LAUSANNE, Switzerland: Ongoing uncertainty about letting Russian athletes try to qualify for the Paris Olympics affects “less than half” of its 32 sports, the umbrella group of Summer Games governing bodies said on Friday.
Those sports have an urgent need for more clarity from the International Olympic Committee with qualification events pending less than 17 months before the opening ceremony in Paris.
Most sports bodies are still imposing a year-old ban on Russia and its military ally Belarus because of their war in Ukraine — a ban recommended by the IOC citing the security of athletes before shifting its position as Paris nears.
In January, the IOC asked sports bodies to find ways for Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete as neutrals.
“There are two issues for us,” Association of Summer Olympic International Federations executive director Andrew Ryan said on Friday after a meeting of its council. “The clock is ticking. We can’t just leave it open forever before there’s a decision.
“The other is, if we’re going to include Russian athletes, neutral ones, what is the definition of neutrality? I don’t think it is very easy to find that.”
The seven-member ASOIF council representing the Paris sports met for the first time since the IOC said it hoped to find a way for athletes who have not actively supported the war to return to international competition as neutrals.
IOC president Thomas Bach has said history will be on its side for trying to bring athletes together in peace and not discriminating based just on a person’s passport.
The backlash in Ukraine has been led by President Volodymyr Zelensky and past and current Olympic medalists who insist Russia must be excluded from Paris. The host city mayor Anne Hidalgo has said there should be no Russian delegation if the war continues.
Though some countries in northern Europe and the Baltics have talked of boycotting Paris, a statement last week from 35 nations — including the United States, Britain and Germany — urged the IOC to define a “workable ‘neutrality’ model” for athletes.
One IOC-backed option for Russians and Belarusians to compete in Asian qualifying events was already rejected by World Archery, whose president took part in Friday’s meeting.
“Each sport has different realities,” Ugur Erdener told reporters. Archery cited the nature of the sport’s knockout format and balance of continental entries to the Olympics.
There are questions if team sports and combat sports could accept even neutral athletes. Ukraine boycotted an Olympic qualifier in judo last year when Russians were allowed to compete as neutrals.
Russia already missed the chance to qualify in soccer from Europe and would be unlikely to qualify anyway in sports such as golf and field hockey.
“It doesn’t actually apply to 32 (sports),” ASOIF’s Ryan said of the complex range of challenges facing “less than half” its members.
“Under the current conditions it’s all unclear,” he said, adding Russians and Belarusians currently “don’t compete for their own good as much as anything, and then when we get some answers from the IOC we can explore.”
The IOC executive board chaired by Bach next meets on March 28-30 in Lausanne.
Paris Olympics sports bodies seek IOC clarity on Russia
https://arab.news/y9fum
Paris Olympics sports bodies seek IOC clarity on Russia
- Most sports bodies are still imposing a year-old ban on Russia and its military ally Belarus because of their war in Ukraine
- “There are two issues for us,” Association of Summer Olympic International Federations executive director Andrew Ryan said
Cavaliers shock Celtics, Mavs silence Thunder to level NBA playoff series
- Mitchell scored 23 of his 29 points in the second half and received plenty of support from “attack-minded” teammates as the Cavs bounced back from a Game 1 rout
- Dallas star Luka Doncic scored 29 points and grabbed 10 rebounds and teammate P.J. Washington poured in another 29 points for the Mavericks
LOS ANGELES: Cleveland and Dallas turned the tables on their top-seeded opponents on Thursday, the Cavaliers shocking the Boston Celtics and the Mavericks silencing the Thunder to level their NBA playoff series at one game apiece.
Donovan Mitchell led a comprehensive Cleveland effort as the Cavaliers powered past the Celtics 118-94 in Boston to make it 1-1 in their best-of-seven Eastern Conference semifinal series.
Dallas star Luka Doncic scored 29 points and grabbed 10 rebounds and teammate P.J. Washington poured in another 29 points for the Mavericks, who beat the Thunder 119-110 in Oklahoma City to knot their Western Conference semifinal at one-all.
