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January 2006 Edition
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headlines spotlight on hotspot hotshot sidelines fashion icon home and away sport culture starting blocks life after.... quiz on what's hot dateline photo album back issues site sponsors
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headlines:
spotlight on Never far from anyone's lips, Wembley Stadium continues its rollercoaster ride of good and bad news as the world waits with baited breath. When will it open? And despite its somewhat blemished 'meeting deadlines and budgets' reputation to-date, and the likelihood that it will not open in time to host this year's FA Cup Final, the enthusiasm of the fans cannot be diminished - particularly as England seems to be a potential winner of the World Cup in 2006? And to show support for their heroes, the very wealthy are more than willing to invest a mere US$85,000 to guarantee Wembley tickets at every important match in the next 10 years. hot spot a Russian roll out
As the bids to host the 2014 Winter Olympics slowly
gather momentum, here is another brief look at a somewhat obscure destination on the
bidding map. Sochi in Russia is a perfect example of how to raise the profile of a
unfamiliar destination; and it is particularly pertinent for a city with big
ambitions. hot shot it's not always a man's world: just sometimes! Once again women are proving that they are equal in some sports.... and not in others. Thirty-eight year old Carol Ashby stunned the bowls world by becoming the first woman to win a game on the World Tour ranking event. She beat Australian Mark McMahon 3-8, 9-6, 2-1 after a match tie-breaker in the International Open in Sheffield in the UK. Watch out. Bowls has the making of yet another low cost sport with the same TV appeal as snooker and "let's play darts!". In the meantime, Michelle Wie (representing a relatively new name in major sponsorship deals) did not match up to the men on the golf range as she failed in her attempt to be the first woman in 61 years to make a PGA Tour cut in the Sony Open in Hawaii. sidelines...... still sidelined? The story that Japan was sidelined in its attempt to host the 2011 Rugby World Cup runs and runs. The Asian RFU have made a formal appeal through their lawyers requesting that the IRB annul last year's vote on the grounds that they failed to show complete transparency in the way the members of the council cast their votes. While Japanese teams do not often compete with the top teams who regularity qualify for the World Cup, Japan was more than willing to provide first class venues and facilities to support the tournament. Some see the decision as a missed opportunity and that the game will lose out as once again the powers that be, the International Rugby Board, has failed to seize the moment to grow the game into a global sport. The IRB appear to have refused to change their decision and therefore will not consider the suggestion of a new vote on March 31, 2006. only time (which is running out) will tell. But for those on the sidelines, some can only hope that the event will one day live up to its name not only in terms of quality of play but also in terms of 'geographic scope'. fashion icon...... the low tech trend?
Not every sport is glamorous. One of the latest fashions in sport can only be categorized as endurance. From rowing across the Atlantic naked; to diving into icy cold waters to celebrate the new year; there is always an endurance test for anyone determined to go the last mile. Discovering new destinations and participating in the local sports has in frequent years become an essential component of dinner party conversation; and it is often the 'testing' off-beat activities that put a destination on the map. So why not try ice fishing in Lithuania. Fishing is for example, the most popular sport in the UK. It's big business! Diehard enthusiasts take pleasure getting up early in the morning; cutting a round home in the ice; and keeping warm with tea and ample quantities of vodka while looking forward to the evening and the catch-of-the-day. It may not prove to be a very good spectator sport - although friends and family might come along and keep warm practising their ice-dancing - but fit may soon become a fashionable alternative for fishing aficionados. home and away
The majority
of press mentions of the Winter Olympics in Torino this year make reference to the main
event: the Olympics in February 2006; however, few journalists make note of the IX
Paralympic Winter Games. For those members of the media who in the future choose to
pay attention to the athletes whose achievements are equal to any other Olympians, here is
the schedule of events: sport culture........ Munich
The N. American opening on December 23, 2005 of Steven Spielberg's new movie 'Munich' (Universal Pictures) produced by Steven Spielberg, Kathleen Kennedy, Barry Mendel and Colin Wilson and starring Eric Bana, Daniel Craig, Geoffrey Rush, Mathieu Kassovitz, Hanns Zischler and Ciarán Hinds had been long-awaited. Set in the aftermath of the 1972 massacre of eleven Israeli athletes at the Munich Olympics, the movie recounts the dramatic story of the secret Israeli squad assigned to track down and assassinate the eleven Palestinians believed to have planned the 1972 massacre. Munich has been nominated for a number of awards and Spielberg's very clear direction and political references to the politics of today has received a mixed response. The screenplay (written by Tony Kushner) is based on a number of sources, including the recollections of some who participated in the events themselves. The movie takes forward the story which was so brilliantly captured in One Day in September - the 1999 Academy Award winning documentary film directed by Kevin Macdonald which examined the events in the lead-up to September 5, 1972. Watch them in chronological sequence and you will get the best insight into just how much recent past events have changed things in general; and security in particular! starting blocks.... A1 may turn out to be the new F1 as it races up the league table as one of the new emerging motor sports. In the spirit of many other major sporting events, Grand Prix A1 'matches' country against country. Every driver races an identical car (except for the paintwork!)and by creating a perfectly level playing field, and adding that unique and enduring ingredient - 'national pride', A1 may have taken the edge off the F1 formula of winning car manufacturers and their drivers. The potential for A1 sponsors to attract a whole new crowd and capture the expanding motor-racing market interested in an exciting event (i.e. lots of overtaking etc.) could prove a wise investment. The low ticket prices will draw in the punters for a mere US$20 grandstand ticket in Durban, S. Africa on January 29. Just keep an eye out for those country flags as 25 cars accelerate off the grid and race around a Monaco style inner city route. You too can be one of the first to see the potential of another big business sporting brand as the season of 11 races which started in September 2005 comes to a close in April 2006. At the end of 2005 France headed the leader board but there's all to play for... so click dateline for schedule details and go support your national team in action. life after..... winning Yes. It is the year of the comeback kids....., as a whole handful of past stars return to the women's tennis circuit. First out: Martina Hingis returns to the Women's Tour. Still only 25 years old, the former Number 1 and winner of 5 Grand Slams is back after a 3 year break. She is joined by the return of Monica Seles who will always receive a sympathetic vote from the crowd as she was one of the first in tennis to put unintentionally place security at the top of the agenda. Having won 8 Grand Slams, on April 30, 1993 she was stabbed in the back by a fan of Steffi Graff during a change over. Although she returned to the WTA tour after a two year recovery break, she has never regained her previous consistent form. But her traumatic experience has had a positive legacy. She remains a committed supporter of projects such as Fight Back - a scheme to teach self-defense to women and girls in the US and Seles is now a very capable practitioner of ju-jitsu. And let's not forget the guys..... in the shape of John MacEnroe. He is backing up his words with deeds as he confirms his passion for the 'doubles' breed of tennis. He returns to the ATP circuit at the age of 47, after a 13 year break to partner Jonas Borkmann in San Jose in February 2006. MacEnroe remains critical of today's players who rarely commit to play doubles as well as singles and he sees his return to the pro circuit as a demonstration of his commitment to bring back doubles tennis and make it once again a winning spectator sport.
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