HeadsUp campaign making an impact in Africa and Americas as continents boxers pursue Olympic quota places in Cameroon and Argentina
Launched in 2015, AIBA’s HeadsUp campaign is dedicated to the physical and professional wellbeing of its boxers, developing and sustaining their careers from grassroots academies to elite-level competition and into retirement. Following the respective commitment of the European Boxing Confederation and Asian Boxing Confederation, AIBA underlines his commitment to ensuring a full roll out of the HeadsUp programme the world over with the signing off the Charter by two major Confederations representing more than 100 National Federations.
“Working closely with our confederations to help implement initiatives like HeadsUp and continue to develop our sport is central to AIBA’s role as boxing’s governing body. We have the best boxers in Africa and Americas competing for places at the 2016 Olympics, the first Games since 1984 not to feature headguards. The roll out of HeadsUp in these two continents demonstrate our purpose to propose a real pathway for all boxers and coaches from grass roots level to elite competition on and off the ring,” said AIBA President Ching-Kuo Wu.
The HeadsUp charter has been signed by African Confederation President Kelani Bayor and Americas Confederation President Osvaldo Bisbal respectively, the first fruits of which have already been received with the donation of essential training equipment to National Boxing Federations courtesy of Sting Sports.
“We look forward to working alongside AIBA to give the HeadsUp campaign the coverage it deserves so that it can have the impact that it needs to really make a difference throughout the continent and at every level of the boxing community. This is just the beginning of a new and exciting phase for our sport in Africa,” said Mr Bayor.
AIBA President Ching-Kuo Wu and Kelani Bayor
“On the behalf of Americas I’m very proud to engage all our National Federations behind this initiative which is paramount for the development of our sport. The popularity of boxing is definitely growing in our continent and the deployment of the HeadsUp campaign couple of months before the Olympic Games is a testament to this” added Osvaldo Bisbal.
Nigeria’s Micheal Osewa on Thursday, reached the final of the boy’s 14&under event at the 39th ITF/CAT African Junior Championships in Pretoria, South Africa with a 4-6, 6-4, 6-2 win over Ryan Randiek of Kenya.
The semifinal clash at the University of Pretoria High Performance Centre saw the two players going head-to-head for the second year running with Osewa outplaying his East African rival with a 6-2, 6-3 triumph at the quarterfinal stage of the tournament held in Tunisia in 2015.
The match was going with the serves until the ninth game when Randiek broke the Nigerian before sealing the set 6-4 on his serve. Nigeria’s coach Mohammed Ubale had expressed worries over Osewa’s inability to win the opening game which he pointed puts him under pressure but just like he did in the round of 16 clash against the number one seed Younes Adnan of Morocco and Jason Espitalier of Mauritius in the quarterfinal, Osewa kept his composure to level the match by winning the second set 6-4 to force the game into a rubber decider which he won 6-2. He will now meet Damien Laporte of Seychelles, who defeated South Africa’s Khololwam Montsi in Friday’s final.
An elated President of the Nigeria Tennis Federation (NTF) Sani Ndanusa, who watched the match alongside several other federation bosses who are in Pretoria for the Annual General Meeting of the Confederation of African Tennis (CAT), said Osewa’s feat has helped break the jinx of players from North Africa who have always proved a barrier to Nigeria’s quest to rule Africa.
Osewa was stopped by Morocco’s Ismaal Saadi at this stage last year while Nigeria’s best outing in recent years was in 2012 when Candy Idoko finished third in Botswana after losing to a Tunisian in the semifinal.
Osewa is also in the run for the doubles title where he is pairing Gabriel Friday. There semifinal clash with opponents from South Africa was put on hold due to rain.
About 120 players from 25 countries are featuring in the 11-day tournament. The event which is in four categories is the biggest junior tennis tournament in Africa.
Ali Carter believes that his new vegan diet will help him tackle Crohn’s Disease as he looks ahead to next week’s Ladbrokes Players Championship in Manchester.
Three-time ranking event winner Carter has suffered from the illness for 13 years and was recently told by his consultant he may need more surgery, a measure he is desperate to avoid.
“I don’t want surgery on my stomach because I don’t believe it’s the answer,” said the 36-year-old. “I’ve had it before and it creates scar tissue, so they want to remove the scar tissue but then I’ll just end up with more.