Mitchell scored 23 of his 29 points in the second half and received plenty of support from “attack-minded” teammates as the Cavs bounced back from a Game 1 rout.
Evan Mobley, 22, got Cleveland going early, scoring 15 of his playoff career-high 21 points in the first half. Mobley added 10 rebounds and five assists and reserve guard Caris LeVert added 21 points off the bench for Cleveland, who had six players score in double figures.
“I like the way that we were just attack-minded,” Cavaliers coach J.B. Bickerstaff said. “We didn’t settle for the first quick (shot) that we saw.”
The Cavs fell behind in each of the first two quarters had tied it up 54-54 at halftime.
Mitchell erupted for 16 points in the third quarter as the Cavaliers seized control.
The Cavs, up by 12 going into the fourth, pressed their advantage, as Mitchell drained three straight baskets that included a spinning drive for a hook shot that made it 99-83.
By the time Cleveland pushed their lead to 24 points with less than five minutes to play, fans were streaming out of T.D. Garden arena.
Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla pulled his starters, with Jayson Tatum finishing with 25 points and Jaylen Brown adding 19.
Brown said the Celtics’ defensive effort was simply “unacceptable.”
“We gave up 118 points,” he said. “On top of that we lost the rebound battle — so we didn’t help ourselves tonight.”
Mitchell, meanwhile, was delighted with what he called a “complete performance.”
“Everybody did their job,” Mitchell said, adding they need to keep the pressure on when the series shifts to Cleveland on Saturday.
“At the end of the day, it’s one win,” Mitchell said. “We’ve got to do it at the crib.”
The Mavericks will also head home for game three on Saturday with their series level.
Doncic, playing through a right knee sprain, scored 16 points in the first quarter to set the tone in a bruising battle.
The Slovenian star landed face-first on the court early in the contest when his feet tangled with those of Oklahoma City’s Luguentz Dort as they raced up court.
Doncic tripped again early in the fourth and came up limping, but stayed in the game and drilled a three-pointer that pushed the Mavericks’ lead back to nine points after the Thunder had cut it to four.
“I think that was one of the hardest games I’ve had to play,” Doncic said. “I’m battling out there. Trying to do my best to help the team win.
“It’s just my mentality to have a great start and then team is going to follow me.”
Doncic, held to six-of-19 shooting in game one, connected on 11 of his 21 attempts in game two.
While star teammate Kyrie Irving had a slow-scoring night with nine points, he handed out 11 assists with two steals and two blocked shots.
Tim Hardaway Jr. scored 10 of his 17 points off the bench in the third quarter to help the Mavs thwart a Thunder rally.
Oklahoma City erased a 14-point first-half deficit and took the lead for the first time early in the third. They led by as many as three points but couldn’t build any momentum and Dallas took a 10-point lead into the fourth.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 33 points with 12 rebounds and eight assists for the Thunder and Jalen Williams added 20.
Yokohama’s Kewell and Al-Ain’s Crespo meet again for a continental title. This time it’s in Asia
- Victory in Asia could send the Sydney-born coach back into Europe
- Crespo, who won league titles in England and Italy as a player with Chelsea and Inter Milan, has already had success as a coach
TOKYO: Harry Kewell and Hernan Crespo will shake hands as head coaches with the Asian title on the line on Saturday, almost two decades after facing each other when Liverpool met AC Milan in the famous 2005 UEFA Champions League final.
Kewell is now in charge of Yokohama F. Marinos, the Japanese club hosting Al-Ain of the UAE on Saturday in the first leg of the Asian Champions League final series.
He was the victor in ‘05 when Liverpool recovered from a 3-0 deficit to triumph in a penalty shootout. Crespo scored two goals for Milan in Istanbul that day but ended as a losing finalist. He’s hoping to lift the Asian trophy at Al-Ain after the second leg on May 25.
