Category: Sports

Basket Ball / Sports

Blockbuster Lakers Russell Westbrook Trade

So what happened? Should we be surprised by the quick about-face?

And what happens next, specifically for the Lakers, who add a third star to play with LeBron James and Anthony Davis but lose valuable depth in doing so?

Per NBA sources, the Lakers went into the offseason with a clear Plan A: unrealistic hopes of landing a Damian Lillard or Bradley Beal. Plan B was Chris Paul (but then the Phoenix Suns advanced to the NBA Finals) and Westbrook. Hield was always Plan C.

Over the past few weeks, the Lakers pursued Westbrook and Hield in parallel conversations with the Wizards and Sacramento Kings. As the draft neared, the Wizards seemed content to wait on big decisions with Beal and Westbrook.

That pushed Hield to the forefront. But even as the possibility of a deal built around Kyle Kuzma and Harrell began to form, the Lakers kept the door open to a Westbrook deal.

Westbrook asserted his voice into the conversation, and per an NBA source, the Wizards pivoted. Just like that, the pieces the Kings liked for Hield were no longer available.

With Westbrook, the Lakers will have $120.8 million going to just three players next season in James, Davis and Westbrook. The salary cap projects to be $112.4 million, so the franchise is sure to climb above the $136.6 million tax line.

Because of several factors (the Lakers’ current hard cap, Kuzma’s extension starting Aug. 2), L.A. cannot execute the deal until after the moratorium on Aug. 6. Based on the reported details, the Lakers will have just five players with Gasol and McKinnie.

Look for the Lakers to keep as many free agents as possible, including Caruso, Horton-Tucker, Wes Matthews, Markieff Morris, Jared Dudley and possibly Ben McLemore. Schroder may leave in free agency, but a sign-and-trade would help the Lakers bring back additional talent to flesh out the roster.

The team will have about $5.9 million to spend via the taxpayer mid-level exception. They could try to re-sign Andre Drummond, but that may not be …

Basket Ball / Sports

NBA 2021 Draft list ( First Round Picks )

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Olympics / Sports / Swimming

Caeleb Dressel on 100m freestyle gold: I wasn’t worried about anything

American swimmer Caeleb Dressel finally has an individual Olympic gold medal to call his own after winning the 100m freestyle.

The 24-year-old already has three Olympic team golds to his name – two from Rio in 2016, and one from these Tokyo Games in the 4×100 free relay.

But he romped to his individual freestyle victory in a new Olympic record time of 47.02, and with the Florida native in contention for a further four medals – two individual (100m butterfly and 50m) and two in relays (medley and mixed medley) – Dressel could end these Games as one of the most successful ever swimmers at an individual Games.

Dressel admitted he felt pressure beforehand, particularly because of the relative lack of US success so far in the pool.

“I knew that weight was on my shoulders,” he said.

“I wasn’t worried about anything.

“During the race there’s only so much you can do.

“Whatever’s going to happen is going to happen. I stuck to my race plan so if it got me first, OK, if it got me second, OK.”

And on getting first individual Olympic gold after a slew of success at the two most recent world championships?

“It is a lot different,” he said.

“I guess I thought it would be, I just didn’t want to admit to it.

“It’s a lot tougher. You have to rely on yourself, there’s no one to bail you out.”

He only saw off defending champion Kyle Chalmers by 0.06 seconds but he did enough to get to the line and will now be eyeing a place in history alongside Michael Phelps and Mark Spitz, who are the only other swimmers to have ever won more than six medals at an Olympics.…

Basket Ball / Sports

NBA 2021 Draft

The Detroit Pistons are in pole position to pick up hot prospect Cade Cunningham as the NBA 2021 Draft gets underway on Thursday night in New York.

One of the most anticipated nights of the basketball calendar will take place at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn – the home of the Brooklyn Nets.

As always, the best young players are up for grabs as they bid to play their first seasons in the

Spanish interest comes in the form of Usman Garuba – who is hoping to be in the first 15 picked – and Santi Aldama.

