Lyu And Zhakypov Battle For The Light Flyweight title In Guiyang, China

LIGHT FLY 49 KG – FRIDAY, 11 SEPTEMBER (19:10 GMT +8)
Location: Guiyang – Venue: Guizhou Arena

APB World Championship Matches begins on Friday night when Lyu and Zhakypov battle for the Light Flyweight title

The first of the eagerly awaited APB World Championship Matches will take place on Friday night at the Guizhou Arena in Guiyang, China, as Light Flyweight (49 kg) Champion Bin Lyu (CHI) defends his title for the very first time against Birzhan Zhakypov (KAZ).

Boxing fans around the world can view this historic event from 19:10 (GMT +8) on https://www.youtube.com/user/AIBAproboxingTV, and will also be broadcasted by Guizhou TV, Shenzhen TV Sports Channel and LeTV.

Lyu became the Inaugural Light Flyweight Champion last February when he defeated compatriot Zhonglin Wu over eight rounds, while Zhakypov is currently on a five fight winning streak in APB.

Sublime Cycle I victories over Patrick Lourenco (BRA) and Carlos Quipo (ECU) have firmly established Zhakypov as the number one contender, and he has no issues about fighting in China, as both of those triumphs emanated from Guiyang.

Zhakypov’s lone loss in this competition came against Lyu in the very first week of action, so the 31-year-old AIBA World Champion is desperate to make amends for that defeat and claim the title.

Lyu will enjoy home advantage however and believes that the support he shall experience in the arena will help tremendously.

“Because I will defend my title at home in front of boxing fans from my country, I have a stronger motivation to win the match,” he remarked in an interview with AIBAProBoxing.com.

The first meeting between the two fighters produced six rounds of scintillating action, where Lyu convincingly outpointed the decorated Zhakypov, who is a decade older than the Chinese Champion.

“From the first fight with Zhakypov, I learnt that I need to have strong self-confidence to be successful. His strengths are that he has rich competition experience, good understanding, good timing, and he controls the distance,” said Lyu.

Ever since that initial defeat last October, Zhakypov has looked in ominous form, with his impressive body shots proving effective against both of his Cycle I opponents.

Lyu And Zhakypov Battle For The Light Flyweight title In Guiyang, China

Zhakypov’s watertight defence enable constant control of the ring, but questions remain on how he will be able to combat the exciting and aggressive style that Lyu possesses.

Accuracy and strength are two of Lyu’s biggest weapons, and his unerring discipline allows him to maintain his tactics through a bout no matter what his opponent is doing.

Unlike their first match, this key title rematch will take place over 12 rounds, a distance neither man has ever fought over competitively before.

Zhakypov may have a slight advantage having twice fought over eight rounds this year, while Lyu has not competed in APB since his triumph over Wu seven months, as he has been waiting for a title challenger to emerge.

Both men have been training hard for the match, and as neither boxer has experienced stamina issues before, the stage is firmly set for an incredible match.

Three further matches will take place on the undercard, including Anton Pinchuk (KAZ) vs Dragos Ghionea (ROU), Tianlong Ding (CHI) vs Thulasi Tharumalingam (QAT) and Yong Chang (CHI) vs Ilyas Suleimenov (KAZ).

Sold Out Crowd In Russia To View Aloian vs Emigdio II in APB World Championship Matches

Kemerovo, Russia, and Guiyang, China, will host the AIBA Pro Boxing Light Fly and Flyweight World Championship Matches of Cycle I on 11 September according to the match schedule below.

FLY 52 KG – FRIDAY, 11 SEPTEMBER (20:00 GMT+7)
Location: Kemerovo – Venue: Arena Sports and Entertainment Complex

A sold out crowd in Russia is set to view Aloian vs Emigdio II in the APB World Championship Matches

The Arena Sports and Entertainment Complex in Kemerovo, Russia is sold out ahead of the second of the APB World Championship Matches, between Flyweight (52 kg) Champion Misha Aloian (RUS), and the number one contender Elias Emigdio (MEX).

