United News of Bangladesh

The Asian Games feature many sports that may be less familiar to audiences outside Asia, including kabaddi, sepaktakraw, wushu and kurash. Alongside popular Olympic sports, the Games provide a platform for traditional and regional competitions that have strong followings in parts of Asia but have yet to gain the same global popularity. Among them, kabaddi is perhaps the most distinctive. Believed to have originated in the Indian subcontinent, the contact team sport is hugely popular in India, where professional leagues attract millions of viewers. Historically, the game was used to develop strength, agility, breath control and self-defense skills. India won both kabaddi gold medals at the Asian Games, with the women's team beating Iran 37-34 and the men's team defeating Iran 40-34. Indian player Pawan Kumar said his team focused on protecting its lead after gaining an advantage. “Once we had the lead, we wanted to protect it,” Kumar said. “So we played safe and used the time available to us. That helped us maintain our advantage until the end.” Kabaddi is played without a ball, bat, goal or racket. Instead, players use tags, tackles and wrestling techniques. The sport was featured as a demonstration event at the 1936 Berlin Olympics but has not become a regular Olympic sport. It has similarities to games such as “Red Rover” in the United States and “British Bulldog” in England. Under the Asian Games format, two teams of seven players compete on a rectangular court. One attacking player, known as a raider, crosses the centerline and has 30 seconds to touch as many opponents as possible before returning to his or her own side without being tackled. A match consists of two 20-minute halves. Teams score by tagging opponents or successfully stopping a raider. Sepaktakraw: volleyball played with the feetSepaktakraw resembles volleyball but comes with a major difference: players cannot use their hands. Instead, they use their feet and other parts of the body to send a ball over a net about five feet high. Depending on the format, teams have two, three or four players. The objective is similar to volleyball — send the ball over the net and make it land on the opponent's side. The ball is smaller than a volleyball or soccer ball and is roughly the size of a cantaloupe or large grapefruit. The sport originated in Southeast Asia and is sometimes called “kick volleyball.” Wushu is also known as kung fuWushu, commonly known as kung fu, is the Chinese term for martial arts. It has been part of the Asian Games since 1990, when it was introduced at the Beijing Games. Although wushu has been proposed for the Olympics, it has never been included as a medal sport. The competition has two main disciplines. Taolu involves athletes performing choreographed routines that demonstrate martial arts techniques, while sanda is a full-contact discipline often described as Chinese kickboxing. Kurash traces its roots to UzbekistanKurash is a traditional form of wrestling with roots in Central Asia, particularly Uzbekistan. The sport includes several folk wrestling styles and is believed to have existed for thousands of years. It made its Asian Games debut at the 2018 Games in Indonesia, where Uzbekistan topped the medal table. Iran, Mongolia, Taiwan and India also won multiple medals at the event.

Cricket powerhouses India and Pakistan reached the Asian Games semifinals without playing a match after rain forced the cancellation of their quarterfinal games on Monday. Defending champions India advanced at the expense of Afghanistan, while Pakistan moved on after their match against Hong Kong was also washed out. The results were decided according to the teams’ world rankings. India, led by Shreyas Iyer and featuring fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah and 15-year-old batting prospect Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, are yet to play an official match in the tournament. They did, however, beat Japan in a warm-up game last week. India are the back-to-back T20 World Cup champions and play in the Indian Premier League, the richest cricket league in the world. The Asian Games is being played in the Twenty20 format, which will also feature at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. India will face either Sri Lanka or Nepal in the semifinals, while Pakistan will take on either Bangladesh or Malaysia. India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka were seeded for the tournament and entered the competition directly at the quarterfinal stage.