“So for the last eight or nine days I have been trying a healing diet which involves eating nothing other than fruit and vegetables. I am feeling a lot better and hopefully that will continue.”
Chelmsford’s Carter, who has also battled cancer twice within the past three years and is still having regular check-ups, added: “If I’d never had any health problems I think I would have won a lot more, but it’s something I’ve always had to deal with.”
The two-time World Championship finalist reached the quarter-finals of the Ladbrokes World Grand Prix last week and is encouraged by his form ahead of next week’s world ranking event at Event City in Manchester, which runs from March 22 to 27.
“It was good to win a couple of matches though I was disappointed to lose in the quarters,” said the world number 28, who won the Paul Hunter Classic earlier this season. “I feel something good is around the corner.
Ali Carter
“This is a rebuilding season for me. It was great to win a title and I had hoped to get back into the top 16, but realistically my goal is to do that in time for the Masters next season. I will have no ranking points coming off because I missed a lot of events last season, so that will be the time for me to climb back up.”
Carter faces Graeme Dott on the opening day of the Ladbrokes Players Championship next Tuesday. Other top stars competing for the £100,000 top prize will include Mark Selby, Shaun Murphy, Judd Trump, Ding Junhui, Mark Allen and Mark Williams.
Tickets are ON SALE NOW and start at just £10, incredible value for the chance to see the world’s best players live. Certain sessions will sell out fast so fans must book quickly. For details visit http://www.worldsnooker.com/tickets
One of the world’s most popular and talented table tennis players Michael MAZE has announced his retirement from the sport at 34 years of age.
“The time has come”, stated the Danish legend on his official facebook page. “I have made the most difficult decision of my career. My time as a top table tennis player has come to an end!”
“In consultation with my doctors and management, we came to this very difficult decision”, explained MAZE. “I had hoped to compete at this summer’s Olympic Games in Rio but my body just can’t take it anymore. After several operations, I can no longer train one hundred percent without pain and therefore not compete at the level I’m used to.”
“I want to thank especially my family, friends, and my sponsors Freklame A/S, Butterfly and ‘NaturEnergi, as well as my fans from the bottom of my heart. I’m forever grateful for all the support given throughout my whole career”, concluded MAZE.
MAZE’s crowning achievement was becoming the 2009 European Champion, beating the 2003 World Champion Werner SCHLAGER (AUT) in the final, and winning bronze with Finn TUGWELL in the Men’s Doubles event at Athens 2004 Olympic Games
However, whatever accolades MAZE has to his name, he will be remembered most of all for one match and perhaps for one point above all others.
At the 2005 World Table Tennis Championships in Shanghai, he had caused a major upset in the fourth round by beating the host nation’s WANG Hao in four straight games.
In the next round, the quarter-finals, MAZE faced a relative newcomer to the Chinese National Team, HAO Shuai.
The odds were stacked against Michael Maze, he had played HAO Shuai on two previous occasions and lost.
It seemed he was odds on to lose a fourth when, having lost the first three games, he trailed 7-9 in the fourth and served into the net, giving the Chinese star three match points.
MAZE managed to saved two match points but the end seemed nigh as with the score at 10-9. Once again MAZE was pinned to the court surrounds. The only way for the Dane to return the ball was to lean forward, fall on his knees and scrape a return. Hao Shuai panicked, an attempted forehand smash, flew high and wide.
Michael Maze photo credit
After saving these three match points MAZE progressed to win the game and the next three to secure the match to give MAZE legendary status despite losing in the semi finals to MA Lin.
World Sailing is satisfied with the progress being made by Rio 2016 and the Brazilian authorities in preparation for the Rio 2016 Olympic & Paralympic Sailing Competition following an official visit from 7-10 March 2016.
Chief Executive Officer Andy Hunt, Rio 2016 Sailing Technical Delegates Alastair Fox and Scott Perry, Chairman of the Events Committee Pablo Masseroni and Medical Commission representative Dr. Nebojša Nikolic met with the Rio 2016 Organising Committee, the City, the State, the State Environment Institute (INEA) and the State Company of Water and Sewage (CEDAE) over the four day period.
The health and safety of sailors competing at Rio 2016 is paramount and World Sailing remain focused on delivering an excellent Olympic Sailing Competition on a safe and fair field of play.
