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Olympic and Paralympic heroes highlight importance of fitness

By Sports games

Indian Olympic and Paralympic heroes, including men’s hockey team skipper Manpreet Singh and para table tennis player Bhavina Patel, believe there should be increased focus on youth fitness and mental health given the lifestyle changes forced by the COVID-19 pandemic. Manpreet and Bhavina were speaking at the National Youth Festival virtual session titled “Sports – A Unifier for Ek Bharat Shrestha Bharat”.

Tokyo Olympics bronze medalist boxer Lovlina Borgohain, Indian women’s hockey team captain Rani Rampal and Paralympic Games bronze medalist high jumper Sharad Kumar were also present for the session.

Fitness isn’t just physical. There is also the mental form. Everyone should understand that life gets a lot easier when you are in good shape. Your health stays good, you stay happy and positive, said Bhavina, who became the first Indian paddler to win a medal at the Paralympic Games with her silver medal in Tokyo.

“So every person should try to get in shape. Staying in shape isn’t just for athletes, it’s good for everyone, ” she added.

Since the start of 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic has wreaked havoc around the world.

Educational institutions have resorted to online classes, and under such circumstances, Rani said it became even more important to involve children in physical activities.

“Kids have a lot of online classes these days because of the pandemic, but I ask parents to send the kids outside so that they have physical and brain activity,” she said.

“This will help in their growth. I’m not saying everyone should make sports their profession, but children should be sent outside to play so that they are healthy, ” Rani added.

Manpreet, who led the men’s hockey team to an Olympic bronze medal, praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi for promoting youth fitness through various programs such as the Fit India Campaign and the Khelo India Games.

“If you take 30 minutes a day to exercise, your body will stay in shape and you can fight off many diseases,” he said.

” Youth is our future and to move a country forward, we must invest in young people. Our PM focuses a lot on this. He knows that youth is the future.

“He launched the Khelo India (Games) and Fit India campaign and the performance we got at the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics shows that and India’s future is very bright,” added Manpreet.

(This story was not edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

England spinner Matt Parkinson extends Lancashire Cricket contract

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England bowler Matt Parkinson has extended his contract with Lancashire Cricket until at least the end of the 2023 season. Parkinson has made 106 appearances for the Red Rose since his first class debut against Warwickshire in 2016 – when he achieved a rare feat in becoming only the second English leg spinner to take five wickets on his post-war debut.

“It’s a great feeling to know that I will be playing my cricket at Emirates Old Trafford for two more seasons and hopefully many more after that,” Parkinson said in a statement according to the Lancashire website. “The Club have trusted me since I started at the Academy at 13 and I hope my performances in recent years have rewarded their confidence and will continue to do so,” he added.

The nine-time England international has become a key feature in all three formats for Glen Chapple’s side and is widely regarded as one of the most feared spin throwers in T20 cricket, claiming 103 wickets in the one-man format. average of 17 and savings of just 7.5. Cricket manager Mark Chilton also commented: “Parky is considered one of the best white ball throwers in the world and we are delighted to have secured his services for at least two more seasons.

“His red ball game has improved tremendously over the past two years and, even at 25, Matt is now one of our most experienced players with over 100 appearances in all formats behind him.” In 2021, Parkinson had his most productive summer in red ball cricket taking 36 wickets at an average of just over 20, helping Lancashire to finish second in the County Championship. (ANI)

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Australian judge reinstates tennis star Djokovic’s visa

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Tennis star Novak Djokovic won a court battle on Monday to stay in Australia to play the Australian Open despite not being vaccinated against CIOVID-19, but the government threatened to cancel her visa an second time.

Federal Circuit Court Judge Anthony Kelly reinstated Djokovic’s visa, which was canceled after his arrival last week because authorities ruled he did not meet the criteria for exemption from a requirement. entry that all non-citizens should be fully immunized. The judge also ordered the government to release Djokovic within 30 minutes from a quarantine hotel in Melbourne where he has spent the last four nights.

Government attorney Christopher Tran told the judge after the ruling that Immigration, Citizenship, Migrant Services and Multicultural Affairs Minister Alex Hawke “will consider whether to exercise personal power to cancelation”. That would mean Djokovic could again be sent off and miss the Australian Open, which starts on January 17.

Kelly said the threat of another visa cancellation meant “the stakes are now up rather than down.” “If this man is to be summarily deported following a personal exercise of the power of annulment, he cannot return to this country for three years, am I right about that?” Kelly asked lawyers for Home Secretary Karen Andrews, under whose authority Djokovic’s visa had previously been canceled.

Tran and his colleague Naomi Wootten have confirmed that Djokovic will be banned from Australia for three years.

The government canceled the visa of Djokovic, 34, shortly after arriving in Melbourne on Wednesday night to play at the Australian Open.

There was a public backlash to the announcement that Djokovic, who previously refused to disclose his vaccination status, would participate in Melbourne because Australians not vaccinated or inoculated with vaccines not recognized by Australian medical authorities face travel difficult. and quarantine restrictions. Court documents say he is not vaccinated.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s Conservative government is seeking re-election to a fourth three-year term in elections slated for May.

While his government has been widely praised for bringing the country’s COVID-19 death toll under control at the start of the pandemic, cases of omicron have increased rapidly. He has been criticized for the shortage of rapid antigenic tests and for refusing to make the tests available to everyone for free.

He sought to blame the controversy on Tennis Australia, which hosts the Australian Open.

Djokovic has been in safe custody in quarantine at the hotel since Thursday, when his visa was canceled.

He appealed the annulment at the virtual court hearing on Monday amid growing public debate over the positive coronavirus test that his lawyers have used as grounds for seeking medical exemption from the strict vaccination rules of the ‘Australia. Djokovic argued that he did not need proof of vaccination because he had proof that he had been infected with the coronavirus last month.

Australian medical authorities have decided that a temporary exemption from the vaccination rule can be granted to people infected with COVID-19 within six months.

Judge Kelly noted that Djokovic had provided Melbourne airport officials with a medical exemption granted to him by Tennis Australia and two medical panels.

“The point I’m a little agitated about is what more could this man have done?” Kelly asked Djokovic’s attorney, Nick Wood.

Wood agreed with the judge that Djokovic couldn’t have done more.

Transcripts of Djokovic’s interview with border officials and his own affidavit revealed a “repeated appeal to the officers with whom he dealt that to his knowledge, without question, he had done absolutely everything he believed was necessary so he can enter Australia, “Wood says.

Djokovic’s lawyers presented 11 grounds for appeal against the cancellation of his visa. Lawyers called the cancellation “seriously illogical”, irrational and legally unreasonable. Lawyers for Home Secretary Andrews said in their brief that the vaccination requirement could only be deferred for arriving travelers who have had a COVID-19 infection if their illness is acute.

“There is no indication that the plaintiff (Djokovic) suffered from a serious and acute illness in December” when he tested positive, according to the written submission.

Andrews ‘lawyers ultimately admitted that the authorities’ decision to interview Djokovic in the early hours of Thursday and cancel his visa before he could contact Tennis Australia or his lawyers was unreasonable under the circumstances.

Djokovic was informed at 5:20 a.m. on Thursday that he had until 8:30 a.m. to respond to a notice of intention to cancel his visa. His comments were requested instead at 6:14 a.m.

The decision to cancel his visa was taken a little over an hour later.

Judge Kelly said if Djokovic had had until 8:30 a.m. he could have consulted others about the decision.

Neither Ministers Andrews nor Hawke immediately responded to requests for comment.

The virtual audience crashed multiple times due to an overwhelming number of people around the world trying to watch the proceedings.

At one point, an expired forensic link was apparently hacked and disseminated pornography, The New Daily News website reported.

Djokovic is a nine-time Australian Open champion. He is the defending champion and has won the last three titles at Melbourne Park.

Djokovic has 20 Grand Slam singles titles, a men’s record he shares with Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal.

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India ‘ready’ for 2022 AFC Women’s Asian Cup

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The 2022 AFC Women’s Asian Cup India Local Organizing Committee (LOC) has expressed readiness to host the renowned Asian Women’s National Team competition which begins in 10 days. Indian Football Association (AIFF) and LOC President Praful Patel shared preparations for the tournament until matchday one on January 20, 2022.

“All the facilities that will be used for the prestigious AFC India Women’s Asian Cup 2022 ™ are ready. Special care has been taken to ensure that the best female footballers in Asia have world-class infrastructure at all three venues as well as at the training venues, “Praful Patel said in a statement. all venues have been significantly upgraded to support modern football. Other facilities including changing rooms, media stands, broadcast complexes and reception areas have been renovated. In Pune, new projectors with LED panels have been installed. And now we can’t wait for the teams to come to India and play their best game, “he added.

The 2022 AFC India Women’s Asian Cup will be played in three stadiums at DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai, Mumbai Football Arena in Mumbai and Shri Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex in Pune with the three training venues and facilities. renovated. In Pune, new training facilities were reconstructed for the 2022 AFC Women’s Asian Cup in India, while the pitch at the Shri Shiv Chhatrapati sports complex was modernized and new floodlights installed.

Two additional training grounds were also built to host the tournament. Apart from this, the team changing rooms, reception areas and the media stand have been modernized. DY Patil Stadium, venue of the final on February 6, saw its floodlights refurbished while the pitch was modernized to meet international standards.

Meanwhile, the Navi Mumbai Sports Association (NMSA) training ground and the Yashwant Rao Chavan field in Navi Mumbai have redeveloped their teams’ changing rooms and both training grounds have been upgraded with new and improved facilities. modern. In addition, two training grounds were built at the CIDCO Center of Excellence in Navi Mumbai – bringing the number of training grounds to six for the tournament teams.

The pitch at Mumbai Football Arena, home to six matches, has also been upgraded, along with the changing rooms, reception area, referee rooms and media stand, further underlining the LOC’s commitment to providing teams the best facilities. Asia’s top 12 teams will face off for top centerpiece honors, with the top five joining Australia, co-hosts of the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup, in the world final. (ANI)

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Soccer-Cavallo denounces homophobic abuse in A-League game

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Adelaide United’s Josh Cavallo on Sunday denounced homophobic abuse against him in a draw against Melbourne Victory in the A-League, saying he had “no words” to describe his disappointment.

Cavallo became the first active A-League player to come out https://www.reuters.com/lifestyle/sports/cavallo-becomes-first-active-a-league-player-come-out-gay-2021- 10-27 as gay in October, enjoying the support of professional colleagues around the world. “I’m not going to pretend I didn’t see or hear the homophobic abuse in last night’s game,” Cavallo said on Instagram. “There are no words to tell you how disappointed I was.

“It shouldn’t be okay and we need to do more to empower people. I will never apologize for living my truth and more recently who I am outside of football.”

Cavallo also urged Instagram, the social media platform owned by Meta Platforms Inc, to step up its efforts to tackle online abuse. “For Instagram, I don’t want a child or an adult to have to receive the hateful and hurtful messages that I have received,” Cavallo said.

“I really knew who I am that I was going to stumble upon this. It’s a sad reality that your platforms aren’t doing enough to stop these messages.” Adelaide and Victory released statements condemning the abuse suffered by Cavallo, saying they were working with Australian professional leagues to investigate the incident.

“Adelaide United are proud to be an inclusive and diverse football club, and to see one of our players experiencing homophobic abuse is disappointing and upsetting,” the club said https://adelaideunited.com.au/news / adelaide-united- condemns-the-homophobic-abuse-of-josh-cavallo. “We will continue to work with the Australian professional leagues and Melbourne Victory to identify perpetrators and prosecute them accordingly.”

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Djokovic prepares Australian visa challenge as COVID vaccine fury mounts

By Sports games

World tennis number one Novak Djokovic lay low on his third day in detention for Australian immigrants on Saturday, joined by Czech player Renata Voracova as a blame game between Australian authorities over the handling of exemptions from COVID-19 vaccine has gained momentum. The Serbian superstar, a virulent opponent of the vaccine warrants who came to Australia in the hope of winning his 21st Grand Slam at the Australian Open, has been locked up since Thursday in a modest hotel in Melbourne after his visa was canceled. due to medical exemption issues. .

His lawyers are preparing a legal challenge to the cancellation of his visa, which is due to go to a hearing in federal court on Monday, and have until Saturday evening local time to file a summary of their case. But other than a short Instagram post thanking fans for their support, Djokovic, one of the richest athletes in the world, has made no public appearances or comments since entering the Park Hotel, which is also home to dozens. asylum seekers trying to enter the country. .

The Australian newspaper reported that Djokovic requested access to his boss and a tennis court while in detention, but his request was denied. Groups of anti-vaccine protesters, Djokovic supporters and refugee advocates formed an unusual alliance outside the hotel, which was under police surveillance. As the Australian Border Force has said it has canceled several other visas of people involved in the tournament, including those from Voracova, the federal and Victorian state governments, and Tennis Australia has denied any responsibility in the dispute, which has been condemned by the Serbian government.

After News Corp newspapers published a document from Tennis Australia apparently advising players on how to enter the country with a medical exemption from vaccination, the organizing body said it never knowingly induced the players in error and had always urged players to get vaccinated. “We have always been consistent in our communications with players that vaccination is the best course of action – not only as the right thing to do to protect yourself and others, but also as the best course of action to protect yourself and others. make sure they could get to Australia, “Tennis Australia said in a statement quoted by local media.

“We completely reject the fact that the group of players was knowingly misled.” Tennis Australia’s advice was based on content from a federal government website to which it had been referred by the Federal Minister of Health, the statement added.

Tennis Australia did not respond to Reuters requests for comment. The group’s fact sheet, as published by News Corp, said players could enter the country with a “overseas medical exemption” that had been “reviewed by an Australian doctor” and then entered into a base. central data.

The document was distributed to players last month, News Corp. reported. But the federal government released a letter showing it wrote to Tennis Australia in November, saying a previous infection with COVID-19 was not necessarily grounds for exemption in Australia, as it has elsewhere. . Tennis Australia CEO Craig Tiley has defended the organization’s actions, according to a video released on Saturday.

In an address to Tennis Australia staff, uploaded to News Corp websites, Tiley said he would tell the whole story of the saga, but was forced because Djokovic was challenging his visa cancellation in front of the tribunal. “We would like to share all the information with you, and we will,” he said in the video.

“We have chosen at this point not to be very public with this and simply because there is an ongoing lawsuit related to entering Australia. Once this has run its course we can share more. “There is a lot of finger pointing and blaming but I can assure you that our team did an amazing job and did everything they could according to all the instructions given to them.”

Djokovic, 34, has not disclosed the reasons for his exemption and has consistently refused to disclose his vaccination status. Vaccines are not required in Australia but are required for certain activities.

(This story was not edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

Football goal ‘scored’ by deceased player in coffin thrills fans

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A deceased Chilean footballer is being celebrated around the world after his former teammates arranged for him to score a goal from his coffin in tribute to his striking prowess. Jaime Escandar died in the dying days of 2021, but his friends at Chilean team Aparicion de Paine wanted to celebrate the striker’s life.

They placed his coffin in the six-yard box and a teammate sent the ball into the coffin to bounce back into the goal. Dozens of spectators cheered enthusiastically as the ball hit the net. Some fired fireworks as friends in Aparicion’s green shirts knelt and hugged the coffin draped in the team’s colors.

Although little is known about the man, the video shot on January 3 in Huelquen, a suburb of Santiago, quickly went viral with sites across Latin America highlighting the passion and dedication that proof the fans. “He brought us together,” said Felipe Orellana, who filmed the happy scene. “What he leaves us with is this unity… We didn’t think (the video) would be shared around the world because he was just a regular guy.

“A very different goal, which was celebrated with pity and tears,” Escandar’s club said in a Facebook post, adding that the center-forward “celebrated from the sky with all his soul.” “Your heritage will never be forgotten.” (Written by Andrew Downie; edited by Ken Ferris)

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2,155 cadets participating in the CCN Republic day camp: DG

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A total of 2,155 cadets from across the country were attending the National Cadet Corps (NCC) Republic Day Camp, its executive director, Lt. Gen. Gurbirpal Singh said on Friday.

The camp started in Delhi on January 4 and will end on January 28.

Speaking at a press conference, Singh said the NCC was continuing training activities even during the testing period of the COVID-19 pandemic. Numerous trainings were provided online and via digital platforms. Once the restrictions were relaxed, physical camps and hands-on training activities resumed, ”he said.

The Republic Day Camp cadets were selected after several rounds of rigorous selections, he noted.

“Cadets participate in a number of activities, which will culminate with the gathering of Prime Minister Narendra Modi,” he said.

The camp saw 2,155 cadets from all states and union territories, he noted.

Singh applauded the achievements of NCC cadets in various athletic competitions.

He mentioned that the NCC cadets have won four gold, four silver and two bronze at the 2021 GV Mavlankar Shooting Championship. PTI DSP SMN SMN

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Guardiola, Tuchel and Mancini in contention for FIFA best coach award

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Manchester City’s Pep Guardiola has been joined by the coach who beat him in the 2021 Champions League final, Chelsea’s Thomas Tuchel, on the FIFA shortlist to be named the world’s best.

Guardiola won his third Premier League title at Man City last season, although the European title slipped away from the club.

The shortlist of three candidates for the FIFA Coaching Award in men’s football was completed by Roberto Mancini, who led Italy to the title of European champion.

European dominance has been confirmed in FIFA’s shortlist for the Women’s Football Coach Award.

Champions League winner Lluis Cortes of Barcelona was joined by defeated finalist Emma Hayes of Chelsea and Sarina Wiegman, who left Euro 2017 winners Netherlands after the Tokyo Olympics, to take over in England.

Bev Priestman, the English coach of Olympic gold medalist Canada, was not on the shortlist.

The vote went to national team coaches and captains around the world, specialist media and fans who made their choices on the FIFA website.

FIFA will announce the winners on January 17 in an online ceremony from its headquarters in Zurich.

The three-player presets for men and women will be announced on Friday.

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Manchester City COVID outbreak; 4 Serie A matches postponed

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A coronavirus outbreak in Manchester City has put manager Pep Guardiola and seven players in isolation while four Serie A teams were quarantined and unable to play games on Thursday.

City have indicated that they still plan to play their FA Cup game on Friday against Swindon with assistant coach Rodolfo Borrell after Guardiola tested positive.

The English Premier League champions have said Guardiola was among the 14 backroom staff and the seven first-team players ‘isolating themselves for COVID-related reasons’. Unvaccinated close contact of an infected person is also expected to isolate in England, but details have not been provided.

Burnley manager Sean Dyche has tested positive and will miss the team’s FA Cup game this weekend against Huddersfield.

Burnley has played the fewest Premier League games after three of their games were canceled due to outbreaks in opposing teams and another due to snow.

ITALY At least four of the 10 Serie A matches scheduled for Thursday will not be played after local health officials ordered teams to quarantine amid rising coronavirus cases.

Inter Milan showed up at the Dall’Ara stadium in Bologna for their game despite knowing it would not be played as the host team had eight players who tested positive.

There is a lot of confusion. We are facing abnormal situations, ”said Inter CEO Giuseppe Marotta. “ We have had matches postponed and positions taken by ASls (local health authorities), who decide on their own, which is why we are seeing strange things. For example, Verona will play Spezia with 11 positives, while other teams have been arrested with a lower number of positives. ” The quarantine orders came from authorities in Bologna, Turin, Udine and Salerno.

Torino has six positive players plus two staff members, preventing him from playing at Atalanta. Udinese were to play against Fiorentina but have seven positive players as well as two staff members. Salernitana, which was to host Venezia, has nine players and two positive staff members.

Napoli’s game at Juventus is still expected to go ahead despite Napoli reporting seven positive players and three staff, including manager Luciano Spalletti.

The league said if the teams have 13 players available, including at least one goalie, then they should play. In total, more than 70 players in the league are positive.

League officials met on Wednesday night and decided all games still have to be played. None of the matches were therefore officially postponed. This means that teams like Inter, Atalanta, Fiorentina and Venezia could still show up for games they know won’t be played. Then authorities will likely go through a lengthy legal process to decide on the status of the affected games and whether they should be postponed to a later date.

Thursday’s matches mark the return of Serie A after a two-week hiatus. Another full 10-game roster is slated for Sunday.

Thursday is a national holiday in Italy, Epiphany.

Stadium capacities have been reduced from 75% to 50% following a government decree aimed at tackling the latest epidemic, and spectators must now wear FFP2 masks.

FRANCE The French championship match between reigning champions Lille and Lorient scheduled for Saturday has been postponed due to a high number of positive tests in the Lorient workforce.

The league did not specify how many Lorient players have COVID-19 but the website of the sports daily L’Equipe indicated that it was 12.

A new date for the game has not been set. AP KHS KHS

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New Delhi World Book Fair 2022 postponed amid Covid restrictions

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The 30th edition of the New Delhi World Book Fair (NDWBF), which was scheduled to be held in Pragati Maidan from January 8 to 16, has been postponed in view of the latest DDMA guidelines imposed following the increase in Covid cases induced by the young. -dissemination of the Omicron variant, organizers said in a statement.

New dates for NDWBF, held online last year due to the Covid pandemic, will be announced separately, he said.

First held in 1972, the NDWBF planned to celebrate its Golden Jubilee with a photo exhibition this year.

Given the latest DDMA guidelines and requests from various stakeholders, NDWBF 2022 has been postponed. The new dates will be announced separately, ” the National Book Trust (NBT), the event’s organizer, said in the statement.

To contain the spread of Covid, the Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) decided on Tuesday to impose a weekend curfew in the city. The curfew will be in effect between 10 p.m. on Friday and 5 a.m. on Monday.

Big publishing houses like Penguin Random House India (PRHI) and Bloomsbury, which were not attending the next book fair anyway, welcomed the decision of the organizers to postpone the book fair in the current scenario.

While Krishna Naroor, Vice President (Sales and Marketing), Bloomsbury India, said they can foresee the postponement decision amid the current Covid situation; Nandan Jha, Senior Vice President (Sales and Products), PRHI praised NBT’s “timely and prudent” decision to postpone the event, keeping current developments in mind.

“We had discussed in detail when the trade show participation announcement came out last year and made the conscious decision not to participate as we did not know how things were going to play out in this Covid situation,” said Naroor at PTI.

” The NDWF is a great opportunity for publishers to showcase their publications, and it’s a good time to engage with clients in general … so yes if it’s happening three or four months down the road and we see a sense of normalcy coming back, we too could participate, ” he added.

That said, the announcement of the postponement of the fair came as a “bit of a disappointment” for several small publishing houses, like Garuda Prakashan, which had a slew of book launches and more than half a dozen. author events planned for the fair.

