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headlines
Martina
Hingis has sealed her return to top flight tennis after her latest finals victory at the
Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo, courtesy of a wild card. Whether she will be able to
match her previous 209 weeks at the top of the WTA Tour rankings is very unlikely, but if
she gives it her all..... With less than a few days before the start of the
World Cup, prosecutors in the Southern German city of Karlsruhe launched a corruption
investigation into the German energy company, EnBW for giving World Cup tickets to
local dignitaries/politicians. FIFA gave back around one million bed nights to the
cities hosting the World Cup matches. This represented around 50 percent of their
reserved rooms. Although this now makes it possible for fans to have somewhere to
stay, the price of plane tickets remains prohibitive, and as for cost of a ticket to a
match.... and finally, The World Boxing Association has allowed Scott
Harrison to keep his feather weight belt while he is treated for alchohol related problems
spotlight on: teenagers
World records come and go, but it is always worth acknowledging the early days in what may
be a phenomenal future career. 'Wunderkid' and new talent, Theo Walcott recently
signinged to Arsenal for over US$20 million. This put him in the spotlight as a
sixten year-old; but he achieved his first 'goal' when he was selected by Sven-Goran
Eriksson to be a member of the England team competing in the Soccer World Cup in Germany.
Since then Walcott has claimed the prize of being the youngest English
international ever, when in May 2006 he took to the turf in a friendly against Hungary at
Old Trafford. This moment in the 65th minute of the match has already placed him in
the history books; but he has a bigger target in his sights: will he clinch the world
record as the youngest scorer in World Cup history and claim a prize held by the 17 year
and 239 days old Pele back in 1958? Watch this space! And another sixteen year-old is on
her way to breaking records as the highly anticipated first woman to qualify for the men's
US Golf Open claimed her prize.
Michelle Wie shot a level-par 72 at Turtle Bay on her home island of Ohau in Hawaii.
Next step: the 36-hole sectional qualifying competition in June. And to
add to her list of achievents, she has been 'invited ' to play against the 'professional'
men at the European Masters in Crans-sur-Sierra in Switzerland in September. Go
girl!
hot spot: 
The 'hotspot' of every elite athlete is their ability and desire to
compete in a ever expanding calendar of events.
While tournament organizers, sports agent, stadium owners, travel planners
and destination marketeers believe its a really good idea to host major high-profile
sporting events, it is the top athletes who are starting to pay the price and feel the
strain of too much competition. After a hard fought final between top tennis players
, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal at the Rome Masters, the two competitors withdraw at the
l1th hour from the Hamburg Masters. The five-hour gruelling match put into context
just how much is expected ofthe top seeds. As a result it is likely that these two
champions will continue to redesign their schedules. ,
hot
shot: the Russian Revolution
Despite losing out to London to host the 2012 Olympics, Russia's
sporting ambitions continue. In June, the 'team' find whether Sochi (above) has
'made the cut' to go forward to the next stage of the race to host the 2014 Winter
Olympics. And while they wait for the outcome, it is the turn of soccer to benefit
from the deep pockets and equally deep-felt aspirations of the Russians to once again
dominate sport.
Spearheading the latest mission is none other than Chelsea Football Club's, Roman
Abramovich. The great sporting benefactor has helped cashflow the approx. US$3
million appointment of Guus Hiddink. Hiddink's career as a coach has included
several high profile jobs including PSV Eindhoven.
It was the failure of Russia to make this month's World Cup final that left a gaping hole
in the Russian Football Federation when coach Yuri Syomin resigned last November.
Hiddink will take over the position soon after he completes his role as part of the
Australian team - who in sharp contrast to Russia - did make the last thirty-two.
No doubt Hiddink will hope to shine when he fills the vacancy - particularly as he is
the first non-Russian coach to take on the job. Armed with a credible result for
Australia in the World Cup and a palate for vodka, he will no doubt have every opportunity
to make his mark in the world of Russian soccer. r
sidelines......
Some of the best athletes find themseles playing centre stage while
waiting on the sidelines to re-invent their reputations. In May, Barry Bonds went to
bat for the San Francisco Giants and hit home a run which matched the legendary Babe
Ruth's record of a 714 career total. But the crowds barely rose to their feet as the
drug-related stories in and around Major League Baseball in the USA continue to cause
havoc to the game.
Similarly, the best of Formula One racing drivers, Michael Schumacher found himself
sidelined all the way to the back of the grid and unquestionably in disgrace and he was
found to have cheated in the qualifying rounds. By deliberately stalling his Ferrari
towards the end of the final session, he prevented some of the competition from completing
'clean' filing laps in the closing stages of the qualifiers.
Once again, it's the legacy of been considered a cheat that will always sideline those who
may or may not play by the rules; and as the pressure to stay at the top increaes, the
farther there is for some big names to fall.
fashion
icon...... for the B list
One of the 'must do' international events on the social
calendar is the Gumball Rally. This year it all started at the end of April in
London. Comprising of three 'challenging' legs - each around 1000 miles, this is
one event which doesn't requiring training from an early age. Only for the rich and
glamorous, and certainly not much more than a very good 'jolly' (except for the few
drivers who are really 'serious'), the 2006 race took people and cars alike via the
Channel Tunnel and through Austria and Hungary to Serbia. On completion of an 'exhausting'
first leg, the only thing to do - the same thing as every night of this 8-day 'endeavor' -
was to hitch up at the inclusive five star accommodation.
