Former AIFF vice president Viswanathan passes away
New Delhi, June 15: Former All India Football Federation (AIFF) vice-president CR Viswanathan passed away in Chennai on Tuesday. He was 85. Apart from being the AIFF vice-president (2004-08), Viswanathan was also a member of the AIFF executive committee from 2008 to 2012, and chairman of the AIFF technical committee (2009-2012). Viswanathan was also the president of the Tamil Nadu Football Association and the Coimbatore District Football Association and played a role in the hosting of the 1993 Nehru Cup at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Chennai. “CR Viswanathan will be remembered for his contribution to Indian football, and sports,” AIFF president Praful Patel said in his condolence message. AIFF general secretary Kushal Das, said: “On behalf of the Indian football fraternity, we offer our condolences to the bereaved family. Viswanathan was a versatile administrator who served not just Indian football in different capacities, but also worked towards the overall development of Indian sports.” (IANS)
Swimmer Katie Ledecky wins 400m slower than expected
Omaha, June 15: Katie Ledecky touched the wall far ahead of everyone else at the U.S. swimming trials. No surprise there. But she was taken aback by the time. It wasn’t as fast as expected, raising the stakes for an expected showdown in Tokyo with the Aussie Terminator. Ledecky earned a trip to her third Olympics with a never-in-doubt victory in the women’s 400-meter freestyle Monday night. She was a good five body lengths ahead of runner-up Paige Madden, touching the wall in 4 minutes, 1.27 seconds. But the winning time was far off Ledecky’s world record of 3:56.46, which she set almost five years ago at the Rio Olympics. While Ledecky is a familiar face on the American team she’s won five gold medals and one silver at the last two Summer Games the second night of the trials also signaled a changing of the guard. (AP)
Madison Keys starts German Open with win over Magdalena Frech
Berlin, June 15: Madison Keys started her German Open campaign with a 6-3, 6-4 win over Polish qualifier Magdalena Frech. Keyes, who is ranked 28th, hit three aces and saved four of the six break points she faced. She will next face the top-seeded Aryna Sabalenka in the second round of the Wimbledon warm-up tournament. The 26-year-old Keys is going for her third singles title on grass after wins in Eastbourne in 2014 and Birmingham two years later. Another American, Amanda Anisimova, lost 6-3, 6-1 to Aliz Cornet of France. Cornet next faces Canada’s Bianca Andreescu. Also, Ekaterina Alexandrova defeated Anna Kalinskaya 6-3, 6-2 in an all-Russian clash to set up a second-round meeting with second-seeded Elina Svitolina. Belinda Bencic had to rally from a set down to get past German qualifier Jule Niemeier 4-6, 6-4, 7-5. Niemeier was playing her first professional grass-court tournament. (AP)
Wimbledon Centre Court allowed full crowd for finals
London, June 15: Wimbledon will be allowed to have a full crowd of 15,000 at Centre Court for the men’s and women’s finals next month, a year after the tournament was canceled entirely because of the coronavirus pandemic, the British government said. The grass-court Grand Slam tournament, which begins June 28, can have 50% capacity at the start and that will increase to 100% by the close on July 10-11 with the women’s and men’s singles title matches. The government’s decision to ease COVID-19 restrictions on crowds will also allow for increased attendances at soccer’s European Championship and other sporting events. “We want to gather further evidence on how we can open up all big events safely, and for good,” Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden said in a statement. Wimbledon’s cancellation in 2020 was the first time since World War II that the tournament hadn’t been played. (AP)
Anand to participate in Croatia leg of Grand Chess Tour
Chennai, June 15: Former world champion Viswanathan Anand will participate in the Croatia Grand Chess Tour Rapid and Blitz tournament to be held in Zagreb from July 5 to 12. The tournament will be the third leg of the 2021 Grand Chess Tour. Apart from the Indian Grandmaster Anand, the event will also see former world champion Garry Kasparov, who will feature in the blitz section. It will be the first across-the-board event for Anand (ELO rating 2753) in over a year after the COVID-19 pandemic and travel restrictions. He had in 2020 helped India win the gold medal in the FIDE Online Chess Olympiad. Russian Grandmaster Alex Grischuk, Shakhriyar Mamedyarov (Azerbaijan) and Frenchman Maxime Vachier-Lagrave are also in the fray. Ian Nepomniachtchi (Russia), who will challenge Magnus Carlsen for the 2021 World Chess champion title, has entered the event as wild card, like Anand. (PTI)