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FOOTBALL - Int News 09 Aug, 2024
Sports Bulletin ReportRiyadh (Saudi Arabia): The Saudi Super Cup, the traditional curtain raiser in Saudi Arabian football, is set to ignite the 2024-25 season with an opening weekend of high-intensity football and fierce competition as the first matches of the new season kick off in Abha this week.Hosted in the Prince Sultan bin Abdul Aziz Stadium in the picturesque city of Abha for the first time, the top four teams from Saudi Arabian football’s historic 2023-24 season will compete for the first honours of the new season.As the top four finishers in the Roshn Saudi League (RSL) in the previous season, Al Nassr, Al Ahli, Al Taawoun and domestic treble winners Al Hilal will compete for the prestigious trophy to open the campaign.Following Al Hilal's record fourth Super Cup win in April, this year's tournament will continue with the expanded four-team format introduced in 2023. The semi-final phase will see Al Hilal begin their campaign against Al Ahli on 13 August, while Al Nassr take on Al Taawoun on 14 August in Abha. The winners will then proceed to the Saudi Super Cup final, set to kick off at 7.15pm local time on Saturday 17 August.As the domestic treble-winners last season, Al Hilal is aiming to maintain their flawless form from the 2023-24 campaign which saw the Riyadh side secure their record 19th league title under Portuguese manager, Jorge Jesus. Portugal’s Ruben Neves, Serbian duo Aleksandr Mitrovic and Sergej Milinković-Savić, and the returning Neymar are all set to feature in the season-opening competition in Abha.Returning for their second top-flight season, Al Ahli will provide a tough test for last year’s champions as the Jeddah team aims to secure their first Super Cup victory since 2016. With a strong pre-season featuring the return of international stars in Edouard Mendy, Riyad Mahrez and Roberto Firmino, the opening match in Saudi Arabian football will provide a lively start to the new season.Al Nassr, led by Portuguese superstar Cristiano Ronaldo, have their sights set on redemption going into the new season, after a dramatic penalty shoot-out loss in the King’s Cup final to end a difficult campaign. With new signing Brazilian goalkeeper Bento set to feature, the Riyadh side will be aiming to add to their two previous successes in the Saudi Super Cup.
PCB unfolds Pakistan Test Team and Shaheens schedule of training
Sports Bulletin ReportISLAMABAD: Pakistan Shaheens will continue its training at the Islamabad Club for the series against Bangladesh ‘A’, while the Pakistan men’s cricket team will commence its preparations for the ICC World Test Championship fixtures against Bangladesh on Sunday, 11 August, at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium.August 10, 2024: Bangladesh ‘A’ will arrive in the wee hours of Saturday. The PCB will share arrival images and videos with the media through its usual communication channels. Pakistan Shaheens will train from 2pm and beforehand at around 1.45pm, Kamran Ghulam will be available for brief stand-up interviews. Media will be allowed to cover the activities from 1.30pm to 3pm.August 11, 2024: Pakistan Test team will train at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium from 10am. Afterwards, Pakistan Test captain Shan Masood will preview his side’s 2024-25 red-ball season by holding a media conference. Pakistan Shaheens and Bangladesh ‘A’ will train from 10am at the Islamabad Club. This will be a vision only opportunity for which media is invited from 11am to 12.30pm.August 12, 2024: Pakistan Shaheens and Bangladesh ‘A’ will train at the Islamabad Club from 10am. Afterwards, opposite captains Saud Shakeel and Anamul Haque will hold their pre-match media talks and will also take part in trophy unveiling ceremony at the ground. Media will be allowed to cover the activities from 11.30am. At the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium, Pakistan Test team will train from 10am. This will be a vision only opportunity and no media interviews are planned.August 13, 2024: The first four-day match between Pakistan Shaheens and Bangladesh ‘A’ will commence at the Islamabad Club with the toss taking place at 09.30am and the first ball to be bowled at 10am. At the end of the day’s play, star performers from either side will be available for brief stand-up interviews. At the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium, Pakistan Test team will train at 10am. This will be a vision only opportunity.August 14-15, 2024: It will be day two and three of the first four-day match between Pakistan Shaheens and Bangladesh ‘A’ with play starting at 10am. At the end of the day’s play, star performers from either side will be available for brief stand-up interviews. Pakistan Test team has opted not to train and has no media commitments planned.August 16, 2024: Fourth day’s play between Pakistan Shaheens and Bangladesh ‘A’ will resume at 10am and afterwards, both captains are expected to be available for brief stand-up interviews to review the match. Meanwhile, Pakistan Test team will train from 10am at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium. At this stage, it will only be a vision only opportunity and no media activities are planned. If there is a change, this will be communicated through PCB’s usual communication channels.
