ARAB TIMES, WEDNESDAY, JULY 20, 2016
SPORTS
40
Olympics Roundup
Brazil hopes all countries will be in Rio
US to have most golfers in Brazil
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo, July
19, (Agencies): Golf’s return to the
Olympics after 112 years will have
seven Americans, the most of any
country for men and women.
It just won’t have their top two
men.
USA Golf nominated the players, who qualified through the world
ranking last week. They require US
Olympic Committee approval.
US Open champion Dustin Johnson and two-time major champion
Jordan Spieth withdrew, Johnson
because of the Zika virus threat and
Spieth for overall health concerns.
The Americans have four men
from the top 15 — Bubba Watson,
Rickie Fowler, Patrick Reed and Matt
Kuchar. The women have three players from the top 15 — Lexi Thompson, Stacy Lewis and Gerina Piller.
Countries can have two players
to fill each 60-player field, and up to
four if all are inside the top 15.
❑
❑
❑
Brazil said it hopes that “all countries” will take part at next month’s
Rio Olympics, after a report revealed
rampant Russian state-run doping at
the 2014 Sochi Winter Games and
other major sporting events.
The World Anti-Doping Agency
(WADA) subsequently called for all
Russian competitors and officials to
be banned from the Rio Olympics
after a probe for WADA found the
FSB secret service helped “the statedictated failsafe system”.
“I hope that all countries and athletes will be present, the Brazilian
government hopes that all will be
present,” said Brazilian sports minister Leonardo Picciani.
❑
❑
❑
The Ethiopian Athletics Federation
has banned two marathon runners for
four years each after they tested positive for steroids.
The EAF says Taemo Shumye
tested positive for nadrosterone last
September, and Sentayehu Merga
tested positive for 19-norandrostenedione last December. Their bans
came into effect on Jan 25 this year.
Neither of them has won any major
titles.
EAF spokesman Sileshi Bisrat
says four other athletes remain under
investigation by the World Anti-Doping Agency and the IAAF for doping.
Fencer Gu Bon-gil will carry the
South Korean flag at the opening ceremony of the Rio de Janiero Games,
the Korean Olympic Committee said
on Tuesday.
The world number four won gold
in the men’s team sabre at the 2012
London Games and was a silver
medallist in the team and individual
events at the 2014 World Championships in Kazan, Russia.
The KOC also named 43-year-old
handball goalkeeper Oh Yong-ran
captain of the women’s delegation
while three-time Olympic shooting
gold medallist Jin Jong-oh will represent the men.
Jin will also carry the flag when
the South Korean delegation leaves
for Rio on July 27, the KOC added.
Jin will be competing in his fourth
Olympics and the 36-year-old said
his experience was probably the reason he was made captain.
❑
❑
❑
Epidemiologists from Mexico’s
public health agency will accompany
the country’s athletes to the Olympic
Games for the first time this summer.
Deputy Health Secretary Pablo
Kuri Morales says the specialists
South Korea’s fencing team
members pose for a selfie after
the athletes’ inaugural ceremony
ahead of the Rio Olympic Games
in Seoul on July 19. South Korea
will be represented in 24 out of
28 sports by 204 athletes aiming
for a top-10 finish at next month’s
2016 Rio Olympic Games. (AFP)
will monitor athletes and try to keep
them healthy in Rio de Janeiro next
month.
Each athlete will receive a fanny
pack containing insect repellent and
condoms.
Brazil has seen an outbreak of the
mosquito-transmitted Zika virus,
which has been linked to devastating
birth defects and a rare paralysis. Water-borne illnesses in Rio’s polluted
waterways are a concern for athletes
competing in those venues. Zika can
also be transmitted sexually.
❑
❑
Malaysian golfer Danny Chia is
unfazed by the high-profile pullouts
from next month’s Rio Games over
the Zika virus and believes he will
still have to battle a world class field
to return with an Olympic medal.
