Sport
Russia, Belarus athletes may face Paris 2024 Olympic ban: IOC
Athletes from Russia and Belarus may not be allowed to compete at the Paris 2024 Games over Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine, senior International Olympic Committee (IOC) member Craig Reedie said.
The IOC issued guidance to sports governing bodies in February to remove the two countries’ athletes from competition, Reuters reported. Belarus has been used as a staging ground for Russia’s invasion, which Moscow calls a “special military operation”.
“A decision is going to have to be taken on what happens to each of these two countries, and my guess is that the general feeling would be that they should not qualify,” former IOC vice-president Reedie told British media.
“Most people are struggling with how we could achieve some degree of representation, but at the moment, there is no clear way to do it. Therefore, you maintain the status quo.”
Athletes will miss qualification events for Paris as a result of the measures, and IOC President Thomas Bach said in May that Russia’s participation was unclear.
It has, however, not sanctioned or banned Russian members who sit on the IOC from taking part in Olympic meetings and has also not sanctioned the Russian Olympic Committee, Reuters reported.
Of the sports on the Olympic program, only cycling, tennis and judo have allowed Russians and Belarusians to continue to compete but Reedie said he doubted even athletes from those sports would be permitted to participate in qualifying events.
Reedie, former president of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), said it would be unrealistic to allow athletes to enter qualifying competitions once they have begun.
“It’s quite difficult halfway through to say, ‘All of you who have now qualified we’ve changed the rules’,” Reedie said.
“So there’s a real issue for the federations, who have a clear instruction which they’ve agreed to that they won’t invite Russians and Belarusians to take part in events.
“On the face of it, it’s unlikely that anybody would qualify other than those three sports which don’t do it that way. And will they be able to qualify (from those three sports)? I’m not sure.”
A Russian doping scandal, involving revelations of a state-backed system across many sports, following the Sochi 2014 Olympics led to Russian athletes competing as neutrals at the Games as part of IOC sanctions.
Afghanistan all-rounder Mohammad Nabi has reached another major milestone, becoming the first Afghan player to score 2,500 runs in T20I cricket.
Nabi reached the landmark in his 142nd T20I innings. He has scored seven half-centuries in the format, with a highest score of 89.
The veteran all-rounder continues to add to his record-breaking career and remains one of Afghanistan’s most experienced and influential players in international cricket.
Afghanistan is currently playing India in the second of a three-match T20I series. Fans in Afghanistan can watch the series live on Ariana Television.
Abu Muslim Farah and Omar Zawak secured convincing victories on Monday as the sixth season of Afghanistan Champions League Roshan continued in Kabul.
In the sixth match of the competition, Abu Muslim Farah produced a dominant performance to defeat Istiqlal Kabul 4–0.
Mahboob Hanifi and Omid Popalzai found the net in the first half to give Abu Muslim Farah a two-goal advantage at the break. Alireza Panahi and Farzad Tajik added two more goals after halftime, completing a comfortable victory and earning Abu Muslim Farah all three points.
In the seventh match, Omar Zawak defeated Sarsabz Yashlar 3–1, with Shadab Malekzada stealing the spotlight.
Malekzada scored all three goals for Omar Zawak to complete an impressive hat-trick. Mehran Khas scored Sarsabz Yashlar’s only goal, but it was not enough to prevent Omar Zawak from claiming a convincing win.
Upcoming Fixtures
The Afghanistan Champions League Roshan continues on Wednesday with two matches:
- Toofan Herat vs. Ariana Khost
- Khorasan Faryab vs. Aino Mina
Football fans can watch the matches live on Ariana Television Network (ATN).
Sport
Farooq Khan Ahmadzai makes international umpiring debut
He was recently promoted to the ACB’s elite umpiring panel following a competitive selection process.
Afghanistan’s Farooq Khan Ahmadzai made his international umpiring debut during the first T20I between Afghanistan and India, becoming the seventh Afghan umpire to officiate at international level.
Ahmadzai, one of the Afghanistan Cricket Board’s leading domestic umpires, took charge of his first international match in the opening game of the three-match series in New Delhi on Sunday, September 14.
He was recently promoted to the ACB’s elite umpiring panel following a competitive selection process.
Ahmadzai joins a growing group of Afghan officials who have officiated in international cricket, including Ahmad Shah Durrani, Ahmad Shah Pakteen and Izatullah Safi, who are among the Afghan umpires currently listed on the ICC’s international umpire panel.
Pakteen is the most experienced of the group, having officiated in Tests, ODIs and T20Is.
Ahmadzai has built considerable experience in Afghanistan’s domestic game, having officiated in 38 first-class matches, 59 List A matches and 74 T20s before making the step up to international cricket.
His international debut came during a significant fixture, with Afghanistan facing India in the opening match of their T20I series.
The Afghanistan Cricket Board congratulated Ahmadzai on the milestone and wished him success in his international umpiring career.
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