Olympic champion Khelif denies 'malicious' claims of retirement
Olympic boxing champion Imane Khelif has denied claims made by her former manager that she has retired from the sport, saying she is still training regularly.
Algeria Sport News
Malaysia rules out return of F1 over costs
KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia on Thursday ruled out Formula One returning to the country in the near future, citing costs and an already packed racing calendar. The Southeast Asian nation first hosted an F1 race in 1999 at its Sepang International Circuit, with the last grand prix held there in 2017. Malaysia dropped out of the F1 calendar from 2018 amid the rising costs of hosting the event. Sepang still annually stages MotoGP motorbike racing. Sports minister Hannah Yeoh said hosting F1 again would require the Malaysian government to pay about 300 million ringgit ($71.09 million) annually. Beyond hosting rights, Yeoh said the circuit requires about 10 million ringgit a year to maintain to the required standards for top-level motor racing. “Malaysia must also bind itself to a contract of between three to five years with Liberty Media (which holds F1’s commercial rights), amounting to a commitment of about 1.5 billion ringgit during this period,” she told parliament on Thursday. “The current race calendar is very tight and if Malaysia is interested in hosting again, we will have to compete with other countries for a place on the calendar,” she added. In the region, Singapore stages a night race and Thailand hopes to become the latest host. The Thai cabinet in June approved a $1.2 billion bid to stage F1 on the streets of Bangkok from 2028. Yeoh said Malaysia is not shutting the door completely on having F1 races again, if any corporate entities were willing to shoulder the costs. “We are open to this and can cooperate,” she added. “The Formula 1 is a very prestigious sporting event that is followed by many fans around the world. “So if we could afford it, it’s a good-to-have event in Malaysia.”
Olympic champion Khelif denies ‘malicious’ claims of retirement
Olympic boxing champion Imane Khelif has denied claims made by her former manager that she has retired from the sport, saying she is still training regularly. Algerian Khelif and Taiwan’s Lin Yu-ting were in the spotlight at the Paris Games last year over their eligibility after they had been disqualified from the 2023 World Championships by the IBA, which said sex chromosome tests had ruled them ineligible. However, they competed in the women’s category in Paris after being cleared by the International Olympic Committee, with both winning gold medals in their weight classes. Khelif has not competed since her win in Paris. In an interview with French newspaper Nice-Matin on Wednesday, Khelif’s former manager Nasser Yesfah said she had “left the world of boxing.” In a follow-up interview with the same newspaper hours later, Yesfah clarified he was only referring to Khelif’s boxing commitments in the city of Nice, where she was previously part of the Nice Azur club. Khelif criticized Yesfah’s comments in a post on Facebook on Wednesday. “It is based solely on statements made by a person who no longer represents me in any way, and whom I consider to have betrayed my trust and my country with his false and malicious statements,” Khelif wrote. “I have never announced my retirement from boxing.
World Boxing to have mandatory sex testing to keep males out of women's competitions
President Donald Trump responds to a question about genetic testing for women's athletes at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, saying there will be a "strong form of testing." (White House)
Guinea name Duarte as new national coach
CONAKRY :Well-travelled Portuguese coach Paulo Duarte has been named as Guinea’s new coach, less than a month before their next round of World Cup qualifiers.
Naomi Osaka powers into semifinals in Montreal, will face Clara Tauson next
MONTREAL: Naomi Osaka powered into her first National Bank Open semifinal, beating No. 10 seed Elina Svitolina 6-2, 6-2 on Tuesday night.
Thrilling action on the court on day 1 of 2025 FIBA Asia Cup
JEDDAH: Basketball fans were treated to four thrilling encounters on the opening day of the 2025 FIBA Asia Cup in Jeddah on Tuesday, as 16 teams begin their quest for glory at the 31st staging of the competition.
Al Hilal face ban from 2026-27 Saudi Super Cup
Al-Hilal had violated Article (59-3) of the Disciplinary and Ethics Regulations and was fined $133,000 The committee said the decision is subject to appealRIYADH: Holders Al-Hilal will be banned from the 2026-27 Saudi Super Cup if they qualify after withdrawing from this season’s four-team competition, the Saudi Arabia Football Federation’s (SAFF) Disciplinary and Ethics Committee said on Tuesday.The decision came after Al-Hilal pulled out of the Super Cup, scheduled to be played from August 19-23 in Hong Kong, citing player fatigue following their Club World Cup campaign. They lost 2-1 to Fluminense in the quarter-finals on July 4.“Al-Hilal refused to participate in the Saudi Super Cup for the 2025-2026 season after the official schedule for the competition was issued,” the Disciplinary and Ethics Committee said in a statement.“As a result, the committee ruled that Al-Hilal had violated Article (59-3) of the Disciplinary and Ethics Regulations and fined the club 500,000 Saudi Riyals ($133,000) to be paid to the SAFF,” the statement added.In addition to the fine, the club was banned from participating in the 2026-27 Super Cup and stripped of any financial awards allocated for this season’s competition.The committee said the decision is subject to appeal.Al-Hilal have been asked for comment.They won the Super Cup by beating Al-Nassr last season for a record-extending fifth title.The Saudi Super Cup is contested by the winners and runners-up of the King’s Cup and Saudi Pro League.