Sports

Al Amerat (UAE), Nov 10 (IANS) Young India batter Aaryavir Sehwag revealed that he had promised his father and former India opener Virender Sehwag a big hundred ahead of his match-winning 160 against the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in the U19 Asia Cup, which helped the team secure a 70-run victory and a place in the semifinals.

Aaryavir, who struck 17 fours and seven sixes in his 168-ball knock, said he was determined to bat deep and make a substantial contribution despite the challenges posed by the turning wicket at the Al Amerat Cricket Ground on Tuesday.

"I started and decided to play long and bat for 40-odd overs. There were challenges on the wicket. I didn't get bothered about the dot balls. I knew I would catch up. And I wanted to make a big score," Aaryavir said after the match.

The 18-year-old also disclosed that he had made a promise to his father, who is known for his aggressive batting and appetite for big scores during his illustrious international career. "I had promised someone to make a big score today, and thankfully I made it. And that person is my dad. I told my dad I would get a big hundred. I have a legacy to live up to as he only likes big hundreds," he added.

Aaryavir's knock anchored India's innings as the visitors posted 309/7 in their 50 overs. He shared a massive 193-run partnership for the third wicket with VK Vineeth, who contributed 67 off 69 deliveries.

India were well-placed at 255/1 after 44.1 overs but lost momentum in the closing stages, managing only 54 runs while losing six wickets to finish at 309/7. UAE medium-pacer Naseem Khan was the standout bowler with figures of 4-48 in his 10 overs.

In reply, UAE were bowled out for 239, with Ishan Sood leading India's bowling effort with four wickets for 37 runs in seven overs.

Ahmed Khudadad top-scored for UAE with 74 off 74 balls, while Noorullah Ayobi provided a late flourish with a 25-ball 39. However, their efforts were not enough to prevent India from registering their second victory in three group matches.

The win confirmed India's place in the semifinals, where the eight-time champions will face Afghanistan on Thursday. Defending champions Pakistan will take on Bangladesh in the other semifinal.

--IANS

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New Delhi, Nov 10 (IANS) World Athletics has released the qualification system for the athletics events at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games, outlining the entry standards, qualification periods and quota places for athletes competing at the global sporting event.

The athletics competitions at the LA28 Olympics will be held from July 15 to 30, 2028. The qualification framework, approved by the World Athletics Council, will follow a two-way system, with 40 per cent of the available places expected to be filled through entry standards and the remaining 60 per cent through world rankings.

The athletics programme will feature 48 events, including 23 men's and 23 women's competitions, along with two mixed events. The mixed 4x100m relay will make its debut at the Olympic Games, joining the mixed 4x400m relay.

World Athletics has clarified that achieving the entry standard will not automatically guarantee an Olympic place. If the number of athletes meeting the required mark exceeds the available quota in an event, only those with the best performances during the qualification period will secure places. In such cases, no additional athletes will qualify through world rankings.

The qualification windows will vary according to the events. For the marathon, the period will run from November 1, 2026, to April 30, 2028. The 10,000m, combined events, race walks, and relays will have a qualification window from December 19, 2026, to June 18, 2028. For all other track and field events, the period will begin on June 19, 2027, and end on June 18, 2028.

The entry standards include 9.93 seconds in the men's 100m and 10.96 seconds in the women's event. In the men's and women's 200m, the qualifying marks have been set at 19.95 and 22.25 seconds, respectively. For the men's marathon, the standard is 2:05:00, while women will need to achieve 2:22:20.

Special qualification rules have also been introduced for road races and relays. The top 56 athletes on the filtered marathon qualification list as of March 19, 2028, will be considered qualified. The first 12 finishers in the half marathon race walk events at the World Athletics Race Walking Team Championships in China on April 9, 2028, will also earn automatic qualification.

In the relay events, the first 14 national Olympic committees at the World Athletics Relays in The Bahamas on April 22 and 23, 2028, will secure Olympic places. Teams will have two opportunities to qualify at the World Relays – if unsuccessful on day one, another chance will be provided on day two of the competition.

