Thursday, December 19

Tag: sports

IOC allows athletes from Russia, Belarus to take part in Paris 2024 Games
Sports

IOC allows athletes from Russia, Belarus to take part in Paris 2024 Games

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) decided Friday to allow Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete at the Paris 2024 games as neutrals, without flags, emblems or anthems, Anadolu Agency (AA) reported. “The Executive Board of the IOC has decided that Individual Neutral Athletes who have qualified through the existing qualification systems of the International Federations on the field of play will be declared eligible to compete at the Olympic Games Paris 2024 following the conditions outlined below. “Individual Neutral Athletes are athletes with a Russian or Belarusian passport,” the IOC said in a statement. “No flag, anthem, colours or any other identifications whatsoever of Russia or Belarus will be displayed at the Olympic Games Paris 2024 in any official venue or...
Messi named Time’s ‘Athlete of the Year’
Sports, The IKON

Messi named Time’s ‘Athlete of the Year’

Lionel Messi has been named Time magazine’s “Athlete of the Year” for 2023 after a trailblazing season marked by an eighth Ballon d’Or award and his ground-breaking move to Major League Soccer’s Inter Miami. Time said the Argentine superstar had already had a transformative impact on the American sporting landscape, which has been historically slow to embrace football. “Lionel Messi this year managed to do what once seemed impossible, when he signed with Inter Miami: turning the US into a soccer country,” Time commented. The 36-year-old Messi made his debut for Miami in July following an acrimonious departure from Paris Saint-Germain. The World Cup-winner also rebuffed a lucrative move to Saudi Arabia in favor of a new chapter in MLS. The eight-time Ballon d’Or winner m...
LeBron James Becomes NBA’s First to Surpass 39,000 Career Points Milestone
Sports

LeBron James Becomes NBA’s First to Surpass 39,000 Career Points Milestone

LeBron James made history yet again, surpassing a monumental milestone as the first player in NBA history to achieve a staggering 39,000 career points. During the Los Angeles Lakers' dominant 131-99 victory over the Utah Jazz, James reached this unprecedented milestone with a 3-pointer in the first quarter. Finishing the game with 17 points in 24 minutes, he marked an unbeaten run through the NBA In-Season Tournament's Group Play. Despite this remarkable feat, James remained humble, acknowledging the significance while admitting he hadn't fully processed the moment's gravity. Reflecting on the accomplishment, he expressed gratitude for being able to achieve something unprecedented in a league graced by countless legendary players. In his ongoing 21st season, James continues t...
Lionel Messi’s World Cup Winning Shirts Set for Blockbuster Auction at Sotheby’s
Lifestyle, Sports

Lionel Messi’s World Cup Winning Shirts Set for Blockbuster Auction at Sotheby’s

Lionel Messi's legacy continues to make headlines as six of his iconic Argentina captain's shirts worn during the World Cup triumph head to auction. The set, including Messi's shirt from the final, where Argentina claimed victory against France in Qatar last December, is estimated to fetch over £8m at Sotheby's New York auction. This collection is poised to rival the record-breaking sale of Diego Maradona's 'Hand of God' jersey, which reached £7.1m in 2022. Sotheby's head of modern collectibles, Brahm Wachter, hailed the auction as a historic moment, marking Messi's association with the incredible 2022 Fifa World Cup, solidifying his status as football's greatest. Messi's World Cup performance made history as he became the first player to score in the group stage, last 16,...
Nike sues New Balance, Skechers for patent infringement over sneaker technology
Sports

Nike sues New Balance, Skechers for patent infringement over sneaker technology

Footwear giant Nike filed federal lawsuits on Monday against rivals New Balance and Skechers, accusing them of infringing on patents related to its technology for making the upper portions of its sneakers. The lawsuits said several New Balance athletic shoes and Skechers sneakers misuse Nike’s patented “Flyknit” technology used in Nike’s running, football and basketball shoes. Nike previously sued Adidas, Puma and Lululemon for infringing on its Flyknit patents. Adidas and Puma have settled their lawsuits, while Nike’s case against Lululemon is still ongoing. New Balance said in a statement it “fully respects competitors’ intellectual property rights, but Nike does not own the exclusive right to design and produce footwear by traditional manufacturing methods that have been u...
Saudi Arabia Set to Host 2034 World Cup as Australia Withdraws Bid
Sports

Saudi Arabia Set to Host 2034 World Cup as Australia Withdraws Bid

Following Australia's decision not to submit a bid for the 2034 World Cup, Saudi Arabia emerges as the likely host for the global soccer event. FIFA had invited bids from Asia and Oceania until the October 31 deadline. James Johnson, the head of Football Australia (FA), previously mentioned the potential bid for 2034, but the domestic governing body later confirmed its focus on bids for the 2026 Women's Asian Cup and the 2029 Club World Cup instead. With Australia out of the running, Saudi Arabia remains the sole confirmed bidder for the 2034 World Cup. The country announced its intention to bid shortly after FIFA's call for bids on October 4. The president of the Asian Football Confederation expressed full support for Saudi Arabia's bid, emphasizing solidarity across the Asi...
Lionel Messi Clinches Eighth Men’s Ballon d’Or, Outshines Erling Haaland
Sports

Lionel Messi Clinches Eighth Men’s Ballon d’Or, Outshines Erling Haaland

In a momentous victory, Lionel Messi, the forward from Argentina and Inter Miami, secured his eighth Men's Ballon d'Or award. The 36-year-old football legend was honored at the prestigious ceremony held in Paris, a recognition for his pivotal role in leading his country to triumph in the World Cup held in Qatar last year. Jude Bellingham, the talented midfielder from England and Real Madrid, clinched the Kopa Trophy, an accolade bestowed upon the world's most outstanding player under the age of 21. Messi's historic win marked a record-breaking extension of his Ballon d'Or legacy, surpassing Manchester City's formidable forward Erling Haaland. The prolific French forward, Kylian Mbappe, who astounded the world with a World Cup final hat-trick, finished in third place after a hard...
Aaron-Wooi Yik win first world tour title with Denmark Open victory
Sports

Aaron-Wooi Yik win first world tour title with Denmark Open victory

National men’s doubles pair Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik finally won their first World Tour title with a victory over Indonesians Muhammad Shohibul Fikri-Bagas Maulana in the final match of the 2023 Denmark Open in Odense. Playing in Jyske Bank Arena, the fifth-seeded 2022 world champions were in a class of their own as they strolled through the match, winning 21-13, 21-17 in 33 minutes. In contrast to their nervous opponents, Aaron-Wooi Yik played with maturity born of their hard-earned experience as Malaysia’s number one men’s doubles pair, controlling the court well in the first set and building a five-point lead at 11-6 before finishing off their rivals with a difference of eight points. The Indonesians tried to mount a comeback in the second set, but Aaron-Wooi Yik continued ...