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Category: Sports

  • Asian Games 2022 in China postponed due to Covid

    Asian Games 2022 in China postponed due to Covid

    This year’s Asian Games have been postponed for an indefinite period as China tries to stamp out a large resurgence in Covid infections in several parts of the country. The event was scheduled to be held in Hangzhou, China, from September 10-25, 2022.

    According to the official statement by the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA), the new dates will be agreed between the OCA, the Chinese Olympic Committee (COC) and the Hangzhou Asian Games Organising Committee (HAGOC) and will be announced in the near future.

    “HAGOC has been very well prepared to deliver the games on time despite global challenges. However, the above decision was taken by all the stakeholders after carefully considering the pandemic situation and the size of the games,” the statement further reads.

    However, last month the organisers of the games said that Hangzhou has completed constructing some 56 competition venues for the Asian Games and Asian Para Games.

    It is pertinent to mention that more than 11,000 athletes from 44 countries were to take part in the 19th Asian Games in September 2022.

    It has also been confirmed by the OCA that the 3rd Asian Youth Games 2021, originally scheduled to be held last year but was rescheduled for this year, are now officially cancelled.

    Most international sporting events in China have been postponed or cancelled since the start of the pandemic, with the notable exception of the Winter Olympics, which went ahead in Beijing under strict health controls in February.

  • ‘Lies’: Afridi responds to allegations of forcing Danish Kaneria to convert to Islam

    ‘Lies’: Afridi responds to allegations of forcing Danish Kaneria to convert to Islam

    Shahid Afridi has responded to the allegations of forcing former Pakistan leg-spinner Danish Kaneria to convert to Islam. Talking exclusively to The Current, Shahid Afridi said he does not want to dignify such baseless allegations by responding to a man who has tarnished Pakistan’s name in the cricketing world. Kaneria was banned for life for spot-fixing after being found guilty of corruption.

    “You can imagine what sort of a man is Kaneria. He has brought disrepute to Pakistan, our cricket team, his family and colleagues,” said Afridi.

    Afridi added that he was quite young at the time mentioned by Kaneria and wasn’t too religious himself back then. “He is an attention-seeker. That’s the reason for his lies.”

    Danish had accused Shahid Afridi of attempting to force him to convert to Islam. Kaneria said that Shahid Afridi “bullied” him and that the two were never friends during his tenure.

    In an interview with an Indian TV channel, Kaneria accused Afridi of having a terrible attitude towards him, which hampered his chances of playing more international cricket. He went on to say that when Younis Khan was named captain of his departmental side, he finally got a chance to play regular first-class cricket. Kaneria said that he was fortunate that the rest of the squad was supportive of him and that no one else had a negative attitude towards him.

  • PCB finalises schedule for PSL8 without consulting franchises

    PCB finalises schedule for PSL8 without consulting franchises

    The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has finalised the eighth season of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) schedule without consulting the franchises, states Geo News’ sources.

    “There was no discussion between franchises and the PSL management regarding the schedule but despite that, it was finalised,” the franchises were quoted as saying by the sources.

    PSL8 will be held between February 15 and March 31, 2023. The venue has also been finalised as the tournament will take place in four cities of Pakistan — Karachi, Lahore, Multan and Rawalpindi.

    Before the start of the league, international cricket teams — New Zealand and West Indies will visit Pakistan in January 2023.

    It is pertinent to mention that some media reports suggest that the new federal government decided to remove the current Chairman of PCB Ramiz Raja from his position.

  • Pakistan to host Cricket World Cup for veteran players in 2023

    Pakistan will host Cricket World Cup for veteran players in the next year 2023. The age limit for players to play in the tournament would be 40 and above.

    According to Pakistan Veterans Cricket Association (PVCA), 12 teams will play in the tournament which will commence on September 23, 2023, at six venues in Karachi while the final match will be played on October 8.

    Fawad Ijaz Khan, Chairman PVCA told the media: “Pakistan will be joined in the World Cup by old rivals – India, Australia, England, New Zealand, West Indies, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Canada, USA, Zimbabwe, Wales, UAE, and Namibia.”

    He added, “It is going to be a major event and we will take all steps to make sure that we host it successfully.”

    “We have a number of leading cricketers who would be eligible to compete in the World Cup. We are hoping that top players like Shahid Afridi, Shoaib Akhtar, Younis Khan, Shoaib Malik, and Mohammad Hafeez will play for Pakistan. We are going to field a very strong team and will be the favorites to win the World Cup,” he further said.

    There is a new concept that will give an opportunity to former cricketers to play on the fields again while young audiences and players will also get another chance to see their seniors playing on the grounds.

    Every match will be of 45 overs and local TV channels will broadcast the matches of Pakistan including the semi-finals and finals live.

    The Veterans World Cup, aged above 50, was first launched in Australia in 2018. However, its second edition was canceled due to a covid pandemic.

  • PKR 1.5m needed: Snooker champion Ahsan Ramzan criticises govt’s attitude

    PKR 1.5m needed: Snooker champion Ahsan Ramzan criticises govt’s attitude

    Snooker Champion Ahsan Ramzan has expressed disappointment over the non-supportive behaviour of the government officials in a recent interview given to Geo News. He was the first youngest Pakistani who won the IBSF World Snooker Championship by defeating the Iranian player last month in Qatar.

