Jamaican sprinter Simpson banned
Kingston: Jamaican Olympic sprinter Sherone Simpson was banned until December 20 after testing positive for a banned stimulant, a disciplinary panel announced Tuesday. The three-member panel of the Jamaica Anti-Doping Commission said it would soon release its reasons for issuing an 18-month ban, which begins from the June 21, 2013 sample collection date. The Olympic 4x100-meter relay gold and silver medalist, along with former 100-meter world record holder Asafa Powell, tested positive for oxilofrone at Jamaica's national championships in June. Simpson's agent, Paul Doyle, described the ruling as "incredibly unjust" and said they would immediately appeal to the Court of Arbitration of Sport.
SlC responds to allegations
Colombo: The governing body Sri lanka Cricket (SlC) has dismissed allegations levelled at them by two senior players, Mahela Jayawardena and Kumar Sangakkara. The two players at a press conference held immediately after their return on Tuesday having won the World T20 title had blamed the SlC Secretary (Nishantha Ranatunga) and CEO (Ashley de Silva) for demoralizing them ahead of the tournament in Bangladesh. Players said the two officials had been critical of their decision to retire from T20 cricket and choosing the wrong methods to announce it. A SlC statement said that it regretted "such unsubstantiated accusations levelled against the Honorary Secretary and CEO by a senior member of the national team without verifying the facts as a public forum."
Abhijeet wins to stay in joint lead
Dubai: Grandmaster and former world junior champion Abhijeet Gupta continued with his winning ways as he defeated Nezad Husein Aziz of Qatar to remain in joint lead with two points after the end of the second round of Dubai International Open chess tournament here on Wednesday. On what turned out to be a tough day, Gupta had to sweat it out with his black pieces against Aziz who had done a good home work. The Grunfeld defense met with an opening surprise and the Indian had his back to the wall and only some deft defense allowed him to stay in the game. Another good result was achieved by Prince Bajaj who got a half point against higher ranked Grandmaster Viorel Iordachescu of Moldova.
Churchill draw Persipura 1-1
Margao: Churchill Brothers kept themselves afloat for a knock-out round berth in the AFC Cup after playing out a 1-1 draw against Persipura Jayapura on Indonesia in their penultimate group match here on Wednesday. After a barren first half, Persipura Jayapura, who held better ball possession in both the halves, took the lead in the 77th minute through Boaz Solossa which was cancelled by Churchill Brothers Balwant Singh in the 84th minute in the Group E match played at Nehru Stadium at Fatorda.
Sardar for Athletes' Committee
New Delhi: Sardar Singh is among 15 male candidates who will contest the inaugural International Hockey Federation (FIH) Athletes' Committee elections. The FIH announced the names of six women and 15 men, for its Athletes' Committee elections to take place during the World Cup to be held at The Hague, Netherlands from May 31 to June 15. While the Athletes' Committee already exists, this will be the first time that four of the eight seats will be elected by athletes. Two women and as many men will be elected during the WC, while the remaining four seats will be appointed by the Executive Board in March 2015.
Youth boxers aim for medals
New Delhi: It's an event where India's medal count has only gone up with each edition and even though the current circumstances are the worst for Indian boxing, a group of seven boys and three girls is confident of delivering the nation's best-ever show in the AIBA World Youth Championships — a qualifying event for the Youth Olympics this year. The youngsters, all in the age bracket of 17 and 18, would be looking out for not just medals from April 14 to 24 in Sofia, Bulgaria but also a place in the Youth Olympics, scheduled to be held in Nanjing, China from August 16 to 28. To qualify for the Youth Olympics, the boxers will have to reach at least the semi-finals in the event.
Prosecutor challenges Pistorius
Pretoria: The chief prosecutor in Oscar Pistorius' murder trial demanded on Wednesday that he openly say he killed his girlfriend, sharply challenging the double-amputee runner when he said he made a "mistake" and setting the stage for a rigorous cross-examination. Prosecutor Gerrie Nel asked the court for permission to show a video of the athlete allegedly firing a gun at a range and referring to its deadly power as a "zombie stopper." Defence lawyer Barry Roux objected to the gun video being shown, saying it was inadmissible character evidence and amounted to a legal "ambush" of the defense. Judge Thokozile Masipa allowed the video to be shown.