t been able to perform for the team in the tournament. He also suggested that arrogance ruined his game during the tournament.

“Whatever I was trying, it wasn’t coming off. Whenever you feel like ‘I can do it,’ it’s just the arrogance speaking. Basically, if your ego comes up, the game goes away from you. Sometimes, it’s important to let that arrogance go off. There was no margin for arrogance in the final, especially with how everything panned out. As soon as I started giving respect to the game, it benefitted the team. It was a big lesson for me,” said Kohli.

Source: https://sports.ndtv.com/cricket/arrogance-ruined-my-game-virat-kohlis-admission-to-pm-narendra-modi-on-t20-world-cup-form-6045917

Has Cristiano Ronaldo played his last international game for Portugal? A report has shared the iconic footballer’s immediate future plan.

Have football fans seen the last of Cristiano Ronaldo in the Portugal shirt? The team’s departure from Euro 2024 at the quarter-final stage has had many wondering if Ronaldo would hang up his boots at the international stage after the tournament. Ronaldo didn’t look at his best the entire tournament and even failed to register a single goal or assist before the team’s exit. However, a report has claimed that Ronaldo isn’t willing to quit international football just yet. In fact, he is determined to play in the 2026 FIFA World Cup and bring the trophy home.

Ronaldo had an insipid Euro 2024 campaign that saw him contribute little to the team’s goals. Portugal reached the quarter-finals of the tournament, thanks to their goalkeeper Diogo Costa’s heroics in the penalty shootout after Ronaldo missed a penalty, putting the team in danger of elimination.

Even the quarter-final clash against France saw the team struggle in front of goal, forcing the match into another penalty shootout where Les Bleus emerged triumphant.

But, as per a report in Relevo, it isn’t all over for Ronaldo just yet. As per the publication, Ronaldo has his eyes on the 2026 FIFA World Cup. In fact, he also wants to become the first player in history to appear and score in six editions of the flagship competition.

Ronaldo came into the Euro 2024 on the back of a prolific season for Saudi Arabian side Al-Nassr, scoring 50 goals in all competitions but his gameplay couldn’t assist Portugal in front of the goal.

After Portugal’s quarter-final win against Slovenia, Ronaldo did admit that this would be his last European Championship.

Source: https://sports.ndtv.com/uefa-euro-2024/cristiano-ronaldos-portugal-retirement-stance-clear-with-2026-world-cup-plan-report-6051111

BCCI announced squad for women’s Asia Cup 2024 set to be held in Sri Lanka from July 19. Harmanpreet Kaur will be leading the side where most of the members have been retained from the current playing squad against South Africa.

The BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India) announced the squad for the upcoming women’s Asia Cup 2024 on Friday, July 6. The selection committee has retained 15 out of the 17 players currently playing in the series against South Africa and left out Amanjot Kaur and Shabnam Shakil.

Shakil was a late addition to the team for all three formats to reinforce the seam attack and is yet to make her debut for the national side. On the other hand, all-rounder Kaur also didn’t feature in any of the matches of the tour.

The rest of the squad contains all the familiar names with Harmanpreet Kaur set to lead the team with Smriti Mandhana acting as her deputy. Apart from the 15-member squad, the selection committee has also named Shweta Sehrawat, Saika Ishaque, Tanuja Kanwer and Meghna Singh as travelling reserves. The ninth edition of the women’s Asia Cup will begin from July 19 in Sri Lanka with the final of the competition to be played on July 28.

A total of eight teams will be seen participating in the event which have been divided into two groups. India have been put in Group A alongside Pakistan, UAE and Nepal. On the other hand, Group B contains Malaysia, Thailand, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.

The opening game of the event will be played between UAE and Nepal on July 19 at Rangiri Dambulla International Stadium, Dambulla while India will begin their campaign against arch-rivals Pakistan at the same venue later in the day.