We were a bit disappointed with the postponement of the book fair, as things were looking better after a hiatus of over a year. We are always passionate about such physical events and we had aligned several events with our authors during this show. However, we have to take it in our wake, because ultimately the health of our readers and everyone involved in the organization of the fair is more important. We hope that when things get back to normal we will come back big, ”said Ankur Pathak, Director and COO of Garuda Prakashan.

The theme of this year’s festival was “Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav”, commemorating 75 years of Indian independence. Numerous literary and cultural programs, including a special children’s corner, a yuva corner, seminars, debates, workshops, have been organized with France as the guest country.

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NIS Patiala reports 4 positive COVID cases

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The third wave of the COVID-19 pandemic hit the National Sports Institute (NIS), Patiala, the elite center Thursday reporting four positive cases inside its campus.

The positive cases were confirmed following 170 RT-PCR tests performed on athletes and coaches residing inside the campus.

The cases include three junior athletes and a coach.

RT-PCR tests for 170 athletes and coaches were performed at NSNIS Patiala on Tuesday as part of the SAI COVID SOP. The results revealed that three junior athletes and a coach tested positive for COVID, ” the Sports Authority of India (SAI) said in a statement.

“All four are symptomatic and have been isolated according to SOPs.” “There are no positive cases among the national campers and their training continues unimpeded inside a bio-bubble.” An SAI official also said that elite athletes are in a completely different bio-bubble and have no connection with junior athletes or the outside world.

The official revealed that in addition to athletes, NIS Patiala has also reported positive cases among a few students in its college classes, but they go off campus and have no connection to its campers.

The four, who came back positive, will be retested after 10 days according to guidelines issued by the government of Punjab.

We know there have been a few cases among those who attend our college classes, but they all stay off campus. As soon as we learned about them, we stopped physical classes three days ago and switched to online mode, ”the manager told PTI.

Athletics and boxing are the two important disciplines whose national camps are held at NIS, Patiala.

During the second wave of last March, 26 athletes and support staff from all disciplines tested positive for COVID-19 after around 380 campers were tested for the dreaded NIS Patiala infection .

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Tennis-Djokovic blocked at the airport, the Serbian president requests the entry of Australia

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Novak Djokovic was stranded at a Melbourne airport overnight, caught in an international political maelstrom over whether Australia would honor the world’s number 1 medical exemption https://www.reuters.com/lifestyle/sports/djokovic -will-defend-australian -open-title-after-exemption-vaccination-2022-01-04 from the vaccine requirements or send him home due to a visa error.

Djokovic, who is aiming for a record-breaking 21st Grand Slam victory at the Australian Open, landed at Melbourne’s Tullamarine Airport at around 11:30 p.m. local time on Wednesday after a 14-hour flight from Dubai. But he was still awaiting clearance early Thursday morning to enter the country after it emerged his team had applied for a visa that does not allow medical exemptions.

This prompted the local government in Victoria, the state where the Open is played, to say it would not support Djokovic’s candidacy, putting his fate in the hands of the federal government and Prime Minister Scott Morrison. The extraordinary decision by the Australian government to bar Djokovic from entering the country due to an error on his visa form threatened to spark a diplomatic incident between Canberra and Belgrade.

“I just finished my phone conversation with Novak Djokovic,” Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic posted on Instagram. “I told our Novak that all of Serbia is with him and that our bodies are doing everything to stop the harassment of the best tennis player in the world immediately.” According to all standards of international law, Serbia fight for Novak , truth and justice. Novak is strong, as we all know. “

Vucic had summoned the Australian ambassador to Belgrade and demanded that they immediately release Djokovic to play, Serbian media reported. Djokovic’s father, Srdjan, said his son waited alone in an airport room under armed guard for the final decision on whether he could enter the country.

“I have no idea what’s going on, they’ve kept my son captive for five hours now,” Srdjan told Serbian online version of Sputnik. “If they don’t let him go in half an hour, we’ll rally in the streets, it’s a battle for everyone.” “This isn’t the most usual Down Under trip,” coach Goran Ivanisevic commented alongside an Instagram selfie https://www.instagram.com/p/CYW3ffmsQJZ from the airport lounge , accompanied by breathtaking emojis.

Morrison faced huge backlash https://www.reuters.com/lifestyle/sports/tennis-reaction-djokovic-medical-exemption-play-australian-open-2022-01-05 over his government’s decision to ‘grant Djokovic a medical exam exemption from vaccination to play at the Open, leading to a clash between the Prime Minister’s Conservative administration and the left-wing Victorian government led by Prime Minister Dan Andrews. Australia, particularly the state of Victoria, has suffered the longest cumulative lockdown in the world and an outbreak of the Omicron variant has sent the number of cases to record levels.

After the backlash, Morrison suggested that Djokovic’s involvement was not a done deal and that he should satisfy the federal government, which is responsible for international borders and visas and was not part of the exemption process. Morrison said shortly before Djokovic’s arrival that there would be “no special rules” for him regarding his exemption.

“If that evidence is insufficient, then he will not be treated any differently from the others and he will be on the next plane back,” Morrison said at a press conference earlier. VISA BUNGLE

Djokovic arrived on an Emirates flight, but when border officials reached out to the Victorian government to ask if the state would officially support the world’s number one visa, he said no. “The federal government has asked if we will support Novak Djokovic’s visa application to enter Australia,” Victoria Acting Sports Minister Jaala Pulford said.

“We will not be providing Novak Djokovic with individual assistance with visa applications to participate in the 2022 Grand Slam Australian Open.” We have always been clear on two points: Visa approvals are the responsibility of the government federal, and medical exemptions are the responsibility of physicians. “

It was not clear whether the federal government would allow its entry. The Border Force did not respond to a request for comment. Tennis Australia and government officials intervened quickly to point out that Djokovic had not received any preferential treatment.

ALSO ANGRY The Serb, who previously refused to disclose his vaccination status, has won nine titles at Melbourne Park, including the last three. He confirmed on Tuesday that he had received a vaccination exemption to allow him to play at the Australian Open, which begins on January 17.

Great Australian tennis player Rod Laver, who gave his name to the main showcourt at Melbourne Park in Victoria, has warned that Djokovic could face hostility from the local crowd. “I think it could get ugly,” Laver told News Corp. “I think the Victorian people would think, ‘Yes, I would love to see him play and compete, but at the same time, there is a good and a bad way.’

“Yeah, you’re a great player and you’ve played and won so many tournaments, so it can’t be physical. So what’s the problem ? Melbourne local Christine Wharton said it was a “disgrace”.

“We all did the right thing, we all went out and had our jabs and our boosters, and we have someone coming from overseas and all of a sudden he was exempt and can play. , and I think that’s an absolute shame and I won’t look at it. “

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Soccer-Lukaku’s critical comments “are unintentional”, says Chelsea boss Tuchel

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Comments by Chelsea striker Romelu Lukaku that he was not happy with manager Thomas Tuchel’s system were “unintentional,” Tuchel said on Tuesday, adding that the player had apologized and resumed the coaching.

The Belgium international, 28, was left out https://www.reuters.com/lifestyle/sports/chelseas-lukaku-omitted-squad-face-liverpool-reports-2022-01-02 from the team for the 2-2 draw https://www.reuters.com/lifestyle/sports/chelsea-battle-back-draw-2-2-with-liverpool-2022-01-02 against Liverpool this weekend after saying to Sky Italy that he was not happy with the “situation” at Chelsea and would like to return to Italy in the future. “We gave him time to look back calmly. He apologized and is back with the squad for today’s practice,” Tuchel told reporters ahead of the semi-final first leg of the League Cup Wednesday at home against Tottenham Hotspur.

“For me, the most important thing was to understand – and to understand clearly – that it was not intentional. He did not do this intentionally to create that kind of noise in front of a big game.” In a video posted to the club’s website, Lukaku said he was sorry for the upheaval he caused.

“You know the connection that I have had with this club, since I was a teenager, so you know, I fully understand that you are upset,” he said. “Obviously it’s up to me now to restore your confidence and I’ll do my best to show my commitment every day on the training ground to make sure we win games… and also the manager to my teammates and the board because I don’t think it was a good time either. “

Lukaku signed for Chelsea from Inter Milan in the season finale for a record £ 97.5million ($ 131.83million). “He’s an emotional guy, he’s not holding back his opinion. It created a noise that you don’t want, but there is no doubt about his commitment to the team,” Tuchel added.

Fearing a reaction from the fans following Lukaku’s remarks, Tuchel said it was the player’s responsibility to “clean up the mess” but added that the club would take care of him. “Well he’s very aware of what happened and what he’s created but he can handle it… we’re happy he’s our player and we’ll protect him. strongly disagree, this is the team with everything we do, said the German.

Center-back Trevoh Chalobah will miss the game against Spurs after suffering a hamstring injury on Sunday, while defender Andreas Christensen and forward Timo Werner are both uncertain.

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Soccer-Everton signs Rangers right-back Patterson

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Everton have signed a contract with Rangers right-back Nathan Patterson until June 2027, the Premier League club announced on Tuesday. The Merseyside club did not disclose the fees for the 20-year-old Scotland international, but UK media reported the deal was in the order of £ 16million ($ 21.64million).

“It was an easy choice to sign. It’s a huge club with a huge history and the fan base is huge,” Patterson told Everton website https://www.evertonfc.com/news/ 2439782. “Obviously we’re not where we want to be right now, but we can certainly get there with the talent of the dressing room and the staff here, and I’m confident we can do it.”

Patterson joined the Rangers academy at the age of eight and made his senior debut in January 2020, leading them to the Scottish Premiership title last season while remaining undefeated. The youngster is Everton’s second signing https://www.reuters.com/article/soccer-england-eve-idUKKBN2JB18O from the January transfer window after the arrival of Ukrainian left-back Vitaliy Mykolenko from Dynamo Kiev last week.

Everton, 15th in the league table with 19 points from 18 games, travel to Hull City in the FA Cup third round on Saturday. ($ 1 = 0.7395 pounds)

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Monaco recruits Club Brugge coach Clément to replace Kovac

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Monaco have appointed coach Philippe Clément for a 2.5-year contract after sacking Niko Kovac during the mid-season break.

The 2017 French champion said on his website that Clément, 47, had signed until June 2024 from Belgian club Bruges.

“His ability to get the best out of young and talented teams while achieving higher and higher goals throughout his career, makes him the ideal person (to) bring Monaco back into the elite of French football and into the world. European scene, “said Monaco Vice President Oleg Petrov said.

Clément has played 333 matches and scored 45 goals, as a defender of Club Brugge. He took the helm in June 2019 and won two Belgian league titles to make it three in a row, having won with Genk the previous season.

“Thank you coach and good luck! Bruges said on his Twitter account. Kovac was told he was substituted on Thursday as the club were sixth in the league after 19 games, after a third place last season.

The coach of the reserve team Stéphane Nado took the lead of Monaco on Sunday for a victory in the Coupe de France in Quevilly-Rouen, second division, while the vice-champion of last season reached the last 16.

Monaco started badly with a victory in six league matches, against the promoted Troyes. Monaco also failed to reach the Champions League, losing in the playoffs to Shakhtar Donetsk 3-2 on aggregate.

Monaco hired Kovac after sacking Roberto Moreno in June 2020, citing the success of the former Croatian midfielder as he coached Bayern Munich, Eintracht Frankfurt and his own national team.

Although he led Bayern to a league and cup double in 2019, he was sacked in November of the same year.

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Latest positives from Soccer-Torres and Pedri in the COVID epidemic in Barcelona

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Barcelona players Ferran Torres and Pedri tested positive for COVID-19 on Monday, the latest cases confirmed by the club after an outbreak on the La Liga side. “First team players Pedri and Ferran Torres have tested positive for COVID-19. The players are in good health and are self-isolating at home. The club have reported the cases to the appropriate authorities,” said Barcelona on its website on Monday.

The Catalans beat Mallorca 1-0 in the league on Sunday in a match where they were missing 14 players, including eight due to COVID-19: Sergino Dest, Philippe Coutinho, Ez Abde, Jordi Alba, Alex Balde, Ousmane Dembele, Gavi and Dani Alves. Samuel Umtiti and Clément Lenglet also tested positive during the week but were cleared after their last test came back negative on Sunday morning.

La Liga confirmed at least 90 cases of COVID-19 among players and coaching staff last week as Spain has registered 372,000 new cases of coronavirus since Thursday. Barcelona will play for Linares’ third division squad in the Spanish Cup round of 16 on Wednesday and return to La Liga in Granada on Saturday.

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Spain and Poland win 2nd straight ATP Cup match

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Spain and Poland remained perfect in the ATP Cup with wins 3-0 in their matches on Monday, their second consecutive wins in the team event.

Robert Bautista Agut won the match for Spain by beating Norway’s Casper Ruud 6-4, 7-6 (4) after Pablo Carreno Busta defeated Viktor Durasovic 6-3, 6-3.

Bautista Agut improved to 9-2 in singles in the team event.

“Casper plays amazing tennis, (he did) an amazing performance last year, and today I played really well,” said Bautista Agut in his on-field interview. “I came back very well, I made very few unforced errors and I played aggressively.” Kamil Majchrzak gave Poland the lead over Georgia with a 6-1, 6-1 win over Aleksandre Bakshi before Hubert Hurkacz won with a 6-7 (5), 6-3 win. , 6-1 over Aleksandre Metreveli.

“He (Metreveli) played well in the first set and things were not going my way. But I got better with each set and I’m happy to have taken the win,” said Hurkacz. Spain and Poland then won their doubles matches to bring the score to 3-0.

Poland can reserve a place in the semi-finals if they beat Argentina on Wednesday in their next group game.

Majchrzak only needed 53 minutes to beat Bakshi.

“I was trying to move (Bakshi) and I think that was the key to the game,” said Majchrzak, who is coached by former world seventh Joakim Nystrom.

“It gives me a lot of confidence and a lot of calm in my tennis so that I can feel I’m improving,” Majchrzak said of Nystrom on the ATP Tour website. “We’re working on (developing a game on all terrains) but in a way that doesn’t disrupt my basic game. We’ll take it from practice to games, but it takes time.” Greece face Argentina and Serbia face Chile in night games on Monday.

The four group winners of the 16-team tournament advance to the semi-finals on Friday and Saturday, with the winners meeting in the final on Sunday.

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Getting better with every game: FC Goa’s Derrick Pereira

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FC Goa head coach Derrick Pereira intends to put FC Goa back among the deadly squads as his side face Kerala Blasters FC in Game 46 of the ISL 2021-22 season on Sunday at Tilak Stadium Maidan of Goa. Pereira reflected on his team’s few past performances and urged his team to improve with every passing game. The new FC Goa coach also wants them to focus on their style of play against former Kerala Blasters FC on Sunday.

“Kerala Blasters FC are in good shape at the moment. We have improved our defensive organization since the last matches. After analyzing our last game, we had a better defensive organization and we gave very few chances and created a lot more chances. So it was an improvement over our previous game. We will adopt the same attitude to manage the offensive unit of the Kerala Blasters while focusing on an overall improvement in our performance, ”said Derrick Pereira on the ISL website. “Every team in this league is competitive and every game you face is a different game. Kerala have good attackers up front and are very well organized. We have to counter their style of play by focusing more on our game and also taking care of the little details, putting in a good performance and getting those three points, “he added.

The head coach added that the team are currently trying to get every player back in shape and hope to end the season on a high note. “We want to go back to our old selves where we play our style, where we dominate games and win games. There was a setback at the start of the season, there were other reasons like players getting injured, not not having enough time to recover, ”said the head coach.

“At the moment we are trying to get everyone in shape, to see that we have enough experience on the bench as well as in the XI. It’s an ongoing process and we are improving game by game,” he added. (ANI)

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Will bounce back from recent defeats: Chennaiyin FC’s Bozidar Bandovic

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Chennaiyin FC head coach Bozidar Bandovic was defiant in his side’s defense despite losing back to back in their last two Indian Super League games ahead of their clash against Jamshedpur FC on Sunday. The duel will have added spice after Chennaiyin FC signed Nerijus Valskis from Jamshedpur FC on Saturday, although the Lithuanian will miss the game due to quarantine requirements.

Speaking about new signing Nerijus Valskis, Bandovic said he was a player with “a good character”. “I’ve known Valskis for many years and of course right now we were looking for a foreigner because in the first half of the season we played with five foreigners. So we were looking for someone to score us goals. a good player, a good character, he knows the team. He was the best option we could have gone with. He comes with a quarantine for a day so from January 8th he will be ready and he will train with us from tomorrow. He needs the help of his teammates to adapt very quickly in the team. But he knows the championship and it is a very good option for us “, said Bozidar Bandovic during a pre-match press conference according to the ISL website.

The head coach said the team had made no decision on replacing goalkeeper Vishal Kaith and would give him another chance. “I think you have to wait until Sunday. Of course he made mistakes but we’ll decide later. Like I said mistakes will happen but you have to learn from them. As you see it happens. with many teams. These things need time and it cannot be done in a few days. I am thinking about it and we will see, “said the head coach.

“As a coach I don’t change the keeper. I always support the players but I also have to think about what is best for the team. If playing Debjit Majumder is the best for the team, I will. like no one above the squad. Everyone is doing their best, including Vishal. Everyone was pointing fingers at him when we lost the game, but there were other mistakes too “, he added. Bandovic further said the team are ready for their clash against Jamshedpur FC.

“Like every team, we have done our preparation. At the moment, it is difficult to play every 3-4 days. But our team is quite capable of it. We are going to recover and it is a strong team that is playing direct football, with high pressing and using the second balls, ”Bandovic said. “They are very good on set pieces and we have to take care of some players individually. We will be ready for tomorrow even if we have some problems. We will have to play with four foreigners but we will be ready,” he said. he adds. . (ANI)

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Soccer-Wanderers shock with Western United’s latest A-League postponement

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The Western Sydney Wanderers’ game against Western United on Saturday is the last A-League game to be postponed due to a COVID-19 outbreak, Australian professional leagues confirmed Thursday. Five of the six games scheduled for the next few days have now been postponed and there are doubts about the remaining game between Wellington Phoenix and Adelaide United after the New Zealand club said on Thursday that three members of the squad had tested positive .

A-Leagues commissioner Greg O’Rourke told the competition’s official website that reducing the number of regular season games was an option they were considering in order to complete the campaign by the end of May. . “At the moment we have the capacity to host more midweek matches, and we will work with (Football Australia) to play through the international windows of January and March if necessary,” he said.

“The other option we have is that the current 26 tag team matches could be reduced to 22 if necessary without affecting the integrity of the competition.” The 12 A-League teams face off twice before entering four more rounds where opponents are determined by toss.

“As for when we will end the men’s season, I’m pretty sure we can finish it by the end of May, using the options above, but we didn’t take the option of working with the FA around June off the table, ”he said.

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Soccer-Norwich condemns racist abuse after Palace loss

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Norwich City have condemned the racist abuse directed at players of both sides when they lost to Crystal Palace in the Premier League on Tuesday. The Norfolk club did not give the names of the players involved, but Norwich forward Adam Idah shared a series of racist messages he received on social media after the game at Selhurst Park that ended by a 3-0 loss https://www.reuters.com/ article / uk-soccer-england-cry-nor-report / soccer-edouard-inspires-palace-to-3-0-win-over-lowly- norwich-idUKKBN2J7150 for the Canaries.

“After our match at Crystal Palace, the club were disappointed to learn both of the racist comments online directed against some of our players, as well as the alleged racist comments in stadiums directed against opposing players by our supporters,” Norwich said in a statement https: //www.canaries.co.uk/content/club-statement-crystal-palace on Wednesday. “The club will continue to support affected players, while demanding action from social media companies to ensure users are held accountable … the club have also reported the incident to Norfolk Police.”

Norwich added that a person had been identified and that an investigation was underway following the comments targeting the Palace players. The loss at Palace heightened relegation concerns for Dean Smith’s side, who are bottom of the league with 10 points in 19 games – three drifting from Watford into the safe zone after playing two more games than the London team.

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Soccer-Tuchel says Chelsea still struggling with injuries, COVID

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Manager Thomas Tuchel has said Chelsea are yet to come out of the woods with a number of COVID-19 cases and team-draining injuries ahead of Wednesday’s Premier League home game against Brighton & Hove Albion. Tuchel was forced to give some players more minutes https://www.reuters.com/article/uk-soccer-england-ava-che-report-idUKKBN2J6050 than he should have against Aston Villa on Sunday, as Romelu Lukaku and Callum Hudson-Odoi returned after missing their last three games due to COVID-19.

Midfielders Jorginho and N’Golo Kante have struggled with injuries while Mateo Kovacic recently recovered from COVID-19. Kante came out in the 63rd minute of Villa clash after appearing to worsen a knee injury he sustained during their Champions League clash against Juventus in November.

The German told the club’s website https://www.chelseafc.com/en/news/2021/12/28/tuchel-on-latest-covid-impact- that he will speak to medics and physiotherapists about the club to find solutions for the Brighton Match, with injured midfielder Ruben Loftus-Cheek also suffering from COVID-19. “If you’re talking about the central midfielder, suppose N’Golo is out (against Brighton), maybe Ruben is out, so a positive test is enough for the thing to fall apart because then Kovacic will play 90 minutes again … and you risk injury, ”Tuchel said.

“That’s what we are doing right now. I don’t see how we got out of the COVID threat at the moment because it doesn’t look like it.” As many as 16 top English games have been postponed this month due to COVID-19 and injuries, with Everton’s home game against Newcastle United at the latest on Thursday.

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Esports giant Riot settles $ 100 million discrimination case

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Riot Games, publisher of esports giant League of Legends, agreed Monday night to pay $ 100 million to settle a class action lawsuit alleging pay disparity, gender discrimination and sexual harassment.

The lawsuit was filed in November 2018 after games website Kotaku published a story detailing a sexist culture at Los Angeles-based Riot Games that included women being ignored for promotions, unwanted sexual advances, and men. asking women about the legitimacy of their video game fandom. . Other former employees then made similar claims.

The California Fair Employment Department said the lawsuit would remedy violations against more than 1,000 female employees and 1,300 contract workers. Riot also agreed to improve conditions and provide a fairer workplace for employees and candidates.

“I am so happy that we have taken this first step towards justice for women at Riot Games,” former employee and plaintiff Jes Negron said in a statement.

“I hope this case serves as an example for other studios and an inspiration for women in the industry in general. Women in the game don’t have to endure iniquity and harassment in silence – change is possible. “League of Legends” is the world’s most popular esports and Riot Games operates its 12 professional international leagues. The publisher said in November that the player base for games in the “League of Legends” universe had exceeded 180 million players per month.

The complaint filed in November 2018 alleged violations of equal pay, gender discrimination, sexual harassment and retaliation against female employees. A $ 10 million settlement was reached in December 2019, but two California agencies – the Fair Employment and Housing and Labor Standards Enforcement departments – objected, saying it had been rushed.

