Sports Bulletin Report BEIJING:-The athletes at the Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022 have elected Martin Fourcade (FRA) and  Frida Hansdotter (SWE) to the International Olympic Committee (IOC)’s Athletes’ Commission (AC), for a term ending at the Olympic Winter Games 2030. The newly elected members will join the Commission to represent the athlete voice within the Olympic Movement. ?Between 27 January and 16 February, 2,307 athletes voted in the IOC AC election at the Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022, representing a participation rate of 80.50 per cent. Athletes had the opportunity to vote at the Athlete365 Spaces in the three Olympic Villages in Beijing, Yanqing and Zhangjiakou. In total, 16 candidates, representing 16 National Olympic Committees (NOCs), all five continents and six winter sports, stood for election. This was a record for the Olympic Winter Games. The newly elected members will join the IOC AC at the end of Beijing 2022 for a term of eight years, and will be proposed for election as IOC Members at the IOC Session in Beijing on 19 February. IOC AC Chair Emma Terho remarked: “We had a record number of candidates from a diverse range of countries and sports, and I want to thank all the candidates for showing their interest in representing the athletes of the world. We were also delighted to see the high turnout of athletes participating and sharing their voice in the IOC Athletes’ Commission election. “Congratulations and welcome to the two new members who are joining the IOC Athletes’ Commission at an exciting time, just six months after the election of four members in Tokyo. We have an extremely motived Commission full of energy and enthusiasm. I am excited about the collective opportunity we have to represent athletes’ interests and build on the great work done by the Commission over the years.” The new members Martin Fourcade, Biathlon, France Frida Hansdotter, Skiing, Sweden Outgoing members IOC AC member Hayley Wickenheiser (CAN), who was elected by her peers during the Olympic Winter Games Sochi 2014, has completed her term on the Commission, and a seat had also been left vacant following the resignation of Ole Einar Bjørndalen (NOR) in 2016. The IOC AC members will elect their Chair and Vice-Chairs on 18 February 2022, with the Chair holding a position as a full member of the IOC Executive Board, representing athletes at the highest level within the IOC.

Sports Bulletin Report Terrassa, Spain:-The 2022 FIH Hockey Women’s World Cup (1-17 July 2022) will be jointly hosted in Terrassa, Spain and Amsterdam, Netherlands as 16 qualified teams pursue the biggest and most cherished prize in hockey alongside the Olympics. This is where legends are made with the world’s finest players battling it out to become the very best. FIH President Dr Narinder Dhruv Batra welcomed the draw and the event by video message to the ceremony guests as well as the global hockey community. He is joined in supporting the event by several dignitaries including Mr Jordi Ballart, Mayor of Terrassa; Ms Anna Caula, General Secretary for Sport and Physical Activity; Mr Santi Deó, RFEH President; Mr Miguel Ángel Moreno, Organizing Committee President; Mrs Marijke Fleuren, FIH EB Member and EHF President;  and Eric Cornelissen, KNHB President. The draw itself was conducted by FIH CEO Thierry Weil and Spanish legends Berta Bonastre – who will be the Tournament Director – and Santi Freixa who links both venues, growing up in Terrassa and living currently in Amsterdam. Pool A is headed up by world number one side – and reigning champions – The Netherlands (FIH World Ranking: 1) who will meet Ireland (WR: 12) in a repeat of the 2018 World Cup final. They will also be joined in the group by Germany (WR: 5) and Chile (WR: 17); the South American side will be competing in their first ever World Cup campaign. In Pool B, England (WR: 3) are the top seed and they were drawn to face India (WR: 9) with many of the potential