--IANS

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Al Amerat, Nov 10 (IANS) Aaryavir Sehwag, son of India icon Virender Sehwag, scored a masterful 160 from 168 balls to help India U19 beat UAE U19 by 70 runs in the U19 Asia Cup at the Al Amerat Cricket Ground (Ministry Turf 2) here on Tuesday.

The victory also helped India U19 confirm their place in the U19 Asia Cup semifinal as they have finished their Group A in second place behind Pakistan U19, who had edged past the Indian side earlier in the league stage.

India have two wins in three matches as they had earlier defeated the Nepal U19 side too. In the semifinal, the eight-time U19 champions India will be up against 2017 winner Afghanistan U19 on Thursday.

Coming to the match, the Indian U19 side made a strong total of 309/7 in 50 overs. Opener Aaryavir scored 160 with 17 fours and seven sixes to hold the team's innings together. No.3 VK Vineeth was the only other player with a notable score as he made 67 from 69 balls. The junior Sehwag and Vineeth put up a 193-run partnership for the third wicket and put India U19 on the door of a strong total.

The Indian side lost its way a bit in the death overs as, from 255/1 in 44.1 overs, they slipped to 299/7 in 49.1 overs and ended up making 309/7.

For UAE, medium-pace bowler Naseem Khan was the pick of the bowler for having taken 4-48 in his 10 overs.

Coming into the chase, India kept a lid on the UAE side with regular wickets. Right-arm fast bowler Ishan Sood stood out with 4-37 in his seven overs, while all of the other six bowlers also took a wicket each to bowl UAE for 239.

No.4 Ahmed Khudadad was the only saving grace for the UAE side as he made a run-a-ball 74 and did the damage control. Captain and opener Ayaan Misbah (27) and other opener Zainullah Rehmani (16) got starts but could not capitalise, as did Yayin Rai, who scored 29 but fell to Yashbardhan Chauhan.

While the wickets were falling, Khudadad held one end up to put up a lone fight, and despite Noorullah Ayobi coming with a 25-ball 39-run cameo, UAE were considerably short in the end.

While India U19 will meet Afghanistan U19 in the second semifinal, defending champions Pakistan U19 will lock horns against Bangladesh U19 in the first semifinal, which is also scheduled to take place on Thursday.

Brief Scores: India U19 309/7 in 50 overs (Aaryavir Sehwag 160, VK Vineeth 67; Naseem Khan 4-48, Noorullah Ayobi 1-59) beat UAE U19 239/10 (Ahmed Khudadad 74, Noorullah Ayobi 39; Ishan Sood 4-37, Aryan Savsani 1-21) by 70 runs

--IANS

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London, Nov 10 (IANS) England have handed maiden senior international call-up to Bournemouth defender James Hill ahead of their upcoming UEFA Nations League fixtures against Croatia and Spain after injuries forced changes to Thomas Tuchel's squad.

The 24-year-old centre-back has joined the Three Lions squad for the November international window after impressing with his performances for Bournemouth this season. Hill has made 15 appearances for the Premier League club, earning recognition from England head coach Tuchel.

Hill, who has previously represented England at under-20 and under-21 levels, will now get an opportunity to make his senior debut as the national team prepares for two important Group C encounters.

His inclusion follows the withdrawal of Manchester City defender Marc Guehi, who picked up an injury during his club's Premier League fixture against Nottingham Forest on Saturday. Guehi was substituted at half-time and will remain with his club for further recovery.

Newcastle United's Dan Burn was brought into the squad on Monday as a replacement for Guehi. The defender, who has 11 international caps, joined the England camp at Tottenham Hotspur's training ground.

Meanwhile, Arsenal centre-back Ezri Konsa will also miss Thursday's meeting with Croatia at Wembley as he continues an individual fitness programme. He is expected to resume full training later this week and could be available for England's subsequent trip to Spain.

Hill will compete for a place in the central defensive positions alongside Burn, Jarrad Branthwaite and Jarell Quansah.

England will host Croatia at Wembley on Thursday, November 12, before travelling to Madrid to face Spain on Sunday, November 15, in their final two group-stage matches.

