New Delhi, October 20 (IANS): Indian Judo team will be participating in the Budapest Grand Slam -- which contributes to the Olympic qualification -- between October 23 and October 25. This will be the first tournament that the Indian judokas will be playing since the nationwide lockdown was imposed due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Ahead of the departure for Hungary, Union Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju on Monday met the contingent which comprises five judokas -- Tulika Mann, Avtar Singh,

New Delhi, October 20 (IANS): Former Indian pacer Ajit Agarkar feels replacing Dinesh Karthik with Eoin Morgan as captain of Kolkata Knight Riders was a very strange and wrong move. Ahead of their match against Mumbai Indians on October 16 in the ongoing IPL, Karthik stepped down as KKR skipper and handed over the reigns to World Cup-winning England captain Morgan. Karthik had taken the decision with a "view to focus on his batting and contributing more to the team's cause&

New Delhi, October 20 (IANS): Reigning world champion PV Sindhu on Tuesday insisted that there is no rift within her family, adding that she has travelled to London to work on her "nutrition and recovery needs". In a social media post, the 25-year-old also said she has no problem with national coach Pullela Gopichand or the facilities available at his academy in Hyderabad where the national camp is currently underway. "I came to London a few days back to work on my

New Delhi, October 20 (IANS): Inside a gymnasium in Aizawl, a stocky but well-chiselled figure is often seen donning a pair of 10oz gloves. Indian football team striker Jeje Lalpekhlua takes his stance in front of a punching bag and expertly uses his feet to move around while planting his knuckles on the back in a series of right jabs and left hooks. The 29-year-old, who has joined SC East Bengal for the current season and has 21 international goals from 56 caps for India, howeve

Dubai, October 20 (IANS): Rajasthan Royals batsman Jos Buttler has called upon his team to improve their fielding in the upcoming matches of the Indian Premier League (IPL). "I think we could still improve our fielding. We gave 10 or 15 away in the field," the wicketkeeper-batsman said in a video posted on the Rajasthan Royals Twitter handle after their win over Chennai Super Kings. On Monday, Rajasthan secured a comfortable seven-wicket win against CSK and kept their c

LONDON/WASHINGTON, October 20 (Reuters): Britain and the United States on Monday condemned what they said were a litany of malicious cyberattacks orchestrated by Russian military intelligence, including attempts to disrupt next year's Olympic and Paralympic Games in Tokyo. British and U.S. officials said the attacks were conducted by Unit 74455 of Russia's GRU military intelligence agency, also known as the Main Centre for Special Technologies. In an indictment unsea

Reuters Newcastle United fans donated 20,000 pounds ($25,866) to a local food bank as part of a protest at the Premier League's pay-per-view (PPV) scheme. BT Sport and Sky Sports had broadcast all Premier League games as part of their existing football packages -- a temporary measure due to the barring of spectators in grounds as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. But under the new scheme those matches which had not already been selected for broadcast in October are availa

JAKARTA, October 20(Reuters): President Joko Widodo said on Tuesday authorities would ensure Indonesia is prepared to host the FIFA Under-20 World Cup next year, including by establishing "strict health protocols" to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. Jokowi, as the president is widely known, said the government has chosen six cities across the Southeast Asian country to host the tournament scheduled to run from May 20 to June 12, 2021, including in the capital Jakarta

TOKYO, October 20  (Reuters): Japan said on Tuesday it would take countermeasures to ensure next year's Tokyo Olympics are not derailed by cyberattacks after Britain and the United States accused Russia of orchestrating efforts to disrupt the Games. Olympics organisers reported no significant impact on their operations for the 2020 Games, which were postponed until next year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Britain and the United States on Monday condemned what they sa

TOKYO, October 20 (Reuters): The organising committee of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games said in a statement on Tuesday there was "no significant impact observed" from possible cyber attacks on its operations. On Monday, Britain and the United States condemned what they called a series of malicious cyberattacks orchestrated by Russian military intelligence, including bids to disrupt the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics. The games, originally set for this year, were post

