Karachi (Sports Reprter): The Defense Day Table Tennis Ranking Tournament commenced in Karachi on Friday.Results (Day-1):1st RoundReyan Abbas beat S. Fakhir 11-8, 11-8, 11-7Dayan beat M. Rohil 11-0, 11-2, 11-3Musa Afridi beat Mohammad Ibad 11-2, 11-3, 11-6Taha Ali beat Mohammad Sameer 11-1, 11-2, 11-3Usman Habib beat Ejaz Walji 11-6, 11-3, 11-5Abdul Aziz beat Areeb Alvi 11-4, 11-5, 11-5Ahsan Raza beat Mustafa 11-4, 11-5, 11-5Faisal Saqib beat Abdullah Alvi 11-2, 12-10, 9-11, 11-2Khawar Mehmood beat Daniyal 11-5, 11-3, 11-7Ayan Ali beat Junaid Bughdadi 11-8, 11-4, 11-5Arsalan Alvi beat Hasan Mujtaba 11-3, 11-2, 9-11, 11-6Asim beat Zain Ahmed 11-3, 11-7, 17-15Salman Lari beat Shan-e-Ali 11-5, 13-11, 11-5Ubaid Hadi Khan beat Ahmed Naseeb 11-3, 16-14, 11-7Ayaz Khan beat Bilal 11-3, 11-5, 11-8Arfeen Ahmed beat M. Mohsin 11-3, 11-8, 11-6Hussain Virani beat Hasan 11-4, 11-3, 9-11, 11-32nd RoundUbaid Hadi Khan beat M. Hadi 11-2, 11-6, 11-5Ahsan Raza beat Mohammad Ramzan 11-7, 12-10, 9-11, 11-7Khawar Beat Kamil 11-3, 11-3, 11-5Arfeen Khan beat Arfeen Ahmed 11-6, 5-11, 12-10, 12-10Arsalan Alvi beat Ilyas Ali 11-5, 11-3, 11-4Arham Bin Farrukh beat Abu Bakar Alvi 11-4, 11-1, 11-7Salman Raza beat Asim 11-3, 11-6, 14-12Hamza Saleem beat Faisal Saqib 11-6, 6-11, 11-6, 11-3Hussain Virani beat S. Usman 11-4, 11-8, 11-4Ayaz Khan beat Abdul Aziz 11-3, 11-9, 13-11Reyan Abbas beat Dayan 9-11, 11-8, 11-8, 11-9Taha Alvi beat Musa Afridi 7-11, 11-9, 11-5, 11-2Mohammad Abbas beat M. Shahan Hassan 11-9, 12-10, 11-43rd RoundKhawar Mehmood beat Ahsan Raza 11-7, 11-7, 11-9Arsalan Alvi beat Ayan Ali 11-8. 13-11. 11-7Arham Bin Farrukh beat Arfeen Ahmed 11-6, 11-4, 11-9Hussain Virani beat Ayaz Khan 7-11, 13-11, 12-10, 12-14, 11-8Salman Raza beat Hamza Saleem 11-4, 13-11, 11-7Salman Lari beat Reyan Abbas 9-11, 11-9, 11-3, 14-16, 11-8Mohammad Abbas beat Taha Ali 11-6, 11-4, 11-4Ahil Shah beat Ubaid Hadi Khan 11-8, 11-7, 11-6Quarter FinalsMohammad Abbas beat Salman Lari 11-8, 10-12, 11-7, 11-7Salman Raza beat Hussain Virani 11-3, 11-7, 9-11, 11-4Arham Bin Farrukh beat Khawar Mehmood 11-5,11-7, 11-4Arsalan Alvi beat Ahil Shah 11-7, 11-8, 10-12, 11-5