Boxing fans around the world can view the action from 20:00 (GMT +7) on Friday night at https://www.youtube.com/user/AIBAproboxingTV while the event will also be broadcasted by TV Boetz.

The 27-year-old Aloian arrived in APB after winning two consecutive AIBA World Championships, and soon adjusted to life in the world class pro competition with exceptional victories over Beijing 2008 Olympic Games bronze medalist Vincenzo Picardi (ITA), and Aleksandar Aleksandrov (BUL).

Winning those matches qualified him to fight Emigdio for the inaugural APB Flyweight Championship last January, and the Russian star earned a unanimous points victory to win the title.

Although Aloian triumphed in the eight round clash, Emigdio won the last two rounds of the match, and looked the fresher fighter after the final bell had rung.

Misha ALOIAN (RUS) vs Elias EMIGDIO (MEX) APB World Championship

Recent Cycle I triumphs over Fernando Martinez (ARG) and the powerful Ilyas Suleimenov (KAZ) have given the popular Mexican essential match sharpness, where the creativity of his attacks has impressed many onlookers.

With the rematch set to take place over 12 rounds, Emigdio is confident that he has the tools to take the undefeated record of his star opponent, and claim Flyweight gold in the process.

“Myself and Aloian know each other very well, but this Mexican Aztec is training like never before. I have spent a lot of time to make this the bout of the year, and I hope that he has done the same to ensure that this war won’t be far off becoming the “Bout of the Century,” said the Mexican number one contender.

Emigdio has had to travel over 7000 miles for this bout, and Aloian will enjoy home advantage in front of his ardent fans in Kemerovo.

Blessed with a flawless record in the competition, and an iron will to win, the Russian is taking all of the plaudits and success in his stride, and is undaunted by the prospect of facing such a dangerous opponent over 12 rounds.

“I don’t feel any pressure, it’s all an adrenaline rush,” he confirms. “I’m glad I can defend my title and prove that I deserve my belt.

“Emigdio is a great boxer, and it will be a great fight. I’m really happy to box with him, because I only want to fight the best. I have never doubted my capacity to fight lots of rounds.”

This bout expertly matches the astute, defensive mastermind of the Champion vs the flamboyant, unconventional pressure of the challenger.

Aloian’s composure in the ring and expert calculation of distance will make life very difficult for Emigdio, but the experience that the Mexican has gained over the longer round distance is an invaluable tool, and he will look to firmly exploit the lack of his recent ring-time of his Russian rival.

Three further matches will take place on the undercard, including Veselinov Dimitrov (BUL) vs Marian Visan (ROU), Spas Genov (BUL) vs Dzemal Bosnjak (BIH) and Karen Arutiunian (RUS) vs Aleksandar Aleksandrov (BUL).

Misha ALOIAN (RUS) vs Elias EMIGDIO (MEX) APB World Championship

NFF: We Have Solid Confidence In Pinnick

The Executive Committee of Nigeria Football Federation on Thursday explained why the members always cast their vote of confidence in the leadership of its President, Mr. Amaju Melvin Pinnick.

Speaking in Abuja, Chairman of the NFF Media and Publicity Committee, Hon. Suleiman Yahaya-Kwande, stressed that the Executive Committee is enamoured at the quality of ideas, energy and drive of the former Chairman of Delta State Football Association.

“If you patiently take stock of the list of achievements of the NFF in the past one year that Mr. Pinnick has been President, you would give him immense credit. The beauty of it all is that he carries all the members along in everything he is doing, and invariably listens to superior argument.

“Personally, I enjoy the meetings and I always make sure to be present, because the President makes everyone feel a part of it, he brings up excellent ideas and allows these to be debated. Everyone contributes.”

Yahaya-Kwande, who is a ranking Member of the House of Representatives, explained that the camaraderie within the Executive Committee has not been witnessed in any NFF Board for a long time now.

“Steadily, we are unveiling the various programs that we have for Nigeria football and we believe that our people will be delighted. Next week, there will be a major pronouncement on our youth development program. But I don’t want to reveal this now.

