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Doha Falcons came third on Monday in the Valkenswaard of the Longines Global Champions Tour for horse jumping obstacles. The Qatari team was one of 16 from all over the world that took part in the event. They completed the race in 147.84 seconds with no errors in two rounds. The competition saw the return of Bassem Hassan, which helped the Qatari team's performance since he is one of the distinguished athletes in this category. Equnews.com reported that Monaco Aces Jos Verlooy and

BAKU: Sergio Perez said before the Formula One season started that he needed five races to get up to speed with Red Bull and the Mexican duly delivered by winning the sixth in Azerbaijan on Sunday. If victory fell into his lap after team mate Max Verstappen crashed out with a tyre blowout five laps from the end while leading, it was still richly deserved. Perez had qualified only seventh, moving up to sixth after McLaren's Lando Norris was demoted, but he showed

MADRID: Sergio Busquets has left Spain's pre-Euro 2020 training camp after testing positive for COVID-19, the country's football federation (RFEF) announced on Sunday (Jun 6). In a statement, the RFEF said Spain captain Busquets, 32, tested positive earlier on Sunday, with the rest of the squad all testing negative. The RFEF added that those who have been in close contact with Barcelona midfielder Busquets "will remain isolated" as a preventative measure. The squad will carry out individual training programmes in the build-up to

SAN FRANCISCO: Philippine teenager Yuka Saso birdied the third playoff hole to beat Japan's Nasa Hataoka and win the 76th US Women's Open at Olympic Club on Sunday (Jun 6). Saso matched South Korean Park In-bee as the youngest winners in the championship's history at 19 years, 11 months and 17 days, and earned her LPGA tour membership. "I'd like to thank my family, I wouldn't be here without them," she said through tears. "To all my sponsors and to all my friends

PARIS: The COVID-19 pandemic was responsible for its postponement but, with the health situation on the continent gradually improving, the delayed Euro 2020 finally kicks off on Friday (Jun 11) in Rome when Italy host Turkey while Cristiano Ronaldo and Portugal prepare to defend the title they won in France five years ago. When the action gets underway in front of a planned 16,000 fans at a quarter-full Stadio Olimpico the overwhelming feeling for European football's governing body UEFA will be of relief

Four-time Olympic champion Mo Farah's hopes of ending his track career at the Tokyo Games suffered a huge blow as he fell short of the qualifying mark for the 10,000 metres in Birmingham on Saturday. The 38-year-old finished eighth, behind fellow Briton Marc Scott, in the European Cup, which doubled as British Olympic trial. Farah's time in his first race at this distance for four years was 22 seconds short of the required standard of 27 mins 28 secs to qualify for the Games which are

WASHINGTON: Collin Morikawa, last year's PGA Championship winner, fired a six-under par 66 to seize the early first-round lead Thursday (Jun 3) at the US PGA Memorial tournament before thunderstorms halted play. The 24-year-old American, who shared eighth last month at Kiawah Island in defending his shocking major crown, fired seven birdies against a lone bogey to grab a one-stroke lead when competition was halted for lightning at Muirfield Village in Dublin, Ohio. Morikawa, who began on the back nine, birdied the par-3

BERLIN: The late arrival of a quartet of Premier League stars is set to give Germany a timely boost as head coach Joachim Loew looks to fix his misfiring side in their final preparations for Euro 2020. The Chelsea trio of Champions League winners Timo Werner, Kai Havertz and Antonio Ruediger, as well as Manchester City midfielder Ilkay Gundogan, had all joined the squad by Thursday. They were given extra time off after Saturday's European final. Their arrival boosts the Loew's side, who

BARCELONA: Ronald Koeman will remain as Barcelona coach next season after the club agreed to honour his contract, president Joan Laporta said on Thursday (Jun 3). Koeman, who was appointed on a two-year deal last August by Laporta's predecessor Josep Maria Bartomeu, led Barca to victory in the Copa del Rey in his first season in charge. But the Catalans suffered an embarrassing 5-2 aggregate defeat to Paris St Germain in the last 16 of the Champions League and finished a disappointing third

SHANGHAI: A decade ago, more than 110 million people tuned in from China to watch Li Na become the first Asian-born player to win a Grand Slam singles title. But now she is rarely seen on TV or in the country's media. Her big breakthrough for Chinese and Asian tennis at the 2011 French Open was followed by a second major at the Australian Open in 2014 before Li tearfully called it quits later that year. Now 39, Li is only seen fleetingly

