टीकमगढ़ के नगदा बम्होरी स्थित राजेंद्र सागर बांध की बंधान पर शनिवार को पद्म भूषण…
In a Facebook post on Saturday evening, Lai said he arrived earlier in the day.…
May 1, 2026; Orlando, Florida, USA; Detroit Pistons guard Cade Cunningham (2) shoots the ball over Orlando Magic forward Paolo Banchero (5) in the second quarter during game six of the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Kia Center. Mandatory Credit: Jeremy Reper-Imagn Images Cade Cunningham scored 32 points as the Detroit Pistons came back from a 24-point deficit to stun the host Orlando Magic 93-79 on Friday, forcing a decisive Game 7 in the Eastern Conference first-round playoff series.
Tobias Harris racked up 22 points and Duncan Robinson had 14 points as Detroit won its second elimination game in a row. Cunningham, Harris and teammate Ausar Thompson each grabbed 10 rebounds.
The top-seeded Pistons began the fourth quarter on an 18-1 run to build an eight-point lead and ended up outscoring Orlando 55-19 in the second half. The eighth-seeded Magic missed 23 consecutive shots from the field during one stretch covering about 15 minutes in the second half.
Game 7 is Sunday in Detroit.
Desmond Bane and Paolo Banchero each scored 17 points for Orlando, and Tristan da Silva added 10 points. Banchero, who posted 45 points in Game 5, shot 4-for-20 from the field. The Magic ended up 9-for-36 (25%) on 3-point attempts.
Detroit also was the No. 1 seed in 2003, when the Pistons rallied from a 3-1 series deficit to defeat the Magic in the first round.
The Magic were held to 12 points over the first 19 minutes of the second half Friday as Detroit pulled ahead at 74-72 on a pair of Harris free throws with more than seven minutes to play.
Cunningham’s 3-pointer and two free throws on the next possession put the Pistons up 85-75 with less than four minutes to play. Robinson’s trey was the next basket as the lead grew.
The Pistons, down 22 at halftime, stormed back into the game by scoring 16 of the first 20 points of the second half. Detroit then went more than 4 1/2 minutes without scoring as Orlando built the margin to 71-54, but the Pistons closed the third quarter with an 8-0 spurt capped by a Robinson layup.
The Magic shot 3-for-17 (17.6%) in the third quarter, when they scored only 11 points.
Orlando appeared to take control in the second quarter and built a 60-38 halftime lead, with Bane hitting his first three 3-point attempts.
The Pistons made only 6 of 25 attempts from the floor (28.6%) in the second quarter.
Detroit shot 10-for-19 (52.6%) from the field in the first quarter to lead 26-25. The Magic began the second quarter on a 13-2 run, which ended with Anthony Black’s three-point play and Bane’s inside hoop.
After a Detroit timeout, the Magic kept pouring it on to build a 17-point lead.
Orlando forward Franz Wagner missed his second game in a row because of a calf injury.
–Field Level Media
May 1, 2026; Orlando, Florida, USA; Detroit Pistons guard Cade Cunningham (2) shoots the ball over Orlando Magic forward Paolo Banchero (5) in the second quarter during game six of the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Kia Center. Mandatory Credit: Jeremy Reper-Imagn Images Cade Cunningham scored 32 points as the Detroit Pistons came back from a 24-point deficit to stun the host Orlando Magic 93-79 on Friday, forcing a decisive Game 7 in the Eastern Conference first-round playoff series.
Tobias Harris racked up 22 points and Duncan Robinson had 14 points as Detroit won its second elimination game in a row. Cunningham, Harris and teammate Ausar Thompson each grabbed 10 rebounds.
The top-seeded Pistons began the fourth quarter on an 18-1 run to build an eight-point lead and ended up outscoring Orlando 55-19 in the second half. The eighth-seeded Magic missed 23 consecutive shots from the field during one stretch covering about 15 minutes in the second half.