“What we want is the support of everyone. In the last one year, there has been capacity –building programs that have impacted positively on the League and attracted greater recognition from FIFA and CAF for our referees; FIFA elite courses for referees and CAF courses for coaches; prioritization of Coaches and Players’ welfare; robust support for the LMC to continue to improve the NPFL brand; the signing of a kit sponsorship deal with a global brand; intensive drive by the President to sell Nigeria football globally and; aggressive marketing drive to attract private sector support.”

NFF President, Amaju Melvin Pinnick.

At its inception, the Amaju Pinnick administration outlined its vision thus: “To build a sustainable football culture for the country, satisfying the yearnings of scores of millions of our people through ensuring football activities all –year round, and also focusing on genuine developmental programs while availing the various National Teams adequate support to fly the nation’s flag high at all international competitions.”

Yahaya-Kwande stated that the Board is united in fulfilling this vision: “We are solidly behind our leader, Mr. Amaju Pinnick. He is working very hard and carrying the Board along in everything he is doing. We are also giving support in every way we can. There is no schism in the NFF Executive Committee.”

Jamaica’s Trelawny Stadium To Be Named After Usain Bolt

The Trelawny Stadium is to be named after Jamaican World Sprint Champion Usain Bolt.

Natalie Neita-Headley Jamaica’s Sports Minister revealed this to journalist during a press briefing, earlier today. But this will not be done until financing is available to build a track at the Stadium.

Usain Bolt
photo credit: Neil
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/legalcode

The Trelawny Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium in Trelawny, Jamaica which was constructed with financial support from the Peoples Republic of China in 2007, and the stadium hosted the opening ceremony of the 2007 Cricket World Cup and it was also used for a couple of warm up matches.

The Trelawny Stadium as also hosted a few football matches and this must be a huge honour for a great athlete like Usain Bolt.

Trelawny multi purpose stadium. photo credit complant.com

Table Tennis Rio 2016 Test Event Details Revealed

It has been announced that the table tennis test event for the 2016 Rio Olympic Games will be held 18-21 November 2015 in the Riocentro which is located in Barra da Tijuca.

The 2015 Aquece Rio International will host all four table tennis events that will feature at Rio 2016: Men’s Team, Women’s Team, Men’s Singles, Women’s Singles, all following the format to be used for the Olympic Games.

The event is an opportunity for players, coaches and officials to test the venue, and the conditions to get ready for the Rio 2016 Olympic Games table tennis event, which will be held 6 – 17 August 2016.

The seven leading national associations on the May 2015 list plus the host nation Brazil are invited to compete in each of the 2015 Aquece Rio International Men’s Team and Women’s Team events.

In addition a further eight men and eight women, who are not involved in the team events, are invited to compete in the respective Men’s Singles and Women’s Singles events. The eight players comprise the leading player from each continent on the May world ranking list (http://bit.ly/1PCUawZ) plus the two highest players who have not qualified by the preceding requisites.

Rio 2016 Qualifier Hugo Calderano will get a chance to play in front of his home fans ahead of 2016

Currently and depending on response, the invitations are as follows:

Men’s Team: 1. China 2. Germany 3. Japan 4. Korea Republic 5. Portugal 6. Hong Kong 7. Chinese Taipei Host. Brazil

Women’s Team: 1. China 2. Japan 3. Singapore 4. Korea Republic 5. Hong Kong 6. Korea DPR 7. Netherlands Host. Brazil

Men’s Singles:Africa: Omar Assar (Egypt), Asia: Gao Ning (Singapore), Vladimir Samsonov,Marcos Madrid (Mexico), North America: Eugene Wang (Canada) & Oceania: William Henzell (Australia)

Women’s Singles:Africa: Dina Meshref (Egypt), Asia: Cheng I-Ching (Chinese Taipei), Europe: Han Ying (Germany), Latin America: Yadira Silva (Mexico), North America: Zhang Mo (Canada) & Oceania: Jian Fang Lay (Australia)

ONLINE GAMING GIANT ‘GUNGHO’ NAMED GOLD SPONSOR OF UPCOMING WBSC PREMIER12…

ONLINE GAMING GIANT ‘GUNGHO’ NAMED GOLD SPONSOR OF UPCOMING WBSC PREMIER12 GLOBAL BASEBALL EVENT

The World Baseball Softball Confederation (“WBSC”) today announced that Tokyo-based gaming giant GungHo Online Entertainment, Inc. (“GungHo”) has become a gold sponsor, the top category, of the 2015 WBSC Premier12 that will be staged in Japan and Taiwan from 8-21 November and will feature the men’s National Teams from the top twelve nations in the WBSC Baseball World Rankings.

