Pakistan awarded 2020 Asia Cup, likely to host in UAE

Karachi/New Delhi

The next edition of the Asia Cup could also be UAE-bound with Pakistan given the hosting rights of the tournament in 2020, as organising it in its own country will cast serious doubts on India’s participation owing to diplomatic tensions. The Asian Cricket Council (ACC) in its meeting in Singapore awarded the continental meet, to be held in the T20 format, to Pakistan. The two-time winners will most likely organise the tournament in the United Arab Emirates, which has been their ‘home’ since the 2009 terrorist attack on the Sri Lankan team bus. The tournament will be held in September ahead of the World T20 in Australia.

Dublin

Indian girls lose 1-4 to Ireland in hockey 

Sharmila Devi scored the solitary goal for India as the junior women’s hockey team suffered a 1-4 loss to Ireland’s senior side to start its tour on a disappointing note. India play Canada’s junior team on Thursday. These two warm-up matches will be followed by the Cantor Fitzgerald U21 International 4-Nations tournament from May 31 to June 4.

New Delhi

Shooter Panwar included in TOPS core group

Rifle shooter Divyansh Singh Panwar was today elevated to the core group of the Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS). Panwar, whose main even is 10m air rifle, was earlier part of the developmental group of TOPS. Panwar had won a silver medal at the ISSF World Cup in Beijing, which earned India an Olympics quota. In the Mission Olympic Cell (MOC) meeting chaired by SAI director general Neelam Kapur, proposals for funds from seven athletes to the tune of Rs 85 lakh were also cleared. The athletes include weightlifter Mirabai Chanu, shooter Saurabh Chaudhary, badminton player Kidambi Srikanth, middle-distance runner Jinson Jhonson and para-athlete Sharad Kumar. Agencies