Cars and 'contents' alike were then airlifted from Belgrade to Phuket for a second
'exhausting' two-day, 1000 mile marathon to Bangkok. More fabulous parties, followed
by a second airlift to Salt Lake City. This brought participants to the last
grueling two-day drive; and upon arriving in Los Angelos it was time for a final night out
at the Playboy Mansion. The trip cost a mere US$7500 for each the 120 participating teams
and a claimed 3 million took to the streets to watch the 'celebrity' cars participating in
a globally recognized brand. Crammed full of the rich and not so famous and with a
license to speed through the streets across several continents; the Gumball Rally is
living proof that anyone can 'compete' in an international sporting event. Of course
you do need the stomach for serios partying and the ability to keep going with very little
sleep and a lot of jet-lag, but hey - practise make perfect....
home
and away, all in a
good cause
The latest old-pro/celebrity fundraiser
kept TV viewers entertained as the likes of Robbie Williams, Gordon Ramsey and Tony
Blair's ex-sidekick, Alastair Campbell made their dreams come true. Or perhaps not?
Almost 72,000 paid good money for a Soccer Aid event which was aiming to raise an
ambitious US$10 million approx. for UNICEF.
For some of the non-footballers who were participating, the smiles were wiped off their
faces as they failed to get even close to the ball; but it was the former greats and their
magic moments which stole the show at Old Trafford and kept the fans' attention.
For example, despite Maradonna's historically less that fit physique, he was able to
deftly pass the ball around 50 feet across the pitch to the feet of any player (no matter
how skillful?). Representing the Rest of the World team managed by Ruud Gullit,
Maradonna faced the 'almighty' England team whose fate lay in the hands of another old
hand, Terry Venables.
Similar familiar names featuring in this somewhat entertaining match and pre-match
build-up (which involved extensive TV coverage), and included the likes of Paul Gascoigne,
Gianfranco Zola and David Gray.
Although pro-celeb soccer may not work as well as its golf equivelent, no-one can
criticize the good intentions of the event as the eclectic gathering of ex-internationals
demonstrated - on occasions - just how the beautiful game should be played. All very
worthy!
As for the score: England won 2:1.
sport culture: the
film festival
 
Despite the fact that some may believe that the first Paralympic Film
Festival would have found greater visibility in a city more internationally recognized
than Budapest, you have to take your hat off to the National Paralympic Committee of
Hungary for putting together the first Paralympiuc Sport Film Festival.
For two days (March 30/April 1), the city showcased 35 films which included one feature
film (category winner: Colours of the Blind JAPAN), fourteen documentaries (category
winner: Three Hundredths Of A Second ISRAEL), seven portraits (category winner: ATHENS
2004 - Paralympics From The View Of A Champion HUNGARY), five music videos (category
winner: World Wheelchair Curling Championships SWITZERLAND), three reports (category
winner: BBC Paralympic World Cup GB), and five commercials (category winner: Winning Spike
Shoes SLOVAKIA).
Planning is in place to make this international festival an annual event; and it will
be very interesting to see which cities will be lining up to be the host in 2007....?
starting
blocks.... Cuban
cricket?
Nobody should doubt the skill of Cuban athletes. Despite comparatively little
investment, facilities and infrastructure, Cuban talent claims more prizes than many
other larger and more densely populated countries.
And taking into account the fact that politics always plays its part in sport, in typical
Fidel Castro fashion, the 'Caribbean' island endorsed their claim as 'a member' of the
'islands' by adopting the local sport of cricket.
Few things give Fidel Castro greater pleasure than 'trouncing' the Americans; and with
success in baseball and boxing, he has now turned his attention to the more regional and
'un-American' sport of cricket. The sport is not new to the country; and as interest
grew in the game grew in last century, the sport which had a very chequered career in
Cuban history became established in the 1990's in the east of the island.
But likemany other sports, it soon spread to the capital and there are now 500 players
involved - almost in time to capitalize on the Cricket World Cup which is scheduled to be
held on their doorstep in the Caribbean in 2007.
Although Cuba has not played their hand soon enough to join the ranks of the world's top
sixteen: Australia, Bangladesh, Bermuda, Canada, England, Netherlands, India, Ireland,
Kenya, New Zealand, Pakistan, Scotland, South Africa, Sir Lanka, West Indies and
Zimbabwe, the moneymay be on Cuba competing in 2011.
And also moving away from the starting blocks and half way through the second season of a
revived event, The World Touring Car Series - with a series of glamorous locations
starting out with Monza, Italy and Magny-Cours, France in April 2006 and ending up in
Valencia, Spain on October 8 and finally Macau, PRC on November 19 - may have a promising
future.
life
after..... SABSAT: sponsors art
business sport and telecoms
Decending into London is the latest live/work art/sport
combo: a trimaran. Craned from the Thames and transported to Tate Britain on June 4
it has become home to Lia Ditton 26, who recently participated in the single-handed
Faraday Mill OSTAR 2005 trans-Atlantic race.
