SPORTS CAFE
Olympic hopes of Indian shuttlers in limbo
NEW DELHI: Kidambi Srikanth and Saina Nehwal's chances of making it to this year's Tokyo Olympics are all but over af ter the Indian contingent withdrew from the Malaysian Open on Thursday. Malaysia has imposed a ban on travellers from India, which is witnessing a massive surge in Covid-19 cases during the second wave. "The Indian badminton team will have to withdraw from the Malaysian Open, scheduled from May 25 to 30, owing to a temporary travel restriction imposed by the Malaysian Government on travellers from India," said the Sports Authority of India (SAI) on Thursday.
Hockey gold medallists battling for life
NEW DELHI: Maharaj Krishan Kaushik and Ravindra Pal Singh, stalwarts of India's 1980 Olympics gold-winning hockey team, are battling for their lives in hospitals af ter Covid-19 affected them. Kaushik is serious as the doctor has said the next 24 hours, ending Friday af ternoon, are 'critical'. While 66-year-old Kaushik is admitted to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of a private hospital in New Delhi, 62-year-old Singh has fortunately come out of the Covid's grip in Lucknow.
Mary Kom personal coach tests positive
NEW DELHI: Six-time world champion and Olympic-bound boxer MC Mary Kom won't have personal coach Chhote Lal Yadav by her side at the women's national boxing camp af ter he tested positive for Covid-19. The camp is supposed to start in Pune this week. Yadav is undergoing a 15-day quarantine at New Delhi's Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium.
Olympic-bound shooters receive vaccine
NEW DELHI: Many shooters, coaches and officials from India's Olympic-bound contingent received their first dose of COVID-19 vaccine across cities on Thursday. The shooters were to get vaccinated before leaving for Zagreb, Croatia on May 11 to participate in the European Championship.
Indian archers to miss Swiss World Cup
KOLKATA: India's Olympic-bound archers will not get to compete in the Stage 2 World Cup in Lausanne as their shortterm visa application has been rejected by the Switzerland Embassy. India has been battling a second wave of the COVID19 pandemic that has forced many countries to ban travellers from India.
Vineeth to help COVID-hit people
NEW DELHI: Known as much for his helping nature as his skills upfront, India footballer CK Vineeth has once again come to the aid of people hit by the COVID-19 pandemic and is urging ever yone to do their bit.
Raj spinner Yadav succumbs to virus
JAIPUR: Vivek Yadav, a former Rajasthan leg-spinner and a member of their Ranji Trophy-winning squad, died of coronavirus-related complications. He was 36-years-old and is survived by his wife and a daughter. Yadav breathed his last at a city hospital on Wednesday.
Odisha FC rope in Spain legend Villa
BHUBANESHWAR: Indian Super League (ISL) club Odisha FC on Thursday announced that it has roped in Spain football legend David Villa to spearhead its global football operations..
AICF to help chess community
CHENNAI: Extending financial assistance, mobilising a panel of doctors, psychiatrist and psychologists to provide medical/emotional online consultations, 24x7 helpline for members of chess community affected by Covid-19 are the novel initiatives taken by All India Chess Federation (AICF), a senior official said.
Cricket statistician Dinar Gupte dead
VADODARA: One of India's well-known cricket statistician, Dinar Gupte died on Thursday af ter battling COVID-19, the Saurashtra Cricket Association said. He was 76. "Everyone at SCA is deeply sadden on sad demise of Dinar Gupte. Dinarji was from Vadodara. He lef t for heavenly abode this early morning fighting hard battle against Covid-19," the SCA said in statement.
Abu Dhabi T10 league from November 19
ABU DHABI: Ten Sports Management (TSM) and Abu Dhabi Cricket (ADC) have announced the dates for the fif th edition of the Abu Dhabi T10 tournament. The tournament, which this year will be held over 15 days, will run from Nov 19 to Dec 4.
Pfzier and BioNTech to donate vaccines
LAUSANNE: Vaccine developers Pfizer and BioNTech will donate doses to inoculate athletes and officials preparing for the Tokyo Olympics, the IOC said Thursday. Deliver y of doses is set to begin this month to give Olympic delegations time to be fully vaccinated with a second shot before July 23.
African WC qualifying postponed to Sept
ZURICH: African qualifying groups for next year's World Cup have been postponed and will start in September instead of June, FIFA said Thursday. FIFA cited current disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic for the decision.
Postponed United-Liverpool on May 13
MANCHESTER: The postponed Premier League clash between Manchester United and Liverpool will now be played on May 13, the organisers have confirmed. Manchester United's Premier League clash against Liverpool on Sunday had to be postponed af ter fans entered Old Trafford and onto the pitch to express their anger towards the club's owners.
Bayern aim to clinch title on 2nd attempt
BERLIN: Borussia Dortmund can do rivals Bayern Munich a rare favour on Saturday by helping them clinch a ninth straight Bundesliga title before they take to the pitch. Dortmund host second-placed RB Leipzig a few hours before Bayern play Borussia Moenchengladbach, and a Dortmund win would assure Bayern of the trophy, regardless of their own result.
Anti-Olympic petition gains support
TOK YO: An online petition calling for the Tokyo Olympics to be cancelled has gained tens of thousands of signatures since being launched in Japan only days ago. The rollout of the petition comes with Tokyo, Osaka and several other areas under a state of emergency with coronavirus infections rising, particularly new variants. The state of emergency is to expire on May 11, but some reports in Japan say it is likely to be extended.