National Kho Kho begins today
Sports Correspondent

The 4th National Kho Kho Championship begins today at Paltan Sports Ground in the city with 15 teams taking part in the meet. Bangladesh Kho Kho Federation (BKKF) has organized the competition under the sponsorship of First Security Bank Limited.
Participating teams have been split into four groups for the three-day competition, while the top team from each group will make it to the semifinals.
General Secretary of BKKF Kazi Rajib Uddin Ahmed Chapal said Bangladesh is one of the leading team in Asian kho kho and it has a great prospect to improve further at the continental level. "Bangladesh has made much headway in kho kho in a short period of time. India won the first two Asian kho kho tournaments, while we finished runners-up. But I think now we're the best," Chapal claimed at a media conference at a city hotel on Wednesday.
Apart from South Asian countries, kho kho is very popular in Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore and Japan and the port is gaining increasing popularity in the other Asian countries, Chapal said.
Talking to the media, the General Secretary said the BKKF is contemplating to organize an international kho kho competition in the country in August or June this year after the name of its late President Saifuddin Ahmed Manik.
"We have signed a sponsorship deal with the First Security Bank Limited and we're looking forward to organizing five tournaments with their sponsorship in the next six months. The competitions are the national championship, the proposed international competition, national school championship, men's and women's leagues," Chapal added. Deputy Managing Director of the First Security Bank Limited Shafiqul Alam also spoke at the conference.
The teams are: Dhaka, Narayanganj, Munshiganj, Jamalpur, Mymensingh, Tangail, Brahmanbaria, Bhola, Cox's Bazar, Natore, Bagerhat, Jhenidah, Gopalganj, Rajshahi and Khulna district spots associations.

Abahani scores emphatic win over Sonali Bank
Sports Correspondent

Title chaser Dhaka Abahani Limited continued its winning run in the Green Delta Insurance Premier Hockey League when it scripted a resounding 4-0 victory against Sonali Bank Sports and Recreation Club at Moulana Bhasani National Hockey Stadium on Wednesday.
aking a slender 1-0 first half lead, Abahani swooped for kill with its full vigour after the change of ends and got the result of its spirited display, pushing the Sonali Bank into the corner. Sonali Bank, which held Dhaka Mohammedan Sporting Club 2-2 in its previous match, failed to match the spirit of Abahani and succumbed to an emphatic defeat. Moududur Rahman Shubho scored the first goal after 11 minutes to give Abahani 1-0 advantage. He doubled the lead just two minutes after the break. Musa Mia scored from a penalty corner to increase the margin 3-0, while Imran Khan drove the last nail to complete a big win for the sky-blues.
Today's match: Sadharan Bima Krira Sangstha vs Wari Club (2:30 pm) and Mariner Young's Club vs Dhaka Mohammedan Sporting Club (4:00 pm).

Austria and Switzerland ready for Euro 2008
AFP, Vienna

Austria and Switzerland are ready to host the European football championship on June 7-29, having completed their preparations on schedule, one month before the kick-off.
The Ernst Happel stadium, which will host the final, has been entirely modernised and refitted to seat 51,000 people, and builders finished putting up the 460-seat media centre last month. The city's U2 underground line has meanwhile been extended to the stadium, facilitating access by public transportation and halving the time needed to travel from the city centre. The extension, which cost 890 million euros (1,373 million dollars), was inaugurated last Saturday.
The stadia in the seven other host cities have been ready for months, including those in Zurich, Switzerland and Klagenfurt in southern Austria, which suffered some construction and renovation delays. As renowned tourist destinations, the co-hosts are well prepared to welcome hordes of visitors in June and can rely on their existing hotel infrastructure: Austria expects an additional 1.1 million overnight stays during the championship, while Switzerland is counting on 700,000.
Austrian and Swiss Rail are also planning to run respectively 2,000 and 2,500 special trains during the championship to ensure that fans reach their chosen destinations in time. Those with match tickets will travel for free. The co-hosts are each expecting some two million visitors and estimate the championship could bring in several hundreds of millions of euros in profit. Beyond the stadia, the eight host cities - Basel, Bern, Geneva and Zurich in Switzerland, and the Austrian towns of Innsbruck, Klagenfurt, Salzburg and Vienna - are planning large public-viewing zones, with live games shown on giant screens, music performances and foodstalls.
Vienna will be able to accommodate some 120,000 fans in several such zones, the largest being a 1.2-kilometre stretch of the Ring boulevard, transformed into a large Fan Mile similar to the one in Berlin during the 2006 World Cup, with nine giant screens. The two host countries were slow to show their enthusiasm for the upcoming tournament but Euro fever has now caught up with them and preparations are in full swing for a series of side events, including concerts, exhibits and parties to keep fans entertained during the championship.