Golf’s return to Olympics for the
first time since 1904 has been hit by
withdrawals by big names, including
the world’s top four players Jason
Day, Dustin Johnson, Jordan Spieth and Rory McIlroy.
“It’s a shame that golf will return
to the Olympics after 112 years without the world’s top four stars and several other top players,” Chia told the
Malaysian media.
“There are still many world-class
players in the 60-man field. They all
want to win a medal badly for their
country, including me. So, I think the
golf competition is going to be a big
success in Rio. I’m very proud to be
part of it.”
❑
❑
❑
As hundreds of thousands of tourists begin descending on Rio de Janeiro for the Olympics that start Aug
5, the headlines have focused on the
street violence, the Zika virus, the
water pollution and the rush to finish
venues and transport.
But Rio, known by Brazilians as
the “Marvelous City,” glistens despite it all.
The beach is a way of life here.
It is at once catwalk, sports arena,
spa, and marketplace. It slows the
city down, offering an escape from
the chaotic metropolis of 6 million
people.
Here, during the height of summer as temperatures surpass 40ºC
(104ºF), parasols stretch like a floating Technicolor carpet from one end
of the beach to the other.
It is also where most tourists will
stay during the Games, with hotels in
Copacabana and Ipanema nearly full
and thousands more renting apartments through websites like Airbnb.
During the soccer World Cup in
2014, fans from all over the world
rendezvoused on Copacabana’s
promenade, drinking and strutting on
the famous wave-like mosaic paving
stones. The same party atmosphere is
expected for Rio 2016.
One big attraction will be the
beach volleyball arena, built on Copacabana’s sand with stunning views
of the Atlantic. The matches will go
late into the night, with the head of
the beach volleyball federation saying he expects a party.
❑
❑
❑
Bulgarian junior national team
coach will replace freestyle wrestler
Lyuben Iliev at next month’s Rio
Olympics after the 27-year-old went
missing.
“He (Iliev) just sank out of sight,
we can’t reach him,” Bulgarian freestyle wrestling team coach Valentin
Raychev told local media on Tuesday. “We’ll rely on (junior team
coach) Dimitar Kumchev at the
Olympics.”
Raychev described Iliev — originally scheduled to compete in the
125-kg category in Rio — as “emotionally unstable” and said the wrestler went missing on July 4 when the
national team returned to Bulgaria
following a training camp in Russia.
Iliev, who won the bronze medal at
the 2013 European championship in
Tbilisi, Georgia in the 96-kg category, qualified for the Rio Games after
Belarus’ Yusup Jalilau tested positive for doping during the European
Olympic Qualifier in May.
In 2012, Iliev was detained and
spent five days in custody following
a scuffle with police officers in the
southwestern town of Blagoevgrad.
❑
❑
❑
Switzerland is sending 109 athletes
to the Rio de Janeiro Olympics with
the aim of winning at least five medals.
Team leader Ralph Stoeckli says
the Swiss can win more if their medal
candidates stay healthy and deliver
their best performances.
It’s the biggest Swiss Olympic
team since 114 athletes competed at
the 1996 Atlanta Olympics.
The lineup includes Roger
Federer at his fifth Summer Games.
He won gold in doubles with Stan
Wawrinka at the 2008 Beijing
Olympics, and will renew the partnership in Rio.
Federer’s silver in men’s singles
was among four Swiss medals at the
2012 London Olympics.
❑
Hong Kong amateur golfer Tiffany
Chan poses for photographers
after a press conference to celebrate Chan’s qualifying for the Rio
Olympics in Hong Kong, on July
19. Chan, 22, is one of only three
amateur golfers qualifying for the
Rio Olympics and the first in Hong
Kong history. (AP)
❑
Bayliss hints at two spinners
against Pakistan in 2nd Test
❑
❑
Kosovo is sending eight athletes to
its first Olympics, and even hopes to
win a couple of medals.
The Kosovo Olympic Committee
introduced the eight on Tuesday; two
swimmers, two judokas, two in athletics, one shooter, and a cyclist.