Thailand’s Puripol Boonson equaled the Asian record in the men’s 200 meters, while China secured three athletics gold medals at the 2026 Asian Games on Sunday. Boonson clocked 19.88 seconds in the men’s 200m final to match the Asian record set by China’s Xie Zhenye in 2019. China’s Huang Youwen finished second in 20.45 seconds. “It was the first time I’d ever raced someone at that level, and it was a great experience,” Huang said. “We were only 50 meters in, and I could already tell how fast he was.” Huang said he would set ambitious goals ahead of next year’s world championships. China began its gold-medal haul with Chen Yuanjiang’s victory in the men’s 110m hurdles. Chen finished in 13.15 seconds, ahead of Japan’s Rachid Muratake and the Philippines’ John Tolentino. China had won the event at 10 consecutive Asian Games before failing to claim the title at the 2023 Hangzhou Games. “I’m thrilled. We’ve taken this gold medal back,” Chen said after his victory. In the women’s javelin, China’s Asian record holder Yan Ziyi secured gold with a 70.46-meter throw on her opening attempt. Japan’s Olympic champion Haruka Kitaguchi took silver with 62.70 meters. Yan’s effort also surpassed the previous Asian Games record of 66.09 meters set by compatriot Liu Shiying. “I didn’t expect to wrap it up in one throw,” Yan said, adding that she hopes to target another record at next year’s world championships in Beijing. Singapore’s Shanti Pereira successfully defended her women’s 200m Asian Games title with a season-best 22.78 seconds. China’s 17-year-old Chen Yujie, who won the 100m with a Games record, took silver in 22.93 seconds. Chen said she had planned to stay close to Pereira through the bend before attempting to overtake her in the final straight. In the women’s long jump, China’s Huang Yingying produced a 6.55-meter effort in her final attempt to overtake India’s Ancy Sojan Edappilly by two centimeters. China’s Tan Mengyi won bronze with 6.46 meters. Huang, who also won silver in the triple jump, said she needed to improve her consistency ahead of next year’s world championships and the 2028 Olympics. In the men’s high jump, Chinese Taipei’s Fu Chao-hsuan cleared 2.25 meters to win gold, with India’s Sarvesh Kushare taking silver. Qatar’s 35-year-old Olympic medalist Mutaz Barshim withdrew from the final. Earlier Sunday, Japan’s Hayato Katsuki won the men’s marathon race walk in 3:03:36, finishing ahead of China’s Zhou Yingcheng. Kazakhstan’s Yasmina Toxanbayeva claimed the women’s title in 3:22:20, while China’s Danzengquzong and Ma Li took silver and bronze. China’s men’s and women’s 4x100m relay teams also won their respective heats to advance to the finals.

The Bangladesh Cricket Board on Sunday unveiled a new three-format domestic tournament that will bring together T20, 50-over and four-day cricket under a single competition in an effort to increase interest in the country’s domestic game. The tournament, called the Domestic Three Trophy, or D3 Trophy, will feature six teams owned by six corporate groups under three-year agreements with the BCB. The six teams are backed by H. Bluestar, Walton Group, Citizens Bank, ACME Group, Seven Rings Cement and Fortune Group. The team owners include three BCB directors: Fahim Sinha of ACME Group, Mizanur Rahman of Fortune Group and Shahniyan Tanim of H. Bluestar. The D3 Trophy will replace three of the BCB’s existing domestic competitions with a single structure. The four-day National Cricket League will remain separate, while the Bangladesh Cricket League’s four-day and one-day competitions and the NCL’s T20 competition will be incorporated into the new tournament. The T20 competition will open the tournament on Dec. 15 at the renovated Jibanananda Das Cricket Stadium in Barishal. The BCB plans to gradually take the competition to all divisions. Khulna is being considered as the second venue, with Dhaka as an alternative. The four-day matches will begin in January, followed by the 50-over competition in May. Across the three formats, the tournament will feature seven four-day matches, 16 one-day matches and 19 T20 matches. Each team will be allowed to sign up to 23 players for all three formats. Coaching staff, analysts, physiotherapists and trainers will also be selected through a draft. The six teams announced their icon players at Sunday’s launch. Walton selected Mehedi Hasan Miraz, Fortune chose Towhid Hridoy, ACME took Mosaddek Hossain, Seven Rings Cement picked Mushfiqur Rahim, H. Bluestar selected Nurul Hasan and Citizens Bank named Mohammad Naim. BCB President Tamim Iqbal said the board had been concerned by criticism that domestic cricket had lost its appeal. “We often hear that domestic cricket has lost its color, that there is no interest and that some call it picnic cricket,” he said. “When we came to the board, we were concerned about this and thought about how we could bring that color back.” Youth and Sports State Minister Aminul Haque said keeping domestic cricket active for six or seven months a year could help narrow the gap between players competing at domestic level and those in the national team.

