AFI nominated for World Athletics’ Member Federations Award of Year
Monaco, Nov 20: India was on Wednesday shortlisted as one of the six finalists for World Athletics’ Member Federations Award 2024, for its progress in coaches education and Kids’ Athletics programme. The Award recognises a Member Federation that has distinguished itself in its accomplishments throughout the year and, as a result, positively contributed to the growth and profile of the sport. The shortlisted federations were nominated by each of the six area associations. The winner will be announced on World Athletics’ platforms, as part of the World Athletics Awards 2024. The awards function will be held here on December 1. The other five nominated countries for the World Athletics’ Member Federations Award 2024 are Ghana, Paraguay, Portugal, Solomon Islands and United States. (PTI)
Karan Singh sails into second round at ITF Kalaburagi Open
Kalaburagi (Karnataka), Nov 20: Fourth seed Karan Singh of India survived early jitters to beat compatriot Aditya Balsekar to enter the second round of the ITF Kalaburagi Open here on Wednesday. Karan had to fight hard in the first set before winning it in tie-breaker 7-6 (3), but he found his rhythm in the second set to bag it 6-0 with three service breaks. Later, local man SD Prajwal Dev recovered well from last evening’s defeat in the doubles with a 6-2, 6-3 win over Japan’s Kazuki Nishiwaki and set up a second-round showdown with second-seeded Bogdan Bobrov of Russia. Barring third-seeded Egor Agafonov’s retirement due to an ankle injury in the second set against Sidharth Rawat, rest of the seeded players sailed through to the second round. (PTI)
PSL franchise owners write to PCB over foreign players’ availability
Karachi, Nov 20: With next year’s Pakistan Super League dates likely to clash with the Indian Premier League 2025, the franchise owners of PSL have asked the country’s cricket board to provide them clarity on the availability of foreign players for the competition. A well-informed source close to the PSL franchise owners said that they have written a letter to the new PSL Director Salman Naseer, asking him to convene a meeting soon to address their concerns. “The owners want the PCB to give them clarity which players would be available for the PSL if the IPL is also being held at the same time and also about broadcasting schedules,” the said. “The owners are worried because of lack of clarity. The England and Wales Cricket Board and some other boards are talking about restrictions on their players playing in leagues so they want clarity ahead of the PSL players draft.” PSL is normally held in February-March but the next year’s edition has been pushed to April-May window as Pakistan is hosting the 2025 Champions Trophy in February-March. On the other hand, next year’s IPL is expected to be held from March to May. (PTI)