As a top sponsor, GungHo, makers of such popular games as “Puzzle & Dragons”, will have a featured presence and be on signage across all competition venues and all media backdrops for Premier12, the top international baseball event on the 2015 calendar.

“WBSC is delighted to partner with leaders in online entertainment like GungHo,” said WBSC President Riccardo Fraccari. “This is a natural fit for WBSC and our newest flagship event Premier12, as the sport of baseball entertains hundreds of millions of fans every year with action on the field. This partnership with GungHo on Premier12 promises to create a very special synergy dedicated to the fan and game-experience.”

Said Kazuki Morishita, GungHo President and CEO: “GungHo is committed to launching engaging new products and content, and that’s why we are thrilled to be partnering with WBSC on Premier12. This exciting new global baseball platform, WBSC Premier12, will be viewed and enjoyed by millions of fans of all ages around the world, and GungHo is confident that through this partnership on WBSC Premier12 we will continue to expand the range of new and loyal users who trust in GungHo to continue delivering innovative, new gaming products and experiences.”

The WBSC Premier12 global baseball battle will open with top-ranked Japan and world No. 8 South Korea on 8 November at Japan’s 40,000-seat Sapporo Dome.

ICC’s Digital Initiatives Continue To Scale New Heights

ICC announces ICC World Twenty20 Qualifier digital statistics with record numbers for an ICC qualifying event and global interest expanding to millions around the world

Giles Clarke: “The continued growth of the ICC’s digital properties is part of an ongoing effort to expand the reach of the sport around the world”

The International Cricket Council (ICC) today announced strong growth in digital consumption following the successful ICC World Twenty20 Qualifier 2015 held in July across Ireland and Scotland.

There was unparalleled coverage for the event on ICC digital and social media channels, with overall traffic numbers making it the second largest ICC digital event in recent years, surpassing both the ICC World Twenty20 in 2014 and the ICC Champions Trophy in 2013. The dedicated event website attracted 3.75 million unique users, more than double that figure for the ICC World Twenty20 2014 in Bangladesh. These visitors created nearly 20 million page views, which is more than treble the figure of the ICC World Twenty20 in 2014.

Sharad Vesawkar, Nepal, in action against Ed Farley, Jersey. ICC World Twenty20 Qualifier 2015, Nepal v Jersey. Malahide, Dublin. Picture credit: Sam Barnes / ICC / SPORTSFILE

The digital coverage was particularly well received in many of the competing nations with fans from Afghanistan, Kenya, Nepal, Netherlands and USA combining to make up over 20 per cent of all website traffic.

For the first time at an ICC qualifying event, 20 matches were broadcast globally and short form match clips were hugely popular right across the world on ICC’s digital channels. The video content reached fans in over 200 countries, with over 13 million video views and over 12 million minutes of online video content consumed.

Another first was the launch of the ICC World Twenty20 Qualifier 2015 App, which aimed to build on the success of the record-breaking ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 App. The ICC World Twenty20 Qualifier 2015 App was available for free on both Android and iOS, it had over 2.2 million users from more than 200 countries. The App was very well picked up in the participating countries, and it topped the charts as the Number 1 downloaded sports App in 6 countries whilst reaching the Top 10 list in the same category in 22 other countries.

On ICC social media channels, there was also huge interest in the tournament as fans were given their opportunity to get involved with the global broadcast and interact with the players and commentators in Ireland and Scotland. The reach of ICC’s posts on Facebook topped over 129 million people in July, whilst there was 35 million impressions of ICC tweets during the tournament.