“For the first time, we are feeling
what it means to be equal among all
the other athletes,” Kosovo Olympic
Committee head Besim Hasani said
at the presentation.
Hasani said the other judoka, Nora
Gjakova, could also be a medalist at
under-57kg.
Pakistan’s Sarfraz Ahmed (left), watches as England’s Jonny Bairstow plays a shot on the fourth day of the first Test cricket match between England and Pakistan
at Lord’s cricket ground in London, on July 17. (AFP)
Anderson set to make his Test return
LONDON, July 19, (AFP):
England coach Trevor Bayliss has said it’s possible the
team could field two specialist spinners at home after
Yorkshire leg-break bowler
Adil Rashid was called into
the squad for the second Test
against Pakistan.
Joining Rashid in an unusually large 14-man party were the
fit-again duo of James Anderson
and all-rounder Ben Stokes, with
England looking to bounce back
after last week’s 75-run defeat by
Pakistan in the first Test at Lord’s.
Pace bowler Anderson, England’s
all-time leading wicket-taker, is now
set to make his Test return on his
Lancashire home ground when the
second of a four-match series starts at
Old Trafford on Friday.
Anderson and Stokes have been
proving their fitness following respective shoulder and knee injuries
in the ongoing County Championship
match between Lancashire and Durham at Southport near Liverpool.
The more intriguing selection was
that of Rashid, all of whose three Test
appearances to date came in ‘spinfriendly’ conditions against Pakistan
in the United Arab Emirates last year.
England have long been reluctant
CRICKET
to field two spinners at home, where
pitches in recent years have tended to
favour faster bowlers.
Moeen Ali, who for most of his
career has been better known as a
batsman, was effectively ‘milked’
by Pakistan in their first innings 339
at Lord’s and there are those who
believe Rashid could replace him as
England’s front-line spinner.
But while neither Ali nor Rashid
are in the class of Pakistan leg-spinner Yasir Shah, who rose to the top of
the International Cricket Council Test
bowling rankings after his 10-wicket
haul at Lord’s, Bayliss said it was not
impossible both men could feature in
the same England side.
“I’ve always thought of playing two spinners (at home), at some
stage,” he said.
“(Pakistan) have three left-arm
pace bowlers, who created rough outside the off stump for Moeen,” the
Australian added.
“So looking ahead, if we did happen to have two spinners, they could
both play an important part for us.”
But the biggest immediate problem
England have to solve after Lord’s is
how to bat better against Shah, who
knocked Anderson off the top of the
rankings on a pitch that did not offer
him that much assistance.
“Our batters have to play their spin
a lot better,” said Bayliss. “Especially in the first innings, I felt we gifted
him a few wickets with shots I’m sure
Australia stars get domestic pink ball help
Elworthy appointed head WCup organiser
LONDON, July 19, (Agencies): South African Steve Elworthy
will head up the organisation of the 2019 Cricket World Cup being hosted in England and Wales after the former international
cricketer was appointed managing director on Tuesday.
The 51-year-old — who made 39 appearances for The Proteas
in one day internationals and played in four Tests after being
capped at the ripe old age of 32 — has accrued vast experience
in the organisation of major tournaments.
He was tournament director of the 2007 and 2009 World
Twenty20 competitions and the 2013 Champions Trophy held
in England and Wales — a competition he
is also in charge of organising for the same
hosts for next year.
England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB)
chief executive officer Tom Harrison said
Elworthy was the perfect man for the job
based on his previous handling of tournaments.
“He has an outstanding track record of
delivering fan-friendly tournaments which
have been widely admired not just in cricket, but across the wider sports industry,”
Elworthy
said Harrison.
“Our congratulations to Steve on his appointment and we will be offering him and his team all the support they need to deliver successful tournaments in both 2017
and 2019.”
❑
❑
❑
Australia’s cricket stars will have the chance to play two domestic games with a pink ball to prepare for day-night Tests this
summer against South Africa and Pakistan.