World Sailing can report that the redevelopment of Marina da Gloria by BR Marinas is entering the final stages of completion and is on-track to be delivered in early April with many of the marina buildings currently being fitted-out for occupation.
The sewer pipe belt which will prevent sewage entering Marina da Gloria is expected to be completed at the end of March. World Sailing visited the pipe belt works which are largely completed with systems to be tested in April and water testing within Marina da Gloria commencing in early May to monitor changes in the water quality.
In October 2015, World Sailing appointed International Race Official Pedro Rodrigues to work with the Rio 2016 Sustainability Manager, INEA and the World Sailing Race Management Team during the Olympic Games to ensure that the racing areas are free of debris. Operational and contingency plans for ecoboats to remove obstructions in the water and on the field of play were reviewed and adequate procedures are in place.
Further proactive measures to ensure the health and safety of the athletes include the installation of eighteen ecobarriers on rivers running into Guanabara Bay. Nine of the barriers are currently in operation with a further nine to be installed by May.
Dr Nebojša Nikolic said, “I am satisfied with the planning work that is being done ahead of the Games to ensure that the welfare of sailors remains the top priority and that appropriate water testing and protocols are in place to inform decision making at the Games. We will continue to monitor water testing data closely and to educate sailors and officials on what they can do themselves to reduce health risks ahead of the Games.”
Aquece Rio International Sailing Regatta 2015 is the second sailing test event in preparation for the Rio 2016 Olympic Sailing Competition. Held out of Marina da Gloria from 15-22 August, the Olympic test event welcomes more than 330 sailors from 52 nations in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Seven racing areas and three reserve days for each of the ten sailing events provides World Sailing with great flexibility. Contingency plans for all scenarios from water quality to wind conditions are in place and World Sailing remains confident in delivering a memorable and successful Olympic Sailing Competition.
World Sailing will continue to monitor the programme of works closely and will review water-testing data and remain in contact with all the relevant authorities on a regular basis.
World Sailing officials will return in May to see the direct impact on the quality of water within Marina da Gloria.
Fans coming to watch top class boxing action at GOtv Boxing Night 6 have been assured of adequate security in and around the venue of the event. The assurance was given by Mr. Jenkins Alumona, Managing Director/ Chief Executive of Flykite Productions, organisers of the boxing tourney.
Alumona explained that top-class security, which has been a feature at every edition of the event, will not be relaxed. “This edition falls on Good Friday and we are expecting families to come and enjoy boxing. The security will be tight as it has always been. One of our partners, KSquare Security, is the leading provider of security services for big events in the country. Fans have nothing to fear. The security arrangements will be top-notch,” he said.
GOtv Boxing 6, holds on 25 March at the Indoor Sports Hall of the National Stadium in Lagos. It guarantees the best boxer on the night a cash prize of N1million. The event will feature two title fights and three national challenge duels.
The biggest of the fights will see Nigeria’s Abolaji “Afonja Warrior” Rasheed take on Ghana’s Adjei Sowah in a West African middleweight title fight. In the other big fight, crowd favourite, Olaide “Fijaborn” Fijabi will attempt to win the West African light welterweight when he takes on Djamiou Ekekpo of the Rebublic of Benin. Also, there will be a national lightweight challenge bout between Otto “Joe Boy” Joseph and Hogan Jimoh Jnr., son of former champion, Hogan Jimoh aka Atomic Bomb.
The three remaining fights will parade five of the graduates of the GOtv NextGen Search, who will make the pro debuts. Michael “Show” Rolland and Nwoye “Lion” Prince face each other in a national lightweight challenge contest, while Saidi “Attacker” Lawal will take on fellow graduate Samuel “Godspower’ Elegbede in a national super middleweight challenge duel. Another super middleweight challenge contest will see Matthew “Wizeman” Obinna take on Yusuf “Koste” Moshood.
GOtv Boxing Night 6, Djamiou Ekekpo vs Olaide Fijabi,
The event, which kicks off at 5pm, is sponsored by GOtv, and supported by MultiChoice, SuperSport, Newsbreak.ng, KSquare Security, Paragonis Multimedia Limited, Complete Sports, Bond FM and Brila FM. It will be broadcast live by SuperSport in 47 African countries.
Technical manager of Rivers United, Stanley Eguma must make a decision about his choice of goalkeeping personnel ahead of Saturday’s Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) clash with Shooting Stars Sports Club (3SC) in Ibadan.