Match officials announced for Test series against Bangladesh
Sports Bulletin ReportRAWALPINDI: Sri Lanka’s Ranjan Madugalle, who is a member of the ICC Elite Panel of Match Referees, will lead the playing control teams for the two ICC World Test Championship 2023-25 fixtures between Pakistan and Bangladesh. Both teams are scheduled to play first Test match at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium in Rawalpindi from 21 to 25 August. The second Test match between the two sides will be played at the National Bank Stadium in Karachi from 30 August to 3 September.For the Test series, three umpires will be from the ICC Elite Panel of Umpires and two umpires are from the ICC International Panel of Umpires.For the Rawalpindi Test, England’s Richard Kettleborough will be the on-field umpire alongside South Africa’s Adrian Holdstock. England’s Michael Gough will be the third umpire, while Rashid Riaz of Pakistan will act as a fourth umpire.In Karachi, Michael Gough and Adrian Holdstock will perform the duties of an on-field umpires, while Richard Kettleborough will serve as a third umpire. Asif Yaqoob from Pakistan will be available as fourth umpire in the Test match.
FOOTBALL - National 09 Aug, 2024
Sports Bulletin ReportISLAMABAD: Legacy FC and Karachi City FC have secured their spots in the final of the National Women's Football Club Championship 2024, following their impressive performances in the semi-final matches held at Jinnah Sports Complex, Islamabad. Karachi City FC will face Legacy FC in the final on Saturday (August 10, 2024), at 8:30 pm at the same venue.In the first semi-final, Legacy FC showcased their dominance on the field with a resounding 6-0 victory over Karachi United. Eman Mustafa was the star of the match, delivering an outstanding performance with four goals. Kayanat Bukhari also contributed significantly, scoring a brace to secure the win for Legacy FC.The second semi-final saw Karachi City FC display their prowess, overwhelming Hazara Quetta with an 8-0 triumph. Zahmena Malik and Suha Hirani each scored a brace, while Nadia, Zulfia, Sanah and Aliza added a goal each, ensuring Karachi City FC's place in the final.
ATHLETICS - Int News 09 Aug, 2024
Sports Bulletin ReportParis (France): Pakistan's Arshad Nadeem won the gold medal in the final of Javelin Throw event at the ongoing Paris Olympics 2024 on Thursday.Arshad lauched a throw of 92.97-meter in his second attempt which was enough for him to secure gold medal. Pakistan's first Olympic medal winner since Barcelona 1992 ended the night with another gigantic 91.79m throw on his final attempt.Even Nadeem's last throw would've seen him break the Olympic record held by Andreas Thorkildsen of Denmark (90.57m in Beijing 2008) had it not been bettered by himself earlier in the final.This is the first-ever individual gold medal in Olympics for Pakistan, maiden n athletics and first gold in any discipline in the last 40 years.Pakistan won an Olympic medal after the gap of 32 years. The last time Pakistan won an medal was in 1992 when the national hockey team clinched bronze by defeating the Netherlands 4-3 at the Barcelona Olympics.Meanwhile, India's Neeraj Chopra, who was defending his gold, made a throw of 89.45 and bagged the silver medal. Grenada's Anderson Peters fetched the bronze medal with a throw of 88.54m.Neeraj Chopra fails to make it two gold medals in a row and despite the second-best throw of his career with 89.45m on his second attempt, it wasn't enough to beat Arshad Nadeem of Pakistan who crossed the 90m mark twice and set a massive Olympic record.The 26-year-old becomes the fifth two-time Olympic medallist from India after adding a silver to his Tokyo 2020 gold medal. Only Norman Pritchard, Sushil Kumar, PV Sindhu and Manu Bhaker have achieved the same with the latter claiming two bronze medals at Paris 2024 Olympics.Athletes' Best Throw at Javelin Throw Final1- Arshad Nadeem (Pakistan) — 92.97m2 - Neeraj Chopra (India) — 89.45m3- Anderson Peters (Grenada) - 88.544 - Jakub Vadlech (Czech Republic) - 88.505 - Julius Yego (Kenya) - 87.726- Julian Weber (Germany) - 87.407- Keshorn Walcott (Trinidad and Tobago) - 86.168 - Lassi Etelatalo (Finland) - 84.589 - Oliver Etelatalo (Finland) - 82.6810- Toni Keranen (Finland) - 80.9211 - Luiz Mauricio (Brazil) - 80.6712. Andrian Mardare (Moldova) - 80.10
