Biggest remaining needs for potential men's basketball title contenders - ESPN
As soon as the transfer portal opened, there was a mad rush to rebuild rosters, with players being added and subtracted at a dizzying rate.
International Sport News
PSG's Hakimi out of Champions League trip to Bayern with thigh injury
April 29 : Paris St Germain will be without right back Achraf Hakimi when they visit Bayern Munich for the second leg of their Champions League semi-final next week due to a thigh injury, the club said on Wednesday.
Chelsea forward Mykhailo Mudryk appeals to CAS amid reports of four-year ban
Chelsea forward Mykhailo Mudryk has lodged an appeal at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) amid reports he has been handed a four-year ban for a breach of anti-doping rules.
Afghan women’s refugee team allowed to play in FIFA tournaments
VANCOUVER: An Afghanistan women’s refugee team have been granted eligibility for international competitions, some five years after national team players fled their country’s Taliban rule. The FIFA Council, meeting in Vancouver, British Columbia, agreed on Tuesday to amend its regulations to recognize the refugee team, which play under the name Afghan Women United. While it is too late for the refugee team to try to qualify for the 2027 Women’s World Cup in Brazil, they could participate in qualification for the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles. “We are proud of the beautiful journey initiated by Afghan Women United, and with this initiative we aim to enable them, as well as other FIFA member associations that may not be able to register a national or representative team for a FIFA competition, to make the next step, in coordination with the relevant confederation,” FIFA President Gianni Infantino said in a statement. The first move toward recognition came last October, when the Afghan refugees played in a tournament that included Chad, Libya and Tunisia in Morocco. That event followed years of lobbying on the team’s behalf by players, former captain and activist Khalida Popal and human rights groups. “For five years, we were told the Afghanistan women’s national team could never compete again because the men who took our country would not allow it,” Popal said in a statement.
Wales great North to retire at end of the season
April 29 : Wales great George North said on Wednesday he will retire from professional rugby at the end of the season in France.
World Boxing allows Russian, Belarusian boxers to compete as neutrals
April 29 : Russian and Belarusian boxers will be allowed to compete as neutral athletes, World Boxing said on Tuesday, aligning with the International Olympic Committee's stance adopted after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
Afghan women's team will be a symbol of resistance on international stage, says former captain
VANCOUVER, April 29 : Afghan women footballers will be able to showcase their skills to the world after FIFA cleared the way for their return to international competition and former captain Khalida Popal said the team will be a symbol of resistance for those struggling back home.
Afghan women on way back to official international matches after FIFA rule change
VANCOUVER, April 28 : FIFA has approved a rule change allowing Afghan women footballers to play official international matches in FIFA competitions, giving players exiled since the Taliban's return to power a route back into international football.