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Anticipation builds ahead of Saudi Baja 2022 at Hail

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Mohammed Al-Balooshi is the top motorcycle seed at the Saudi Baja. (Supplied)
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Saudi Arabia’s Dania Akeel in action in Spain earlier this season. (Supplied)
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Kuwait’s Meshari Al-Thefiri leads the FIA T4 category heading into the weekend. (Supplied)
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Yazeed Al-Rajhi in action in Andalucia last month with his Toyota Hilux. (Supplied)
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Dutchman Kees Koolen is trying to win the FIA T4 Championship this year. (Supplied)
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Updated 09 November 2022
Arab News
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Anticipation builds ahead of Saudi Baja 2022 at Hail

  • Riyadh driver Yazeed Al-Rajhi heads the FIA car field and faces a desert duel with Czech rival Miroslav Zapletal for the FIA World Cup Drivers’ Championship
  • The Saudi Baja provides motorcycle and quad riders with the last opportunity to score FIA Baja World Cup points and qualify for the final to be held in Dubai
Updated 09 November 2022
Arab News

HAIL; Saudi Arabia: Anticipation is building ahead of Saudi Baja 2022 Hail as the three-day event gets underway with a ceremonial start and a 18km desert Qualifying Stage on Thursday afternoon.

The seventh round of both the FIA World Cup for Cross-Country Bajas and the FIM Bajas World Cup, round three of the FIA Middle East Cup for Cross-Country Bajas and the third event in the Saudi Toyota Rally Championship is being organized by the Saudi Automobile and Motorcycle Federation (SAMF), in conjunction with the Ministry of Sport and in partnership with Abdul Latif Jameel (ALJ) Motors.

Riyadh driver Yazeed Al-Rajhi heads the FIA car field and faces a desert duel with Czech rival Miroslav Zapletal for the FIA World Cup Drivers’ Championship. The Toyota Hilux and Ford F-150 Evo drivers are separated by just one point in the standings heading into the Hail showdown. Al-Rajhi also holds the advantage at the halfway point of the Saudi Toyota Rally Championship.

The Czech’s Slovakian co-driver Marek Sykora is a firm favorite to win the FIA Co-drivers’ title in the absence of Michael Orr. The Ulsterman is still recuperating from an injury sustained in Poland and has been replaced in recent weeks alongside Al-Rajhi by German co-driver Dirk von Zitzewitz.

Brazilian Cristiano de Sousa Batista, Dutchman Kees Koolen and Spaniard Fernando Alvarez are locked in a three-way tie for third place in the Drivers’ Championship. They trail Al-Rajhi by 30 points and are also fighting for the FIA T4 and T3 titles in their respective South Racing Can-Ams.

Alvarez holds a 45-point lead over Saudi team-mate Dania Akeel in the T3 drivers’ rankings, while De Sousa Batista trails Kuwait’s Meshari Al-Thefiri by 18 points in the T4 tussle. Saudi driver Saeed Al-Mouri and Spaniard Eduard Pons ae also registered for T4 points in the FIA World Cup at the Saudi Baja in their Can-Ams.

Alvarez and Akeel face T3 competition from Qatar’s Mohammed Al-Attiyah, Saudi female driver Mashael Al-Obaidan and the experienced Saleh Al-Saif in their Can-Ams.

The outcome of the FIA Middle East Cup for Cross-Country Bajas is wide open. In the absence of two of his main rivals, Saudi driver Hamad Al-Harbi has the chance to snatch the overall championship lead and move ahead of both Aliyyah Koloc and her sister Yasmeen in the T3 rankings.

Italian driver Camelia Liparoti will lock horns with Lithuania’s Egidijus Valeiša and Saudi female racer Maha Al-Hamali for Middle East Cup points in T4. Liparoti currently holds third place in the points’ standings.

The Saudi Baja provides motorcycle and quad riders with the last opportunity to score FIA Baja World Cup points and qualify for the final to be held at the last round in Dubai at the start of December.

Emirati Mohammed Al-Balooshi currently tops the rankings with Portugal’s Fabio Magalhães on 45 points and knows that a win in Hail will give him a maximum 50-point score to take to the final.

