Saudi cricket federation, US cricket league to join hands
HOUSTON, Aug 20: The Saudi Arabian Cricket Federation (SACF) and the Dallas-based National Cricket League (NCL) have announced a partnership to strengthen grassroots cricket and create elite pathways for players, ahead of the sport’s return to the Olympics in Los Angeles in 2028.The collaboration will focus on school and community programmes, coaching and umpiring certification, exchange of technical expertise, and exposure for Saudi players through NCL events in North America. These include the Collegiate Cricket League and the Path to Cricket Pro talent hunt aimed at preparing the next generation of professionals.“This is a bridge connecting two nations with a shared passion for cricket and a vision for its future,” said NCL chairman Arun Agarwal.“By aligning our grassroots systems and opening cross-border pathways, we’re creating real opportunities for young players to move from local pitches to the world stage.” Saudi Arabia has seen a surge in cricket participation in recent years. The SACF said the tie-up with NCL would help turn that momentum into structured development programmes and international exposure for emerging talent. (PTI)
Top water sports exponents to compete in KIWSF
SRINAGAR, Aug 20: Some of the best canoe, kayak and rowing exponents from across the country will vie for supremacy at the iconic Dal Lake when the inaugural Khelo India Water Sports Festival commences here on Thursday.The three-day event will see more than 400 athletes compete for 24 gold medals in the three water sports disciplines with Uttarakhand, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha and Kerala expected to dominate.The KIWSF is the first consolidated Open-age category championship where all 14 kayaking & canoeing events and 10 rowing events, which are part of the Olympic curriculum, will be held.The first edition of the KIWSF will also have three demonstration events – water skiing, ‘shikhara’ boat spring and dragon boat race – to add more glamour to the event.A total of 36 states and union territories are participating in the festival. The KIWSF is the latest addition to the Khelo India calendar with the inaugural Khelo India Beach Games taking place in Diu in May.As per the Khelo Bharat Niti, both the Water Games and Beach Games are being organised to promote sports and attract tourism. (PTI)
ATP ties up with TikTok to capitalize on content
NEW YORK, Aug 20: The newest popular influencer on TikTok’s “For You” page might be the scroller’s favorite tennis player. At least, the ATP hopes so.The governing body of men’s professional tennis announced Tuesday it will be partnering with TikTok to further develop tennis content and bolster engagement on the platform.The partnership is two-fold. One of its stated goals is player engagement, aimed at helping more ATP players build up followings on the platform and give tennis fans “exclusive behind-the-scenes” access to the sport, according to a press release.Its other goal is the creation of the “Tennis Creator Network,” an initiative that will help existing non-athlete creators create TikTok content at ATP tour events.“This strategic content partnership with TikTok builds on current trends with our audiences, places ATP at the forefront of the intersection of culture and sport, and creates discoverable content that cuts through for both players and tournaments,” Andrew Walker, senior vice president of brand and marketing for the ATP, said in the release.Currently, only 20 of the ATP’s top 100 players have a presence on TikTok. Some of those 20 have become verifiable stars on the platform – Carlos Alcaraz has 1.1 million followers, Novak Djokovic has 666,000 and Ben Shelton has 448,000, to look at the upper echelon. They share everything from behind-the-scenes looks at tournaments to clips of them mowing the lawn and learning calligraphy.The ATP TikTok account itself has nearly 600,000 followers. he partnership is an acknowledgement of a blazing trend in sports media – candid, behind-the-scenes content created by athletes. Its popularity and virality is on the rise, manifesting itself everywhere from TikTok accounts to podcast studios. The ATP is looking to tap into that surge in behind-the-scenes content with this partnership. (AP)