Pennetta wins Fed Cup Heart Award

The ITF today announced that Flavia Pennetta has won the latest Fed Cup Heart Award of 2015 after leading Italy to victory over the United States in April’s World Group play-off tie in her home town of Brindisi.

Pennetta, a four-time Fed Cup by BNP Paribas champion, helped Italy retain its place in the World Group after her team came from behind to defeat the United States 3-2. She overcame Christina McHale 61 61 to level the tie, before partnering Sara Errani to a 60 63 victory over Alison Riske and Serena Williams, ending Williams’s unbeaten Fed Cup record. Pennetta has long been a stalwart of the Italian team, playing her first Fed Cup tie in 2003 and boasting a 25-5 overall win-loss record in the competition.

Pennetta will receive a cheque for US$3,000, which will be donated to her chosen charity, Fede Lux, the Italian cancer charity founded in memory of the player Federico Luzzi, who died in 2008 from leukemia.

Pennetta said: “It is an honour to receive the Fed Cup Heart Award. I have always been proud to represent my country, and to have been part of four Fed Cup winning teams with my teammates and friends. I am pleased to donate my cheque to such a worthwhile charity.”

Pennetta was selected for the latest award alongside Victoria Azarenka (BLR), Timea Bacsinszky (SUI) and Alexandra Dulgheru (ROU). All four players competed in the World Group and World Group II play-offs on 18-19 April.

The players were shortlisted by the Heart Award judging panel, consisting of ITF President Francesco Ricci Bitti and a mixture of former players and members of the international media. A public vote, which ran on 22-26 June, was held on FedCup.com and FedCup.com/es to decide the winner.

A total of five Heart Awards have already been presented in 2015. Pennetta follows in the footsteps of Irina-Camelia Begu (ROU), Cagla Buyukakcay (TUR), Veronica Cepede Royg (PAR) and Tamarine Tanasugarn (THA), who were honoured earlier this year. The final award will be presented at the 2015 Fed Cup by BNP Paribas Final in Prague.

Flavia Pennetta photo credit: Steven Pisano https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/legalcode
Flavia Pennetta
photo credit: Steven Pisano
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/legalcode

ITF President Francesco Ricci Bitti said: “I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate Flavia for her outstanding performances for her country throughout her career. She has played a key role in her team’s success, during which she has demonstrated her fighting qualities and a strong team spirit.”

The Fed Cup Heart Award is an ITF initiative that was first presented to USA’s Melanie Oudin at the 2009 Fed Cup Final. It aims to recognise players who have represented their country with distinction, shown exceptional courage on court and demonstrated outstanding commitment to their team.

Fed Cup by BNP Paribas is the World Cup of Tennis. It is the largest annual international team competition in women’s sport, with 99 nations entered in 2015. The event celebrated its 50th birthday in 2013 in the ITF’s centenary year. The title sponsor is BNP Paribas, the Official Bank of Fed Cup. Adecco (Official HR Sponsor) is an international sponsor and beIN SPORTS is the Official Global Media Rights Partner. For the latest news, visit http://www.fedcup.com, http://www.fedcup.com/es, http://www.twitter.com/fedcup, http://www.facebook.com/FedCup, http://www.Weibo.com/fedcupofficial and http://www.fedcup.tv.

2015 Winners

World Group semifinals: to be presented at the Final
World Group / World Group II play-offs: Flavia Pennetta (ITA)
World Group / World Group II first round: Irina-Camelia Begu (ROU)
Europe/Africa Zone Group I: Cagla Buyukakcay (TUR)
Americas Zone Group I: Veronica Cepede Royg (PAR)
Asia/Oceania Zone Group I: Tamarine Tanasugarn (THA)

Value of cheques

World Group semifinals winner (x1): $10,000
World Group / World Group II first round winner (x1): $6,000
World Group / World Group II play-offs winner (x1): $3,000
Zone Group I winners (x3): $1,000

Judging Panel

Francesco Ricci Bitti (ITA), ITF President
Sabine Appelmans (BEL), former Fed Cup player/captain
Mercedes Paz (ARG), former Fed Cup player
Craig Gabriel (AUS), international journalist
Sandra Harwitt (USA), international journalist
Corinne Dubreuil (FRA), international photographer
Ray Giubilo (ITA), international photographer

African Dream Project To Another Stage In Uganda

African Dream Project proceeded into another stage in Uganda as the stage of technical training for the kids started in the development centers started under supervision of Uganda Volleyball Federation President Sadik Nasiwu who attended the festival.