TOKYO: The president of the Tokyo 2020 organising committee ruled out a cancellation or further postponement of the Olympics as doubts swirled among host cities and medical professionals whether the event can be held safely amid the pandemic. Public opinion polls in Japan have consistently shown that a majority want the Games cancelled or put off yet again after being delayed by one year because of the coronavirus crisis. A majority of the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly feel the same way, the Tokyo Shimbun

Taking a hard line with elite athletes – that they are contractually bound to show up before the media - can backfire when there is anxiety among the best performers, says a psychologist. QUEENSLAND: Japanese tennis star Naomi Osaka took a stand this week that called attention to the mental health of professional athletes. She refused to conduct interviews with the media after her matches at the French Open, citing concerns over her own mental well-being. And, in return, the tennis authorities fined

WASHINGTON: A US congressional commission on Tuesday (Jun 1) called on American basketball stars to end endorsements of Chinese sportswear firms that use cotton grown in China's Xinjiang region, warning against complicity in forced labour they say takes place there. In a letter to the National Basketball Players Association, the chairs of the bipartisan Congressional-Executive Commission on China said more than a dozen NBA players had deals with the China-based ANTA, Li-Ning and Peak sportswear firms prior to the publication of recent Western

BEIJING: China's Olympic gold medallists Zhang Ning, Cai Yun and Fu Haifeng have been inducted into the Badminton World Federation's Hall of Fame, the sport's governing body said on Wednesday (Jun 2). Zhang won gold in the women's singles at the 2004 and 2008 Olympics and was crowned world champion in 2003. Cai and Fu are the only men's doubles pair to have won four world titles. They also won Olympic gold at London in 2012. BWF President Poul-Erik Hoyer said the trio

TOKYO: Japanese fans and public figures rallied in support of tennis star Naomi Osaka on Tuesday (Jun 1), offering sympathy after she withdrew from the French Open and opened up about her battles with depression. The four-time Grand Slam winner's career is followed closely in Japan and the controversy in Paris, which followed her refusal to attend press conferences, led news bulletins on Tuesday. Reaction in Japan was largely sympathetic, with one Twitter user urging Osaka to "take a good, long break". "I

LOS ANGELES: Chris Paul overcame an injured shoulder and Jae Crowder busted out of a playoff slump Sunday (May 30) as the Phoenix Suns took a 100-92 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers, who lost Anthony Davis to another injury. Paul had 18 points and nine assists while Crowder delivered 17 points as half a dozen players finished in double figures for the Suns, who clawed their way level at 2-2 in the Western Conference best-of-seven playoff series against the reigning NBA champions.

Kyle Larson put on a show in primetime on Sunday as he streaked to a dominating victory in Sunday's crown-jewel Coca-Cola 600 NASCAR Cup Series race at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Larson led 327 of 400 laps, won three of four stages and beat runner-up Hendrick Motorsports teammate Chase Elliott to the finish line by more than 10 seconds. "Feels good," Larson said after getting his first Cup win at the 1.5-mile CMS oval. "It was not easy. I felt like I had to

Iga Swiatek returns to the scene of her biggest triumph on Monday when she starts her French Open defence against unseeded Kaja Juvan, while Serena Williams will resume her quest for a 24th major in the night session on Court Philippe Chatrier. Swiatek, who turns 20 on Monday, was catapulted into the spotlight at Roland Garros last year when she became Poland's first Grand Slam singles champion and the youngest woman to capture the title in Paris since Monica Seles in 1992. She

Chelsea won the Champions League for the second time as a Kai Havertz goal secured a tense 1-0 victory over Manchester City in Saturday's final in Porto, shattering Pep Guardiola's dream of lifting the trophy for the third time. Havertz rounded Ederson to score three minutes before half-time at the Estadio do Dragao and the Chelsea players ran to celebrate with the German. Coach Thomas Tuchel, full of energy on the touchline just like his opposite number, punched the air in celebration, and later jumped

Brentford were promoted to the Premier League for the first time in 74 years on Saturday as they beat Swansea 2-0 in a Championship play-off final worth around 180 million pounds ($255 million) to the winners. Thomas Frank's side completed their fairytale rise thanks to first-half goals from Ivan Toney and Emiliano Marcondes at Wembley. Swansea's Jay Fulton was sent off midway through the second half to put the result beyond doubt in what is widely regarded as football's single most lucrative game. After decades