Sunday Rotimi started United’s first five games this season but was overlooked for the match day six defeat to Niger Tornadoes in Lokoja.
Godwin Anyalogu, Rotimi’s replacement in Lokoja, impressed, despite conceding three goals and Eguma admits he has a decision to make as regards who starts in goal for United in Saturday’s contest against the ‘Oluyole Warriors’.
“It will be a difficult decision to make (as regards who plays against Shooting Stars) but I will wait till the last moment.
“It is a headache but a good one. Rotimi is excellent but I was also impressed with Anyalogu’s performance against Tornadoes.
“There is also (former Sharks goalkeeper) Henry Ayodele who has not played so far this season and he is one of the best goal keepers I have worked with.
Rivers United Coach Stanley Eguma
“I will decide who plays (in Ibadan) on Saturday,” Eguma told RIVERS UNITED MEDIA.
Eguma also discussed his side’s failure to come up with the goods on their travels thus far despite emerging as the NPFL’s best goals scorers on the road this season.
He admitted that ‘mistakes’ have been made in previous games but insists that those errors have been corrected ahead of Saturday’s big game.
“The game against 3SC is a big one and we know that they have been doing well this season.
“We hope we can correct our mistakes (from previous matches) as we go to Ibadan.
“We will map out our strategies as we go to Ibadan for the game and ensure that we do not return empty-handed,” he said.
Meanwhile, goalkeeper, Anyalogu is still “angry” following his side’s failure to pick up any points from the match day six fixture against Torndoes in Lokoja.
The goalkeeper who conceded three goals in the fixture says United are “too strong to be losing this many games” this season.
“I am still angry that we lost in Lokoja (to Tornadoes). It was a very complicated game.
“We were the better side in the first half and had two very good chances to score. Unfortunately, we allowed them to score with the last kick of the half.
“It’s strange that despite scoring in all our matches this season, we have not managed to get a single point away from home this season.
“We are too strong to be losing this many games and now we must correct it when we face Shooting Stars on Saturday,” he said.
Anyalogu also discussed the relationship he enjoys with the club’s other goalkeepers, revealing that the camaraderie amongst them is something to be admired.
“There is no jealousy. After matches, we all sit together to critique the performance of whoever plays.
“It’s a good thing because the atmosphere is positive,” he said.
Rivers United’s Sunday Rotimi and Henry Ayodele.
He rounded off by admitting that he would have no problems if he’s dropped to the bench for Saturday’s game.
“Have I done enough to start on Saturday? I think that is a decision for the coach but I will have no problems if (Sunday) Rotimi starts ahead of me.
“What is important to me is for the team to get at least a point in Ibadan.
“Losing two straight games will affect our position on the table so we must do our best,” he said.
Saturday’s game between 3SC and Rivers United kicks off at 4:15pm (5:15 CAT) and is live on SuperSport.
The West Indies began its journey in the ICC Women’s World Twenty20 2016 on a winning note, defeating Pakistan by four runs in an exciting Group B match in Chennai on Wednesday.
The West Indies, restricted to 103 for eight after being sent in to bat by Pakistan captain Sana Mir, hit back to keep the rivals down to 99 for five in a nail-biting finish at the Chidambaram stadium.
Seamer Deandra Dottin starred for the West Indies by conceding just seven runs in the final over which began with Pakistan needing 12 runs for victory.
Off-spinner Anisa Mohammed picked up three wickets to ensure Pakistan’s batters were not allowed to settle down on the slow pitch.
West Indies captain Stafanie Taylor anchored the West Indies innings with 40, joining England’s Charlotte Edwards and Sarah Taylor as the only batters to complete 2,000 runs in women’s Twenty20 Internationals.
Taylor reached the landmark on 38, but no other team-mate managed to reach 20.
Pakistan’s two left-arm spinners shared six wickets, with Anam Amin returning with excellent figures of four wickets for 16 runs from four overs and Sadia Yousuf taking two for 14.
Pakistan lost opener Javeria Khan in the first over through injury, but Bismah Maroof top-scored with 22 and Asmavia Iqbal remained unbeaten on 19 to keep their team in the hunt till the end.
“I don’t think we played good cricket even though we managed to restrict Pakistan,” said West Indies skipper Taylor. “There is always room for improvement because the tournament is going to get harder as we go on.”