Unlike Al-Ain, continental title winner in 2003 and finalist in ‘05 and ‘16, Yokohama has never before reached this stage of the continental club championship.
Kewell has led the five-time J.League winner through the knockout stages, including a comeback victory over Ulsan HD of South Korea in the semifinals.
After a 1-0 first leg loss in the semifinals, the 45-year-old Kewell — the third successive Australian to take charge of Yokohama following Ange Postecoglou and Kevin Muscat — invoked the spirit of Liverpool’s historic comeback 19 years ago.
“I was part of a special team that night that was able to come back from a scenario where a lot of people thought it was dead and buried,” Kewell said. “It just goes to show that a game is never finished, especially when you’ve got a hunger and a desire in a team.
“And I see that hunger and desire in this team to go out there and do something magical.”
Kewell’s coaching career is yet to reach the heights of his time as a player who starred for Leeds United and Liverpool in the English Premier League and represented Australia at the 2006 and 2010 World Cups. A stint with Crawley Town in England’s fourth division in 2017 was the first of his three short-term jobs head coaching before he arrived at Barnet, where he was fired after just seven games in 2021.
Invited by Postecoglou to join the coaching staff at Scottish giant Celtic in 2022, Kewell worked as an assistant there until he took over at Yokohama last December.
Victory in Asia could send the Sydney-born coach back into Europe.
Crespo, who won league titles in England and Italy as a player with Chelsea and Inter Milan, has already had success as a coach .
After winning trophies in South America, he led Al-Duhail to the 2023 Qatar league title. The season was blighted by a heavy 7-0 loss to Al-Hilal in the semifinals of last season’s Asian Champions League.
With Al-Ain, the 48 year-old Crespo got the better of the Saudi club at the same stage last month, winning 5-4 on aggregate in the semifinals.
Al-Ain went into that semifinal series on the back of a victory over another Saudi club — Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr.
“We talk so much about the two teams we eliminated because we were underdogs in the quarterfinals and semifinals, and we went through,” Crespo said. “We always need to say thankyou to the players, congratulations to the players. They believe, they work hard, they fight, and they deserve to go through … I’m very happy to be part of it.”
Leverkusen beat Roma to make Europa League final and extend unbeaten run
- Bundesliga champions will meet Atalanta in the final
LEVERKUSEN: Bayer Leverkusen are through to the Europa League final 4-2 on aggregate after a stoppage-time goal from Josip Stanisic snatched a 2-2 draw at home on Thursday, extending their unbeaten run to a record 49 games.
In a rematch of last season’s Europa League semifinal, Roma came to Leverkusen 2-0 down after the first leg but levelled the tie up despite having little possession thanks to penalties in each half from Leandro Paredes.
With the tie heading for extra time, Alex Grimaldo curled in a corner which goalie Mile Svilar failed to catch, the ball going into the net after bouncing off Roma defender Gianluca Mancini.
Stanisic then kept Leverkusen’s stunning record of late goals alive by scoring on the counter in the seventh minute of added time, breaking Benfica’s European unbeaten record dating back to 1965.
“We had chances to score goals early and didn’t — but hey we will in Dublin,” Leverkusen boss Alonso told RTL.
“It was a special evening. There were tense moments but it showed the personality and the mentality of the team.”
“We didn’t know ourselves how we were 2-0 behind,” Leverkusen midfielder Granit Xhaka said.
“To come back against a team like this is unbelievable — our desire is incredible. We’re in the final, we’re on our way to making our dream a reality and will do everything to bring the trophy back to Leverkusen.”
Bundesliga champions Leverkusen will meet Atalanta, who beat Marseille 3-0 (4-1 on aggregate), in the final in Dublin on May 22 with hopes of a remarkable treble still alive.
Alonso again mixed things up tactically and made six changes including surprisingly leaving star attackers Florian Wirtz, Victor Boniface and former Roma striker Patrik Schick on the bench, instead leading the line with Adam Hlozek.
