Category: Sports

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  • Saudi Falcons win eSports World Cup, claim $7,000,000

    Saudi Falcons win eSports World Cup, claim $7,000,000

    Saudi Arabia’s eSports team Falcons has won the eSports World Cup 2024. The world competition, held for the first time in Riyadh, saw Team Falcons scoring 5665 points.

    The Falcons strengthened their lead by winning the (Call of Duty: Warzone Mobile) Championship in Week 1 and the (Free Fire) in Week 2, earning them 1,000 points for each tournament.

    The Falcons were awarded $7,000,000(1.93 Billion PKR) in prize money and the World Cup trophy at a closing ceremony on Sunday, August 25. Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman also participated in the ceremony and awarded the trophy to the team.

    Team Falcons’ participation and success in the eight-week-long eSports World Cup event reflect the significant investment made in Saudi Arabia’s gaming sector.

    Netherlands’ Liquid secured second place, winning $4,000,000 (1.1 billion PKR). Team BDS secured third place, winning $2,000,000 (55 crore PKR).

    This event had a massive prize pool of $60,000,000, featuring 22 video games.

    Free Fire team HotShot from Pakistan participated in the event but was eliminated from the league stage. In Tekken, eight Pakistan players participated, and four of them qualified for the top 8 but unfortunately did not win the trophy. In the final of the Tekken 8, South Korea’s Ulsan defeats Pakistan’s Atif Butt by 5-0.

    The government should support eSports by providing training facilities and organizing tournaments. This will help Pakistani players improve their skills and compete internationally. eSports can also offer entertainment and job creation for young people.

    Here are some glimps from the event.

    Photos credit: ewc_en

  • Fatima Sana named captain of national team for T20 World Cup

    Fatima Sana named captain of national team for T20 World Cup

    Fatima Sana has been appointed captain of the Pakistan Women’s Cricket Team for the International Cricket Council (ICC) Women’s T20 World Cup 2024.

    Ten players from the last T20 World Cup have been selected for the current squad, including Nida Dar, while Sadia Iqbal’s inclusion is subject to fitness.

    Previously, the ICC moved the Women’s T20 World Cup from Bangladesh to the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

    The ICC stated that the event was relocated due to Bangladesh’s political situation. However, Bangladesh will retain the right to host the event in the future.

    The tournament will take place in Dubai and Sharjah from October 3 to 20.

  • Director Marketing PCB resigns after failing to hit the mark

    Director Marketing PCB resigns after failing to hit the mark

    Director Marketing of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), Usman Waheed, has resigned after failing to achieve goals set by PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi.

    Sources indicate that Naqvi had set specific targets for the Champions events. Waheed, however, fell short, resulting in setbacks for the PCB in selling both local and international rights.

    Previously, the PCB sold its broadcast rights for matches to be played in Pakistan from August 2024 to December 2026 for just 1.06 billion rupees, compared to the allocated 3.02 billion rupees—1.48 billion rupees less than the expected amount.

  • Shaheen Shah Afridi welcomes his first child

    Shaheen Shah Afridi welcomes his first child

    National team fast bowler Shaheen Shah Afridi and his wife, Ansha Afridi, have welcomed their first child, a son.

    Pakistan team players, management, and the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) are congratulating Shaheen on the new addition to his family.

    Shaheen married Ansha, the daughter of former captain Shahid Afridi, on February 3, 2023.

    He will leave for Karachi tomorrow night to join the team before the second Test match, after playing in the ongoing first Test against Bangladesh in Rawalpindi.

    The second Test between Pakistan and Bangladesh is scheduled to take place from August 30 to September 3 at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium.

  • PCB broadcast rights sold for almost half of allotted amount

    PCB broadcast rights sold for almost half of allotted amount

    The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has sold its broadcast rights for matches to be played in Pakistan from August 2024 to December 2026 for just one billion and sixty crores, against an allocation of three billion and twenty crores, one billion and 48 crores less than the allocated price.

    According to Dawn News, PCB announced last week that it would give the broadcasting rights of all its home international cricket matches to the consortium of ARY and Tower Sports for 28 months.

    During this time, Pakistan will host a total of 11 Test matches, including seven Test matches to be played in the 2024-25 season.

    In addition, the Pakistani team will play 26 ODIs, 24 T20 International matches, and a tri-lateral ODI series during the same period.

    Pakistan Television Corporation (PTV) has also profited as it later acquired the broadcasting rights by sub-licensing from the consortium for 50 crores.

    The Consortium and PTV remained profitable, while the cricket board failed to capitalize on the prosperous cricket season.

    The board could cancel the bidding process and issue another tender if it receives an offer lower than its desired amount to get the minimum allocated price, but the board settled on the consortium’s offer.

    Reportedly federal Information Minister Attaullah Tarar used his influence to obtain PTV broadcast rights. Despite this, PCB’s bid committee awarded the broadcast rights to the highest bidder.

    Dawn said, “When contacted, the cricket board declined to provide details of the amount, saying that due to confidentiality. We cannot confirm the amount allocated or the individual bids; however, we can confirm that the broadcasting rights have been sold at double price compared to previous years (FTP 2021 to 2024).”

    However, according to Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) rules and regulations, such information can be shared with the public.