Islamabad (Sports News): In a few days’ time, the flame for the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games (YOG) will be lit in the historic Panathenaic Stadium in Athens, Greece, during a symbolic lighting ceremony. The Youth Olympic flame will begin its journey to the 4th Summer Youth Olympic Games on 10 September 2026. The flame will be lit by the sun’s rays using a parabolic mirror, before being taken to Senegal and travelling to Dakar.The flame will arrive in Dakar on 12 September, where it will be welcomed during a ceremony celebrating Senegal, its youth, its culture and the Olympic values. This historic moment will launch the Dakar 2026 Flame Tour, which will travel across all 14 regions of Senegal and include 30 stops on the road to the YOG Opening Ceremony on 31 October.Under the tagline “Pass the Energy”, the Flame Tour will invite communities across Senegal to share in the excitement of the first Olympic sporting event to be held on African soil. It will also help build momentum towards Dakar 2026, which will bring together the world’s best young athletes from 31 October to 13 November 2026.The Flame Tour is designed as a collective journey, connecting sport, culture and youth participation. It will highlight Senegal’s spirit of teranga, the country’s tradition of hospitality and generosity, while promoting the Olympic values of excellence, friendship and respect.The arrival ceremony in Dakar will feature the “March of the Linguères”, a symbolic procession of 100 Senegalese women, culminating in the lighting of a cauldron at Place du Souvenir. The ceremony is planned as a popular celebration bringing together cultural performances, official moments and public engagement around the arrival of the Youth Olympic flame in Africa.“As an Olympian, I know the feeling that the Olympic flame can create,” said International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Kirsty Coventry. “It brings excitement. It brings people together. And it reminds us that sport has the power to inspire us to dream bigger.”  Following the welcome ceremony, the Flame Tour will continue in several phases: first in Dakar from 14 to 27 September, then across the regions from 29 September to 26 October, before returning to Dakar from 28 to 30 October ahead of the Opening Ceremony.

Mohammad Huzaifa and Mohammad Talha stun 2nd seed pair of Mudassir and Nael Qureshi 2-0Abdul Jabbar FaisalISLAMABAD: Young tennis lad Mohammad Shayan Afridi brushed aside top-seeded Mohammad Yahya 2-1 in the U18 Boys’ Singles quarterfinal of the ongoing 1st Meinhardt Grade A+ National Ranking Tennis Championships here at PTF Tennis Complex on Friday.Mohammad Shayan Afridi overcame his high-ranking opponent, top seed Mohammad Yahya in a well-contested three-set encounter. Shayan displayed excellent composure and aggressive play throughout the match to clinch a victory with the score-line of 6-4, 4-6, and 6-1. Yahya won the second set to level the match at one set all, but Shayan showed great composure and won the third set 6-1 to book his place in the semifinals.Another shocking result came in the Men's Doubles Semifinal, where the young unseeded pair of Mohammad Huzaifa Khan and Mohammad Talha Khan stunned the 2nd seed duo of Mudassir Murtaza and Ahmad Nael Qureshi at 7-5, 6-4. Huzaifa and Talha, twins from Islamabad, produced an impressive performance, combining solid doubles play and teamwork to move into the final.Results: Men’s Doubles (Semifinals):Mohammad Talha Khan / Mohammad Huzaifa Khan beat Ahmad Nael Qureshi / Mudassir Murtaza 7-5, 6-4Barkatullah / Muzammil Murtaza beat Mohammad Shoaib / Abubakar Talha 6-3, 6-4Boys’ Singles U18 (Quarterfinals):Shayan Afridi beat Mohammad Yahya 6-4, 4-6, 6-1Mohammad Haziq Aasim beat Inam Qadir 6-2, 6-3Mohammad Hassan Usmani beat Umar Ali 6-3, 6-4Abdul Basit beat Razik Sultan 6-3, 6-3Girls’ Singles U14 (Quarterfinals):Khadija Khalil beat Anaya Farhan 4-0, 4-0Shahnoor Umer beat Hajra Qadeer 4-0, 4-0Hajra Sohail beat Shahreen Umer 4-0, 4-0Eman Shahbaz beat Anaya Khan 5-3, 4-1Senior 40+ Doubles (Quarterfinals):Shahid Afridi / Zakirullah beat Shahbaz Ch/Haris Anis 6-1, 6-0Suleman Junaid / Ali Sadozai beat Azeem Khan / S. Murtaza 6-2, 6-2Israr Gul / Qasim Ali beat Col. Anjum / Col. Atif 6-4 (Retd)Talha Waheed / Aqeel Khan beat Waleed Zaman / Taimur Adil 6-0, 6-0.