Fans also got their chance to vote for both the Play of the Day video and the Play of the Tournament video, which attracted over two million votes. One video alone attracted over 750,000 views. The eventual winner of the inaugural Play of the Tournament at the ICC World Twenty20 Qualifier 2015 was Nepal’s Siddhant Lohani for his remarkable helicopter shot.

Ben Kynman, Jersey, bowls. ICC World Twenty20 Qualifier 2015, Hong Kong v Jersey, Bready, Co. Tyrone. Picture credit: Brendan Moran / ICC / SPORTSFILE
Saturday 11

The Chairman of the ICC’s Financial and Commercial Affairs Committee, Mr Giles Clarke, said: “The ICC World Twenty20 Qualifier 2015 digital statistics show the ever-growing interest in Associate cricket across the globe. The acceleration in growth is such that the numbers of fans engaged from the Associate sides competing in the event this July matched the number of fans engaged from Full Member nations at the ICC World Twenty20 in Bangladesh, 2014. I was hugely impressed with the quality of the cricket from all the competing nations I saw in Ireland and Scotland, and cricket fans worldwide have made their voices heard with the sheer scale of numbers that interacted with the tournament online.

“The continued growth of the ICC’s digital properties is part of an ongoing effort to expand the reach of the sport around the world and the ICC intend to be at the forefront of innovation as we enter a new ICC Digital Strategy from 2016 onwards. The ICC will continue to try and grow the game into new markets by using the ICC’s substantial digital presence at both of the important upcoming ICC events, the ICC Under 19 Cricket World Cup 2016, and the ICC World Twenty20 2016.”

50 Day Countdown Until 2015 ITTF Women’s World Cup Begins

One of the marque events on the ITTF calendar,the 2015 ITTF Women’s World Cup, is just 50 days away!

The 2015 Women’s World Cup will take place from 30 October to 1 November 2015 in Sendai, Japan, the same city that was devastated by a tsunami in 2011.

Only 20 of the world’s best women’s table tennis players are invited to play in the Women’s World Cup. 17 of them have qualified through their respective Continental Cups, plus the current World Champion, a host country player, and a wildcard.

Current world champion DING Ning will miss the event to finally get over the ankle sprain she sustained in the dramatic World Championships final this year. This means that the woman she defeated in that historic final, LIU Shiwen, will be the favorite to win a remarkable fourth Women’s World Cup, which would equal the record currently held by ZHANG Yining.

Ai Fukuhara will be hoping her 2015 form will lead her to Women’s World Cup glory at home. photo credit ITTFMedia

The sold-out crowd will be fully behind the local Japanese due of Kasumi ISHIKAWA and Ai FUKUHARA who are world ranked number four and five respectively, and will be expected to be pushing for the title on 1 November 2015. Both of the Japanese stars have been the stand out performers on the GAC Group 2015 World Tour, so this will give them the confidence to lift the cup in front of their home crowd.

The full list of 20 players that have qualified for one of the biggest shows in table tennis are:

MESHREF Dina (EGY) – African Cup Winner
FENG Tianwei (SIN) – Asian Cup Winner
KUMAHARA Caroline (BRA) – Latin American Cup Winner
ZHANG Mo (CAN) – North American Cup Winner
LAY Jian Fang (AUS) – Oceania Cup Winner
LIU Jia (AUT) – Europe Cup Winner
LIU Shiwen (CHN) – Asian Cup 2nd place
ZHU Yuling (CHN) – Asian Cup 3rd place
SOLJA Petrissa (GER) – Europe Cup 2nd place
IVANCAN Irene (GER) – Europe Cup 3rd place
FUKUHARA Ai (JPN) – Asian Cup 4th place
ISHIKAWA Kasumi (JPN) – Asian Cup 5th place
SEO Hyowon (KOR) – Asian Cup 6th place
DOO Hoi Kem (HKG) – Asian Cup 7th place
LI Jiao (NED) – Europe Cup 4th place
HU Melek (TUR) – Europe Cup 5th place
POTA Georgina (HUN) – Europe Cup 6th place
LI Jie (NED) – Europe Cup 9th place
CHENG I-Ching (TPE) – Asian Cup 8th place
YANG Haeun (KOR) – Wild card

World Cup Final Spots on offer in Qingdao

More than 240 sailors from 37 nations will be in Qingdao, China from 14 – 20 September 2015 for the next ISAF Sailing World Cup instalment.