Real Madrid forward Kylian Mbappé has been diagnosed with a hyperextension injury to the posterior capsule of his left knee, the Spanish club said Saturday. Mbappé suffered the injury during France’s 1-0 Nations League victory over Turkey on Friday, leaving the field shortly after scoring his record-extending 67th international goal. France coach Zinedine Zidane had earlier said the initial prognosis was “not good.” Real Madrid confirmed the injury after medical tests on Saturday but did not provide a recovery timeline or specify the treatment planned for the forward. “After the tests carried out today on our player Kylian Mbappé by Real Madrid’s Medical Services, he has been diagnosed with a hyperextension of the posterior capsule of his left knee,” the club said in a statement. France is scheduled to play Belgium away on Monday before facing Italy on Oct. 2 and Belgium again three days later, with the latter two matches set to be held at Stade de France.

World champion Spain extended its unbeaten run to 39 matches after coming from behind to defeat England 3-2 in the Nations League at Wembley on Saturday. Mikel Oyarzabal, who came off the bench, scored the decisive goal in the 74th minute to complete Spain’s comeback after England led 2-1 at halftime. Oyarzabal had also scored the winning goal when Spain defeated England in the 2024 European Championship final. This time, he calmly chipped goalkeeper James Trafford from close range after receiving a pass from Alex Baena. England missed a chance to move 3-1 ahead when Harry Kane failed to convert a second-half penalty, while defensive mistakes also contributed to Spain’s first two goals. “We couldn’t unfortunately convert the penalty, that may have been the decisive moment because I think then Spain would have maybe for the first time believed that their long run of unbeaten games ends here,” England coach Thomas Tuchel told ITV Sport. “The third goal, I think, was the only goal that they really scored. The other ones there were too many individual big mistakes,” he said. Spain, playing its first match since defeating Argentina in the World Cup final, made a fast start when Lamine Yamal scored less than two minutes into the game. Yamal dispossessed England defender Marc Guehi before firing a low shot past Trafford into the far corner. Spain created several chances and Ferran Torres, who scored the winning goal in the World Cup final, twice failed to capitalize after getting through on goal. England eventually equalized in the 36th minute when Antony Gordon finished a quick counterattack after combining with Jude Bellingham. The hosts then took the lead four minutes later as Kane headed the ball, with his effort taking a deflection off Marc Cucurella. England had another opportunity early in the second half after Rodri brought down Kane inside the penalty area. Following a VAR review, a penalty was awarded, but Kane slipped during his run-up and missed. Spain took advantage of the reprieve in the 60th minute. Baena curled a low shot into the corner after Nico O'Reilly lost possession near his own goal. Oyarzabal then completed Spain’s comeback 14 minutes later, converting Baena’s assist. “We had a terrible start, the worst start possible. It makes it so difficult to be behind against this kind of team,” Tuchel said. “There will always be moments where you suffer against a team like this, the details matter. It matters that you take your chances and you reduce the decisive mistakes. This was not in our favor today,” he added. Modric continues to deliver Luka Modric showed his enduring quality at 41, scoring Croatia’s opening goal in a 2-1 away victory over the Czech Republic. Spain leads Group A3 ahead of Croatia on goals scored. New Scotland coach Sebastien Pocognoli began his tenure with a 0-0 draw against Slovenia. Elsewhere, Zeki Amdouni scored twice as Switzerland defeated North Macedonia 3-0, while Joel Pohjanpalo scored a hat trick in Finland’s 7-0 rout of bottom-ranked San Marino.