A total of 60 players will feature in the draft, with 30 in the first round and 30 in the second.

The first four picks of the first round were determined by a lottery, with the rest decided by the team’s performances last season – with the worse teams getting the earlier picks.

The event is back to taking place in person, having been conducted virtually last year due to the coronavirus.

The picks are expected to begin at around 02:00 CET on Friday morning (20:00 ET).

2021 NBA Draft order

  1. Detroit Pistons
  2. Houston Rockets
  3. Cleveland Cavaliers
  4. Toronto Raptors
  5. Orlando Magic
  6. Oklahoma City Thunder
  7. Golden State Warriors
  8. Orlando Magic
  9. Sacramento Kings
  10. New Orleans Pelicans
  11. Charlotte Hornets
  12. San Antonio Spurs
  13. Indiana Pacers
  14. Golden State Warriors
  15. Washington Wizards
  16. Boston Celtics
  17. Memphis Grizzlies
  18. Oklahoma City Thunder
  19. New York Knicks
  20. Atlanta Hawks
  21. New York Knicks
  22. Los Angeles Lakers
  23. Houston Rockets
  24. Houston Rockets
  25. LA Clippers
  26. Denver Nuggets
  27. Brooklyn Nets
  28. Philadelphia 76ers
  29. Phoenix Suns
  30. Utah Jazz

Going into the 2021 draft at The Barclays Center in Brooklyn, here is the list of college basketball teams with the most NBA first-round draft picks.

  1. Kentucky – 54
  2. North Carolina – 52
  3. Duke – 48
  4. UCLA – 39
  5. Kansas – 33
  6. Michigan – 27
  7. Indiana – 26
  8. Arizona – 24
  9. Louisville – 24
  10. Syracuse – 24
  11. Ohio State – 23
  12. Michigan State – 21
  13. Notre Dame – 20
  14. Connecticut – 20
  15. Maryland – 20
  16. Georgia Tech – 19
  17. Texas
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Athletics / Basket Ball / Boxing / Football / Olympics / Sports / Tennis

The Olympic Games’ medal table after day four

  1. Japan: 13 gold, 4 silver, 5 bronze, 22 total
  2. China: 12 gold, 6 silver, 9 bronze, 27 total
  3. USA: 11 gold, 11 silver, 9 bronze, 31 total
  4. Russian Olympic Committee: 7 gold, 10 silver, 6 bronze, 23 total
  5. Australia: 6 gold, 1 silver, 9 bronze, 16 total
  6. Great Britain: 5 gold, 6 silver, 5 bronze, 16 total
  7. South Korea: 4 gold, 2 silver, 5 bronze, 11 total
  8. Germany: 3 gold, 2 silver, 5 bronze, 10 total
  9. France: 3 gold, 2 silver, 3 bronze, 8 total
  10. Netherlands: 2 gold, 6 silver, 3 bronze, 11 total
  11. Canada: 2 gold, 3 silver, 4 bronze, 9 total
  12. Hungary: 2 gold, 1 silver, 2 bronze, 5 total
  13. Slovenia: 2 gold 1 silver, 1 bronze, 4 total
  14. Kosovo: 2 gold, 0 silver, 0 bronze, 2 total
  15. Italy: 1 gold, 6 silver, 8 bronze, 15 total
  16. Switzerland: 1 gold, 3 silver, 2 bronze, 6 total
  17. Chinese Taipei: 1 gold, 2 silver, 3 bronze, 6 total
  18. Brazil: 1 gold, 2 silver, 2 bronze, 5 total
  19. Georgia: 1 gold, 2 silver, 0 bronze, 3 total
  20. Romania: 1 gold, 2 silver, 0 bronze, 3 total
  21. Serbia: 1 gold, 1 silver, 2 bronze, 4 total
  22. Austria: 1 gold, 1 silver, 1 bronze, 3 total
  23. Hong Kong: 1 gold, 1 silver, 0 bronze, 2 total
  24. Tunisia: 1 gold, 1 silver, 0 bronze, 2 total
  25. Croatia: 1 gold, 0 silver, 1 bronze, 2 total
  26. Estonia: 1 gold, 0 silver, 1 bronze, 2 total
  27. Uzbekistan: 1 gold, 0 silver, 1 bronze, 2 total
  28. Bermuda: 1 gold, 0 silver, 0 bronze, 1 total
  29. Ecuador: 1 gold, 0 silver, 0 bronze, 1 total
  30. Fiji: 1 gold, 0 silver, 0 bronze, 1 total
  31. Iran: 1 gold, 0 silver, 0 bronze, 1 total
  32. Latvia: 1 gold, 0 silver, 0 bronze, 1 total
  33. Norway: 1 gold, 0 silver, 0 bronze, 1 total
  34. Philippines: 1 gold, 0 silver, 0 bronze, 1 total
  35. Thailand: 1 gold, 0 silver, 0 bronze, 1 total
  36. Spain: 0 gold, 2 silver, 1 bronze, 3 total
  37. New Zealand: 0 gold, 2 silver, 1 bronze, 3 total
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Athletics / Olympics / Sports