Tuchel's side are currently second in Group C and need to avoid defeat against Croatia to guarantee qualification for the Nations League quarter-finals, scheduled for March next year. England can finish top of the group if they win both remaining matches and finish with a superior goal difference to Spain.

The November camp also features first-time senior call-ups for Borussia Dortmund midfielder Jobe Bellingham and Fulham's Josh King, who have earned promotion from the England under-21 setup.

--IANS

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New Delhi, Nov 10 (IANS) The FIA on Tuesday confirmed its third and final Additional Development and Upgrade Opportunities (ADUO) review of the 2026 season, as no manufacturer will be getting extra upgrade tokens.

The FIA completed its third ADUO review, which covered the races 12 to 18 and the findings were shared with all the power unit manufacturers. The body confirmed that although the performance gaps between the manufacturers changed, they will not get additional homologated upgrades.

"For the third period, the relative performance gaps to the leading ICE evolved, but these changes did not result in any additional homologations being granted to the Power Unit Manufacturers," FIA said in a statement.

This means that Red Bull-Ford will not be able to have additional power unit development allowances when they enter the next season. Red Bull was kept the benchmark for the internal combustion engine (ICE) performance earlier this year, despite Mercedes looking like the strongest team, especially in the first half of the 2026 season.

In its first assessment after the Canadian Grand Prix, the FIA had identified differences between the manufacturers, giving them additional homologations. Mercedes were determined to be within the 2-4% window, and were given an additional homologation in 2026 and an additional one next season too, together with corresponding cost cap and dyno testing increases.

Moreover, the likes of Audi, Ferrari and Honda were determined to be above 4% and were allowed two additional homologations this season and two in 2027, together with corresponding cost cap and dyno testing increases.

No additional homologations were granted during the second period, and it stays the same in its final assessment too, which means the results from the first review will remain the same.

"ADUO is a mechanism within the 2026 Formula 1 Technical Regulations (Article C4) allowing Power Unit manufacturers whose Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) performance falls at least 2% below the best-performing ICE across defined review periods to introduce additional homologated upgrades to their Power Unit during the current and following season, but also to benefit from additional Cost Cap and dyno testing allowances," FIA said in a release.

"The level of ADUO is calculated over three periods in each season, with the level of allowance determined by the size of the performance gap to the leading ICE. The first review period was concluded after the Canadian Grand Prix, the second review period concluded after the Hungarian Grand Prix and the third review period concluded after the United States Grand Prix," it added.

FIA Director of Single Seater, Nikolas Tombazis, also spoke on the assessments. "The FIA has undertaken extensive analysis as part of the review of ADUO this year. Based on the quality of the data and the robustness of the assessment process, we are confident in our findings and the conclusions reached."

"The first year of implementation has also reinforced our belief that the ADUO concept is the right one for Formula 1. However, it is important that the system continues to evolve to ensure it remains efficient, relevant and fit for purpose. To that end, we have been working closely with the Power Unit Manufacturers and teams to explore refinements to the methodology that will support the continued effectiveness of ADUO in future seasons," he said.

--IANS

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Thiruvananthapuram, Nov 10 (IANS) In 1984, P.T. Usha missed an Olympic medal by just one-hundredth of a second.

Forty-two years later, the legendary athlete faces another crucial test, this time in her bid to retain the presidency of the Indian Olympic Association (IOA).

And if Usha misses out again, could another Kerala athlete, Anju Bobby George, emerge as a contender for the coveted post?

The latest IOA electoral college results have put Usha's presidential ambitions in difficulty, while giving Anju a place in the electoral process.

The interesting possibility is that Kerala could continue to have a stake in the country's top Olympic administration post, irrespective of what happens to Usha.

Usha, 62, the incumbent IOA president and a nominated Rajya Sabha member, finished fifth in Monday's election to the women's Sportspersons of Outstanding Merit (SOM) category.

She secured 40 votes, while only four candidates were to be elected.

Anju topped the poll with 53 votes out of the 80 cast.

Former hockey captain Rani Rampal secured 50, archer Dola Banerjee 45 and badminton star Saina Nehwal 43.

