KYIV: Ukrainian kickboxing champion Maksym Bordus has been killed fighting Russian forces, a website that lists athletes killed in the war said on Tuesday.
Bordus was killed on June 11 in “fierce fighting against Russian invaders,” according to “Sport Angels,” a Ukrainian website set up with the assistance of the Sports Committee that brings together NGOs and federations from non-Olympic sports.
“Every day he brought Ukraine’s victory closer with a weapon in his hands, but he himself will not see it,” it wrote under a photograph of Bordus posing with several medals.
A petition was posted on President Volodymyr Zelensky’s website calling for Bordus to be posthumously awarded the title of “Hero of Ukraine.”
Sport Angels said he had won dozens of tournaments and was the World Association of Kickboxing (WAKO) champion of Ukraine.
It said that Bordus, who was born in 2000, had signed up to fight for the Ukrainian army on the first day of Russia’s full-scale invasion in February last year.
The petition said Bordus was killed by a Russian shell while on a combat mission in the southern region of Zaporizhzhia.
Ukraine’s sports ministry could not immediately be reached for comment.
Sports Minister Vadym Huttsait said in April that 262 Ukrainian athletes had been killed in Russia’s war against Ukraine.
Ukrainian kickboxing champion Maksym Bordus killed fighting in war – website
https://arab.news/w4sm2
Ukrainian kickboxing champion Maksym Bordus killed fighting in war – website

- Bordus was killed on June 11 in "fierce fighting against Russian invaders", according to "Sport Angels"
- A petition was posted on President Volodymyr Zelenskiy's website calling for Bordus to be posthumously awarded the title of "Hero of Ukraine"
Man City hope for Rodri return this season by listing Ballon d’Or winner in Champions League squad

- Rodri has set a target of about April to return to play
- The Champions League quarterfinals start April 8
MANCHESTER: Manchester City showed faith in Rodri potentially returning to action this season by registering the injured Ballon d’Or winner on Friday in their Champions League squad for the knockout phase.
UEFA set a midnight Thursday deadline to submit updated squad lists for European competitions. With a limit of three new signings in the midseason transfer window allowed, City left out teenage defender Vitor Reis who joined from Palmeiras last month.
Rodri has set a target of about April – “six to seven months” after tearing the ACL in his right knee against Arsenal on Sept. 22 – to return to play. The Champions League quarterfinals start April 8.
The English champion have a daunting task to stay in the competition until then without star midfielder Rodri, who scored the winning goal in the 2023 final against Inter Milan.
Man City face Real Madrid in a two-leg knockout playoff, next Tuesday and on Feb. 19. The winner will play either Atletico Madrid or Bayer Leverkusen in the round of 16.
New signings who are included in coach Pep Guardiola’s squad for the Champions League are midfielder Nico Gonzalez — who can stand in for Rodri — forward Omar Marmoush, and defender Abdukodir Khusanov.
Saudi Arabia makes debut at Asian Winter Games as 9th edition begins

- The event marks a milestone for Saudi Arabia, which is making its debut at the multi-sport competition as it gears up to host the 2029 Games
HARBIN, China: The 9th Asian Winter Games opened on Friday in Harbin, China, with a ceremony led by Chinese President Xi Jinping.
The event marks a milestone for Saudi Arabia, which is making its debut at the multi-sport competition as it gears up to host the 2029 Games. The Saudi Winter Sports Federation, originally established in 2019, was restructured in 2022 into two separate governing bodies: the Saudi Ice Sports Federation and the Saudi Snow Sports Federation.
The Kingdom’s delegation at the games is headed by Prince Fahd bin Jalawi bin Abdulaziz bin Musaed, vice president of the Saudi Olympic and Paralympic Committee and Member of the Executive Office of the Olympic Council of Asia.
The event runs until Feb. 18 and will feature around 1,500 athletes from 34 Asian countries. Among the Saudi participants, the Kingdom’s curling team is set to compete in five matches from Feb. 9 to 12 — facing off against teams from Qatar, China, Hong Kong, Japan, and Thailand — while three Saudi alpine skiers will compete in the slalom events: Fayik Abdi in the men’s, and Sharifa Al-Sudairi and Farhoud Joud in the women’s.
As the Kingdom continues to expand its sporting ambitions, its participation in the Asian Winter Games “represents another step in its broader vision to develop a competitive winter sports ecosystem on the international stage,” the Saudi Press Agency reported.
Celtic avoid fan ban for Bayern Champions League tie