Who will take over Bolt’s 100-metre crown?

The sporting world is beginning to hold its breath as the men’s 100-metre Olympic sprint final comes into view.

Usain Bolt took gold in the blue-riband event at the last three editions of the Games in Beijing, London and Rio de Janeiro.

But with the Jamaican now retired, all eyes are on a new crop of sprinters to take on the mantle of the fastest man in the world.

Bolt will be hard to eclipse totally, given his still extraordinary world record high-water mark of 9.58 seconds, but the likes of Trayvon Bromell, Ronnie Baker and Akani Simbine have shown their credentials of late.

Akani Simbine posted 9.84 recently – the second-fastest time of the year – behind only

Trayvon Bromell clocked 9.77 in Florida in June.

Ronnie Baker set a personal best time of 9.85 seconds at the Olympic Trials, finishing second to Trayvon Bromell with his winning time of 9.80 seconds

With the mentioned trio still young in their careers, whoever takes the crown on Sunday in Tokyo could become the leader of a new generation of sprinting superstars.…

Basket Ball / Olympics / Sports

Luka Doncic and Slovenia too much for Japan, win 116-81 to move to 2-0

Hachimura did whatever he could. Blocking shots, hitting tough jumpers, logging big minutes, the best player on Japan’s roster simply held nothing back with hopes of giving his country its first Olympic men’s basketball win in 45 years. Problem was, the other side had Luka Doncic.

The Dallas Mavericks star had another impressive performance with 25 points, seven rebounds and seven assists in 26 minutes, Zoran Dragic scored 24 points and Slovenia remained unbeaten in its Olympic debut by beating Japan 116-81 in the Tokyo Games on Thursday.

“It’s not only Luka,” Hachmura said. “They have a lot of guys who can hoop. … They’re a great team. They beat us.” Vlatko Cancar added 16 for Slovenia, which has won its two games in Saitama by a combined 53 points. Slovenia outrebounded Japan 54-33 and had 27 assists to Japan’s 15.

“It was a great game for us,” Slovenia coach Aleksander Sekulic said. “I think we showed our power. We played really together as a team. To have 27 assists and 54 rebounds, it says something about this team and I’m really proud of them.”

Hachimura finished with 34 points and seven rebounds. Yuta Watanabe added 17 for Japan. “Congratulations to Slovenia,” Japan coach Julio Lamas said. “They played better than us, all the game. … They are a very good team, very complete team with one amazing player.”

The Hachimura vs. Doncic matchup got off to a flying start, both players finishing the first quarter with 13 points and Slovenia taking a 29-23 lead after the opening 10 minutes. The margin was up to 53-41 at the half, and Japan still seemed to have a shot early in the fourth down by only 14. And then Doncic returned, ending whatever hope the hosts had.