A new lawyer was hired and just over two years later Monday’s deal was announced by Riot and the plaintiffs’ new lawyers.

Riot agreed to hire a third-party expert to conduct an equity analysis of its employment practices, granted pay transparency, and created a $ 6 million cash reserve to fund diversity, equity programs. and inclusion over the next three years, among other changes.

In a statement, Riot said the company “was at the heart of what has become an account in our industry” and that it “hasn’t always lived up to our values.” “While we are proud of how far we have come since 2018, we must also take responsibility for the past,” he said. We hope this rule properly recognizes those who have had negative experiences at Riot and demonstrates our desire to lead by example in bringing more accountability and equality to the games industry.

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COVID-19 Makes Biden’s First White House Christmas Less Merry

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Goodbye eggnog, shrimp cocktail and pet-shaped sugar cookies.

It has been a less cheerful holiday scene at the White House this year under the shadow of COVID-19. President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden have replaced the crowded parties and overflowing buffets of the past with open houses without food, face masks and testing for the unvaccinated.

Beyond the impact on Biden’s first Christmas in power, the virus and its variants have largely put kibosh on the entire White House social scene for 2021, starting with an inauguration that positioned flags instead of people on the National Mall.

“I think it was very hard for them,” said Philip Dufour, who was vice president Al Gore’s social secretary. He noted that many events did not take place as the President and the First Lady made others on Zoom.

Major social events removed from the calendar included the White House Ball for the country’s governors and the Easter Egg Roll, the second year in a row that the spring ritual has been canceled.

The Democratic president has yet to toast a foreign counterpart at a lavish state dinner at the White House because he has yet to invite a world leader for a state visit. In fact, months passed before Biden could welcome a foreign leader into the Oval Office for even more low-key discussions.

Still, the White House has been successful in hosting some events despite the pandemic, such as bill signing and Medal of Honor ceremonies. The Bidens have also hosted large receptions for Hanukkah and for artists recognized by the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.

But the pandemic’s biggest blow to the calendar came over Christmas, forcing the White House to overhaul its holiday entertainment – and cut the guest list.

“Anyone who knows the Bidens knows how much they love to organize and celebrate the holidays,” said Michael LaRosa, spokesperson for the first lady, announcing a limited number of open houses for guests at ooh and aah on Christmas trees and other decorations.

It is disappointing that we cannot accommodate as many people as the Bidens would like, but as we have done since day one of the Biden administration, we will continue to implement strong COVID protocols, developed in consulting with our public health advisers, “LaRosa said. In addition to fewer people passing by for open houses, thousands more couldn’t get a close look at how Jill Biden decorated the halls of the House White and the public rooms for the holidays because the public tours of the mansion remain on hold indefinitely.

“The White House is never as beautiful as it is at Christmas. It is simply stunning,” said Jeremy Bernard, who oversaw holiday decorating and event planning as Social Secretary to President Barack Obama. “It’s a shame more people can’t get through, but it’s the reality of being in a pandemic.” Partly to make up for the lack of access, photos and an interactive tour of the decorations were uploaded to the White House website, and the first lady tweeted a video of herself describing the decor and theme in each of the rooms and public spaces.

She rekindled the long tradition – which had slipped under the previous administration – of opening the Executive Mansion for the PBS series, “In Performance at the White House”. A holiday-themed episode aired Tuesday night with Andrea Bocelli, Billy Porter, Norah Jones, the Jonas Brothers and others performing in various venues in the White House. The first lady also recorded a children’s tour of the White House with characters from PBS KIDS.

Before the pandemic, presidents and first ladies spent many December evenings as Christmas approached to host nearly two dozen parties and receptions, sometimes two a day, where they stood in line for hours posing for photos with delighted guests. Eggnog and adult drinks flowed freely, revelers stacked plates with shrimp and cocktail sauce, and dessert tables offered cookies decorated in the image of the White House dogs – including some were slipped into purses and pockets for the return trip. All of that was deleted this year.

Instead, the Bidens invited groups of up to 100 people to open houses, giving them half an hour – instead of the usual two – to tour the decorations on the ground and public floors. There was no food or drink. There was also no photo taken with the Bidens, who did not attend.

Guests were required to certify their immunization status before showing up, wear a face mask at all times on White House grounds, and practice social distancing. Anyone who was not vaccinated had to show proof of a negative COVID-19 test taken within 48 hours of the event. The final open house took place this week.

Senator Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., Suggested on Twitter that the White House was guilty of hypocrisy with open houses and shouldn’t have held them at all.

“Biden’s White House decision to cancel their holiday party” and instead hold a holiday open house “following Democrats’ tendency to signal virtue while simultaneously creating loopholes for themselves “Blackburn said in a written statement.

Jennifer Pickens, an event planner who wrote a book about Christmas at the White House, said holiday traditions can bring comfort and a sense of normalcy, and argued that the White House should continue to host celebrations. visitors during the pandemic.

Events “can be on a smaller scale and take place safely, but they must continue,” she said in an email. Pickens said the White House is the People’s House, “so the people should be there.” the former Baltimore health commissioner said the open houses seemed safe given the security measures required by the White House and the lack of food and drink.

“It’s exactly the right thing to do,” Wen said.

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Biden’s first Christmas at the White House clouded by pandemic

By Sports games

Goodbye eggnog, shrimp cocktail and pet-shaped sugar cookies.

The White House vacation scene has been darker this year under the shadow of COVID-19. President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden have replaced the crowded parties and overflowing buffets of the past with open houses without food, face masks and testing for the unvaccinated.

Beyond the impact on Biden’s first Christmas in power, the virus and its variants have largely put kibosh on the entire White House social scene for 2021, starting with an inauguration that positioned flags instead of people on the National Mall.

“I think it was very hard for them,” said Philip Dufour, who was vice president Al Gore’s social secretary. He noted that many events did not take place as the President and the First Lady made others on Zoom.

Major social events removed from the calendar included the White House Ball for the country’s governors and the Easter Egg Roll, the second year in a row that the spring ritual has been canceled.

The Democratic president has yet to toast a foreign counterpart at a lavish state dinner at the White House because he has yet to invite a world leader for a state visit. In fact, months passed before Biden could welcome a foreign leader into the Oval Office for even more low-key discussions.

Still, the White House has been successful in hosting some events despite the pandemic, such as bill signing and Medal of Honor ceremonies. The Bidens have also hosted large receptions for Hanukkah and for artists recognized by the John F Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.

But the pandemic’s biggest blow to the calendar came over Christmas, forcing the White House to overhaul its holiday entertainment – and cut the guest list.

“Anyone who knows the Bidens knows how much they love to organize and celebrate the holidays,” said Michael LaRosa, spokesperson for the first lady, announcing a limited number of open houses for guests at ooh and aah on the trees Christmas and other decorations.

It is disappointing that we cannot accommodate as many people as the Bidens would like, but as we have done since day one of the Biden administration, we will continue to implement strong COVID protocols, developed in consultation with our public health advisers, ” LaRosa said. In addition to fewer people passing by for open houses, thousands more couldn’t get a close look at how Jill Biden decorated the hallways and public rooms of the White House for the holidays because the public tours of the mansion remain undefined. .

The White House is never as beautiful as it is at Christmas. It’s just beautiful, ”said Jeremy Bernard, who oversaw holiday decorating and event planning as Social Secretary to President Barack Obama. “It’s a shame that more people can’t get through, but it’s the reality of being in a pandemic.” Partly to make up for the lack of access, photos and an interactive tour of the decorations were uploaded to the home’s White website, and the first lady tweeted a video of herself describing the decor and theme in each of the rooms and public spaces.

She rekindled the long tradition – which had expired under the previous administration – of opening the Executive Mansion for the PBS series, ” In Performance at the White House. A holiday-themed episode aired Tuesday night with Andrea Bocelli, Billy Porter, Norah Jones, the Jonas Brothers and others performing in various rooms of the White House. The first lady also recorded a children’s tour of the White House with characters from PBS KIDS.

Before the pandemic, presidents and first ladies spent many December evenings as Christmas approached to host nearly two dozen parties and receptions, sometimes two a day, where they stood in line for hours posing for photos with delighted guests. Eggnog and adult drinks flowed freely, revelers stacked plates with shrimp and cocktail sauce, and dessert tables offered cookies decorated in the image of the White House dogs – including some were slipped into purses and pockets for the return trip. All of that was deleted this year.

Instead, the Bidens invited groups of up to 100 people to open houses, giving them half an hour – instead of the usual two – to tour the decorations on the ground and public floors. There was no food or drink. There was also no photo taken with the Bidens, who did not attend.

Guests were required to certify their immunization status before showing up, wear a face mask at all times on White House grounds, and practice social distancing. Anyone who was not vaccinated had to show proof of a negative COVID-19 test taken within 48 hours of the event. The final open house took place this week.

Sen Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn, suggested on Twitter that the White House was guilty of hypocrisy with open houses and shouldn’t have held them at all.

“Biden’s White House decision to cancel their holiday party” and instead hold a holiday open house “following Democrats’ tendency to signal virtue while simultaneously creating loopholes for themselves “Blackburn said in a written statement.

Jennifer Pickens, an event planner who wrote a book about Christmas at the White House, said holiday traditions can bring comfort and a sense of normalcy, and argued that the White House should continue to host celebrations. visitors during the pandemic.

Events “can be on a smaller scale and take place safely, but they must continue,” she said in an email. Pickens said the White House is the People’s House, “so the people should be there.”

(This story was not edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

18 Indian referees selected for FIFA international list for 2022

By Sports games

No less than 18 Indian referees have been selected from FIFA’s international refereeing list for 2022, the Indian Football Federation announced on Thursday. The long list includes officials qualified to be referees and assistant referees, the Indian Football Association said in a statement posted on its website. List members are eligible to serve internationally and also have the right to wear a FIFA badge on their uniform for the year they are enlisted.

Selection for the annual list is made through nominations sent by FIFA member countries and officials are required to pass a fitness test.

Of the 18 Indians selected, four are women (two referees and two assistant referees) and 14 men (six referees and eight assistant referees). List of selected Indian officials: Male referees: Tejas Nagvenkar, Srikrishna Coimbatore Ramaswamy, Rowan Arumughan, Crystal John, Pranjal Banerjee, Venkatesh Ramachandran.

Assistant referees men: Sumanta Dutta, Antony Abraham, Tony Joseph Louis, Vairamuthu Parasuraman, Samar Pal, Kennedy Sapam, Arun Sasidharan Pillai, Asit Kumar Sarkar.

Female referees: Ranjita Devi Tekcham, Kanika Barman.

Women assistant referees: Uvena Fernandes, Riiohlang Dhar.

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Sports News Summary: Olympics-NHL advises players will not be able to participate in the Beijing Winter Games; Soccer-Chelsea, Liverpool and Tottenham reach League Cup semi-finals and more

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Here is a summary of current sports news.

Olympics-NHL says players will not be able to compete in Beijing Winter Games

The National Hockey League will not send its players to compete in the men’s ice hockey tournament at the Beijing Winter Olympics due to concerns about COVID-19, Commissioner Gary Bettman said on Wednesday as the league entered. in a hiatus following an outbreak of the Omicron variant.

“Unfortunately, given the profound disruption to the NHL’s regular season schedule caused by recent COVID-related events – 50 games have already been postponed until December 23 – Olympic participation is no longer possible,” said Bettman in a statement.

Soccer-Chelsea, Liverpool and Tottenham reach League Cup semi-finals

A well-changed Chelsea side with three teenage starters beat Brentford 2-0 on Wednesday to reach the League Cup semi-finals where they face London rivals Tottenham Hotspur. An own goal 10 minutes from Pontus Jansson’s time broke the deadlock in Brentford before a penalty from Jorginho sealed victory for Thomas Tuchel’s COVID team.

NBA summary: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander triple-double lifts Thunder

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s second career triple-double – 27 points, 12 assists and 11 rebounds – led the Oklahoma City Thunder host to a 108-94 victory over the Denver Nuggets on Wednesday. The Thunder have won three straight games, while the Nuggets have won three of their previous four games.

Football-Barcelona agree to sign Torres from Man City: BBC

Barcelona have reached a deal to sign Spain striker Ferran Torres from Premier League champions Manchester City for around € 55m ($ 62m), several British media have reported. Sky Sports and the BBC have both announced that Barca will pay City an additional € 10million for the 21-year-old Spain international.

Beijing Olympics organizers ‘regret’ withdrawal of NHL player

Beijing Olympics organizers expressed “regret” on Thursday after the National Hockey League said it would not allow its players to compete in the Winter Games due to the disruption in the league’s schedule. by the COVID-19 pandemic. Wednesday’s decision by the North American League, which agreed four months ago to let players travel to Beijing, means the Games will not see some of the best-known athletes face off in the Chinese capital of 4 to February 20.

China Expects COVID Cases Due to Games Arrivals, Reports Omicron Risk

Organizers of the Beijing Winter Olympics said Thursday they expected a “number” of COVID-19 cases in China due to foreigners arriving for the Games, and urged participants get vaccinated due to the spread of the Omicron variant. Officials also sought to allay concerns over participants’ health care caused by COVID as well as an accident last month during a luge training session at the Beijing site in which a Polish slider took suffered a serious injury to his leg.

Forensic pathologist: Vincent Jackson died of chronic alcohol consumption

Former NFL wide receiver Vincent Jackson died in February due to chronic alcohol use, the Hillsborough County, Florida, medical examiner said on Wednesday. The medical examiner ruled the death “natural”. Jackson, who was 38, was found dead in a hotel room in Brandon, Florida.

NBA Imposes COVID Recall on Media and Staff of Closest Players

Media and other in-person league staff working near teams and players on game day are under a new mandate from the NBA to receive the COVID-19 reminder by January 5. In a note to NBA executives and the League of Governors Board of Directors, Senior Vice President for Player Matters, David Weiss outlined the updated protocol. It applies to all non-player personnel eligible to receive a third dose of the COVID-19 vaccine as directed by the Centers for Disease Control.

Nets-Trail Blazers and Raptors-Bulls matches postponed due to player shortage

The Toronto Raptors game against the Chicago Bulls on Wednesday and the Brooklyn Nets game against the Portland Trail Blazers on Thursday have been postponed due to a shortage of players on visiting teams, the NBA said amid a rush. increase in COVID-19 cases. The NBA said on its website that the Nets had 10 players in health and safety protocols on Tuesday, with key players Kevin Durant, James Harden and Kyrie Irving among those on the roster.

Chinese ski simulator chain creates a buzz in winter sports

The announcement in 2015 that Beijing had won the 2022 Winter Olympics sparked an idea in the mind of Shanghai entrepreneur Ye Kai. This was achieved in 2018 when he opened a store focused on an indoor alpine simulator, essentially an oversized treadmill for training snowboarders and skiers. By teaming up with Austrian and Italian partners, he hoped to attract Chinese city dwellers looking for a taste of the slopes.

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Dutch bowler Shane Snater extends contract with Essex until 2023

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Dutch bowler Shane Snater has signed a new two-year contract with Essex County Cricket Club (ECCC), extending his stay with the team until 2023. After his first class debut in Essex against Worcestershire in April, Snater won 31 wickets in the county championship. at an average of 16.48.

“It was a special season for me after taking my place in the first team and I feel I was able to reward the faith shown with wickets and important runs with the bat,” Snater said in a statement according to the site. Essex Cricket Web. . “I can’t wait to see what the next two years have in store for me with both Essex and the Netherlands. I hope I can continue to play my role for the team so that we can strive to reclaim the county championship title and experience more white ball success, ”he added.

Snater played two ODIs and 13 T20Is for the Netherlands. He made his debut in August 2018 against Nepal and played his first T20I game in October 2019 against Bermuda. Essex head coach Anthony McGrath said: “Shane had to be patient for his opportunity with the amount of talent we have in our squad but he should be proud of the season he has had in an Essex jersey.

“We have always known the skills he could bring to the team and, although he missed part of the Royal London Cup with an injury, he has been one of our most consistent players. throughout the season, “he added. (ANI)

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PCB will offer a 100pc purse, a stipend for young cricketers

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The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) announced on Wednesday that it will offer a 100% scholarship and a stipend of PKR 30,000 per month to young cricketers under the age of 11, 14, 16 and 19. The 67th Pakistan Cricket Board Governing Council (BoG) meeting was held in Karachi on Tuesday.

Through strategic partnerships, the PCB will award 100 contracts to the most outstanding and brilliant cricketers under the age of 11, 14, 16 and 19. Under this program, talented young cricketers will receive a stipend of PKR 30,000 per month and also earn a 100 percent scholarship, which will give them access to free education at a leading local educational institution. which, in turn, will help them grow into healthy individuals. The PCB will appoint highly qualified resident foreign coaches to the National High Performance Center. These coaches will work closely with 100 teenage cricketers to nurture, develop and prepare them for future events, including PSL U19, which is marked for October 2022. These coaches will also be available to assist and support the players. of elite and emerging cricket.

“In order to create a long-term sustainable process, it is essential that we continue to harness, stimulate and motivate the passion and talent of young people for cricket, while focusing on a bottom-up approach to participation and trying to bridge the wide divide between the tracks and the course of cricket in Pakistan, ”PCB Chairman Ramiz Raja said, according to the official PCB statement. “We believe that our Junior Contracts and Cricket Foundation initiatives will now play a decisive role in ensuring that the raw talents of Pakistan’s most remote and less privileged regions reach their full potential,” he added.

The BoG has approved the club review process for 3,822 clubs, which participated in the first registration of cricket clubs, in 90 cricket associations in the city during the first half of 2022. The club review process will be available on the PCB company website under Documents / PCB Model Constitutions next week. In view of the fact that a long and demanding period of international cricket awaits the Pakistani men’s cricket team, an in-depth discussion on managing the player’s workload took place. The BoG asked the PCB leadership to explore options and come up with suggestions on how elite cricketers can conserve their energies for Pakistan by staying extremely fit, injury-free and cool.

The BoG appreciated the performance of the Pakistan National Men’s Cricket Team and felt they came close to meeting their fans’ expectations in the last quarter of 2021 with their courage, determination and positive attitude. . (ANI)

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UK advertising watchdog hits Arsenal football club for crypto tokens

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Britain’s publicity watchdog on Wednesday berated Arsenal football club on the website and Facebook ads of its ‘fan tokens,’ a type of cryptocurrency that has exploded in popularity this year. The Advertising Standards Agency https://www.asa.org.uk/rulings/arsenal-football-club-plc-a21-1121873-arsenal-football-club-plc.html said two announcements released by Arsenal in August were “Misleading” because they did not clearly state the risk of trading cryptocurrencies, possible tax implications, or that these tokens are not regulated in Britain.

He said the ads should not appear in the same form again. Fan Tokens allow supporters of various football and other sports clubs to vote on minor decisions such as the song played in matches after a goal has been scored or images used on social media.

Tokens, which can be traded on exchanges like other cryptocurrencies, are subject to sharp price swings and often have little to do with performance in the field. North London-based Arsenal ran promotions on their website and Facebook promoting the tokens, the ASA said, with details of how supporters could purchase the tokens through a separate cryptocurrency. The ASA said Arsenal’s ads were “irresponsible because they took advantage of the inexperience or gullibility of consumers and trivialized investment in crypto assets.”

An Arsenal spokesperson said he was seeking an independent review of the decision and would “make efforts to comply” with the watchdog’s directives. “We take our responsibilities in marketing to our fans very seriously,” said the spokesperson. “We have carefully reviewed communications to fans regarding our promotions and provided information regarding financial risks.”

Arsenal had told the ASA that fan tokens were designed to stimulate fan participation and were “materially different” from other cryptocurrencies used as a form of payment. It is one of a number of sports clubs that are using alternative sources of income to fight the pandemic, which consultancy firm Deloitte says has caused the revenues of Europe’s top 20 clubs to drop 12% over the course of of the last season.

Many fans and supporters’ associations have dismissed the tokens as offering only superficial participation which adds to the already rising costs of monitoring their teams. Others, however, say they appreciate a new way to engage with their teams.

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Michael Hogan to retire after Glamorgan’s Year of Testimony in 2022

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Glamorgan County Cricket Club (GCCC) cricketer Michael Hogan has announced he will retire from the game after his year of testimony in 2022. According to Glamorgan, the veteran Australian player initially got a testimony at the club in 2020, but he has been postponed twice. due to the current COVID-19 pandemic.

Glamorgan Cricket has said that since arriving from Australia in 2012, Hogan has been the mainstay of the club’s bowling attack. “I am extremely grateful to the club for postponing my testimonial and allowing me to hold it next year. It has been a tough few years on and off the pitch, but winning the Royal London Cup made it worth it. barely, “Hogan said in a statement. according to the Glamorgan Cricket website.

“The atmosphere at Trent Bridge was truly amazing and the support we received and the scenes at the end will always live with me. I would like to thank the club and our members for being so incredibly welcoming to me and my family during the course. the last ten years, “he added. Hogan has made 248 appearances for Welsh County in all formats, scalping 589 wickets and earlier this year he became just the 22nd Glamorgan pitcher to take over 400 first-class wickets for the club.

In 2017, he won the best career First Class game numbers of 10/87 against Kent in Canterbury. Hogan was named Glamorgan Player of the Year in 2013 and 2014 and received his Glamorgan cap in 2013. He was also named the club’s skipper in 2018 and led the County Championship that year with 45 wickets. (ANI)

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ATK Mohun Bagan appoints Juan Ferrando as head coach

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Indian Super League (ISL) club ATK Mohun Bagan confirmed Juan Ferrando’s appointment as head coach on Monday. This development comes as Antonio Habbas was sacked from ATK head coach Mohun Bagan after some disappointing results.

“THE NEW ERA BEGINS! Welcome ATK Mohun Bagan, Juan Ferrando,” tweeted ATK Mohun Bagan hilt. Earlier, Ferrando, the head coach of FC Goa, had resigned from his post, the club confirmed in a press release on Monday.

Assistant coach Clifford Miranda will take charge of the interim first team. “We are very disappointed to lose Juan. His decision to leave the club was rather unexpected and came as a surprise, especially at this point in the season, where we are in the middle of the season,” said the director of football, Ravi Puskur. said according to the ISL website.

“We are particularly disappointed that we were kept in the dark until yesterday morning, when he expressed his desire to leave the club. However, once he declared his position and the release clause was activated, we found ourselves with little alternative. I wish Juan the best for his future, “he added. ATK Mohun Bagan are currently in seventh position on the points table with eight points from six matches. (ANI)

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ISL: Juan Ferrando to step down as FC Goa head coach

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Juan Ferrando, FC Goa’s head coach, has resigned from his post, the club confirmed in a press release on Monday. Assistant coach Clifford Miranda will take charge of the interim first team.