Virat Kohli has confirmed that the 2027 ODI World Cup will be his final World Cup appearance for India, saying he is determined to give everything to help the team win the title. Kohli, the leading century-maker in ODI cricket with 54 hundreds, has already retired from T20 internationals and Test cricket. He now represents India only in the 50-over format. The 37-year-old has scored 14,941 runs in ODIs, second only to Sachin Tendulkar’s 18,426. Kohli was part of India’s World Cup-winning team on home soil in 2011 and also played in the 2023 final, where India lost to Australia. The 2027 World Cup, jointly hosted by South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia in October and November, will be Kohli’s fifth ODI World Cup. “For me, it’s the last World Cup I’m going to play for India,” Kohli told broadcaster JioStar on Saturday. “That is my motivation ... to leave everything out there. And of course, the goal is absolutely to win the World Cup and whatever it takes, I’m absolutely ready.” Kohli said playing a 50-over World Cup is one of cricket’s toughest challenges, particularly because the 2027 tournament will be held outside India. “The intensity of a 50-over World Cup is greater than anything,” he said. “You are playing 2.5 T20 games in one day. And to maintain that intensity for 10 games in a big tournament and World Cup is a big deal. Also now, it’s in foreign conditions. It takes a lot out of you.” Former India captain Rohit Sharma, who also now plays only ODIs, said he remains motivated by the prospect of another World Cup campaign. “The thought will never cross my mind that the business I had is finished,” Rohit said. “As long as you’re playing, there is always something to look forward to. And I’m looking forward to the World Cup.” Kohli and Rohit were both included in India’s squad for the three-match ODI series against the West Indies. The opening match is scheduled to be played in Thiruvananthapuram on Sunday. Source: Al Jazeera

Eleven-year-old Japanese elementary school student Yuki Kurihara made history on Saturday by winning the gold medal in esports at the Asian Games. Kurihara defeated South Korea’s Kang Dongshin 10-2 in the final of the Puyo Puyo Champions puzzle game to claim the title. He had earlier beaten Thailand’s 28-year-old Tanarak Wongkitikun 10-1 in the semifinals. “I’m really happy,” Kurihara said after winning the gold medal. “The gold medal is really beautiful, shiny and heavy.” He also said he liked the mascot plush toy he received as part of the prize. “The plush toy is super cute, and it’s cool that it is gold-colored too,” he said. Kang praised the young Japanese player after the final. “It’s obvious that my opponent was skilled and above my level,” Kang said. “His technical ability and accuracy are incredible.” Kurihara is believed to be the youngest-ever gold medalist in Asian Games history, which dates back to the first edition in New Delhi, India, in 1951. He is also the youngest athlete competing at the current Games. Japanese media reports said Kurihara trains for about eight hours a day while continuing his school studies. He became interested in esports when he was in kindergarten and reportedly considers eel his favorite training food. Esports made its Asian Games debut three years ago in Hangzhou, China. The event proved highly popular, with tickets distributed through a lottery system. Esports has also attracted a large following in Japan. Several other young athletes are making headlines at the Games. Hong Kong’s Kamus Wong is competing in skateboarding at age 12, while 13-year-old Chinese swimmer Yu Zidi has won three gold medals. Meanwhile, 17-year-old Japanese swimmer Shin Ohashi set a world record in the 200-meter breaststroke on Thursday.

