Sprint Supremo Usain Bolt has pulled out of the 100 metres at the Jamaican national trials. But this would in No way affect his Eligibility to defend his world championship title in August Bolt automatically qualifies to defend his title.
It is believed Bolt’s coach Glen Mills decided that the Jamaican Sprint king should concentrate on training for the Diamond League races in Paris and Lausanne as a build up to the world championships.
Bolt has not had a particularly outstanding season so far as his 10.12sec best time is a far cry from his 2009 world record of 9.58.
A sharp Contrast to Usain Bolt’s recent performances is exactly what American athlete Justin Gatlin has had so far, and the Controversial athlete as returned the fastest time so far this year at 9.74secs and pundits are already talking up a straight battle between Bolt And Gatlin at the world championships in.
Wether this will come to pass still remains to be seen but if it happens it might be Bolt’s biggest challenge yet.
With just 20 days to go to the IAAF World Youth Championships, Cali 2015 the IAAF is happy to announce an exciting new project which will involve the reigning Olympic and world decathlon champion Ashton Eaton and five young athletes who will be competing in the Colombian city.
After the IAAF World Youth Championships next month, with the event being held from 15-19 July, Eaton will select five athletes who will have particularly impressed him in Cali, with not only their achievements on the track but also their commitment to the sport and fair play.
The selection of athletes will be made across the disciplines and from a diverse group of IAAF Member Federations, and the athletes will be invited to Eugene for an all-expenses paid three-day training camp with Eaton in early March
The International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) recognised the excellent work of a total of 26 judges at the 2014 World Championships and Youth Olympic Games across all disciplines (FIG reported).
However, in the context of the thorough review of the judging at last year’s Aerobic and Acrobatic World Championships, a number of judges had to be referred to the FIG Disciplinary Commission.
The commission states that “it is crucial for the sport of Gymnastics that judges are at all times acting and seen to be acting in an independent and unbiased manner. This is reflected in the Judges Oath (as set out in Reg. 7.12.1 TR) which states: ‘In the name of all the Judges and officials, I promise that we shall officiate in these World Championships with complete impartiality, respecting and abiding by the rules which govern them in the spirit of sportsmanship.’ Any judge who fails to act in this manner damages the image of Gymnastics both in the eyes of the public and, also importantly, in the eyes of the gymnasts, coaches and other judges upon whose continuing participation the sport of Gymnastics and therefore the future of the FIG itself is dependent.”
In this matter, the FIG Disciplinary Commission has given warnings to five judges (two AER; three ACRO) for biased judging and has excluded six judges (two AER; four ACRO) from participating in any FIG activities or other international events for periods ranging from six to 12 months.
The sanctioned judges have the right to appeal the decision rendered by the FIG Disciplinary Commission to the FIG Appeal Tribunal.
The League Management Company (LMC) has approved a shirt sponsorship deal between Sharks FC of Port Harcourt and Eunisell Limited in line with provisions of the Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) Rules and Framework.
Salihu Abubakar, the LMC Chief Operating Officer conveyed the approval in a letter to Sharks in which he congratulated the club for securing the deal and also complying with regulation which provides that all external commercial relationships of clubs must be vetted and approved by the LMC before signing.
Abubakar reminded other clubs that it is a breach of the rules to wear shirts with unauthorized endorsements and advised any club that is yet to have the approval of LMC to desist from further wearing of such shirts. He also reminded clubs that pitch panel displays must be approved by the LMC and their deployment for match day branding are to be handled by the LMC approved agency or any such persons authorized by it.
Andrew Abalaogu of Enyimba against Odinga Odinga and Yusuf Jaiyeola of Sharks photo credit LMC Media
“There are regulations guiding commercial relationships which prescribes the processes to ensure that existing rights are not violated. While we congratulate Sharks for their good fortune which we hope will grow, it is our expectation that other clubs will set up strong marketing units or engage marketing agencies to expand their revenue generating capacities”, remarked Abubakar.
The LMC assured the clubs that it will at all times protect their interests in evaluating sponsorship deals for approval.
VNR from the ICC Annual Conference available here, photographs can be downloaded here
Former Pakistan captain Zaheer Abbas assumed the role of the ICC President on day three of the ICC Annual Conference week in Barbados.
Zaheer began his one-year term and thanked the ICC Board and the Full Council for confirming his nomination. He said: “I feel truly honoured and humbled to be appointed as the President of the governing body of our great game.
“This is the sport which has given us friendship, respect, recognition and an opportunity to serve our countries in different capacities. Personally speaking, it has given me more than I can ever possibly repay.
“I am thankful to all of you for the support and confidence placed in me by confirming my nomination. I am also grateful to the PCB for proposing my candidacy as the ICC President. I assure you all that I will stand shoulder to shoulder with all the ICC Members as we continue to strive to inspire more and more people to fall in love with the game we cherish.”
ICC Chairman N.Srinivasan congratulated Zaheer on his appointment, when he said: “Zaheer’s outstanding career as a stylish right-handed batsman is reflected in his remarkable record with 108 first-class hundreds and more than 7,500 international runs.