Game 7 is Sunday in Detroit.
Desmond Bane and Paolo Banchero each scored 17 points for Orlando, and Tristan da Silva added 10 points. Banchero, who posted 45 points in Game 5, shot 4-for-20 from the field. The Magic ended up 9-for-36 (25%) on 3-point attempts.
Detroit also was the No. 1 seed in 2003, when the Pistons rallied from a 3-1 series deficit to defeat the Magic in the first round.
The Magic were held to 12 points over the first 19 minutes of the second half Friday as Detroit pulled ahead at 74-72 on a pair of Harris free throws with more than seven minutes to play.
Cunningham’s 3-pointer and two free throws on the next possession put the Pistons up 85-75 with less than four minutes to play. Robinson’s trey was the next basket as the lead grew.
The Pistons, down 22 at halftime, stormed back into the game by scoring 16 of the first 20 points of the second half. Detroit then went more than 4 1/2 minutes without scoring as Orlando built the margin to 71-54, but the Pistons closed the third quarter with an 8-0 spurt capped by a Robinson layup.
The Magic shot 3-for-17 (17.6%) in the third quarter, when they scored only 11 points.
Orlando appeared to take control in the second quarter and built a 60-38 halftime lead, with Bane hitting his first three 3-point attempts.
The Pistons made only 6 of 25 attempts from the floor (28.6%) in the second quarter.
Detroit shot 10-for-19 (52.6%) from the field in the first quarter to lead 26-25. The Magic began the second quarter on a 13-2 run, which ended with Anthony Black’s three-point play and Bane’s inside hoop.
After a Detroit timeout, the Magic kept pouring it on to build a 17-point lead.
Orlando forward Franz Wagner missed his second game in a row because of a calf injury.
–Field Level Media
May 1, 2026; Orlando, Florida, USA; Detroit Pistons guard Cade Cunningham (2) shoots the ball…
The draft is behind us, and we’re about to hit a long stretch of quiet in the NFL world. But that doesn’t mean there aren’t plenty of things to talk about.
One of the biggest stories of the NFL offseason has been that the Philadelphia Eagles are going to trade AJ Brown. It has reached the point where several outlets refer to it as inevitable and discuss it in that manner.
As inevitable as it may be, to date there has been no hard or concrete proof of this becoming a potential reality. This certainly changed during the first round when Philly moved up to draft USC wideout Makai Lemon.
It seems like the dawn of a new future for the Eagles offense has officially begun. You can argue that nobody signaled more about their future than the Eagles did in this respect. Maybe the Rams with Ty Simpson, but that’s about it.
The Rams using a first-round pick on Ty Simpson was certainly a surprise to me. He may have been the second-best quarterback in this class but it was also a very weak quarterback class altogether. I mean, they needed to go all-in for one more season if 2026 really is Matthew Stafford’s last ride before retiring. Instead, they drafted his replacement and used the rest of the picks on players I do not see making much of an impact this coming season.
It was a really weird year for the Rams when they’re normally pretty savvy about their selections year-in and year-out.
The Chargers needed to address their offensive guard spots in this draft and there was a lot of hope that they’d be able to land one of several impact guards either on Day 1 or 2. Instead, the Cardinals took my favorite guard prospect in Texas A&M’s Chase Bisontis very early on Day 2 before the Chargers ever got close to picking.
The Bolts traded back and took Florida center Jake Slaughter, who never spent a snap at guard in college. I don’t know how that solves the big issue for LA but it was very tough to see Bisontis go so early when I had convinced myself he could have been in play at No. 55.
THE DALLAS COWBOYS DRAFTED CALEB DOWNS AND I AM STILL LEVITATING.
Everything about the Cowboys drafting Caleb Downs is going to have me soaring until further notice. He is a defensive superstar, a perfect prospect in every sense, and he has all the makings of being the ambassador for the team that Dak Prescott is. That is high-level company.
