Indian Sports Wrap, March 1: India’s FIBA World Cup 2027 qualifier match against Lebanon postponed
BASKETBALL
India’s FIBA World Cup 2027 qualifier match against Lebanon, to be played on Monday, has been postponed along with three other games, due to the rising tensions in the region caused by the ongoing conflict between USA-Israel and Iran.
Games postponed:
Group C
- Iran vs. Syria
- Iraq vs. Jordan
Group D
- Lebanon vs. India
- Qatar vs. Saudi Arabia
“FIBA remains in close contact with the National Federations concerned and is taking necessary measures with respect to the safety and security of teams, officials and staff involved in those games,” FIBA said in a statement.
“The aforementioned Group C and Group D games will take place at the same locations at the beginning of the third Qualification Window, set for late June. The updated schedule will be communicated at a later stage,” it added.
Following its loss against Qatar on Sunday, India is at the bottom of its group with three losses in three games in the qualification tournament so far.
The Middle East region has been on high alert since Saturday, when the United States and Israel launched air strikes on Iran. The Iranians retaliated by attacking targets around the region, including in the UAE, Qatar and Saudi Arabia.
-Team Sportstar
TENNIS
Zeel wins ITF title in Gurugram, Vaidehee loses in Burnie final
Zeel Desai successfully defended her title at the W15 ITF event in Gurugram on Sunday, defeating Belarusian teenager Polina Kuharenko in the final.
Third-seeded Indian Zeel beat seventh seed Kuharenko 6-2, 7-6(3) in an hour and 51 minutes to clinch her fifth title on the ITF circuit.
However, Vaidehee Chaudhari went down in the final of the W35 tournament in Burnie, Australia.
Fourth seed Vaidehee, eyeing her fifth ITF title, lost 6-2, 6-3 to top-seeded Australian and World No. 275 Lizette Cabrera in 61 minutes in the summit clash.
-Team Sportstar
ATHLETICS
Chandigarh International Marathon: 3,500 runners take part
Ethiopia’s Olbana Negasa Yadate and Meskerem Tesfaye Fikadu emerged winners in the men’s and women’s full marathon categories, respectively, as around 3,500 runners participated in the Chandigarh International Marathon on Sunday.
In the half-marathon (21 km), Harmanjot Singh of India and Ethiopia’s Tsehay Desalegn clinched the men’s and women’s titles, respectively.
The 10-km run saw Sahil Kapoor win the men’s race, while Soniya, also from India, finished first in the women’s category.
Organised by the Chandigarh administration, the marathon featured four competitive categories: 42 km (full marathon), 21 km (half marathon), 10 km, and 5 km.
A total of 323 participants competed in the 42 km, 740 in the 21 km, 1,270 in the 10 km, and 1,168 in the 5 km category.
The event also saw 38 international participants from eight countries and 21 specially-abled participants.
Punjab Governor and UT Chandigarh Administrator Gulab Chand Kataria, along with his wife Anita Kataria, flagged off the Chandigarh Marathon and also participated in the 5 km category.
Also present on the occasion were Member of Rajya Sabha Satnam Singh Sandhu, Member of the Administrator’s Sports Advisory Council Sanjay Tandon, Home Secretary Mandip Singh Brar, Director General of Police, Chandigarh, Sagar Preet Hooda, Sports Secretary Prerna Puri, Deputy Commissioner Nishant Kumar Yadav and other dignitaries.
-PTI
Published on Mar 01, 2026