Sports

NEW DELHI: The Indian cricket board faces losing about US$270 million in revenue after its lucrative and star-studded Indian Premier League (IPL) was halted by the COVID-19 crisis in the country, a senior official told Reuters on Wednesday. The world's richest Twenty20 league was approaching its halfway stage before it was suspended indefinitely on Tuesday following bubble breaches in two venues. "The ballpark figure for revenue loss would be to the tune of 2000 crore rupees (20 billion)," Arun Singh Dhumal, treasurer of

LONDON: Goals by Timo Werner and Mason Mount sent Chelsea into a Champions League final showdown with Manchester City as they outclassed Real Madrid to win 2-0 for a 3-1 aggregate triumph at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday (May 5). German striker Werner, who has endured a stuttering first season at Chelsea, put them in control when he nodded in one of the easiest goals of his career in the 28th minute after fellow German Kai Havertz had struck the bar. Thirteen-times European champions

LONDON: Arsenal's season appeared to be ending with a whimper when they were reduced to 10 men after falling 2-0 behind against Villarreal in last week's first leg of their Europa League semi-final. Instead, a precious away goal gave them hope they can finish an inconsistent campaign on a high by setting up a showdown in the Polish city of Gdansk against Manchester United. Arsenal are ninth in the Premier League table and are unlikely to qualify for Europe next year via that

TOKYO: The world's oldest person, a 118-year-old Japanese woman, has decided not to take part in the torch relay for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics over COVID-19 fears, an official at her nursing home said on Wednesday (May 5). Kane Tanaka, who was awarded a Guinness World Record, was slated participate in the relay leg in Fukuoka in southern Japan, which will start on May 11, said the official. "We received an email from her family which said she wanted to withdraw from the

ROME: AS Roma have appointed former Tottenham Hotspur manager Jose Mourinho as their new head coach on a three-year contract starting 2021-22 season, the Italian Serie A club announced on Tuesday (May 4). The decision comes after the club announced coach Paulo Fonseca will leave his role at the end of the current campaign. "We are thrilled and delighted to welcome Jose Mourinho into the AS Roma family," club president Dan Friedkin and vice-president Ryan Friedkin said. "A great champion who has won

MADRID: World number three Simona Halep was dumped out of the Madrid Open on Tuesday (Apr 4), losing 4-6, 7-5, 7-5 in the last 16 to Belgian Elise Mertens, while Jannik Sinner and Andrey Rublev won their opening men's matches. Romania's Halep, who won the Madrid title in 2016 and 2017, is still yet to reach a WTA Tour final this season and this was her earliest exit in the Spanish capital since a 2015 first-round loss. Halep had sailed through the first

Some of England's 11 IPL players are already on their way home following the indefinite suspension of the tournament. It is understood Sam Billings, Jos Buttler and Jonny Bairstow have managed to secure flights back to the UK earlier than initially expected. It had been anticipated that all IPL players would be required to self-isolate in India and test negative before leaving the country. The players will still have to quarantine for 10 days at a government-approved hotel upon arrival in UK, as

MANCHESTER, England: Riyad Mahrez struck twice as Manchester City reached the Champions League final for the first time thanks to a 2-0 victory over Paris St Germain at the Etihad Stadium on Tuesday (May 4) that secured a 4-1 aggregate win. City were dominant against their French opponents, who lost their heads in the second half and finished the semi-final, second leg with 10 men after Angel Di Maria was sent off in the 69th minute for an off-the-ball stamp on Fernandinho. Pep

In this country, physical preparation has always been a key component for its citizens. Since ancient times, men participated in various martial arts, and women in traditional dances, such as Mai and Odori. Both had strong religious components tied in, such as Sumo largely being associated with the Shinto belief. Now, sports are a big part of Japanese culture and are also a large form of entertainment both for spectators and participants. There are modern sports that took off not so long ago

The Football Association has called on the Government to introduce legislation to compel social media companies to do more to stop online abuse following the sport community's powerful and united four-day boycott. Reaction to the four-day social media boycott to tackle online abuse and discrimination - which ended at midnight - has continued to pour in with Kick It Out chief Tony Burnett also appearing on Sky Sports News to lay out what he wants to see happen next. Source: Sky Sports

