Doha: The presence of Israeli teams at a youth handball tournament in Doha, starting Thursday, has sparked calls on social media for Qataris to withdraw their children from the competition.
Israel sent a boys' team and a girls' team to the Handball World School Championship, a biannual international tournament for students aged 15 to 18, played since the early 1970s.
It is not the first time Israeli athletes have competed in Qatar, but on Twitter, users claiming to be Qataris accused Doha of trying to normalise relations with Israel.
"I ask all parents to withdraw their children and prevent them from participating in this normalisation of relations," one user wrote in Arabic.
"Now it is the time to speak to your children about Palestine."
Another tweeted that the tournament was "recognition of an occupier".
The Twitter account QAYON (Qatar Youth Opposed to Normalisation) for its part launched the hashtag: "Students of Qatar against normalisation", gaining coverage from Doha's own Al-Jazeera Arabic satellite network.
It is not known whether the tweets critical of Doha actually originated from Qatar.
The presence of the Israeli handball players was always likely to be sensitive.
Earlier this year Israeli tennis player Dudi Sela took part in the Qatar Open, leading to demands on social media for an apology from Qatar's tennis federation, whose president is Paris Saint-Germain chief Nasser Al-Khelaifi.
And in 2016, two Israeli competitors - Ariel Hilma and Sean Faiga - took part in a Doha volleyball tournament. Again, there was online fury, with one Twitter user calling on Qatari airport staff not to stamp the volleyball stars' passports.
Ahead of the handball competition, one local newspaper listed every country participating, except for Israel.
The opening ceremony on Thursday will not feature an Israeli flag, according to the International School Sport Federation (ISF) organisers.
But there is no question of Israel not participating among the more than 20 nations who sent teams to Doha - the first non-European capital to host the tournament.
"These teams have qualified to participate," said a media manager for the competition, pointing out that the same rule will apply when it comes to the World Cup, which Qatar is scheduled to host in 2022.
"This is a worldwide tournament," he said.
Tom Christensen, a senior ISF official, told AFP that Israel was originally planning to send only one team, "but they decided four or five months ago to send a girls' team" as well.
Qatar has a complex relationship with Israel. The emirate provides sanctuary for the former Hamas leadership.
In the weeks following the start of the crisis between Qatar and its Arab neighbours, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he wanted Al-Jazeera's Israel offices closed down.
At the same time, Qatar has committed itself to welcoming Israel's football team - and fans - should they qualify for the 2022 World Cup.
The Qatari leadership has to tread a fine line with its approach to Israel, said Christopher Davidson, a professor in Middle East politics at Durham University.
"The bulk of (public) opinion among Arab nationals is very different to Israel than their political elites," he said.
"For them, to find out about Israeli sports teams coming is very, very difficult."
But Qatar has another imperative: it cannot exclude any country from a sporting event with 2022 looming and the world watching.
Davidson said Qatar has little option.
"They have run the risk that countries like Israel may well turn up and there's not much they can do about it, other than forfeit the right to host.”
Israeli youth handball teams in Qatar spark social media outcry
Israeli youth handball teams in Qatar spark social media outcry
Soccer jersey dispute between Algeria and Morocco clubs over Western Sahara goes to sports court
The dispute already affected the teams’ semifinal of the CAF Confederation Cup
GENEVA: A soccer politics dispute between Algeria and Morocco over a map of disputed Western Sahara territory on a team jersey will go to a full appeal hearing at the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
The court said Thursday the two sides “are currently exchanging written submissions” and set no timetable for appointing a panel of judges and setting a date for a hearing.
The Algerian soccer federation and the USM Alger club from Algiers are challenging a decision by the Confederation of African Football to let Moroccan club RS Berkane wear a team jersey that includes disputed territory on a map of Morocco.
The dispute already affected the teams’ semifinal of the CAF Confederation Cup, in which USM Alger are the defending champion. Neither semifinal game scheduled on April 21 and 28 was played and both were awarded by CAF as 3-0 wins to Berkane.
Berkane are scheduled to play the two-leg final on May 12 and 19 — against Zamalek of Egypt — and the court did not indicate Thursday if the Algerian appeal will be judged before those games.
Western Sahara is a former Spanish colony annexed by Morocco in 1975. The United Nations brokered a ceasefire between Morocco and the pro-independence Polisario Front, which is supported by Algeria, that held until four years ago.
Algeria cut diplomatic ties with Morocco in 2021.
The laws of soccer state that “equipment must not have any political, religious or personal slogans, statements or images.”
Berkane arrived for the April 21 game in Algiers and had their team uniforms seized at the airport by Algerian authorities.
CAF refused an Algerian request to prohibit the shirts and, after Berkane refused to wear replacement shirts provided by USM Alger, the game did not go ahead.
CAF ruled the Algerian club were in breach of competition rules and Berkane were awarded a 3-0 win by default.
