Sports News 12:30

BULLETIN SPORTS NEWS 26 March 12:30 pm

Good day, let’s look at the latest sports news and scores:

# We kick off with soccer: FIFA vice-president Victor Montagliani says widespread political and security concerns surrounding the upcoming World Cup are nothing new, and will be forgotten once the first ball is kicked. The soccer tournament is set to be hosted by the United States, Mexico and Canada, and the buildup has been complicated by the war in the Middle East, including president Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown. Montagliani told a Business of Soccer conference in Atlanta that the reality of World Cups is that there have always been geopolitical issues.

More soccer news is, the Court of Arbitration for Sport has confirmed Senegal’s appeal against being stripped of the Africa Cup of Nations title, saying it will make a ruling as swiftly as possible. Senegal defeated Morocco 1-0 in the final in January. The Confederation of African Football awarded Morocco the title two months after the final, saying Senegal had forfeited the match after the players walked off the pitch in protest. This is after Morocco was awarded a contentious stoppage-time penalty. CAS say an arbitral panel would be appointed to assess the matter.

# Tennis: World number one Aryna Sabalenka has set up a semifinal clash with Elena Rybakina in the Miami Open. The Belarusian defeated unseeded American Hailey Baptiste, 6-4, 6-4, to reach the last four for the second straight year. Kazakhstani Rybakina battled past American Jessica Pegula, 2-6, 6-3, 6-4. In the men’s draw, Frenchman Arthur Fils stunned American Tommy Paul, 6-7, 7-6, 7-6, to reach his maiden semifinal. He will face Czech Jiri Lehecka, who overcame unseeded Spaniard Martin Landaluce, 7-6, 7-5.

# Motorsport: Formula One’s governing body, the FIA, has tweaked the energy-management rules for qualifying at this weekend’s Japanese Grand Prix. The power unit manufacturers, Mercedes, Ferrari, Red Bull, Ford, Audi, and Honda, have unanimously agreed to reduce the maximum permitted energy recharge per lap for qualifying at Suzuka from nine to eight megajoules. This means drivers will harvest less energy to charge the battery per lap. The FIA says this will ensure the intended balance between energy deployment and driver performance is maintained.

# And, athletics: Organisers of the London Marathon are considering holding the event over two days instead of one from next year. This comes after a record 1.1 million people applied to participate in this year’s edition, a 36-percent increase from the previous year. Organisers say holding the event over two days would allow the elite men’s and women’s races to happen on separate days. It would also allow a world-record 100-thousand amateur runners to take part over the weekend. No formal approval has been granted yet.

Stay tuned for more news………….