A summary of sports events and persons who made news on Tuesday
Bolt has now chosen to sit on the sidelines to watch the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.
2018 was largely forgettable for Sushil Kumar -- India's only double Olympic-medallist -- and Sakshi Malik -- the country's first and only woman wrestler to win a medal at the biggest stage.
Javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra's obsessive pursuit of excellence and a new-found sprint sensation in Hima Das gave Indian athletics audacious Olympic hopes but familiar dope shame kept things in perspective in an eventful 2018.
Caster Semenya put aside the controversy over a planned rule change in athletics regarding hyperandrogenism to win the women's 1,500 metres
Vijayveer Sidhu, 16, shot a gold in the 25m standard pistol event for junior men after combining with Rajkanwar Singh Sandhu and Adarsh Singh to claim the team gold on the last day of the ISSF World Championships.
The Indian challenge ended at the Asia Badminton Championship after Saina Nehwal and H S Prannoy went down fighting in the singles semi-finals, in Wuhan, on Saturday.
An obsession with being 'neat, tidy and stylish' almost led her to archery, says world champion and Commonwealth Games gold-medallist weightlifter Mirabai Chanu, who feels a chance meeting with her eventual coach changed her career plans.
Addressing a press conference, in New Delhi on Thursday, along with visiting International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach, Indian Olympic Association president Narinder Batra said, "We are bidding for three events, 2026 Youth Olympics, 2030 Asian Games and 2032 Olympics. We don't know whether they will come to India or not. Let us see how fierce the competition is."
PV Sindhu appears 'vulnerable' on the counter-attack and that is a big factor in her losing many a title clashes, including recent loss to Saina Nehwal in the singles final at the 2018 Commonwealth Games, observed former India coach Vimal Kumar.
The increase came after World Health Organisation raised its flu alert level to phase five out of six, signalling that a pandemic was 'imminent'. It called on all countries to immediately activate their pandemic preparedness plans.
Check out India's schedule on Day 8 of the Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast, on Thursday.
Women formed the core of India's stupendous day four at the 21st Commonwealth Games where a 16-year-old Manu Bhaker delivered a record-shattering shooting gold medal and the table tennis team shocked fancied defending champions Singapore to clinch the top honours for the first time in the event.
SV Sunil's oodles of experience came in handy as his 59th minute strike enabled India to pip a gritty Wales 4-3 in their second Pool B encounter at the Commonwealth Games, in Gold Coast.
All of the halls, from the East Room to the Red Room, were decked by over 125 volunteers.
The 21-year-old had to chase down James Guy and Jack McLoughlin to win the title, pulling ahead in the final 100 metres to edge out compatriot McLoughlin and the Englishman to touch in three minutes, 43.76.
World No 2 Adam Scott stood firm in the face of a fierce charge from Matt Kuchar to defend his home Australian Masters by two strokes on Sunday as the American's challenge crumbled over the closing holes.
Groups of youths, during the festivities on Monday, jumped upon the cars echoing racist comments to the terrified passengers within and were heard passing lewd comments on girls, according to The Daily telegraph newspaper.In Sydney, hundreds of youths draped in 'Aussie pride' livery wore objectionable slogans as they paraded down the seafront threatening by-passers and smashing car windows and vandalising shops of non-white shopkeepers.
Saina Nehwal and Kidambi Srikanth won their respective singles matches, while Satwik Rankireddy and Ashwini Ponnappa triumphed in the mixed doubles to help India outclass Malaysia in the final and clinch the gold medal in the Mixed Team badminton gold medal match at the 2018 Commonwealth Games.
Former world number one Amelie Mauresmo had to forfeit her Brisbane International semi-final against compatriot Marion Bartoli Friday after receiving treatment on her lower back and left leg. The Frenchwoman, who had stunned top seed Ana Ivanovic 6-3, 6-2 in the quarter-finals on Thursday, was serving at 0-4 when she called for the trainer.