Usha's failure to enter the electoral college has complicated her bid for another term.

She can still enter through a nomination by one of the National Sports Federations, which are yet to name their representatives.

Anju, meanwhile, is now eligible to contest the December 5 IOA elections.

A former world athletics championship bronze medallist, she is also an experienced sports administrator and has served as senior vice-president of the Athletics Federation of India.

The two women come from different generations of Kerala athletics. Usha, from Payyoli in Kozhikode district, became the first woman to head the IOA in 2022.

Anju, from Changanassery in Kottayam district, created history with her long jump bronze at the 2003 World Athletics Championships.

At the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, Usha had finished fourth in the 400-metre hurdles final, missing bronze by just 0.01 seconds in a photo finish.

Now, another defining moment awaits her in Olympic administration.

Whether Usha finds a way back into the presidential contest or Anju emerges as a possible alternative, Kerala's presence in the IOA leadership race remains a talking point.

--IANS

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Doha, Nov 10 (IANS) Esha Singh, Manu Bhaker and Divya Thadigol Subbaraju won the women’s 25m pistol team gold at the ISSF World Championship 2026 in Doha, giving India their second gold of the championship.

The Indian trio finished with a combined score of 1761-68x, ahead of the Republic of Korea (1748-66x) in silver and Vietnam (1745-54x) in bronze.

Esha top-scored for India with 590-25x, followed by Manu with 587-24x and Divya with 584-19x.

Esha and Manu also qualified for the individual final, where Manu finished fourth with 27 hits, just short of the podium, while Esha ended eighth with 11 hits.

Earlier in the day, the men’s 50m Rifle 3 Positions team of Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar, Akhil Sheoran and Niraj Kumar claimed bronze with a combined score of 1751-91x. Czechia won gold with 1754-92x, while Norway took silver with 1752-81x. Aishwary led with 587-33x, followed by Niraj (582-31x) and Akhil (582-27x).

Earlier, Jaypal Malviya produced a composure-laden performance under pressure to clinch a silver medal in the men's 10m air pistol at the International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) World Championship Rifle / Pistol / Shotgun on Thursday.

The Indian women's 10m air pistol squad clinched the team silver medal.

The trio of double Olympic medallist Manu Bhaker, Suruchi Inder Singh and Sainyam combined for an aggregate total of 1738 with 61 inner 10s. Manu led the Indian challenge with a qualification total of 583-21x, which included a perfect 100 in her fourth series.

Suruchi contributed a steady 580-24x, while junior world champion Sainyam added 575-16x to seal the second step of the podium. China took the women's team gold medal with 1745-65x, while the Republic of Korea claimed bronze with 1729-49x.

In the men's team competition, India finished seventh with a combined aggregate of 1730-58x. Jaypal led the team with his qualification mark of 585-23x (97, 99, 97, 99, 97, 96), which had earned him third place heading into the individual final.

India will be in action again on November 11, with the final of the men’s 50m Rifle 3 Positions event.

--IANS

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Lahore, Nov 10 (IANS) Lahore Qalandars have roped in former Bangladesh Cricket Board president Aminul Islam as advisor to the franchise's High-Performance Centres, Lahore Qalandars confirmed on Tuesday.

Aminul, the former Bangladesh captain, will be bestowed with the responsibility to give inputs to the franchise over the development of the centres, focusing on player development, coaching practices and also paving the way for the youngsters to make their way into the game.

As part of Qalandars' initiative to extend its outreach, the franchise will look upon Aminul's experience of having worked in the Asian region, the release added.

Aminul played for Bangladesh from 1988 to 2002 and led the side at the 1999 ODI World Cup. He played 13 Tests and 39 ODIs, and scored 530 and 794 runs, respectively.

He served as the International Cricket Council's (ICC) Cricket Development Manager for Asia for 10 years, from 2015 to 2025 and was also the Cricket Development Officer at the Asian Cricket Council.

Aminul then also served as the BCB president from May 30, 2025, to April 7, 2026. It was during his period that Bangladesh denied playing the T20 World Cup in India and was later removed by the ICC.

