Lyon advance to semis
LYON, March 1: Lyon reached the semifinals of the French Cup by beating second-division Grenoble 2-1 on Tuesday.Bradley Barcola and new signing Jeffinho scored first-half goals and Lyon held on after Amine Sbaï netted for the visitors in the 74th minute.Lyon signed the 23-year-old Jeffinho from Brazilian club Botafogo for 10 million euros ($10.6 million) just before the transfer deadline in January.The other three quarterfinal games are scheduled Wednesday.Marseille, which eliminated Paris Saint-Germain earlier in the tournament, hosts second-division Annecy. Lens is at Nantes in an all-Ligue 1 matchup, and Toulouse hosts second-division Rodez. (AP)
Indian women’s team to play Olympic qualifiers in Bishek
NEW DELHI, March 1: The senior Indian women’s football team is set to fight it out in the first round of AFC Women’s Olympic Qualifiers, to be held between April 4-10.India have been drawn in Group G, which will be played at the D Omurzakov Stadium in Bishkek, Tajikistan.India will face Turkmenistan (April 4) and hosts Kyrgyz Republic (April 10) in the two matches in the Kyrgyz capital.Fixtures: April 4: Turkmenistan vs India, 7.30 pm IST, D Omurzakov Stadium April 10: India vs Kyrgyz Republic, 7.30 pm IST, D Omurzakov Stadium As part of their preparation for the Olympic Qualifiers, the Indian women’s team will also play two friendlies against Jordan Women’s team at the Amman International Stadium in Amman, Jordan on March 18 and 21. Both matches to kick-off at 9.30 pm IST. (PTI)
Nadal withdraws from Indian Wells due to injury
MADRID, March 1: Rafael Nadal has withdrawn from the Indian Wells Masters, also known as BNP Paribas Open due to injury, the tournament announced on Tuesday.“Three-time BNP Paribas Open Champion Rafa Nadal has withdrawn from the 2023 tournament due to injury,” the tournament said in a tweet.Nadal last year reached the final at Indian Wells, the first ATP Masters 1000 event of the season. BNP Paribas Open Tournament Director Tommy Haas wished the lefty well.(IANS)
Triple-jumper Aishwarya gets 4-year ban
NEW DELHI, March 1:India’s top triple-jumper Aishwarya Babu has been banned by the National Anti-Doping Agency’s (NADA) disciplinary panel for four years for using a prohibited anabolic steroid.The 25-year-athlete was dropped from the Birmingham Commonwealth Games in 2022, along with sprinter S Dhanalakshmi after testing positive for the steroid, which is on the World Anti-Doping Agency’s (WADA) prohibited list.Aishwarya has time till March 6 to file an appeal against the ban after receiving the ban notice from NADA’s Appeal Panel on February 13.The athlete, who had tested positive for Ostarine -a drug that falls in the category of selective androgen receptor modulator (SRAM) –was tested during the National Inter-State Championships on June 13 and 14, last year in Chennai.in July last year. (PTI)