Doncic who declined to stop for questions after the game, didn’t play in the final 5:30 of the third quarter. He grabbed a seat at the end of the Slovenia bench, draped towels over his shoulder and lap and kept …

Olympics / Sports / Swimming

17-year old Ogunbanwon sets national swimming record

A new national record has been set in swimming by 17-year old, Abiola Ogunbanwon, representing Team Nigeria at the ongoing Tokyo Olympics.

Ogunbanwo won heat 1 of the women’s 100m Freestyle, finishing strongly and swimming to a new Personal Best time of 59.74s.

She won her heat in the women’s 100 metres freestyle ahead of Andela Antunovic of Montenegro who came second while Gaurika Singh of Nepal came third.

Unfortunately, her winning time fell short of the best 16 times that progressed into the semi-final,

Nonetheless, Ogunbanwon emerged as the first Nigerian woman ever to finish this event in less than one minute.

Before Ogunbanwo, the only Nigerians to have graced the pool at the Olympics were Musa Bakare (Barcelona ‘92), Ikhaghomi Joshua (Barcelona ‘92), Monu (Sydney 2000 & Beijing 2008), Gentle Offoin (Sydney 2000), Lenient Obia (Athens 2004), Eric Williams (Athens 2004), Yellow Yeiyah (Beijing 2008), Samson Opuakpo (Rio 2016), and Rachael Tonjor (Rio 2016).…

Olympics / Sports

10 Nigerian athletes banned from Olympics

A huge scandal rocked Team Nigeria’s camp on Wednesday at the ongoing Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games when 10 Nigerian athletes were disqualified from competing in the event after they failed to undergo mandatory tests ahead of the global sports event. Our correspondents learnt the Nigerian camp was thrown into a mourning mood after word went round that the affected athletes, who compete in track and field events, had been sent packing from the Games with just two days to the start of their events.

The Athletics Integrity Unit in a statement on Wednesday made available to correspondent, did not mention the names of the affected Nigerian athletes, but said a total of 20 athletes across the world were disqualified from the Olympics for not meeting minimum requirements by Category A countries. However, findings by our correspondent showed that the only Nigerian track and field athletes eligible to compete in Tokyo were Enoch Adegoke, Tobi Amusan, Ese Brume, Chukwuebuka Enekwechi, Patience Okon- George, Usheoritse Itsekiri, Samson Nathaniel, Grace Nwokocha, Divine Oduduru, Emmanuel Ojeli, Blessing Okagbare and Nse Uko, as their names were listed on the Tokyo 2020 Olympics portal.

The names of the other track and field athletes for the event namely Knowledge Omovoh, Ruth Usoro, Favor Ofili, Rosemary Chukwuma, Glory Patrick, Yinka Ajayi, Tima Godbless, Chidi Okezie, Chioma Onyekwere and Annette Echikunwoke were omitted by the International Olympic Committee, meaning they were the athletes banned from competing at the Games.

Other countries, who had some of their athletes disqualified, are Belarus and Ukraine, who both had three athletes banned, Kenya (two) and Morocco and Ethiopia, who had one athlete each sent packing from the Games.…

Football / Sports

Manchester United sign Jadon Sancho for £73m

Jadon Sancho underwent a medical at Manchester United after his participation at Euro 2020; The England international becomes Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s second signing of the summer following the addition of goalkeeper Tom Heaton.

Sancho, whose move to Old Trafford was agreed in principle on July 1, completed a medical earlier this month after his participation at Euro 2020.

Manchester City retain a sell-on clause for their former youth-team player, whose contract in Germany was due to run until the summer of 2023.

“I’ll always be grateful to Dortmund for giving me the opportunity to play first-team football, although I always knew that I would return to England one day,” Sancho told United’s official website.

“The chance to join Manchester United is a dream come true and I just cannot wait to perform in the Premier League.

…
Basket Ball / Sports

Milwaukee Bucks win first NBA championship since 1971 behind Giannis Antetokounmpo’s legendary MVP showing

The Milwaukee Bucks were fairly quick champions after their inception. The team was founded in 1968, won a coin flip (ironically against the Phoenix Suns) for the right to draft Lew Alcindor a year later, and in 1971, they captured the franchise’s first championship. With their star big man in place, Milwaukee seemed likely to continue adding rings to its collection for years to come. That’s not how it happened.