  • Indian cricketer Shikhar Dhawan is retiring

    Indian cricketer Shikhar Dhawan is retiring

    One of India’s finest white-ball openers, Shikhar Dhawan, has announced that he is retiring from international and domestic cricket.

    He wrote on Instagram, “As I close this chapter of my cricketing journey, I carry countless memories and gratitude. Thank you for the love and support.”

    He thanked the Indian Cricket Board, saying, “I am grateful to the BCCI for giving me the opportunity. I tell myself that I am not sad that I will not play for the country again. But I am happy to have played for my country, which is my biggest thing. I am standing where there are only memories to look back on and the whole world to look forward to. I always had only one goal to play for India, and that happened. Thank you, family, team and BCCI.”

    Dhawan represented India in 34 Tests, 167 ODIs and 68 T20 matches.

  • JK Rowling deletes several posts, goes silent on social media after Imane Khelif lawsuit

    JK Rowling deletes several posts, goes silent on social media after Imane Khelif lawsuit

    Harry Potter author JK Rowling has deleted at least 27 tweets after Imane Khelif, the Algerian boxer who won gold in the women’s welterweight category at the Paris Olympics, filed a lawsuit against her, Elon Musk, and Donald Trump for online harassment.

    Social media users noticed Rowling’s effort to reduce online presence during increased scrutiny. Despite this, some of Rowling’s retweets are still visible, including one about a similar controversy involving another female athlete, Taiwan’s Lin Yu-ting.

    Read This: Imane Khelif takes Elon Musk and JK Rowling to court

    Imane has spoken about the emotional stress caused by the criticism but remains firm in defending her right to compete. While Rowling’s silence has raised eyebrows, Khelif’s resilience stands out in adversity.

    Background:

    This issue started when the Algerian boxer filed a cyberbullying case against Elon Musk, JK Rowling, and Donald Trump, claiming she faced “aggravated cyber-harassment,” which her lawyer, Nabil Boudi, described as a “misogynist, racist, and sexist campaign.”

    Her lawyer stated that JK Rowling and Elon Musk participated in this campaign. The issue began when American swimmer Riley Gaines posted a picture of Khelif with the caption, “Men don’t belong in women’s sports.” Musk then shared the post, agreeing with it.

    Rowling also criticized Khelif’s involvement, stating on X, “Could any picture sum up our new men’s rights movement better? The smirk of a male who knows he’s protected by a misogynist sporting establishment, enjoying the distress of a woman he’s just punched in the head and whose life’s ambition he’s just shattered.”

    Khelif faced racist attacks after Italy’s Angela Carini withdrew from her Round of 16 fight against Khelif just 46 seconds into the match, saying she had never been struck this hard.

    President Thomas Bach of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) supported Khelif, saying, “Women should be allowed to compete in women’s events.”

    Khelif made history as the first Algerian woman to win an Olympic gold medal in boxing. She won the final match against China’s Yang Liu with a score of 5-0 and also secured impressive victories over Thailand’s Janjaem Suwannapheng and Hungary’s Luca Anna Hamori.

  • Boxer Muhammad Wasim likely to miss big event while waiting for visa

    Boxer Muhammad Wasim likely to miss big event while waiting for visa

    Pakistan boxer Muhammad Wasim will likely miss the World Boxing Federation (WBF) bantamweight title fight in Malta after delays in Danish embassy releasing his passport.

    Boxer wrote a message on X (formerly Twitter), tagging Chief Minister Punjab Maryam Nawaz, stating, “Honorable @MaryamNSharif, I am in a stressful situation, so I get my passport back so I can travel and join my training camp in the UK. I have a fight coming up with my passport stuck, and I need help from the Government of Pakistan.”

    He submitted his passport on July 22 for Denmark visa. With the fight near, he is likely to miss the training camp because of the delayed passport.

  • Pakistani female fighters wins gold medals in MMA Asian Championship

    Pakistani female fighters wins gold medals in MMA Asian Championship

    Pakistani women fighters won gold medals in the Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) Asian Championship held in Lahore.

    National fighter Bano Butt won a gold medal in junior and Eman Khan in senior categories. No opponent could stand up to both fighters. Pakistan’s Bushra Ahmed won the silver medal in bantamweight.

    In the men’s events, Pakistan’s Shahab Khan, Zeeshan Akbar, and Abdul Manan won silver medals in various categories. A total of 180 athletes from 23 countries participated in this event.

  • LESCO refuses to promote Arshad Nadeem to 19th grade

    LESCO refuses to promote Arshad Nadeem to 19th grade

    The Board of Directors of Lahore Electricity Supply Company (LESCO) has decided not to promote national hero and Olympic gold medalist Arshad Nadeem to 19th grade.

    According to Samaa News, LESCO Sports Board had recommended promoting Arshad Nadeem from 18th to 19th grade, but the chairman of the new board has yet to agree.

    According to the rules, a sportsman can get promoted to a maximum grade of 18. The LESCO board says that the rules have to be changed to promote Arshad Nadeem.

    It has been decided that the summary should be sent to the Water and Power Development Authority Pakistan (WAPDA) Sports Board for Nadeem’s promotion.

    Earlier, a ceremony was organized at the WAPDA House in honour of the Javelin Hero and other Olympians. Chairman WAPDA Sajjad Ghani awarded Arshad Nadeem a reward of 50 lakh rupees.