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MIAMI, Florida: After players at the Miami Open expressed a reluctance to get the COVID-19 vaccine, the women's tennis governing body said on Tuesday (Mar 30) it would educate athletes and encourage them to get the shot. After fourth round wins on Monday, Ukrainian Elina Svitolina and Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka had aired concerns about how quickly the vaccines had been rolled out and said they would wait before deciding whether to get one. Svitolina added that getting the vaccine made no sense since

TOKYO: A Japanese karate champion who will compete at the Tokyo Olympics testified before an ethics commission on Wednesday (Mar 31), alleging that a federation official hit her in the face with a bamboo sword. Ayumi Uekusa, who will compete in the women's over 61kg kumite category as karate makes its Olympic debut this summer, said she was the victim of a bullying campaign by Masao Kagawa, the technical director of the Japan Karatedo Federation. It is the latest "power harassment" scandal to

LEUVEN: Belgium's second-string used the opportunity of a rare start to impress coach Roberto Martinez as they thumped Belarus 8-0 in their World Cup qualifier on Tuesday. With Martinez warning players were under scrutiny for places in the Euro 2020 squad, Michy Batshuayi, Hans Vanaken (2), Leandro Trossard (2), Jeremy Doku, Denis Praet and Christian Benteke all scored as the likes of Kevin De Bruyne, Romelu Lukaku and Dries Mertens were given the night off. It lifted Belgium to seven points from three

KUALA LUMPUR: A Myanmar footballer who plays for a Malaysian club has been hit with a one-match ban for flashing the three-finger salute used by anti-coup protesters during a game, an official said on Tuesday (Mar 30). Hein Htet Aung, who plays for second-division side Selangor FC II, made the political gesture during a match against PDRM FC earlier this month. A picture of him flashing the symbol went viral, and he was found to have broken rules prohibiting offensive gestures or language,

Indian batsman Shreyas Iyer has been ruled out of the Indian Premier League (IPL) season after injuring his left shoulder during India’s one-day international series with England, his franchise the Delhi Capitals announced on Tuesday. Wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant will captain the side in Iyer’s absence, the Capitals added. Iyer sustained the injury while diving to stop a shot by England opener Jonny Bairstow and India’s cricket board BCCI said he had partially dislocated his shoulder. “Shreyas Iyer has been ruled out of the

DEBRECEN, Hungary - World Cup hosts Qatar continued their impressive run as they drew 1-1 with struggling Ireland in Debrecen on Tuesday. Ireland were hoping to bounce back from their humiliating defeat by Luxembourg in their Group A World Cup qualifier at the weekend and took the lead in the first half through James McClean’s deflected strike. But Mohammed Muntari levelled for a lively Qatar side with a fine finish early in the second half. The non-competitive Group A game was originally scheduled

SYDNEY - Australia is confident all of its athletes will be vaccinated against COVID-19 before they head off to the Tokyo Olympics, Chef de Mission Ian Chesterman said at the unveiling of the uniforms for the Games on Wednesday. Vaccination is not a prerequisite for athletes competing in the delayed Games but Chesterman said it was “common sense” to add a “layer of safety” around the delegation and ensure they did not bring the virus home with them. “We are very confident that

Players at the Miami Open on Monday expressed little love for COVID-19 vaccines, with many saying they want more information before getting a shot. Seventh seeded Aryna Sabalenka expressed more concern over the vaccine than her quarterfinal opponent number one Ash Barty while fifth seed Elina Svitolina said she was inclined to take the advice of friends and wait. “So far I don’t really trust it,” Sabalenka told reporters following her fourth round 6-1 6-2 mugging of Marketa Vondrousova. “It’s tough to say,

Italy head coach Roberto Mancini says he would support the introduction of larger squad limits for the rescheduled European Championship due to the risk of players contracting COVID-19. The tournament is set to be staged across 12 different host cities from June 11 - July 11 after being moved back a year due to the coronavirus pandemic. National team managers are expected to name 23 players for the competition, but Mancini believes a change to the rules would be sensible as the virus

LONDON - Poland suffered a massive blow ahead of this week’s crunch World Cup qualifier away to England when striker and talisman Robert Lewandowski was ruled out because of a knee injury on Monday. Lewandowski injured his right knee just past the hour mark of Sunday’s victory over Andorra and underwent scans on Monday. The Bayern Munich player is expected to be out for 10 days. “Robert Lewandowski will not play in Wednesday’s World Cup qualifying match against England in London due to