Alcindor, who by then had changed his name to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, asked to be traded and ultimately landed with the Los Angeles Lakers. Marques Johnson and Sidney Moncrief came up short. Ray Allen and Sam Cassell came up short. The Bucks had the No. 1 pick three more times after landing Alcindor, but passed on Bernard King in 1977, Jason Kidd in 1994 and Chris Paul in 2005. Their 2013 selection of a young forward from Greece looked like an afterthought for a team that could never quite make it over the hump.

But that unassuming young forward grew into an MVP. So dominant was Giannis Antetokounmpo that fans began to worry that, like Abdul-Jabbar before him, he would seek out greener pastures. But before the 2020-21 season, Antetokounmpo signed a five-year extension with the Bucks that signaled a commitment. He didn’t just want to win the championship. He wanted to win it in Milwaukee.

That dream became a reality on Tuesday as the Bucks won their first championship in 50 years as the Greek Freak made history with 50 points in a 105-98 Game 6 win, arguably one of the most historic performances we’ve seen in a clinching game. They defeated that very Suns team they flipped for Alcindor with decades earlier thanks to another strong outing from Antetokounmpo. That he got to win the title in front of his home fans in Milwaukee was the icing on the cake for a player who has become synonymous with the city he plays in.

Antetokounmpo grew up poor in Greece, and his acclimation to the United States was on full

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Olympics / Sports / Tennis

Andy Murray says winning a medal in Tokyo would be greatest achievement of his career

Murray is representing Team GB at his fourth Olympics and will play ninth seed Felix Auger-Aliassime from Canada in the first round of the men’s singles. The 34-year-old won consecutive matches at Grand Slam level for the first time in four years on his Wimbledon singles return last month, before he lost to eventual semi-finalist Denis Shapovalov.

“That’s the goal, to try to win another medal. I’m aware that it’s not going to be easy,” Murray said ahead of the tournament starting on Saturday.

“I’m also in a slightly different position to what I was five years ago when I would have been expected to get one. That’s maybe not the case this time around.

“But for me it would be probably my best achievement if I could do that after everything that’s gone on the last few years.

“I’m motivated for that reason alone. I still believe that I can do that. I know this could be the last one for me. I want to go out there and leave everything out on the court, fight for every single point.”

Murray questioned whether his efforts to return to the top of the sport following his physical struggles in recent years were worth it after his third-round exit at Wimbledon earlier this month.

However, the Scot, who has four children aged five and under, says a chat with his daughter helped him reassess his initial downbeat assessment.

“When I got home the day after my match, my daughter said to me, ‘Daddy you’re home because you lost another tennis match’. I said to her, ‘Yes I did but what do you do when you lose at something?’

“And she said, ‘You try and try again’. And I was like, ‘Yes, that’s what I want to do’. I want to keep playing because I enjoy it. I still think I can play at a high level.

“There’s been difficult moments obviously in the last few months and the last year with the injuries and stuff but right now this is the …

Football / Sports

Patrice Evra says social media allows people to ‘spread racism’ after online abuse of England trio

It only took a matter of minutes after England’s defeat by Italy in the Euro 2020 final to remind everyone of the ugly side of football.

Many came out to condemn the racist abuse Rashford, Sancho and Saka received after missing penalties but very few have been in their boots.

Former Manchester United and France defender Evra, who enjoyed a successful club and international career, says his toughest competition has been racism in the game he loves.

“Football, you know, is a joy to watch and you bring a lot of emotion. And when people are disappointed, you can feel the hate. The hate comes out really strongly,” Evra told Sky News.

“Then people and I don’t know why, instead of saying things like, ‘Oh, he’s such a bad player, he shouldn’t miss a penalty’, they involve your religion, your color.”

Asked how he felt when he heard about the abuse the England trio had received, Evra added: “I wasn’t surprised. I feel it is disgusting. And those people have to be ashamed of themselves because they brought so much shame to the country of England.