Spotify CEO and founder Daniel Ek has contacted Arsenal owner Stan Kroenke’s family to make an offer to buy the Premier League club but a takeover could be drawn out, former France international Thierry Henry said. Ek said last week he had secured the funds to buy Arsenal, valued at $2.8 billion according to Forbes. British media reported Arsenal greats Henry, Dennis Bergkamp and Patrick Vieira were backing Ek's bid. But the club's American owners, under fire from fans following the North London

Paris St Germain will make a late decision on whether forward Kylian Mbappe will be available to face Manchester City in the second leg of the Champions League semi-final, coach Mauricio Pochettino said on Monday (May 3). Mbappe, PSG's top scorer this season with 25 goals in Ligue 1 and eight in Europe, missed the 2-1 victory over Lens on Saturday due to a calf injury. Video footage circulating on social media showed Mbappe limping on his arrival in Manchester for Tuesday's match

Paris - Up to 9,500 spectators will be allowed to attend the Europa League final in the Polish city of Gdansk later this month, UEFA announced on Monday after getting the green light from local authorities. European football's governing body said Polish officials had agreed that 25 percent of the roughly 40,000 seats in the Gdansk Stadium could be filled for the match on Wednesday, May 26. The game could be an all-English affair, with Manchester United almost certain to reach the final

The Spanish Grand Prix will allow 1,000 circuit members to attend Sunday's Formula One race after local COVID-19 regulations are eased, organisers said on Monday. The May 9 race is the fourth round of the season and a home grand prix for Ferrari's Carlos Sainz and Alpine's double world champion Fernando Alonso. Barcelona's Circuit de Catalunya announced last month that the race would be behind closed doors due to the pandemic, but said on Monday that outdoor events in the region will now

Giannis Antetokounmpo scored a season-high 49 points Sunday afternoon and outdueled Kevin Durant as the host Milwaukee Bucks edged the Brooklyn Nets, 117-114. Antetokounmpo, who missed Friday's game against the Chicago Bulls with an ankle injury, delivered the dunk that put the Bucks ahead for good with 7:57 left. The 49 points were the third-most of his career and his most since he scored 50 points against the Utah Jazz on Nov. 25, 2019. Khris Middleton had 26 points and 11 rebounds as

Kim Hyo-joo won the HSBC Women's World Championship at Singapore's Sentosa Golf Club on Sunday as Australian Hannah Green bogeyed the last two holes to hand the South Korean victory in the $1.6 million tournament. Kim's eight-under par final round of 64 earned her the title with a four round score of 17-under par, although it was Green's failure to see out the last two holes in regulation that ultimately gave the 25-year-old first place. Green, who had been third going into the

Ducati's Jack Miller edged out team mate Francesco Bagnaia to claim his first MotoGP win in five years at the Spanish Grand Prix in Jerez on Sunday. Australia's Miller used his Ducati's power to pip pole-sitter Fabio Quartararo off the start line, with the Frenchman slipping to fourth behind Petronas Yamaha SRT's Franco Morbidelli and Bagnaia on the opening lap. Quartararo, who won both the races in Jerez last season, recovered over the next two laps to regain the lead and began to

Shikhar Dhawan's delightful 69 dwarfed Mayank Agarwal's unbeaten 99 as Delhi Capitals defeated Punjab Kings by seven wickets in the IPL, on Sunday to go atop the points table. Agarwal, leading the side in the absence of regular skipper K L Rahul, used the straight bat effectively in his lone hand to take Punjab Kings to 166 for six. Delhi Capitals hardly broke a sweat in the run chase, cantering to victory in 17.4 overs overs, their sixth win in eight matches. For

LONDON: Seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton won the Portuguese Grand Prix for Mercedes on Sunday (May 2) to stretch his Formula One lead over Red Bull's Max Verstappen to eight points after three races. Verstappen finished second at the Algarve circuit with Mercedes' Valtteri Bottas completing the podium, and taking a bonus point for the fastest lap, after starting from pole position. Verstappen's Mexican team mate Sergio Perez was fourth. The victory was a record-extending 97th of Hamilton's career, second of the year

LOS ANGELES: Giannis Antetokounmpo scored a season-high 49 points in his return from an injury as the Milwaukee Bucks overcame Kevin Durant's 42-point performance to beat the Brooklyn Nets 117-114 on Sunday (May 2). Two-time reigning NBA Most Valuable Player Antetokounmpo, who had been dealing with a sprained right ankle, outdueled Durant in the Eastern Conference clash between the two highest-scoring teams in the league. Antetokounmpo finished just three points short of his career high, which he set two years ago against Philadelphia.