On offer will be world class racing across nine Olympic fleets, Abu Dhabi ISAF Sailing World Cup Final spots, Rio 2016 Olympic Games places, a share of the $150,000 USD prize fund as well as World Cup medals.

As the Asian continental qualification regatta for the Men’s and Women’s 470, Finn and Nacra 17 the competition in Qingdao is set to be fierce with a depth of international sailing talent within the respective fleets. Alongside this, sailors will be aiming to book their place on the start line of the Abu Dhabi ISAF Sailing World Cup Final at the end of October.

Dongshuang Zhang

China’s Aichen Wang will be the man to beat in the Men’s RS:X after he dominated the Aquece Rio – International Sailing Regatta 2015, the Olympic test event. Under the leadership of Beijing 2008 gold medallist Tom Ashley (NZL), Wang led from start to finish and looked untouchable.

Following a silver medal at ISAF Sailing World Cup Qingdao in 2014, Wang will be aiming to go one better to pick up his first World Cup gold.

Mateo Sanz (SUI) will head into the Men’s RS:X competition off the back of a solid result at the test event that saw him qualify for the Swiss Sailing Team. As well as aiming to qualify for the ISAF Sailing World Cup Final, Sanz is using Qingdao as preparation for the RS:X Worlds, an Olympic qualifier, “I’m looking forward to the event because it’s going to be my last regatta before the Worlds in Oman, but not as a peak event.

“My next step is to qualify the nation for the Olympic Games in Oman as the next six countries will qualify, so I want to be there.

“I expect a physical regatta with light wind where we will have to pump a lot, but everything could be. I haven’t done anything special for this event, as my team only decided to go short time ago – but [I have done] water training combined with endurance and strength sessions.”

A fleet of 30 will race in Qingdao with Wang’s and Sanz’s main threats likely to come from Spain’s Joan Cardona, Hong Kong’s Michael Cheng, Italy’s Daniele Benedetti and Lithuania’s Juozas Bernotas.

The Women’s RS:X fleet will be spearheaded by a strong Chinese contingent that often revel in the light conditions that Qingdao has to offer.

China’s Jiali Sun enjoyed the conditions in 2014, taking a solid victory over Russia’s Olga Maslivets. Sun returns for the 2015 edition aiming to stake her claim and qualify for the Abu Dhabi World Cup Final.

Alongside Sun will be 20 other competitors aiming for a share of the prize fund, a World Cup Final spot and a World Cup honour. Peina Chen (CHN) will be looking to recapture the title she won at the inaugural World Cup Qingdao in 2013 whilst 2013 ISAF Youth Worlds gold medallist Yunxiu Lu (CHN) will be searching for her first major senior title.

Tonci Stipanovic (CRO) will be aiming to make it three victories from three at ISAF Sailing World Cup Qingdao having controlled the 2013 and 2014 editions. Stipanovic mastered Qingdao’s strong current and light breeze at the previous editions and with a wealth of knowledge; it will be hard for the chasing pack of 39 to catch him.

Tonci Stipanovic

One man with a strong chance of overthrowing Stipanovic is Cyprus’ Pavlos Kontides. The Cypriot, who won his country’s first Olympic medal ever at London 2012, has finished second to Stipanovic on both occasions in Qingdao. Kontides has come close but the Croatian has always managed to find a way to win. Will 2015 see a different result? Only time will tell.

The fleet is packed full of exceptional Laser sailors who will all be gunning for the podium. Jean Baptiste Bernaz (FRA), Wannes Van Laer (BEL), Bruno Fontes (BRA), Karl Martin Rammo (EST), Cy Thompson (ISV) and Colin Cheng (SIN) all have the capabilities of getting it right on the night and posing a challenge.

Like Stipanovic, China’s Dongshuang Zhang is undefeated at ISAF Sailing World Cup Qingdao. At the 2013 edition she match raced Tatiana Drozdovskaya (BLR) to the back of the pack to take gold, whilst in 2014 she came out on top in a four way shoot out for gold between Tina Mihelic (CRO), Sara Winther (NZL) and Drozdovskaya.

