16 shooters named for TOPS support
New Delhi: Eight young shooters including Manu Bhaker and Saurabh Chaudhary were on Thursday included in the Target Olympic Scheme (TOPS) along with two tennis players and three paddlers, keeping in mind the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. The TOPS offers a monthly financial support of Rs 50,000 to the selected athletes. "The performance of potential athletes was reviewed in the context of the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. It was also decided to extend support towards a specific developmental group for the 2024 Olympics," a Sports Authority of India (SAI) release said. As many as 16 shooters made the cut, including Mehuli Ghosh Anish Bhanwala, Elavenil Valarivan, Lakshay Sheoranand veteran Sanjeev Rajput.
novak named 2018 ITF world champion
New Delhi: Novak Djokovic and Simona Halep were Thursday named as the 2018 ITF world champions by the governing body of global tennis. World number one Djokovic receives the honour from the International Tennis Federation for the sixth time, while it is the first year that Romania's top-ranked Halep has been recognised. US pair Mike Bryan and Jack Sock won the men's doubles award while the women's doubles world champions are Barbora Krejcikova and Katerina Siniakova. The ITF uses an objective system that considers all results during the year but gives special weight to the Grand Slam tournaments and two ITF international team competitions, the Davis Cup and Fed Cup.
Marseille ligue 1 game postponed
Paris: French league giants Marseille will miss a second consecutive league encounter after their weekend fixture with Bordeaux was postponed by league chiefs on Thursday. Marseille's league match with Saint-Etienne was postponed last week due to security concerns linked to the France-wide 'yellow vests' movement. Authorities are expecting more anti-government demonstrations this weekend, which, combined with other "demands for police and security services elsewhere", according to the French Professional League (LFP), has left a shortfall in the numbers of available officers for league encounters. Three other league games: Nice v Saint-Etienne, Nantes v Montpellier and Caen v Toulouse have been postponed for similar reasons.
Sarfraz urges to play without fear
Karachi: Pakistan skipper Sarfraz Ahmed on Thursday urged his fellow teammates to play "without fear" during their tour of South Africa — a country where they have won only two Tests during their past five tours. In the wake of the tough loss against New Zealand, Sarfraz said he still had high hopes of earning a good result against the Proteas. "Conditions in South Africa are tough with bouncy and seaming pitches so anyone who plays without fear and with a big heart will succeed," Sarfraz said. Pakistan's two wins out of 12 Tests in South Africa came in 1998 and 2007, having lost nine with just one draw. On their last tour in 2013, Pakistan were routed 3-0.
Aizawl travel to face Indian Arrows
Cuttack: Former champions Aizawl FC travel to Cuttack's Barabati stadium to take on Indian Arrows in the I-League on Friday. In what will be a bottom-of-the table clash, Aizawl go into the game lying ninth on the table with five points from eight games while Arrows bring up the rear with just one win and five losses in the six matches. Both teams will be eyeing a win, albeit for completely different reasons. Aizawl's problems have stemmed from an inexperienced and wobbly defence which has conceded as many as 15 goals, second behind worst conceders Shillong with 22.