What’s more is that Downs is a defensive back and the Cowboys just hired someone who is wizard in that space to run their defense in Christian Parker. This is like in Harry Potter when the wizards would go into Olivander’s and get a wand that was perfectly suited to who they were, what made them unique, so on and so forth.
This is magical in every way.
It feels strange to not have a new crop of franchise quarterbacks hanging out around the league following the draft. Only the Las Vegas Raiders fit the bill with Fernando Mendoza.
This feels like new life for the Raiders, one that they sorely needed. I can very much believe that they are no longer fully in the cellar, even if it is going to take some time to get up to the penthouse.
One team that may finally surprise and perform better over their expectations thanks to their 2026 draft class is the New York Jets. They grabbed four starters with their first four draft picks (three in the first round) and they’re all at important positions on both the offensive and defensive sides of the ball.
If Geno Smith truly becomes a blunder again, it all won’t matter, but the Jets did what they needed to make the team around him as talented as possible with what resources they had.
My cousin and I share a Madden franchise where we each run a different team. We have certain rules because of how we are with one another, but this is the general premise that matters for this discussion.
Often time my cousin and I will start over following the actual NFL Draft and we will use rosters that awesome people on the internet have outfitted with the new rookies. It is always fun for him and I to discuss which teams are best to take over following the draft for Madden purposes.
The answer to this question depends on how someone likes to play Madden. If you are someone who wants an awesome team that got its final piece, then maybe you feel like the Eagles make sense. Perhaps you want to be the Rams and trade away Matthew Stafford. You can argue that the Texans roster picked up some dudes.
For me, I like the idea of taking over the Titans. I have all of these young pieces on offense and a chance to really make the team in my own image. Carnell Tate will be a ton of fun, I imagine a popular pick in dynasty leagues as well, and as I’m thinking this out loud the New Orleans Saints with Jordyn Tyson make sense, too.
I like the idea of taking over a team with young and exciting players at several important positions to use in Madden. If the quarterback is ho-hum, you need elite weapons – or at least elite in certain stats like Speed – to make up for it with your own schemes and play designs.
If I were to start a new Madden franchise, I’d probably go with the New York Jets because they just drafted uber-athletic tight end Kenyon Sadiq and pass rusher David Bailey. Those are two players you could utilize from the start to help make your team great. Sadiq provides a very fast option at a position that’s easy to scheme open on offense and Bailey gives your defense a notable pass rush monster who can go to work while you “user” linebacker Demario Davis behind him.
Seems like a very solid foundation to start with that should only get better with each year.
The draft is behind us, and we’re about to hit a long stretch of quiet in the NFL world. But that doesn’t mean there aren’t plenty of things to talk about.
One of the biggest stories of the NFL offseason has been that the Philadelphia Eagles are going to trade AJ Brown. It has reached the point where several outlets refer to it as inevitable and discuss it in that manner.
As inevitable as it may be, to date there has been no hard or concrete proof of this becoming a potential reality. This certainly changed during the first round when Philly moved up to draft USC wideout Makai Lemon.
It seems like the dawn of a new future for the Eagles offense has officially begun. You can argue that nobody signaled more about their future than the Eagles did in this respect. Maybe the Rams with Ty Simpson, but that’s about it.
The Rams using a first-round pick on Ty Simpson was certainly a surprise to me. He may have been the second-best quarterback in this class but it was also a very weak quarterback class altogether. I mean, they needed to go all-in for one more season if 2026 really is Matthew Stafford’s last ride before retiring. Instead, they drafted his replacement and used the rest of the picks on players I do not see making much of an impact this coming season.
It was a really weird year for the Rams when they’re normally pretty savvy about their selections year-in and year-out.
The Chargers needed to address their offensive guard spots in this draft and there was a lot of hope that they’d be able to land one of several impact guards either on Day 1 or 2. Instead, the Cardinals took my favorite guard prospect in Texas A&M’s Chase Bisontis very early on Day 2 before the Chargers ever got close to picking.