Pakistan captain Sana Mir added: “It was a good game of cricket, a very close game. We may have lost but I am happy with the way the girls performed after coming into the tournament without playing a practice match.”
West Indies players celebrate a wicket during the Women’s ICC World Twenty20 India 2016 match between West Indies and Pakistan at MA Chidambaram Stadium photo credit ICC/Getty Images
Pakistan next plays India in New Delhi on Saturday, while the West Indies takes on Bangladesh in Chennai on Sunday.
Summarised scores:
West Indies beat Pakistan by four runs in Chennai
West Indies 103-8, 20 overs (Stafanie Taylor 40; Anam Amin 4-16, Sadia Yousuf 2-14)
Pakistan 99-5, 20 overs (Bismah Maroof 22, Sidra Ameen 20, Asmavia Iqbal 19 not out, Sana Mir 18, Anisa Mohammed 3-25)
Thursday’s fixtures:
Bangladesh v England (15h30) Bengaluru
If there is one trophy in the sport of Jumping that every athlete wants to win, it’s the Longines FEI World Cup™ which has been raised in triumph by the world’s greatest stars. And if there is one place where riders would most like to record that victory, it is in the city of Gothenburg (SWE) where Austrian legend, Hugo Simon, was the first man to claim the title 37 years ago.
A unique quality sets the winning horse-and-rider partnerships apart, because success in this series has been consistently marked by a large measure of determination combined with raw talent, keen judgement, courage and, most importantly of all, a truly exceptional horse.
The story of the FEI World Cup™ Jumping Final is one of heroic duos often defying the odds to emerge triumphant, and sometimes simply in a league of their own. And as athletes from all across the globe gather in the Scandinavium Arena in Gothenburg next week for the latest seasonal finale, another fascinating page of the compelling FEI World Cup™ Jumping history book will begin to unfold.
Expansion
As the sport of Jumping has continually developed, the number of FEI World Cup™ qualifiers has expanded to 15 leagues world-wide, stretching across Australia, New Zealand, Japan, South East and Central Asia and China, and on to North and South America, South Africa, the Middle East, Caucasia and Central and Western Europe. In all a total of 108 qualifying events have taken place this season, providing a platform for many athletes from less developed regions to up their game. The best of the best have now emerged, and 38 of them will line out when the action gets underway next week.
German riders have dominated the winner’s podium over the years with a total of 10 victories, and this year’s Longines Final line-up suggests they will again be the ones to beat. Marcus Ehning is one of four athletes who have won the FEI World Cup™ Jumping title three times, so another success would set a new record. Daniel Deusser is the most recent German winner, coming out on top in Lyon (FRA) in 2014, but with Marco Kutscher and new young star Niklas Krieg also in the hunt, it’s anybody’s game.
And then of course there’s 2011 FEI World Cup™ Jumping champion Christian Ahlmann who has swaggered to success at three legs of the Western European League series and who looks to be on the form of his life. It seems the German contingent will be tough nuts to crack, but there is nothing predictable about this Final which has provided more than a few surprising moments throughout its long and rich history.
Early dominance
American riders, so dominant over the early years of the series, have made a strong come-back since Rich Fellers and the super-tough stallion, Flexible, broke a 25-year drought back in 2012 only to be immediately followed by a win for Beezie Madden in 2013. That brought the tally of US wins to nine and, backed up by seven other riders who will be flying the Stars and Stripes including 22-year-old Katie Dinan who will be lining out at her fourth Final, the phenomenal Fellers and Flexible will be back in business once again this time around.
They are always headline-stealers wherever they go, not just because this horse has fought back from career and life-threatening injury and illness so many times, but also because the stallion is now 20 years of age and still fighting fit and rearing to go. It was in ‘s-Hertogenbosch (NED) that they pipped Steve Guerdat and Nino des Buissonnets for the title four years ago in a thrilling two-way third-round head-to-head, just a few short months before the Swiss duo went on to take individual gold at the London 2012 Olympic Games. And 12 months later Guerdat was again the bridesmaid, beaten in a timed decider by Fellers’ compatriot Beezie Madden.
Coveted trophy
Guerdat had to wait another two years before he got his hands on the coveted trophy in Las Vegas (USA) last April where, true to tradition, the result hung in the balance to the very end and spectators all across the world were gripping the edges of their seats throughout the closing moments. Guerdat really wanted that win.