“We are very disappointed to lose Juan. His decision to leave the club was rather unexpected and came as a surprise, especially at this point in the season, where we are in the middle of the season,” said the director of football, Ravi Puskur. said according to the ISL website. “We are particularly disappointed that we were kept in the dark until yesterday morning, when he expressed his desire to leave the club. However, once he declared his position and the release clause was activated, we found ourselves with little alternative. I wish Juan the best for his future, “he added.

Ferrando, in his only full season with FC Goa in the 2020-21 Indian Super League (ISL) campaign has guided the Gaurs to the semi-finals. He also led the club on their first and historic continental trip to the AFC Champions League, where FC Goa finished third in group E. Ferrando led FC Goa for 28 matches in ISL where he was supervised nine wins, 16 draws and just six losses.

The Gaurs have played attractive football under the Spaniard and have been to some of the most exciting matches in ISL. FC Goa are currently in eighth place in the table with two wins, one draw and three losses.

Miranda’s first game in charge will see them face Odisha FC at Tilak Maidan Stadium on Friday. (ANI)

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BBL: Sydney Thunder rope in Pakistan, leader Muhammad Hasnain

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Big Bash League (BBL) franchise Sydney Thunder announced the signing of Pakistani point guard Muhammad Hasnain on Monday. Hasnain joins a Thunder team that already includes rhythm bowlers Daniel Sams, Ben Cutting, Saqib Mahmood, Chris Tremain, Nathan McAndrew, Gurinder Sandhu and Brendan Doggett.

According to Thunder’s Ben Cutting, who played alongside the youngster in Quetta, Hasnain is certain to “rush” a lot of BBL hitters – if the opportunity presents itself. “He plays fast; easily 150 km / h. He’s a lovely young boy, and his home team are keen on him learning the game and also come here and play fast,” Cutting said on the site. Sydney Thunder Web. .

“Muhammad is going to love bowling in Australia. We have faster pitches and bigger boundaries – conditions which are much more conducive to bowling fast than in Pakistan,” he added. In 2019, Hasnain declared his arrival as a future star in 2019 when, at just 19, he entered the sport’s record books as the youngest bowler to score a hat-trick in a T20I match.

The Sydney Thunder have won two of the four current BBL games and will then meet the Sydney Sixers on December 26. (ANI)

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Assam Cricket Association will focus on infrastructure development: Officials

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The Assam Cricket Association (ACA) is focused on developing grassroots infrastructure rather than hosting international matches as flagship events, its officials said on Sunday.

He is also ensuring transparency in all his financial transactions after charges of embezzlement against the state’s apex cricket body under his former regime, they added.

Addressing a press conference at the end of its general meeting here, ACA President Romen Dutta said: “We have taken a number of decisions to strengthen cricket’s infrastructure as well as to increase our membership count. ” The State Cricket Academy and the club to reconnect with our former players, employees and technical staff were also given during the meeting, ” he added.

Elaborating on the decisions, ACA Secretary Devajit Saikia said: “We plan to develop a cricket infrastructure at the local level and address shortages at all levels.” Matches are events, but our goal is to strengthen our own base and produce top notch players, ” he said.

Saikia added that the state would get their next big international game in October based on the BCCI’s game allocation rotation system, although it could also be as early as next March that Guwahati will get their next international game.

He further said the ACA was not too keen on hosting international matches due to the uncertainty surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic, as these are often canceled at the last moment or must be played in front of empty stands.

Among the key decisions made at Sunday’s meeting was granting the affiliation to Majuli, making them the ninth team to play under the ACA, Saikia said.

The constitution of the State Cricket Academy was also passed and a committee, led by former player Rajinder Singh, was formed to move it forward, he said.

The academy will look after the professional training needs of cricketers as well as professionals associated with the sport in the state.

A residential facility accommodating 50 people as part of the academy is also being considered, the ACA secretary added.

The final form of the ’91 Yards’ club, through which the ACA will reconnect and bring together former cricketers, staff and state technical experts, was also approved at the meeting, he said. he declares.

The ACA has already started several tournaments at the club and district level. We will be hosting a college level and an office league early next year, ” he added.

When asked if any suspected financial anomalies within ACA during the tenure of the previous executive committee were in the general meeting, Saikia said: “ There was no discussion on this matter on Sunday. . We discussed it to the point in our last executive on August 28. ‘ACA handed over their report to the police and they have already started to act,’ ‘he said.

Former ACA secretary Pradip Buragohain was arrested on Wednesday on allegations of embezzlement during his term from 2016 to 2019 and is currently in police custody.

Saikia further claimed that a transparent accounting mechanism has been put in place, including requiring the ACA to upload details of any transaction over one lakh to its website.

“We make sure that the accounts are neat to the best of our ability and if anyone finds any wrongdoing, we ask them to bring it to our attention,” he added.

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Football-Former Brazilian striker Ronaldo buys Cruzeiro in second division

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Retired Real Madrid and Brazil striker Ronaldo has bought a controlling stake in his former club Cruzeiro, the bank advising on the purchase said on Saturday. Ronaldo, who played for Cruzeiro as a teenager in the early 1990s before becoming one of the most successful center forward in football history, struck the deal with help from Bank of Brazilian investment XP.

The deal, which was carried out through Ronaldo’s Tara Sports company and is still subject to what the bank called “a series of conditions,” sees the 45-year-old investing 400 million reais (70 million dollars) at the Belo Horizonte club, who spent two years in the Brazilian second division. “I am so happy to have completed this transaction,” he said in a quote on the O Globo website, adding that he wanted to “give back to Cruzeiro and take them to where they deserve to be”.

This is the second foray into the direction of the former PSV Eindhoven, Inter Milan, AC Milan, Barcelona and Corinthians forward. Ronaldo bought a 51% stake in Spanish club Real Valladolid in 2018. Neither he nor Cruzeiro provided meaningful details, but XP said in a statement “that he is seeking to help the Brazilian football industry. to professionalize, to capitalize and to open up new opportunities “.

Ronaldo posted a blue heart and a fox – Cruzeiro’s mascot – on Twitter, and a club spokesperson confirmed the deal. The club have also told their fans they are “phenomenal”, in apparent reference to Ronaldo’s nickname as a player, “Ronaldo Fenomeno”.

The deal comes months after Brazil’s Congress approved a law allowing football clubs, historically owned by fans and closed to outside investors, to become businesses. “This is the first step in a relevant new front for the investment banking market in Brazil, the land of football,” said José Berenguer, CEO of Banco XP.

“I have no doubt that this is a transformation in the history of Brazilian sport. We will have stronger clubs, with a capacity for global investment. Brazilian football will never be the same again. ” ($ 1 = 5.6959 reais)

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NFL-League postpones three games due to COVID-19

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The National Football League has postponed games for the first time in any season due to COVID-19 outbreaks that have necessitated the postponement of three upcoming competitions from the weekend to early next week, announced on Friday. the league.

The Cleveland Browns, who were scheduled to face the Las Vegas Raiders in a Week 15 meeting on Saturday, will now host the game on Monday, the NFL said in a press release. The Seattle Seahawks-Los Angeles Rams and Washington Football Team-Philadelphia Eagles games that were originally scheduled for Sunday will now take place on Tuesday.

The move by the NFL, which has discussed the measures with the NFL Players Association, comes as the highly contagious Omicron variant threatens to escalate an already alarming wave of COVID-19 cases in North America. “We have made these schedule changes based on medical advice and after discussion with the NFLPA, as we are seeing a new, highly transmissible form of the virus this week, resulting in a substantial increase in cases in the league,” said the NFL in a statement. Release.

Cleveland, which is one game away from first place in the AFC North Division, placed around 20 players, including their two quarterbacks, on the reserve / COVID-19 roster this week. Former Super Bowl MVP Von Miller was one of nine Rams added to the reserve / COVID-19 roster on Thursday, according to the NFL website, with a total of 25 franchise players. on the list.

Washington quarterback Taylor Heinicke was placed on the roster on Friday amid reports the team now has more than 20 players on the roster.

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Soccer-Man City’s Guardiola tests negative for COVID-19 – reports

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Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has tested negative for COVID-19, British media reported, after an inconclusive test earlier Friday prompted the club to cancel their pre-match press conference.

Guardiola had traveled to Barcelona earlier this week to attend Sergio Aguero’s press conference when the former City forward announced his retirement https://www.reuters.com/lifestyle/sports/barcelona-striker- aguero-announces-retirement-due-heart- condition-2021-12-15 from football due to heart disease. Saturday’s game at St James’ Park between league leaders City and 19th Newcastle United is one of five games played this weekend after several games were postponed https://www.reuters.com / lifestyle / sports / brentfords-frank- calls-premier-league-break-covid-cases-rise-2021-12-16 due to outbreaks of COVID-19 at various clubs.

“It’s not easy to go to Newcastle and get a result so we will need the whole team and I hope we are strong enough to get the points,” Guardiola said on the website of City. “Newcastle are a very tough opponent. People will talk about our place in the table or where we are in the table, but when you go to Newcastle you know what kind of game to expect.

“Now they have a new manager in Eddie (Howe) and we know how good a manager he is. They had a tough start to the season but they’re a good team with good players and a top manager.” Guardiola added that everyone was in good shape and available for the trip except for Spain striker Ferran Torres, whose foot injury is expected to keep him out until the New Year.

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Rose from Soccer-Dortmund demands instant improvement against Hertha

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Borussia Dortmund coach Marco Rose has told his players they need to improve for Saturday’s game at Hertha Berlin, their last of the year, to turn a decent first half of the season into a better one. Dortmund’s 3-0 win on Wednesday against Greuther Fuerth kept them in second place, six points behind leaders Bayern Munich.

Rose, however, criticized his team for what he said was their poor overall performance. The Bundesliga enters a three-week winter break after the weekend games and resumes on January 7.

“We have to do it differently (than against Fuerth),” Rose said at an online press conference Friday. “Otherwise it will be difficult to get anything out of this game in Berlin. We have to improve, be cleaner and not complicate our lives, especially when we have possession.”

“With the ball we made too many mistakes against Fuerth, easy mistakes and we had too little push towards goal.” Dortmund’s victory over Fuerth was their first in three league games. Hertha are in poorer form and firmly engaged in a relegation battle, in 14th place and only one point away from the relegation playoff spot.

Despite the arrival of coach Tayfun Korkut at the end of November to replace Pal Dardai, the Berliners have yet to achieve just one victory in their last seven league games. “But they can trip us up,” Rose said. “They have a lot of quality in the team, a lot of individual quality.”

“We played a decent first half and we can improve it a bit with success (Saturday) and that has to be our goal,” said Rose.

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Soccer-Perth Glory matches postponed after positive COVID-19 test

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The remaining Perth Glory A-League team matches for 2021 have been postponed to early 2022 after a player tested positive for COVID-19. The whole squad returned negative tests on December 11, with the anonymous player testing positive shortly after the team arrived in Brisbane on Wednesday ahead of their league game against Brisbane Roar.

“The scheduled Round 5 game between Brisbane Roar and Perth Glory and the scheduled Round 6 game between Adelaide United and Perth Glory have been postponed until early 2022,” the club said in a statement https://perthglory.com. at / news / a-leagues-report-glory-mens-matches-for-remain-of-2021 on their website. Glory owner Tony Sage said the club are investigating how the player caught the virus.

“We were in Adelaide for a while,” Sage told Perth 6PR radio station https://www.6pr.com.au/the-players-are-really-distraught-glory-players-face- christmas-in-qld-quarantine-after-positive-case. “The players were separated in the hotel, we were able to practice. It is very difficult to find. Unless it came from one of the hotel employees or someone who ate at the hotel. hotel.”

There have been several cases of A-League players testing positive for COVID-19 in recent weeks, with Sydney FC https://www.reuters.com/article/health-coronavirus-soccer-australia-idUKL4N2SS1I1, Western United and Newcastle Jets reported cases in December.

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Tim Tector to lead Ireland to U19 World Cup

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An Irish men’s team of 15 players has been nominated for the upcoming ICC Under-19 World Cup to be held in the Caribbean in January next year. Tim Tector will once again be the team’s captain – he is Tector’s third brother to captain his country in this event with Jack (Bangladesh 2016) and Harry (New Zealand 2018) leading the last two Irish teams to participate in the Under-19 Men’s World Cup. Chopped off.

According to Cricket Ireland, Ryan Eagleson, who was the head coach of the qualifying tournament, served as Ireland’s interim national men’s bowling coach. Wolves’ current performance director and head coach Peter Johnston replaces Eagleson.

“The importance of competing at the Under-19 World Cups cannot be understated for emerging cricketers. So many of today’s cricket superstars have cut their teeth at such tournaments – that’s as a dress rehearsal for the main event, and is seen as a key experience for players looking to step onto the senior international stage, ”said Johnston, Ireland Under-19 head coach, according to the website of Cricket Ireland. “In Ireland’s last appearance at the Under-19 World Cup in New Zealand in 2018, we won three of our six matches, including a memorable 4-point victory over Afghanistan.

“From that team, Neil Rock, Harry Tector and Josh Little made their senior international debuts, while Graham Kennedy, JJ Garth and Aaron Cawley played for the Ireland Wolves,” he added. The West Indies will host the 14th edition of the ICC Men’s Under-19 World Cup for the first time. The tournament will see 16 teams travel to the Caribbean to play 48 matches from January 14 to February 5 in four host countries.

Ireland Men’s Under-19 Team: Tim Tector (captain) (YMCA), Diarmuid Burke (Malahide), Joshua Cox (Paul Roos Gymnasium), Jack Dickson (Instonians), Liam Doherty (St. Andrew’s School), Jamie Forbes (YMCA), Daniel Forkin (Merrion), Matthew Humphreys (Lisburn), Philippe le Roux (Railway Union), Scott Macbeth (St. Johnston), Nathan McGuire (Rush), Muzamil Sherzad (North Kildare), David Vincent (Clontarf ), Luke Whelan (North County), Reuben Wilson (YMCA). (ANI)

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Premier League confirms new COVID-19 security measures for fans

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Following the introduction of the English government’s ‘Autumn and Winter Plan B’, the Premier League on Wednesday confirmed requirements for all fans attending Premier League matches. As of Wednesday, all people aged 18 and over who attend Premier League matches must complete a COVID status self-declaration through their club’s website before match day.

This simple online process requires fans to confirm they have a valid NHS COVID pass or negative NHS COVID test within the previous 48 hours. Supporters should be prepared to show their NHS COVID pass or proof of a negative NHS COVID test upon arrival at the stadium.

Checks will take place on all Premier League grounds. Fans risk being refused entry if they are unable to show their NHS COVID Pass or proof of a negative NHS COVID test result in the previous 48 hours, ideally as close to daylight as possible Match. Fans must also wear a face cover when in indoor stadiums and when traveling to matches by public transport. Although it is not mandatory in the stadium bowl, supporters are encouraged to wear face coverings in crowded areas and in the stands to protect themselves and those around them.

Fans are also urged not to attend matches if they are exhibiting COVID-like symptoms or if there is a risk of transmitting COVID-19. Premier League chief executive Richard Masters said in a statement: “We are doing everything possible to ensure the safety of the fans and the open pitches at full capacity. The safety of everyone remains our priority and from the start of the season. season, we are working closely with our clubs, government and local public health authorities to prepare supporters and stadium operations for the introduction of COVID certification. “

“It is really important that fans take the time to understand what is expected of them when they attend Premier League stadiums, which is why we are asking fans to report their COVID status before a match day. want everyone to enjoy games in safe environments and we and our clubs will continue to urge fans to do everything possible and follow public health advice, “he added. (ANI)

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NASCAR champion Larson among many in conflict with F1 arrival

By Sports games

NASCAR champion Kyle Larson’s first Formula 1 race was the season finale and he’s as conflicted as anyone about the controversial Abu Dhabi Grand Prix ending.

Max Verstappen passed Lewis Hamilton in the last lap on Sunday to win the title, but the turmoil continued: a late crash wiped out an almost 12-second lead in Hamilton, Verstappen stopped under the yellow for new tires and the race resumed with one lap remaining. He passed Hamilton on the fifth corner in a NASCAR style shootout.

“The racing fan in me was like, ‘Dude, I wish there was a warning and this thing can get exciting at the end and produce some drama,’ Larson told The Associated Press. ” And then It happened. Then I was like, ‘Well, I don’t know if that was particularly fair.’ Hamilton led 51 of the 58 laps and the race had been a bit of a mess after F1’s spectacular season. The seven-time champion seemed so in control that Larson and his squad had already headed for the exits when the yellow came out. flew with five laps They watched the finish on display screens around the Yas Marina circuit and on their phones.

Mercedes filed two complaints on behalf of Hamilton after the finish, both of which were dismissed. Mercedes took the case to the International Court of Appeal.

“Looks like they bent the rules a bit to get a green finish, and it looks like that was their main focus,” Larson said. “I don’t know F1 well enough, but it doesn’t look like they did it to help Max or anything like that. But they made it exciting. Larson and Verstappen have shared similarities during their time. seasons in that both have won 10 races, a series record, both led the most laps and both won their first championships after late warnings and pit stops for tires. November, Larson needed a late warning at Phoenix Raceway to get back into the race and his team Hendrick Motorsports made his fastest pit stop of the season to get him back on track in the lead. Larson led the races. Last 28 laps for victory.

Larson has since been feted at NASCAR’s season-ending championship celebration, ran eight gravel races – he won three – then traveled to the Middle East to represent NASCAR, Hendrick Motorsports and HendrickCars.com , the online sales arm that sponsored him this year. when he returned from a suspension of almost a season for using a racial slur. HendrickCars.com has since signed a full-season sponsorship deal until 2023 for Larson, which has also been extended at Hendrick for two years.

In Abu Dhabi, Larson met Fernando Alonso even before entering the gate, then Sergio Perez as soon as he entered the paddock. Alpine reserve driver Daniil Kvyat, who attended his first NASCAR race the week before the Cup Series championship in Virginia, immediately recognized Larson.

“I want to participate in the NASCAR race! Kyvat told him.

Funny, Larson was wondering how he could get into Formula 1. And when Nikita Mazepin tested positive ahead of Sunday’s race for COVID-19 and Haas only fielded one car, Larson told the Haas boss Guenther Steiner “I should have brought my helmet”. Steiner picked up his phone: “Look how fast I can make things happen,” he joked.

Alas, Larson is like almost every other American racing driver in that he doesn’t have the super FIA license needed to compete in F1 and doesn’t know how to get one.

Larson was surprised when IndyCar driver Pato O’Ward recognized him and knew about his NASCAR season, then took the time to drive Larson around the track in a McLaren 720S. The papaya orange McLaren howled on the 3.2 mile circuit on Sunday.

“It’s a lot different from riding in a passenger seat. You just feel like you’re slung all the time, ”Larson said. “I was never able to concentrate on the track or understand what the corners were like. I wish I could have done three or five consecutive laps and I would have been more comfortable in the passenger seat. He did a great job. If I had been in the driver’s seat and it was the passenger seat, I would have tried just as hard to slide the car all over the place. He also regretted not having had more time to speak with O’Ward, who was an IndyCar Championship contender last season and completed his first test in a Formula 1 car on Tuesday.

“I wanted to spend time with him because I wanted to ask him what is his path? He’s an IndyCar driver, how will he get to Formula 1? Larson said. “He accompanies me and I am curious:” Is that part of his path? I just wanted to learn his story. Larson has said he would love to attend his next F1 race as a fan – not a NASCAR champion with a VIP pass – to enjoy the atmosphere of a grand prix weekend. During her vacation which lasts until Friday, her usual experiences with the guys have been limited to tourist-type things all over Dubai.

Larson visited the Burj Khalifa skyscraper, the Dubai Mall, was planning a trip to Expo 2020, and took a desert excursion to ride a camel, sandboard and watch a fire show. Now is the perfect time to be the NASCAR champion, even though the desert ride through the dunes didn’t go so well with the current best driver on earth.

“I definitely didn’t like the dunes,” said Larson. “I got really sick. Well, not really sick, but very nauseous sitting in the third row. More of that for me.

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Tennis-Berrettini supports mandatory COVID-19 vaccines at Australian Open

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Italy’s world number seven Matteo Berrettini has supported the decision to make COVID-19 vaccinations mandatory for players at next month’s Australian Open. In November, tournament chief Craig Tiley said all players participating in the first Grand Slam event of 2022 were to be fully vaccinated, after months of negotiations between Tennis Australia and the Victoria state government.

“I was vaccinated and from that point on things got better. I think the Australian government’s request makes sense, “Berrettini told Italy’s Sportface website on Monday. The measure cast doubt on Serbian Novak Djokovic’s participation in the tournament, as the world number one has yet to disclose his status. vaccine.

But Berrettini backed the move, having had to quarantine himself for two weeks at a hotel ahead of last year’s Australian Open. “Last year we tried something difficult. I wouldn’t wish anyone two weeks in quarantine like we did in 2021, “he said.

“For me, getting the vaccine is the right thing to do to get the world going. The 25-year-old had to withdraw from the ATP final last month due to injury, but has confirmed he will return for the season-opening ATP Cup in Sydney and the Open from Australia to Melbourne.

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Sports News Roundup: NFL-League rocked by COVID cases, booster mandates for staff; Golf-Woods is up close, Mickelson and Morikawa live up to the occasion and more

By Sports games

Here is a summary of current sports news.

NFL-League rocked by COVID cases, warrants reminder for staff

The National Football League (NFL) sent a note to teams on Monday demanding that their staff members receive a vaccine booster amid a COVID-19 outbreak that has seen 36 players testing positive. The league said in a report on its website that of the 36 players placed on the reserve / COVID-19 roster, 25 were on active rosters and 11 on training teams, with at least 18 teams affected.

Golf-Woods is narrow, Mickelson and Morikawa are up to the task

Tiger Woods is no stranger to trials and tribulations and 2021 proved to be another test of his resolve after a serious car crash left the 15-time major in a wheelchair, facing doubts about his career. The 45-year-old, who won the last of his majors at the 2019 Masters following multiple back and knee surgeries as well as personal issues, was set to have his leg amputated after losing control and crashing in Los Angeles in February.

NFL-Las Vegas to host Super Bowl in 2024 – report

Las Vegas will host the Super Bowl in 2024 pending final approval from team owners this week, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported on Monday. The NFL Championship decider was originally slated for New Orleans, but with the league adding a 17th regular season game from this year, the Super Bowl has reportedly been in conflict with the city’s annual Mardi Gras celebration. in 2024.