Cricket Australia on Tuesday released its domestic fixture list,
with the Sheffield Shield structured to help players get ready for
using a ball many have complained is hard to see under lights.
The first round of the tournament on Oct 25 will feature day/
night games in Brisbane, Perth and Melbourne, while the fifth
round from Dec 5 will see the same format in Perth, Adelaide
and Hobart.
Day-night Tests using a pink ball are a central part of Australia’s home international schedule for 2016-17.
The third and final Test against South Africa will be played
under lights at Adelaide in November while the first of three
Tests against Pakistan will get the same treatment in Brisbane
in December.
❑
❑
❑
New Zealand Cricket chief David White called Tuesday for
Test cricket to continue its pink-ball revolution by slashing the
format to four days and introducing two divisions.
The longest form of the game has struggled to find an audience
in the Twenty20 era, prompting the introduction last year of daynight Test cricket played under lights with a pink ball.
The Black Caps were part of that first day-night Test against
Australia at Adelaide Oval and White described it as “one of the
great sporting events”.
But rather than rest on its laurels, White said Test cricket
needed to keep innovating to improve its relevance.
He strongly supported the idea of cutting the length of Tests
from five days to four, which he said would “greatly assist with
programming and player workloads”.
The idea, first floated by former Australian captain Mark
Taylor, has already won support from fellow Aussie greats
Shane Warne and Greg Chappell, as well as England Cricket
Board chairman Colin Graves.
CRICKET
“We need to seriously look at it,” White told ESPNCricinfo.
com. “One of the challenges at the moment is if you play a threeTest series it has to be played over four weeks. Four weeks is a
long time.
“But if you play a three-Test series of four-day cricket, it can
be played over three weeks, so you save a week.”
❑
Australian cricketer Stephen O’Keefe plays a shot during the second day of a
three day practice match between Australia and Sri Lankan XI team at the P.
Sara Oval Cricket Stadium in Colombo on July 19. Australia and Sri Lanka play
three TestS, five One-Day Internationals and two T20 series matches between
July 26 and Sept 9, with the first Test played from July 26 at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium in Pallekele. (AFP)
the boys would like to replay.”
Hampshire batsman James Vince
was retained despite a lowly average
of under 19 after four Tests, with his
❑
❑
Steve O’Keefe’s five-wicket haul in the tour match in Sri
Lanka has raised his hopes of selection for Australia in the test
series with regular spinner Nathan Lyon.
Left-arm spinner O’Keefe took 5-43 at the P Sara Oval in
Colombo as Australia dominated the opening day of their sole
practice match before the series opener in Pallekele next week.
Lyon went wicketless for 72 runs against the Sri Lanka Board
XI but is unlikely to be dropped for the three-test series which is
expected to feature drier wickets.
O’Keefe, who made his test debut away against Pakistan in
2014, played only his second match in January, teaming up with
Lyon at the spin-friendly Sydney Cricket Ground against West
Indies. The pair took three wickets apiece in the first innings of
the rain-hit match.
O’Keefe returned marginally better figures than Lyon in both
his test appearances but said he was still very much the 28-yearold’s understudy.
42 in the second innings at Lord’s his
highest score.
But he seemed unaware he was being drawn ever wider by Pakistan’s
seamers in the hope of being caught
in the slip cordon, which is exactly
how he fell after edging Wahab Riaz
to Younis Khan.
England backed Chris Woakes after some unconvincing early displays
and saw the Warwickshire paceman
return match figures of 11 for 102 at
Lord’s.
Bayliss hopes England will be rewarded for adopting an equally patient approach with Vince.
“Most of the innings he’s played, I
think he has looked very good while
he has been there,” said Bayliss.
“The way he goes about it — personally, I think it would be an injustice if he doesn’t make it.”
However, he added: “In the end, it
will be the number of runs that determines his longevity in the team.
“I’m sure he is starting to feel the
pressure.
“He’d like to be scoring more runs.
Ask anyone who has been in that situation, it is a difficult thing to go out
and play your natural game. He has
some work to do.