Category: SPORTS

Undesirable conduct of individuals should not come in the way of institutional cooperation, said Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju on Saturday, trying to defuse the tension after the IOA complained of ministry interference in national federations and drew sharp criticism from the sports secretary. Rijiju said Indian Olympic Association(IOA) President Narinder Batra had brought to his notice, recent reports of concerns raised by some National Sports Federations (NSFs) that the Ministry and the Sports Authority of India were trying to seize control of their functioning. “Regular consultation and discussion among the…

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The top US health and infectious disease specialist says the key to reopening professional sports leagues in America is to have the athletes play games in front of empty stadiums.   Anthony Fauci, who is helping coordinate the US response to the global coronavirus pandemic, said reliable antibody testing and fast results are also crucial to the return of sports. “There’s a way of doing that,” Fauci told US Snapchat show “Good Luck America.” “Nobody comes to the stadiums. Put (athletes) in big hotels, wherever you want to play. “Keep…

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Former India batsman VVS Laxman took a jibe at Michael Clarke for his recent claims that Australian cricketers “sucked up” to India captain Virat Kohli for protecting their IPL contracts, saying just being nice to someone doesn’t guarantee a spot in the cash-rich tournament.   Clarke, a former Australian captain, raised several eyebrows after he claimed that there was a phase when Australian cricketers were so keen on protecting their IPL deals that they felt “scared” of sledging India skipper Kohli and his teammates and instead “sucked up” to them.…

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Cricket in front of empty stands came up for discussion between Australian off-spinner Nathan Lyon and pacer Mitchell Starc with both wondering how Indian captain Virat Kohli would adapt to such an atmosphere if their Test series this year is held without fans. India are set to play a four-match Test series in Australia later this year. But with the COVID-19 pandemic wreaking havoc, speculation is rife that the games could be held behind closed doors. This led Lyon and teammate Mitchell Starc to discuss how Kohli’s on-field demeanour would…

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Former India opener Gautam Gambhir says if IPL is not played this year, it will be difficult for Mahendra Singh Dhoni to make a comeback to the Indian team. Dhoni last played for India in the World Cup semi-final against New Zealand in July last year. Since then he hasn’t played any competitive cricket and legends such as Sunil Gavaskar and Kapil Dev have already said that it’s getting increasingly difficult for the Jharkhand dasher to make an international return after such a prolonged sabbatical. He was expected to be…

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Former Pakistan pacer Shoaib Akhtar says he cannot fathom why Mahendra Singh Dhoni has “dragged it for so long” as the right time for the maverick ex-India skipper to call it quits was after last year’s ODI World Cup. Akhtar said he hopes the 38-year-old Dhoni gets a resounding farewell despite his resolute silence on what the future holds. “This guy has served to the best of his ability. He should leave cricket with dignity. I don’t know why he dragged it for so long. He should have retired after…

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The doubting thomases “should be careful” about what they wish for as there is no second coming for a once-in-a-generation player like Mahendra Singh Dhoni if people “push him into retirement”, former England captain Nasser Hussain said on Saturday. HUssain, one of the most respected voices in world cricket feels that the soon-to-be 39 year old former India captain still has a lot to offer in Indian cricket. “Once Dhoni is gone, there is no getting him back. There are some legends of the game, appreciating while around, because they…

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Magic Johnson says if the NBA does resume this season it will be without fans and the players shouldn’t have any trouble adjusting on the fly to playing in empty stadiums. The former NBA legend and part owner of the Los Angeles Dodgers baseball team sees a glimmer of hope and said all it will take is one game for the players to adapt to not having spectators in the building. “Let’s say the NBA comes back without fans. Once you play one game without fans you will adjust to…

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China’s Supreme Court has ruled in favour of basketball legend Michael Jordan in a long-running trademark dispute, ending an eight-year legal battle with a Chinese sportswear firm that illegally used his name. Upholding intellectual property rights is one of the core disputes of the US-China trade war, and a phase one deal signed in January saw Beijing pledge to improve protections of intellectual property. The landmark ruling, made late last month, prohibits the Fujian-based Qiaodan Sports from using the Chinese translation of Jordan’s name, Qiao Dan. The retired Chicago Bulls…

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NBA Commissioner Adam Silver says he thinks it will be at least May before any decision can be made about resumption of the 2019-20 season that was shut down amid the coronavirus pandemic. “Essentially, what I’ve told my folks over the last week is that we just should just accept that, at least for the month of April, we won’t be in a position to make any decisions,” Silver said Monday in an interview that was live streamed on the NBA’s Twitter account. “And I don’t think that necessarily means…

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