FORMULA ONE
Russian GP to go ahead
Organizers insist Russia’s first Formula One Grand Prix will go ahead as planned, despite an airliner being shot down in the conflict zone in eastern Ukraine. Malaysian Airlines Flight 17 from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur crashed on Thursday in eastern Ukraine. All 298 people on board are believed to have been killed. Ukraine accused pro-Russian separatists of shooting the plane down, something the rebels deny. The promoters of the Oct. 12 Russian Grand Prix in Sochi said in a statement on Friday that “all the preparations are on track and run according to the schedule,” and that “organizers are confident that the inaugural Russian Grand Prix will be comfortable for all.” Sochi’s Olympic Park circuit is located in southern Russia, about 540km from the crash site.
CRICKET
Zimbabwe beat Afghanistan
Sean Williams hit a half century, while skipper Brendan Taylor made a crucial 42 as Zimbabwe eased to a six-wicket win over Afghanistan in the first one-day international on Friday. Chasing 224 to win, the home side reached their target with more than four overs to spare in the first of a three-match series. Williams hit 70 off 65 balls with eight boundaries and a six, while rock-solid Taylor made 43 off 52 deliveries. Afghanistan, looking to build exposure and experience ahead of their maiden World Cup appearance next year, were put into bat and lost opener Usman Ghani for nought in the second over. Experienced Samiullah Shenwari, with 65 off 84 balls with three fours and a six, while skipper Mohammad Nabi, who made a brisk 54 off 32 balls helped by three huge sixes, helped Afghanistan to 223-9 in their 50 overs.Zimbabwe had opener Vusi Sibanda dismissed for just four in the third over, but Afghanistan were always destined to struggle defending such a modest total.The second and third games take place at the same venue on Sunday and Tuesday.
SOCCER
West Brom sign Ideye
West Bromwich Albion have signed Nigeria forward Brown Ideye from Ukrainian side Dynamo Kiev for a club-record transfer fee on a three-year deal, the Premier League team said on Friday. The fee was undisclosed, but the club said on their Web site (www.wba.co.uk) that it exceeds the amount they paid Sunderland for Stephane Sessegnon in September last year. The 25-year-old forward arrives at The Hawthorns with an impressive record having scored 74 goals in 182 career league appearances. Brown has scored five goals in 24 appearances for Nigeria and was called up to their 2010 World Cup squad in South Africa.
SOCCER
Juve to seal Morata move
Real Madrid striker Alvaro Morata is poised to seal a move to Italian champions Juventus for a reported fee of 18 million euros (US$24.3 million). Morata, 21, arrived in Turin on Friday night and was to undergo a medical yesterday. “I am very happy to start a new adventure here. I am looking forward to starting right away,” he told reporters at Turin airport. According to Spanish newspaper As, Real retain the option to buy Morata back for 30 million euros (US$40.59 million) after the first season and 36 million euros after the following campaign. A highly rated product of the Real youth academy, Morata came to the fore in the 2012-2013 season, Jose Mourinho’s last at the club as coach, but he was not able to maintain that progress during the last campaign.
Bayer 04 Leverkusen go into today’s match at TSG 1899 Hoffenheim stung from their first league defeat in 16 months. Leverkusen were beaten 3-2 at home by RB Leipzig before the international break, the first loss since May last year for the reigning league and cup champions. While any defeat, particularly against a likely title rival, would have disappointed coach Xabi Alonso, the way in which it happened would be most concerning. Just as they did in the Supercup against VfB Stuttgart and in the league opener to Borussia Moenchengladbach, Leverkusen scored first, but were pegged back. However, while Leverkusen rallied late to
If all goes well when the biggest marathon field ever gathered in Australia races 42km through the streets of Sydney on Sunday, World Marathon Majors (WMM) will soon add a seventh race to the elite series. The Sydney Marathon is to become the first race since Tokyo in 2013 to join long-established majors in New York, London, Boston, Berlin and Chicago if it passes the WMM assessment criteria for the second straight year. “We’re really excited for Sunday to arrive,” race director Wayne Larden told a news conference in Sydney yesterday. “We’re prepared, we’re ready. All of our plans look good on
The lights dimmed and the crowd hushed as Karoline Kristensen entered for her performance. However, this was no ordinary Dutch theater: The temperature was 80°C and the audience naked apart from a towel. Dressed in a swimsuit and to the tune of emotional music, the 21-year-old Kristensen started her routine, performed inside a large sauna, with a bed of hot rocks in the middle. For a week this month, a group of wellness practitioners, called “sauna masters,” are gathering at a picturesque health resort in the Netherlands to compete in this year’s Aufguss world sauna championships. The practice takes its name from a
When details from a scientific experiment that could have helped clear Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva landed at the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), the leader of the organization’s reaction was unequivocal: “We have to stop that urgently,” he wrote. No mention of the test ever became public and Valieva’s defense at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) went on without it. What effect the information could have had on Valieva’s case is unclear, but without it, the skater, then 15 years old, was eventually disqualified from the 2022 Winter Olympics after testing positive for a banned heart medication that would later
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