Two Handball teams of Bangladesh-- Bangladesh Youth Under-18 and Bangladesh Junior Under-20 teams—finished 3rd in the four-nation IHF Men’s (Handball) Trophy Asia losing their respective 3rd place deciding matches in the Indian city of Lucknow on Monday. The Youth and Junior tournaments of Asia will be the qualifying event for the International phase of the IHF Trophy. Read: School Handball: Sunnydale clinch Boys' title, Viqarunnisa wear Girls' crown Bangladesh Youth (U-18) team lost to Kazakhstan Youth (U-18) team by 29-33 goals after leading the first half by 14-15 goals. Bangladesh Junior (U-20) team conceded 24-40 goals defeat against Indian Junior (U-20) team after trailing by 9-17 goals in the first half.

Four Bangladeshi Kabaddi players left Dhaka for Kathmandu on Sunday to play in the six-team Franchise-based Nepal Kabaddi League beginning in the Nepalese capital on January 17. Earlier, six Bangladeshi players were drafted in auction to play in the Franchise-based Nepal Kabaddi League for four different teams. No. 2-ranked Alexander Zverev out of the United Cup mixed teams event with a biceps injury Of the six players, four players –Mizanur Rahman (Kathmandu Mavericks), Yeasin Arafat (Dhangadhi Wild Cats), all-rounder Monirul Islam and defender Sabuj Miah (Pokhra Lakers) left Dhaka for Nepal on Sunday. The remaining two players –Shah Mohammad Shahan (Himalayan Raiders)  and Roman Hossain (Kathmandu Mavericks)  will leave Dhaka for Nepal on January 12. But, the players did not know anything about their salary or remuneration till date. They are expected to get accommodation, airfares and nominal daily allowances. Victory Day Hockey: Navy, Air Force to square off in final This is new opportunity for Bangladeshi kabaddi players to play in the newly introduced Nepalese Franchise Kabaddi League after playing one or two Bangladesh players in the Indian Pro-Kabaddi League in each season.

World No. 2-ranked Alexander Zverev withdrew from the United Cup mixed teams tennis tournament on Wednesday with a biceps strain less than two weeks from the start of the Australian Open. The 27-year-old Zverev won his opening two singles matches of the season against Brazil’s Thiago Monteiro and China’s Zheng Zhizhen at the United Cup. He was scheduled to face Alexander Shevchenko of Kazakhstan in Perth in the United Cup quarterfinals, but withdrew at the last minute with Kazakhstan leading the tie 1-0 after Elena Rybakina beat Laura Siegemund 6-3, 6-1. Read: Australian Open lookahead: Djokovic returns after COVID ban “Alexander Zverev has withdrawn from the United Cup due to a bicep strain,” organizers said. “Daniel Masur will take his place for Team Germany in today’s singles match against Kazakhstan.” Zverev has not won a Grand Slam singles title, finishing as runner-up in the 2020 U.S. Open and the 2024 French Open. The Australian Open begins Jan. 12.

Two Services teams--Bangladesh Navy and Bangladesh Air Force-- will lock horns with each other in the final match of the Paragon Group Victory Day Hockey on Monday. The title deciding match will kicks- off  at 2:30 pm  on Monday at the Maulana Bhashani National Stadium here. In the day's semifinals,  Bangladesh Navy eliminated  Hockey Players Welfare Unity by 4-1 goals in the first semis while Bangladesh Air Force thrashed BKSP 5-2 in the second semis at the same venue on Saturday. National coloured forward Rasel Mahmud Jimmy,  the inspirational Air Force skipper made his way through the Hockey Players Welfare Unity defence in the 12th minute and cut the ball back to Din Islam who was obstructed just in front of the post.  Umpire Selim Lucky pointed to the spot and Ashraful Islam converted the penalty stroke (1-0). Hockey Players Welfare Unity hit back in the 40th  minute off a penalty corner and it was none other than Amirul Islam whose drag landed in the net with the scoreboard showing (1-1). However,  Air Force showed their mettle in the later part adding another three in the last two quarters.  It was Ashraful again whose drag put Air Force ahead in the 49th minute (2-1),  Roman Sarker added the third in the 49th minute (3-1)  and Mahbub Hossain netted the fourth in the 58th minute to complete the rout (4-1). In the day's 2nd semi-final,  BKSP had no answer against the prowess of Bangladesh Air Force. Air Force penalty corner specialist Sohanur Rahman Sabuj scored five goals to set fire  on the blue turf.  He scored in the 21st, 27th, 29th, 31st and 43rd minutes.  The two BKSP goals came from the sticks of Mehedi Hasan Ovi and Huzaifa Hosain. 