“I’ve been trying a long time … and I’ve come close so many times. It’s the third time I was in the lead going into the final competition, and today I nearly messed it up again! Coming to the last I was riding more like a cow-horse rider! But I’m so happy, I feel blessed!” he said at the end of that dramatic day.
A typically gutsy effort from Fellers and Flexible saw them sharing the lead with Guerdat and Albfuehren’s Paille going into the last of the three competitions, but it was French woman Penelope Leprevost who eventually finished in runner-up spot behind Guerdat, and there’s no doubting the strength of the French challenge again this year.
Leprevost led a French cavalry-charge at the opening leg of the Western European League series in Oslo (NOR) where European individual bronze medallist, Simon Delestre, lined up second and Patrice Delaveau finished third. Delestre is now world number one on the Longines rankings and Leprevost, who went on to bag another victory during the qualifying season, is ranked fifth. With Kevin Staut also on the start-list it seems the French, whose only previous victory was recorded by Bruno Broucqsault and Dileme de Cephe in Milan (ITA) in 2004, may be about to address that imbalance this year.
Symphony in blue: Germany’s Daniel Deusser holds the Longines FEI World Cup™ Jumping trophy aloft after victory at last year’s Final in Lyon (FRA) with Cornet D’Amour. (FEI/Arnd Bronkhorst)
Host of others
While a host of others also arrive carrying their hopes and dreams, including representatives from Australia, Austria, Belgium, China, Egypt, Great Britain, Hungary, Ireland, Japan, Mexico, Netherlands, Poland and Saudi Arabia, the man with the biggest weight on his shoulders may well be Sweden’s Henrik von Eckermann.
Despite the fact that this is the 14th time for the FEI World Cup™ Jumping Final to be staged in Gothenburg, there has never been a Swedish winner, and as the only rider flying the host-nation’s flag there will, no doubt, be great expectations from the home spectators. The 34-year-old, who has worked with German star Ludger Beerbaum for some years now, is a cool character however and is unlikely to be fazed by the buzz of electricity in the Scandinavium Arena.
Like all the others, his focus will be on attempting to place his name on the Longines FEI World Cup™ Jumping Roll of Honour, which includes so many of the greatest partnerships in the sport. Ian Millar and Big Ben from Canada, Britain’s John Whitaker and the extraordinary Milton, Brazil’s Rodrigo Pessoa and Baloubet du Rouet and Germany’s Meredith Michaels-Beerbaum and the sensational Shutterfly are just a few of the legends whose names are intrinsically linked to the supreme title of indoor Jumping – the Longines FEI World Cup™.
Champions and team mates at the recently concluded Perfect World Team Table Tennis Championships, the Chinese team now stands at the opposite ends of the table to fight for title at the 2016 ITTF World Tour Kuwait Open from 16-20 March 2016.
World number one MA Long (CHN) and LIU Shiwen (CHN) will be heading the seeding, and looking to claim an unprecedented third Kuwait Open title to create history. The duo will have to overcome challenges from both international competitors as well as compatriots who stood with them to claim the World Team Championships title in Malaysia earlier this month.
MA Long who had an impressive year in 2015 winning all the major World titles on offer, will have to face World numbers two to four, FAN Zhendong, XU Xin and ZHANG Jike, in attempt to defend the crown he earned in the same city last year.
Germany’s Dimitrij OVTCHAROV and Chinese Taipei’s CHUANG Chih-Yuan, both whom missed the World Championships due to injuries, will make their comeback here and lead the main challenges to MA and his team mates on their quest for gold in Kuwait.
The Chinese “Big Four”, LIU Shiwen, DING Ning, ZHU Yuling and LI Xiaoxia, will all be present as well to contest for their internal positioning in the lead up to the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.
Japanese trio of Ai FUKUHARA, Kasumi ISHIKAWA and Mima ITO who won silver at the World Team Championships will have to face off the Chinese team on duty in Kuwait to aim for the crown.
Singapore’s FENG Tianwei, having a bad year at the 2015 ITTF World Tour, will hope to restore her form to claim a title for herself. Considered the closest opponent to the Chinese dominance, FENG defeated LIU at the 2015 Asian Cup and during the Asian Championships.
