Hyderabad: Here are the big developments that happened in the sphere of sports across the globe this week.
- Cricket
ICC World Test Championship begins from August 1
The ICC World Test Championship began on August 1 with the first test between the 2019 Ashes series archrivals England and Australia. The Test Championship is a league competition for Test cricket intended to be the premier championship for Test cricket.
It features nine of the twelve Test-playing nations, each of whom will play a Test series against six of the other eight teams. Each team will be able to score a maximum of 120 points from each series and the two teams with the most points at the end of the league stage will contest the final.
In a first, all players will adopt a squad number that is the same as their ODI and Twenty20I numbers, with players that only play Test cricket also being assigned a squad number.
BCCI suspends Prithvi Shaw for doping violation.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), on Tuesday, suspended India Test opener Prithvi Shaw until November 15, 2019, for a doping violation. As per the board, Shaw had inadvertently ingested a prohibited substance, which can be commonly found in cough syrups. His urine sample contained Terbutaline.
Shaw had provided a urine sample as part of the BCCI's anti-doping testing programme during the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy match on February 22 in Indore. His sample was subsequently tested and found to contain Terbutaline. Terbutaline, a specified substance, is prohibited both In & Out of Competition in the WADA Prohibited List of Substances.
- Football
Pakistan pulls out of Special Football
Pakistan have pulled out of the Special Olympics International Football Championship that was scheduled to begin on Saturday in Chennai. Pakistan had earlier registered for the event, but an official from the organising committee revealed that Pakistan now will not make the trip. The official further said that Pakistan's pulling out from the tournament was not due to government's interference but because of the Pakistan team's fault as they applied for the visa late. Earlier, China had also withdrawn from the tournament.
- Badminton
Hyderabad Open facing fund crunch
BWF Tour Super 100 Hyderabad Open is set to begin at the Gachibowli Indoor Stadium from August 6 to 11. However, the tournament faces cash crunch as the organisers still need Rs 1 crore more to ensure a smooth progression of the tournament wherein participants from 33 countries have confirmed entry.
A private company is sponsoring Rs 50 lakh which would mostly take care of the prize money. With just three more days for the event to begin, the committee was able to muster Rs 30 lakh and is still in need of Rs 70 lakh. Several companies including cement and IT have expressed their inability to pitch in with their CSR funds.
The tournament sees all the other top Indian shuttlers, but for the big three - Saina Nehwal, PV Sindhu and Kidambi Srikanth, participating.
- Shooting
Heena Sidhu excluded from Rio World Cup squad
Two-time Olympian and Star Indian shooter Heena Sidhu didn't find a place in the Indian women's team as the Indian squad for the 2019 ISSF World Cup which is scheduled to be held at Rio from August 26 was announced. While Manu Bhaker retained her place in the side, 14-year-old Esha Singh was a surprise inclusion in the women's team.
Earlier, Heena Sidhu had backed IOA president Narinder Batra, on his stance of urging India to boycott the 2022 Commonwealth Games (CWG) in the UK due to the exclusion of shooting.
