Sports News Highlights, March 19: BFI Chief Accuses Suspended Official Of Stopping Lovlina From Nationals; India Face Maldives Test In Shillong – Outlook India

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Follow updates and highlights from all over the sports world for Wednesday, March 19 right here
BFI President Ajay Singh has alleged that suspended secretary general Hemanta Kalita is preventing Olympic bronze medallist Lovlina Borgohain from competing in the National Championships.
Singh claimed Borgohain, eager to participate in the event starting Thursday in Greater Noida, was asked to withdraw by Kalita, who holds a key position in Assam boxing.
Kalita, found guilty of financial mismanagement, has not responded to the allegations. Singh stated that Assam is discouraging its boxers from the Nationals, and Borgohain, despite supporting participation, is reconsidering her decision due to her ties to Assam boxing. Kalita’s nomination for BFI president was also rejected due to a required cooling-off period.
New Zealander Sam Ruthe has become the youngest athlete to run a sub-four minute mile as he broke the mark 24 days short of his 16th birthday. Ruthe ran 3 minutes, 58.35 seconds in a paced mile at the Mt. Smart Stadium in Auckland. New Zealand Olympian Sam Tanner and Ben Wall, who were his pacemakers, also went under four minutes. Ruthe is the first 15-year-old to run under the 4-minute mark. Athletics New Zealand said Norway’s two-time Olympic champion Jackob Ingebrigtsen set the previous mark for youngest runner to go under 4 minutes for the mile when he ran 3:58.07 in 2017 when he 16 years, 250 days old. (AP)
Canada will take on Namibia in the second T20I of their five-match series, starting 5:30pm IST in Windhoek. The first game was abandoned without a ball bowled and it remains to be seen whether rain plays spoilsport today as well.
The Bombay High Court has directed family court to decide the divorce plea of out-of-favour India leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal and his estranged wife Dhanashree Verma by March 20. The court allowed a plea filed by Chahal and Verma, seeking to waive the cooling-off period of six months stipulated under Section 13B of the Hindu Marriage Act for a divorce decree. A single bench of Justice Madhav Jamdar said Chahal would not be available from March 21 as he has to participate in the upcoming Indian Premier League season. The cricketer and Verma had filed a divorce plea in a family court in Mumbai on February 5.
Boxing Federation of India president Ajay Singh has alleged that Olympic bronze-winner Lovlina Borgohain is being stopped from participating in the National Championships by recently-suspended BFI secretary general Hemanta Kalita. In an “emergency press conference” in New Delhi, Singh said that the Tokyo Games medallist in the 69kg category is keen to participate in the marquee domestic event starting Thursday in Greater Noida but has been asked to withdraw by Kalita. (PTI)
Suryakumar Yadav will lead Mumbai Indians in their opening Indian Premier League match against Chennai Super Kings on March 23, as regular skipper Hardik Pandya will be forced to sit out due to a one-match suspension for over-rate offences committed by the team last season. “Surya leads India as well. When I am not there he is the ideal choice,” Pandya said during MI’s pre-season press conference in Mumbai.
Former India women’s hockey team captain and seasoned goalkeeper Savita has reacted after being honoured with the Hockey India Balbir Singh Sr. Award for Player of the Year (Women) and the Hockey India Baljit Singh Award for Goalkeeper of the Year at the Hockey India 7th Annual Awards 2024, held in New Delhi last week. The accolades mark another milestone in her illustrious career, but she sees these awards as recognition of the people in her life who have made this possible.
Speaking on winning the Hockey India Balbir Singh Sr. Award for Player of the Year for the third time, Savita says, “It feels very good. There have been so many strong performances this year, I was not expecting to win. All athletes like to be recognized for their efforts, and I am grateful for the award.”
While receiving the honour, Savita credits her team for their support. “Within the team, we all support each other and root for each other’s success. None of us can achieve anything without the support of the team, so without them, this would not be possible.”
The Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) will honour its 2023-24 Ranji Trophy-winning team, former India captain Dilip Vengsarkar, and ex-India women’s skipper Diana Edulji at its annual awards ceremony in Mumbai tomorrow. The Ranji team, led by Ajinkya Rahane, will be recognised for winning a record 42nd Ranji Trophy title last season. Vengsarkar, one of Mumbai’s finest batters, will receive the Lifetime Achievement Award for 2022-23, while Edulji, a pioneer of women’s cricket in India, will be also be honoured, “celebrating her trailblazing journey”, stated an MCA release. (PTI)
A Stephen Curry-less Golden State Warriors have defeated the Milwaukee Bucks 104-93 in the NBA. Jimmy Butler tallies 24 points, eight rebounds and 10 assists in the absence of Curry, who recently became the first player in league history to make 4,000 3-pointers, but was given the night off for a mental and emotional break by Warriors coach Steve Kerr.
Elsewhere, Kawhi Leonard scores 33 points as the Los Angeles Clippers hand the NBA-leading Cleveland Cavaliers their second straight loss, 132-119 and the Boston Celtics beat the Brooklyn Nets 104-96.
Japan would become the first nation to qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup tomorrow if they beat Bahrain at Saitama Stadium, as Hajime Moriyasu’s side look to sustain their strong form in Asia’s preliminaries. Three points would guarantee Japan a top-two finish in Group C and see them join co-hosts the United States, Canada and Mexico at next year’s showpiece. The Japanese are 10 points ahead of third-placed Indonesia with four games left.
Australia occupy the second automatic qualification berth in the group, nine points behind the Samurai Blue, but the Socceroos are just a point clear of Indonesia, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and China.
The Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Shillong is set to host its first-ever men’s international football match as India host Maldives in a friendly at 7pm tonight. The game serves as a veritable dress rehearsal for India’s AFC Asian Cup qualifier against Bangladesh at the same venue in less than a week’s time. All eyes are on the 40-year-old Sunil Chhetri, who came out of his international retirement earlier this month to help the team successfully navigate the qualifiers for the continent’s top football tournament. Read the preview of the match HERE.
A number of Indian shuttlers will compete in the round of 32 of the Swiss Open today. Ayush Shetty and S Sankar Muthuswamy Subramanian have both advanced to the main draw with commanding wins in the qualifiers and are in action in the afternoon. Meanwhile, senior pros Srikanth Kidambi and HS Prannoy will face each other in round one, while Priyanshu Rajawat take on local player Tobias Kuenzi and Kiran George is pitted against Rasmus Gemke of Denmark.
In women’s singles, PV Sindhu will meet Denmark’s Julie Jakobsen while Anmol Kharb and Anupama Upadhyaya, and Aakarshi Kashyap and Isharani Baruah will lock horns. Rakshitha Ramraj will clash against Line Christophersen in another round of 32 match.
Stephen Curry is not playing in the Golden State Warriors’ ongoing NBA game against Milwaukee Bucks, sitting out for what coach Steve Kerr called an emotional and mental rest. “The last three games I think he’s been tired, but it’s more of a mental and emotional fatigue than physical,” Kerr said before the game at Chase Center. “He’s fine physically. When he’s emotionally tired, it affects his decision-making. He’s a little bit out of sorts.”
Earlier today, Naomi Osaka survived a first-round scare at the Miami Open, coming from behind to beat Yuliia Starodubtseva to advance in the tournament. The 27-year-old Japanese was knocked out in the first round of Indian Wells two weeks ago and came from a set and a break down to triumph 3-6, 6-4, 6-3 in two hours and 28 minutes.
Lyon blanked Bayern Munich 2-0 away, and Real Madrid beat Arsenal by an identical scoreline in overnight Women’s Champions League first-leg quarter-final games. Eight-time champions Lyon are eying the semi-finals thanks to goals from Tabitha Chawinga and Melchie Dumornay. As for Los Blancos, Linda Caicedo and Athenea del Castillo scored in either half to stun the Gunners, who have work to do to overturn the deficit in the reverse fixture.
Welcome to the live coverage of everything sports on Wednesday, March 19, 2025. Some top quality sporting action awaits us all.
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