Category: Sports

Get the latest sports news, opinion, analysis, player rankings, scores and updates.

  • Celebrities laud Arshad Nadeem for hitting a milestone at Olympics

    Celebrities laud Arshad Nadeem for hitting a milestone at Olympics

    Notable members of the entertainment industry have expressed their appreciation for a ‘Javelin Throw’ player Arshad Nadeem who has secured the first position in the qualifying round of Javelin throw finals in Tokyo Olympics 2020 and made Pakistan proud.

    Nadeem was in group B of the qualification event and topped his group to make it to the finals. His overall performance marked him as the third-highest thrower in both the groups combined, behind India’s Neeraj Chopra and Germany’s world number one Johannes Vetter.

    Here’s a list of tweets of mainstream celebrities, congratulating Arshad on his achievement:

    Celebrities also wished him luck for the final contest on August 7.

  • US gymnast Suni Lee to delete Twitter after blaming missing out on gold due to social media

    US gymnast Suni Lee to delete Twitter after blaming missing out on gold due to social media

    US gymnast Suni Lee has put her imperfect performance on the uneven bars down to being distracted by social media.

    A break-out star at the Tokyo Olympics, Lee won gold in the individual all-around and silver in the team all-around at this year’s games.

    Her achievements made history, as she became the first Asian-American woman to win gold in the Olympics’ all-around competition.

    The 18-year-old also took bronze for the uneven bars, but despite her success, told reporters she had been disappointed not to do better, explaining that she considered the bars to be “my thing”.

    Lee was the clear favourite to win the uneven bars final, but uncharacteristic errors and an uneven performance meant Belgium’s Nina Derwael and Russia’s Anastasiia Iliankova were able to take first and second place.

    “Bars is something I really cherish,” Lee said after the competition, reports the Associated Press. “So when I mess it up, it really sucks.”

    Lee was positive about being able to go home with bronze, silver and gold medals, but expressed regret that her wins weren’t exactly what she had envisioned:

    “It’s really cool,” Lee said in the report. “I just wish the bronze medal was a beam medal, not bars.”

    Explaining to People, Lee said she thought social media had played a part in her being less than her best on Sunday, saying she had “got distracted and lost focus a little bit when I won the gold medal” in the all-around three days earlier.

    She also admitted that she has spent a lot of time on social media while in Tokyo.

  • Meet Abtaha Maqsood, Britain’s first hijab-wearing cricketer

    Meet Abtaha Maqsood, Britain’s first hijab-wearing cricketer

    Abtaha Maqsood is Britain’s first hijab-wearing Muslim female to play international cricket, reports Geo News. She wants other young British Muslim girls to not hold back if they are thinking about cultural and religious obstacles and take up cricket as a profession.

    Abtaha’s parents are from Lahore, Pakistan. She was born in Glasgow, Scotland, on June 11, 1999 — the day Pakistan won from Zimbabwe to qualify for the semi-finals of the Cricket World Cup played in England and Scotland.

    The 22-year-old cricketer is currently playing for Birmingham Phoenix in the new short format 200-ball cricket tournament “The Hundred” in England. Since her childhood, she used to play cricket in the garden of her house with her father and brothers.

    Abtaha joined her local cricket club “Poloc” at the age of 11. Only four months after joining the club, she was selected to represent Scotland’s under-17 squad against Ireland in a T20 tournament.

    Speaking to Geo, Abtaha said that her family supported her to join cricket as a profession. Abtaha said that her father is her top supporter throughout the journey.

    “My dad and my mom are both massive cricket lovers. But my dad, in particular, says all sports are important,” she said.
    Abtaha Maqsood also holds a black belt in Taekwondo that she acquired at the age of 11. She has participated in British and Scottish Taekwondo championships as well.

    The young cricketer said she never thought of taking cricket as a career at that time. But the experience of playing cricket so far has been wonderful for her.
    Talking about her choice to wear the hijab, Abtaha said that she started it at the age of 11 after she saw her mother doing the same. She, however, said that her decision to wear one was completely her choice.

    “Wearing a hijab was my own choice. I went to perform Umrah with my family when I was 11, and on our way back to the UK, I saw my mum started wearing hijab. So I asked her why was she wearing that and then she told me [how it was a religious obligation], so I decided to wear one as well,” said Abtaha.

    “It was really important for me at that time as it is now and I’m going to keep wearing that”, she added.

    Responding to a question of whether people should focus more on her cricketing skills rather than her hijab, Abtaha said that she thinks talking about her hijab is equally important as it is the representation that matters.

    “This is the first time people have really seen a woman wearing the hijab and playing cricket at the highest level, so I think it’s still important to be talked about,” she said.

    “I never really had a role model who looked like me when I was growing up. I think that would have really helped me and given me a sense of belonging. So, hopefully, I can be that person for young girls now”, she added.

