A summary of sports events and persons who made news on Monday.
Senior officials are looking to launch a new European Olympics competition, European Olympic Committee (EOC) president Patrick Hickey said on Friday.
"Kashmir was main cause of unrest in the region and India must show seriousness for resolution of the issue and honour its commitment under United Nations Security Council Resolutions," Sharif was quoted as saying by Associated Press of Pakistan.
Five-times European champions Liverpool survived a late scare to move into the last 32 of the Europa League with a 1-0 win over Italian side Udinese on Thursday.
Chelsea beat Eintracht Frankfurt on penalties on Thursday to set up an all-English Europa League final with local rivals Arsenal in Baku on May 29.
Israel is "deeply embedded" in Azerbaijan and can use its airbases bordering Iran to carry out an attack against Iranian nuclear installations, a media report said.
The Asian Olympic boxing qualifiers in Astana, Kazakhstan, did wonders to Vikas Krishan. He did not participate in it, but with three other Indian pugilists -- Shiva Thapa, Sumit Sangwan and Vijender Singh -- booking berths to the London Olympics from the tournament, he got off the media radar.
The European Olympic Committee (EOC) voted on Saturday to launch a new European Games multi-sport competition with the first event taking place in Baku, Azerbaijan in 2015.
In an interview with Bikash Mohapatra, boxer Devendro Singh assesses his performance in London, laments missing out on a medal and promises to win one the next time. Excerpts from the interview.
India's young boxing sensation Vikas Krishan Yadav talks about his achievements, his transition into the senior tour, his unique technique and preparations for the 2012 Olympics.
Moments to remember from the quarter-finals.
Days after India won two medals in wrestling at the London Olympics, the country's next batch of promising grapplers were robbed of an opportunity to compete in the World Cadet Championship to be held in Baku, Ajerbaijan as they were denied visa.
Commonwealth Games gold medallist Suranjoy Singh pummelled Hungary's Dobradi Zsolt in his opening bout to sail into the second round of the World Boxing Championships in Baku, Azerbaijan, on Tuesday. Suranjoy, also an Asian Games bronze medallist, beat Zsolt 24-8 in a lopsided bout of the first Olympic qualifying event.
Teen boxing sensation Vikas Krishan (69kg), who fetched India's lone medal at last month's World Championships, zoomed to a career-best second spot but Olympic hero Vijender Singh (75kg) did not find a place in the latest international rankings issued by AIBA.
The youngest World Championships medallist in Indian boxing, teen sensation Vikas Krishan says the bronze he notched up in the recently-concluded mega-event in Azerbaijan was a bonus after he achieved his main target of qualifying for next year's London Olympics.
Teen Indian boxing sensation Vikas Krishan's dream run at the World Championships came to an end as he settled for a bronze medal after losing his welterweight (69kg) semifinal bout in Baku, Azerbaijan, on Saturday.
Indian boxers packed a powerful punch as Jai Bhagwan (60kg) joined Commonwealth Games medallists Manoj Kumar (64kg) and rookie teen sensation L Devendro Singh in qualifying for the London Olympics by advancing to the World Championships' quarter-finals with contrasting wins in Baku, Azerbaijan, on Tuesday.
Teen sensation L Devendro Singh (49kg) and Commonwealth Games gold-medallist Manoj Kumar (64kg) booked Olympic berths by advancing to the World Boxing Championships' quarter-finals with contrasting wins in Baku, Azerbaijan, on Tuesday.
Asian Games gold medalist and youth Olympics bronze medalist Vikas Krishan (69 kgs) stunned seventh seeded Nurudzinov Mahamed of Belarus to storm into the pre-quarter finals of the AIBA World Boxing Championships in progress at Baku.
Commonwealth Games gold-medallist Manoj Kumar's sensational upset win over a European champion left him just one step away from Olympic qualification but it was curtains for Suranjoy Singh as he was ousted following a second-round loss in the World Boxing Championships in Baku, Azerbaijan.
Commonwealth Games bronze-medallist Jai Bhagwan thrashed Evaldas Petrauskas of Lithuania to enter the second round, on Saturday, continuing the impressive show by Indian boxers in the World Championships in Baku, Azerbaijan.
Indian boxers' unbeaten run in the World Championships continued with Asian Games silver-medallist Dinesh Kumar, advancing to the second round of the light heavyweight (81kg) category with a thumping win in his opening bout in Baku, Azerbaijan, on Wednesday.