players having met each other in the Tokyo Olympics bronze medal match when the former were representing Great Britain. New Zealand (WR: 8) and China (WR: 14) complete their group with both playing in their ninth World Cup. Pool A and B will both be hosted at the Wagener Stadium in the Netherlands. Pool C will feature two-time champions Argentina (WR: 2) at the head of the group. They will come up against Spain (WR: 6) in front of their home Terrassa crowd along with Korea (WR: 11) and Canada (WR: 13), who will play in the World Cup for the first time since 1994. Pool D will also take place in Terrassa. Australia (WR: 4) are the highest ranked side and will be seeking to win their third World Cup title following success in 1994 and 1998. They face Belgium’s rising Red Panthers (WR: 7), Japan (WR: 10) and African champions South Africa (WR: 16). Xan de Waard (NED): “It was very exciting – I am really looking forward to playing Chile because I have never played them before. Our preparation is on track and we are improving every day. We had a really good training trip to Valencia for training and now we are in Mannheim so we are looking forward to playing more Pro League games and hopefully we will be ready when the World Cup comes.” Gigi Oliva (ESP): “It’s great, it means we can start preparing for facing Argentina, Korea and Canada. Obviously it will be a really difficult group with very different styles of hockey.” Maria Lopez (ESP): “We have a lot of new players and members of staff. We are very excited to play in the Pro League which gives us a chance to grow as a team before the World Cup.” FIH Hockey Women’s World Cup, July 1-17, 2022 Pool A: Netherlands, Germany, Ireland, Chile Pool B: England, New Zealand, India, China Pool C: Argentina, Spain, Korea, Canada Pool D: Australia, Belgium, Japan, South Africa

Abdul Jabbar Faisal ISLAMABAD:-Ivan Iutkin from Russia and Mehmet Onur Turgut from Turkey have qualified for the final of Boys Singles of the ITF Pakistan Elaan Syed Dilawar Abbas Memorial World Junior Tennis Championships after thrashing their rivals in the semifinals at PTF-SDA Tennis Complex, Islamabad on Thursday. Final will be played on Saturday at the same venue. In the first semifinal of Boys Singles, Mehmet Onur Turgut of Turkey was in fine touch and proved too good for local guy Hasheesh Kumar of Pakistan. Both the players played a brilliant combination of down the line and cross-court shots from the baseline till the score reached 5-5 all by holding their own serves but in the 11th game, Turgut fought bravely and was able to break the game of Hasheesh Kumar and built up the winning lead 6-5 and then in the 12th game Turgut wrapped up the set 7-5. In the second set, Turgut started the set aggressively and broke the first game of Hasheeh Kumar, and built up a winning lead 3-1, as the 5th game of Kumar was the longest game of the set which was marked by long rallies and crosscourt shots and Kumar reduced the lead to 3-2. At this stage, Turgut changed the pace of the game and broke the 9th game of Kumar to seal his position in the Boys Singles final by winning the match 7-5 6-3. The match lasted 1 hour 51 minutes. Unseeded Ivan Iutkin of Russia continued his winning pace and confirmed his position for the final by defeating the 3rd seed Sherazhetdinov Ruslan of Russia in a straight-set win 6-3 6-3. In the first semi-final of girls Singles top-seeded, Romania Andra Izabella Sirbu whitewashed her opponent, Seo Hyeon Park of Korea, without conceding a single game 6-0 6-0 and will vie for the top honor to play final of girls singles. In the second semi-final, unseeded Korean Sa Rang Lim outclassed 8th seed Chsherbakova Tatyana of Kazakhstan in a straight-set win 6-2 6-0. In the first doubles semi-final, Semi Zeb Khan & Hasheesh Kumar of Pakistan moved into the final with imposing victories over their opponents to beat 4th seed duo from Bortnichek Nikita of Russia and Kanbargimath Dev of Romania in a straight-set 6-4 6-0 by playing high