The Bolts traded back and took Florida center Jake Slaughter, who never spent a snap at guard in college. I don’t know how that solves the big issue for LA but it was very tough to see Bisontis go so early when I had convinced myself he could have been in play at No. 55.
THE DALLAS COWBOYS DRAFTED CALEB DOWNS AND I AM STILL LEVITATING.
Everything about the Cowboys drafting Caleb Downs is going to have me soaring until further notice. He is a defensive superstar, a perfect prospect in every sense, and he has all the makings of being the ambassador for the team that Dak Prescott is. That is high-level company.
What’s more is that Downs is a defensive back and the Cowboys just hired someone who is wizard in that space to run their defense in Christian Parker. This is like in Harry Potter when the wizards would go into Olivander’s and get a wand that was perfectly suited to who they were, what made them unique, so on and so forth.
This is magical in every way.
It feels strange to not have a new crop of franchise quarterbacks hanging out around the league following the draft. Only the Las Vegas Raiders fit the bill with Fernando Mendoza.
This feels like new life for the Raiders, one that they sorely needed. I can very much believe that they are no longer fully in the cellar, even if it is going to take some time to get up to the penthouse.
One team that may finally surprise and perform better over their expectations thanks to their 2026 draft class is the New York Jets. They grabbed four starters with their first four draft picks (three in the first round) and they’re all at important positions on both the offensive and defensive sides of the ball.
If Geno Smith truly becomes a blunder again, it all won’t matter, but the Jets did what they needed to make the team around him as talented as possible with what resources they had.
My cousin and I share a Madden franchise where we each run a different team. We have certain rules because of how we are with one another, but this is the general premise that matters for this discussion.
Often time my cousin and I will start over following the actual NFL Draft and we will use rosters that awesome people on the internet have outfitted with the new rookies. It is always fun for him and I to discuss which teams are best to take over following the draft for Madden purposes.
The answer to this question depends on how someone likes to play Madden. If you are someone who wants an awesome team that got its final piece, then maybe you feel like the Eagles make sense. Perhaps you want to be the Rams and trade away Matthew Stafford. You can argue that the Texans roster picked up some dudes.
For me, I like the idea of taking over the Titans. I have all of these young pieces on offense and a chance to really make the team in my own image. Carnell Tate will be a ton of fun, I imagine a popular pick in dynasty leagues as well, and as I’m thinking this out loud the New Orleans Saints with Jordyn Tyson make sense, too.
I like the idea of taking over a team with young and exciting players at several important positions to use in Madden. If the quarterback is ho-hum, you need elite weapons – or at least elite in certain stats like Speed – to make up for it with your own schemes and play designs.
If I were to start a new Madden franchise, I’d probably go with the New York Jets because they just drafted uber-athletic tight end Kenyon Sadiq and pass rusher David Bailey. Those are two players you could utilize from the start to help make your team great. Sadiq provides a very fast option at a position that’s easy to scheme open on offense and Bailey gives your defense a notable pass rush monster who can go to work while you “user” linebacker Demario Davis behind him.
Seems like a very solid foundation to start with that should only get better with each year.
The draft is behind us, and we’re about to hit a long stretch of quiet…
As many as 40 boxers face uncertainty after being omitted from the sanction letter issued by the Sports Authority of India for the national camp, casting doubt on their participation in the selection assessment process for this year’s Commonwealth Games and Asian Games.
According to the Boxing Federation of India’s selection policy, the top two finishers across 20 weight categories — 10 each in the men’s and women’s sections — at the Chief of Army Staff Cup, held from March 30 to April 5, were to be included in the national camp, which was scheduled to begin on April 25.
The policy, released in December last year, stated that these 40 boxers would be eligible for the assessment trials to determine India’s squads for the Commonwealth Games, Asian Games and the World Boxing Cup 2.