Source: https://www.indiatoday.in/sports/cricket/story/india-announce-squad-for-womens-asia-cup-2024-set-to-begin-from-july-19-2563377-2024-07-07

France beat Portugal in shootout to reach semis and end Ronaldo’s dream

The fallout over a Turkish player’s ultra-nationalist gesture continues to grow, with Turkey defending Merih Demiral despite the symbol’s link to a far-right group. Turkey’s president is reportedly planning to attend the team’s next game at Euro 2024.

Germany has summoned Turkey’s ambassador as the row over a Turkish player’s ultra-nationalist gesture at Euro 2024 grows.

UEFA is investigating Merih Demiral for mimicking a wolf’s head with his fingers – a symbol linked to a far-right group known as the Grey Wolves – after scoring against Austria in Leipzig on Tuesday.

Turkish President Recip Tayyip Erdogan has reportedly cancelled plans to appear at a summit of Turkic states in Azerbaijan to instead attend Turkey’s quarter-final match against the Netherlands.

The Grey Wolves are the youth branch of Turkey’s Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) – an ally of Mr Erodgan’s AK Party – and the gesture has sparked a diplomatic spat.

“As Euro 2024 hosts, we want sport to unite,” Germany’s foreign ministry said while announcing Turkey’s ambassador had been summoned, a day after Turkey did the same to Germany’s.

Turkey’s foreign ministry said German authorities’ approach to Demiral involved “xenophobia” and described UEFA’s probe as “unacceptable”.

The ministry has defended the gesture made by Demiral as a historical and cultural symbol that did not target anyone.

Demiral himself said he had planned the celebration as he is “very proud to be a Turk” and saw fans making the gesture, so he “wanted to do it”.

‘No place in our stadiums’

But Germany’s interior minister Nancy Faeser labelled the gesture a symbol of “Turkish right-wing extremists” that has “no place in our stadiums”.

“Using the European Football Championship as a platform for racism is completely unacceptable,” she added.

Established in the 1960s, the Grey Wolves were involved in political violence between leftists and nationalists in Turkey that killed some 5,000 people around the time of a 1980 coup.

The group’s symbol is banned in Austria, while the wolf salute is not banned in Germany but the group is under surveillance.

In France, the organisation was banned outright in 2020, with the government accusing it of “extremely violent actions” and “extremely violent threats”.

Call to ban Grey Wolves

The German Israeli Society, which described the Grey Wolves as a threat to Jews as well as Armenians, Greeks and Kurds, called on German authorities to follow suit and ban the group.

“The ideological superiority of these fascist nationalists jeopardises public safety,” its president Volker Beck said in a statement.

In Turkey, the ruling AK Party and its MHP ally both defended Demiral and said the backlash was out of proportion.

Source: https://news.sky.com/story/euro-2024-germany-summons-turkish-ambassador-as-row-over-wolf-salute-grows-13163692

Fans covered every inch of Mumbai’s Marine Drive, creating a sea of blue, waiting to get a glimpse of the T20 World Cup-winning Indian team.

Anand Mahindra, the chairman of the Mahindra Group, was stunned to see thousands gather at Mumbai’s Marine Drive to witness Team India’s open bus victory parade. The Indian team returned home on Thursday after lifting the T20 World Cup last week in Barbados. The team’s arrival in India was delayed due to bad weather conditions. A chartered plane flew from Barbados on Wednesday and landed at the national capital during the early hours on Thursday. The players and the support staff met PM Narendra Modi in New Delhi, before leaving for Mumbai later in the day.

Fans covered every inch of Mumbai’s Marine Drive, creating a sea of blue, waiting to get a glimpse of the T20 World Cup-winning Indian team.

Reacting to a picture of the same, Anand Mahindra gave a new name to the Marine Drive.

“It’s no longer the Queen’s Necklace in Mumbai. It’s now Mumbai’s JAADU KI JHAPPI,” Mahindra wrote in a post on X

India batter Suryakumar Yadav, who took a match-changing catch in the final against South Africa, was left impressed by Anand Mahindra’s suggestion.

Source: https://sports.ndtv.com/cricket/anand-mahindra-gives-new-name-to-marine-drive-after-team-indias-parade-suryakumar-yadav-reacts-6037966