“It was painful to watch. Especially because those kids (Rashford, Sancho, Saka) may not be as strong as other people. And it’s not fair because we should be proud of it. “I’m not an English person. But trust me, I was so proud of the way England did this tournament.”

‘Social media companies must do more’

Evra was also on the receiving end of racism on and off the pitch but believes this kind of discrimination in English football is the worst it has ever been.

“Of course, we can delay the comment. They can block people and everything, but I’m sorry, when it’s Covid19 news, straight away you get the flag in any social media, Twitter,” Evra said.

“And when it is about nudity, Instagram, they can ban it straight away. So don’t tell me those platforms can do nothing about the racists.

“I feel like those platforms, they allow those people …

Athletics / Foreign / Olympics / Sports / Swimming

Top 5 Olympic Moments

Blood, sweat, and tears doesn’t even come close. At the Olympic Games, everything’s on the line — making each and every triumph that much bigger, bolder, and at times, breathtaking. As the events come to a close Sochi, we’re looking back at the 25 most incredible, awe-inspiring Olympic moments of all time.

5. Michael Johnson

The Ancient Greeks would’ve appreciated this feat. In the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, Michael Johnson took home two gold medals while crushing two world records along the way. First was the 400-meter race, where he whipped around the track in 43.49 seconds. With only a few days rest in between, Johnson came back to the track to take gold in the 200-meter sprint, becoming the first man to win both races in the same Olympic Games.

4. Nigerian Dream Team 

Nicknamed the Dream Team, the Nigeria U23 team then handled by Coach Jo Bonfere shocked the world to become the first black nation to win the prestigious football gold. After the amazing comeback against Brazil in a thrilling semi-final match that Papilo Kanu Nwankwo helped engineer, the Nigeria team went on to beat Argentina in the finals to complete their amazing run in the God’s Own country.

3. Derek Redmond

Derek Redmond, a British runner specializing in the 400 meters, tore his hamstring halfway through a semi-final race in the 1992 Barcelona Summer Olympics. A favorite for the medals podium, Redmond refused to give up and rose to finish the race despite his intense pain. But the most memorable moment came next, when the runner’s father leapt over the railing from the stands and helped his son complete the race. Steps from the finish line and with the crowd cheering them on, he let go of Derek, so his son could cross the finish line by himself

2. Michael Phelps

Call him “The Phenomenon” or “The Fish,” Michael Phelps gave new meaning to blowing the competition out of the water at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. The American swimmer took home (count ’em!) eight gold medals, …

Football / Foreign / Sports

Germany’s Olympic football team leaves pitch after alleged racist abuse towards Torunarigha during Honduras clash

The Germany Olympics team’s friendly match against Honduras came to an abrupt end on Saturday when the players walked off the field because of alleged racist abuse directed at Jordan Torunarigha.

Stefan Kuntz’s side faced the Central American nation in preparation for the 2020 Olympics, which begin next week.

The teams were tied at 1-1, with Germany equalizer thanks to a goal from Felix Uduokhai, before the alleged incident took place.

What has happened?

The players walked off the field with five minutes left to play.

The Germany Olympics football team’s Twitter account claimed that the players decided to leave because defender Torunarigha had been racially insulted.

“The game had to be stopped five minutes before the end when the score was 1-1. After our player Jordan Torunarigha was racially insulted, the German team left the field together,” the short update read.

The DFB has confirmed to that the alleged insult was made by one of the Honduras players.

There were no spectators at the match, which was a behind-closed-doors game played in Wakayama, Japan.

What’s been said?

Speaking after the match, Kuntz commented: “In terms of the game, it was very high level. In the third period I was wondering what was going on with Jordan. Five minutes before the end of the game there was a scuffle.

“I ran to Jordan because I saw his gestures. He was getting terribly upset. He said that he had been racially insulted for the second time. We decided to leave the pitch because it was against our values.

“The whole Honduras squad came over to the bench and apologized. That ended the issue for us and Jordan.”

