Mohammed Afsal broke the national record in the men's 800m at the UAE Athletics Grand Prix in Dubai. The 29-year-old ran 1 minute and 45.61 seconds, breaking the previous mark of 1:45.65 set by Jinson Johnson in 2018. Despite this extraordinary accomplishment, Afsal finished second in the World Athletics Continental Tour bronze-level competition at the Dubai Police Stadium, trailing Kenya's Nicholas Kiplagat, who won in 1:45.38. Although Afsal missed the automatic qualification threshold of 1:44.50 for the 2025 World Championships, his time represents significant improvement since his silv
Johann Zarco won the French Grand Prix on Sunday, ending a 71-year wait and making him the first French racer to win at home since Pierre Monneret in 1954. The 34-year-old Honda LCR racer performed a superb race in treacherous conditions, reaching the line about 20 seconds ahead of Marc Marquez, while 19-year-old Fermin Aldeguer finished third, his first MotoGP podium. The victory came under dramatic circumstances, with early rain disrupting the race. Zarco started in the middle of the pack, slid to 17th after a brief off-track excursion, but remained composed as the field battled for cont
The Thai Cabinet has officially authorised the cooperation framework for the "Amazing Thailand Grand Tourism and Sports Year 2025" campaign, which represents a significant push to establish Thailand as a global leader in tourism and sport. The decision, taken on May 6, 2025, requires alignment between the public and private sectors with the goal of increasing competitiveness and tourist readiness. This government-backed program identifies eleven strategic pillars for improving Thailand's tourism experience. Incentives for airlines include decreased fees and expanded slot allocations, parti
Thailand is set to host the FIVB Volleyball Women's World Championship in 2025, which will take place from August 22 to September 7. The tournament will take place in Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Phuket, and Nakhon Ratchasima, and will include 32 of the world's finest women's national volleyball teams. The Ministry of Tourism and Sports verified the country's readiness. Minister Sorawong Thienthong emphasised the event's importance in raising Thailand's worldwide profile and solidifying its position in international sport. It is projected to attract more than 1.3 billion viewers and generate more
The United Arab Emirates will host the 6th Asian Yogasana Championship in July 2025, making it the first time this continental event will be hosted in the GCC region. The UAE Ministry of Sports will organise the championship in partnership with the UAE Sports for All Federation and the UAE Yoga Committee, overseen by the Asian Yogasana Sport Federation (AYSF), which Padmashri Nouf Al Marwaai chairs. Following a recent visit between Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Ms. Al Marwaai, the tournament is viewed as a step towards strengthening Yoga cooperation among Asia, Africa, and the Ar
Emirates Cricket Board Vice-Chairman Khalid Al Zarooni has conveyed his heartfelt congratulations to the UAE women's national cricket team for reaching a historic milestone by receiving One Day International (ODI) status from the International Cricket Council (ICC) for the first time. This recognition will take effect on May 12, 2025, and will include five Associate Member nations for the 2025-2029 cycle. Thailand and Scotland retained their ODI status by qualifying for the Women's Cricket World Cup Qualifier, while Papua New Guinea and the Netherlands kept their status through T20I rankin
World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka won her third Madrid Open title on Saturday, defeating American star Coco Gauff 6-3, 7-6 (3). This victory brings her level with Petra Kvitova for the most Madrid Open victories, and it is the Belarusian player's 20th career triumph. Sabalenka's dominance on the tour this year has continued to astonish. She has now made four consecutive finals and leads the WTA Tour with 31 match victories in 2024. Her new victory strengthens her position at the top of the international standings. Gauff, ranked World No. 3, had the opportunity to surpass Iga Świątek and mov
India began their campaign in the IWF Youth and Junior World Weightlifting Championships with a great performance, winning two bronze medals. Jyoshna Sabar won bronze in the young girls' 40kg division with a total lift of 129kg, including 56kg in the snatch and 72kg in the clean and jerk. In addition to her overall bronze medal, she won silver in the clean and jerk category, demonstrating her strength in all disciplines. When it came to the youth boys' 49-kilogram division, Harsabardhan Sahu lifted 197 kilogrammes. He also lifted 87 kgs in the snatch and 110 kilogrammes in the clean and je
Cricket's official retention for the 2026 Asian Games by the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) confirms the sport's rising prominence in the region. On April 28, the 41st AINAGOC Board of Directors met at Nagoya City Hall to make the announcement. The Asian Games 2026 will be held in Japan's Aichi and Nagoya prefectures from September 19 to October 4, including 41 sports and attracting approximately 15,000 participants and officials from 45 National Olympic Committees. Cricket, along with Mixed Martial Arts (MMA), was given formal approval to participate in the games. MMA will debut in the Com
Despite battling with a stomach flu outbreak, the Singapore women's hockey team made history by winning their first Asian Hockey Federation (AHF) Cup title on April 27 in Jakarta. In a dramatic final at the Bung Karno Sports Complex, they defeated Chinese Taipei 3-2 on penalties following a 1-1 draw in regulation, winning a spot in the 2025 Women's Hockey Asia Cup. Five players got infected with the stomach bug following their group-stage loss to the same opponents. Two players required hospitalisation, including co-captain Valerie Sim, who later described the incident as a true test of