However, the sanction letter received by the BFI on April 29 did not include the names of these boxers.
“The sanction was received on April 29, 2026, and 40 names are currently missing from the list,” the federation said in a notification on Friday.
It is understood that the BFI has been in constant communication with SAI to resolve the issue but is yet to receive a response.
ALSO READ | Kuldeep Kumar sets new national pole vault record in Bhubaneswar
The assessment process, originally scheduled to begin on May 5, has been pushed back by a day and will now start on May 6 due to the uncertainty.
“We were told winning the COAS Cup would get us into the camp. It is the same policy as last year, so I don’t know what the issue is. This is the only way of getting into the camp and vying for the CWG and Asian Games, as I missed the Nationals due to injury.
“I am just hoping the sanction letter arrives over the weekend so that I can reach the camp on time and take part in the assessment,” one of the 40 boxers told PTI.
Under the revised schedule, the assessment will be conducted in two phases. Strength and conditioning tests will be held on May 6 and 7, followed by sparring bouts from May 11 to 15 in a knockout format to determine final standings across weight categories.
The evaluation will carry a total of 200 marks, combining technical and non-technical parameters. Non-technical components, including attendance, weight management, health management, international potential, and strength and conditioning, will contribute alongside technical assessments conducted by a panel of evaluators.
Rankings within each weight category will be determined through a structured knockout format.
The Commonwealth Games will be held in Glasgow from July 23 to August 2, while the Asian Games is scheduled from September 19 to October 4 in Aichi and Nagoya.
Published on May 02, 2026
As many as 40 boxers face uncertainty after being omitted from the sanction letter issued by the Sports Authority of India for the national camp, casting doubt on their participation in the selection assessment process for this year’s Commonwealth Games and Asian Games.
According to the Boxing Federation of India’s selection policy, the top two finishers across 20 weight categories — 10 each in the men’s and women’s sections — at the Chief of Army Staff Cup, held from March 30 to April 5, were to be included in the national camp, which was scheduled to begin on April 25.
The policy, released in December last year, stated that these 40 boxers would be eligible for the assessment trials to determine India’s squads for the Commonwealth Games, Asian Games and the World Boxing Cup 2.
However, the sanction letter received by the BFI on April 29 did not include the names of these boxers.
“The sanction was received on April 29, 2026, and 40 names are currently missing from the list,” the federation said in a notification on Friday.
It is understood that the BFI has been in constant communication with SAI to resolve the issue but is yet to receive a response.
ALSO READ | Kuldeep Kumar sets new national pole vault record in Bhubaneswar
The assessment process, originally scheduled to begin on May 5, has been pushed back by a day and will now start on May 6 due to the uncertainty.
“We were told winning the COAS Cup would get us into the camp. It is the same policy as last year, so I don’t know what the issue is. This is the only way of getting into the camp and vying for the CWG and Asian Games, as I missed the Nationals due to injury.
“I am just hoping the sanction letter arrives over the weekend so that I can reach the camp on time and take part in the assessment,” one of the 40 boxers told PTI.
Under the revised schedule, the assessment will be conducted in two phases. Strength and conditioning tests will be held on May 6 and 7, followed by sparring bouts from May 11 to 15 in a knockout format to determine final standings across weight categories.
The evaluation will carry a total of 200 marks, combining technical and non-technical parameters. Non-technical components, including attendance, weight management, health management, international potential, and strength and conditioning, will contribute alongside technical assessments conducted by a panel of evaluators.
Rankings within each weight category will be determined through a structured knockout format.
The Commonwealth Games will be held in Glasgow from July 23 to August 2, while the Asian Games is scheduled from September 19 to October 4 in Aichi and Nagoya.