“His (Torunarigha’s) team-mates picked him up straight away, gave him a hug for the first few minutes. He was very upset. But you could tell that he was happy to be with us. At the end, we even joked a bit again. “The team is doing a great job. Of course, it helps when you see your colleagues supporting you. It’s also a strong …

Football / Sports

Champions League: Rangers to play Malmo or HJK Helsinki, Celtic draw PSV or Galatasaray in third qualifying round

Rangers to play Malmo or HJK Helsinki in first Champions League fixtures for 10 years; Celtic handed tie with PSV or Galatasaray, but must first beat Midtjylland in second qualifying round; both sides guaranteed to be playing group-stage European football this year.

Rangers’ fixtures with Malmo or HJK Helsinki will be their first in the Champions League since 2011, while they have not reached the group stage since 2010

Celtic are bidding to reach the group stage for the first time in four years, but they must first beat Denmark’s Midtjylland in their two-legged second qualifying round tie before taking on PSV or Galatasaray.

The first leg of that tie will take place at Celtic Park on Tuesday night, and will be Ange Postecoglou’s first competitive game as Celtic manager.

Both Rangers and Celtic will be away in their first legs of the third qualifying round, which will be played on August 3 or 4. The second legs will take place on August 10.

Should HJK Helsinki beat Malmo in their second qualifying round encounter, it will set up a reunion for Rangers striker Alfredo Morelos, who played for the Finnish club for just under 18 months before moving to Ibrox in the summer of 2017.

As last season’s Scottish Premiership winners, Rangers will be playing in the champions’ path section of the draw, while Celtic, who finished second to Rangers, will be competing in the league path.

Sides on the champions’ path that are beaten in the third qualifying round will enter the Europa League play-offs. If they lose at that stage, they will compete in the inaugural Europa Conference League.

However, the sides on the league path that are knocked out in the third qualifying round will automatically enter the group stages of the Europa League.

As a result, both Rangers and Celtic are guaranteed to be playing group-stage European football this season.

Ajer, Ntcham left out of Celtic’s CL squad

Kristoffer Ajer and Olivier Ntcham have been left out of Celtic’s squad ahead of their Champions League …

F1 / Sports

Max Verstappen released from hospital after high-speed Lewis Hamilton collision

After hitting the Silverstone barriers in an impact that measured 51G on the opening lap of Sunday’s race, the Red Bull driver walked away from the incident and was checked over in the circuit medical center. He was then taken to Coventry hospital for further assessment and was released on Sunday night.

“We are pleased to confirm that Max was released from hospital at 22:00 this evening, following a thorough medical examination, without any major injuries,” said a Red Bull statement.

“Max and the Team would like to thank the trackside Marshalls and medical staff for their exceptional care both on-site at Silverstone and at Coventry Hospital.”

Posting a selfie in which he was smiling next to his father, Jos, Verstappen tweeted: “Cleared from the hospital after all the checks were ok. Thank you to everyone for all the nice messages and best wishes.”

In an earlier post on social media, Verstappen had criticized Hamilton for the collision, describing the world champion’s driving as “dangerous”. He also claimed Hamilton had displayed “disrespectful and unsportsmanlike behavior” in his celebrations after winning the race.

Hamilton sends best wishes to Verstappen | ‘I will always race hard but always fairly’

Hamilton was not initially aware after the race that Verstappen had been sent to hospital and, once told of the latest situation, sent his own best wishes to the Dutchman and said he would message his rival privately.

Stewards ruled that the seven-time world champion had been “predominantly at fault” for causing accident, although Hamilton did not agree with the verdict. He also did not feel he had anything to apologize for.

“At the end of the day I’ve not really seen the footage. I saw a quick clip of it when I went back to the garage but I naturally will go back and have time to reflect on it,” said …

F1 / Sports

Lewis Hamilton receives online racist abuse after British GP win

Lewis Hamilton receives online racist abuse following dramatic British GP win on Sunday; Formula 1, the FIA and Mercedes condemn the abuse and call for action to be taken against those responsible; seven-time Formula 1 world champion is a high-profile voice in the fight against racism

Hamilton claimed victory by overtaking long-time leader Charles Leclerc late on in front of 140,000 spectators at Silverstone.

