Sports — International

Olympics chief Bach ‘faces dilemma over Russian athletes’

by Pirate IRWIN Agence France-Presse PARIS, France (AFP) — Olympics chief Thomas Bach faces “the toughest decision of his presidency” as he weighs whether Russian and Belarus athletes should be allowed to compete in the 2024 Games, a senior former IOC executive has told AFP. The signs coming from bodies such as the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) and the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC) in the past fortnight suggest athletes from Russia and […]

Argentina prepares for World Cup winners’ welcome home party

by Barnaby CHESTERMAN Agence France-Presse BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AFP) — Argentines waited eagerly to welcome home their World Cup heroes on Monday as France’s beaten stars arrived back in Paris following the remarkable final drama in Qatar. The South American capital is preparing for a massive street party with the new world champions due to arrive late on Monday night. “Crowned with glory,” read a banner on a newspaper kiosk in Buenos Aires, while Clarin […]

Lionel Messi: The Greatest?

DOHA, Qatar (AFP) – For his legions of admirers, the debate about Lionel Messi’s right to be regarded as the greatest footballer in history is officially over. The absence of a World Cup winners’ medal has long been Exhibit A in the argument about why Messi does not rank above Pele and Diego Maradona in football’s pantheon. But with Argentina’s victory over France in Sunday’s jaw-dropping World Cup final in Doha, the case against the 35-year-old […]

Argentina beat France on penalties to win World Cup

DOHA, Qatar (AFP) – Argentina defeated France 4-2 in a penalty shoot-out to win the World Cup for the third time on Sunday. Argentina captain Lionel Messi scored twice and France striker Kylian Mbappe hit a hat-trick as a thrilling World Cup final finished 3-3 after extra time at the Lusail Stadium. In an extraordinary night of high drama, Argentinian substitute Gonzalo Montiel stroked home the winning spot-kick to seal an agonizing shoot-out loss for defending […]

Morant’s triple double, Herro’s 41 points spark NBA wins

LOS ANGELES, United States (AFP) – Memphis star Ja Morant and Miami’s Tyler Herro, two of the NBA’s top young guards, delivered dazzling performances on Thursday in impressive triumphs. Morant had a triple double for the host Grizzlies, who stretched their NBA win streak to seven games, while Herro unleashed a historic career-best effort for the Heat. Morant managed his third triple double of the season and the seventh of his career with 25 points, 10 […]

Curry out after partial shoulder dislocation for NBA Warriors

SAN FRANCISCO, United States (AFP) — Four-time NBA champion Stephen Curry has suffered a partial dislocation of his left shoulder and there’s no immediate timetable for his return to the reigning NBA champion Golden State Warriors. The team announced Thursday that Curry underwent an MRI exam in Philadelphia — where the Warriors play on Friday — and it revealed the extent of the damage he suffered in Wednesday’s 125-119 loss at Indiana. “The MRI confirmed […]

Williamson steps down as New Zealand Test captain

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AFP) – Kane Williamson stepped down as New Zealand Test captain on Thursday after more than six years in charge but will remain skipper of the ODI and T20 teams. Cricket New Zealand said that the 32-year-old will be replaced as Test captain by veteran fast bowler Tim Southee. “Captaining the Black Caps in Test cricket has been an incredibly special honor,” said the 32-year-old Williamson who has led New Zealand since 2016. […]

‘Proud’ France coach Deschamps ready to counter Messi in World Cup final

AL KHOR, Qatar (AFP) — France coach Didier Deschamps admitted he was “immensely proud” after Wednesday’s 2-0 win over Morocco took the holders through to another World Cup final where he said his team would try to find a way of countering a Lionel Messi in “scintillating form” for Argentina. “I am immensely proud. It is great to be through to the final but it was not an easy victory,” Deschamps said after an early […]

France set up World Cup final with Argentina

  by John WEAVER Agence France-Presse DOHA, Qatar (AFP) — France will face Argentina and Kylian Mbappe will do battle with Lionel Messi in a heavyweight World Cup final after the French beat underdogs Morocco 2-0 on Wednesday. Holders France stayed on course to become the first team in 60 years to successfully defend the trophy thanks to goals from Theo Hernandez and Randal Kolo Muani at Al Bayt Stadium. Morocco, the first African side […]

Antetokounmpo powers Bucks over Warriors

LOS ANGELES, United States (AFP) — Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks piled more road misery on NBA champions Golden State on Tuesday, thumping the Warriors 128-111. The Warriors, coming off a convincing victory over the league-leading Boston Celtics in San Francisco, were hoping this trip would signal a reversal of their road fortunes. Instead they fell to 2-12 away from home, 14-14 overall, in a testy encounter between the last two NBA champions that […]

New Olympic sports had high rate of injuries in Tokyo: research

Paris, France (AFP) — Athletes competing in the newly introduced Olympic sports of BMX freestyle, karate and skateboarding suffered some of the highest rates of injuries at the Tokyo Games, new research showed Wednesday. The three new events were among the top five with the most injuries at the 2020 Summer Olympics, which was held in 2021 due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Boxing and BMX racing had the highest rates, with 27 percent of competitors […]

NBA renames MVP trophy after Bulls great Michael Jordan

NEW YORK, United States (AFP) — The NBA is renaming its annual regular-season Most Valuable Player award after legendary star Michael Jordan — who claimed the honor five times with the Chicago Bulls. The league unveiled the newly designed Michael Jordan Trophy on Tuesday, along with five other reimagined trophies named after league pioneers that will now be presented to the National Basketball Association’s end-of-season award winners. Jordan, a six-time NBA champion, won five MVPs […]