Published on May 02, 2026
As many as 40 boxers face uncertainty after being omitted from the sanction letter issued…
Donald Trump on Friday acknowledged that Melania Trump “hates” when he performs his signature stiff-armed,…
May 1, 2026; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Red Sox left fielder Jarren Duran (16) runs the bases after hitting a three-run home run against the Houston Astros during the third inning at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Brian Fluharty-Imagn Images Jarren Duran hit a three-run home run and Jake Bennett pitched well in his major league debut to propel the Boston Red Sox to a 3-1 victory over the visiting Houston Astros in the opener of their three-games series Friday night.
Bennett, who was called up from Triple-A Worcester on Friday to start in place of Garrett Crochet, allowed one run on five hits in five innings. He walked two and struck out three. Crochet was placed on the injured list Wednesday with shoulder inflammation.
Boston received four scoreless innings from four relievers after Bennett (1-0) was pulled. Carlos Correa doubled against Aroldis Chapman with two outs in the ninth, but Chapman got Yordan Alvarez to ground out to second to end the game. Chapman earned his sixth save.
The victory ended Boston’s two-game losing streak, and its three-game home losing streak.
Correa had three hits, including his third home run of the season. Isaac Paredes and Yainer Diaz each had two hits for the Astros.
Houston starter Mike Burrows (1-4) took the loss. He surrendered three runs on eight hits in six innings.
Roman Anthony collected three of Boston’s 10 hits. Anthony hit a double and singled twice. Trevor Story was 2-for-4, and Marcelo Mayer collected a single to extend his hitting streak to nine games.
The Astros grabbed a 1-0 lead on Correa’s solo home run in the top of the third.
Boston took a 3-1 lead in the bottom half of the third. After Carlos Narvaez walked and Caleb Durbin singled, Duran drove in both runners when he hit his second home run of the season.
Houston had runners on second and third with two outs in the eighth, but Garrett Whitlock retired Cam Smith on a pop-up to first base.
The loss dropped Houston’s road record to 4-13.
–Field Level Media
May 1, 2026; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Red Sox left fielder Jarren Duran (16) runs the bases after hitting a three-run home run against the Houston Astros during the third inning at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Brian Fluharty-Imagn Images Jarren Duran hit a three-run home run and Jake Bennett pitched well in his major league debut to propel the Boston Red Sox to a 3-1 victory over the visiting Houston Astros in the opener of their three-games series Friday night.
Bennett, who was called up from Triple-A Worcester on Friday to start in place of Garrett Crochet, allowed one run on five hits in five innings. He walked two and struck out three. Crochet was placed on the injured list Wednesday with shoulder inflammation.
Boston received four scoreless innings from four relievers after Bennett (1-0) was pulled. Carlos Correa doubled against Aroldis Chapman with two outs in the ninth, but Chapman got Yordan Alvarez to ground out to second to end the game. Chapman earned his sixth save.
The victory ended Boston’s two-game losing streak, and its three-game home losing streak.
Correa had three hits, including his third home run of the season. Isaac Paredes and Yainer Diaz each had two hits for the Astros.
Houston starter Mike Burrows (1-4) took the loss. He surrendered three runs on eight hits in six innings.
Roman Anthony collected three of Boston’s 10 hits. Anthony hit a double and singled twice. Trevor Story was 2-for-4, and Marcelo Mayer collected a single to extend his hitting streak to nine games.
The Astros grabbed a 1-0 lead on Correa’s solo home run in the top of the third.
Boston took a 3-1 lead in the bottom half of the third. After Carlos Narvaez walked and Caleb Durbin singled, Duran drove in both runners when he hit his second home run of the season.
Houston had runners on second and third with two outs in the eighth, but Garrett Whitlock retired Cam Smith on a pop-up to first base.
The loss dropped Houston’s road record to 4-13.
–Field Level Media
May 1, 2026; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Red Sox left fielder Jarren Duran (16) runs…
World Athletics president Sebastian Coe has told AFP he will remain “tough” on the issue of athletes switching nationality after his federation blocked a bid by top Jamaicans and Kenyans to move to Turkey.