The Belorussian and New Zealand sailors return to Qingdao in a bid to defeat Zhang. Further sailors aiming to put themselves in the mix include Ashley Stoddart (AUS), Isabella Bertold (CAN), Alison Young (GBR), Manami Doi (JPN) and Elizabeth Sin (SIN).

Racing across the nine Olympic fleets is scheduled to commence on 16 September with Medal Races bringing the regatta to a close on 20 September.

Longines FEI European Eventing Championships: Final countdown Begins With 66 Through First Horse Inspection

There were plenty of lively horses at the first horse inspection for the Longines FEI European Eventing Championship at Blair Castle (GBR) as riders have clearly taken seriously the advice that they should get their horses fit for this spectacular venue in the Scottish Highlands.

The Ground Jury of President Sue Baxter (GBR), Andrew Bennie (NZL) and Sándor Fulop (HUN), all smartly clad in Scottish tartan, passed all the horses except one, Igor Atrokhov’s Russian team horse Indigo Pyreneen.

A total of 66 combinations will go forward to the Dressage phase which starts at 10.00 tomorrow with a Guinea Pig test by Scottish rider Olivia Wilmot on Zebedee de Foja.

The Netherlands, reigning world bronze medallists, have been drawn first to go of the 11 teams: Theo van de Vendel riding Zindane will be first into the Dressage arena at 10.20.

Ireland, fielding Joseph Murphy (Sportsfield Othello) as pathfinder, is second, followed by Italy, Great Britain, Switzerland, reigning champions Germany, Russia, France, Sweden, Spain and Belgium.

William Fox-Pitt (GBR), again the anchorman for the British team, had to hang on tight to Bay My Hero as the Irish Sport Horse showed his wellbeing by prancing and bucking down the trot-up strip. Fox-Pitt, 46, is competing in his 10th European Championship. His tally of 10 medals, which includes six team golds, equals the record set by Lucinda Green (GBR), a back-to-back champion in 1975 and 1977.

Tomorrow will be a big day for Kitty King (GBR); riding Persimmon, she will make her team debut in the pathfinding slot for the British team, who are anxious to uphold honour on home ground. Nicola Wilson (One Two Many) and former dual European champion Pippa Funnell (Sandman 7) take the second and third team slots.

British team member Nicola Wilson trots up One Two Many at the first horse inspection for the Longines FEI European Eventing Championships which starts tomorrow at Blair Castle in Scotland (GBR). (Jon Stroud/FEI)

The hugely experienced combination of Dirk Schrade (GER) and Hop And Skip will go first for Germany, followed by Michael Jung on the eight-year-old Anglo Arab FischerTakinou, world champions Sandra Auffarth and Opgun Louvo and, finally, Ingrid Klimke and Horseware Hale Bob.

It is a first visit to Blair Castle for Jung, who comes fresh from his brilliant Burghley CCI4* win on Sunday. “This is a wonderful place and a beautiful course,” said the defending champion, who will be performing his Dressage test tomorrow afternoon. “When you look down [on the showground] from the top of the hill, it all looks so small! My horse is feeling very happy and relaxed and I’m looking forward to starting.”

Follow all the action with live results on http://www.blair2015.com and coverage on FEI TV http://www.feitv.org.

Kate Green

Record Number Of Gymnasts Register To Compete At 2015 Trampoline Gymnastics World Championships in Odense

The 31st Trampoline Gymnastics World Championships, to be held November 26-29 in Odense (DEN), will welcome a record number of participants. More than 300 athletes representing 41 different countries will compete in the Danish city with the goal of capturing one of the 14 World titles up for grabs in different categories (Trampoline, Synchronised Trampoline, Double-mini Trampoline and Tumbling.)

With 11 weeks to go before the World Championships begin, the competition draw, which determines the order gymnasts will compete in the qualification round, was held Wednesday at the FIG Headquarters in Lausanne (SUI) in the presence of the Odense Organising Committee. The draw is important for delegations, as it helps them refine their competition strategies. (Click here to see the results of the draw.)

