Hockey India begins registration process for revived league
New Delhi,, June 14: Hockey India on Friday said it has started the registration process for its flagship national league, which is set to be revived after a gap of eight years and will feature both the men’s and women’s teams. The Hockey India League (HIL) will feature eight men’s and six women’s teams and the registration deadline for it is June 30. HI has also invited applications for players and support staff to register their interest in featuring in the league, which is set to run between December 2024 and February 2025. The window has been approved by the International Hockey Federation (FIH). The HIL was first started in 2013, and its last edition was played in 2017, won by Kalinga Lancers. All five editions were won by five different sides. (PTI)
Esports Olympics set to launch after IOC presents proposal
Lausanne (Switzerland), June 14: The first Olympic Esports Games are set to be added soon to the IOC’s portfolio of events as it seeks to attract and retain young audiences. The International Olympic Committee said Friday it will ask members to approve a proposal to create a video game Olympics when they meet next month in Paris on the eve of the Summer Games. The Olympic body said it was in “advanced discussions with a potential host” that should be announced soon after the July 23-24 meeting in Paris. “The IOC is taking a major step forward in keeping up with the pace of the digital revolution,” its president Thomas Bach said in an online briefing. The Esports Olympics will build on an IOC-backed week of video game competitions held last year in Singapore. It was a mix of physical simulations of Olympic sports and traditional video games. The IOC said 75 per cent of viewers engaging with Singapore events were between the ages of 13 to 34. (AP)
Indian men lose to Pakistan in quarters of Asian Team Squash
Dalian (China), June 14: The Indian men’s side lost to Pakistan 1-2 in the quarterfinals of the Asian Team Squash Championships here on Friday, while the women went down to South Korea 0-3 in their must-win final Group A match. Velavan Senthilkumar recorded the day’s lone Indian victory, beating Nasir Iqbal after Rahul Baitha lost to Md Asim Kha. Noor Zaman clinched it for multiple-time champions Pakistan with a straight-game win over Suraj Kumar Chand. The Indian teams will now vie for classification spots. (PTI)
Jérôme Boateng back in court for domestic abuse case
Munich, June 14: Germany defender Jérôme Boateng went on trial for a fourth time on allegations of assault against his former partner on Friday. But, the proceeding was quickly halted after the judge appealed to both parties to reach an agreement. German news agency DPA reported that Judge Susanne Hemmerich appealed to Boateng’s defence and the public prosecutor to reach a settlement in order to protect the former couple’s two daughters from the public scrutiny surrounding the case. The proceedings have been ongoing for the past six years, partly because of the coronavirus pandemic and partly because of judicial failures. This is the fourth time the same matter has been before the court. Hemmerich said the two daughters, now 13, of Boateng and his former partner Sherin Senler have had to “read in the newspaper at regular intervals how their parents are fighting each other in court” and that she wants the that the matter “finally comes to an end, especially for the children,” DPA reported. The charges against Boateng were first brought in 2019. Boateng denied hitting and injuring Senler in July 2018 when they were on vacation in the Turks and Caicos Islands. (AP)