Both semifinals of the Paragon Group Victory Day Hockey Tournament will be held at the Maulana Bhashani Stadium in Dhaka on Saturday (Dec 28). Bangladesh Navy will play the first semifinal against Hockey Players Welfare Unity at 12:30 PM, while Bangladesh Air Force will face BKSP in the second semifinal at 2:30 PM. Earlier, a brilliant hat-trick by Rakibul Hasan helped Bangladesh Air Force reach the semifinals of the Paragon Group Victory Day Hockey Tournament as Group B champions, defeating Bangladesh Army 6-3 on Thursday. Hockey Players Welfare Unity also secured a place in the last four, advancing from the group stage after edging past Bangladesh Army on goal difference. All three teams in the group finished with three points each, but goal difference—Air Force (+2), Hockey Players Welfare Unity (0), and Bangladesh Army (-2)—decided the group standings. Meanwhile, Bangladesh Navy stormed into the semifinals as the champions of Group A, with a 9-1 victory over Bangladesh Police, while BKSP finished as runners-up in the group to also reach the semifinals.

Bangladesh Amy made a good start in the Paragon Group Victory Day Hockey Tournament with a hard fought 2-1 victory over Hockey Players Welfare Unity at the Maulana Bhashani National Stadium on Wednesday. Hockey Players Welfare Unity, who came to the limelight beating Bangladesh Air Force by 4-3 goals in their first appearance on Tuesday, failed to match the fitness level against their opponents in the match-deciding fourth quarter today. Bangladeshi off-break bowler Mahedi Hasan advances to top 10 in ICC Men's T20 bowling ranking Apart from the fourth quarter, the match was almost an even encounter. The first quarter was goalless; six minutes into the second quarter, Amirul Islam put the Hockey Players Welfare Unity ahead with his favorite skill, dragging off the penalty corner (1-0). The lead stayed till the end of the second quarter. However, the Army stored their best for the later part as their physical fitness made a visible impact in the game. It was almost one way traffic as the Army piled up huge pressure in the opponents territory. Hockey Players Welfare Unity custodian Nuruzzaman Noyon frustrated the Armymen, saving a couple good attempts. Abdul Malek scored the first for Army in the 32nd minute to level the margin (1-1) and Ahsan Habib scored the match-winner for Army in the 56th minute of the match (2-1). Bangladesh Army will face Bangladesh Air Force in the last group match on Thursday. Earlier in the day’s first match, BKSP crushed Bangladesh Police by 5-0 goals with Johnny Islam scoring a brace, Mehedi Hasan Ovi, Hojaifa Hossain and Tayeb Ali scoring one goal each for the National Sports Training Institute team BKSP.

Hockey Players Welfare Unity, formed with some national players and youngsters, made a good start in the Paragon Group Victory Day Hockey beating Bangladesh Air Force by 4-3 goals at the Maulana Bhashani National Stadium here on Tuesday. Hockey Players Welfare Unity studded with national players like Puskor Khisa Mimo, Hasan Jubaer Niloy, Prince Lal Shamonto and some youngsters like Amirul Islam, proved their worth in the first match. The Air Force team comprising seven national players, tried hard to turn the tide, but all of their efforts failed short against their spirited opponents. After a goalless first quarter, Air Force team took the lead in the 17th minute thanks to a beautiful field goal scored by Rakibul Hasan Rocky (1-0). Read: Women's Hockey Asia Cup: Bangladesh tastes first victory to finish 9th crushing Sri Lanka However, Amirul, who was in the top form in the recently concluded Asian Junior Hockey, leveled the margin for Players Welfare Unity from a penalty corner in the 33rd minute (1-1). Hasan Jubaer Niloy put Hockey Players Welfare Unity ahead in the 35th minute (2-1) while Abdul Alim scored another goal for them in the 42nd minute that saw the team 3-1 lead at the beginning of the third quarter. Arashad Hossain scored the 2nd goal for Air Force in the 44th minute to make the score line 3-2. However, Abdul Alim again second his 2nd goal and the 4th goal for the Players Welfare Unity in the 57th minute (4-2). In the 59th minute, Sohanur Rahman Sabuj scored the 3rd goal to reduce the margin for Air Force team (4-3)