The National Federation Project team led by Mr. Edgar Karungi will embark on supervising the implementing the project in upcountry centers. Sadik Nasiwu President of Uganda Volleyball Federation was the guest of honour during the clinic where he also took part in training the kids some basic skills like setting.

African Dream Project to another stage in Uganda
African Dream Project to another stage in Uganda

The Clinic had a great atmosphere as the participants and spectators had learnt some basic volleyball skills with included lead up games, the kids also played some 2 vs 2 and 4 Vs 4 matches.

The African Dream Project is a follow up project on Uganda Volleyball Federation’s previous efforts in the Youth 1000 project that also targeted young players.

CAVB web site: http://www.cavb.org
Twitter: CAVB Tweets
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CAVBVolleyball
YouTube: CAVB Video
Instagram: CAVB_ volleyball

C & S Church Kubwa Walk/Jog For Christ

Christians have been encouraged to engage in constant exercise to keep fit and reduce the chances of getting ill. This was the view of Most Senior Apostle Olatodun Olayinka of the C&S Movement Church Kubwa, Abuja ahead of the church’s working/jogging exercise tagged “walk for Christ” coming up on Saturday, July 4th, 2015.

C & S .

‎Olayinka also revealed that the walk/ jogging exercise is part of activities to mark the church’s 10th year anniversary while noting that most illnesses don’t need prayers, they only need exercises.

“Even the Bible specifies that exercise profits the body, while spiritually we are being fed with the world of God, we need to feed our body with exercise so that we will be fit to serve God.

What may not need prayers, we will use exercise to achieve.”‎ The apostle concluded.

‎Other activities lined up to mark the anniversary include‎ praise night/ revival and vigil, featuring appearances from notable musicians from across the country, on Friday July 10th, 2015. Luncheon/award ceremony billed for the 1000 capacity ‎Cubicle Marquee, Maitama Gardens, behind NUC, Maitama Abuja on Saturday 11thn July 2015.

C & S

The anniversary would be rounded off with a‎ thanksgiving service‎ at the Church premises on Sunday July 12th, 2015.

IOC Coordination Commission Pleased With Progress, As Tokyo 2020 Embraces Olympic Agenda 2020

The International Olympic Committee (IOC)’s Coordination Commission for the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 today completed its second official visit to the Japanese capital, citing the Organising Committee’s adherence to key milestones, strong government support and its embrace of Olympic Agenda 2020 as highlights of the visit.

Led by Commission Chair John Coates, the IOC delegation also included Vice-Chair Alex Gilady, a number of IOC Members, and representatives of the athletes, National Olympic Committees, International Federations and the International Paralympic Committee (IPC). It noted the excellent work done by the Tokyo 2020 Organising Committee in implementing Olympic Agenda 2020 reforms into its venue master plan and other aspects of preparations. By making greater use of existing facilities (including those from the Olympic Games Tokyo 1964) and working to ensure that new venues deliver on the needs for the Games and the subsequent legacy, the application of Olympic Agenda 2020 for Tokyo 2020 has already resulted in approximately USD 1.7 billion in savings from the revised construction budget.