Riders hoping to improve their position before Dubai include young Jordanian Abdullah Abu Aishah, Kuwait’s Abdullah Al-Shatti, Qatar-based Australian Martin Chalmers, Spaniard Margot Llobera, Briton Makis Rees-Stavros and Saudi riders, Mishal Al-Ghuneim and Abdulhalim Al-Mogheera.

Abdulmajeed Al-Khulaifi has already amassed the maximum 50 points for two wins in the quad category but the Saudi will be hoping to secure the top step of the podium once again on his Yamaha Raptor 700. Amongst his rivals in the FIM Bajas World Cup quad category are third-placed Hani Al-Noumesi and Faisal Al-Suwayh.

Leading riders in the over-450cc category include Austrian Simon Francis, the UAE’s Hamdan Al-Ali, Great Britain’s Steven Holt and the Qatari trio of Sheikh Mohammed Al-Thani, Mohammed Al-Kaabi and Yaghoob Azadi. They do not score points in the FIM series.

There is also a Saudi National Baja running behind the main FIA and FIM events and that has attracted a provisional 33-car field before final scrutineering and administration checks.

Tomorrow (Thursday), riders and drivers will cross the ceremonial start podium in Hail before tackling a challenging 18km Qualifying Stage that will determine the start order for the respective car, motorcycle and quad Bajas on Friday morning.

Topics: Saudi Baja 2022 Hail Saudi Automobile and Motorcycle Federation (SAMF) Saudi Ministry of Sport Yazeed Al-Rajhi Dania Akeel

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$2m Saudi Smash opens in Jeddah

Updated 01 May 2024
SALEH FAREED
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$2m Saudi Smash opens in Jeddah

  • World’s best table tennis players set to battle it out over 11 days
  • Singapore’s Quek Izaac, Sweden’s Filippa Bergand secure first round wins
Updated 01 May 2024
SALEH FAREED

JEDDAH: Top players from around the world are taking part in the Saudi Smash table tennis event that got underway on Wednesday at King Abdullah Sports City in Jeddah.
This is the first World Table Tennis Championship event to be held in the Kingdom and there are big prizes up for grabs over the next 11 days.
The singles events open with a qualifying stage, which run until Friday and will see 64 men and 64 women — several of them Saudis — competing for eight spots in the main draw. They will then join 56 of the world’s top male and female players in the main event, which starts on Saturday.
There is a total prize pot of $2 million on offer, with the winners of the men’s and women’s singles events also picking up $65,000 and 2,000 world ranking points.
Singapore’s Quek Izaac got off to a flying start in the men’s singles on Wednesday, beating the No. 6 qualifying seed Sathiyan Gnanasekaran from India 3-1 (11-8, 8-11, 11-8, 13-11).
Quek reached the last 16 in last year’s Smash in his home country.
In the women’s singles, Sweden’s Filippa Bergand fought back from two games down to defeat India’s Archana Girish Kamath 3-1 (3-11, 3-11, 11-5, 11-7, 11-9).

Topics: Saudi Smash 2024 table tennis World Table Tennis Championship

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Two-time defending champion Alcaraz crashes out in Madrid

Updated 01 May 2024
AFP
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Two-time defending champion Alcaraz crashes out in Madrid

  • Rublev, the world number eight from Russia, came through 4-6, 6-3, 6-2, handing the third-ranked Alcaraz his first defeat on Spanish clay in 25 matches
  • Rublev will face either Taylor Fritz of the United States or Argentina’s Francisco Cerundolo for a place in the final
Updated 01 May 2024
AFP

MADRID: Two-time defending champion Carlos Alcaraz was sent crashing out of the Madrid Open on Wednesday as Andrey Rublev triumphed in their quarter-final clash.
Rublev, the world number eight from Russia, came through 4-6, 6-3, 6-2, handing the third-ranked Alcaraz his first defeat on Spanish clay in 25 matches.
Rublev will face either Taylor Fritz of the United States or Argentina’s Francisco Cerundolo for a place in the final.
Alcaraz, who was forced to sit out clay court events in Monte Carlo and Barcelona due to a right arm injury, had been in control in the first set.
However, 26-year-old Rublev battled back with Alcaraz looking increasingly weary as the tie progressed in chilly conditions in the Spanish capital and with the roof closed on the Manolo Santana Stadium.
Rublev carved out breaks in the first and fifth games of the decider and celebrated victory when the 20-year-old two-time major winner dumped a tired return into the net.
The Russian clubbed 30 winners as Alcaraz appeared physically spent following his three-set win over Jan-Lennard Struff on Tuesday in a last 16-tie which stretched to almost three hours.