caliber and remarkable tennis. In the second semi-final top seed, Talavar Yunes of Iran and Tuna Arial Kayra of Turkey struggled hard to win their battle against Pakistani duo Muhammad Talha Khan and Muhammad Huzaifa Khan in a thrilling two-set match. Iranian and Turkish pair played aggressive took a lead 1-0 after winning the first set at 6-4. In the second set, both the teams played excellent tennis and by holding their respective serves reached 5-5 games all. Talavar and Tuna played consistent tennis and broke the 11th game of Huzaifa to build up the winning lead 6-5 and in the 12th game Tuna served excellent and did not allow their opponent to stay in the match and winding up 7-5. The match lasted 1 hr 5 minutes.  In the Girls Doubles event; unseeded Eunsoo Lee (KOR) & Sa Rang Lim (KOR) made the major upset by beating the top seed in a straight-set and other unseeded pair Taira Abildayeva (KAZ) & Tatyana Chsherbakova (KAZ) beat the second seed in a well-contested three sets match. Results: Boys Singles (Semi Finals) Mehmet Onur Turgut (TUR) beat Hasheesh Kumar (PAK) 7-5 6-3 Ivan Iutkin (RUS) beat Ruslan Serazhetdinow (RUS) 6-3, 6-3 Results: Girls Singles (Semi Finals) Andra Izabella Sirbu (ROU) beat Seo Hyeon Park (KOR) 6-0, 6-0 Sa Rang Lim (KOR) beat Tatyana Chsherbakova 6-2, 6-0. Results: Boys Doubles (Semi finals) Sami Zeb Khan (PAK) & Haseesh Kumar (PAK) beat Nikita Bortnichek (RUS) & Dev Kanbargimatch (ROU) 6-4, 6-0 Yunes Talavar (IRI) & Aril Kayra Tuna (TUR) beat Mohammad Talha Khan (PAK) & Mohammad Huzaifa Khan (PAK) 6-4, 7-5 Results: Girls Doubles (Semi Finals) Eunsoo Lee (KOR) & Sa Rang Lim (KOR) beat Andra Izabella Sirbu (ROU) & Melisa Ugur (TUR) 7-5, 6-3 Taira Abildayeva (KAZ) & Tatyana Chsherbakova (KAZ) beat Munisa Ashurbekova (UZB) & Olga Sorochkina (RUS) 5-7, 6-1, 13-11.

Aamir Ali Janjua DUBHI:-Australian quick Josh Hazlewood returned his best-ever T20I figures in the series opener against Sri Lanka, taking 4-12 in a spell, before capping another haul of 3-22 last week, with a match-sealing Super Over that went for just five runs. He is now number two among the T20I bowlers, just one point behind South Africa’s Tabraiz Shamsi in the MRF Tyres ICC Men’s T20I Player Rankings. This week’s ratings come after the first three Australia v Sri Lanka matches and the second and third India v West Indies games. In the series against Australia, Wanindu Hasaranga took five wickets in the first two matches, but having missed the final match, it wasn’t enough for him to continue onto the top spot, as he dropped to the third place in the T20I bowling rankings. His teammate Maheesh Theekshana was up 16 places to 29th. In the batters list, Sri Lanka’s Pathum Nissanka topped the run-scorers in the T20I series with Australia with 125 runs across the three games to move up 42 places and become joint 21st. Dipendra Singh Airee from Nepal was the leading run scorer in the Quadrangular T20I tournament held in Oman with 142 runs which helped him up 63 places to 53rd with the bat. Chirag Suri of the UAE also moved up the table thanks to his unbeaten 84 against Nepal, which was the highest individual score in the competition. In bowlers again, Oman’s Bilal Khan proved to be very economical, conceding just 62 runs in his 12 overs, to move to his career best position of 18th in T20I in the series. In the fifty over format, the Indian pair of Shreyas Iyer and Suryakumar Yadav have made strides up the table.  Yadav scored 64 in the second ODI against the West Indies whilst Iyer made an 80 in the third to help the home side complete a 3-0 series win. Their teammate Rishabh Pant added a half-century in the third match to move to a career best of 469 points at the 71st place. Indian pacer Prasidh Krishna was the leading wicket-taker across both sides with nine wickets at just 7.55 to gain 50 places from 94th to 44th in the ODI bowlers list, whilst Alzarri Joseph took two wickets in each of the three matches to earn himself a place in the top 20 bowler’s list.