“Zaheer is clearly an iconic cricketer who always played the game with skill, flair and in the true spirit. He is a worthy ambassador of our great game.”
Zaheer, 67, played 78 Tests and 62 ODIs from 1969 to 1985 in which he scored 5,062 and 2,572 runs, respectively. He also played in the 1975, 1979 and 1983 ICC Cricket World Cups and captained Pakistan in 14 Tests and 13 ODIs. With 108 centuries, Zaheer is the only Asian batsman to score a century of first-class centuries as he finished his 22-year career with 34,843 runs.
Zaheer was also an ICC match referee in the 1993 series between Sri Lanka and the West Indies in Sri Lanka.
The ICC Council also approved the admission of the Serbia Cricket Federation (SCF) as the 58th Affiliate Member of the ICC.
Regrettably, the ICC Council also agreed to suspend the Affiliate Memberships of Morocco and Turkey, while Brunei was removed as an Affiliate Member.
TAIPEI CITY — The official competition schedule, tournament bracket and full list of venues for the WBSC Premier12™ global baseball battle were revealed by the international governing body at a press conference in Taiwan’s capital.
(Download the Official 2015 WBSC Premier12 Competition Schedule and Opening Round Schedules for each country here.)
In November, the Top 12 countries from the WBSC Baseball World Rankings will unite for the first time ever in the Premier12 battle for pride that will challenge each nation to prove and defend its world rankings, with a US$ multi-million purse and large-scale bonus of ranking points at stake.
Thirty-eight global games will be staged across Taiwan’s Taichung Intercontinental Stadium, Taoyuan International Baseball Stadium, Tien-Mou Stadium and Dou-Liou Stadium, and Japan’s Sapporo Dome and Tokyo Dome, in order to determine the ultimate baseball nation.
Rivals world No. 1 Japan (2-time World Baseball Classic champions, 2014 U-21 Baseball World Cup silver medallists and 2013 U-18 Baseball World Cup silver medallists) and world No. 8 S. Korea (2014 Asian Games champions) will meet on 8 November in the historic Game 1/Group B opener. It will be the first time in 6 years that the star-filled/professional National Teams of Samurai Japan and S. Korea will face off against each other in what is sure to electrify the Sapporo Dome and set the tone for Premier12.
World No. 2 United States (2013 and 2012 U-18 Baseball World Cup champions, and 2013 U-12 Baseball World Cup champions) and world No. 6 Dominican Republic (2013 World Baseball Classic champions) are also in Group B and will make their debut together in Taoyuan on 10 November.
World No. 3 Cuba (2014 Central American and Caribbean Games champions, and 2014 U-15 Baseball World Cup champions) and world No. 7 Canada (2012 U-18 Baseball World Cup silver medallists and 2011 Pan-Am Games champions) are in Group A and will square off in Taichung on 10 November.
World No. 4 Chinese Taipei (2014 U-21 Baseball World Cup champions and 2012 U-18 Baseball World Cup bronze medalists) and world No. 5 Netherlands (2014 European champions and 2013 World Baseball Classic semifinalists) will open Group A action on 9 November in Taichung for the day’s sole/featured.
World No. 9 Puerto Rico (2nd place — 2013 World Baseball Classic) and world No. 11 Italy (2nd place — 2014 European Championship and 2013 World Baseball Classic quarter-finalists) will meet for the first time since 2013 when they open against each other in Taichung on 10 November.
World No. 10 Venezuela (2014 U-15 Baseball World Cup bronze medallists and 2012 U-15 Baseball World Cup champions) and world No. 12 Mexico (5th place 2014 U-15 Baseball World Cup and 4th place 2011 Pan Am Games).
Four of the Premier12-nations will be sent home after the first round, group stage (Games 1-30) taking place from 8-15 November. The eight surviving nations will advance to the heated knockout stage where it’s Group A versus Group B on 16 November in the quarter-finals (Games 31-34).
After the quarterfinal-KOs, four more nations will be eliminated and ushered back to their respective countries, while the four nations to successfully navigate through the first week of the Premier12 global battle will be flown from Taiwan to Tokyo for the climax of the event at the crown jewel venue, the Tokyo Dome, where the semi-finals — Game 35 on 19 November and Game 36 on 20 November — will be staged. The two countries defeated in the semi-finals will pair up for the bronze medal finale (Game 37) on 21 November, just ahead of the ultimate global game.
Winners of Games 35 and 36 will earn a ticket to play on the highest stage, where a US$ million dollar cash purse, a large bonus of world ranking points and the decisive battle for their country’s national pride and honour will be on the line. The two finalists will go head-to-head in the grand championship/gold medal finale on 21 November (Game 38).
Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) — the second highest-attended sports league in the world in 2014 (surpassing 23 million in attendance) — and world-class organisers Chinese Taipei Baseball Association (CTBA) are co-hosting the inaugural WBSC Premier12.
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