The changes did not impact Leverkusen’s rhythm as the hosts exploded onto the pitch, carving Roma up with creative, fluid movement.
Roma by contrast brought the fight and tried to unsettle the Bundesliga champions, picking up four yellow cards inside the opening 30 minutes.
Exequiel Palacios was the target for much of Roma’s roughhousery but the Argentinian World Cup winner almost had revenge after 29 minutes when his low shot hit the inside of the post and came close to bouncing in off goalkeeper Svilar’s back.
Svilar produced a spectacular double save to keep out shots from Amine Adli and Hlozek on the 38-minute mark.
Roma sent a long ball up the other end and within moments the referee pointed to the spot, after Roma’s Bayer Leverkusen-loanee Sardar Azmoun went down in a tussle with Jonathan Tah.
Palacios’ Argentinian teammate Paredes sent the ball down the middle and Roma were 1-0 up and back into the tie just before half-time.
The second half began like the first, with Leverkusen unable to make their dominance count on the scoreboard — before Roma won another spot-kick, this time via VAR for a handball against Hlozek.
Paredes scored again, sending the ball left to take a two-goal lead in the match and level the tie.
Roma held on for dear life and went to ground frequently to hold onto the lead, reminiscent of their performance at the same venue in last year’s semifinal which netted a 0-0 draw and a spot in the final.
Roma coach Daniele De Rossi was proud of his side and said: “We played a heroic game — they’re strong. We tried but had few shots. The lads played an incredible game.”
But with nine minutes remaining, Leverkusen won another corner which Grimaldo swung through the hands of goalie Svilar, who clattered into Chris Smalling, the ball then bouncing in off the face of Mancini.
Roma pushed forward hoping to send things to extra time but Bayern loanee Stanisic hit the Italians on the counter, sending his team-mates sprinting from the bench and keeping his side’s season-long unbeaten run alive.
Saudi trio fastest on Prologue stage at Tabuk Toyota Rally
TABUK: The Saudi trio of Yazeed Al-Rajhi, Abdulhalim Al-Mogheera and Abdulaziz Al-Shayban set the quickest times in the car, motorcycle and quad categories on the seven-kilometre Prologue stage at the start of the Tabuk Toyota Rally 2024 on Thursday.
Championship leader Yazeed Al-Rajhi and his German co-driver Timo Gottshalk guided their Overdrive Racing Toyota Hilux to the fastest time of 5:50 mins in the overall car category and the Ultimate P section. That was comfortably quicker than the time set by their second-placed team-mates Dania Akeel and Stéphane Duplé in a dominant Toyota 1-2.
Abdulaziz Al-Shayban showed a useful turn of speed in Spain recently and the Yamaha rider topped the quad standings in the Prologue with a time of 7:51 mins to beat Hani Al-Noumesi and Abdulaziz Al-Atawi. Abdulrahman Al-Abdullatif failed to finish the stage.
MX Ride Dubai’s Mohammed Al-Balooshi finished behind leading Saudi rider Abdulhalim Al-Mogheera in the unofficial bike results on his Husqvarna Rally. Saudi’s Ahmed Al-Jaber tied with Kuwaiti Abdullah Al-Shatti for third place. Emirati Kove rider Ibrahim Bugla, who suffered delays in the stage, lost over six minutes and slipped to the rear of the motorcycle standings.
Moaaz Hariri teamed up with Kirill Shubin to deliver a potent stage performance in his Can-Am Maverick XRS Turbo RR. A time of 6:06 mins catapulted the Saudi into third on the stage and atop the SSV standings. Abdullah Al-Shegawi was his closest SSV rival.
Saudi Can-Am Maverick driver Hamad Al-Harbi came home in fourth and headed the Challenger category from Dark Horse OT3 driver and series leader Saleh Al-Saif. Maha Al-Hameli was third quickest in the category.
Abdulaziz Al-Yaeesh was the fastest of the Nissan drivers in the Ultimate class in 10th place but rivals Ahmed Al-Shammeri and Faris Al-Moshna lost a lot of time with technical issues and plummeted to the rear of the rankings.