Sports Bulletin Report OMAN (Muscat):-The ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Qualifier A, supported by Dream 11, begins at the Oman Academy grounds in Al Amerat on Friday. A lot is at stake for the eight participating nations – Ireland, Nepal, UAE, Canada, Germany, Philippines, Bahrain, and hosts Oman – as they vie for the two spots available at the Qualifier A from 18 to 24 February. Fixtures: February 18th, Friday: 10:00 (local time start): Oman Academy 1: Oman v Nepal, Oman Academy 2: Canada v Philippines; 14:00: Oman Academy 1: Ireland v UAE, Oman Academy 2: Germany v Bahrain. February 19th, Saturday: 10:00: Oman Academy 1: Oman v Canada, Oman Academy 2: Nepal v Philippines;  14:00: Oman Academy 1: UAE v Germany, Oman Academy 2: Ireland v Bahrain. February 20th, Sunday: Rest Day. February 21st, Monday: 10:00: Oman Academy 1: Ireland v Germany, Oman Academy 2: UAE v Bahrain; 14:00: Oman Academy 1: Nepal vs Canada, Oman Academy 2: Oman vs Philippines. February 22nd, Tuesday: 10:00: Oman Academy 1: A3 vs B4 (3rd in Group A v 4th in Group B), Oman Academy 2: B3 v A4 (3rd in Group B v 4th in Group A); 14:00: Oman Academy 1: Semi-Final 1 (winner Group A v Runner-up Group B), Oman Academy 2: Semi-Final 2 (Winner Group B v Runner-up Group A). February 23rd, Wednesday: Rest Day. February 24th, Thursday: Oman Academy 1: 10:00: 5th and 6th Play off (Winner of A3 v B4 v Winner of B3 v A 4), Oman Academy 2: 7th and 8th Play off (Loser of A3 v A4 v Loser of B3 v B4). 14:00: Oman Academy 1: Final (Winner of A1 v B2 v Winner of B1 v A2), Oman Academy 2:3rd and 4th Play off (Loser of A1 v B2 v Loser of B2 v A1). Participating squads: Bahrain: Shahbaz Badar, Junaid Aziz Mohd Aziz, Waseeq Ahmed, Imran Javed Anwar, Prashant Kurup, Muhammad Younis, David Keelan Mathias, Umer Imtiaz, Sarfraz Ali (captain), Veerapathiran Sathaiyah, George Aaron Aaxtel, Haider Ali, Shahid Mahmood, Faiz Ahmed. Canada: Navneet Dhaliwal (captain), Rayyan Pathan, Matt Spoors, Harsh Thaker, Ravinderpal Singh, Saad Zafar, Hamza Tariq, Shreyaas Movva, Salman Nazar,Junaid Siddiqui, Rishiv Joshi, Dilon Heyliger, Jatinderpal Matharu, Kaleem Sana. Germany: Venkat Ganesan (captain), Michael Richardson, Dieter Klein, Fayaz Nasseri, Dylan Blignaut, Justin Broad, Nooruddin Mujadady, Vijay Shankar, Faisal Mubashir, Shoaib Azam Khan, Muslim Yar Ashraf, Sri Vishnu Baratheon, Talha Khan, Rasul Ahmadi. Ireland:  Andrew Balbirnie (captain), Mark Adair, Curtis Campher, Gareth Delany, George Dockrell, Shane Getkate, Josh Little, Andy McBrine, Barry McCarthy, Simi Singh, Paul Stirling, Harry Tector, Lorcan Tucker, Craig Young. Nepal: Sandeep Lamichhane (captain), Sharad Vesawkar, Gyanendra Malla, Dipendra Airee, Kushal Bhurtel, Arif Sheikh, Asif Sheikh, Abinash Bohara, Jitendra Mukhiya, Kamal Airee, Bibek Yadav, Lokesh Bam, Sagar Dhakal, Gulshan Jha. Oman: Zeeshan Maqsood (captain), Syed Amir Kaleem, Muhammad Naseem, Jatinder Singh, Khawar Ali, Muhammad Nadeem, Ayaan Khan, Sandeep Goud, Kashyupkumar Prajapati, Kaleemullah, Bilal Khan, Ahmed Fayyaz Butt, Shoaib Khan, Khurram Khan. Philippines: Jonathan Hill (captain), Dan Smith, Henry Tyler, Grant Russ, Richie Goodwin, Jordan Alegra, Sachin Biddappa, Vimal Kumar, Siva Mohan, Huzaifa Mohammed, Gurbhupinder Chohan, Muzammil Shahzad, Miggy Podosky, Hern Isorena. UAE: Muhammad Waseem, Chirag Suri, Vriitya Aravind, Rohan Mustafa, Kashif Daud, Ahmed Raza (captain), Zohoor Khan, Alishan Sharafu, Raja Akifullah, Karthik Meiyappan, Junaid Siddique, Basil Hameed, Zafar Farid, Muhammad Boota, Mohammad Usman, Rahul Bhatia.