Bangladesh tasted the first victory to finish 9th in the 10-team Women’s Hockey Junior Asia Cup'2024 crushing Sri Lanka by 8-0 goals in a place deciding match in Muscat, Oman on Saturday. Bangladesh completed their maiden Asian Cup Hockey journey with winning note after conceding a humiliating 0-19 goals defeat against China, 1-13 goals defeat against holders India, 1-2 goals defeat against Thailand and 1-6 goals defeat against Malaysia in the Pool A matches to eliminate from the continental hockey. In the day's 9th to 10th place deciding match, Irin Ria scored four goals for Bangladesh and was adjudged the player of the match. Fatima, Orpita, Sonia and Nadira scored the remaining goal for Bangladesh. Bangladesh Women’s (Under 21) Hockey team qualified for the first-ever Junior Asia Cup Hockey as the runners-up AHF Cup Tournament held in Singapore last June, also a qualifying tournament for 2025 Women’s FIH Hockey Junior World Cup. However, Bangladesh Men’s Junior Hockey team qualified for the Junior World Cup Hockey for the first time scheduled to be held in India in December next year as they finished 5th in the just concluded 10-team Men's Junior Asia Cup Hockey also held in Muscat, Oman.

Indian teenager Gukesh Dommaraju became the youngest chess world champion Thursday after beating the defending champion Ding Liren of China in the final match of their series in Singapore. Dommaraju, 18, secured 7.5 points against 6.5 of his Chinese rival in the contest, surpassing the achievement of Russia’s Garry Kasparov who won the title at the age of 22. The Indian teen prodigy has long been considered a rising star in the chess world after he became a chess grandmaster at 12. He had entered the match as the youngest-ever challenger to the world crown after winning the Candidates tournament earlier this year. After securing victory, Dommaraju burst into tears and raised his arms in celebration. “I was dreaming this moment for the last 10 years. I am happy that I realized the dream (and made it) into reality,” he told reporters after his win. Dommaraju is now the second Indian to win the title after five-time world chess champion Viswanathan Anand. NFL to play its first regular-season game in 2025 “It’s a proud moment for chess, a proud moment for India... and for me, a very personal moment of pride,” Anand, who has been a mentor to Dommaraju, said in a post on X. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated the 18-year-old on his “remarkable accomplishment,” calling it “the result of his unparalleled talent, hard work and unwavering determination.” “His triumph has not only etched his name in the annals of chess history but has also inspired millions of young minds to dream big and pursue excellence,” Modi said in a post on X. Thursday’s match was a 14-round long-time classical event with a prize fund of $2.5 million.  

The NFL will play its first regular-season game in Berlin in 2025, the league's fifth game ever in Germany. The game will be played at the Olympic Stadium as part of a multiyear commitment announced Wednesday at the league's winter meetings. The NFL has played regular-season games in Munich and Frankfurt since 2022. “Germany has a rich tradition of American football, and the NFL has a deep history with the city of Berlin,” NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said. “We first held a preseason game at the Olympic Stadium 34 years ago, before it was home to NFL Europe’s Berlin Thunder in the early 2000s. Now, with almost 20 million NFL fans in Germany, we’ll make a historic return to the city playing a regular-season game for the first time as we open the next chapter in our relationship with Berlin.” The NFL played five American Bowl games at the Olympic Stadium between 1990-1994. League executive Peter O’Reilly said the league's goal is to play eight international regular-season games in 2025 and an annual game in Germany is expected. The NFL already has committed to playing two regular-season games in London at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and one game in Madrid at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium, home to Real Madrid. “Germany is obviously a major priority market for us,” O'Reilly said. “Twenty million fans and growing in Germany. We’ve seen the passion, you’ve seen the passion, you’ve seen the singing. It’s an important market. And this partnership with Berlin is not just about the game itself. Like every market we go into, it’s about a year-round partnership. It’s about working with the city and the community on building flag football into schools and into clubs in that city, and that’s important for sure. So we’re excited about our plans.”