Topics: Andrey Rublev Carlos Alcaraz Madrid Open

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Chelsea working to understand injury woes, says Pochettino

Updated 01 May 2024
AFP
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Chelsea working to understand injury woes, says Pochettino

  • Defenders Thiago Silva and Axel Disasi are the latest additions to the list since Saturday’s 2-2 draw with Aston Villa
  • “Too many circumstances have happened,” Pochettino said on the eve of Chelsea’s match against his former club, who are in fifth spot in the table
Updated 01 May 2024
AFP

LONDON: Mauricio Pochettino says Chelsea’s medical and coaching staff are trying to work out why the club have been so badly plagued by injuries, with as many as 14 players likely to be missing for Thursday’s visit of Tottenham.
Defenders Thiago Silva and Axel Disasi are the latest additions to the list since Saturday’s 2-2 draw with Aston Villa, in which the Chelsea boss was forced to name five academy graduates aged 20 and under on the bench.
The Blues’ campaign has been badly disrupted by the unavailability of players, including several acquired at huge expense as part of a £1 billion ($1.25 billion) transfer spree over the past two years.
Notable absentees include Wesley Fofana, who has not played all season after undergoing surgery on an ACL injury, and forward Christopher Nkunku, who has been limited to seven Premier League appearances.
Romeo Lavia has played only once for the club while Reece James and Ben Chilwell have also had lengthy spells out of the side, who are in mid-table.
Last week it was confirmed that Enzo Fernandez, signed for a then-British record £105 million in January 2023, will not play again this season following a hernia operation.
“Too many circumstances have happened,” Pochettino said on the eve of Chelsea’s match against his former club, who are in fifth spot in the table.
“It’s difficult to explain with one word or in one sentence. Of course we are working on trying to improve. We have an amazing staff — medical staff, coaching staff. They have experience in managing clubs and being in this business.
“When some circumstances arrive, sometimes it can happen. We need to now, until the end of the season, put all the information on the table and try to be better next season.
“We need to improve in communication, dynamics, strategy. Everything to do with our knowledge to improve and coordinate better.”
Pochettino paid tribute to veteran Brazilian defender Silva, 39, who is leaving the club at the end of the season after a four-year stay.
“He’s an amazing guy and amazing professional,” said Pochettino. “Playing until nearly 40 years old is an amazing career.
“Of course, the players, the fans and club are going to miss him. But he’s happy, he’s so proud of his career here at Chelsea. We wish him the best because he deserves the best.”

Topics: Chelsea Mauricio Pochettino Premier league

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Tennis legend Boris Becker discharged from bankruptcy court in England

Updated 01 May 2024
AP
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Tennis legend Boris Becker discharged from bankruptcy court in England

  • Chief Insolvency and Companies Court Judge Nicholas Briggs said it would be “perverse” not to end the case given the efforts Becker made
  • Becker, 57, was deported to Germany two years ago after serving 8 months in a London prison
Updated 01 May 2024
AP