Lausanne (Switzerland): The International Hockey Federation (FIH) is delighted to announce the launch of the FIH Youth Hockey5s World Cup Egypt 2026, an initiative guided by FIH President Tayyab Ikram, to be held in Ismailia from 7 to 12 December 2026.Following the postponement of the Youth Olympic Games in 2022 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and the subsequent decision for hockey to feature as a non-medal Engagement Sport at the Youth Olympic Games Dakar 2026, FIH has created a new global event to ensure that the world's most promising young players continue to enjoy a meaningful international pathway.More than a World Cup, the tournament combines world-class Hockey5s competition with education, leadership and athlete development, reflecting the values of the Olympic Movement. Designed around an athletes-first philosophy, it promotes holistic development and wellbeing while empowering young people to become future leaders, officials and role models.The fast-paced Hockey5s format will deliver an exciting and accessible experience for players and fans alike, helping introduce the sport to new audiences while expanding opportunities for young athletes from every continent to compete on the global stage.Hosting the inaugural edition in Egypt also reinforces FIH's commitment to growing hockey worldwide. The event will showcase Africa's excellence in hosting world-class sporting events while creating a lasting legacy by inspiring more young people to play hockey and strengthening the sport across emerging nations and regions.FIH President Tayyab Ikram said: “The creation of the FIH Youth Hockey5s World Cup marks another important milestone in our commitment to empowering the next generation of hockey players.It provides young athletes from every continent with more opportunities to compete at the highest international level, develop both on and off the field, and experience the values of excellence, friendship and respect that define our sport and the Olympic Movement.We are equally delighted that Egypt will host this inaugural tournament, reflecting Africa's growing role in the global development of hockey and its proven ability to deliver world-class international events. We look forward to seeing young players from around the world come together to celebrate hockey, inspire one another, and shape the future of our sport."(Sports News)

Rawalpindi (Sports News): Islamabad Tenpin Bowling Association will organize ITBA Defence Day Tenpin Bowling Cup Tournament on Saturday (tomorrow) at the Leisure City Bowling Club, Jinnah Park, Rawalpindi. This was stated by Secretary, Islamabad Tenpin Bowling Association, Danyal Ijaz said on Friday that all arrangements have been finalized in the Organizing Committee meeting. Bowlers from both city Rawalpindi and Islamabad will take part in the tournament. President Pakistan Tenpin Bowling Federation, Ijaz-ur-Rehman,will be the chief guest at the closing ceremony and will distribute prizes among the successful players.

Islamabad (Sports News): Pakistan Junior Women’s Hockey Team made a strong start at the Women’s Junior Asia Cup 2026, defeating Hong Kong China 2–0 in the Challenger Pool.Shariqa was the star of the match, scoring both goals for Pakistan in 34th minute and 48th minute.The national team displayed excellent attacking hockey, disciplined defending and strong team coordination, keeping Hong Kong China from finding the net.PHF President Mohyuddin Ahmad Wani congratulated the players and officials on their impressive performance and expressed his hope that the team will continue its winning momentum in the upcoming matches.#PakistanHockey #JuniorAsiaCup2026 #PakistanJuniorWomen #Hockey #GreenShirts #AlaskaBatteries #PHF #PakistanZindabad