Mohammed Al-Asiri set the fastest time in the Stock category for series-production cross-country vehicles.
The rider were flagged away from the ceremonial start at King Khalid City in Tabuk by Prince Khaled bin Saud bin Abdullah Al-Faisal, deputy governor of Tabuk province, and SAMF President Prince Khalid bin Sultan Al-Abdullah Al-Faisal.
The second round of the Saudi Toyota Championship, organized by the Saudi Automobile and Motorcycle Federation, attracted a final starting list of 29 cars, 12 motorcycles and six quads.
Wang and Sun win mixed doubles table tennis title for China at Saudi Smash
- The duo and pre-tournament favorites from produced a clinical performance from start to finish, defeating No. 6 seeds Wong Chun Ting and Doo Hoi Kem
JEDDAH: China’s Wang Chuqin and Sun Yingsha won the Mixed Doubles title at the Saudi Smash table tennis event at King Abdullah Sports City on Thursday.
The duo and pre-tournament favorites from produced a clinical performance from start to finish, defeating No. 6 seeds Wong Chun Ting and Doo Hoi Kem from Hong Kong, without dropping a game in the best-of-5 final.
After winning the final 3-0 (11-6,11-6,11-6) and sealing a maiden Saudi Smash Mixed Doubles championship, the men’s world number 1 Wang Chuqin said: “We’re delighted to win and we’re thankful to our fans who have travelled all the way to Saudi Arabia to support us – they’re one of the biggest reasons we have performed better and better as the competition progressed.”
He continued: “The support and atmosphere here in Jeddah have been brilliant. Although the score was 3-0 today, our opponents are one of the strongest pairs in the world. I believe we came out better in the rallies today and this was decisive.”
Saudi Smash Day 6 also featured the Men’s and Women’s Doubles semi-finals with four matches across both competitions.
Wang Chuqin remains on track for a hat-trick of Saudi Smash titles as he and fellow Chinese sensation Ma Long beat Sweden’s Anton Kallberg and Kristian Karlsson 3-0 to make Friday’s final.
They face Japanese duo Hiroto Shinozuka and Shunsuke Togami after their 3-0 victory against the Lebrun brothers from France, Alexis and Felix.
“It’s not often I play doubles throughout the season and my goal is to win the championship with Wang,” Ma said. “I’ve already lost in the singles, so I’m putting all my efforts into our doubles campaign. I think Shinozuka and Togami are potential opponents for us in the Olympics and they’re playing well, we need to put all our efforts into the match.”
Togami also gave his thoughts on what it will take to overcome the pre-tournament favorites: “I believe we’ll have a great match if we take the initiative and attack. Against the French pair, we took a more aggressive approach and it paid off. We need to do the same in the final and play with the same mentality.”
An all-Asian showdown also awaits in Friday’s Women’s Doubles final. Chinese top seeds Chen Meng and Wang Manyu came from behind to beat the European pairing of Tatiana Kukulkova and Natalia Bajor 3-1 in the first semi-final.
The other side of the draw saw South Korean second seeds Jeon Jihee and Shin Yubin seal a 3-0 win against Yangzi Liu and NG Wing Lam.
Chen was full of praise for the travelling Chinese fans and hopes they enjoy tomorrow’s final.
“I didn’t expect so many of our supporters to make the journey here,” she said. “They created a great atmosphere in the arena today and we hope they enjoy the final and cheer us on again. We need to prepare well ahead of tomorrow and Wang and I will be discussing the tactics needed to win this event.”
Shin Yubin added: “We kept up the pace today and this was key to us putting in the best performance possible. They came out and attacked, so we had to find our own rhythm and we did that. Now it’s full speed ahead to the final. We’ve met Chen and Wang before.
“They are really skilled players but our preparation will not change because of this. We will prepare as usual and hopefully play well. Win or lose, playing against the top Chinese players always helps us learn and improve.”