Speaking at the close of the meeting, Chairman Coates said: “We have been very pleased to see the continued progress being made by the Tokyo 2020 Organising Committee and its government stakeholders. The project remains on track and has made some significant strides forward, particularly in areas like confirming the venue master plan, bringing on board new commercial partners and creating strong governance structures.” He continued, “The Tokyo organisers have truly embraced Olympic Agenda 2020 in their preparations. It is very reassuring to see the immediate benefits that Tokyo has been able to gain from the different recommendations in terms of organising sustainable Games with a strong legacy. We look forward to continuing to work with them to ensure that they can fully maximise the benefits of Olympic Agenda 2020.”

ioc

Tokyo 2020 Chairman Yoshiro Mori said: “We were delighted to be able to hold a series of extremely productive meetings with the Chair of the IOC Coordination Commission, Mr John Coates, and all the members of the Coordination Commission. We were also very pleased to receive praise from the members for the progress we have made with our preparations.” He continued, “After next year’s Rio 2016 Games, the world’s focus will be squarely on Tokyo. During the meetings, I became increasingly aware of the need to further step up our preparations and to demonstrate our readiness to take the baton from Rio by ensuring that our own preparations remain firmly on track by the time of the next IOC Coordination Commission meeting. We look forward to continuing to work closely with the IOC and the IPC, and to further ensuring that together we are able to deliver truly inspirational Games.”

The Commission toured the future Olympic sites of Makuhari Messe and Tokyo Bay. Makuhari Messe will host taekwondo, fencing and wrestling, while venues like the Olympic Village, triathlon, marathon swimming, beach volleyball, rowing, canoe-sprint and equestrian-cross country are all situated in the Bay area. Recent changes to the venue master plan mean that more areas of Tokyo will be involved in the hosting of the Olympic Games and legacies will be maximised.

Coates further commented, “I’d also particularly like to thank the International Federations for their excellent work and collaboration with Tokyo 2020 on the venue master plan review. Without their support, we would not have been able to achieve the very positive result that we have for the legacy and sustainability of these Games. This is a very positive sign for the future development of the Olympic Agenda 2020 recommendations.”

The Commission was pleased to receive a report that all parties involved in the construction of the new National Stadium are working together to advance the project and ensure that it is delivered in time for the Games.

The visit also provided an opportunity for the Commission to meet the new Minister in charge of the Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games, Toshiaki Endo, who was appointed to the post by Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on 25 June. The IOC delegation wished the new Minister all the best in his role, which will further strengthen collaboration and cooperation among all key stakeholders, including the national and regional governments.

The Coordination Commission noted with satisfaction the continued strong support for the Games from all levels of government. The relationship between the IOC, Tokyo 2020 and local stakeholders remains excellent. The Commission also congratulated Tokyo 2020 for its active engagement with the public, which has resulted in the continuation of the massive public support for the Games seen during the bid phase.

International Olympic Committee
International Olympic Committee

Commercial backing for the Games is robust. Tokyo 2020 has already successfully signed a total of 13 domestic Tier 1 Gold Partners, and two Official Partners since the start of the year. This is a strong indication of the high interest in the Games from the Japanese business community.

An update was also given regarding the sports programme for Tokyo 2020. As part of the Olympic Agenda 2020 reforms, organising committees for the Olympic Games can make a proposal for the inclusion of one or more additional events on the Olympic programme for that edition of the Games. Tokyo 2020 recently announced that it has shortlisted eight International Federations for inclusion in 2020 – those governing baseball/softball; bowling; karate; roller sports; sport climbing; squash; surfing; and wushu. Tokyo 2020 will make a decision on the event or events to be proposed to the IOC in September 2015. A final decision will be made by the 129th IOC Session in Rio de Janeiro in August 2016.

During its visit, the Coordination Commission heard presentations on a number of topics, including governance, finance, commercial matters, sport and venues, Paralympic Games, athlete preparation, legacy, sustainability, engagement and communications.

The Commission’s third visit to Tokyo is scheduled for May 2016. There is expected to be a total of 10 Commission visits to the 2020 host city over its seven-year lifecycle. These inspections are supplemented by Project Review visits by the Coordination Commission Executive, as the IOC provides guidance and advice to Tokyo 2020 in its Games planning and operations.