    She told Geo that although she never came across any cultural barriers herself, she is aware that there are hurdles out there for other young Muslim girls. She, therefore, wants to be a role model for those girls.

    “I really hope that people, when seeing me, could realise that it is possible to play cricket and wear hijab at the same time. And there are people out there who can support young girls through it if they really want to play cricket at a high level or any other professional sport for that matter”.

    xplaining her experience in playing “The Hundred”, she said that representing Birmingham Phoenix in the tournament is the most amazing experience of her life.

    Talking about her experience in the tournament so far, Abtaha said that she still can’t believe that she’s playing with some of the best cricketers in the world — a chance she never had before.

    Abtaha Maqsood has represented Scotland’s national team 17 times in international T20 matches, claiming 23 wickets so far in her career at an impressive average of 12.28.

  • Herschelle Gibbs defies BCCI, will come to Pakistan

    Herschelle Gibbs defies BCCI, will come to Pakistan

    President Kashmir Premier League (KPL) Arif Malik on Monday said that former South African batsman Herschelle Gibbs is coming to Pakistan despite threats from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), reports Geo News.

    Malik said that India should understand that players are coming to play cricket in the KPL, adding that this is not politics.

    “Herschelle Gibbs is coming to Pakistan despite threats [from the BCCI],” he said, adding that India also stopped international commentators from participating in the KPL and that the league is trying to bring in more foreign players for the tournament.

    He hoped the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) will not block players’ NOC for the tournament.

    The KPL chief said people in Indian Occupied Kashmir are also excited about the tournament and said that the league is working to ensure they can also catch the action live on TV.

    Meanwhile, England’s veteran spinner Monty Panesar has excused himself from participating in the league.

    Taking to Twitter, Panesar confirmed that he has decided not to participate in the KPL. The former left-arm spinner feared he would have to face grave consequences if he participates in KPL.

    Earlier on July 31, South African cricketer Herschelle had slammed the BCCI for threatening players and stopping them from playing in the KPL.

  • Olympic gymnast Simone Biles will compete in balance beam finals after withdrawal

    Olympic gymnast Simone Biles will compete in balance beam finals after withdrawal

    Simone Biles will compete in Tuesday’s August 3 women’s balance beam final, USA Gymnastics confirmed on Monday, August 2. The balance beam final is the last medal round for women’s artistic gymnastics at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.

    “We are so excited to confirm that you will see two US athletes in the balance beam final tomorrow – Suni Lee AND Simone Biles!!” read a tweet from the US federation. “Can’t wait to watch you both!”

    Biles had qualified to all four of the apparatus finals, scheduled for August 1-3 but eventually withdrew from all but balance beam. Earlier in Tokyo, she withdrew from the team competition after getting lost in midair and from the all-around final entirely to focus on her mental health.

    On her Instagram story Friday, Biles detailed her struggles in training with the “twisties,” a gymnastics term for when a gymnast’s body and mind seemingly stop working together.

    “My mind and body are simply not in sync,” Biles wrote in one of her story slides. “For anyone saying I quit. I didn’t quit.”

    The 24-year-old also posted now deleted videos showing her getting lost in the air on two attempts at her uneven bars dismount, a double-twisting, double back.

    Biles explained she had previously suffered from the phenomenon but only on floor and vault. Tokyo is the first time they have bled into other events.

    “They’re not fun to deal with,” she said. “It’s honestly petrifying trying to do a skill… not having your mind and body in.”

    The world’s most dominant gymnast praised her teammates for winning USA team silver at Tokyo 2020 after admitting that continuing might have cost them a medal. Biles said she was looking forward to a “good mental rest” ahead of deciding whether to take part in further competition at these Games.

  • British swimmer Tom Daley knits while watching Olympic springboard final

    British swimmer Tom Daley knits while watching Olympic springboard final

    British swimmer Tom Daley, the Olympic gold medalist, caused a stir among Olympic TV viewers watching the women’s 3m springboard final on Sunday morning, when the cameras panned to the spectator stands and caught Tom watching the action while knitting.

    Social media was deluged with images of the 27-year-old, wearing his Team GB kit and obligatory mask, wielding needles and purple wool in the Tokyo Aquatics Centre.

    The moment came ahead of the third round of dives, shortly after China’s Shi Tingmao completed her second dive, cementing her lead. No British divers were competing.

    Read More – German gymnasts wear full-body suits at Olympics to promote freedom of choice

    “The one thing that has kept me sane throughout this whole process is my love for knitting and crochet and all things stitching,” Daley said in a video posted to his knitting and crochet account.

    He also made a little medal case to prevent it from any scratches. The pouch is emblazoned with the Union Jack on one side and the Japanese flag on the other.

