As Indian skipper Nasser Hussain jokingly tried to measure up against his towering 7’5” Chinese counterpart Ma Bing, it depicted the gulf separating the two rugby playing nations. A gulf that Hussain and his boys have been trying hard to fill.

Jamaican super sprinter Usain Bolt has withdrawn from the June 12 Diamond League meeting in New York City because of an Achilles tendon issue, organisers said here on Monday.

Fabio Capello knows his final England World Cup squad but won’t divulge it until Tuesday’s deadline.

Joachim Loew did not need long to find the man he believes will fill the void left by the injured Michael Ballack.

Four-time world champion M.C. Mary Kom notched up her third Asian title while L. Sarita Devi clinched her fourth, as the Indian boxers finished fourth in the event with two gold, a silver and five bronze medals in Astana, Kazakhstan, on Sundayday.

The war between the sports ministry and the brass of the Indian Olympic Association and National Sports Federations over tenure limits has of late turned into an exchange of letters, with the latter frequently flaunting letters of support from the world governing body or their Asian counterpart.

The construction delays across the 11 venues for the Commonwealth Games is keeping organisers on tenterhooks. Although most of the venues have been inaugurated, Commonwealth Games Federation’s chief executive officer Mike Hooper feels there is still some way to go before they can be ‘Games-ready’.

Around 300 athletes from the continent will participate in the Asian Grand Prix Athletic Championship to be held here on June 9, Organising Committee chairman W.I. Davaram said here on Thursday.

Four-time world champion M.C. Mary Kom (46kg) and L. Sarita Devi (51kg) were assured of at least a bronze medal each after they eased into the semifinals of the Asian women’s boxing championship in Astana, Kazakhstan.

With India facing the very tangible danger of being kicked out of the Olympic family following a series of tersely-worded emails between the International Olympic Committee and the sports ministry over tenure limits, the latter has sought to defuse the situation through a meeting with IOC President Jacques Rogge.