Category: SPORTS

“People have this perennial habit of writing me off now and then but it does not affect me,” says veteran wrestler Sushil Kumar, who has not only quashed his retirement talks but is rather bullish about his qualification for next year’s Tokyo Olympics. Already on the wrong side of 30s, Sushil was struggling to qualify for the Tokyo Games but the postponement of the quadrennial event has re-ignited his Olympic hopes. The Summer Games, originally scheduled for July-August this year, were expected to be a swansong for many athletes including…

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Kobe Bryant’s resume has yet another entry to validate his greatness: He’s now, officially, a Hall of Famer. And he’s got plenty of elite company in the 2020 class, one that may be as glitzy as any. Bryant, who died in a helicopter crash on Jan. 26, and fellow NBA greats Tim Duncan and Kevin Garnett headlined a nine-person group announced Saturday as this year’s class of enshrinees into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. “An amazing class,” Duncan said. They all got into the Hall in their first…

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The WNBA season will not start on time next month because of the coronavirus pandemic, and when it begins is unclear. The league announced Friday it will delay the season for an indefinite period. Training camps were to open on April 26 and the regular season on May 15. WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert said in a statement Friday the league will use this time to conduct scenario-planning regarding new start dates and innovative formats. Our guiding principle will continue to be the health and safety of the players, fans and…

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The postponement of the Tokyo Olympics and the shutdown of the sporting calendar because of the coronavirus pandemic are going to hit international sports federations hard financially. Many sports that are part of the Games depend heavily on the payouts every four years from the International Olympic Committee (IOC). “The situation is tense and very gloomy. An assessment will be made, but clearly some posts are under threat,” said an official of a major international federation. The 28 international federations (IF) of the sports that were due to be present…

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England’s flamboyant batsman Jos Buttler is auctioning the shirt he wore during their World Cup-winning final last year, to raise funds for hospitals battling the COVID-19 pandemic. In a video message posted on Twitter late Tuesday night, Buttler said the shirt would be auctioned to raise funds for the Royal Brompton and Harefield Hospitals charity. “As we all know, hospitals, doctors, nurses and the NHS are all doing quite an incredible job at the moment. And in the weeks and months to come they are going to need our support…

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Pakistan head coach and chief selector Misbah-ul-Haq on Tuesday demanded a clear policy for players who are found guilty of corruption at any level. However, the former Test captain also didn’t agree with the public comments made by Muhammad Hafeez, who feels tainted players should not be allowed back into the national team. “It is my personal opinion that if you are playing as a player you shouldn’t be giving such opinion as the ICC and PCB are the authority on these matters and they take decisions as per existing…

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Rugby Australia’s alarming financial state heading into the coronavirus shutdown was revealed Monday with the organisation posting a near Aus 10 million (US 6.0 million) deficit, not helped by a hefty payment to the sacked Israel Folau. The 2019 numbers were released as the governing body struggles to navigate a way through the COVID-19-enforced halt to sport, and with players complaining of being locked out of critical talks about their future. RA said it was unable to produce a set of audited financial accounts due to uncertainty surrounding its business…

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Confined to his home due to the nationwide lockdown, India cricketer Hanuma Vihari says he will use the time to “sharpen” his skills for the Australian tour, scheduled towards the end of the year. As with other sports across the world, cricket has also come to a standstill because of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has so far claimed over 30000 lives while infecting more than 6.5 lakh people. “I am going to use this time to focus on my fitness, sharpen my skills for county cricket as well as for…

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Head coach Ravi Shastri has called Virat Kohli the “boss” of Indian cricket and said the support staff is there to “take the burden off” the skipper. Batting mastero Kohli has been at the heart of India’s world-record 12 Test victories in a row on home soil. “The captain is the boss, I always believe that. The job of the coaching staff, as far as I’m concerned, is to prepare the guys in the best possible way to be able to go out there and play brave, positive, fearless cricket,”…

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ngland bowler James Anderson is determined that the coronavirus will not end his illustrious career as he focuses on keeping fit by taking part in “virtual” training sessions with his teammates. Anderson, 37, whose 584 Test wickets are the most taken by any paceman in the history of the game, is nearing the end of his playing days. But the Lancashire veteran says despite having no cricket to play until the end of May at the earliest, the idea of not bowling professionally again has not crossed his mind. “I’ve…

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