BAI recommends Satwik, Chirag and Sameer for Arjuna awards
New Delhi: India’s top men’s doubles pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty and men’s singles player Sameer Verma were on Tuesday recommended for the Arjuna award by the Badminton Association of India (BAI). The world no. 10 Indian pair are currently the front-runner to qualify for the Tokyo Olympics. Satwik and Chirag have made rapid strides in international badminton, having won their maiden Super 500 event at Thailand Open and finishing runners-up at the French Open Super 750 tournament last year. The duo played a crucial role in earning India the historic gold medal at the 2018 Commonwealth Games, where they also won the men’s doubles silver. (PTI)
F1 will start with 2 races at the Austrian GP in July
Paris: Formula One will finally get underway with back-to-back races at the Austrian Grand Prix in July as part of an eight-race European swing. The Red Bull Ring in Spielberg will host races on July 5 and 12, governing body FIA said in a statement on Tuesday. The next race will be in Hungary on July 19 followed by consecutive races at the British GP at Silverstone on Aug. 2 and 9 after the British government exempted elite sports from an upcoming quarantine on foreign visitors. Further races are scheduled for Spain on Aug. 16 and Belgium on Aug. 30, with Italy completing the European swing on Sept. 6. “Over the past two months Formula One has been working closely with all partners, authorities, the FIA and the 10 teams to create a revised calendar that will allow a return to racing in a way that is safe,” the FIA said. There will be no spectators allowed to attend, although there may be later in the year if health conditions allow it. (AP)
PSL facing economic crisis: Akhtar
Karachi: Former Pakistan pacer Shoaib Akhtar has said that the PSL is facing an economic crisis and some of the owners are looking to sell their teams. Appearing on a television show, Akhtar also claimed he didn’t see the Pakistan Super League (PSL) taking place for the next 16 to 18 months. “I know some people wouldn’t like to hear this but some owners are looking to sell their franchisees. I would be more than happy to provide financial and non-monetary support to keep the PSL alive and to thrive,” he said. The Pakistan Cricket Board had to suspend the fifth edition of the PSL in March this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic with the final stage of the event remaining. The board was also forced to organise some matches in Karachi and Lahore before empty stadiums because of the virus after the league was held completely for the first time in Pakistan since its launch in 2016. “I think if we do the math, the PSL can’t be held before 16 to 18 months. The World Cup will also take probably after eight months because time is needed for the Coronavirus issue to settle down. “The thing is if there is no proper cricket until say September, how can the PSL be held in four months?,” Akhtar said. (PTI)