September 2007 Edition

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Tim Henman retired from tennis after 10 years at the top.  He graciously left the court after winning Davies Cup at Wimbledon.   Floyd Landis has lost his appeal to retain the Tour de France title.    Despite a lifetime ban from the Olympics for missed blood tests, 400 metres World Champion 2007, Christine Ohuruogu has been advised by the IOC that it is up to the British Olympic Committee to determine whether she should be included in the Beijing 2008 Team GB squad.  Manchester City FC owner, Thaksin Shinawatra has had a second arrest warrant issued against him in his native Thailand following alledged violation of stock-trading laws; while manager Sven Ericksson continues to get a very good performance out of his new and one of the same, team.  
spotlight on: IOC update

Seven cities lined up to bid to host the 2016 Summer Olympic Games.  National Olympic Committees (NOCs) from Baku (Azerbaijan), Chicago (USA), Doha (Qatar), Madrid (Spain), Prague (Czech Republic), Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) and Tokyo (Japan) have applied to host the Games of the XXXI Olympiad.
NOCs had until 13 September 2007 to notify the IOC that a city within their jurisdiction was interested in applying. The 7 Applicant Cities will now proceed to Phase 1 of the IOC’s two-step procedure, which will lead to the election of the 2016 host city in Copenhagen in October 2009.
Ten cities have entered the fray to host the first ever Summer Youth Olympic Games in 2010.   They are: Algiers (Algeria), Athens (Greece), Bangkok (Thailand), Debrecen (Hungary), Guatemala City (Guatemala), Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia), Moscow (Russia), Poznan (Poland), Singapore (Singapore), and Turin (Italy).

Chicago unveiled its new logo for the city's bid to host the 2016 Olympics after it was told to drop the old logo.  The Windy City skyline was represented by the flame of a torch. Torches are apparently however not allowed to be used in logos until a city has been elected as an official Olympic host city.  Let's hope they didn't spend too much on the first design.

hot spot: to follow

hotshot: tennis at highspeed




Around nine thousand spectators watched six top-ranked ATP players play a total of five matches over the course of the first Betfair Turbo Tennis knock-out tournament. Andy Murray held the 'crown' above his head after an entertaining and action packed afternoon.   He beat his brother James Murray and Goran Isanisavic to claim a glass vase and a check for $100,000.  Not bad for a couple of hours work!
And for those who are not sure how it works, a few rules:
1. Matches will last for 30 minutes.
After 27 minutes, a klaxon will sound signaling that the current game will be the last game of the match. If the score is tied after this game a sudden death point will be played to decide the winner. The player who would have been due to serve in the next game will serve this point. The receiver will choose the court to receive into.
2. The following breaks will be permitted.
a. Between serves - 10 seconds
b. Between points - 15 seconds
c. Between games - 30 seconds
Failure to comply with these times will result in the offending player forfeiting the point. The receiver can also forfeit a point for delaying tactics.
3. At deuce, no advantage will be played, producing a sudden-death scenario. The receiver will be allowed to choose in which court he wishes to receive.
4. There will be one change of ends after 15 minutes (at the end of the game in progress). A one-minute rest period will be allowed at the change of ends only.
5. A drinks/towel station will be situated at each end of the court. Players will be allowed to use these at any time during the match subject to compliance with the time restraints. A player may choose to forfeit a point in order to spend time at the station.
6. Players will be required to serve with the first two balls given to them by the ball children. If a player rejects a ball, he will be left with just one serve. If a player has a ball in his pocket but asks the ball boy for two more balls he will also forfeit a serve.
7. Once the server has thrown the ball up for the toss, he must hit it. If he doesn?t, it will be counted as a fault.
8. Players must be ready for their match one minute after the end of the previous match.
9. There will be a two-minute warm up time prior to each match. Warm up facilities will also be available courtside throughout the session e.g. bikes, skipping ropes etc.
10. All players must remain courtside for the duration of the evening. Physiotherapy will also take place courtside unless, in the opinion of the medical team, the treatment should be carried out in private.
11. All players must wear predominantly coloured clothing with no more than 20% white.

sidelines: a level playing field

fashion icon...... no way (to go), José

While many mourn the departure of 'the Special One', it was his timing that was unexpected rather than the event itself.  The 'style icon' football manager of Chelsea FC will not only be remembered  for his good looks, unique descriptive language tinged with a Portuguese accent and his lost dog; he will also be known for the fact that during his reign he lost just 10 of 120 matches.
Mourinho's replacement - who may not last the course because he is not qualified to manager that level of football club - has a hard act to follow. 
The former Israeli National team manager, Avram Grant has as his first job the challenge of beating arch enemies, Manchester United at Old Trafford. 

