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Dipendra Dhakal, an international Taekwondo referee from the Nepali Army, has been selected to officiate at the World Taekwondo President’s Cup (Oceania) and the Australian Open, both recognized in the global Taekwondo ranking system. The events will take place from Aug 14 to 17, at the Gold Coast Sports and Leisure Centre in Queensland, Australia.

The President’s Cup is a G3 event, offering higher world ranking points, while the Australian Open maintains its G2 status. Both tournaments will feature Kyorugi (sparring), Para-Kyorugi, Poomsae (patterns), and Para-Poomsae categories, attracting top athletes, referees, and officials from more than 70 countries.

Dhakal, affiliated with Tribhuvan Army Club, has been serving as a Taekwondo referee since 2014. A fifth Dan black belt who began training at the Laligurans Taekwondo Dojang in Kushadevi, Kavre, he is the first from the Nepali Army to become a World Taekwondo-certified international referee. He has officiated at major events, including the 7th Military World Games (CISM) in Wuhan, China, in 2019, and has judged competitions in Canada, China, Pakistan, Belgium, France, Germany, Uzbekistan, and across South Asia.

In 2022, Dhakal was named Best Referee at the Royal Spanish International Open Taekwondo Championship, which featured over 1,000 athletes from 79 countries. He has also been honored with the National Sports Talent Award by Nepal’s Ministry of Youth and Sports for his contribution to raising Nepal’s profile through sports.

Italian orienteer Mattia Debertolis has died after collapsing during the World Games in Chengdu, China. The 29-year-old athlete was found unconscious last Friday during the men’s middle-distance event, held in temperatures above 30 degrees. Despite receiving immediate medical care at a leading Chinese hospital, he passed away four days later, according to BBC.

Debertolis, a member of the Italian national team and a civil engineer pursuing a PhD in Stockholm, was a respected competitor who finished fifth in the 2022 World Cup final. The International Orienteering Federation expressed deep sadness over the loss.

The World Games, a multi-sport event held every four years for non-Olympic sports, said it will continue to support Debertolis’ family and the orienteering community during this difficult time. The cause of his death remains unknown, BBC reported.

Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah has called out Uefa over a tribute to Palestinian footballer Suleiman al-Obeid it posted on social media which failed to refer to the circumstances surrounding his death, BBC reported.

On Thursday, the Palestinian Football Association (PFA) said Obeid was killed in an Israeli attack while waiting for humanitarian aid in the southern Gaza Strip the previous day.

The 41-year-old, who was known as the "Pele of Palestinian football" according to the PFA, scored more than 100 goals during his career, including two in 24 international matches, according to BBC.

In a post on X on Friday, Uefa said: "Farewell to Suleiman al-Obeid, the 'Palestinian Pele'.

Eight teams have picked a total of 37 players through a competitive player auction held for the second edition of the Nepal Premier League (NPL)-2025. The selections were made from among 164 shortlisted cricketers.

During the first round of the auction, the teams selected 26 players, while the remaining 11 were picked later from the teams' wish list.

Four players from the Grade ‘A’ category: Dev Khanal, Arjun Saud, Adil Alam, and Pawan Sarraf attracted the highest bids, each fetching a maximum of Rs 1.5 million. Due to multiple franchises bidding for them, their final selection was determined through a lucky draw.

Khanal and Saud will be representing the Chitwan Rhinos, Alam will play for the Kathmandu Gurkhas, while Sarraf has been signed by the Karnali Yaks.

Likewise, Dilip Nath and Sher Malla have been auctioned by the Lumbini Lions; Hemant Dhami by the Sudurpaschim Royals; Surya Tamang by the Biratnagar Kings; Santosh Yadav by the Kathmandu Gurkhas; and Yuvraj Khatri by the Karnali Yaks. They each fetched Rs one million.

Likewise, Mayan Yadav has been auctioned by the Janakpur Bolts at Rs 775,000 while Akash Tripathi has been contracted by the Kathmandu Gurkhas at Rs 700,000.

Narayan Joshi and Sahil Patil have been picked by the Biratnagar Kings, Arjun Kumal by the Pokhara Avengers, Bishal Patel by the Lumbini Lions and Aditya Mehata by the Janakpur Bolts. They each fetched Rs 500,000.

Likewise, Tek Bahadur Rawat and Dipendra Thapa have been contracted by the Sudurpashim Royals, Abhishek Tiwari and Krishna Poudel by the Pokhara Avengers, Sachin Bhattarai by the Janakpur Bolts, Tul Bahadur Thapa by the Kathmandu Gurkhas, and Imran Sheikh and Deepak Dumre by the Karnali Yaks with an offer of Rs 200,000 each.

Originally, 458 players had registered their names for consideration in the auction, according to the Cricket Association of Nepal.