Abdul Jabbar Faisal/Anjum ShakeelIslamabad/Dubai: The squads for the fourth edition of the DP World International League T20 Development Tournament have been confirmed following the Player Draft held on 2 September, with six teams set to represent the franchises of the DP World ILT20. The tournament will begin on 14 September and bring together some of the UAE’s most promising cricketers in a competition designed to provide them with valuable exposure and experience. Several players selected in the six squads have already featured in the DP World ILT20 and made an impact while others will also have an opportunity to make an impression ahead of the DP World ILT20 Season 5 Player Auction scheduled to take place on 1 October 2026 in Dubai.Squads:Abu Dhabi Knight Riders Development: Masood Ul Rahman Gurbaz, Aftab Alam, Falaknoor Noor, Uzair Khan, Awais Ali Shah, Nawodya Wijayakumara, Zia Mukhtar, Usaid Amin, Junaid Khan Afridi, Asel Sigera, Zahid Ali, Ammar Badami, Salman Saleem, Uzair Haider, Ibrar Ahmad, Mayank Choudhary, Alishan SharafuDesert Vipers Development: Ayaan Misbah, Nilansh Keswani, Israr Ahmad, Hilal Afghan, Wasim Akram, Harshit Kaushik, Wali Muhammad, Abdul Ghaffar, Taimoor Ali, Punya Bhatia, Zeeshan Abid, Angad Nehru, Harsh Desai, Khuzaima Bin Tanveer, Matiullah Khan, Sanjay Pahal, Vriitya AravindDubai Capitals Development: Akshdeep Nath, Tahir Zaman, Khalid Shah, Zeeshan Naseer, Muhammad Arfan, Saghir Khan, Yayin Rai, Ahmed Tariq, Raees Ahmed, Mohomad Halan, Rahul Chopra, Asif Mohammad Taniwal, Abdul Rahman Nasir, Farhan Khan, Haider Ali, Muhammad Farooq, Mohammad JawadullahGulf Giants Development: Sohaib Khan, Adeeb Usmani, Awais Ahmed, Sagar Kalyan, Junaid Shamsudheen, Ansh Tandon, Keshav Sharma, Nabeel Aziz, Muhammad Irshad, Samal Udawaththa, Mohammed Faraazuddin, Vaibhav Govekar, Tanish Suri, Albin Alias, Aayan Khan, Haider Razzaq, Zuhaib ZubairMI Emirates Development: Kona Srikar Bharat, Ali Naseer, Ibrahim Masood, Vishnu Sukumaran, Adithya Shetty, Aryan Lakra, Nasir Faraz, Said Nazeer, Wahab Hassan, Mohammad Sameer, Zenul Abideen, Raizal Nadir, Naseem Khan, Mohammad Waseem, Muhammad Rohid, Usman Khan, Zahoor KhanSharjah Warriorz Development: Harpreet Singh Bhatia, Dilan Suraweera, Daniyal Liaquat, Dhruv Parashar, Luqman Faisal, Mohit Kalyan, Uddish Suri, Basil Hameed, Omid Rahman, Hafiz Almas Ayub, Shahid Iqbal, Aftab Javed, Rayan Khan, Ronak Panoly, Anas Malik, Junaid Siddique, Ethan D SouzaSchedule:Monday, 14 September – 5pm – Desert Vipers Development vs MI Emirates DevelopmentMonday, 14 September – 9pm – Gulf Giants Development vs Dubai Capitals DevelopmentTuesday, 15 September – 5pm – Dubai Capitals Development vs Sharjah Warriorz DevelopmentTuesday, 15 September – 9pm – Abu Dhabi Knight Riders Development vs MI Emirates DevelopmentWednesday, 16 September – 5pm – Abu Dhabi Knight Riders Development vs Gulf Giants DevelopmentWednesday, 16 September – 9pm – Desert Vipers Development vs Sharjah Warriorz DevelopmentThursday, 17 September – 5pm – MI Emirates Development vs Dubai Capitals DevelopmentThursday, 17 September – 9pm – Gulf Giants Development vs Desert Vipers DevelopmentFriday, 18 September – Rest/TrainingSaturday, 19 September – 5pm – Sharjah Warriorz Development vs Gulf Giants DevelopmentSaturday, 19 September – 9pm – Abu Dhabi Knight Riders Development vs Dubai Capitals DevelopmentSunday, 20 September – 5pm – Desert Vipers Development vs Abu Dhabi Knight Riders DevelopmentSunday, 20 September – 9pm – Sharjah Warriorz Development vs MI Emirates DevelopmentMonday, 21 September – 7pm – Dubai Capitals Development vs Desert Vipers DevelopmentTuesday, 22 September – 5pm – MI Emirates Development vs Gulf Giants DevelopmentTuesday, 22 September – 9pm – Sharjah Warriorz Development vs Abu Dhabi Knight Riders DevelopmentWednesday, 23 September – 5pm – Semi-final 1Wednesday, 23 September – 9pm – Semi-final 2Thursday, 24 September – 7pm – Final