Sports Bulletin Report ISLAMABAD:-It took some time for the German side to find their rhythm in their 2022 FIH Pro League opener against France in Potchefstroom, South Africa. Two penalty corner goals from Tom Grambusch in the final quarter were enough to hold off a tired but resilient French side. Niklas Wellen’s presence up front earned him Player of the Match honours, while Timothée Clément was as equal to the task for France. For les Bleus, it was their sixth-straight game in eight days, while Germany was coming off an indoor season and their last Pro League match was in October 2021. A young German side ventured south without the typical talents of Lukas Windfelder, Tobias Hauke, Christopher Ruhr and Florian Fucks on hand. Despite that, recently named captain Mats Grambusch was proud of their team saying after the game: ‘We have been here for a week now and the altitude, weather we are not used to that in Germany. We had to get used to it and we knew it was a new group here with young players and then you have to get in to your groove. We needed time to do that. We want to do it better tomorrow against South Africa but I’m really, really pleased with our performance as we go the three points and want to go far in the Pro League.’ Germany were quick to put France on their heels. Mats Grambusch drew the game’s opening penalty corner just two minutes into the game. Younger brother Tom Grambusch couldn’t get enough behind his flick to beat Arthur Thieffry in the France goal. While France spent much of the get-going defending their 23-meter area, they did have chances of their own. Timothée Clément received a cross-field aerial deep in the German circle but his blast from a tight angle went wide of the German goal. The Germans kept knocking when Wellen’s sharp cut into the French circle allowed Thiez Prinz a clear look at goal but the ball rocketed past the left post. In the final minute of the quarter it was Niklas Bosserhoff who beat two defenders and cut into the circle. The ball instended as a paced pass in to traffic took a touch off defender Amaury Bellenger and beat Thieffry over his right shoulder. In the second quarter Tom Grambusch and Justus Weigand each had penalty corner attempts but some strong running and solid clears from Thieffry kept the Germans at bay. France’s best chance fell for Blaise Rogeau in the 26th minute but the reverse-stick shot sailed wide of the net. Germany sat on their 1-0 lead heading into half time. Credit to youngster Clément who drew France’s first penalty corner in the opening minutes of the third quarter. The very same Clément then unleashed a rocket of a drag flick but Alexander Stadler did well to block it. Francois Goyet was the beneficiary of two rebound attempts but the first was blocked by Stadler and the second went high over the goal. It was a game of set-pieces that made the difference as Germany continued to struggle to convert while France from three attempts were able to draw level. It was again Clément who unleashed a flick that split the right post and the German post-player. The goal gave France the confidence to really go after points from the No. 6-ranked Germany. In the final quarter Germany went to work as Tom Grambusch was able to find his strides at the top of the circle firing a penalty corner flick in between