JEDDAH: Dabarkadz completed their remarkable run to the Friday Morning Division title, beating Event Mall 65-55 in Game 3 of the best-of-three series last week in the Boy Teves Basketball Tournament organized by Overseas Filipino Basketball League (OFBL) at Time-out Sport Academy court on Television Street, Ghulail District on the outskirts of Jeddah.
Dabarkadz qualified straight to the final after sweeping the eliminations at 5-0 and their only defeat was in the first game of the championship series in the tournament sponsored by Al-Zugbi Sports Tailoring, Pepsi, Amaia Land and Art’s Cuisine.
Mangalindan’s breakout performance and Querubin’s leadership on the floor that saw him set the plays and hit the open man were chief in the Game 3 success of the Dabarkadz. Mangalindan finished with 21 points and Querubin 9, while Cruz with 13 points was the only other player in double figures.
Castillo and Razal, with 29 points between them, tried to rally Event Mall to no avail.
The veteran Cartegena showed no ill effects of jetlag after returning to the Kingdom from his annual vacation in the Philippines to score 22 points and help Compass Ocean Logistics beat powerhouse Airnet 85-83. Veteran point guard Julia complemented Cartegena’s efforts, contributing 14 points and directing Compass’ offensive ball traffic. It was the second straight win for Compass.
Delta Water Commander slipped past great rival SAJCO 79-78 to escape the possible tiebreaker in fourth spot.
Fajardo completed a game-winning three-point play with 5.1 seconds left in the final quarter and he was named Best Player of the game.
Fajardo totaled 22 points and received support from Ballinan and Manalo who tossed in 17 and 13 points respectively.
GCT bounced back with a 73-65 win over struggling G4s 73. Mahilum was chosen the Best Player of the game with 23 points.
Butler stayed undefeated in the tournament, trouncing Takbo 67-59. Delos Santos with 19 points was the Best Player.
Meantime, the OFBL 2nd Reinforced Friday Morning Division tournament will have its grand opening this Friday. Eight teams have confirmed participation.
The scores:
Dabarkadz (65) Mangalindan 21, Cruz 13, Querobin 9, Tudla 6, Olegario 5, Ocampo 5, Francia 5 Cagamda 1
Event Mall (55) Castillo 11, Razal 8, Encabo 8, Tilo 7, Bristol 5, Hussien 4, Vallejo 3, Ecopete 3, Ahmad 2, Latoreno 2, Paraguas 2
Compass (85) Cartagena 22, Julia 14, Padernal 12, Viscayno 9, Sarangay 8, Ramos 8, Cudal 4, Arboleda 4, Guevarra 4
Airnet (83) Alturas 20, Basilio 15, Razal 10, Binas 8, Banag 7, Bristol 7, Ismael 6, Daham 5, Diaz 5
Delta Water (79) Fajardo 22, Ballinan 17, Manalo 13, Morales 11, Espiritu 9, Serencio 7
SAJCO (78) Dano 19, Tagara 16, Sison 12, De Leon 10, Alberio 10, Amado 7, Mallare 5
Dabarkadz OFBL Friday Morning Division champion
Dabarkadz OFBL Friday Morning Division champion
Italian gymnastics ex-coach stands trial for bullying
ROME: The former coach of Italy’s rhythmic gymnastics team goes on trial Tuesday accused of bullying athletes, fueling questions over the treatment of young athletes as the country hosts the Winter Olympics.
Emanuela Maccarani, a former national team gymnast herself, faces charges of abuse of minors at a court in Monza near Milan, which is hosting part of the Games.
The trial was sparked by explosive claims three years ago by two promising Italian gymnasts, Nina Corradini and double world champion Anna Basta, who claimed they quit the sport while still teenagers as a result of psychological abuse by Maccarani.
Corradini and Basta are civil parties along with two other gymnasts, Beatrice Tornatore and Francesca Mayer, and Change The Game, an Italian association campaigning against emotional, physical and sexual abuse and violence in sports.
Maccarani has denied the charges. Five gymnasts who trained with her submitted statements in her defense at a preliminary hearing in September.
Change The Game founder Daniela Simonetti told AFP the trial throws into “question methods that often cause pain, devastation, and significant consequences for boys and girls in general.”
“This trial is linked to a way of thinking, a way of understanding sport, a way of managing young athletes.
“The expectation is that there will be a real debate around this, whether these methods are right or wrong,” she said.
Episodes of alleged abuse in the discipline have come under growing scrutiny, particularly following a sexual abuse scandal in the late 2010s, which saw former Team USA doctor Larry Nassar convicted of molesting girls.
Vulnerable
The Olympics Committee has given more attention to mental health in recent years in a bid to protect athlete wellbeing.
While the discipline is not featured at the Winter Games, the world’s top gymnasts are preparing for the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles.
Coach Maccarani, 59, led Italy to the top of a sport traditionally dominated by countries from the former Soviet bloc.
But during her near three-decade reign at the Italian team’s National Training Center in Desio, not far from Monza, days began with gymnasts being weighed in front of one another.
Often a long way from their families and barely out of childhood, they were vulnerable.
Some took laxatives and weighed themselves obsessively. One world champion reported being berated for eating a pear.
The affair appeared to be over in September 2023 when Maccarani was given a simple warning by the disciplinary tribunal of the country’s gymnastics federation (FGI) and handed back the reins of the national team, nicknamed the “Butterflies.”
But in March last year the FGI, under new president Andrea Facci, sacked Maccarani.
The FGI’s official explanation to AFP at the time of her dismissal was that the organization wanted to “open a new cycle in preparation for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.”
Corradini, whose testimony led the Monza prosecutor’s office to open an investigation, told AFP last year she was happy for “the young athletes who will now join the national team and who will surely have a different experience.”