Manchester City is prepared to challenge the Premier League for months if the club is found guilty of alleged financial breaches in a case that could become one of the biggest scandals in English soccer. Reports on Friday said an independent panel had upheld almost all of the more than 100 financial charges brought against City. The club did not confirm the reported decision, saying its case with the Premier League was still "ongoing." However, City would appeal any guilty verdict, and the process could take several months, according to a person familiar with the matter who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because of confidentiality requirements. The Athletic first reported that City had been found guilty of all but one of more than 100 charges brought by the Premier League. The league accused the club in February 2023 of providing misleading financial information over a nine-year period from 2009 to 2018. The report said the punishment has not yet been decided and that all options remain open. The BBC also reported the development. In a statement, City said: "The Premier League process remains ongoing, with significant elements to be completed, and subject to strict confidentiality." The club said its position remained unchanged from its previous statements and that it had consistently denied the charges. "City has diligently respected due process for eight years," the club said, adding that it expected the Premier League board and executive to act as an "independent, impartial and fair-minded regulator, free from partisan influence." If found guilty, City could face a major points deduction, with expulsion from the Premier League among the most severe possible punishments. The Premier League declined to comment when contacted by The Associated Press on Friday. City has repeatedly denied wrongdoing since allegedly hacked emails and documents were published by German magazine Der Spiegel from 2018. The documents allegedly suggested that the club had tried to hide the source of revenue from deals linked to Abu Dhabi. Abu Dhabi's ruling family bought City in 2008 and oversaw hundreds of millions of dollars in spending on some of the world's leading players over the following two decades. City has been one of the most successful teams in English soccer over the past 15 years, winning eight Premier League titles since 2012 and the Champions League in 2023. During the period covered by the charges, from 2009 to 2018, City won the Premier League three times in 2012, 2014 and 2018. The latest reports come after Pep Guardiola stepped down as City's manager at the end of last season following a highly successful period for the club. Guardiola had consistently maintained that City was innocent. "What people accuse us of, we do not agree with what they say," he said in 2023. Spain midfielder Rodri, who played for City from 2019 before joining Barcelona this offseason, also said he believed the club had done nothing wrong. "They always expressed the confidence that they never did something wrong, and we believe in that," Rodri said of City's ownership. "Until the moment they are proved wrong, we believe in the club. I've been there, I know how they work, and how they co-operate." Speaking at Wembley Stadium on Friday, a day before Spain was scheduled to play England in the Nations League, Rodri said City's recent titles could not be taken away. "It is something that is not paid by money, it is paid with effort, with partnership and with being shoulder to shoulder every day," he said. "We had a lot of success over the years, and here in Wembley, so I can tell you everything was deserved and I'm glad I could live one of the best eras of English football." Former Manchester United and England player Rio Ferdinand, meanwhile, suggested on X that City's titles should be removed and awarded to the runners-up in the respective seasons. "Another Premier League medal to be added to the cabinet," Ferdinand posted, referring to City's 2012 title ahead of United. The Premier League has financial fair play rules aimed at ensuring clubs largely spend within the limits of their legitimate revenues and that sponsorship deals reflect market value. City had previously faced allegations from UEFA, European soccer's governing body, of overstating sponsorship revenue to comply with its Financial Fair Play regulations. In 2020, UEFA ruled that City had committed "serious breaches" of FFP rules between 2012 and 2016. However, the Court of Arbitration for Sport later overturned a two-year European competition ban after finding that some allegations were not established or related to matters that were too old to be investigated. The Premier League charges followed a four-year investigation. City was accused of more than 100 breaches, including providing misleading financial information and failing to cooperate with the investigation.

Defensive mistakes proved costly for Bangladesh as Malaysia ran out 3-0 winners in their opening ASEAN Cup match on Thursday in Jakarta. Bangladesh stayed with Malaysia for the opening 15 minutes at Gelora Bung Karno Stadium, but once Arif Aiman broke the deadlock in the 18th minute, the game seemed to slip away. Aiman opened the scoring after finding space in a Bangladesh defence that struggled to deal with the Malaysian attack. Shakil Ahad tried to close him down but could not prevent the forward from finishing. Bangladesh had a chance to respond in the 33rd minute. Sad Uddin’s pass found Rakib Hossain inside the Malaysia penalty area, but the forward was closely marked and could not get his shot away. Five minutes later, another mistake at the back left Bangladesh fighting a two-goal deficit. Shakil lost possession while trying to play the ball forward, allowing Aiman to go through one-on-one with goalkeeper Mehedi Hasan and score his second goal. Bangladesh made two changes at halftime, with Shahriar Emon and Shuki Itofusa replacing Fahmidul and Farhan. The changes brought some more pace to Bangladesh’s attack, but they could not turn that into clear chances. Instead, Malaysia scored again in the 52nd minute, with Bergson taking advantage of another lapse in the Bangladesh defence. Thomas Dooley made two further changes in the 59th minute, sending on Sheikh Morsalin and Zidan Yousuf for Tariq Kazi and Shamit Som. It was Zidan’s first senior appearance for Bangladesh. Bangladesh’s best chance to reduce the deficit came in the 75th minute when Hamza Choudhury had two attempts, but neither found the target. Shahriar Emon also got a shot away seven minutes later, only for the Malaysia goalkeeper to make a routine save. The defeat was Dooley’s second match in charge of Bangladesh. The result also ended Malaysia’s two-match run without a goal. Malaysia are ranked 136th in the FIFA rankings, 45 places above Bangladesh at 181st. The match was also the Bangladesh debut of 19-year-old Farhan, who is contracted to Premier League club Fulham and is currently on loan at National League side Boreham Wood. Bangladesh will face Singapore on September 28 before taking on Indonesia in their other Group One match.