Roman Abramovich, the Russian owner of Chelsea, replaced Mourinho after a long and uneasy relationship.  Grant now takes on a large salary hike and a bunch of US$200,000-a-week players, most of whom really liked their old boss.

Meanwhile, Mourinho has to wait patiently for his next job with a check burning a hole in his pocket representing the balance of US$25 million on his contract.  He has to bide his time for the start of the next season before he can take on a new team; and may have little better to do than to spend some of that hard earned cash on more of his immaculate taste in high-fashion menswear.


home and away: at home with F1 and play away with soccer 

Despite rumours that F1 boss, Bernie Ebbers was going to make a move on Arsenal FC, he and Flavio Briatore chose a different kind of challenge when they decided to take over West London club, Queens Park Rangers with a target of taking it into the Premier League by 2011.
Briatore - who is Managing Director of the Renault F1 racing team - and his partner intend to gain control with just under 50 percent of the shareholding.  Their offer valued the issued share capital at around US$2 million, as - at the same time - they take on in excess of US$ 26 million of QPR's debt.  They will also loan the club US$ 10 million plus to improve the squad.

You may remember that QPR were recently fined around US$ 80,000 after a brawl took place during a friendly match against the Chinese Olympic team.  Both the police and the ambulance service were called to the scene which involved around 30 players.
It is also worth remembering that in China a single match can attract as many as 30 million viewers.  Perhaps this somewhat costly misdemeanor can be offset against that well-known phrase: all publicity is good publicity!

sport culture: more than just a game!

More than Just a Game may prove to be an award-winning drama/documentary film.  It is due to have its premiere in South Africa, just a couple of days before the draw for the 2010 World Cup on November 25, 2007 and it will be a sharp reminder of just how far the country has come since the end of Apartheid.
Whether it highlights some of Southern Africa's well publicized shortcomings since the end of apartheid remains to be seen, but as a visitor to Robben Island where detainees including Nelson Mandela stayed for many years, it is yet another example of how football (soccer) can overcome almost every barrier; because all you need is a ball.

As prisoners on Robben Island they shared with each other the same obstacles, but as players in the 1969 constituted football association, Makana FA they could retain a sense of dignity and partial normality as they played and/or watched a team play wearing their brightly colored jerseys.
This year, Makana FA was admitted to honory membership of Fifa and as more Than Just A Game re-enacts their story, it also gives a message to the world that once again, sport knows few boundaries or barriers. 

starting blocks: first out- Barcelona


Spain and its many high-profile cities is always trying to keep ahead of the international 'sports city' game.  After its success hosting the America's Cup, Valencia has recently announced projects to develop new stadia and Madrid continues its Summer Olympics ambitions by entering the race for 2016 and also announcing plans for new facilities,  Not to be left behind, Barcelona is the first out of the starting blocks to announce that Lord Foster will head the redevelopment of the Nou Camp.  The British architect has a budget of around 250 million euros? Plans will be submitted for approval to include an additional 10,000 plus seats (not standing areas).  With a current capacity of 98,787 the existing structure will be 'respected' .
As one of the largest sports stadium in the world, and the largest in Europe, Barcelona is anxious to stave off Spanish competition; although it will still have to play catch-up with the Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata, India, which is primarily used for football and athletics and officially holds 120,000 fans and Estadio Azteca in Mexico City with a capacity of around 114,000.
Foster beat off competition from Carles Ferrater to win the tender.

life after..... the axe

 

No doubt as quickly as it began, as abruptly it has ended.
Many in Spain are mourning the end of Spanish State TV's coverage of live bullfighting.
It is hard to imagine how this momentous event did not stir debate and discussion.   Instead the light was switched off on this 'bloody' sport which still remains part of the lifeblood of the Spanish culture.
Who are we to say what the impact will be?  Just imagine one of the US networks pulling the plug on American Football or Baseball or Basketball.  Just as unlikely is the BBC ending its coverage of live soccer (unless it was forced to do so for economic reasons!).
Few around the world will care about the plight of Spanish bullfighting fans; but many may ask 'why were they not consulted?'.