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India’s Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Tuesday, July 23, announced the budget for the year 2024-25. Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has confirmed that Kevin De Bruyne won’t leave the team during this summer.
Read below to learn more about latest sporting events in the last 24 hours.
Water Polo
Australian polo player isolated after testing positive for COVID-19 ahead of Paris Olympics 2024
Just days ahead of the 2024 Paris Olympics, the French capital has been hit with Coronavirus. An unnamed member of the Australian water polo team has been quarantined after testing positive of COVID-19, as confirmed by Anna Meares, the head of the nation’s Olympic contingent on Tuesday, July 23. Meares, however, refrained from disclosing the identity of the athlete, but asserted that all individuals who had been in close contact with the affected athlete are also under observation and undergoing tests. “We were due to have two players from water polo with us; however, currently we have had one athlete from their team isolating with COVID which was detected last night,” Meares told in a news conference.
Budget 2024
Budget 2024: Sports Ministry gets highest INR 900 Crore allocation for Khelo India
India’s Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Tuesday, July 23, announced the budget for the year 2024-25. While it was her seventh budget, she gave a lion’s share of the sports ministry’s budget for the Khelo India, a flagship project of the Government of India. Khelo India, which aims to promote sports from the grassroot level, was allocated with the highest sum of INR 900 Crore from the total budget of INR 3,442.32 Crore in the annual union budget. The revision follows the previous allocation of INR 880 Crore, which was announced in the 2023-24 financial year.
Football
Man City manager Pep Guardiola confirms Kevin De Bruyne ‘not going’ anywhere
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has confirmed that Kevin De Bruyne won’t leave the team during this summer. There have been speculations that De Bruyne might leave the club for Saudi Pro League club Al-Ittihad. Last month, the footballer had admitted that he could be tempted by the ‘incredible amounts of money’ on offer elsewhere. However, before club’s friendly clash against Celtic in North Carlonia, Guardiola said that he won’t be leaving the club. The 53-year-old said, “Kevin isn’t going. If someone leaves, we’re going to talk about that. Of course, until the last day, we have chances [to make transfers]. I don’t rule it out the option to have new players but I think there is an 85-90% chance we will have the same squad.”
Paris Saint-Germain in talks with Manchester United over Bruno Fernandes and Jadon Sancho
Paris Saint-Germain are reportedly in talks with Manchester United over signing the likes of Bruno Fernandes and Jadon Sancho. The chiefs at Paris Saint-Germain have seen Manchester United bring in a couple of big players in the ongoing transfer window under their minority owners INEOS, which is why they are looking at the English club potentially offloading a few of their squad members too. As per the French journalist, Loic Tanzi, PSG have a firm interest in bringing Bruno Fernandes and Jadon Sancho to Parc des Princes from Manchester United.
Aston Villa announce signing of Everton star Amadou Onana
Premier League club Aston Villa announced the signing of Everton midfielder Amadou Onana ahead of the 2024-25 season. Villa were one of the best teams of the previous PL season where they finished fourth to seal a spot in the UEFA Champions League under Spanish manager Unai Emery. Speaking about his new club, Amadou Onana said, “It feels amazing. I’m glad to be here, finally, and I can’t wait to get started. The team played very attractive football last season with loads of goals and will now be playing in the Champions League. I’ll be playing in the Champions League again and that’s very exciting. We also have a manager that’s one of the best in the business and I think he can take my game to the next level.”
Section of main stand at Bengaluru football stadium collapses during match
A section of the main stand at the Bengaluru football stadium collapsed during a match on Sunday, July 22. The incident took place during the final clash of the Chief Minister football tournament held at the venue. According to news reports, as Shanti Nagar MLA Constituency clashed against CV Raman Nagar MLA Constituency, a part of the main stand fell above a team dugout. As shown in the video, spectators seated in the stand fell onto the ground and as many as six spectators sustained injuries. The video of the incident has gone viral on social media and generated reactions from users across the internet.
Will Lionel Messi play Major League Soccer’s All-Star game?
Inter Miami’s star player and one of the greats of the game of football, Lionel Messi will not be participating in this week’s Major League Soccer (MLS) All-Star game, the league confirmed on Monday, July 22. This confirmation from the MLS comes a week after the Argentine international was subbed during the Copa America 2024 finale with an ankle injury. The 37-year-old, who was listed among the unavailable players for the Wednesday’s match in Columbus, Ohio, will miss the upcoming match, where stars from 18 league clubs will compete against the top talent from Mexico’s LIGA MX. If Messi would have been fit to play the MLS All-Star game, it would have marked his debut following his move to Inter Miami in July 2023.
Tennis
We are what we generate, regardless of gender: Paula Badosa ‘unbothered’ by unequal pay in tennis
Spanish tennis star Paula Badosa recently addressed the long-standing debate about the pay difference between male and female players. Badosa said that she is not bothered by it, unlike her peers. The wage difference between players on the ATP and WTP Tour has always been debated among players and tennis lovers. While several tournaments including, the Grand Slams and several 1000-level events have equalled the pay, there is still a long way to go. Badosa, 26, said, "I have always been very clear that we are what we generate, regardless of gender. Are there differences? Maybe there are, but because men's tennis generates more than women's, just as in the world of fashion, for example, the opposite occurs between male and female models.”
Tokyo silver medalist Marketa Vondrousova withdraws from Paris Olympics 2024
Tokyo Olympics silver medalist and Wimbledon 2023 champion Marketa Vondrousova has withdrawn from the Paris Olympics 2024. Explaining this decision, the Czechnian cited an injury to her hand which is set to keep her out of action for the quadrennial event in Paris. The last few weeks haven’t been great for Marketa Vondrousova as she was eliminated in the opening round of Wimbledon 2024. Regarding the Paris Olympics, Marketa Vondrousova released a statement on social media stating, “I am very sorry, but due to health reasons, I will not be participating in this year's Olympic Games in Paris.”
Table Tennis
Not going to repeat my mistakes: Manika Batra ahead of Paris Olympics 2024
Indian table tennis star Manika Batra opened up on preparations for the Paris Olympics 2024. Batra, who made her maiden Olympics appearance in Tokyo 2020, said she won’t repeat the mistakes she made in the previous edition of the marquee sporting tournament. Not only this, but Batra also said that a medal won’t be on her mind during the initial rounds of the Olympics. The 29-year-old also backed her team and said India stands a good chance of winning a medal at the quadrennial tournament.