    The British diver, who won his first Olympic gold alongside Matty Lee in the synchronised 10m platform event last Monday, has called knitting “his secret weapon”.

  • Pakistani Olympian Mahoor Shahzad apologises for her racist comments about ‘Pathans’

    Pakistani Olympian Mahoor Shahzad apologises for her racist comments about ‘Pathans’

    Pakistani Olympian and the flag bearer for Pakistan at Tokyo Olympics, Mahoor Shahzad, apologised for her racist comments about Pathans (Pashtuns).

    A video clip of the badminton player has gone viral on social media. In the 21-second clip, which was recorded after her second defeat in Olympics’ badminton event on Tuesday, she can be heard saying: “People appreciated me a lot, but yes, there are some of our badminton players, who are Pathan. And because I am the number one [badminton player] in Pakistan and played in Olympics, so some of our Pakistani badminton players are really jealous at how I have reached this position.”

    “Pakistanis have a problem that they don’t want to do something good nor do they let anyone else do it,” Shahzad said before the clip ends.

    https://twitter.com/NKMalazai/status/1420295301206712326?s=20

    On early Wednesday [Pakistan time], Shahzad posted an apology note on her social media accounts.

    “I am writing this apology for my Pathan brothers,” she said. “In no way I intend to pass any racist comments. There are some Pakistani badminton players who are running a negative campaign against me, so I only referred to them in this video.”

    “I am sorry from the core of my heart for hurting the feelings of my Pathan brothers and sisters.”

    “Whatever I have achieved and where I stand today is because of the love and support of all of you,” she said.

  • ‘Go for it’: Malala encourages girls to ‘try cricket’

    ‘Go for it’: Malala encourages girls to ‘try cricket’

    Malala Yousafzai encourages girls to pick up a cricket bat and ball, tostop thinking and just try it.

    Malala, known for her activism for women empowerment and education, urged young women to believe in themselves.

    In an interview with Sky Sports, she stated that women should never be discouraged from playing sports on the basis of their gender.

    “Even today, when we see women cricket players playing in this stadium, they are sending a message to all girls out there that they can be in sports, they can be players, they can play any sport they want,” Malala stated in the video interview.

    She added that we already have multiple women role models who are changing history and sports are no exception.

    Malala expressed hope that we don’t limit women from dreaming – she encouraged girls to give it a try and “go for it” if they enjoy it.

    The Noble Peace prize winner is known for human rights advocacy, especially the education of women and children in her native Swat Valley, where the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan had at times, banned girls from attending school.

  • German gymnasts wear full-body suits at Olympics to promote freedom of choice

    German gymnasts wear full-body suits at Olympics to promote freedom of choice

    The German women’s gymnastics team wore full-body suits in qualifications at the Tokyo Olympics on Sunday instead of their traditional bikini cut version to encourage all women to wear what makes them feel comfortable and to promote freedom of choice, reports Reuters.

    According to the German Gymnastics Federation, this act is against sexualisation in gymnastics. The aim is to present aesthetically- without feeling uncomfortable, they added in a tweet.

    The International Gymnastics Federation said that attire with full or half sleeves and leg coverings are allowed in the competition, as long as the colour matches the leotard (one-piece garment with no legs).

    Sarah Voss, one team member, first wore the suit while competing for the European championships in April.

    “We want to make sure everyone feels comfortable and we show everyone that they can wear whatever they want and look amazing, feel amazing, whether it is in a long leotard or a short one,” she said.

    After this, the entire team decided to participate in the multi-international sports event in red and white unitards and leggings extending to the ankles, in contrast to the costume worn by many other female gymnasts.

    Moreover, their mutual decision earned them praise from fellow competitors in Tokyo.

    Until now women and girls have only covered their legs in international competitions for religious reasons.

  • Shahid Afridi to play in Nepal’s Everest Premier League

    Shahid Afridi to play in Nepal’s Everest Premier League

    Veteran Pakistani cricketer Shahid Afridi is all set to play for Kathmandu Kings XI in the upcoming edition of the Everest Premier League (EPL).

    The tournament is scheduled to be held from September 25 to October 9.

    Kathmandu Kings XI, in an international player reveal event held in Kathmandu on Monday, announced that Afridi will join the team.

    The former captain of the Pakistani national team, popularly known as Boom Boom Afridi for his massive hits, has scored over 11,000 runs in 27 test matches, 398 ODIs and 99 T20 internationals.

    The franchise Twenty20 cricket tournament, organised by a private group in Nepal run by Aamir Akhtar, is a two-week tournament scheduled at TU Cricket Ground, Kirtipur.

    Six teams are participating in this edition of the Everest Premier League.

    Other big names like AB de Villiers and Chris Gayle will also feature in the tournament.