Japan forward Daizen Maeda joins Ipswich Town
IPSWICH, July 25: Japan forward Daizen Maeda has completed a move to Premier League club Ipswich Town from Scottish champions Celtic, signing a contract that will keep him at Portman Road until the summer of 2029. The 28-year-old becomes Ipswich’s fifth signing of the summer transfer window and the club’s first-ever Japanese player. Financial details of the transfer were not disclosed.Maeda arrives after an impressive spell at Celtic, where he scored 79 goals in 212 appearances and helped the Glasgow club win five Scottish Premiership titles along with five domestic cup trophies. He also enjoyed a standout 2024-25 campaign, scoring 33 goals and earning the PFA Scotland Players’ Player of the Year award.Ipswich manager Gary O’Neil welcomed the arrival of the Japan international, highlighting the forward’s work ethic and proven goalscoring ability. (IANS)
Chess+ initiative launched to promote chess in schools
NEW DELHI, July 25: An initiative to introduce structured chess curriculum termed ‘CHESS+’ (Championing Excellence in Sport Skills) was launched on Saturday to build school chess ecosystem across the country.The CHESS+ was launched by Jayant Chaudhary, the Minister of State (independent charge) for Skill Development & Entrepreneurship and Minister of State for Education.The initiative, which is being implemented in partnership with the All India Chess Federation (AICF) and Navodaya Vidyalaya Samiti (NCS), will start with a pilot program across 30 Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas (JNVs), 13 in Haryana, 15 in Uttar Pradesh, and 2 in Delhi.“Designed to harness the educational value of chess, CHESS+ aims to nurture critical thinking, problem-solving, concentration, decision-making and resilience among students,” a release said.“The pilot will offer a structured curriculum developed by the All India Chess Federation (AICF), delivered through trained coaches and teacher-mentors, alongside regular competitions and a robust evaluation framework,” it added. (PTI)
Atletico Madrid sign South Korean Lee Kang-in from PSG
MADRID, July 25: Spanish club Atletico Madrid on Saturday confirmed the signing of South Korean international midfielder Lee Kang-in from Paris Saint-Germain. The 25-year-old has signed a contract with Atletico until the end of June 2031, and returns to La Liga for a price reported to be around 40 million euros (around 45.5 million US dollars).Born on February 19, 2001, in Incheon (South Korea), Kang In Lee joined the Valencia CF youth academy at the age of just 10 and made his first team debut on October 30, 2018, in a Copa del Rey match. He would go on to win the tournament that season, playing six cup games along the way. The winger made 62 appearances for Valencia before moving to Mallorca in August 2021. In Palma, he was a key player in the line-ups of Luis García Plaza and Javier Aguirre, making 73 appearances over two seasons before signing for PSG in the summer of 2023.Kang-in Lee made 124 appearances for the Parisian side, scoring 16 goals and providing 16 assists – and won two Champions Leagues, one UEFA Super Cup and one Intercontinental Cup, as well as three Ligue 1 titles, two French Cups and two French Super Cups.At International level, in 2019 he led his national team to the runners-up spot at the FIFA U-20 World Cup, a tournament in which he was named the competition’s Golden Ball winner. He also won a gold medal at the 2022 Asian Games – although the event was actually held in 2023 – as part of a South Korean U-23 side that beat Japan 2–1 in the final.Atletico have now made three signings this summer, bringing in Spain left back Alex Grimaldo and Danish midfielder Morten Hjulmand. (IANS)