A summary of sports events and sports persons, who made news on Wednesday
Indian doctor Mohammad Haneef, who was detained in Australia in connection with the failed London bombings, was today cleared by a special inquiry which said he was 'wrongly charged' in the case, prompting the government to admit that lapses occurred in the handling of the episode.
A summary of sports events and sports persons, who made news on Thursday.
Serbia's Novak Djokovic will launch his Australian Open defence at next year's Brisbane International, a new event that has been added to the tennis calendar.
Australian all-rounder Andrew Symonds might miss next month's India tour, but Cricket Australia (CA) has confirmed that the dynamic player would be paid as much as any other contracted player.
A summary of sports events and persons who made news on Tuesday
Akshay Kumar's much hyped film Singh is Kinng has raked in Rs 18 crore across India and managed the biggest-ever opening in North America, the UK and the Middle East in the first two days of its release, the production unit claimed.
In a formal submission to the John Clarke inquiry, the Queensland Police Service said it did not believe there was enough evidence to charge the 28-year-old Gold Coast doctor, who was forced to spend nearly three weeks in detention, and that it advised the federal police accordingly.
A summary of sports events and sports persons, who made news on Saturday
Mohd Haneef, who was imprisoned in Australia on false charges of terrorism last year, feels an apology by Canberra for the treatment meted out to him would make Indians happy. The Bangalore-based doctor criticised "stereo-typing of Muslims as terrorists or sympathisers of terrorists" as was done in his case and cautioned that such an "unfortunate" tendency was creeping into this country, too.
Andrews will tell the Rudd government-ordered inquiry into the bungled case, which opens on Wednesday, that the Australian Federal Police did not inform him of evidence debunking allegations against Dr Haneef's second-cousin Sabeel Ahmed - allegations that had led to the subsequent terrorism charge against the Gold Coast doctor. The inquiry, headed by former Supreme Court judge John Clarke, will probe if the AFP ignored the vital information.
Former Australia immigration minister Kevin Andrews and AFP chief Mick Keelty, who have both come under immense criticism for their handling of the Haneef case, have welcomed the probe and offered their full co-operation, but have stood by their actions. Meanwhile, an AFP spokesman has conformed that the investigation into Haneef has remained active.
The Russian swept aside Danish teenager Caroline Wozniacki to set up a clash with Polish teenager Agnieszka Radwanska.
Former Queensland First Class player Bruce Oxenford will make his international umpiring debut in the Commonwealth Bank one-day international between India and Sri Lanka at Manuka Oval, becoming the 36th Australian to do so.
Indian doctor Mohamed Haneef, who was wrongly accused of having links with the failed United Kingdom terror plot, on Monday said that the Australian authorities might have targeted him because of his race and religion. "It might be just because I am an Asian Muslim," the 27-year-old Bangalore medico was quoted as saying on ABC radio.
Immigration and citizenship minister Chris Evans said he would not proceed with an appeal to the high court in light of advice from the solicitor-general in the case of the 27-year-old Bangalore medico, who was wrongly accused of links to the failed United Kingdom terror plot in 2007 and forced to leave the country.
Doctor Mohamed Haneef, wrongly accused of involvement in the failed United Kingdom bombing plot, was awaiting a full clearance from the Australian police before coming back to the country, his lawyer has said. "They're really the ones holding the whole matter up because of the suspicion that they've created by saying things like he (Haneef) is still under investigation," said Peter Russo.
China's Li Na celebrated her comeback from injury with a 4-6 6-3 6-4 triumph over Victoria Azarenka of Belarus to win the Australian Hardcourt Championships in Gold Coast on Saturday.
Haneef, who was working in Gold Coast Hospital in Australia, returned to India in July last year after being cleared of terror charges in the botched Glasgow airport suicide attack in the UK. The Australian government withdrew all the charges and restored his visa a few days ago.
Indian doctor Mohammed Haneef, who was wrongly accused of links with the failed UK bombings, on Monday said he will return to Australia only if authorities assured him that his family and he would be "safe" in the country.