Coming to Lahore Qalandars, the Shaheen Afridi-led team failed to make it to the playoffs in the 2026 edition of the Pakistan Super League. They bagged a mixed season with five wins and as many defeats in the league stage.

The Qalandars finished fifth and missed out on a spot in the playoffs due to their inferior NRR to the fourth-placed team and newcomers Hyderabad Kingsmen.

They won the PSL in 2025, but their group stage exit in 2026 would make them eager to bounce back as they head into the next season. Qalandars have won the PSL three times, with the two other titles coming in 2021 and 2022.

--IANS

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New Delhi, Nov 10 (IANS) Aston Villa have extended Victor Lindelof's contract until 2028 after exercising an option to add another year to the Swedish defender's existing deal, the Premier League club announced on Tuesday.

Victor Lindelof, who joined Aston Villa in 2025, is approaching the milestone of 50 appearances for the club and has established himself as an important member of the defensive unit. The extension ensures that Victor Lindelof will continue his association with the Birmingham-based side for at least another season.

Victor Lindelof made an immediate impact following his arrival, playing a significant role in Aston Villa's UEFA Europa League triumph during his debut campaign. The defender was part of the side that defeated SC Freiburg 3-0 in the final in Istanbul, helping the club secure the continental title.

His performances at club level have also complemented his responsibilities on the international stage, where Victor Lindelof continues to captain the Sweden national team.

Aston Villa's decision to activate the extension comes after Victor Lindelof continued to feature prominently in Unai Emery's plans. The defender has been a regular presence at the heart of the backline as the club looks to maintain its competitiveness across domestic and European competitions.

The contract announcement comes after Aston Villa's dramatic 4-4 draw against Manchester United at Old Trafford on Sunday. Victor Lindelof's side surrendered a two-goal advantage in stoppage time after taking a 4-2 lead through goals from Alysson, Nicolas Jackson, John McGinn and Leon Goretzka.

Late strikes from Joshua Zirkzee and Patrick Dorgu denied Aston Villa all three points, although the result extended their unbeaten run in the Premier League to six matches heading into the November international break.

Manager Unai Emery described the late goals as painful but acknowledged the positives in his team's performance.

With Victor Lindelof now secured until 2028, Aston Villa will look to benefit from the Swedish international's experience and defensive consistency as they continue their campaign under Emery.

--IANS

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New Delhi, Nov 10 (IANS) Former Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger is seriously considering entering the race for FIFA president and challenging incumbent Gianni Infantino in the election scheduled to take place in March 2027.

The 77-year-old Frenchman, who currently heads FIFA's global football development programme, has been encouraged by several influential figures in European football to contest the election. Although he has not taken a final decision, the possibility of Wenger making a bid for the top administrative position in world football has gained momentum in recent weeks, according to the BBC.

Several of his supporters believe Wenger could be a strong alternative to Infantino and are prepared to back his candidature. However, his age has emerged as a potential concern, particularly regarding his ability to provide leadership over a full four-year presidential term.

Infantino, who assumed charge of FIFA in 2016 following the departure of Sepp Blatter, is expected to seek another term at the 77th FIFA Congress in Rabat, Morocco, on March 18, 2027. The Swiss-Italian administrator was re-elected unopposed in both 2019 and 2023.

His leadership has faced scrutiny over several contentious decisions, including a proposal to bring private investors into FIFA competitions through the sale of minority stakes. The plan drew considerable opposition from football stakeholders, with UEFA also raising the possibility of boycotting FIFA competitions, including the World Cup. The European governing body eventually dropped the threat after receiving assurances that such ownership arrangements would not be pursued.

Wenger, meanwhile, has remained involved in football administration since ending his remarkable 22-year managerial spell at Arsenal in 2018. During his time with the north London club, he guided them to three Premier League titles and seven FA Cup triumphs.

He joined FIFA in 2019 as Chief of Global Football Development and has since worked on initiatives aimed at improving football standards across different regions. He also chairs FIFA's Technical Study Group and contributes to discussions concerning the development of the game and possible changes to its laws.

--IANS

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