Islamabad (Sports Reporter): Top tennis players, Aqeel Khan and Mohammad Shoaib stormed into the men's singles semifinals of the 1st Meinhardt Grade A+ National Ranking Tennis Championship after beating their respective opponents here at the PTF Tennis Complex on Thursday.Today, a number of exciting matches were played across different categories in the quarterfinal stage. The players displayed their full strength, determination, and competitive spirit in pursuit of a place in the semifinals. The winners successfully qualified for the next stage of the tournament.Results:Men’s Singles (Quarterfinals): Mohammad Shoaib beat Mohammad Hassan Usmani 7-5, 6-1;Aqeel Khan beat Ahmad Nael Qureshi 6-0, 6-1Men’s Doubles (Quarterfinals): M.Shoaib / Abubakar Talha bt Shehryar Anees / Hamza Aasim 6-3,6-4; Ahmad Nael Qureshi / Mudassir Murtaza bt Haziq Aasim / Abdul Basit 6-2,6-2; Muzammil Murtaza / Barkatullah bt Heera Ashiq / Ahmad Babar 6-4,6-4; M.Talha Khan/ M.Huzaifa Khan bt Saifullah Khan / Saqib Hayat 7-6(3), 7-6(1)Ladies Singles (Quarterfinals): Mahin Aftab Qureshi bt Hajra Sohail 6-1,6-0; Romaisa Malik bt Khadija Khalil 6-1,6-1; Labiaka Durab w/o Zainab Ali Raja; Ushna Suhail bt Esha Jawad 6-0,6-0Ladies Doubles (Quarterfinals): Hajra Sohail / Romaisa Malik bt Khadija Khalil / Bismal Zia 6-3,6-1; Anaya Khan/ Zara Khan bt Zaira Zaka / Areem Suleman 6-0,6-0Boys Singles U18 (Quarterfinals):Shayan Afridi bt M.Yahya 6-4,4-6,6-1; M.Haziq Aasim bt Inam Qadir 6-2,6-3; M.Hassan Usmani bt Umar Ali 6-3,6-4; Abdul Basit bt Razik Sultan 6-3,6-3Boys Singles U14 (Quarterfinals):M.Faizan bt Ibraheem Gill 1-4,4-2,4-0; M.Muaz bt Salar Khan 4-1,4-0; M,Ayan bt Behroze Maimoon 4-2,5-4(4); Shayan Afridi bt Majid Ali 4-0,4-0Boys Singles U12 (Quarterfinals):Majid Ali bt Ashtar Alam 4-2,4-2; M.Faizan bt Salar Khan 4-2,5-4(4).

Anjum ShakeelDubai (UAE): The third season of the World Championship of Legends (WCL) will be played from October 3 to 18, 2026, in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE).According to an official, former Australia opener David Warner, India’s World Cup-winning all-rounder Yuvraj Singh, South African batting legend AB de Villiers and former West Indies all-rounder Dwayne Bravo are among the high-profile names set to return to competitive action.The tournament will be expanded to seven teams this year with the inclusion of Bangladesh Champions for the first time. The participating sides are Pakistan Champions, India Champions, Australia Champions, South Africa Champions, West Indies Champions, England Champions and Bangladesh Champions.The 16-day T20 tournament is expected to attract huge interest from cricket fans, particularly with the prospect of another clash between traditional rivals Pakistan and India.With several legendary players returning to the field and Bangladesh joining the competition, WCL 2026 is expected to deliver an exciting mix of nostalgia, rivalry and high-quality T20 cricket.

Dubai (PR): The International Cricket Council (ICC) today announced that the inaugural ICC Women’s Champions Trophy 2027 will be staged in the Indian cities of Mumbai and Vadodara from 14 to 28 February.The Cricket Club of India (CCI) in Mumbai and the Vadodara International Cricket Stadium will be the venues for the landmark tournament that will bring together six of the world’s leading women’s cricket teams - Australia, England, India, New Zealand, South Africa and Sri Lanka.Those six teams, who qualified as per their positions in the ICC Women’s T20I Team Rankings on the 6 July qualification cut-off date, will compete in a round-robin league, with the top two sides advancing to the final on 28 February.The tournament was originally scheduled to be held in Sri Lanka but will now be staged in India as Sri Lanka Cricket continues to make the requisite reforms outlined at the ICC’s Annual Conference in July.The ICC assessed three candidates - Bangladesh, India and South Africa - against its established host evaluation criteria before recommending India as the replacement host, a decision ratified by the ICC Board on 2 September.ICC Chairman, Jay Shah, said: “The ICC Women’s Champions Trophy 2027 marks an exciting new chapter for women’s cricket. As the inaugural edition of the tournament, it will bring together the best teams in the world in an intense, high-quality competition, while creating even greater incentive for teams to continue rising through the rankings and competing for a place on the global stage.“With a marquee ICC women’s event now taking place every year, we have a significant opportunity to build greater momentum, provide more consistency and create a stronger rhythm for the women’s game, its players and its fans around the world."