DUBAI - Saudi Arabia said on Monday it would allow people who have been vaccinated against COVID-19 to attend sporting events at stadiums at a capacity of 40% starting May 17 as the kingdom pushes its immunisation campaign. The sports ministry said in a statement on state media that as an exception, vaccinated fans would be allowed to attend an Asia World Cup qualifiers match between the Saudi and Palestinian teams on Tuesday in the capital Riyadh. Admittance will be allowed for people

BELGRADE - A Cristiano Ronaldo goal not given in a dramatic World Cup qualifier between Serbia and Portugal would have stood if the two football associations had agreed before the game to use goal-line technology, UEFA said on Monday. Portugal captain Ronaldo was left fuming and got booked for dissent after his stoppage-time effort in Saturday’s Group A 2-2 draw at Serbia was cleared by Stefan Mitrovic after the ball had crossed the line as shown by television replays. With no Video Assistant

LONDON: Gareth Bale admits his international career could be drawing to a close, with the current World Cup qualifying campaign possibly his last in a Wales shirt. Wales play the Czech Republic in Cardiff on Tuesday seeking their first points in Group E after an opening defeat to Belgium. Wales still have the delayed Euro 2020 to look forward to, starting in June, but Tottenham's Wales captain will be 33 by the time of the 2022 World Cup finals in Qatar. "I haven't

MIAMI: Top-ranked defending champion Ashleigh Barty advanced to the quarter-finals of the Miami Open on Monday (Mar 29) by outlasting former world number one Victoria Azarenka 6-1, 1-6, 6-2. Australia's Barty broke five times, the last when Azarenka netted a forehand volley to end matters after one hour and 52 minutes at Hard Rock Stadium. Barty, who had to save a match point on the way to a three-set victory over Kristina Kucova in the second round, will next face the winner of

Manchester City striker Sergio Aguero will leave the club at the end of the season when his contract expires. City manager Pep Guardiola met Aguero, 32, on Monday to inform him of the club's decision not to renew his deal after a season spent largely on the sidelines, with injuries and illness keeping him to only 14 appearances. Aguero, who was signed from Atletico Madrid in 2011, was later told by City chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak that he would be honoured with a

Former France international Thierry Henry says he hopes his decision to step away from social media will inspire others to stand up against racist abuse and bullying online. The ex-Arsenal and Barcelona star, who won the World Cup with France in 1998, announced on Friday that he would be quitting his social media accounts until tech companies started doing more to hold users accountable for their actions. In April 2019, professional footballers in England and Wales boycotted social media for 24 hours, but

Former Indian cricketer and legendary batsman Sachin Tendulkar has tested positive for COVID-19. Taking to social media, the Little Master informed that all other members at his home have returned a negative COVID result. "I have been testing myself and taking all the recommended precautions to ensure Covid is kept at bay. However, I've tested positive today following mild symptoms," Tendulkar said in a statement on Twitter. "All others at home have tested negative. I've quarantined myself at home and am following all

Jack Draper’s ATP main-draw debut at the Miami Open ended bitterly after he collapsed with a heat-related illness and was forced to retire from his first-round match against Kazakhstan’s Mikhail Kukushkin. Draper, the 2018 Wimbledon boys’ runner-up and one of the UK’s best young prospects, was granted a wildcard into the tournament due to his status as a promising client of the sports agency IMG, which runs the event. During the time he did spend on court the world No 316 handled himself

Olympian-in-waiting Rohan Browning can taste more seismic breakthroughs after storming to third on the Australian men’s 100m sprint all-time rankings at the Queensland Track Classic. The best domestic ensemble assembled for a meet outside of a national championships in more than a decade had the crowd anticipating something special and the 23-year-old delivered with a sizzling 10.05 seconds meet record in the final. Only Patrick Johnson (9.93) and Matt Shirvington (10.03) are ahead of Browning and it seems only a matter of time

Coach Steve Clarke hailed Scotland's never-say-die attitude after they twice came from behind to draw 2-2 with Austria in Thursday's (Mar 25) World Cup qualifier, a point which may prove crucial in their bid to reach the finals for the first time since 1998. John McGinn's spectacular bicycle kick five minutes from time secured a share of the spoils in the Group F match at Hampden Park as they kicked off their campaign to qualify for Qatar 2022. “We’re progressing. We can believe