Auto Racing-Hamilton said the team on the radio race was “manipulated”

Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton said on his team radio: “It was handled”, after the Briton was passed by Max Verstappen in the final lap of the controversial Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, which ended the season Sunday. The message was not broadcast on the Global TV stream but was audible on the seven-time champion Hamilton’s in-car channel on F1TV, multiple media reported.

Basketball-NBA postpones two Bulls games with 10 players in health protocol

Two Chicago Bulls games have been postponed after 10 additional players and staff were placed under National Basketball Association (NBA) health and safety protocols, the league said Monday. It was not immediately clear when the December 14 game against the visiting Detroit Pistons and the December 16 game against the Raptors in Toronto would be played.

Vintage cycle races light up 2021 in movement towards gender equality

This year’s cycling season saw the resurgence of vintage racing, led by Tour de France champion Tadej Pogacar, as the sport took some important steps towards gender equality. Pogacar threw caution to the wind in the Tour de France as he hammered his rivals in the Alps with a long-range attack on the eighth stage, reminiscent of the 1980s event, and remained in control for the rest of the race.

Sport-Athletes, teams and leagues facing abuse and intimidation

Painful revelations of abuse and misconduct rocked the world of sport in 2021 as athletes of all levels of competition across the world demanded greater accountability from coaches, coaches and the governing bodies that oversee them . A report released in October sent shock waves through the National Hockey League (NHL) after an investigation found the Chicago Blackhawks failed to act on Kyle Beach’s claims that the video coach Brad Aldrich had sexually assaulted him in the 2010 Stanley Cup playoffs.

NHL-Blackhawks scandal, Lightning repeat, Ovechkin 2021 headline

A sexual assault scandal involving the Chicago Blackhawks is perhaps what people remember most about the NHL from 2021, marking a year in which Alex Ovechkin continued to rewrite the record books and Tampa. Bay repeated his Stanley Cup title. An independent report released in October by a Chicago law firm said senior Blackhawks officials suppressed former Kyle Beach player’s allegations in 2010 against then-video coach Brad Aldrich to avoid to distract the team during their run to the playoffs.

Rugby-Warriors ask Chiefs fans not to wear Native American headdresses

The Glasgow Warriors called on Champions Cup opponent Exeter Chiefs fans to avoid wearing Native American headdresses and refrain from singing “Tomahawk Chop” on Saturday. The Chiefs logo features a Native American and some club fans who wear fake headdresses during games have been accused of cultural appropriation.

Football: Premier League recorded 42 positive cases of COVID-19 last week

The Premier League found a record 42 cases of COVID-19 among players and staff at various clubs over the past week, she said on Monday just hours after Manchester United’s game against Brentford was over. been in doubt due to an outbreak at the club. The 42 positive tests out of more than 3,800 people are more than the tally of the previous seven weeks combined and a top-flight record in England in a single week.

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Triathlon-World governing body sanctions Russia for doping offenses

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World Triathlon has imposed sanctions on the Russian Triathlon Federation (RTF) which will be in effect for one year due to a “significant number” of doping cases in the country, the governing body said in a statement https: / /triathlon.org/news / article / world_triathlon_sanctions_the_russian_triathlon_federation Monday.

As part of the sanctions, Russia will not be able to organize any world or European triathlon events before the end of 2022, and RTF officials will have to resign from the governing bodies of the events for a period of one year. RTF was also urged to reach an agreement with the Russian Anti-Doping Agency to test all athletes in the country, as well as to refund cash prizes previously awarded to Russian triathletes sanctioned for doping offenses.

In October, Russian triathlete Igor Polyanskiy became the first athlete to be formally disqualified from the Tokyo Olympics after being suspended for three years after testing positive for the banned substance EPO. Former European Championships silver medalist Alexander Bryukhankov was given an identical ban later in the month, while Vladimir Turbayevskiy was banned from competing in August for anomalies in his biological passport.

“World Triathlon is fully committed to the fight against all forms of doping in sport,” the governing body said on its website. “As unequivocal confirmation of its commitment to eradicate the use of prohibited substances and methods in triathlon, World Triathlon continues to devote time, effort, energy and a substantial budget to its anti-doping mission.”

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Olympic-NHL player body awaits details of Games’ COVID protocols

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The NHL Players Association is still awaiting information from the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and Beijing on the COVID-19 protocols that will be in place at the Olympic Winter Games next year, Executive Director Don said. Fehr. The National Hockey League agreed in September to allow a break in the 2021-22 regular season that would allow the best players in the world to compete in the Winter Games.

NHL players missed the last Olympics in South Korea in 2018 after the league failed to negotiate a similar season hiatus with the International Ice Hockey Federation. A Toronto Star article said the IOC released new information on the COVID-19 protocol to athletes that included a possible quarantine for up to five weeks if they test positive, prompting the NHL to seek clarification.

“We are waiting for a lot of information from the IOC and the Chinese. We still don’t know what the COVID situation will be as we get closer,” Fehr told ESPN on Saturday. NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman told Friday’s Board of Governors meeting in Florida that players will ultimately decide whether they will participate in the Games, as concerns had not been “magnified” by COVID -19, according to the NHL website.

“There certainly haven’t been a lot of players who have gone public,” Fehr said. “But it’s fair to say that the more it expands where we don’t have concrete answers to what’s going on out there under an unfortunate circumstance, the more difficult it becomes.”

The IOC did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Reuters. The Beijing Games are scheduled to start on February 4 while the preliminary round of the men’s ice hockey tournament begins on February 9.

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Football-New Zealand Wood unhappy with World Cup qualifying schedule

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New Zealand striker Chris Wood has said that a nine-team tournament next year to decide which Pacific team will reach the intercontinental playoffs for a place in the World Cup final could affect player well-being due to of his tight schedule. Oceania does not have an automatic place at the World Cup. The winner of the March 14-30 competition in Qatar will face the CONCACAF region’s fourth-placed team, which includes teams from North America, Central America and the Caribbean.

FIFA has granted the Oceania Football Confederation a one-day extension of the March international window, which is scheduled to run from March 21 to 29, to allow teams to call up overseas-based players from March 21 to March 29. last round of group matches. But Wood, who plays for Premier League side Burnley, said some players could also face a club-to-country battle due to the competition’s format, with group matches taking place before the international window.

“I think it’s ridiculous because as a team we won’t be able to bring in some of our best players. We’re looking at up to 16 players who won’t be able to make it for the first two games,” Wood told the LancsLive website. “I don’t think FIFA should ever have allowed us to be in this situation. It could take away a lot of our players, which in theory takes away the competition and is OFC’s best for the World Cup.

“I would expect FIFA to take a closer look and come up with a solution. It’s not a good format as we speak. I hope they can change it because the welfare of players is not good if you make people play five games in 13 days. ” New Zealand were the last country in the region to qualify for the World Cup when they appeared in South Africa in 2010.

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Farmer heads offer prayers in Bangla Sahib gurdwara

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A day before their scheduled departure from the protest sites on the Delhi border, senior agricultural leaders and members of the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM) traveled to the Bangla Sahib gurdwara on Friday to pray.

Farmer leaders including Balbir Singh Rajewal, Rakesh Tikait and Manjeet Singh Raye were honored by Delhi Sikh Gurdwara management committee.

After the visit, Rajewal said the farmers won against the “black” farming laws because they had Guru Sahib’s blessing and public support.

“We apologize to the people of Delhi for the inconvenience caused to them due to the commotion at the city’s borders. Their support for the movement will be remembered, ”said Rajewal, quoted by the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara management committee, in his statement.

Farmers ‘chief Rakesh Tikait, in the statement, said doctors, hospitals, khap panchayats, sanitation workers, the gurdwara committee and other gurudhams have played a crucial role in the success of the farmers’ movement. .

“The movement was successful thanks to the blessings of Guru Sahib. Even the announcement of the repeal of the three agricultural laws was made on the occasion of the Gurpurab. The farmers’ movement has reinforced the feeling of brotherhood, ”Tikait said.

“Honored General Bipin Rawat, his wife and other soldiers who died with heavy hearts,” Tikait said in a tweet.

The secretary general of the Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee in Delhi, Harmeet Singh Kalka, said the movement had succeeded thanks to the courage of the farmers.

Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM), an umbrella body of 40 agricultural unions, decided Thursday to suspend the long-standing protest after the Center agreed to consider all other demands, days after the repeal of the three agricultural laws contentious.

SKM leaders said the unrest would be put to rest and farmers would return to their homes in a victory march on December 11.

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Olympic Games-Surfing, skateboarding, climbing are part of the initial program of LA28

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Sports like skateboarding, sport climbing and surfing that first featured at the Tokyo Olympics in 2020 have been included in the initial sports program for the 2028 Games in Los Angeles, the International Olympic Committee said Thursday. (CIO).

Weightlifting, boxing and modern pentathlon, however, were not among the 28 sports and must meet certain criteria in 2023 to be included, IOC President Thomas Bach told an online press conference at the outcome of a meeting of the executive board. Boxing and weightlifting have grappled with the brunt of corruption, governance, finance and judgment scandals and have been warned by the IOC to reform or miss the Games.

An IOC session in February will approve the initial program. The three excluded sports will be reinstated during the IOC session in 2023. Skateboarding, sport climbing and surfing made their Olympic debuts in Tokyo this year, with the Games being delayed by one year due to COVID-19, and met with great success with young viewers.

“The proposed inclusion of these youth sports is based on the success of Tokyo 2020, a commitment to innovation and also recognizes the deep roots of each of these three sports in Los Angeles and California,” Bach said. The three sports were already part of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games program.

For weightlifting and boxing, their exclusion from the initial program of the 2028 Games is a blow because the international federations have struggled to respond to the reforms requested by the IOC. Bach said the AIBA boxing federation must change its judging and arbitration system, increase financial transparency and diversify its revenues.

Weightlifting, which has been rocked by revelations of doping cover-ups and decades of corruption that have led to accusations against top federation officials, faces a culture shift and major doping issues. “The IWF and its future leaders must demonstrate their transition to compliance and effective culture change,” said Bach.

“It must deal with historical doping incidents … and ensure the integrity and robustness of anti-doping.” NO HORSES

The modern pentathlon, created by Pierre de Coubertin, the founder of the modern Olympic Games, must provide for the plans for an event replacing horse riding. “The UIPM (Modern Pentathlon Federation) must finalize its proposal for replacing horse riding and the overall competition format … they must demonstrate a significant reduction in costs … and be attractive to young people and the general public” Bach said.

The UIPM, which will include horse riding at the Paris Olympics, will not make it a fifth discipline in Los Angeles and will replace it with one that costs less and increases the accessibility of sport. “The UIPM global community stands ready to seize the new opportunity offered by the IOC to make modern pentathlon stand the test of time as a lasting highlight of the Olympic Games,” the UIPM said in a statement.

“It is the UIPM’s firm belief that everyone in its community wants the same thing – a stronger pentathlon.” The decision to give up riding came after German modern pentathlon trainer Kim Raisner struck a horse at the Tokyo Games when he refused to jump a fence, which drew widespread criticism in the against this sport.

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Golf-Olesen found not guilty of in-flight sexual assault

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Danish golfer Thorbjorn Olesen was cleared of sexual assault, assault and drunkenness on a British Airways flight in 2019, a court said on Wednesday. Olesen, a five-time European Tour winner and a member of the 2018 Ryder Cup-winning European team, had denied the charges in a three-day trial in a London court.

The 31-year-old blamed his behavior on sleeping pills, claiming he had turned into an “automaton” and did not control his body after taking the prescription-only pills purchased from a “dodgy website” by his partner Lauren Zafer. The court heard that Olesen grabbed a woman’s breast and urinated in a first-class seat after taking alcohol and sleeping pills on the July 29 flight from Nashville to London Heathrow Airport.

Olesen was on the eight-hour flight after competing at the FedEx St Jude Invitational Golf-World Championships in Memphis. “I am embarrassed and ashamed of the account of my actions which was described during the trial,” Olesen said, quoted by the BBC.

“I paid a heavy price for my mistake. This case has had a devastating impact on me personally, on my family and on my career.”

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Seven-time champion Serena Williams to skip Australian Open

By Sports games

Shortly after Serena Williams’ name was absent from the Australian Open entry list, she confirmed the obvious: the seven-time champion will not play the 2022 edition of the opening major of the season in January.

Williams, 40, has not played since retiring from her first round match at Wimbledon with a right hamstring injury and her ranking fell to No.41. She won the last of her 23 Grand Slam singles titles at the 2017 Australian Open, and was beaten in the semifinals this year by Naomi Osaka in straight sets.

The Australian Open website said on Wednesday the seven-time women’s singles champion would not compete in Melbourne “on the advice of her medical team.” compete, ”Williams told the website. “Melbourne is one of my favorite cities to visit and I look forward to playing AO every year. I will miss the fans, but I am delighted to come back and compete at my highest level. ” Novak Djokovic was on the men’s list in the front row, indicating he will play at Melbourne Park from January 17. despite Australia’s strict regulations requiring all players, officials and fans to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19.

Djokovic has declined to comment on his vaccination status in recent months, despite being included in the Serbian squad for the ATP Cup which begins January 1 in Sydney last week.

The nine-time Australian Open champion is tied with Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal for the men’s record of 20 Grand Slam singles titles. Nadal is also signed up for the Australian Open, which starts Jan. 17, but Federer skips the tournament as he continues to recover from surgery.

Daniil Medvedev, who ended Djokovic’s one-calendar-year Grand Slam bid with a victory in the US Open final, Alexander Zverev, Stefanos Tsitsipas and Andrey Rublev feature above No.6 Nadal, who does not play for Spain in the ATP Cup.

Ash Barty tops the women’s entry list and will continue her quest to end a long drought for Australians at the tournament. No Australian has won the singles title since Chris O’Neil in 1978.

2019 US Open champion Bianca Andreescu said on Monday she would take a mental break from tennis and not compete early next season, including the Australian Open.

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IOC unable to give certainties as Peng Shuai worries

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After five weeks of concern over the safety of tennis player Peng Shuai in China, the International Olympic Committee said it could not give any certainty on her case.

The IOC’s two video calls with the Grand Slam doubles champion are the only reported contacts Peng has had with people outside of China since November 2, when she posted on social media alleging that she ‘she had been sexually assaulted by a former senior Communist Party official.

Critics claimed the IOC was allowing a cover-up by China ahead of the state-backed plan to host the Winter Olympics in Beijing in February.

The IOC faced more questions about Peng on Tuesday at its first press conference since the Women’s Tennis Association, which could not speak to him, suspended all of its tournaments in China.

“We cannot provide you with absolute certainty on anything,” IOC spokesperson Mark Adams said on Tuesday. “All we can do is do our best in the process that we believe is in the best interests of the athlete’s well-being.” The Olympic body has repeatedly cited its policy of “quiet diplomacy” as the most likely to be successful with China, whose leader has met and spoken directly with IOC President Thomas Bach since Beijing was chosen as host in 2015.

Bach participated in the first video call with three-time Olympian Peng on November 21. The call lasted 30 minutes and also involved IOC China members and an athlete representative.

The IOC was criticized after the two video calls for failing to provide any video footage or transcripts of the conversations, fueling doubts that Peng was able to speak or travel freely.

“We can’t give assurances and we don’t know all the facts,” Adams said, pointing to a promise from both sides that Peng and Bach would meet for a dinner in Beijing in January. “It’s a full roadmap to at least try to keep in touch and see where she is.” The WTA’s position on China was taken after speaking with current and former players, and was publicly supported last week by Olympic tennis champion Belinda Bencic.

On social media, the hashtag WhereIsPengShuai has become a trend and has won the support of tennis greats such as Serena Williams, Martina Navratilova and Roger Federer.

When asked on Tuesday why Peng hadn’t spoken to tennis players or WTA executives, Adams said, “Obviously I can’t answer because I really don’t know.” Bach did not attend the online press conference, but German news agency dpa published an interview with the Olympic leader on Tuesday.

“And I can assure you that all aspects of this matter are being discussed with the Chinese side,” Bach said, noting “talks with Chinese sports organizations and official bodies.” Senior IOC member overseeing Beijing’s Olympic preparations, Juan Antonio Samaranch, answered questions and said “it was necessary to be discreet”. “We must respect his desire for discretion also at this very difficult time in his life. And we will, ”Samaranch said at the press conference.

The IOC has repeatedly avoided using words that directly refer to Peng’s claims or the possibility that she has restricted his freedom. Instead, statements after the video calls only cited “his situation.”

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The American cyclist Birch exchange its velodrome against space

By Sports games

Eleven times American national champion, Christina Birch changes velodrome to undertake a journey which, she hopes, will take her to the moon. Birch’s drastic change in leadership comes after being selected for NASA’s Astronaut Class of 2021, which will see her embark on a two-year training course for the Artemis missions in Houston, TX.

“I’m super excited to be a 2021 astronaut candidate. It’s still a bit surreal for me,” Birch, two-time Pan American champion, said in a USA Cycling statement. “It probably wasn’t until I put on the blue flight suit for the first time that it started to become real.”

Birch was on the long list for the Tokyo Olympics and submitted her candidacy as she prepared at the Colorado Springs Olympic Training Center. “I filled out my application online before heading back to the track for some really hard work with the team,” she said.

“After the Olympic selection, I had a few talks at the Johnson Space Center in Houston. Each one left me feeling like it was best for me and what I wanted to do.” Birch, who holds a bachelor’s degree in mathematics, biochemistry and molecular biophysics, was selected along with nine other applicants from among 12,500 applicants.

“It’s kind of a dream. You hold your breath throughout the application process, hoping you get there,” she added. “I met so many amazing people during the interview process. Everyone is incredibly qualified. So I really feel like I won the lottery.”

Birch said the intense physical demands of her years of cycling training will come in handy for a trip she hopes will end on the International Space Station. “I think having a lot of comfort and familiarity in unfamiliar difficult processes, and still delivering 100% even when you are tired, these are lessons that I have learned as a rider that will serve me very well as a rider. that candidate, ”she said. noted.

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Reuters sports news summary | Sports games

By Sports games

Here is a summary of current sports news.

Miami Sacks Coach Manny Diaz; Mario Cristobal leaves Oregon

Miami announced the sacking of head coach Manny Diaz on Monday as the Hurricanes finalized a contract with Oregon head coach Mario Cristobal. Diaz, 47, has guided Miami to a 7-5 (5-3 Atlantic Coast Conference) record this season and is 21-15 in three years at the helm.

China’s winter sports industry hopes Olympics bring white gold

China’s snow sports industry is basing its hopes on people like Shi Haoping, 32, who takes to the slopes to unwind from his job as the head of an online education business. “It’s such a physical activity that it takes the pressure off for me,” said Shi as he took a break from snowboarding at Thaiwoo Ski Resort in Zhangjiakou, not far from where several Games events will be held. Winter Olympics in February.

Golf-Olesen grabbed woman’s chest and urinated on plane seat, court says

Danish golfer Thorbjorn Olesen grabbed a woman’s breast and urinated in a first-class seat after taking alcohol and sleeping pills on a British Airways flight from the United States to London in 2019, a court heard Monday. Ryder Cup winner denies charges of sexual assault, beating and drunkenness on a plane.

Tennis-Canada’s Andreescu out of Australian Open

Canada’s Bianca Andreescu will not play at the Australian Open next month following a difficult period brought on by the COVID-19 outbreak, the former US Open champion said on Monday. Andreescu, 21, said the time spent self-isolating in quarantined hotels had taken its toll on her mentally and physically and that she didn’t feel like herself during training and games.

NBA summary: Donovan Mitchell propels the Jazz ahead of the Cavaliers

Donovan Mitchell scored 35 points to lead the Utah Jazz to a 109-108 victory over hosts Cleveland Cavaliers on Sunday. Rudy Gobert collected 20 rebounds and five blocks for the Jazz. Bojan Bogdanovic added 16 points while Rudy Gay scored 15 points and eight rebounds.

Horse racing and Kentucky Derby winner Medina Spirit dies of heart attack

Kentucky Derby winner Medina Spirit, who failed a drug test after this year’s race, died of a heart attack Monday after a workout at a California racetrack, a lawyer said from the trainer of the horse. Medina Spirit, who stormed the house under jockey John Velazquez to finish first by a half length at the Kentucky Derby in May and give coach Bob Baffert a record-breaking seventh victory in the Run for the Roses of $ 3 million, collapsed after a workout in Santa Anita Park.

Boxing-Tommy Fury withdraws from Jake Paul battle on medical grounds

Tommy Fury, the half-brother of heavyweight champion Tyson Fury, said on Monday he was forced to withdraw from his next fight with YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul due to a serious lung infection and a rib broken. Tommy was scheduled to face Paul on December 18 in Tampa, Florida. He won on the undercard of Paul’s fight in August against former UFC welterweight champion Tyron Woodley.

US authorities boycott Beijing Olympics for “atrocities” against human rights

The United States will not send government officials to the 2022 Winter Olympics due to China’s human rights “atrocities”, the White House said on Monday after Beijing threatened to unspecified “countermeasures” against any diplomatic boycott. President Joe Biden said last month he was considering such a boycott amid criticism of China’s human rights record, including what Washington says is genocide against Muslim minorities in its region. western Xinjiang.

German Olympic group urges IOC to investigate Peng’s safety

The independent German organization of elite athletes has urged the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to provide evidence of the safety of Chinese tennis player Peng Shuai and called for an independent investigation into her situation. Peng’s location has become a matter of international concern https://www.reuters.com/business/media-telecom/china-editor-says-he-does-not-think-peng-faces-retribution-2021-11 -19 following a public absence of nearly three weeks after posting a message on social media in early November alleging that former Chinese Vice Premier Zhang Gaoli sexually assaulted her.

NFL roundup: Lions earn first TD win in final game

Jared Goff completed an 11-yard touchdown pass to Amon-Ra St. Brown in the last game of the game and the Detroit Lions entered the winning column with a 29-27 victory over the visiting Minnesota Vikings. Sunday. Goff had 296 yards and three touchdowns for the Lions (1-10-1), who amassed 75 yards in 14 games after wasting a 14-point lead. St. Brown recorded a career-high 10 receptions for 86 yards. Jamaal Williams had 71 yards on 17 carries.

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Drake pulls out of Grammy race

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Canadian rapper Drake withdrew from the Grammy Awards on Monday, withdrawing his two nominations for the highest musical accolades, sources close to the musician said. Drake, 35, earned two Grammy nominations last month in rap – best rap album for “Certified Lover Boy” and best rap performance for his song “Way 2 Sexy”.

The sources said the request to withdraw the review was made by the rapper and his management, but gave no reason for the decision. The Recording Academy website was updated on Monday to remove Drake’s nominations from the Grammy list, the sources said. Drake, whose “Certified Lover Boy” was one of the best-selling albums of 2021, has a controversial relationship with the Grammys.