For Trampoline gymnasts, Odense also represents a major step on the road to the 2016 Rio Olympic Games, with the first Olympic places in Trampoline to be attributed at the end of the competition. The record number of inscriptions — 132 in the Individual Men’s competition and 87 in the Individual Women’s competition — represents a participation increase of 30 percent from the previous Trampoline World Championships in Daytona Beach (USA) in 2014. The numbers indicate a growing attraction for the discipline, which made its Olympic debut at the 2000 Games in Sydney.

A Singaporean gymnast flexes right before she performs a trick on the balance beam during training for the 2007 FIG World Cup Gymnastics.
photo credit: Sheila
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.0/legalcode

These World Championships are also an important event for gymnasts whose disciplines are not part of the Olympic program: The World Championships are also the sole qualifying competition for the 2017 World Games in Wroclaw (POL).

As host country, Denmark presents itself as a stronghold of Trampoline Gymnastics events. “After the 2001 World Championships, the 2008 European Championships and World Cups in 2011 and 2013, Odense will be welcoming the elite of the Trampoline world for the fifth time,” said Flemming Knudsen, President of the Danish Gymnastics Federation and Worlds 2015 Organising Committee.

2015 All Africa Games- Volleyball Women’s Day 7: Seychelles And Egypt Through To Semifinal

Dark horses Seychelles and Egypt confirmed semifinal slots at Women’s All Africa Games after both teams continued their unbeaten campaign with fourth victory against Congo Brazzaville and Ghana at Henry Elende Hall in Brazzaville, Congo on Wednesday.

Egypt hammered Ghana 3-0 (25-21, 25-17, 25-15) to improve to 4-0 to clinch the top of the pool with 12 points followed by Seychelles 4-0 also but with 11 points. Botswana upset Senegal to come third with 2-2 record (5 points), Senegal 1-3 (5 points), Ghana 1-3 (3 points) and Congo Brazzaville 0-4.

Senegal double block against Botswana

Botswana v Senegal 3-2 (25-17, 20-25, 25-21, 23-25, 17-15)

Botswana overcame Senegal in epic tiebreaker 3-2 (25-17, 20-25, 25-21, 23-25, 17-15) in a Marathon lasting 121 minutes. Botswana led 1-0 and 2-1 and were ahead in the 4th set before they lost narrowly to allow the Senegalese to extend the match to tiebreak. in the tebreak Senegal led 8-2, but Botswana fought bravely to decrease the point deficit gradually till they won 17-15.

Botswana improved to 2-2 with 5 points, while Senegal dropped to 1-3 with also 5 points. Botswana’s big gun Gasekgonwe Gaoleseletese led her team and match scorers with 27 points, followed by Tracy Chaba 24. Sow Binetou led Botswana’s attacker with 17 points followed by Fatou Diouf 13.

Mariem Metwally of Egypt spiking

Egypt v Ghana 3-0 (25-21, 25-17, 25-15)

Egypt overcame shaky start in reception to top Ghana 3-0 (25-21, 25-17, 25-15) in 68 minutes. The winner secured a semifinal ticket from Pool A with 4-0 win- loss ratio, while Ghana dropped to 1-3. Mariem Metwally led Egypt’s scorers with 16 points followed by Aya El Shami 11 points. Adjei Benedicta led Ghana’s scorers with 7 points.

Egypt started the match with a lot of mistakes in reception and digging allowing Ghana team to lead 16-7 before they regained their stability to win the first set narrowly 25-21 before they correct the mistakes relatively to win the match in straight sets.

Seychelles Attack

Seychelles v Congo Brazzaville 3-0 (25-6, 25-13, 25-13)

Seychelles continued their winning rhythm after they crush hosts Congo Brazzaville 3-0 (25-6, 25-13, 25-13) to confirm a semifinal ticket. Seychelles improved their win- loss ratio to 4-0, while Congo dropped to 0-4.

Jerina Bonne led Seychelles scorers with 11 points followed by her daughter Marielle Bonne 9 points. Olive Bikindou led the losers with only 8 points.