The 2024 Olympic men’s discus champion Roje Stona from Jamaica, and a quintet of Kenyans including former women’s marathon world record-holder Brigid Kosgei, were among the 11 targeted by lucrative offers from Turkey.
“The concept is very simple, there should be a very clear understanding and philosophy that the country an athlete starts their career in is the country that they finish their career in,” Coe said in an interview on Friday ahead of the World Athletics Relays event in Botswana.
“And for global championships to have meaning and to have understanding, people need to witness championships where you have national-based competitions,” he added.
Coe said a World Athletics panel examined every request to switch nationality and he accepted in some cases there would be circumstances in which it was acceptable, such as marriage or “political intolerance”.
But he said Turkey’s bid to recruit elite athletes from other countries by offering them financial packages in a bid to boost its medal count at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics was the kind of move that would always be rejected.
ALSO READ: Kuldeep Kumar sets new national pole vault record in Bhubaneswar
“If it is simply about wanting to move from one federation to another, that doesn’t fall into that criteria. We will remain tough,” Coe said.
“It’s very important, most federations rely very heavily on government investment and government investment will dry up if those governments think that they are investing in talent programmes for other countries.”
Letsile Tebogo, the 2024 Olympic 200 metres champion and the leading light of a talented crop of Botswanan sprinters, revealed in December that he has rebuffed offers to switch to Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Tunisia.
Botswana, a country of 2.5 million inhabitants which is largely desert, has experienced economic turbulence with the downturn of the global diamond market, which represents 30 percent of its GDP, but continues to inject funds into its successful athletics programme.
Published on May 02, 2026
World Athletics president Sebastian Coe has told AFP he will remain “tough” on the issue of athletes switching nationality after his federation blocked a bid by top Jamaicans and Kenyans to move to Turkey.
The 2024 Olympic men’s discus champion Roje Stona from Jamaica, and a quintet of Kenyans including former women’s marathon world record-holder Brigid Kosgei, were among the 11 targeted by lucrative offers from Turkey.
“The concept is very simple, there should be a very clear understanding and philosophy that the country an athlete starts their career in is the country that they finish their career in,” Coe said in an interview on Friday ahead of the World Athletics Relays event in Botswana.
“And for global championships to have meaning and to have understanding, people need to witness championships where you have national-based competitions,” he added.
Coe said a World Athletics panel examined every request to switch nationality and he accepted in some cases there would be circumstances in which it was acceptable, such as marriage or “political intolerance”.
But he said Turkey’s bid to recruit elite athletes from other countries by offering them financial packages in a bid to boost its medal count at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics was the kind of move that would always be rejected.
ALSO READ: Kuldeep Kumar sets new national pole vault record in Bhubaneswar
“If it is simply about wanting to move from one federation to another, that doesn’t fall into that criteria. We will remain tough,” Coe said.
“It’s very important, most federations rely very heavily on government investment and government investment will dry up if those governments think that they are investing in talent programmes for other countries.”
Letsile Tebogo, the 2024 Olympic 200 metres champion and the leading light of a talented crop of Botswanan sprinters, revealed in December that he has rebuffed offers to switch to Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Tunisia.
Botswana, a country of 2.5 million inhabitants which is largely desert, has experienced economic turbulence with the downturn of the global diamond market, which represents 30 percent of its GDP, but continues to inject funds into its successful athletics programme.
Published on May 02, 2026
World Athletics president Sebastian Coe has told AFP he will remain “tough” on the issue…
सतना के जसो थाना क्षेत्र में शनिवार दोपहर एक दर्दनाक सड़क हादसे में कार चालक…
Apr 26, 2026; Carson, California, USA; LA Galaxy midfielder Marco Reus (18) reacts after scoring a goal during the second half against Real Salt Lake at Dignity Health Sports Park. Mandatory Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images While there’s a lot of time left in the MLS season, it’s also true that every result you book now means one less you need in October.