Last year, he criticized the Grammys for completely excluding fellow Canadian The Weeknd from his nominations list. In 2019, Drake declined to perform at the ceremony, then criticized the awards show from the stage. “I want you to know that we play in a sport based on opinion and not on facts,” he said as accepting the Grammy for his single “God’s Plan”.

“It’s a business where sometimes it’s up to a bunch of people who might not understand what a mixed-race kid from Canada has to say or a Spanish fly from New York or whoever else,” said added Drake. Grammy nominations are chosen by the members of the Recording Academy and voted on by the members. Jazz musician Jon Batiste https://www.reuters.com/lifestyle/jon-batiste-leads-grammy-nominations-with-11-justin-bieber-gets-eight-2021-11-23 led the nominations this year with 11 nods, followed by Justin Bieber, Doja Cat and HER

The winners will be announced at a ceremony in Los Angeles on January 31.

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Former England coach Darren Gough appointed Yorkshire county general manager

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The Yorkshire County Cricket Club (YCCC) announced on Monday the appointment of Darren Gough as Interim Yorkshire Cricket Managing Director, initially until the end of the 2022 season. Yorkshire said given recent events, the board of directors decided to appoint Gough to ensure immediate continuity and stability.

Working with the club, one of Darren’s immediate priorities will be overseeing the recruitment of a new team of coaches. “Yorkshire County Cricket Club has been a part of my life since I started in cricket when I made my debut in 1989, and I have spent 15 happy years at the club. Like many, I have followed the way whose club has treated recent allegations of racism with sadness and anger, ”said Darren Gough in a statement posted on the Yorkshire CCC website.

“I want to play my part in rebuilding cricket in Yorkshire and look forward to working with the exceptionally talented group of players here. I am also aware of my wider responsibility to listen to everyone and make sure may everyone associated with this club feel welcome, instilling the values ​​we want to associate with the White Rose: honesty, outspokenness, hard work, integrity and excellence. ”I share Lord Patel’s vision for Yorkshire County Cricket Club and collective determination to face the problems series of positive actions. Change won’t happen overnight, but I’m sure we can make Headingley roar again, “he added.

Gough, the former England coach, played county cricket for Yorkshire and he won 453 first-class wickets in 15 years with the club. Professor Lord Patel of Bradford OBE, Chairman of Yorkshire County Cricket Club, said: “We are delighted to welcome Darren back to the club and are very happy that he has accepted the post.

“As a former club captain, Darren’s impact on the Yorkshire and England sides has been tremendous as a player. His infectious enthusiasm and will to win will be so great that we aim to be them. better on and off the pitch, ”he added. . During his national career, Gough played county cricket for Yorkshire for 15 years, a leader and talisman for the team. He was a member of the 2001 squad that won the 2001 County Championship and, after captaining Essex, returned to captain Yorkshire in 2007 and 2008 before retiring at the end of the season 2008. (ANI)

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Soccer-Chelsea can settle things ‘right away’: Tuchel

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Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel has no doubts his side can sort out their problems quickly if they focus on the details after a 3-2 loss to West Ham United over the weekend took them from first to third in the Premier League. “There is no need to question the big picture and no major doubts,” Tuchel said on the club’s website. “In my opinion… it’s all about the details. That’s why I think we can sort it out right away.

“Nobody wants to make mistakes, but it won’t help if we just say, ‘Hey, don’t make mistakes anymore. “We have to be better at decision-making at crucial times … so that we can have clean sheets or concede as much as possible.” The German added that he made a mistake in squeezing Romelu Lukaku off the bench at half-time in place of injured Kai Havertz, claiming the Belgian striker lacked physical form for the game.

Lukaku did not play for more than a month after being sidelined by an ankle injury, and only played briefly against Manchester United and Watford. “It’s my fault. I don’t think he’s physically ready for 45 minutes, but we still decided to bring him to his size because we lost Kai,” he added. “Kai was instrumental in defending the set pieces which is a huge threat from West Ham.”

Chelsea face Russians Zenit St Petersburg on Wednesday in their final Champions League group stage game. Chelsea have advanced to the round of 16 but are tied by 12 points with Juventus at the top of Group H.

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Bembem Devi congratulates Kerala government on hosting National Women’s Football Championships

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Bembem Devi, the first Indian footballer to be associated with Padma Shri, praised the Kerala government for doing its part for women’s football by hosting its national championship.

The tournament takes place at four venues – the Municipal Stadium, Kuthuparamba, EMS Corporation Stadium, Kozhikode, Calicut University, Kozhikode and Calicut Medical College Kozhikode – from November 28 to December 9.

Bembem Devi, who is the head coach of his state, Manipur, said: “ I am delighted to see that the government of Kerala has taken this initiative to host the Senior Women’s National Championships this year in order to develop the women’s football. “The facilities, the hospitality that the players receive is commendable. I also want to thank the AIFF who supported the government of Kerala for hosting the tournament so easily and moving Indian football forward together, ” she told the Indian Football Federation website. She added: “Every year many young girls participate in the trials for Kerala National Camp as there is huge potential for women’s football in the state.” Recently Gokulam Kerala FC participated in the championship AFC clubs. , which was the only Indian club to play in the top level continental competition. Manipur, with 20 titles, is presented as the favorite. This season, the Northeast State is placed in Group A. They beat Daman & Diu 5-0, Pondicherry 12-0 and Meghalaya 4-0 in the group stage.

She also praised the football culture in her state. “Manipur has been the defending champion for the past two years. This year, too, I want them to win. As a coach, I always advise my players to respect their opponents and not to think they are weak. We aim to win every game and be champions this season as well.

“Each Manipur player gives 100 percent on the pitch. It’s a very competitive tournament, and I want the girls to give their best every day and make Manipur proud, “she explained.

Bembem Devi has always supported young girls to play this sport and urges every parent to let their children learn the sport. “During the season I have seen a lot of young and fresh faces, and I am happy to see that 32 states in 8 groups have participated which is good for the development of women’s football in India. It’s also so nice to see parents encouraging their daughters to play this sport and not sit in their villages to get married. This state of mind was essential in every state to develop the sport in the years to come. ” She also thanked the federation for organizing many friendly matches for the national team in preparation for the Asian Cup. the AFC, which the country will host in January-February next year. .

” The AIFF has been working hard to organize so many friendlies ahead of the 2022 AFC Asian Cup. I am delighted to see the girls playing against the best teams in the world, and these matches from the United Arab Emirates and the United Arab Emirates. Brazil will surely help the girls to develop for the next tournament.

“I wish them all the best for their 2022 AFC Asian Cup India. I hope they make the country proud,” she concluded.

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Women’s tennis position in China could be unique and cost millions

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WTA President and CEO Steve Simon did not intend to lead the way for the sport in China when he announced that the women’s tennis tour would suspend tournaments there due to concerns about the welfare of former doubles Grand Slam champion Peng Shuai.

And based on early reactions Thursday to the groundbreaking stance of the WTA, including the International Olympic Committee – which is set to open the Beijing Winter Games in two months – as well as the men’s tennis tour and the International Tennis Federation , no one seems too eager to follow adapting to the types of stocks that would come with a real financial blow.

” I am not trying to send a message to other sports bodies or to influence their decisions or to evaluate their decisions. This is a WTA decision that has affected the WTA athlete and our fundamentals, ” Simon said during a video call with the Associated Press on Wednesday. And I think it goes beyond that, into obviously something very, very globally sensitive for women, in general. So as the leading women’s sports organization, and having a direct effect on that, we are focusing on that.

“Now, I will encourage everyone who has supported us so far – and those who have not – to continue speaking out and talking about this very important topic. But as to what to do for their business interests and for their reasons, they have to make their own decisions. And I’m not trying to influence that. ” The WTA is the first sports body to publicly and directly challenge China’s authoritarian government, which is a source of billions of revenue in sports based elsewhere, like the Olympics, the tennis, the NBA and golf.

Audrye Wong, a political scientist who studies Chinese politics at the University of Southern California, is skeptical of Simon’s group company.

“It is a courageous and laudable move by the WTA, but I doubt that many other sports organizations or companies will follow in the footsteps of the WTA,” Wong wrote in an email to the AP.

One indication came from the tennis world in statements released Thursday by the ITF, which oversees Grand Slam tournaments and other events around the world, and the CEO of the Men’s ATP Tour: neither one nor the another made no mention of China or the suspension of the WTA.

Wong said Chinese citizens could be asked to boycott foreign tennis-related products – and it’s possible the WTA’s decision could lead to more political repression.

“Unfortunately, the foreign pressure will also increase the fears of the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) that social movements such as #MeToo pose a threat to the stability of the regime and must be cracked down more harshly,” she wrote.

Peng, 35, a three-time Olympian and former No.1-ranked doubles player was removed from the public eye after making sexual assault allegations a month ago against Zhang Gaoli, who retired from the Committee in 2018. Politburo, the height of political power in China.

His accusations, posted on social media, were wiped from the tightly censored Chinese internet within half an hour. Peng then disappeared from public view. The first #MeToo case to reach the political realm in China was not reported by national media; the online discussion on this subject has been heavily censored.

Indeed, it seems few in the country are aware of Peng’s claims or the fallout – or why they might see less tennis there next season.

Simon – who noted that he had the full support of the WTA board, players, tournaments and sponsors – said the tour would not host events in China until the government will not have agreed to conduct a full investigation into Peng’s allegations and will offer the WTA a chance to contact her directly. He said that could extend beyond 2022.

There are around 10 WTA tournaments a year in China, including the season-ending tour finals, which are expected to be held there for a decade.

“I don’t know how to give you a number on the actual effect, but it will definitely be millions of dollars. And, you know, time will tell, depending on what presents itself to us, how deep and how far it goes. I’ll just say it’s important, that’s for sure. This is going to be important, ” Simon told the AP. And this is something that we will have to deal with and go through. But I’m confident we’ll find a way to manage and work our way through it. There was barely a reaction from the Chinese government on Thursday to the WTA’s decision. Asked about the tournament’s suspension and Peng’s safety, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin declined to speak.

“We are always firmly opposed to acts that politicize sport,” Wang told reporters at a daily briefing.

The IOC announced on Thursday that it had organized a second appeal with Peng; there was also one on November 21. In either case, the IOC did not release any audio, video or transcripts, explain how the contact was organized, or say whether there had been any discussion of Peng’s sexual assault allegations.

The IOC said it “would keep in regular contact with her and had already agreed to a personal meeting in January,” shortly before the start of the lucrative Beijing Games on February 4.

After the IOC’s initial call with Peng, Mary Gallagher, Chinese expert at the University of Michigan, said, “The IOC’s response is not convincing to anyone except the Chinese government, which is the entity that he most needs to please. Diana Fu, who teaches at the University of Toronto and studies state control in China, said any communication Peng has had so far was likely scripted. it could act as a catalyst for the #MeToo movement.

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BBL: England point guard Tymal Mills joins Perth Scorchers

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Perth Scorchers announced the signing of England leader Tymal Mills on Thursday ahead of the upcoming 2021-22 Big Bash League (BBL) season. Mills will fill the void in the Perth squad left by compatriot England Brydon Carse, who was excluded from the flagship event after suffering a serious knee injury last month.

Scorchers head coach Adam Voges is thrilled to have Mills’ remarkable experience and versatility ahead of BBL’s debut. “We’re really excited to bring Tymal in after Brydon’s unfortunate injury. To be able to have someone of Tymal’s caliber – we’ve seen the impact he’s had for England in the World Cup and its The past 12 to 24 months have been exceptional, ”Voges said on the Perth Scorchers website.

“He’s a world-class performer, and he will obviously be very important for us at the end of the heats. In the death overs I can see him and AJ Tye being a really good combination,” he added. A thigh injury had prematurely ended Mills’ T20 World Cup shortly before this year’s semifinals.

The 29-year-old left gunsmith is delighted to be a part of Perth’s talented squad and play in what he has described as one of the “big competitions” in the world. “When they first got in touch I was extremely excited. It’s a great franchise with great players,” said Mills.

“It’s exciting to have the opportunity to play in great competitions, and when you join a new franchise it’s a great opportunity to meet new people and come in with a great group of guys,” he said. he added. The Perth Scorchers will open their BBL 11 campaign against Brisbane Heat at Optus Stadium on December 8. (ANI)

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BBL: former Australian coach Gurinder Sandhu returns to Sydney Thunder

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Former Australian ODI coach Gurinder Sandhu has joined the Sydney Thunder ahead of the next Big Bash League (BBL) season. The 28-year-old fast bowler said joining the club where his BBL journey began after spending last summer with the Sydney Sixers was “awesome” and an opportunity that “turned him on”.

“Every time I think of home I think of the Thunder, it’s great to be back here. Family, friends, that’s where everyone comes from for me, personally,” Sandhu said on the Sydney Thunder website. “If I think of home, I think of West Sydney; if I think of West Sydney, I think of home; I think of Sydney Thunder, I think of home – it all connects very well. good.

“It’s awesome. That’s where my Big Bash adventure started in BBL | 02. I’m very, very excited,” he added. Sandhu returns to Thunder after spending last summer with the championship-winning Sydney Sixers. He described his time with Thunder rivals as giving his best.

“It was different, especially going to the Sixers who had been my rivals, and for the Thunder Nation. It was very different, a little weird, but like you do, you play for this team at the time. , and you give it your all; 100 percent commitment, “said Sandhu. Sydney Thunder coach Trevor Bayliss said the fast bowler has proven why he will be a key part of the team.

“I know Gurinder is happy to be home, he’s very passionate about the Thunder Nation. He’s done extremely well for Queensland this summer, and everyone knows he’s determined to do the same for Thunder. “said Bayliss. (ANI)

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Injured Spurs defender Cristian Romero ruled out until early 2022

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Tottenham Hotspur FC head coach Antonio Conte confirmed on Wednesday that Cristian Romero will be out until early next year with a hamstring injury. The center-back raised the issue during Argentina’s World Cup qualifier against Brazil on November 16. “This is not good news,” Antonio said on the club’s official website after training on Wednesday.

The north London-based side are set for a Premier League home clash against Brentford on Thursday night. “The injury is serious. I don’t know at the moment but, for sure, he won’t play in 2021, and we will have to wait until January, February. It’s a shame, because he is an important player for us. We are going to check him week after week, but he needs time. We have a lot of confidence in our medical field, our physiotherapists and doctors, and we will try to get him back as soon as possible, “added the coach.

Giovani Lo Celso also returned from international service with an injury. He has improved but remains on the sidelines for Brentford. “His situation is totally different,” said Antonio. “I think after the Brentford game maybe he will be with us in training. He started having sessions on the pitch, not with the team, with a physical trainer,” he said. He underlines. On Sunday, Spurs’ game against Burnley was postponed due to inclement weather conditions.

With snow continuing to fall at Turf Moor with less than an hour to go, the amount of snow on the pitch was deemed too great for the match to be played. (ANI)

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Soccer-Liverpool and Arsenal great Kennedy dies at the age of 70

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Liverpool great Ray Kennedy, a key figure in the Merseyside club’s high-performing side in the 1970s, has died at the age of 70 after a long battle with Parkinson’s disease, the club announced on Tuesday. Premier League team. Kennedy made over 300 appearances and scored 72 goals between 1974 and 1981 during a distinguished career for Liverpool. He helped them win five Premier League titles, three European Cups, the UEFA Cup and the League Cup, among other top honors.

Kennedy was first recruited as a striker from Liverpool, but was turned into a midfielder by manager Bob Paisley. “Liverpool are in mourning for former legendary player Ray Kennedy, who died at the age of 70,” Liverpool said in a statement https://www.liverpoolfc.com/news/liverpool-fc-mourns-passing-ray-kennedy on their website.

“The last period of Kennedy’s career, and indeed the rest of his life, was affected by Parkinson’s disease.” Paisley wrote in his autobiography that Kennedy was “one of Liverpool’s greatest players and possibly the most underrated”.

Kennedy also spent five trophy-filled seasons at Arsenal, winning the FA Cup and Premier League in the 1971 double-season when his late header clinched a 1-0 victory over north London rivals Tottenham Hotspur for seal the title. He made 17 appearances for England, scoring three goals, and played in the 1980 European Championship in Italy.

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I have suffered color discrimination all my life: L Sivaramakrishnan

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Former Indian spinner Laxman Sivaramakrishnan said he had been “discriminated against on the basis of color” his entire life, including in his own country. Sivaramakrishnan, who played 9 tests and 16 ODIs for India, spoke about his experience of discrimination following the racism scandal that rocked English cricket.

“ I’ve been criticized and discriminated against my whole life, so it doesn’t bother me anymore. This is unfortunately happening in our own country, ” Sivaramakrishnan wrote on his Twitter account.

The former leg spinner, who was known for his prodigious trick and flight, was reacting to a Twitter post that hinted at the online trolling that commentators were facing.

Sivaramakrishnan is not the only Indian player to have spoken of discrimination. Tamil Nadu opener Abhinav Mukund also raised this question on social media in 2017.

In a statement posted on his Twitter page, Mukund, who has taken part in 7 tryouts for India, said: “I have traveled a lot inside and outside our country since I was old. from 15 years old. Ever since I was young, people’s obsession with my skin color has always been a mystery to me. “He added in the statement:” Anyone who follows cricket would understand the obvious. I have played and I trained day after day in the sun and not once did I regret having tanned or lost a few shades.

It’s just because I love what I’m doing and I was able to achieve some things just because I spent hours outside. I’m from Chennai which is probably one of the hottest places in the country and have happily spent most of my adult life on the cricket pitch. racial discrimination.

England cricket recently found itself in the center of a storm as former Yorkshire player Azeem Rafiq testified about the racial discrimination he faced in a parliamentary hearing.

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Argentina celebrates the anniversary of the death of football legend Maradona

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Argentina celebrated the first anniversary of the death of football legend Diego Maradona on Thursday with ceremonies, tributes, graffiti and emotional posts on social media.

Maradona died of a heart attack at the age of 60 after undergoing brain surgery two weeks earlier. Seven medical professionals who treated the star face criminal charges after a medical report said Maradona did not receive adequate treatment.

“The world has been more horrible for a year now because you’re not here,” Maradona’s eldest daughter Dalma wrote on Instagram.

Maradona’s youngest son Diego Fernando, 8, visited his father’s grave in the private cemetery Jardín de Bella Vista.

“I came over so Dieguito said hello to his father,” his mother Veronica Ojeda told reporters.

One of Maradona’s brothers, Raul Alfredo, also visited the grave of the World Cup winner, who played for Argentinos Juniors, Boca Juniors, Barcelona, ​​Napoli, Sevilla and Newell’s Old Boys.

The four sisters of Maradona attended a religious mass.

The Argentina national team also marked the occasion on social media with the message: “ It has been a year since you became immortal. We will never forget you. ” The country’s football association said the next round of the national championship will take place after the players jointly form a number 10 on the pitch before each game.

Fans have also gathered for tributes on sites dedicated to the great Argentine.

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Golf-Morikawa and McIlroy to start 2022 season in Abu Dhabi

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World number two Collin Morikawa and four-time major winner Rory McIlroy will start their 2022 DP World Tour season at the HSBC Championship in Abu Dhabi in January. Morikawa, 24, who won this year’s British Open, finished the season as number one on the European Tour and closed a year to remember with a victory in the DP World Tour Championship on Sunday.

The European Tour announced earlier this month that it will be renamed DP World Tour from next year following a partnership with the UAE-based logistics company. The Abu Dhabi Championship has already been held at the Abu Dhabi Golf Club for 16 consecutive years, but will move to Yas Links Abu Dhabi next year and run from January 20-23.

“I can’t wait to return to the Middle East and compete in the Abu Dhabi Championship for the first time,” Morikawa said on the European Tour website. “I’ve heard great things about the event and it always attracts a world class bunch year after year, but I know this year will be very special at Yas Links for the first time.”

McIlroy, who ended his 2021 campaign with a tied sixth place at the DP World Championship, will continue his quest for a maiden victory in Abu Dhabi, where he has finished fourth on four occasions. “I have many happy memories of the Abu Dhabi championship and once again look forward to starting my year in this wonderful tournament,” said McIlroy.

“I have come close to this event several times in the past, and I hope I have a chance to win this trophy for the first time on Sunday.”

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Cricket-Paine scandal will be a distraction during Ashes: Ponting

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Former Australian skipper Ricky Ponting has said Tim Paine’s resignation as captain over a sexting scandal will “inevitably” be a distraction in Ashes’ five-test round against England.

Paine resigned https://www.reuters.com/lifestyle/sports/paine-steps-down-australia-test-cricket-captain-after-texting-scandal-2021-11-19 from his role last Friday after revelations in the media he had been investigated and cleared for sexually explicit text messages sent to a former Cricket Tasmania colleague in 2017. “I think it will inevitably (a distraction). huge call for himself, for Australian cricket and for the betterment of the Australian cricket team. But that is not going to go away, “Ponting told a Cricket Australia website.

“As much as we would all like to see it go away and there comes a time when it is never talked about, it’s inevitable it’s there.” Unfortunately for Tim, he’s going to be asked about it everywhere he goes… He goes. explode and hopefully he will spend enough time to have a really good free space in Brisbane (for the first test). “

Australian spinner Nathan Lyon played down the impact Paine’s presence would have on the team. “I don’t see it as a distraction at all,” Lyon told reporters on Thursday.

“At the end of the day, we are professional athletes, we know what to do and how to do it.” The Ashes begins December 8 at Gabba.

Ponting said Alex Carey could replace Paine as wicket keeper if the 36-year-old was dropped, but backed Josh Inglis, who has yet to make his international debut, to be the long-term successor behind the strains. “I officially say I love Inglis – I think he’s going to be a really good cricketer for Australia for a long time to come, whatever format they pick him up in first, whether it’s the T20s, the one-dayers or trial cricket, ”added Ponting.

Lyon, however, said he wanted Paine behind the stumps. “The coaches said we were going to pick the best 11 available and to me Tim Paine is the best goalkeeper in the world,” he said.

“It’s very selfish from a bowler’s point of view. I want the best glove behind the stumps.”

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Mirabai Chanu to miss World Championship and Senior Commonwealth Championship

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Olympic silver medalist weightlifter Mirabai Chanu will miss the World Championship and Senior Commonwealth Championship which will be held simultaneously from December 7-17 in Tashkent, Uzbekistan.

Chanu, who won a silver medal in the 49kg category at the Tokyo Olympics earlier this year and is also a former world champion, withdrew from both events on the advice of the coach- Indian chief Vijay Sharma.

“Our main goal (for the World Championship and the Senior Commonwealth Championship) is for weightlifters to qualify for the Commonwealth Games next year,” Sharma told PTI.

