Sports

Saudi Arabia is poised to host the 2034 Men’s World Cup following Australia’s withdrawal from the bid, a move that aligns with FIFA’s preferences and elevates the oil-rich nation’s global sports profile. The Australian football federation, assessing various factors, opted not to participate in the bidding process for the 2034 World Cup. This decision effectively leaves Saudi Arabia as the …

Tottenham Hotspur’s James Maddison is set to be sidelined until January due to an ankle injury, as confirmed by manager Ange Postecoglou. The 26-year-old midfielder, consequently, has had to withdraw from the England national team for the upcoming Euro 2024 qualifying matches in November. Maddison suffered the injury during Tottenham’s 4-1 Premier League loss to Chelsea this Monday. Reflecting on …

SINGAPORE: The Ultimate Fighting Championship announced Thursday it had signed a multiyear deal with venues in Macao and Singapore to stage mixed martial arts events in the region from next year. The UFC said it would hold events at The Venetian resort hotel in Macau and Singapore’s Marina Bay Sands from 2014, and produce a Chinese version of its reality show The Ultimate Fighter. The organization made its …

LAUSANNE, Switzerland: One by one, the six candidates took their turn at the podium, trying to drum up support in their bid for the most powerful job in international sports. With just over two months before the election, the race to become the next International Olympic Committee president came into sharp focus Thursday with the contenders taking their case directly to the …

BIRMINGHAM, England: Australia batsman David Warner was dropped for his team’s Champions Trophy washout against New Zealand on Wednesday for attacking England player Joe Root in a bar, inflaming tensions between the fierce rivals ahead of the Ashes series and leaving his test spot in jeopardy. While Cricket Australia maintained it was an alleged “physical altercation,” its English counterparts used stronger language by saying Warner “initiated an unprovoked …

HAVANA: Australian endurance athlete Chloe McCardel jumped feet-first into calm, balmy waters off Cuba on Wednesday and began stroking steadily out to sea in a bid to make a record swim from Havana to Florida without a protective shark cage. A smiling, upbeat McCardel arrived in the morning at a rocky jetty in Havana’s Hemingway Marina in a pink 1950s Chevy convertible. She carefully adjusted her …

PARIS: Jo-Wilfried Tsonga sent Roger Federer crashing out of the French Open quarterfinals Tuesday to take a step closer to ending France’s 30-year wait for a men’s champion at Roland Garros. Sixth-seed Tsonga swept to a 7-5, 6-3, 6-3 triumph to reach his first semifinal in Paris and first by a home player since Gael Monfils in 2008. The 28-year-old will tackle Spanish fourth seed David Ferrer for …

ST PETERSBURG: The Sochi 2014 Olympics medals got their first public airing on Thursday with organisers unveiling the prizes for Russia’s first ever Winter Games and Paralympics. With eight months to go until the opening ceremony, a record 1,300 medals were manufactured with the Russian city hosting more events than any previous Winter Olympics. Depending on the colour, the bulky round medals …