LONDON: German tennis legend Boris Becker was discharged from bankruptcy court in London after a judge found Wednesday he had done “all that he reasonably could do” to repay creditors tens of millions of pounds.
Becker fell far short of repaying his creditors in full, but Chief Insolvency and Companies Court Judge Nicholas Briggs said it would be “perverse” not to end the case given the efforts Becker made.
“On the spectrum of bankrupts who range from ‘difficult as possible and doing everything to frustrate the trustee’s inquiries’ to ‘co-operative, providing information and delivering up assets’, Mr. Becker clearly falls on the right side of the line,” Briggs wrote.
Becker, 57, was deported to Germany two years ago after serving 8 months in a London prison for illicitly transferring large amounts of money and hiding 2.5 million pounds ($3.1 million) in assets after he was declared bankrupt in 2017.
He had been convicted in a London court on four charges under the Insolvency Act, including removal of property, concealing debt and two counts of failing to disclose estate. He was acquitted of 25 other charges, including nine counts of failing to hand over Grand Slam trophies and his Olympic gold medal to bankruptcy trustees.
He was sentenced to 2 1/2 years in prison, but was released early under a fast-track deportation program for foreign nationals.
Becker rose to stardom in 1985 at the age of 17 when he became the first unseeded player to win the Wimbledon singles title. He went on to become the world No. 1 player, winning two titles at Wimbledon, two at the Australian Open and one at the US Open.
He retired from professional tennis in 1999 and worked as a coach, television commentator, investor and celebrity poker player.
Becker blamed laziness and bad advice for his financial problems that led him to declare bankruptcy after owing creditors nearly 50 million pounds ($62.5 million) over an unpaid loan of more than 3 million pounds ($3.75 million) on his estate in Mallorca, Spain.
Attorney Katie Longstaff said at a High Court hearing last month that the joint trustees did not oppose his effort to end the case but did not support it because he still owed about 42 million pounds ($52.5 million).
Becker’s lawyer, Louis Doyle, said the two sides had reached a settlement that includes a “substantial sum” the tennis great must pay. The agreement “includes the outstanding trophies,” Doyled said, adding Becker “can’t do more than he has done to bring us to this point.”

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Cricket World Cup ‘stepping stone’ to building US fanbase for Olympics

Updated 01 May 2024
AFP
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Cricket World Cup ‘stepping stone’ to building US fanbase for Olympics

  • New York, Dallas and Florida will be venues for T20 World Cup to be held in June 
  • International Cricket Council says tournament would help sport leave a mark in US
Updated 01 May 2024
AFP

New Delhi: Next month’s T20 World Cup will help build cricket’s profile and popularity in the United States ahead of its appearance at the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles, the sport’s world body said.

The showpiece 20-over event will be co-hosted by the West Indies and the United States in June with New York, Florida and Dallas as venues.

The International Cricket Council (ICC) said it was confident the tournament would help the sport leave a mark in a land where baseball rules.

“The fact that a World Cup has come to the US — the largest sports market in the world — that in itself has generated a lot of interest,” Chris Tetley, the ICC’s head of events, told reporters in a media roundtable on Tuesday.

“This is a key stepping stone for the promotion of the game toward 2028 and beyond in terms of providing world-class cricket for the massive existing fanbase that the sport already has in the US,” he added.

“We are trying to give them something they haven’t had on their doorstep before and maybe pique the interest of the American sports community by telling them that cricket’s actually an older sport in the US than baseball.”

T20 cricket will feature as one of five new sports at the Los Angeles Olympics.

Cricket’s only previous appearance at an Olympics was in 1900 in Paris, where a team from Great Britain defeated France.

Nassau County’s Eisenhower Park, near New York, has seen a 34,000-seater temporary stadium, with a drop-in cricket pitch, constructed.

It will host the hotly-anticipated India-Pakistan clash on June 9 among its eight scheduled World Cup games.

“We are really happy with the pitch,” said stadium manager Damian Hough.

“Everything that we have done has exceeded expectations. I can’t predict scores, that’s for the batters.

“We hope that we have got a typical T20 pitch where there is good bounce, good pace and value for shots. Obviously you want batters to play shots all around the ground.”

Hough and his team introduced drop-in pitches more than a decade ago at Adelaide Oval, where he is head curator.

But creating the stadium in Nassau County has seen different challenges, including growing the pitch in the sub-tropics of Florida before transporting it 2,000 kilometers (1,250 miles) north through multiple climatic zones.

Tetley said the stadium would be dismantled after the T20 extravaganza, but the “world-class facilities” would leave a lasting legacy for cricket in the United States.

Topics: Cricket World Cup

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