SPORTS CAFE
Olympic-bound athletes test positive
BENGALURU: Olympic-bound race walker K T Ir fan is among five elite track-and-field athletes who have tested positive for COVID-19 at the Sports Authority of India's Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru.The tests were conducted last Friday and those who returned positive have been kept under quarantine.
India retain top spot in ICC Test rankings
DUBAI: India remained the number one Test side af ter the annual update of the ICC team rankings, released on Thursday. India head the table with a rating of 121 having accumulated 2914 points from 24 matches. New Zealand, with a rating of 120. The Kiwis have garnered 2166 points from 18 Tests. England (109 rating) have climbed a place to third at the expense of Australia (108 rating), down to fourth now.
Goyal aspires to realise her dream
BENGALURU: Representing India at the Olympic Games is ever y athlete's dream and she is no exception, says women's hockey team mid-fielder Neha Goyal, insisting that she would do all it takes to make the cut for the showpiece event. The Olympics are scheduled to be held in July-August this year.
Shafali, Radha set to make WBBL debuts
NEW DELHI: Indian batting sensation Shafali Verma is set to make her Women's Big Bash League debut with two-time champions Sydney Sixers later this year. The 17-year-old is expected to be joined by lef t-arm spinner Radha Yadav, who is currently in talks with the Syndey Sixers franchise.
Pant gets first jab of Covid-19 vaccine
NEW DELHI: Wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant said that he has got his first dose of the Covid-19 vaccine on Thursday. Pant urged people to get the vaccine whenever they are eligible. "Got my first jab today. When you are eligible, please step up and get the vaccine.
Financial support to hockey legends
NEW DELHI: Kiren Rijiju, the Union Minister for Youth Affairs and Sports, on Thursday announced Rs 5 lakh each as financial support to bereaved families of Moscow Olympic gold medallists MK Kaushik and Ravinder Pal Singh, both of whom passed away last week due to COVID-related complications.
Disappointing start for Indian golfers
BELFRY (UK): All four Indian golfers in action, including Shubhankar Sharma and Ajeetesh Sandhu, endured a disappointing opening round at the Betfred British Masters and run the risk of missing the cut. Sharma (73) was the best among Indian at Tied-70, while Sandhu (74) who got into the field at the last moment, was T-94 as the European Tour moved to the UK on Wednesday.
Champions League final moves to Porto
LONDON: The all-English Champions League final will be held in Porto with 12,000 fans from Chelsea and Manchester City, UEFA confirmed Thursday. The May 29 showpiece was moved from Istanbul to the 50,000-capacity Estádio do Dragão due to England imposing tougher pandemic travel restrictions on Turkey that would have prevented fans flying in.
Romelu caught violating protocols
MILAN (Italy): Police gatecrashed Inter Milan striker Romelu Lukaku's birthday bash af ter he along with his teammates were found to be guilty of breaching the Covid-19 protocols. In Italy, cur fews are in place that prohibits social gatherings between the hours of 10 pm and 5 am in order to curb the spread of Covid-19. Lukaku and his teammates ignored these regulations and as a result, ever ybody in attendance was sanctioned by the local police.
Former Man U defender Valencia retires
QUITO (Ecuador): Former Manchester United and Ecuador player Antonio Valencia on Thursday announced his retirement from football because of chronic knee problems. The 35-year-old Valencia made the decision af ter playing just 15 matches in almost six months for Mexican side Queretaro.
Serena accepts wild card to play in Parma
PARMA: Serena Williams has accepted a wild-card invitation to play at the Emilia-Romagna Open in Parma starting this weekend. The move came immediately af ter Williams lost in straight sets to Nadia Podoroska at the Italian Open on Wednesday in her first match in nearly three months.
Melbourne Stars coach Woodhill resigns MELBOURNE:
Melbourne Stars Women's Big Bash League (WBBL) team head coach Trent Woodhill has resigned from his role, the club informed on Thursday. Woodhill's various roles in the game combined with family commitments will now see him unable to lead the club into a second WBBL season.
Kent Cricket sign Ahmad for T20 Blast
LONDON: Kent Cricket has announced the signing of Afghanistan spinner Qais Ahmad for the entire T20 Blast and two County Championship matches. Ahmad has established himself as an international standard T20 leg-spinner, having already featured in the Afghanistan Premier League (APL), Caribbean Premier League (CPL), Bangladesh Premier League (BPL), Pakistan Super League (PSL) and Big Bash League (BBL).