Thieffry and Charles Masson and give Germany the 2-1 lead. Thieffry was called to action again denying another Tom Grambusch flick in the 57th minute before he subbed off to give France 11 field players to chase down a tying goal. Unforced errors in midfield lead to a Luis Gill run and an eventual pair of penalty corners for Germany. The first was saved on the line by Clément but the second off Tom Grambusch’s stick was too powerful and deflected off Clément’s stick and in for a 3-1 Germany lead. Credit to the French who never backed down. Clément sent an aerial from the half-way line to a streaking Simon Martin-Brisac. A nifty pass across the circle beat Stadler and Etienne Tynevez volleyed the ball in for the consolation goal. Germany take their first three points of the year, while the French side remained proud of their performance in a grueling series of Pro League match ups. Following the game, Niklas Wellen was named Player of the Match. Results: (FIH Pro League): Potchestfstroom, University of North West (RSA) Men’s Match 18 Germany beat France 3-2 Player of the Match: Niklas Wellen (GER) Umpires: Annelize Rostron (RSA), Wanri Venter (RSA), Ayden Shrives (RSA-video)

Bipin Dani Sri Lanka's top order batsman Bhanuka Rajapaksa is available for the upcoming India tour, it is learnt, after he passed the required fitness tests. "He did the fitness tests on Monday at the Sugathadasa Stadium. He completed the 2-km run in 8 minutes and 35 seconds,” a source close to the player said. "He appeared for all the fitness tests including running and skin-fold.” Rajapaksa was not considered for the Australia tour where a series of five T20Is is being played, having announced his retirement from international cricket, only to reverse it days later after meeting Sports Minister Namal Rajapaksa. "Though most of the players are scheduled to travel to India directly from Australia, selectors are giving thought to sending him from Colombo and he may be selected for the three T20I to be played ahead of the two Test matches,” another source in Sri Lanka, said. Interestingly, Bhanuka Rajapaksa is the only batter from Sri Lanka selected to play in the IPL. The other four players who were bought are predominantly recognized for their bowling.

Sports Bulletin Report ISLAMABAD:-Duo of local players Mohammad Talha Khan and Mohammad Huzaifa Khan reached in the semifinals of Boys’ Doubles Event of the ongoing ITF Pakistan Elaan Syed Dilawar Abbas Memorial World Junior Tennis Championships here at PTF-SDA Tennis Complex on Wednesday. They overcame Russian lads Ivan Iutkin and Ruslan Serazhetdinov 2-1, as the final score-line was 7-5, 5-7 and 11-9. In the Boys Doubles event; talented Mohammad Talha Khan pairing with Mohammad Huzaifa Khan defeated the 3rd seed duo of Russia Ivan Iutkin & Ruslan Serazhetdinov in a thrilling three-set match. All the players played excellent tennis throughout the match, in the first set Russian players took the lead 3-1 but Talha and Huzaifa fought back aggressively and leveled the score 5-5 all by breaking the 10th game of Ivan & Ruslan. In the 12th game, Talha & Huzaifa played a well-controlled game and did not allow Ivan & Ruslan to hold their service which ended with a double fault and took the lead 1-0. In the second set, Ivan & Ruslan played well and took