“We sent Mira’s entry but her performance is not very good at the moment. We are working a bit on his snatch technique.

“Her qualification (for the CWG) is not a problem as she won silver at the Olympics and she is also ranked number one at the moment,” he added.

The Commonwealth Senior Championship was previously scheduled to be held in Singapore from October 20-24, but was canceled due to COVID-19. It will now take place simultaneously and in the same location alongside the world championship next month.

Twenty weightlifters from across the country, including Youth Olympic Gold Medalist Jeremy Lalrinnunga, will compete in the tournament.

Chanu, who holds the world record in the clean and jerk in the 49kg category after successfully lifting 119kg in the Asian Championship last year, struggled to stay tied with her Chinese rivals in the snatch section.

The 27-year-old has, in her own words, struggled lifting weights in the snatch due to an imbalance affecting her right shoulder and back.

Chanu had also seen Dr. Aaron Horschig, a former weightlifter turned physiotherapist and strength and conditioning trainer in the United States, which helped her win the silver medal in Tokyo immensely.

When asked if Chanu plans to return to the United States for training, Sharma said: “It is not necessary at the moment.” Sharma said the decision to withdraw from the world championships is a strategic one.

“She doesn’t face any issues but it’s just that we’re strategically thinking about which events to attend and which to miss.

“She has been competing continuously for the past five years. We have prepared but it is not enough for this event.

“She should have taken an extra load for this event, so I advised her to miss it,” he said.

However, in an interview with PTI last month, Chanu revealed that she still sometimes experiences pain when lifting heavy weights.

“The problem is solved, but sometimes I still have pain in my right shoulder and back because of the imbalance. But there is a lot of improvement compared to before, ” she said.

“At the moment, there is no plan to go to the United States because there is a world championship in December. After that, maybe we’ll plan. I consult him (Horschig) online on what to do. ” Asian Championship gold medalist Jhilli Dalabehera, who previously competed in the 45kg category, will represent India in the Chanu category. during the event.

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Another player accuses Essex of racism, sponsor withdraws

By Sports games

Former Essex coach Jahid Khan was accused of racist abuse while playing for the England county team a few years ago, according to a report.

Jahid is the third Essex player to accuse him of the racism that rocked English cricket following the Yorkshire-Azeem Rafiq episode.

The 35-year-old cricketer follows Zoheb Sharif and Maurice Chambers who have also accused the club of racial discrimination.

Jahid, who represented Essex in seven first-class games between 2005 and 2009, described the club as “a world of white men where brunettes were strangers” after a teammate asked him if he ” was going to bomb “. the club.

It was a world of white men where browns were strangers. I wanted to change my voice. I tried to dig deeper into it. I really wanted to fit in, ” Jahid said, quoted by The Cricketer.

I felt like an underdog the whole time I was at Chelmsford. I was always afraid of what they were going to come up with and it made it incredibly difficult to focus on my cricket, ” he added.

In the meantime, it has also emerged that a sponsor has withdrawn from his association with the club. ‘Seetec is listed as one of eight Platinum Club partners on the Essex website and has confirmed to inews.co.uk that it is suspending ties with the club following historic and deeply damaging allegations’ ‘, inews.co. UK said in a report.

“We have suspended our links with Essex County Cricket Club with immediate effect,” a company spokesperson told the website. Through the services we provide, our employee-owners work with diverse communities to help people achieve their life ambitions. This is part of our broader commitment to social inclusion, as it is important to us that the communities we serve have equal access to opportunities. No form of racism should be tolerated. ” Previously, John Faragher had resigned as president of Essex on November 11 following a claim he used racist language at a council meeting directors in 2017, which he firmly denied.

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Cricket-Bangladesh’s Tamim banned from New Zealand tour – report

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Bangladesh opener Tamim Iqbal was excluded from his two-test run in New Zealand in January due to a thumb injury, cricketer site Cricbuzz reported on Tuesday. The report quotes Debashish Chowdhury, chief medical officer of the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB), as saying that Tamim would need a month of rest to recover from the injury he sustained last month.

Tamim, who withdrew from this year’s Twenty20 World Cup due to lack of playing time as he recovered from a knee injury, was left out of the two-game last week. Bangladesh’s home testing against Pakistan, which begins Friday, due to the injury. . “He met the doctor and they advised him to take a month’s rest although he didn’t need any surgery,” Chowdhury told Cricbuzz https://www.cricbuzz.com/cricket-news / 119946 / tamim-ruled- exit-from-new-zealand-tour-with-thumb-injury.

“In this case, the New Zealand tour is missing.” Reuters has contacted the BCB for confirmation.

Bangladesh are scheduled to play the first game against New Zealand at Bay Oval in Mount Maunganui from January 1, followed by the second game at Hagley Oval in Christchurch from January 9. Both tests will be part of the 2021-23 Cycle Team Test World Championship.

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Racist footballer comment overshadows moving moment for Roma teenager

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The heartwarming moment of AS Roma manager Jose Mourinho gave Felix Afena-Gyan a new pair of sneakers after his stunning brace as a late Serie A replacement for Genoa on Sunday was overshadowed by a racist remark made by someone in the room. In a video posted online by the Ghanaian striker on Monday, an unidentified man off camera can be heard saying in Italian “there are bananas inside” as the 18-year-old unwrapped the box he was given Mourinho.

Neither Mourinho nor Afena-Gyan, who spoke in English, reacted to the comment made as the forward unwrapped his gift. The club was not immediately available for comment.

The video, which was shared widely online, came after Afena-Gyan came off the bench to score two stunning goals in Roma’s 2-0 Serie A nL1N2SC0J1 win over Genoa on Sunday. After the match, Mourinho said he “promised to buy him (Afena-Gyan) a pair of shoes he likes which costs 800 euros ($ 899.20)” and the Portuguese coach kept his word.

The teenager, who arrived in Rome from his native Ghana to join the club’s Under-19 team in January, only made his senior debut last month and has yet to start a first-team game . He was signed for the last 15 minutes against Genoa and had a huge impact, slipping in the opener before scoring a superb long-range strike in stoppage time to send Mourinho’s side to fifth in the table. .

“Mourinho teaches me a lot and I learn a lot from him. He is someone who has accomplished a lot in his career and he is a great person. I am happy to work with him,” said Afena-Gyan at Roma website https://www.asroma.com/en/news/2021/11/Felix-thanks-Mourinho-after-star-turn. ($ 1 = € 0.8897)

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Lyon-Marseille match abandoned after the shock of a water bottle against Payet

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A French league match between Lyon and Marseille was scrapped after Marseille midfielder Dimitri Payet was hit in the head by a water bottle thrown from the stands as he took a corner kick in the latest violence in supporters against French football. Payet collapsed to the ground in the fifth minute of the game in Lyon, 0-0, but was able to get up after receiving medical treatment. The referee ordered the players to return to the locker room with the suspension of play. After waiting around 75 minutes, an announcement in the stadium announced that play would resume but warned that “the match will be suspended if there is has another incident “. The Lyon players returned to the field after the announcement but the Marseille players remained in their locker room, reluctant to resume play, Payet saying he was shocked by the incident. Lyon warmed up for ten minutes before returning to the locker room. About two hours after kick-off, it was announced that the game had been discontinued. “My sporting decision has always been not to resume the game,” referee Ruddy Buquet told Amazon Prime Video. “A player has been physically injured. We have to protect the football players. We are responsible for their safety, which is why the final decision was made.” Buquet went on to explain why it took so long to abandon the game.

“There are so many factors to take into account. There is a packed stadium, there are players to be evacuated,” said Buquet. “These are important factors in terms of safety.” Payet was taunted by Lyon supporters during the warm-up and was the target of discriminatory slurs, according to French league officials. “He is psychologically injured,” Marseille President Pablo Longoria said of Payet.

“What is happening is not normal. We have always condemned any kind of violence.” The supporter who threw the bottle was reportedly found and ejected from the stadium. “The culprit was arrested. There was no risk that things would become aggressive again,” said Lyon President Jean-Michel Aulas. “I think we are well organized here in terms of security … We think the game could have resumed without a problem.” Aulas criticized Marseille for not having resumed the match. “There was such a violent reaction (from Marseille) that Mr. Buquet asked to review the perfect (regional) and reconsider his decision,” said Aulas.

Aulas was conciliatory towards Payet.

“We send him our apologies. It makes us sad,” Aulas said on the club’s website. The French league blamed the host club and local authorities, saying the league had done its best to deter violence with penalties such as point deductions and games played behind closed doors. “These new serious incidents are a reminder that safety during matches is the responsibility of the host club and the local authorities, who have the final say on the resumption or abandonment of a match,” French league officials said. in a press release. “In such circumstances, the French championship regrets the decision to (attempt to) resume the Lyon-Marseille match by the regional prefect.” The statement added that “repeated serious incidents destroy the image of the French league in France and abroad. After these new extremely serious events, the disciplinary commission of the French league will meet tomorrow for an urgent meeting”. This is not the first time this season that a French league match has been marred by fan violence. And Marseille has already been the target of violence from supporters. A match between Nice and Marseille in August was abandoned after supporters threw projectiles and invaded the pitch. Payet was also hit by a bottle in this game and sent it back to the fans. Players and staff were also involved in a brawl. Nice received a two-point penalty, one of which was suspended, and the game was rescheduled and replayed in October in a neutral location with no fans. Montpellier supporters threw projectiles at Marseille players in August when the game was suspended for more than 10 minutes. Valentin Rongier had his lip cut off by a projectile. In September, supporters invaded Anger’s pitch as Marseille and Angers supporters clashed. Other clubs have also been hit by crowd issues. In September, supporters invaded the lawn of Lens in the northern derby between Lens and Lille. Fights broke out in the stands between Lensiens and Lille supporters. In September, a teenager was injured by a projected seat during a match between PSG and Lyon. In October, a game between Saint-Etienne and Angers was delayed by around an hour due to a pitch invasion and flares launched into the pitch before kick-off. “After such a night, I think what one can ask, given the situation, is that French football is seriously considering stopping this type of incident,” said Longoria.

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Soccer-Uruguay coach Tabarez sacked after 15 years in charge

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Uruguay have sacked coach Oscar Tabarez after 15 years of service following a series of disappointing World Cup qualifying results, the country’s FA (AUF) announced on Friday. Uruguay’s 3-0 loss to Bolivia https://www.reuters.com/article/soccer-worldcup-bol-ury-report-idUKKBN2I12IY on Tuesday was their fourth straight loss and left them seventh in qualifying south -american for the final phase of Qatar 2022, one point behind Colombia who currently occupy the last place of automatic qualification.

“We strongly express that this decision does not ignore Tabarez’s important contribution to Uruguayan football,” AUF said in a statement posted on its website https://www.auf.org.uy/comunicado-de -la-auf-19 -11-2021. “We salute and recognize the fundamental sporting achievements achieved during these 15 years, which have once again placed Uruguay at the top of world football.

“The AUF Executive Committee has made this difficult decision under the current circumstances, committed to the near future and achieving the results we all hope for.” Tabarez, 74, took charge of the national team for a second stint in 2006 and led Uruguay to the 2010 World Cup semi-finals and the Copa America title a year later.

He was previously at the helm between 1988 and 1990. Uruguay will travel to Paraguay in their next qualifying match on January 27.

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Tennis-WTA threatens to withdraw China tournaments against Peng

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Outcry over the fate of Chinese tennis star Peng Shuai escalated as the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) threatened to withdraw tournaments from China over his disappearance and the White House asked Beijing to prove that she was safe. Former world number one double Peng has not been seen or heard from publicly since she said on Chinese social media on November 2 that former vice premier Zhang Gaoli had forced her into dating sex https://www.reuters.com/world/china/ chinese tennis star peng says ex-vice premier forced her to have sex-2021-11-03 and they then had an intermittent consensual relationship.

Neither Zhang nor the Chinese government has commented on his allegation. Peng’s social media post was quickly removed, and the topic was blocked in heavily censored internet discussions in China. Concerns https://www.reuters.com/article/tennis-china-peng-itf/tennis-itf-says-player-safety-top-priority-amid-concerns-over-chinas-peng-idINL1N2S91BO among world tennis The community and beyond have grown over Peng’s safety and plight since his allegation, with the WTA calling for an investigation.

Some of the world’s best tennis players, including Serena Williams and Naomi Osaka, as well as the German Olympic Committee, used the social media hashtag #WhereIsPengShuai. The White House on Friday called on the Chinese government to provide “independent and verifiable evidence” of Peng’s whereabouts and security.

“We are deeply concerned about reports that Peng Shuai appears to have disappeared after accusing an elder [People’s Republic of China] senior responsible for sexual assault, “spokeswoman Jen Psaki said. French Sports Minister Roxana Maracineany called for transparency.

“Our country is deeply committed to respect for human rights. Transparency is absolutely necessary on accusations of sexual assault such as the Peng Shuai situation,” she wrote on Twitter on Friday. “We are following this file closely with the tennis authorities and the Quai d’Orsay (Ministry of Foreign Affairs).”

The issue emerged as China prepares to host the Winter Olympics in Beijing in February amid calls from global human rights groups and others to boycott its rights record. humans. The International Olympic Committee declined to comment on the Peng case, saying it believed “quiet diplomacy” offered the best opportunity for a solution. UN human rights spokesperson Liz Throssell has called for evidence of Peng’s fate and well-being as well as a transparent investigation into his allegations.

WTA chief executive Steve Simon told CNN and other U.S. media on Thursday that the tour would consider removing tournaments worth tens of millions of dollars from China. In a statement to Reuters on Friday, Simon said the WTA was “at a crossroads” with China.

“We continue to demand independent and verifiable evidence that Peng Shuai is safe and that his allegation of sexual assault will be fully, fair and uncensored. If not, the WTA is ready to do what is fair, ”he said. EXPANSION AXIS

Hu Xijin, editor-in-chief of China’s Global Times, responded on Friday to Simon’s comments at https://twitter.com/HuXijin_GT/status/1461616999897862148 to CNN on Twitter, saying, “Do not use a coercive tone when expressing concerns about China “. “Maybe you did it out of goodwill. But you have to understand China, including understanding how the system you don’t like promoted the real rights of 1.4 billion Chinese,” Hu said. , whose newspaper is published by the official People’s Daily of the ruling Communist Party.

The WTA said it was not responding to Hu’s tweet. China has been at the center of the WTA’s most aggressive expansion in the past decade and has hosted nine tournaments in the 2019 season with a total of $ 30.4 million in prizes offered.

The end-of-season WTA Finals had a purse of $ 14 million in 2019 when they were first played in Shenzhen. The finals were canceled last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic and moved this year to Guadalajara, Mexico, but the WTA has said it will return to Shenzhen from 2022 to 2030.

Streaming platform iQiyi is WTA’s digital rights partner in China, signing a 10-year deal worth $ 120 million. The agreement began in 2017. HEAVILY CENSORED IN CHINA

The hashtag #WhereIsPengShuai has so far racked up more than 32 million mentions on Facebook’s Instagram and Twitter, according to hashtag analysis site BrandMentions. Both platforms are blocked in China. In contrast, the subject remains heavily censored in tightly controlled Chinese cyberspace. Searches for the official WTA account on China’s Twitter-like platform Weibo on Friday yielded no results although his account remained available. Peng’s name on Weibo also continues to show no search results.

Peng had not been seen or heard from since his post until Wednesday, when WTA’s Simon said he received an email allegedly from Peng and denying the sexual assault allegations, which put in doubt https: //www.reuters. com / business / media-telecom / wtas-simon-voices-concern-over-statement-attribued-peng-2021-11-18. Chinese state media also posted the letter on Twitter. Hu, who has a particularly high profile in the tightly controlled Chinese state media, weighed in on the scandal on Twitter earlier Friday, saying he did not believe she had been the target of retaliation.

“As someone familiar with the Chinese system, I don’t think Peng Shuai suffered any retaliation and repression speculated by foreign media for what people have been talking about,” he said on Twitter. He made no similar comment on his official Weibo account.

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FACTBOX-What charges did American shooter Kyle Rittenhouse face?

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The 12-member jury who acquitted on Friday https://www.reuters.com/world/us/jury-rittenhouse-murder-trial-deliberate-fourth-day-2021-11-19 the American teenager Kyle Rittenhouse of all the charges his murder trial following shootings at protests in Kenosha, Wis. last year covered five felony counts https://www.wpr.org/sites/default/files/ rittenhouse.pdf and several related charges.

All five counts contained the aggravating factor of “use of a dangerous weapon”. COUNT 1: UNINTENDED FIRST-DEGREE HOMICIDE

The crime stems from the fact that Rittenhouse shot dead Joseph Rosenbaum, 36, and carries a sentence of up to 60 years in prison. Video from the trial showed Rosenbaum chasing Rittenhouse through a used car parking lot as Rittenhouse shouted, “Friendly, friendly, friendly.” Rittenhouse and a witness said Rosenbaum, who was unarmed, attempted to grab the teenager’s rifle.

The prosecution forced the jury to conclude that Rittenhouse had caused death with “total disregard for human life.” https://docs.legis.wisconsin.gov/statutes/statutes/940/i/02 »CHEFS 2 AND 3: FIRST DEGREE UNINTENDED DANGEROUS SECURITY

Prosecutors say that when Rittenhouse shot Rosenbaum, the teenager recklessly endangered the safety of a bystander, Richard McGinnis. McGinnis, chief video director of the Daily Caller, a conservative website, said Rosenbaum attempted to grab the barrel of Rittenhouse’s rifle before the teenager fired at Rosenbaum. Before Rittenhouse shoots Anthony Huber, the video shows an unidentified man trying to kick Rittenhouse and the teenager firing two shots at him, which appear to be missing. Prosecutors also charged Rittenhouse with reckless first degree endangerment of security for the incident.

The crime is punishable by a fine of up to $ 25,000 and up to 12 and a half years in prison. COUNT 4: INTENTIONAL HOMICIDE AT THE FIRST DEGREE

This was the most serious charge Rittenhouse faced and similar to first degree murder in other states. He was liable to a mandatory sentence of life imprisonment. The charge stems from the death of Huber, 26, the second person to be shot by Rittenhouse.

After shooting Rosenbaum, Rittenhouse fled the scene and was pursued by Huber and others. After tripping to the ground, Rittenhouse shot Huber, who threw a skateboard at him. The judge granted a prosecution’s request that the jury also consider second-degree intentional homicides and first-degree reckless homicides. Both face up to 60 years in prison.

Count 5: ATTEMPTED INTENTIONAL FIRST-DEGREE HOMICIDE This charge arises out of the fact that Rittenhouse injured 27-year-old Gaige Grosskreutz, who lost part of his arm to the bullet. The crime is punishable by 60 years in prison.

The judge granted a prosecution’s request that the jury also consider the attempted second degree manslaughter, punishable by up to 60 years in prison, and reckless first degree endangerment , punishable by up to 12 and a half years in prison. .

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Rugby-Springboks will miss Erasmus “waterboy” after World Rugby ban

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South Africa captain Siya Kolisi has said the absence of banned rugby manager Rassie Erasmus from Twickenham would be a blow to the team as they face England on Saturday. Erasmus is banned from all activity on match days until September 30 next year after being found guilty of misconduct by an independent committee for his hour-long video review of match officials during the British & Series. Irish Lions.

He had posed as a waterboy for the Boks during the Lions series, coached on the sidelines, and reprized the role for this month’s test wins against Wales and Scotland. Still, he won’t be involved at Twickenham on Saturday after his penalty was handed down by World Rugby on Wednesday.

“It will be difficult to be without him as his presence makes a huge difference to us,” Kolisi said at a Friday press conference that started with SA Rugby, stating that they would not comment on the matter or the sentence imposed on Erasmus. Kolisi, however, answered a question about having to do without Erasmus for Saturday’s test.

“His insight, the things he sees that we don’t see on the pitch are important. It helps a lot when someone has played rugby at this level. He always motivates us and talks to us from the field side and also when the substitutions are made, ”said the captain. “He is making a huge difference for us as a team and he will be missed. But I know the coaching staff have plans on how we can get around that as a group, ”Kolisi added.

Erasmus has been found guilty of all six charges brought by the governing body for various violations of the gambling code of conduct, but he will appeal the verdict, as will SA Rugby. Although Jacques Nienaber is now the team’s coach, succeeding Erasmus after South Africa’s victory at the 2019 World Cup, he did not hide the fact that Erasmus has a strong contribution, from training the selection of teams.

Erasmus was unhappy with Australian referee Nic Berry’s many decisions in Test’s first 22-17 loss to the Cape Lions in July, and even more unhappy when his efforts to engage with the official the next day were repulsed. He did a 62 minute video review which was posted online. (Written by Mark Gleeson in Cape Town; edited by Toby Davis)

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Lukaku and Kovacic absent from Chelsea to Leicester trip

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Forward Romelu Lukaku will not take part in Chelsea’s Premier League trip to Leicester on Saturday, head coach Thomas Tuchel has confirmed. It has been almost a month since the Chelsea forward injured his ankle in a Champions League game against Malmö, in his 11th appearance of the season after joining the club this summer.

Asked about the availability of Romelu Lukaku, Timo Werner and Mateo Kovacic, who were all missing before the international football break, Tuchel at a post-match press conference on Friday according to Chelsea’s official website said: ” I can tell you Mateo and Romelu are out for the game at Leicester. Romelu is very close to team training, I hope he will join the team on Sunday. Let’s see how it works. He pushes hard and tries to come back ASAP. We’ll try Sunday. ” “It will take Mateo more days until he is ready to join the team’s training. He will miss other games.”

“Timo has been in team training since yesterday,” added the Blues boss in better news. “Let’s see. We’ve got another practice. Then we’ll decide if it makes sense if he’s maybe on the squad or on the bench. We won’t be able to decide until after his second practice later.” Chelsea are hoping to receive Lukaku’s services by next week, as they face Juventus in the Champions League game on Tuesday and Manchester United in the Premier League meeting next weekend. (ANI)

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Soccer-Van Bronckhorst appointed director of Rangers

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Former Dutch midfielder Giovanni van Bronckhorst has been appointed Rangers head coach following Steven Gerrard’s departure for Aston Villa, the Scottish champions announced on Thursday.

Gerrard, who ended Celtic’s nine-year domination by guiding Rangers to the league title in an unbeaten season, left the club last week. “I feel so lucky to be going to work with a team that are in a great position on all fronts and have a lot of that experience of being winners,” Van Bronckhorst said on the club’s website https: // www.rangers.co.uk/ article / rangers-confirm-giovanni-van-bronckhorst-as-manager / 2gwO7Q3sem0TSexc1jOy8I.