CLIMBING - Int News 09 Aug, 2024
Sports Bulletin ReportParis (France): Indonesia’s Veddriq Leonardo took Olympic gold in the men’s Speed – the first for climbing, the first for Indonesia at Paris 2024 and the first for his country in a sport other than badminton.China’s Wu Peng won silver and USA’s Sam Watson won bronze in what was a consistent and fast finals series with five out of the eight races all producing sub-5 races.The first was Wu versus the world champion Matteo Zurloni of Italy with just 0.002 in it as Wu posted a 4.99(5)s and Zurloni a 4.99(7)s. Wu also had to beat the world record holder Watson to set up the final race with Leonardo who first beat France’s Bassa Mawem and then Iran’s Reza Alipour Shenazandifard.Leonardo posted a PB of 4.48s in the semi-final with Alipour Shenazandifard, and he had to as the Iranian also scored a PB of 4.84s. Leonardo’s PB didn’t last that long as he also needed another, this time of 4.75s, to beat Wu for the gold medal as Wu posted his PB of 4.77s in yet another close race.On his in Leonardo said: "I feel very happy, I feel very joyful to bring the first gold medal for Indonesia at Paris 2024 to my country."On dealing with the pressure he said: "I was very excited, and there was also anxiety. My heart raced, but I stayed focused and finished it."Looking at the immediate future, there is another goal for Leonardo: "Now I'm going back to Indonesia and focusing on training. We train together in Indonesia and focus on the next competitions and also to break the world record."There will be a welcoming party. It is going to be amazing for me."After his silver Wu said: "I'm not in my best shape today. Usually I feel lighter and I don't need so much power to get up. Today my body felt heavy but I managed to make quick adjustments."I was nervous but tried to focus on myself. I didn't think about how others would be performing. For me it was important to just get over the first round, I didn't want to put too much pressure on myself. But I was really happy to have made it to the final."After losing at the semi-final stage, Watson had to compose himself for the bronze small final against Alipour Shenazandifard. And the American composed himself very well as he once again lowered his
TABLE TENNIS - Int News 09 Aug, 2024
Sports Bulletin ReportParis (France): Thursday’s action at South Paris Arena 4 has set up a thrilling Gold Medal match in the Women’s Team event for Saturday at Paris 2024. Just like in Tokyo 2020, China’s Women’s Team will face Japan in a much-anticipated showdown as they battle for gold. China secured their place in the final after a dominant 3-0 victory over Korea Republic. The match began with Chen Meng and Wang Manyu winning the doubles encounter 3-1 (11-4, 11-5, 9-11, 11-9) against Shin Yubin and Jeon Jihee. Sun Yingsha then extended China’s lead with a commanding 3-0 (11-5, 11-1, 11-3) victory over Lee Eunhye. Wang Manyu sealed the win, defeating Jeon Jihee 3-0 (11-3, 11-7, 11-3), ensuring China’s chance to fight for their fifth consecutive Women’s Team Gold Medal at the Olympics. In the other semifinal, Japan's Women's Team advanced to the final with a dramatic 3-1 victory over Germany. The match kicked off with Miu Hirano and Hina Hayata securing a 3-1 (11-3, 11-3, 6-11, 11-8) win in the doubles against Xiaona Shan and Yuan Wan. Germany's 18-year-old sensation, Annett Kaufmann, levelled the score with a stunning 3-0 (11-9, 11-8, 11-8) victory over world number 8 and 16-year-old Miwa Harimoto, showcasing her remarkable talent on the world stage. However, Miu Hirano regained Japan's lead with a 3-0 (11-7, 11-6, 11-9) win over Yuan Wan. The tie was decided in the final singles match, where Miwa Harimoto delivered a dominant 3-0 (11-8, 11-5, 11-0) victory over Xiaona Shan, securing Japan's spot in the gold medal match and making Harimoto the youngest table tennis medallist at Paris 2024.