Liverpool, October 20 (IANS): Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson has admitted that the loss of Virgil van Dijk is a big blow for the Reds. The Reds' No.4 requires surgery on the knee injury he sustained during last Saturday's Merseyside derby at Goodison Park and has stated in a post on social media that he is now focused fully on returning to fitness as soon as possible. "Yeah, it's a tough one. It's a big blow for us. For him personally, obviously. But for

BERLIN, October 19 (Reuters) - Fans assuming that Bayern Munich would already be cruising towards their ninth consecutive Bundesliga crown or that English champions Liverpool would have started to shake off their rivals early in the season could not be wider of the mark. The COVID-19 pandemic has mixed up the traditional balance of power across Europe's major soccer leagues, with hevyweights Liverpool, Real Madrid and Juventus trailing behind the likes of Everton, Real Soci

Dubai, October 19 (IANS): Kieron Pollard has stated that Jasprit Bumrah is a "world-class cricketer" and has taken over the mantle from Sri Lankan pace spearhead Lasith Malinga at the Mumbai Indians. Malinga had withdrawn from the ongoing IPL 2020 before the start of the tournament due to "personal reasons" and in his absence, Bumrah has been leading the pace battery for the defending champions. Bumrah has taken 15 wickets in nine matches so far. "He'

Kolkata, October 19 (IANS): Indian women's national football team forward Bala Devi had decided to stay back in Glasgow, Scotland during the worldwide lockdown enforced by the Covid-19 pandemic. Now, however, the 30-year-old is back on the field as the Scottish Women's Premier League resumed on October 18. Rangers Women FC got off to a flying start with a 5-1 victory over SWPL side Hearts on Sunday as Bala also made her return to the pitch, coming on as a second-half substit

New Delhi, October 19 (IANS): While MS Dhoni was the regular wicketkeeper-batsman for the Indian team for many years, there was another wicketkeeper-batsman who was making the right strides with his impactful performances - Dinesh Karthik. "I think throughout my career there's one thing that's for sure -- it was the fact that there was a lot of pressure whenever I played games. Just the fact that I had to be a part of the side I had to be something, it had to be somethi

Abu Dhabi, October 19 (IANS): Australian opener David Warner has shattered ace Indian batsman Virat Kohli's record of scoring fastest 5,000 runs in the Indian Premier League (IPL). Warner achieved the feat during SunRisers Hyderabad's game against Kolkata Knight Riders on Sunday which his side lost in the Super Over at the Sheikh Zayed Cricket Stadium. Warner, who is only the fourth player in the history of IPL to score 5,000 runs in the tournament, reached the milestone

Reuters Wayne Rooney was "angry and disappointed" with a friend who had visited him despite being told to take a COVID-19 test and later testing positive, the former England captain's management said. Rooney, a player-coach at Championship side Derby County, played in Derby's 1-0 home defeat by Watford on Friday, a day after the friend visited him at his home. Under NHS guidelines anyone coming in contact with someone who tests positive for COVID-19 must isol

Reuters Andy Murray has suffered another injury setback and has pulled out of this week's ATP Tour event in Germany due to a lingering pelvic problem, the former world number one said, raising doubts over his participation for the remainder of the year. The Briton returned from a second hip surgery in January 2019 to win the Antwerp title seven months later - his first since 2017 - raising hopes of a return to the top echelons of men's tennis. But the 33-year-old again

Reuters Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola says Sergio Aguero can still play an important role for the club after returning from a serious knee injury but the Argentine striker has to show he can deliver on the pitch if he is to earn a new contract. Aguero, who joined City in 2011 and is their all-time leading scorer with 254 goals, is out of contract at the end of the season and can speak to overseas clubs from January. The 32-year-old sustained the injury in June and made

CAIRO, October 19 (Reuters):  Egyptian grandfather Ezzeldin Bahader has been recognised as the world's oldest professional soccer player after completing a second full match just short of his 75th birthday. Bahader was awarded the title by Guinness World Records on Saturday evening after missing a penalty kick as his team, 6th October, lost 3-2 to El Ayat Sports club in the Egyptian third division. The former amateur player, who turns 75 on Nov. 3, scored a goal from the