the second set in the same fashion to level the match 1-1 set all by breaking the 11th game of Khan brothers. The actual supremacy of the battle was held in the super tie break which was won by the Khan-brother at 11-9. In another Doubles quarter-final, Semi Zeb Khan & Hasheesh Kumar of Pakistan showed their metal and comfortably defeated Abdul Hanan of Pakistan pairing with Liviu Popirlan of Romania in a straight-set 6-3 6-0. In the Boys Singles quarter-final, unseeded Hasheesh Kumar of Pakistan confirmed his place for the semi-final when he defeated Bilal Asim of Pakistan in a well-contested three-set match. In the opening set Asim Bilal played excellently and garbed the set at 6-2 by breaking the 3rd, 5th, and 7th game of Kumar. In the 2nd set Hasheesh Kumar played well and took revenge by breaking the 2nd and 8th game of Bilal and leveling the match, 1-1 set all. The deciding set saw some exhilarating tennis as both the players reached 4-games all and then in the 10th game Hasheesh played some excellent shots and broke Bilal to seal his place in the semi-final. Results: Boys Singles (Quarter Finals) Ivan Iutkin (RUS) beat Aril Kayra Tuna (TUR) 6-4 7-5; Hasheesh Kumar (PAK) beat Bilal Asim (PAK) 2-6 6-2 6-4; Mehmet Onur Turgut (TUR) beat Dev Kanbarhimatch (ROU) 6-2 6-0; Ruslan Serazhetdinow (RUS) beat Hamid Israr Gul (PAK) 6-1 6-0. Girls Singles (Quarter Finals) Andra Izabella Sirbu (ROU) beat Yeon Joo Cha (KOR) 6-2 6-0; Sa Rang Lim (KOR) beat Melisa Ugur (TUR) 6-3 6-0; Seo Hyeon Park (KOR) beat Taira Abildayeva (KAZ) 6-2 6-1; Tatyana Chsherbakova beat Eunsoo Lee (KOR) 7-6(5) 6-3. Boys Doubles (Quarter finals) Mohammad Talha Khan (PAK) & Mohammad Huzaifa Khan (PAK) beat Ivan Iutkin (RUS) & Ruslan Serazhetdinov (RUS) 7-5 5-7 11-9; Sami Zeb Khan (PAK) & Haseesh Kumar (PAK) beat Abdul Hanan (PAK) & Liviu Popirlan (ROU) 6-3 6-0; Nikita Bortnichek (RUS) & Dev Kanbargimatch (ROU) beat Shehryaar Anees (PAK) & Asad Zaman (PAK) 6-3 6-2; Yunes Talavar (IRI) & Aril Kayra Tuna (TUR) beat Bilal Asim (PAK) & Ahmad Nael Qurehsi (PAK) 6-2 6-2 Girls Doubles (Quarter Finals) Taira Abildayeva (KAZ) & Tatyana Chsherbakova (KAZ) beat Sheeza Sajid (PAK) & Natalia Zaman (PAK) 6-1 6-1;  Eunsoo Lee (KOR) & Sa Rang Lim (KOR) w/o Tamara Ermakova (RUS) & Artina Gashi (GBR); Andra Izabella Sirbu (ROU) & Melisa Ugur (TUR) beat Aleksandra Bortnichek (RUS) & Renata Garaeva (RUS) 6-2 6-1; Munisa Ashurbekova (UZB) & Olga Sorochkina (RUS) beat Yeon Joo Cha (KOR) & Seo Hyeon Park (KOR) 6-2 6-3.

Sports Bulletin ISLAMABAD:-Pakistani player both boys and girls claimed impressive victories in the ITF World Juniors Team Competitions that kicked off in the Sri Lankan capital city Colombo. Boys stunned Mongolian opponents 3-0 while girls overcame Iraqi rivals in similar style. Results (Boys’ Event): Pakistan beat Mongolia 3-0 Hamza Roman (Pakistan) beat Mandakh Davaadash (Mongolia) 6-0, 6-0 Mohammad Hassnain Ali Rizwan (Pakistan) beat Ankhjargal Sononpuntsag (Mongolia) 7-6, 7-5 Ahtesham Humayun / Hamza Roman (Pakistan) beat Mandakh Davaadash (Mongolia) 6-0, 6-1 Results (Girls’ Event): Pakistan beat Iraq 3-0 Zunaisha (Pakistan) beat Hana Hasan (Iraq) 6-3, 6-2 Amna Ali Qayum (Pakistan) beat Kareen Barsomian (Iraq) 6-0, 6-3 Amna Ali Qayum / Soha Ali (Pakistan) beat Hana Hasan / Kareen Barsomian (Iraq) 6-2, 6-3.