The 36-year-old recovered from a 10-second time penalty for a huge first-lap crash with title rival Max Verstappen on a dramatic afternoon.

Racist messages including ‘monkey emojis’ and other racial slurs were sent as replies to a post by the Mercedes team on Instagram celebrating Hamilton’s success.

Facebook – the parent company of Instagram – told Sky Sports News: “The racist abuse directed at Lewis Hamilton during and after the British Grand Prix is unacceptable and we’ve removed a number of comments from Instagram.

“In addition to our work to remove comments and accounts that repeatedly break our rules, there are safety features available, including Comment Filters and Message Controls, which can mean no one has to see this type of abuse.

“No single thing will fix this challenge overnight but we’re committed to the work to keep our community safe from abuse.”

Formula 1, the FIA and Mercedes released a joint statement condemning the abuse and called for action to be taken against those responsible.

It read: “During, and after, yesterday’s British Grand Prix, Lewis Hamilton was subjected to multiple instances of racist abuse on social media following an in-race collision.

“Formula 1, The FIA and Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team condemn this behavior in the strongest possible terms.

“These people have no place in our sport and we urge that those responsible should be held accountable for their actions.

“Formula 1, the FIA, the drivers and the teams are working to build a more diverse and inclusive sport, and such unacceptable instances of online abuse must be highlighted and eliminated.”

On Monday, Red Bull and McLaren, Hamilton’s former team, also released statements condemning the …

Basket Ball / Sports

US women basketball team beat Nigeria’s D’Tigress

The Nigerian national women basketball team, D’Tigress. on Sunday could not hold their own against their US counterparts as they lost 62-93 in a friendly in Las Vegas.

In the game arranged to prepare both sides for the upcoming Tokyo Olympics, the Americans were totally dominant of the D’Tigress.

The Nigerian side were restricted to just 30.6 per cent shooting during the game, while their foes shot 53.8 per cent overall.

The American side also outscored Nigeria in all four quarters of the game, though only by one point in the third quarter.

Atonye Nyingifa led the scoring charts for Nigeria with nine points, while center Elizabeth Williams scored four points.

Both teams will meet again very soon in the group stage of the Olympics in Tokyo on July 27.…

Boxing / Sports

Deontay Wilder’s team ‘definitely believe’ he can regain WBC heavyweight title with a victory over Tyson Fury

Wilder vs Fury 3 has received a new date of October 9 in Las Vegas after a Covid-19 outbreak in the British star’s training camp caused the postponement of this month’s fight.  The American was stopped by Fury in the seventh round of their WBC title fight in February 2020, but co-manager Shelly Finkel expects Wilder to avenge this loss with an emphatic victory.

“I definitely believe that Deontay is going to win his title back by knocking out Tyson Fury,” Finkel Said.

Wilder has revamped his training team with the addition of Malik Scott, who has taken a lead role in overseeing tactics, and recently told Sky Sports how he identified vulnerabilities in Fury

“They both have the power to hurt each other,” said Scott. “The difference is that Deontay has the power to knock you out.

“Fury is undefeated but is vulnerable. That won’t make sense to most humans.

“He is an unbeaten fighter but is very beatable. He gives you an opportunity to hit him.

“It is our job to take advantage of those opportunities. I believe Deontay will, and I believe he will knock Fury out in the trilogy.”

Anthony Joshua wants to face the winner of Fury vs Wilder 3, if he retains his WBA, WBO and IBF titles in a fight against Oleksandr Usyk, which is expected to be held at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on September 25.

Joshua has told Sky Sports: “I will fight them all. Wilder is just another one in the pecking order, no problem.”

Wilder’s team remain open to discussing an undisputed world title fight against Joshua.

“Always have [wanted to make the Joshua fight],” Finkel said last month. “Deontay wants to be the undisputed champion, but first he has to take out Fury.”…