“I look forward to continuing and improving the work that has already been done alongside (athletic director) Ross Wilson and the club board, and I am grateful to have the chance to work again in this huge football club. ” Van Bronckhorst has made over 100 appearances for the Netherlands and made a short stint with Rangers during a playing career that has also taken him to Arsenal and Barcelona.

The 46-year-old moved to training after hanging up his boots in 2010 and cutting his teeth in the management of Dutch club Feyenoord with whom he won the Eredivisie title in 2016-17 and the KNVB Cup two-way times. His last coaching position with the Chinese Super League team Guangzhou R&F ended in December 2020.

The Rangers, four points ahead of the league after 13 games, host sixth-placed Hibernian on Sunday.

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Chinese tennis star’s email doubts raise security concerns

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A Chinese professional tennis player has not been seen in public since she accused a former senior government official of sexual assault who allegedly sent an email claiming she was safe and the allegation was bogus, a message that only amplified concerns about his safety and requests for information about him. well-being and location.

So far, these appeals have been met with silence.

Chinese authorities have not said anything publicly since the accusation, about two weeks ago, by the double Grand Slam champion, Peng Shuai, of being sexually assaulted by Zhang Gaoli. The first #MeToo case to reach the political realm in China was not reported by national media and the online discussion about it was heavily censored.

Steve Simon, president and CEO of the Women’s Tennis Association, questioned the authenticity of what Chinese state media said was an email to her in which Peng says she is safe and that the assault allegation is false. It was released on Thursday by CGTN, the international arm of China’s public broadcaster CCTV.

“I find it hard to believe that Peng Shuai wrote down the email we received or believes what is attributed to him,” Simon wrote.

The statement, he added, “only raises my concerns for her safety and her whereabouts.” Simon has called for a full investigation and the WTA has said it is ready to pull tournaments out of the country if it does not get a proper response. Top players including Naomi Osaka and Novak Djokovic have spoken, and the hashtag WhereisPengShuai is all the rage online.

Serena Williams tweeted that she was “devastated and shocked to hear the news” about Peng.

“I hope she’s safe and found as soon as possible,” Williams wrote. “This needs to be investigated and we must not remain silent.” International Tennis Federation spokeswoman Heather Bowler said Thursday the governing body is in contact with the China Tennis Association and liaising with the WTA and the International Olympic Committee.

“Player safety is always our top priority and we support a full and transparent investigation into this matter,” Bowler wrote in an email to The Associated Press. “Although we have not spoken to the player, we are in contact with the National Tennis Association of China (CTA) in case they could provide any additional information or updates.” China has largely suppressed a #MeToo movement that flourished briefly in 2018 and moves forward with the Beijing Winter Olympics in February despite calls to boycott activists and some foreign politicians of China’s record. in human rights.

When asked several times about the case, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian again said on Thursday that he was unaware.

Peng, 35, is a former No. 1 player in the women’s doubles who won titles at Wimbledon in 2013 and Roland Garros in 2014.

She wrote in a long social media post on November 2 that Zhang, a former deputy prime minister who was a member of the ruling Communist Party’s top leadership committee, had forced her to have sex despite refusals. repeated three years ago.

The post was quickly deleted from his verified account on Weibo, one of China’s major social media platforms, but screenshots of the explosive charge quickly spread across the internet in China. She has not appeared in public since then, raising questions about her fate and whether she is being held.

Zhang, who is 75, disappeared from public view after retiring in 2018, as usual for former senior officials. He is not known to have close ties to the current rulers.

Peng’s charge is the first high-profile sexual assault charge against a powerful politician in China. Past accusations have involved prominent figures in the nonprofit world, academia and the media, but never reached senior Communist Party officials or state-owned companies.

CGTN released the statement on Twitter, which is blocked in China along with many other foreign platforms such as Google and Facebook. He did not post it on Chinese social media, and there was no mention of the alleged email behind the Great Firewall, which separates the Chinese internet from the rest of the world.

Some netizens bypassed controls and posted the news on private social media groups. Freeweibo.com, which records Weibo’s censored messages, said searches for “Peng Shuai” and “Zhang Gaoli” were both in the top 10 most searched topics on Thursday.

Searches for Peng Shuai’s name on the Chinese search engine Sogou only brought up articles about his tennis career. His Weibo account no longer allows comments and no results appear if people search for his Weibo account.

Peng wrote that Zhang’s wife was guarding the door during the alleged assault, which followed a game of tennis. Her post also said that they had had sex seven years ago and that she had feelings for him afterwards. She also said she knew speaking would be difficult.

“Yes, other than me, I have kept no evidence, no recording, no video, only the true experience of my twisted self. Even if I destroy myself, like throwing an egg against a rock, or a butterfly flying into a flame, I will continue to speak the truth about us, “the now deleted post said.

His allegation came just three months before Beijing hosted the Winter Olympics, which were the target of a campaign to boycott several human rights organizations in large part because of the crackdown by China of Uyghur Muslims. The games face a possible diplomatic boycott from the United States and other countries. Rights groups compared the 2022 Beijing Olympics to Hitler’s 1936 Berlin Olympics. China has always denied any human rights abuses and claims its actions are part of anti-terrorism programs.

Peng has participated in three Olympics. The IOC said in a statement Thursday that “We have seen the latest reports and are encouraged by the assurances that she is safe.” The Switzerland-based IOC, which derives 73% of its income from the sale of broadcast rights and 18% from sponsors, has not criticized China and often repeats that it is only a sports company and that it has no mandate to act on the policies of a sovereign state. .

The WTA can better afford to exert pressure since it is less dependent on China’s revenue than the IOC or the NBA. The basketball league lost around $ 400 million in broadcast rights when China canceled games in the 2019-20 season after then-Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey tweeted to support protesters in Hong Kong.

The WTA Finals were held in Mexico this month due to the pandemic, with the event scheduled to return in 2022 in Shenzhen, China. The WTA has several tournaments in China, and the WTA Finals are scheduled there until 2030. In 2019, there were eight WTA tournaments there as part of the Chinese swing after the US Open and just a few months before. that the pandemic does not strike in early 2020.

Simon’s statement said Peng had shown incredible courage, but was still concerned for his safety.

“The WTA and the rest of the world need independent, verifiable proof that they are safe,” he wrote. “I have tried several times to reach her via many forms of communication, to no avail.”

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China remains silent on death of tennis star, despite global pressure

By Sports games

An email allegedly from a professional Chinese tennis player that Chinese state media posted on Twitter has heightened concerns about her safety as the sports’ biggest stars and others abroad call for get information about his well-being and where he is.

So far, these appeals have been met with silence.

Chinese authorities have not said anything publicly since the accusation, about two weeks ago, of the double Grand Slam champion, Peng Shuai, that she was sexually assaulted by a former senior government official.

The first #MeToo case to reach the political realm in China was not reported by national media and the online discussion about it was heavily censored.

Steve Simon, president and CEO of the Women’s Tennis Association, questioned the authenticity of the email to her, in which Peng says she is safe and the assault allegation is fake. It was released on Thursday by CGTN, the international arm of China’s public broadcaster CCTV.

“I find it hard to believe that Peng Shuai actually wrote the email we received or believes what is attributed to him,” Simon wrote.

The statement, he added, “only raises my concerns about his safety and whereabouts.” Simon has called for a full investigation and the WTA has said it is ready to pull tournaments out of the country if it does not get a proper response. Top players including Naomi Osaka and Novak Djokovic have spoken, and the hashtag WhereisPengShuai is all the rage online.

China has largely cracked down on a #MeToo movement that flourished briefly in 2018 and is moving forward with the Beijing Winter Olympics in February despite calls to boycott activists and some foreign politicians of China’s record. in human rights.

When asked several times about the case, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian again said on Thursday that he was unaware.

Peng, 35, is a former No. 1 player in the women’s doubles who won titles at Wimbledon in 2013 and Roland Garros in 2014.

She wrote in a lengthy social media post on November 2 that Zhang Gaoli, a former deputy prime minister who was a member of the ruling Communist Party’s top leadership committee, had forced her to have sex despite repeated refusals three years ago.

The post was quickly deleted from his verified account on Weibo, one of China’s major social media platforms, but screenshots of the explosive charge quickly spread across the internet in China. She has not appeared in public since then, raising questions about her fate and whether she is being held.

Zhang, who is 75, disappeared from public view after retiring in 2018, as usual for former senior officials. He is not known to have close ties to the current rulers.

Peng’s charge is the first high-profile sexual assault charge against a powerful politician in China. Past accusations have involved prominent figures in the nonprofit world, academia and the media, but never reached senior Communist Party officials or state-owned companies.

CGTN released the statement on Twitter, which is blocked in China along with many other foreign platforms such as Google and Facebook. He did not post it on Chinese social media, and there was no mention of the alleged email behind the Great Firewall, which separates the Chinese internet from the rest of the world.

Some netizens bypassed controls and posted the news on private social media groups. Freeweibo.com, which records Weibo’s censored messages, said searches for “Peng Shuai” and “Zhang Gaoli” were both in the top 10 most searched topics on Thursday.

Searches for Peng Shuai’s name on the Chinese search engine Sogou only brought up articles about his tennis career. His Weibo account no longer allows comments and no results appear if people search for his Weibo account.

Peng wrote that Zhang’s wife was guarding the door during the alleged assault, which followed a game of tennis. Her post also said that they had had sex seven years ago and that she had feelings for him afterwards. She also said she knew speaking would be difficult.

“Yes, other than me, I have kept no evidence, no recording, no video, only the actual experience of my twisted self. Even if I destroy myself, like throwing an egg against a rock, or a butterfly flying in a flame, I will always speak the truth about us, ”the now deleted post said.

His allegation came just three months before Beijing hosted the Winter Olympics, which were the target of a campaign to boycott several human rights organizations in large part because of the crackdown by China of Uyghur Muslims. The games face a possible diplomatic boycott from the United States and other countries. Rights groups compared the 2022 Beijing Olympics to Hitler’s 1936 Berlin Olympics. China has always denied any human rights abuses and claims its actions are part of anti-terrorism programs.

Peng has participated in three Olympics. The International Olympic Committee said in a statement Thursday that “We have seen the latest reports and are encouraged by the assurances that she is safe.” The Switzerland-based IOC, which derives 73% of its income from the sale of broadcast rights and 18% from sponsors, has not criticized China and often repeats that it is only a sports company and that its mission is not to act on the policies of a sovereign state.

Xu Guoqi, historian at the University of Hong Kong, explained the difference between the 2008 Beijing Olympics and the 2022 Games.

“The big difference between the two Beijing Games is that in 2008, Beijing tried to please the world,” Xu recently told The Associated Press in an email. “In 2022, he doesn’t really care what the rest of the world thinks about it.” The WTA can better afford to exert pressure since it is less dependent on China’s revenue than the IOC or the NBA. The basketball league lost around $ 400 million in broadcast rights when China canceled games in the 2019-20 season after then-Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey tweeted to support protesters in Hong Kong.

(This story was not edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

IOC gives new sports advice on rules for trans athletes

By Sports games

In an effort to help sports write eligibility rules for trans athletes, the IOC issued an advisory distracting attention from individual testosterone levels and calling for evidence to prove there was a performance benefit. .

No athlete should be excluded from competition on the basis of an “unverified competitive advantage, alleged or perceived to be unfair due to their sexual variations, physical appearance and / or transgender status,” said the International Olympic Committee.

The six-page document follows years of consultation with medical and human rights experts and, since 2019, directly affected athletes to help draft guidelines for equity and inclusion.

It is released after the Tokyo Olympics where the first openly transgender athlete, weightlifter Laurel Hubbard, competed in the games and defended 800m champion Caster Semenya was among track athletes with intersex conditions and naturally high levels. of testosterone excluded from their events.

The new directive updates a 2015 revision that set a limit on the levels of testosterone allowed by athletes leading to treatments and procedures now described as “medically unnecessary”. “The eligibility criteria have at times resulted in serious harm,” the IOC admitted in a briefing on the advice which also warns against “invasive medical examinations”. Preventing harm is one of the 10 principles that will guide future decision making by sport officials. Others include non-discrimination, fairness, evidence-based decisions and the protection of athlete privacy.

The IOC document is not legally binding but clearly spells out what it now expects from the governing bodies responsible for regulating their own sports.

Some athletes are still expected to be ineligible in certain sports, with safety seen as a specific issue for combat and contact sports.

“Athletes should be allowed to compete, but unfair benefits need to be regulated,” said the IOC, which will help fund research into the elite performance of transgender and intersex athletes.

A target for next March, a few weeks after the close of the Beijing Winter Games, has been set to launch an online workshop program with sports organizations and athlete representatives.

“We have not found a solution to this big question,” said IOC spokesperson Christian Klaue. “It is clear that this is a subject that will be with us for a long time.”

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Soccer-Kerr signs two-year extension with Chelsea

By Sports games

Chelsea striker Sam Kerr has signed a new contract which will extend the Australian striker’s stay at the club until the end of the 2023-24 season, the women’s Super League champions have said. Kerr, who joined Chelsea midway through the 2019-20 season, established herself as a lethal scorer in the women’s top flight with 39 goals, escaping with the Golden Shoe last season with 21 goals in 22 games. .

The 28-year-old has played in Australia and the United States, but said winning trophies with the London club meant her decision to stay was “a given”. “I think the club gives me every chance to succeed as a player. I don’t see myself going anywhere else in the world or leaving Europe, having what I have at Chelsea,” Kerr said on the site Club web https: // www. chelseafc.com/en/news/2021/11/16/kerr-talks-through-extension-news.

“The time had come, honestly, I didn’t feel like I wanted to rush into anything, just like signing here the first time around, it just happened naturally.” Kerr was the first player to win the Golden Shoe on three different continents and she is also leading the race this season with six goals. But his main goal is to defend the title with Chelsea in second, one point behind Arsenal.

“I’m not going to lie, it’s good when I win them but that’s not my main goal at the start of the year,” she added. “It’s a great reward, but if I won Golden Boot after Golden Boot and no trophy, it wouldn’t be so rewarding for me.

“That’s why last season winning the Golden Shoe and winning the league was so rewarding because it ultimately meant something.”

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Tennis-Djokovic is the “GOAT” for Sampras

By Sports games

The debate over the greatest of all time (GOAT) in men’s tennis has divided opinions for years, but American Pete Sampras has no doubts that Serbian Novak Djokovic is the one.

Djokovic, Roger Federer and Rafa Nadal are currently tied at 20 major singles titles apiece, and fans and pundits have continued to argue over who should be considered ‘GOAT’ Djokovic, 34, the youngest of the triumvirate, has been unmatched in consistency and success in recent years and has already claimed Federer’s long-standing record for holding the men’s world rankings for most weeks.

This month, the Serbian broke ties with his childhood idol, Sampras, winning the end-of-year world rankings seven times, a record. “Seven years, for him I’m sure he sees this as a bonus for all the majors he’s won,” said Sampras, who won 14 major singles titles before retiring after the US Open 2002, said the ATP Tour. website.

“But I think he’ll appreciate it more as he gets older. He did so at a time when he dominated two of the greats, Roger and Rafa, and he’s handled the next generation of players very well – all at the same time. “I think what Novak has done in the last 10 years, winning majors, being consistent, finishing number one for seven years is a clear sign to me that he is the greatest ever. . “

Djokovic, who also won a record 37th ATP Masters title in Paris this month, received the year-end world number one trophy on Monday in Turin, Italy, following his victory over Norway’s Casper Ruud in the end-of-season ATP finals. “I’ve been ‘The Man’ for that number of years, and he’s been even more ‘The Man’,” Sampras said.

“I think he’s been more consistent, he’s won more events, he’s got more majors. I could go on talking about his career. I don’t think you’ll see (the end-of-seven number one ‘year).”

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Brisbane Heat rounds out BBL 11 squad with point guard Connor Sully

By Sports games

Brisbane Heat announced on Tuesday the signing of Queensland fast pitcher Connor Sully for the upcoming Big Bash League (BBL) which begins next month. Sully will complete Team Heat for the tournament and will be keen to add a teal start to his Sheffield Shield and One Day debut for Queensland so far this summer to make it a hat-trick of first appearances in all three formats.

According to Brisbane Heat, the former Australian Under-19 brings a quick pace to the team’s balance, having glimpsed their potential with a 4-39 comeback of six times in his second appearance in the Marsh One Day Cup for the Bulls earlier. this month. Heat coach Wade Seccombe said Sully has enjoyed his taste in top cricket so far this season.

“We are delighted with the way he is playing for Queensland and it will be very beneficial for him to be part of the squad for all of BBL | 11 this season,” Seccombe said on the Brisbane Heat website. . “He and his ‘young gun’ colleague Matty Willans give us good depth and variety in our bowling ranks. I’m sure he will appreciate the chance to soak up the experience again, as well as providing another option for some x-factor in our bowling alley if the opportunity arises, ”he added.

The Heat will face the Melbourne Renegades at Metricon Stadium on the Gold Coast on December 13 with their first game of Gabba indoors a week later when they host the Sydney Thunder on December 19. This will be Sully’s second time on the Heat. pounds, signed as a replacement for the start of the final BBL | 11 season.

The Heat’s squad for 2021-22 includes Chris Lynn, Xavier Bartlett, James Bazley, Max Bryant, Sam Heazlett, Matthew Kuhnemann, Jimmy Peirson (c), Mark Steketee, Mitch Swepson, Matt Willans, Tom Cooper, Michael Neser, Marnus Labuschagne, Connor Sully, Jack Wildermuth, Mujeeb Ur Rahman (International), Ben Duckett (International) and Tom Abell (International) as contract players for BBL | 11, | BBL | 11 and beyond. (ANI)

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NBA-Curry MVP odds improve after 50-point explosion

By Sports games

Golden State goaltender Stephen Curry’s odds of winning the regular season MVP rose on Tuesday after his performance of 50 points and 10 assists in the Warriors’ win over the Atlanta Hawks on Monday. Three-time champion Curry, who won MVP honors in the 2015 and 2016 seasons, connected on nine three-pointers and was 14 for 28 on the field in the 127-113 win in San Francisco.

With the win, the Warriors moved up to a better 9-1 in the NBA in the young season. The crowd chanted “MVP” as Curry made it to the free throw line, where he was a perfect 13-for-13. Curry is now the favorite to win the trophy for the third time with odds of +200, or 2-1, SportsBetting.ag said on Tuesday.

The next closest competitors are Giannis Antetokounmpo of Milwaukee and Kevin Durant of Brooklyn at 13-2, or +650. Curry entered the season with an 8-1 MVP rating, the website said.

Warriors head coach Steve Kerr marveled at Curry’s dazzling play. “It was just a mind-blowing performance from Steph,” Kerr said, according to ESPN.

“He was amazing. I mean I’ve never seen anything like it, but I’ve been watching him for seven years so I saw something like this and it’s still amazing to watch.”

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Fantasy Sports app “WorldTeam11” is gaining popularity among the public for its unique features

By Sports app

The one-of-a-kind Top Fantasy Sports app has won the hearts of its users since its launch in Pune, Maharashtra, India (NewsView) The platform is perfect for people who breathe for cricket! The incredible opportunities make it obvious for subscribers to enter the daily contests, which take place in the app. Here is an overview of what it offers! • Help as many users as possible to participate in daily fantasy sports • So far over one million users have started playing Fantasy Cricket and Kabaddi • Known for providing rich experience and great app return to high reward With every passing moment, users are added into one of the most successful sports gaming platform WorldTeam11. Users who wish to try their experience in Fantasy Cricket find it to be one of the ideal solutions for their needs. They have crossed 1 million satisfied users and vouch for more.

“In India people love cricket! WorldTeam11 gives you the platform to take the cricket craze to the next level. Our goal is to create a fantastic gaming platform that is user-friendly, more rewarding for users . This is exclusively designed for Indian ‘Made for India’ users and we are working as a team to create enjoyable experiences for all sports fans, ”said Mr. Yakub Sheikh, Founder of WorldTeam11.“ For the uninitiated, the app is fully funded by Indian investors. We are the only supporters of “Go local, Be vocal!” Following in the footsteps of our honorable Prime Minister, we are here to make our contribution to this “Atmanirbhar Bharat!”. We extend our full support and enthusiasm for the recently launched “IPL” for this 2020 season, ”added Mr. Yakub Sheikh.

The platform is open to everyone! Whether you are a free member or a valued top player, the game is for everyone. WorldTeam11 is now on the exciting road of the wave of fantastic games in India which offers attractive benefits such as users can earn instant cash bonus of Rs. 1000 * by registering in the app, the first use of the transaction will get a 50% cash bonus, and the refer and win program allows users to earn extra Rs. Bonus of 50 *. The number of fantastic sports players has increased and enthusiasts are devoting more time to virtual games every day. As one of the best fantasy sports games platform in India, WorldTeam11 has successfully grown into a strong community of over one million users.

It makes every Indian sports fan more skillful by allowing them to use their sports knowledge to make it a rewarding endeavor. Fans can create their own squad of real players from upcoming matches, score points based on their performance on the pitch, and compete with other fans. Given the rapidly growing online sports ecosystem, WorldTeam11 aims to bridge the gap between real sports and fantasy sports. Currently, WorldTeam11 hosts fantastic sports like cricket and Kabaddi. Which is played using your sports knowledge and skills, where you can choose your own team made up of real players for the sport “Cricket”. The game gives you a maximum of 100 credits to choose the best possible players. Your team earns points based on the performance of your chosen players in real matches. One of the most popular features of WorldTeam11 by its users is that there are no restrictions on player choice. Users can select any number of a batsman, bowler, wicket keeper and versatile.

WorldTeam11’s future plan – WorldTeam11 will add more options, including football, quizzing and sports news portal by 2021. The platform aims to create one of the largest sports communities fantastic in India with a special emphasis on supporting the growth of fan culture. in India, creating a positive impact on virtual game platforms. Worldteam11 video link: www.youtube.com/watch?reload=9&v=SeqsAXLt_-g&feature=youtu.be About WorldTeam11 WorldTeam11 Fantasy Pvt. Ltd., founded in 2018 by Mr. Yakub Sheikh, WorldTeam11 being one of the biggest fantasy sports games platform! We have proudly added thousands of users with each passing day and have grown into a strong community of over a million users. WorldTeam11 gives cricket fans enough opportunities to play and win several fantastic cricket games. So what are you waiting for! Platform Highlights: • Users can select any number of batsman, bowler, wicket-keeper, all-rounder.

• Enjoy attractive perks • Be part of multiple racing contents (3k + contests) • Win lucrative prizes, daily cash • Be part of the growing list of over 9,000 winners You can be next! Fasten your seat belt and start winning by playing! www.worldteam11.com. Image 1: WorldTeam11 App Video: WorldTeam11 The largest platform for fantasy sports games

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