    Ahsan is living in a room inside the club where he receives training in Lahore. He believes that support from the government departments will give more time to focus on sports.

    In a Geo News interview, he said, “I have not received any support from the government so far. However, the government has now changed which is why I’m hopeful that they will support me as they did with former champion Muhammad Asif in the past.”

    He further added, “I want a job from a department so that I can focus on snooker with a steady income,” he said. “If that doesn’t happen, I will be forced to start a business which will make it difficult for me to focus on the sport.”

    Ahsan Ramzan is considering participating in Asia-Oceania Q School if he did not receive any financial support from the Pakistan government. However, he appealed that he needs PKR 1.5 million as sponsorship to get enrolled in school.

    Asia-Oceania Q School 2022 will commence on June 1 in Bangkok, Thailand. The finalists who will earn a two-year card to the World Snooker Tour will play two tournaments. In total, four players will be awarded a place on the professional circuit for the 2022/23 and 2023/24 seasons.

    Interested players who are residing in Asia and Oceania can participate in the event with an entry fee of £400.

  • ICC appoint Ex-PCB Chief Executive Wasim Khan as General Manager Cricket

    ICC appoint Ex-PCB Chief Executive Wasim Khan as General Manager Cricket

    Former Pakistan Cricket Board Chief Executive Wasim Khan has been appointed as the ICC General Manager – Cricket. The International Cricket Council (ICC) confirmed the announcement on Friday.

    He will take over from Allardice who spent eight years in the role before being appointed as the ICC CEO. “I am honoured to be joining the ICC, I can’t await to get started and work in partnership with our Members to strengthen and grow our sport,” Khan said in an ICC statement.

    Khan began a three-year term with the PCB on February 1, 2019, but resigned as the board’s chief executive in September last year, four months prior to the end of his contract.

  • ‘Don’t use supplements’, Pakistan Olympic Association warns athletes

    The Pakistan Olympic Association (POA) has issued a warning to athletes against using sports supplements following Talha Talib’s positive doping test case, reports Samaa.

    Secretary POA Medical Commission, Dr Asad Abbas warned that such supplements could deteriorate the health of athletes, saying that consumption of these performance-enhancing supplements could lead to the death of athletes.

    Dr Abbas said: “Athletes should not use unfair means to win competitions as it could lead to a four-year ban. Performance-enhancing drugs are dangerous for a player’s health and could lead to death.”

    He also revealed that the Talha Talib case is not yet reached the Pakistan Olympic Association. Awareness against doping in Pakistan has also been started ahead of Common Wealth Games this year. He also warned to stay away from prohibited activities as it could defame the country.

    “Athletes in Pakistan should be careful about doping because such incidents bring the country’s name into disrepute while also ending their careers,” he concluded.

  • Govt to remove PCB chairman Ramiz Raja after seven months

    Govt to remove PCB chairman Ramiz Raja after seven months

    The new government has reportedly decided to remove Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman Ramiz Raja from his position.

    Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif himself will recommend two names for the governing board soon, states Geo News’ sources.

    Previously, it was reported that the PCB chairman had directed the directors and the staff to focus on work. Raja said, “I have been told to continue working, so now the uncertainty should end.”

    It is pertinent to mention that there were media reports that suggested that Raja is likely to quit following the defeat of former PM Imran Khan in a no-confidence motion and former PCB chairperson Najam Sethi is expected to hold the position again as the next PCB chairman.

    Former Captain Ramiz Raja was elected unanimously as the 36th PCB chairman for a three-year term in September 2021.

    




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    Olympian Talha Talib writes to weightlifting federation after positive dope test
    
			
    

    Olympian weightlifter Talha Talib has written a letter to the Pakistan Weightlifting Federation (PWF) after his dope test was found to be positive. 
    




    In his letter to PWF, Talha wrote: “he had no idea about the presence of a prohibited substance in his body,”  stating that he would “never even think of violating doping rules.”
    




    He further said: “he could have made an unintentional mistake, which could be due to lack of knowledge, and for that, he tenders apology to everyone ”. 
    




    On April 8, Talha Talib failed to get a negative result of the dope test on which he got banned from taking part in the Birmingham Commonwealth games and the Olympics.
    




    Prior to this, Talha Talib won the country’s first-ever medal at the World Weightlifting Championship last year in Uzbekistan by winning a Bronze in the snatch event in the 67kg category. He has come into the limelight when he missed two points to get a medal for Pakistan in the last Olympics. 
    

    
			
    
		
    
		
	
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    Ronaldo’s newborn baby boy passes away
    
			
    

    Portuguese footballer, Christiano Ronaldo has shared his grievance over the loss of his newborn baby boy. He announced the demise of the baby boy on Twitter late Monday. However, his other twin daughter survived. 
    




    In a heart-wrenching post, Ronaldo wrote, “It is the greatest pain that any parents can feel. Only the birth of our baby girl gives us the strength to live this moment with some hope and happiness.”
    




    He concluded with a positive note, “We would like to thank the doctors and nurses for all their expert care and support. We are all devastated at this loss and we kindly ask for privacy at this very difficult time. Our baby boy, you are our angel. We will always love you.”
    




    


    




    Ronaldo has now four children, one son and three daughters with his current partner Georgina Rodríguez whereas his other son Christiano Ronaldo Jr is from his former partner.