BASKETBALL - National 08 Aug, 2024
Mohammad Azam DarISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Basketball Federation (PBBF) has announced the schedule for the Independence Day Inter-Provincial Basketball Championship for Men and Women, set to commence on Saturday (August 10, 2024) here at the Liaquat Gymnasium, Pakistan Sports Complex.According to Ouj-e-Zahoor, the organizing secretary of the championship and the general secretary of the Federal Basketball Association (FBBA), all arrangements have been completed for the successful five-day championship. The event is being organized under the supervision of the Federal Basketball Association in collaboration with the Pakistan Sports Board (PSB).He further informed that this year is especially significant as it's the first time a Woman's Inter-Provincial Basketball Championship is being organised. Six teams in both men's and women's events have been divided into two pools. In the men's event, Pool A includes Punjab, Sindh, and Islamabad (B), while Pool B comprises Balochistan, KP, and Islamabad (A). Similarly, in the women's event, Pool A includes Punjab, Balochistan, and Islamabad (B), and Pool B includes Islamabad (A), KP, and Sindh.Ouj-e-Zahoor stated that in order to select the men and women teams from the Federal Capital Territory trials were conducted and promising sportspersons were shortlisted for training camp. The inaugural match of the championship will be played between Punjab and Islamabad (B), while KP will compete against Islamabad (A) in the first round. The event is a celebration of Independence Day and aims to showcase the country's basketball talent, with over 170 sportspersons and officials participating in the championship.He also said that the semi-finals of the championship would be played on August 13, while the final on August 14 at the same venue to mark the celebration of Independence Day.
Shahid Afridi joins Kashmir Supreme League as Supreme Ambassador
Abdul Jabbar FaisalISLAMABAD: Former captain of the Pakistan cricket team, Shahid KhanAfridi has signed an agreement with Kashmir Supreme League to join as Supreme Ambassador of the KSL.According to an official of KSL, cricketer Shahid Khan Afridi has signed an agreement with the Kashmir Supreme League, as a brand ambassador. Chairman, Kashmir Supreme League Masood Khan and Shahid Afridi signed the contract in Islamabad.Shahid Afridi expressed his determination to highlight the Kashmir cause worldwide through KSL. The Kashmir Supreme League will be held in mid-November while the trials will be held from August 10 in Muzaffarabad.
Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi calls on DG, PSB Mohammad Yasir Pirzada
Abdul Jabbar FaisalISLAMABAD: President, Pakistan Tennis Federation (PTF) Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi called on the newly appointed Director General, Pakistan Sports Board (PSB) Mohammad Yasir Pirzada at his office in Pakistan Sports Complex.On this occasion, tennis star Aisam congratulated to Pirzada on assuming his role as DG-PSB. Pirzada thanked Aisam and assured Aisam to provide full support for the promotion of tennis in the country. Also, Pirzada felicitated Aisam on becoming the President of PTF.During the meeting, Aisam briefed Pirzada on various tennis activities in Pakistan including the upcoming Davis Cup against Barbados in September 2024, recent visit of ATP representative to Pakistan, ITF Futures, ITF Juniors, and the Pakistani teams' international commitments.
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