Rookie teen L Devendro Singh gave India's campaign at the World Boxing Championships a perfect start, sailing into the second round in the light-flyweight 49kg division with a thumping win in his opening bout in Baku, Azerbaijan, on Monday. Devendro beat Nazarliev Asylbek of Kyrgyzstan 14-8 and will now take on Mexico's Joselit Velazquez.
Having obtained visa clearance, a ten-member Indian boxing team sets off for France on a training-cum-exposure tour on Saturday. The ten-day preparation tour comes ahead of the World Championships in Baku, from September 22-October 10.
Coach Jaidev Bisht feels the Asian meet will be a good opportunity for Indian boxers to prepare for the World Championships.
Indian boxers L Devendro Singh (49kg) and Manoj Kumar (64kg) fought gamely, but eventually ran out of steam against fancied opponents and bowed out in the quarter-finals, at the World Championships in Baku, Azerbaijan, on Wednesday. Having secured Olympic berths after reaching the quarter-finals, the Indians were aiming for medals at the mega event.
Commonwealth Games bronze medal winner Jai Bhagwan (60kg) and rookie teen L Devendro Singh (49kg) inched closer to Olympic qualification by advancing to the pre-quarter-finals with thumping victories in their respective second-round bouts at the World Boxing Championships in Baku, Azerbaijan, on Monday. The 19-year-old Devendro pummeled Joselito Velazquez of Mexico 40-19 in what is the biggest points win of the ongoing event.
Olympic hero Vijender Singh was, on Saturday, ousted in the very first round, upstaged by his Cuban nemesis Emilio Correa Bayeux, but Jai Bhagwan entered the second round on a mixed day for Indian boxers at the World Championships in Baku, Azerbaijan.
Manoj Kumar eased past Valentino Knowles of the Bahamas, winning 17-11, to enter the second round in the light-welterweight (64kg) category and continue the Indian boxers' fine show at the World Championships in Baku, Azerbaijan, on Friday. Manoj, the lone Indian in action on Friday, has a tough bout next, as he is up against reigning European champion and fourth seed Raymond Moylette of Ireland.
Sunday's explosive Azerbaijan Grand Prix more than made up for last year's dull race in Baku, bursting the budding 'bromance' and replacing it with something much more heavyweight.
Holders Portugal must face Ukraine and Serbia in a tricky five-team Group B while world champions France drew Iceland and Turkey in Group H. The top two teams from each group qualify automatically. Unlike previous tournaments, the playoffs to decide the four other spots will be contested between the most successful teams from the four divisions of the Nations League who have not already qualified.
Panic struck the Indian camp at the World Boxing Championships in Baku, Azerbaijan just hours ahead of the official weigh-in and draw on Sunday, as two of its team members found their names missing from the list of registered entries but the confusion was sorted out just in time.
Defending champions Portugal and the last two World champions, France and Germany, were thrown together in what German coach Joachim Loew described as the group of death following a lop-sided and complicated Euro 2020 draw on Saturday.
Delay in getting visas has prevented Olympic bronze medallist Vijender Singh and Dinesh Kumar from joining the Indian boxing team in Bugeat, France for a training trip and the duo will now head straight to the World Championships in Baku, Azerbaijan on September 20.
Indian gymnast Dipa Karmarkar, on Saturday, claimed a bronze medal at the vault event on the third day of the Artistic Gymnastics World Cup in Cottbus, Germany.
The first race at the Red Bull Ring would be on the July 3-5 weekend.
Troubled Indian businessman Vijay Mallya is set to make a rare public appearance in the United Kingdom on Friday when he is scheduled to attend the team bosses press conference ahead of the Formula 1 British Grand Prix.
Vikas Krishan (75kg) became the third Indian boxer to enter the quarter-finals of the World Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Baku and be just one win away from booking a berth in the Rio Games this August.
Embattled Indian business tycoon Vijay Mallya on Friday made a rare public appearance in the United Kingdom as he attended the free practice sessions ahead of Sunday's British Grand Prix, in Silverstone.
Former World Cup silver medalist Seema Tomar of India missed out a podium finish and finished fifth in women's trap event at the ISSF Shotgun World Cup in San Marino on Friday. Australia's Emma Elizabeth Cox won the gold medal, USA's Corey Cogdell bagged silver while Carole Cormenier of France clinched the bronze in the women's trap event. The former Asian Airgun gold medallist had qualified for the first competition stage semi-final but could not get into the shoot-off. In the men's trap, Prithviraj Tondaiman was placed 16th after shooting rounds of 23 and 24 and will shoot the remaining three series on Saturday. On the opening day of qualification, Manavjit Singh Sandhu (73rd) shot 23 and 21, while Kynan Chenai (36th) had 23 and 23.