The boat named PROVU (this was no the boat she used to sail across the Atlantic), is
similar to Ellen McArthur's B&Q Trimaran - is currently mounted on an angled frame, as
if it is surging down a huge wave, just round the corner from Tate Britain.
Located in the Courtyard of Chelsea College, it forms the final project for Ditton's art
degree.
It is: ‘Absolute Solitude: One Woman, One Boat’- and it represents the
culmination of Ditton's 7 year pursuit to graduate from the Chelsea College of Art. To
achieve this goal, she will live onboard for the same length of time (28 days) that it
took her to undertake the race and this 'simulation' - which will include hoisting or
dousing the sails, etc. depending on weather the conditions - can best be described as
'installation art'.
An expensive project, according to Ditton, her business partners "who contributed
funds to help make the event happen are all in telecommunications. Simon Woodroffe
[Founder of Yo! Sushi], Doug Richard [Hot text], Cordelia Ditton [Voice Business], James
Boyd [theDailySail.com]". They also include PROVU's owner - CEO of the UK-based
same-name company which supplies innovative VoIP to communicate simply and cheaply using
data, voice and video over the Internet - and who lent her the trimiran.
Her success may in part be due to the media's interest in successful female sailors which
makes it a golden opportunity according to Ditton: "return-to-sponsors comes in the
form of marketing/PR brand awareness and meeting the other sponsors involved".
Whatever the reason, this is yet another example of just how sports sells!
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quiz on
Wimbledon winners
1. who was the first wildcard men player to
win the championship?
a. Pat Cash; b. Roger Taylor; c. Goran Ivanisevic
2. how many players competed in the first tournament at the All England
Croquet and Lawn Tennis Club and in which year?
a. 20 men in 1887; b. 22 men in 1877; c. 22 men in 1887
3. in which country does tennis have its roots?
a. England; b. Scotland; c. France
4. approximately how young was Boris Becker when he won Wimbledon?
a. 17 years and 7 months; b. 17 years and 11 months; c. 18 years and 1
month
5. in October 1940 a stick of five 500lb bombs struck the Centre Court. How many
seats were wiped out?
a. 120; b. 1200; c. 2220
6. in 1997 the roof of the Centre Court was raised a metre in height. By
what number of seats was the capacity of the stadium increased?
a. 1066; b.1088; c. 1997
7. in 1907 Norman Brookes of Australia became the first Gentlemen's Singles Champion
from overseas. How many players from Great Britain have won the title since then?
a. one b. two; c. three
8. in which year did 81 members of the ATP boycott Wimbledon?
a. 1973 ; b. 1976; c. 1979
9. in which year did the tournament become 'open' to professionals "?
a. 1966; b. 1967: c. 1968
10. in which city did Martina Navratilova grow up?
a. East Berlin; b. Prague; c. Belgrade
answers below
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what's hot 
It should come as no
surprise that finally the debate whether a single sponsor - such as Visa - has the
right to preclude the general public from buying tickets for an event if they only hold a
different type of credit card has turned into a legal suit.
As more and more online event ticketing transactions take place, the question remains 'how
to make a purchase if you do not have the right brand of card'.
However, this is not for the reason that Mastercard is taking FIFA to court. Instead, the
dispute between Mastercard and Visa has been brought about due to an alledged breach of
contract surrounding the practise of honoring sponsorship deals.
While Mastercard is the official sponsor of this year's World Cup, and has been since the
1990 tournament, FIFA has chosen to award the rights to future events to rival VISA.
MasterCard - in response - has filed a breach of contract suit in New York.
At stake are sponsorship rights worth around US$2 million and a whole load of
fringe benefits and Mastercard believe that they were offered the right of first refusal
for future tournaments.
Perhaps, while
they litigate such 'honorable topics' as breach of contract, the subject of
exclusive rights to one brand dominating the purchase of tickets should also form a
pivotal compone tof the 'dialogue'.
And finally, a
mention should be made of the death of a member of the Dutch-based ABN Amro 2 in the Volvo
Ocean Race. At around 2.00am on May 13, 2006 Hans Horrevoets was knocked overboard
by an unseen wave while sitting out on the cockpit on the windward side without a harness.
His body was later retrieved from the water but he could not be revived.
.
will contine to cover sailing stories which will include both professional and amateur
crews and we regret this unfortunate loss.
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Dateline
Coming up in 2006:
The US Open Golf
Championships in New York; The Tour de France; Henley; The Athletics World
Championships in Gothenburg; The Equestrian World Championships in Germany; and much
more.....
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Quiz Answers
1C;2C won by Spencer
Gore;3C ;4A 17 years and 227 days against Kevin Curren;5B;6B;7B Arthur Gore and
Fred Perry; 8A; 9C
Rod Laver and Billie Jean King took the titles. Total prize money:around $50,000
26,150; 10B
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Your chance to look back at some of the previous
editions:May 2006
April
2006 
March 2006
February 2006
 January 2006
December 2005
November  2005
 October 2005
September
2005
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