 Harbhajan banned for five ODIs in slapping row
AFP, New Delhi

India bowler Harbhajan Singh was barred for five one-day internationals on Wednesday for slapping a team-mate and warned of a life ban if he steps out of line again.
The off-spinner, 27, will miss next month's triangular one-day series in Bangladesh and initial matches of the Asia Cup in Pakistan following the decision by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). He had already been handed an 11-match ban from a domestic Twenty20 tournament after his attack during the event on Shanthakumaran Sreesanth, who was left in tears.
"The (disciplinary) committee decided to ban Harbhajan for five one-day internationals starting today, and observed that any further instance of misconduct will invoke a life ban," BCCI secretary Niranjan Shah said in a statement.
Harbhajan admitted his guilt and assured the committee there would not be any misconduct in the future, the statement added.
The incident in Mohali last month left Sreesanth weeping inconsolably in full view of television cameras. Harbhajan later apologised to his India team-mate.Harbhajan has bagged 275 wickets in 66 Tests and 189 in 171 one-dayers. He was banned for three Tests earlier this year after being found guilty of making racist remarks against Australian all-rounder Andrew Symonds, but was let off with a fine following an appeal to the International Cricket Council.

  Pakistan to host India early next year
AFP, Islamabad

"Pakistan will host India for three Tests, five one-day internationals and one, or possibly two, Twenty20 internationals early next year," Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Nasim Ashraf told a press conference here on Tuesday.
India stalled the bilateral cricket ties over political tension between the South Asian neighbours in 2000.
Pakistan hosted India in a rivetting three-Test and five one-day series in 2004 which opened the doors for bilateral ties. India also toured Pakistan in 2006.
Pakistan have played two series in India-in 2005, their first in India since 1999, and then in 2007. Pakistan will also host Sri Lanka in early April 2009 for five one-day matches and then Australia, also for five one-day internationals, announced Ashraf.
Australia last month agreed to split their postponed tour to Pakistan into two phases.
The tour, due to take place in March-April this year, was put off after several Australian players hesitated over touring Pakistan because of rampant suicide bombings before the February 18 national polls. Ashraf said Pakistan is also likely to play a Twenty20 matches series with the West Indies in Canada in August this year.
"Both Pakistan and the West Indies have given their consent to play a Twenty20 event in Canada in August, the dates and other modalities will be finalised soon," said Ashraf.
 

Henin set to announce retirement
AFP, Brussels

Struggling world number one Justine Henin could be set to stun the tennis world by announcing her immediate retirement, Belgian media reported on Wednesday.
The Olympic champion, who pulled out of the Rome Masters this week blaming tiredness, will hold a press conference in Belgium to comment on all the mounting rumours concerning her future. One Flemish newspaper, Het Nieuwsblad, citing "a reliable source", categorically stated that the 25-year-old will announce her immediate retirement from the game.
For the Vers l'Avenir newspaper group's internet site she plans to retire either now or after trying to defend her Roland Garros title or even after the Beijing Olympics. On Tuesday La Derniere Heure suggested she would simply be taking time out for several months. The press conference is planned for late Wednesday afternoon in Limelette in central Belgium. Henin, who has seven Grand Slam titles to her name and almost 20 million dollars in career earnings since she joined the WTA Tour in 1999, has been struggling this year to reach the level of form that has earned her the last three titles at Roland Garros. Henin has been beaten four times in four months in 2008 including a 6-2, 6-0 hammering by Serena Williams in Miami last month. Her latest defeat and last appearance on court came at last week's German Open where she made a shock exit when coming off second best in a two and a half hour third round marathon against Russia's Dinara Safina.
In Berlin last week Henin, who split from her husband last year, told AFP of her ambitions for the future away from tennis.