Sports Bulletin ISLAMABAD:-A two-goal opening quarter haunted South Africa as they dropped at 4-1 decision to France in the teams’ first-ever meeting in the FIH Pro League. Gaspard Baumgarten was named Player of the Match as he buried two goals, while teammates Blaise Rogeau and Timothée Clément also tallied in the win. South Africa’s Dayaan Cassiem was unlucky to only tally once as he also hit a cross bar in the final quarter. France’s Baumgarten said after the win: “I’m not too much a striker but happy to score today and even more happy for the win of the team. We are really happy (with their overall performance in South Africa). We played great hockey and tried to play better and better each game which was the purpose for being here.” It was clear from the opening whistle that France was keen to pick up from their second and third games last week that saw them tie the Netherlands and beat the Olympic bronze medalists, India. They wasted little time getting to work as three minutes in and France had a penalty corner. Moments later a flurry of shots put the South Africans under pressure. The final shot by Baumgarten took a touch off South African Nduduzo Lembethe and the ball popped through the legs of keeper Gowan Jones for the opening marker. South Africa’s Nqobile Ntuli had the best chance of the half for the hosts but the back-hand shot pinged off the post in the seventh minute. France doubled their lead in the 11th minute. Eliot Curty charged alone down the right side and his sweeping pass was deflected well by a diving Francois Goyet’s reverse stick. Blaise Rogeau was there at the near post to finish the pretty counterattack play and seal the 2-0 lead for France. Estiaan Kriek subbed into the South African net after the opening break and he punched away a brilliant shot from Baumgarten in the 17th minute to leave the game still 2-0 by half time. France, though clinical in execution, looked to relax their tempo in the third quarter. South Africa forced a number of turnovers and created lots of counter-attack play but failed to find any kind of finish. Despite the casual play of France, they were nonetheless clinical when they entered the South African circle. Matéo Desgouilllons forced a close-range save out of Gowan Jones in the 34th minute. The teams then spent a good seven minutes trading away sloppy turnovers but France were able to find their strides in the 41st. A brilliant deceptive pass from Stanislas Branicki paced the ball out to the right side and the pass came firing in to Baumgarten. The shot needed a deflection from defender Leneal Jackson to give France a 3-0 lead. Dayaan Cassiem had a chance to get South Africa on the board with minutes to go in the third quarter but his blast booked for the top shelf was seen the whole way by the blocker of Arthur Thieffry. The final quarter really sided with South Africa. Nqobile Ntuli and Cassium brothers Dayaan and Mustapha were combining dangerously up, but still without result. Dayaan then put on a show dancing his way with 3D skills past four French defenders only to leave Ryan Julius with a shot at goal but the ball blasted wide left of the net. France found their fourth goal on an aerial ball that allowed a baseline entry for Gaspar Xavier. His pass was sent into traffic for Clément to knock in and France took the lead 4-0. South Africa stayed in it and denied Timothée Clement’s penalty corner with a goalline save from Nicholas Spooner, while Dayaan Cassiem hit a cross-bar moment. It was a sign of what was to come as Mustapha set up his brother Dayaan to break the France shutout with three minutes to go in the game. It was too little, too late and France finished with the 4-1 victory and their second set of three points in their opening tour of the FIH Pro League. South African captain Horne said after the loss: “We had a quite a few chances and it’s a pity they didn’t go in. The French are very clinical and they did well and if you can’t score you can’t win. We will do our analysis after the game. There’s lots to take out of it. We had a lot of soft turnovers but they were just very clinical.” The two teams will dual again on Sunday, February 20 after playing games against Germany who join them in Potchestfstroom. To see the current men’s FIH Pro League Standings, click here. The FIH Hockey Pro League Season 3 will be back in action on Wednesday 16 and Thursday 17 with the France men playing Germany and then South Africa hosting Germany at Potchestfstroom, University of North West, South Africa. To see the complete FIH Hockey Pro League match schedule, please click here. Results (FIH Pro League 15 February 2021): Potchestfstroom, University of North West (RSA) Result: Men’s Match 17 France beat South Africa 4-1 Player of the Match: Gaspard Baumgarten (FRA) Umpires: Ayden Shrives (RSA), Sean Rapaport (RSA), Wanri Venter (RSA-video)