An urgent appeal by the Algerians to suspend CAF’s ruling on the shirt was denied last week by the sports court in Lausanne, Switzerland.
On April 28, USM Alger went to Berkane’s stadium for the second leg but refused to play if the hosts wore the jerseys with the map. CAF awarded a second default win to Berkane.
The full appeal in the case has now been brought against CAF, the Moroccan soccer federation and Berkane. One of the African soccer body’s most influential officials, FIFA Council member Fouzi Lekjaa, is president of the Moroccan federation and a former president of the Berkane club.
Saudi Smash 2024 draw held in Jeddah
- Ceremony signals start of weeklong table tennis competition
- ‘It is wonderful to be here in Saudi Arabia,’ Egyptian Omar Assar says
JEDDAH: The draw for the ITTF World Table Tennis Championships Saudi Smash 2024 took place on Thursday.
The draws for the men’s and women’s singles, each of which has 64 players, and the doubles categories, with 24 pairs in each, were held at the Infinity Arena, Sports Hall King Abdullah Sports City in Jeddah.
The tournament, which opens on Saturday and runs through May 11, is part of the WTT Grand Smash series.
Among the notable names in the draw were the men’s and women’s world No. 1s Wang Chuqin and Sun Yingsha of China, Brazil’s Bruna Takahashi and Egpyt’s Omar Assar.
Assar, who made history by becoming the first Egyptian player to reach the quarterfinals of a World Championship, said: “It is wonderful to be here in Saudi Arabia and looking forward to being part of this eagerly awaited tournament.”
Wang said: “It is really a tough competition but I am ready to compete until the end.”
The competition’s total prize pool of $2 million is the highest ever for an officially sanctioned event.
Other top players taking part include Felix Lebrun of France, Shin Yubin of South Korea, Hana Goda of Egypt and Dang Qiu of Germany.
Largest ever refugee team to compete at Paris Olympics-IOC
- The athletes, from countries including Syria, Sudan, Iran and Afghanistan, will compete across 12 sports in Paris
- IOC President Thomas Bach said: “This will send a message of hope to the more than 100 million displaced people around the world“
LAUSANNE: The International Olympic Committee (IOC) on Thursday unveiled its largest refugee Olympic team to date for the Paris 2024 Games, with 36 athletes from 11 different countries.
The athletes, from countries including Syria, Sudan, Iran and Afghanistan, will compete across 12 sports in Paris, the third time such a team has formed for the Summer Olympics.
“With your participation in the Olympic Games, you will demonstrate the human potential of resilience and excellence,” IOC President Thomas Bach said during the team’s announcement.
“This will send a message of hope to the more than 100 million displaced people around the world.”
For the first time, the team will compete under its own emblem.
The IOC unveiled its first refugee team for the Rio 2016 Olympics with 10 athletes to raise awareness of the issue as hundreds of thousands of people were pouring into Europe from the Middle East and elsewhere escaping conflict and poverty.
The team that competed at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, held in 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, was already almost three times as big as the inaugural team at the Rio Games, with a total of 29 athletes competing in 12 sports.
The Paris Olympics refugee team announcement comes shortly after Anjelina Nadai Lohalith, who ran as a refugee athlete in the 1,500 meters at the 2016 and 2021 Olympics, was suspended after testing positive for a banned substance.
The continuous rise in value of the Indian Premier League
In the aftermath of the Punjab Kings’ record chase of 262 runs on April 26, team captain Sam Curran, remarked that the Indian Premier League “(is) becoming a bit like baseball, isn’t it?”
This was likely a moment that opponents of the IPL had predicted and feared — and, conversely, one that proponents of the IPL and T20 cricket in general relished.
T20 cricket is in line with the age of fast food. Instantly consumable, quickly forgotten and underpinned by mass advertising and high-profile personalities. Around the world, its sponsors include KFC for Australia’s Big Bash League, the very title encapsulating the format’s frenzy.
In England, the Hundred has a five-year deal with KP Snacks. Given governmental policy to reduce consumption of products that are high in fat, salt and sugar, the partnership has drawn criticism.
Meanwhile, in South Africa, SA20’s title sponsor is Betway, one of a growing number of betting companies associated with cricket. In the IPL, there is a myriad of sponsors. The title one, Tata, is paying $300 million between 2024 and 2028. Then there are three associate partners — My11Circle, Angel One and RUPay — plus an official broadcaster in Star Sports, official digital streaming partner JioCinema, official strategic timeout partner CEAT and an umpire partner in Paytm.
Each franchise team has a plethora of principal partners, associate partners, media partners and merchandise partners. These represent a broad range of different industry sectors which boost the brand value of the franchises. According to brand valuation consultancy Brand Finance, the value of the ten franchises at the end of the 2023 season ranged from $43.7 million to $87 million. The estimated brand value of the IPL was $10.7 billion.