The star-studded Kuwait Open is the third of the 20 events on the 2016 ITTF World Tour and the second Super Series event of the year. The ITTF World Tour is categorized into three tiers: Super (six events) Major series (six events) and Challenge (eight events). The higher the tier, the higher the prize money, better playing conditions and tougher competition for the title.
Liu Shiwen celebrating after giving China a perfect start in their quest for the 20th gold.
All the players playing ITTF World Tour events are fighting for not only for prize money and world ranking points, but also World Tour ranking points to qualify for the lucrative year-ending World Tour Grand Final, taking place on 15-18 December 2016 in a location to be announced.
The 2016 ITTF World Tour is set to be the most extensively followed tour in history, with more events shown live throughout the world on television, and all the events being shown live on ITTF’s live streaming platform, ITTF.com/itTV.
In addition to the men’s and women’s singles event in Kuwait, the worldâ’s best players will also be competing in men’s and women’s doubles and the stars of the future will be lining up in the men’s and women’s under 21 events.
The qualifications for the ITTF World Tour World Tour Kuwait Open starts today, 16 March 2016, with the main draw starting on 18 March and the finals matches on 20 March 2016.
The best boxers from Asia and Oceania are making final preparations for the AIBA Asian/Oceanian Olympic Qualification Event in Qian’an, China, from 25 March to 2 April. The ultimate goal for each of the 279 boxers registered is securing one of the 30 men’s and 6 women’s quota places for Rio 2016, and the chance to represent their country in August on the world’s greatest sporting stage.
”Having nearly 300 boxers participating to the Asia-Oceania Olympic Qualification event is a remarkable proof of the vitality of our sport in these 2 continents. The Local Organizing Committee and the City of Qian’an have done a tremendous work and I look forward to witnessing our boxers competing to fulfil their dreams and qualify for Rio 2016 in a state of the art venue.” declared AIBA President Dr Ching-Kuo Wu.
Among the big names taking part in the women’s competition will be India’s five-time AIBA World Champion Mary Kom, China’s three-time World Champion Ren Cancan and Kazakhstan World Champion Nazym Kyzaybay, firmly underlining the strength of the field.
Uzbekistan boxing has gone from strength to strength in recent months and the men’s team will be looking to secure all six possible quota spaces for Rio with WSB star Hasanboy Dusmatov, AIBA World Boxing Championships bronze medallist Bakhodir Jalolov and 2014 Asian Games silver medallist Shakhobiddin Zoirov the strong favourites to book their Olympic places.
Kazakhstan will also be expecting great things from their side which includes rising star and Youth World Champion Abylaykhan Zhussupov, AIBA World Championship runner-up Ivan Dychko, 2013 AIBA World Champion Zhanibek Alimkhanuly and London 2012 Olympic Games silver medallist Adilbek Niyazymbetov.
The Mongolian boxers looked impressive at the recent Chemistry Cup in Germany, taking three golds at the lighter weight classes, while New Zealand will be sending a twelve-strong team to Qian’an, including the Nyika brothers who both won at the Trans Tasman Tournament last month.
”The joint Qualification Event with Oceania is the first time in AIBA history and it would be a great experience for our athletes before the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. Asia had 62 qualified athletes in London four years ago and we are hoping to improve this number in the Rio 2016 Olympic Games demonstrating the continuous development of our continent” said ASBC President and AIBA Vice-President Mr. Serik Konakbayev
Tangshan Jiujiang Sport Center
Hosts China will be looking to flyweight Hu Jianguan for inspiration, although Thailand’s Chatchai Butdee will also be pushing hard for a place. Butdee’s female teammates Peamwilai Laopeam and Tassamalee Thongjan also have great chances of qualification.
Australia’s excellent women’s team includes Commonwealth Games winner Shelley Watts and 2014 Youth Olympic Games bronze medallist Caitlin Parker, while for the men, Daniel Lewis and Joseph Goodall also have the potential to qualify.
“This Olympic Qualification tournament will be a testing event for all boxers as every boxer in the tournament is a National Champion and some could very well be among the best in the world. I wish good luck to all Oceanian boxers and remind them, in all their endeavours, to always be true to yourself by doing as best as you can because then, in the future, you will have no regrets as to what might have been” added Ted Tanner, President of the Oceania Boxing Confederation.
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