That’s why the Los Angeles Galaxy could use three points from Saturday night’s fixture with the Vancouver Whitecaps in Carson, Calif.
While Vancouver (8-1-0, 24 points) leads the league in goal differential and has more points than any team except San Jose, LA (3-4-3, 12 points) currently sits at 10th in the West standings. That would leave it out of the postseason if it started Saturday.
The two pieces of good news are that the postseason doesn’t start for nearly six months, and that the Galaxy are coming off a 2-1 win April 26 against Real Salt Lake. Marco Reus delivered both goals, including a penalty kick in the 85th minute to snap a 1-1 tie.
Reus, who helped take up the offensive slack left by injured striker Joao Klauss (foot), thinks Los Angeles learned a lesson.
“You don’t have to play nice to win games,” he said. “Sometimes, you have to play dirty to win games. It doesn’t matter if we’re defending or playing forward.”
While Los Angeles searches for consistency, the Whitecaps aim to keep their considerable off-field distractions off the field. The Athletic reported Friday morning that an investor group led by 30-year-old Grant Gustavson has made an offer to buy the team with the intention of moving it to Las Vegas.
The franchise has been up for sale since December 2024. The league said the team’s lease with BC Place, whose primary tenant is the CFL’s B.C. Lions, is untenable. The city has a site in mind for a soccer-specific stadium but lacks a bridge deal to get past this year, much less build the facility.
Despite that as the backdrop, Vancouver has steamrolled nearly everyone. It’s coming off a 3-1 home win April 25 against Colorado behind a brace from Brian White, whose eight goals trail only Petar Musa (Dallas) and Sam Surridge (Nashville).
“We believe in each other. We believe in the staff,” midfielder Sebastian Berhalter said.
–Field Level Media
Apr 26, 2026; Carson, California, USA; LA Galaxy midfielder Marco Reus (18) reacts after scoring a goal during the second half against Real Salt Lake at Dignity Health Sports Park. Mandatory Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images While there’s a lot of time left in the MLS season, it’s also true that every result you book now means one less you need in October.
That’s why the Los Angeles Galaxy could use three points from Saturday night’s fixture with the Vancouver Whitecaps in Carson, Calif.
While Vancouver (8-1-0, 24 points) leads the league in goal differential and has more points than any team except San Jose, LA (3-4-3, 12 points) currently sits at 10th in the West standings. That would leave it out of the postseason if it started Saturday.
The two pieces of good news are that the postseason doesn’t start for nearly six months, and that the Galaxy are coming off a 2-1 win April 26 against Real Salt Lake. Marco Reus delivered both goals, including a penalty kick in the 85th minute to snap a 1-1 tie.
Reus, who helped take up the offensive slack left by injured striker Joao Klauss (foot), thinks Los Angeles learned a lesson.
“You don’t have to play nice to win games,” he said. “Sometimes, you have to play dirty to win games. It doesn’t matter if we’re defending or playing forward.”
While Los Angeles searches for consistency, the Whitecaps aim to keep their considerable off-field distractions off the field. The Athletic reported Friday morning that an investor group led by 30-year-old Grant Gustavson has made an offer to buy the team with the intention of moving it to Las Vegas.
The franchise has been up for sale since December 2024. The league said the team’s lease with BC Place, whose primary tenant is the CFL’s B.C. Lions, is untenable. The city has a site in mind for a soccer-specific stadium but lacks a bridge deal to get past this year, much less build the facility.
Despite that as the backdrop, Vancouver has steamrolled nearly everyone. It’s coming off a 3-1 home win April 25 against Colorado behind a brace from Brian White, whose eight goals trail only Petar Musa (Dallas) and Sam Surridge (Nashville).
“We believe in each other. We believe in the staff,” midfielder Sebastian Berhalter said.
–Field Level Media
Apr 26, 2026; Carson, California, USA; LA Galaxy midfielder Marco Reus (18) reacts after scoring…
