‘no’ sharing games: korea
PYEONGCHANG: Organizers of the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea, have ruled out sharing the games with other countries as a cost-cutting move. The high cost of building the facility for bobsled, luge and skeleton prompted the IOC to ask South Korea to use alternative sliding venues already in use in Asia, North America or Europe. The IOC said it was only an option, and Pyeongchang had the final call. The Pyeongchang organizing committee (POCOG), which has resisted the move all along and continued to build the $120 million facility, reaffirmed it was for the status quo.
Ecclestone not quitting F1
london: Formula One chief executive Bernie Ecclestone has insisted that he has no intention of stepping down from his position despite speculation about his future as the chief of the sport. "I'm happy here as long as the board are happy," Ecclestone was quoted as saying by the Guardian Thursday. "When I think I can't deliver any longer I shall retire but I'm not at that stage, not at the moment. I still enjoy what I do. The good thing is every day I get up and I never know what is going to happen. It keeps me on my toes," he said.
Ronaldo buys stake in club
Rio de Janeiro: Brazilian great Ronaldo has become a part-owner of US football outfit Fort lauderdale Strikers. The two-time World Cup winner Thursday said he hoped his involvement would help turn the club into a "global owerhouse", reports Xinhua. The Strikers, whose former players include George Best, Gordon Banks and Gerd Muller, play in US football's second tier.
Mahajan, Shivani enter semis
Mumbai: Unseeded Akshit Mahajan today stunned second seed Sourabh Varma in three games to enter the semi-finals of the men's singles competition in the Tata Open India International Challenge badminton tournament here. Mahajan, from Punjab who had made it to the quarterfinals of the li Ning Bahrain challenge last month, shut out his more fancied rival 21-17, 13-21, 21-19 in 55 minutes to earn a meeting with fourth seed R M V Gurusaidutt for a place in the final. The other semi-final would be fought by top seed H S Prannoy and sixth seed Ajay Jayaram.
lahiri ninth in thailand
Chonburi (Thailand): Anirban lahiri kept his cool and stayed patient on a difficult scoring day as he battled to a second-round card of one-over-par 73 to stay in contention for the Order of Merit race and also the US$1 million Thailand Golf Championship. lahiri's two-day total of even par 144 after rounds of 71 and 73, the latter being capped with a 12-foot birdie putt on the 18th hole, saw him in tied ninth place, four shots back of the leader Tommy Fleetwood. Fleetwood's 69 was one of the few scores in the 60s on Friday. Among the Indians Chiragh Kumar slipped to 47th, while Arjun Atwal pulled himself to 53rd. Also making the cut were Gaganjeet Bhullar and SSP Chowrasia.