- Celtic had received a suspended one-match ban on selling tickets for traveling fans
- “We are pleased that UEFA has considered our detailed submission,” Celtic said
GLASGOW: Celtic fans will be able to attend the second leg of their Champions League play-off round tie away to Bayern Munich after being handed a UEFA reprieve.
The Scottish champions feared supporters would be banned after a green smoke bomb was thrown onto the pitch from visiting fans during Celtic’s 4-2 defeat at Aston Villa last month.
Celtic had received a suspended one-match ban on selling tickets for traveling fans after a pyrotechnic display in their 7-1 Champions League thrashing by Borussia Dortmund in September.
However, they have escaped with a fine of 10,000 euros ($10,400, £8,340) for the lighting of fireworks and throwing of objects.
“As we had said previously, Celtic made every effort to ensure that our fans could attend this match, and we are pleased that UEFA has considered our detailed submission,” Celtic said in a statement.
“We can also confirm that the original suspended sentence remains in place, as a result of the previous use of pyrotechnics, most recently at the match against Borussia Dortmund, by a small minority of supporters.
“Again we must make it very clear that pyrotechnics have absolutely no place at our matches and should further incidents occur, then clearly, once again, there is an extremely high risk of our supporters not being permitted access to future matches.”
Amorim reveals the reasons why things didn't work out with Rashford at Man United

MANCHESTER: Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim let Marcus Rashford leave the club because he couldn't convince the forward to follow his methods.
“I couldn’t put Marcus to see the way you’re supposed to play football and to train the way I see it,” Amorim said in quotes published late Thursday.
The 27-year-old Rashford joined Aston Villa on loan the day before Europe's winter transfer window closed, having not played for United since mid-December. He could make his debut for Villa on Sunday on an FA Cup match against Tottenham.
“Sometimes you have one player that is really good with one coach, and the same player with another coach is different,” Amorim said.
“I just wish the best to Rashford and to (Villa manager) Unai Emery, and they can connect because he’s a very good player.”
Asked whether Rashford said that he did not agree with Amorim’s ideas about soccer, Amorim said: “You know, like me, that it’s not the way that occurs.
“It’s something that you feel as a coach and as a player. It’s quite normal. It happened with a lot of coaches. The important thing is that I’m here saying that was my decision."
Amorim brushed aside talk of a potential return for Rashford at the end of the season.
Rashford's deal with Villa includes an option to make the move permanent for a reported 40 million pounds ($50 million).
"Like we said before, we are fighting for our jobs until the summer,” Amorim said.
“So, I am just focused on these games. Thankfully about Marcus, he is in Birmingham now with Unai, so you can take these questions to another coach. We are just focused on our players at the moment.”
Iraq’s Hussein Salem to take on Italy’s Walter Cogliandro at ONE Championship in Qatar

- Other Arab fighters at ONE 171 include UAE’s Zayed Al-Katheeri, Kuwait’s Jarrah Al-Hazza, and Morocco’s Ilias Ennahachi
DOHA: Iraq’s Hussein Salem will face Italian fighter Walter Cogliandro in a featherweight MMA bout at ONE 171: Qatar on Feb. 20.
Salem joins the UAE’s Zayed Al-Katheeri, Kuwait’s Jarrah Al-Hazza, and Morocco’s Ilias Ennahachi as representatives of Arab countries on the upcoming card of the ONE Championship event.
Salem, who is known in the UAE after participating in seven bouts at UAE Warriors, is one of Iraq’s top martial artists. The 32-year-old holds an 11-5 overall professional record.
Italy’s Cogliandro enters the bout after recent wins against UFC veterans Mark Striegl and Jordan’s Ali Al-Qaisi.
The event features two world title fights as Jonathan Haggerty defends the ONE Bantamweight Kickboxing world title against Chinese veteran and No. 1 ranked Wei Rui while champion Joshua Pacio and interim champion Jarred Brooks meet for the third time in a ONE strawweight MMA world title unification bout.
ONE 171: Qatar kicks off at 5 p.m. Makkah time live from the Lusail Sports Arena.