Estimates of brand value are derived differently by different bodies. This is because brands are not tangible assets — they are subject to beliefs, perceived reputation, trust and experience. Their value lies in how consumers associate with the brand and how it influences their behavior. Attempts to quantify these factors require measurable elements such as trademarks, logos, taglines, visual assets, digital assets, customer retention and social media engagement levels.
Since it began 17 years ago, the IPL has generated all of these in abundance. Along with experience and engagement within the stadiums, an exponential growth in viewership reached close to 500 million unique viewers in 2023. The new media rights regime in 2024 has created further growth, with the Disney Star Network acquiring broadcast rights for all IPL matches in 2024. Live broadcast of the first 18 attracted over 400 million viewers, a 17 percent like-for-like increase over 2023.
There is a big shift in live streaming, with Viacom’s JioCinema awarded digital streaming rights in the 2024-27 cycle. In 2023 it streamed the entire IPL season for free on its mobile app and website, a feature continued into 2024. The move took many by surprise but enabled it to set a record for the highest concurrent viewership for a live-streamed event — some 32 million viewers tuned in to watch the final. Now, digital streaming appears to be gaining momentum over traditional TV broadcasting with IPL viewers, depending on market segment. This can only increase as technology advances and accessibility improves.
As a result, brand value estimates after the 2024 edition are likely to be affected. Close inspection of existing estimates reveals the different methodologies in use. Cost-based valuations focus on how much it has taken to build the brand. Market-based valuations take account of how much sales of similar brands have raised. Income-based valuations focus on how much money the brand brings into the organization compared with non-branded similar products for services. Customer-based valuations analyze existing customers and predict future consumption patterns.
Another approach is the relief from royalty method, used by global investment bank Houlihan Lokey. This calculates value based on hypothetical royalty payments that would be saved by owning an asset rather than licensing it. In 2023, this produced a brand value estimate for the IPL of $3.2 billion — a difference of some $10.7 billion compared with other estimates. The methodology also produces different estimates of the franchise brand values. In this case, they are in a higher range of $83 million to $212 million, with a slightly different ranking.
Houlihan Lokey also undertook a valuation of the IPL’s value as a business, based on the standard discounted cash flow technique. This amounted to $15.4 billion in 2023, an increase of 80 percent over 2022. Most of this can be attributed to the renewal of the media rights deal covering 2023-2027, worth three times more than the 2017-2022 cycle. It is reasonable to assume that, given the year-on-year increases in viewership, the IPL will be able to command even more enhanced terms in the next cycle.
Intuitively, this makes the use of DCF techniques understandable. Under normal circumstances, the IPL can be reasonably sure of its future revenue streams. Once they are expressed in terms of present values, investors can assess what rate of return they are likely to achieve. Ultimately, returns on investment and profits are more important to stakeholders than differences in brand valuations, although the franchisees remain committed to brand enhancement through fan engagement, association with star players and top sponsors.
Since 2008, the IPL has established itself as a global phenomenon and it has done so in a relatively short time. It attracts millions of fans and viewers, providing instant entertainment. All the signs are that it will continue to grow through increased sponsorship, viewer numbers and media rights income which, in turn, proliferates advertising revenue for the media. This is big business and looks unstoppable, but it may morph into a caricature of the game from which it took its roots.
Mitch Evans relishes ‘great’ first Formula E win of the season
- The Jaguar TCS Racing driver secured top spot at the Monaco E-Prix last weekend
DUBAI: Jaguar TCS Racing’s Mitch Evans said it was a “great feeling” to have secured his first victory in this season’s Formula E world championship as he looks ahead to the double-header in Berlin next weekend.
Evans reigned supreme in Monaco, leading Jaguar to a dominant one-two with his team-mate, Nick Cassidy, finishing second. The result meant Evans broke his four-race streak of leading without a win.
“I’ve always been very comfortable around this track,” said Evans. “I think I’ve had around 10 podiums in different categories and never won. It was bound to happen at some point but (it) just happened a little later than what I would have liked. It was a great feeling to finally get the victory and it was a strategic and exciting race. It was an important win and (it) was good to see the checkered flag first.”
The result leaves Evans 25 points off the top but strengthens Jaguar’s grip on the constructors’ title, in which they now have a 44-point advantage.
Evans believes there is no reason why his team will not be even better throughout the rest of the season — starting in Berlin.
“The one-two here in Monaco has never been done before so really proud of the team,” he said. “We have come on the back of trickier races so to get this strong result is fantastic. It’s good for everyone’s confidence and gaining momentum and we want to keep that going.
“We’ll be going into Berlin next where last year we got a one-two, so obviously (it) would be amazing if we repeat that, but there is a new layout so there’s a few new things to learn. The race will be quite strategic from an energy point of view so we need to do some work with the team to make sure we’re well prepared. Our Gen3 car tends to suit that circuit a bit more and hopefully we can continue from Monaco.”
