The General Assembly of the Diamond League meeting yesterday in Zurich, Switzerland has decided to include Rabat, Morocco as a new host city for the prestigious global series of one-day athletics meetings.
The Meeting International Mohammed VI, which is annually held in the Moroccan capital’s Complexe Prince Moulay Abdellah, replaces New York, USA with immediate effect for the 2016 season.
Launched in March 2009, the IAAF Diamond League – which features the world´s best athletes competing across 32 individual track and field disciplines – has for its first six competition seasons (2010-2015) included host cities in Asia, Europe, and North America. With the addition of Rabat, the series of 14 meetings – which annually takes place from May to September – now includes a fourth continent, Africa.
Rabat first applied for membership of the IAAF Diamond League in 2014 and has since undergone a rigorous evaluation process to confirm its organisation, facilities and services were of a high enough standard for inclusion into athletics’ top-tier international invitational circuit.
Sebastian Coe, IAAF President and Chairman of Diamond League AG, commented: “We are pleased to be able to take our premier athletics series into a new continental area. The IAAF Diamond League offers the best athletics entertainment to the world outside of the IAAF World Championships and the Olympic Games. Broadcast annually in more than 120 countries, the series provides athletics with its next most prominent global shop window. We thank New York for contributing to this great project during the past six seasons and know that they will continue to support athletics in the future. We proudly welcome the inclusion of Rabat.”
Mark Wetmore, Meeting Director New York, commented: “It’s been a great run on Randall’s Island, New York, and now we’re looking ahead to producing a new event. As we look forward, we believe that changing our focus to a street meet is one way to make the event attractive to a younger audience.”
Abdeslam Ahizoune, FRMA President / Meeting Director Rabat, commented: “This is a proud moment for our country’s athletics community and for the international reputation of Moroccan sport in general. The inclusion of our meeting in the IAAF Diamond League is a clear affirmation of the ability of our country to deliver the highest international standard sports product.”
2016 IAAF Diamond League calendar
6 May – Doha, QAT
14 May – Shanghai, CHN
22 May – Rabat, MAR
28 May – Eugene, USA
2 Jun – Rome, ITA
5 Jun – Birmingham, GBR
9 Jun – Oslo, NOR
16 Jun – Stockholm, SWE
15 Jul – Monaco, MON
22-23 Jul – London, GBR
25 Aug – Lausanne, SUI
27 Aug – Paris, FRA
1 Sep – Zurich, SUI
9 Sep – Brussels, BEL
Coach Emmanuel Amuneke has said that the Final Match of the FIFA U-17 World Cup Chile 2015 between Nigeria and Mali is good advertisement for African football.
On Sunday, the two West African sides will clash at the Estadio Sausalito in Vina del Mar in what is only the second –ever All-African final, since Nigeria and Ghana clashed in Japan 22 years ago, with the Eaglets winning 2-1.
Both Nigeria and Mali have flown the continent’s flag with pride en route to Sunday’s final and Amuneke enthused it would be a great day for African football yet again in Vina del Mar.
“African football has developed over the years and playing against Mali in the final of Chile 2015 shows that Africa is strong at this level,” Amuneke noted at the post match conference in Concepción after Golden Eaglets’ 4-2 win over Mexico.
The Golden Eaglets had in the run-up enjoyed favourable results at Estadio Sausalito in Vina del Mar where they crushed Chile 5-1 in their second group phase match, annihilated Australia 6-0 in the second round and battered Brazil 3-0 in the quarter final.
“On Sunday, we would give a good account of ourselves in Vina del Mar which has been a good venue for us,” the former Barcelona winger explained.”The fans all over Chile have been friendly but we have a special feeling playing in Vina del Mar where we have many fans.”
Golden Eaglets Coach Emmanuel Amuneke
Yet, Amuneke was not oblivious of the challenges ahead, adding Mali whowere crowned champions at the African U-17 Nations Cup in March are avery strong side. Incidentally, both countries did not meet in Niger Republic but the Eaglets can draw huge inspiration from their last encounters at the 2014 WAFU B Tournament in Togo where Amuneke–led Eaglets beat Mali twice with an identical 2-0 score-line.
“Yes, we met Mali in Togo but that was a long time,” recalled Eaglets attacking midfielder, Orji Okwonkwo who scored a goal each against the Malians on April 21st and 23rd, 2014. “The final on Sunday will be special and we pray that God bless us with victory.”
Qaudri beats Burundi opponent, battles South African for Semifinal place…
Nigeria’s Oyinlomo Qaudri underlined her status as one of Africa’s star prospect on Wednesday as she rallied from a set down to beat Burundi’s Aisha Niyonkuru to enhance her chance of a semifinal place at the ongoing Africa U14 Junior Tennis Masters in Rabat, Morocco. The tournament is for the top 8 junior players in Africa.
The 14-year-old, who is the top ranked player in the West and Central African Zone, stumbled against her opponent 6-3 in the opening set but kept her composure to win the second set 6-3 before recording another 6-3 in the final set to end the dream of the Southern African’s quest of having a share of the ITF grant for the top finishers in the five-day championship which will end on Saturday.
It was an improved performance from Qaudri who was out rallied by Morocco’s Aziz Oumaima in her opening match on Tuesday. The Moroccan enjoy full support of the home fans but she was given a tough time by Quadri, who won the second set 6-4 having fell 6-2 in the first set. Oumaima’s exposure and quality eventually saw her claiming a 6-0 win in the deciding set but the Nigerians was widely applauded by the home fans who are surprised to see the standard of play of the Nigerian teenager.
“Today she (Quadri) raised her game. There is a lot of improvement in her game. For her to play three sets with Oumaima she is on top of her game because Oumaima, who is also 14 years old, just won two ITF tournaments in Morocco,” Nigeria’s coach Mohammed Ubale said.
Standing between Quadri, who incidentally is on a year-long ITF scholarship in Morocco, is Fichardt Carmen of South Africa. They will face-off in a winner-takes-all contest by noon on Thursday.
Quadri’s compatriot, Micheal Osewa crashed out in the race for the top prizes as he lost to El Mesbahi Soufiane of Morocco 6-2, 6-3. He will be playing for the 6th and 7th classification match on Thursday.
“Micheal is a bit rusty and it shows in his performance. All the other boys have been playing tournaments to prepare for this championship,” Ubale stated.
Tournament to be held from 15 to 22 October in Malaysia
The International Cricket Council (ICC) has announced the squads and schedule for the ICC U19 Cricket World Cup Qualifier which will take place from 15 to 22 October in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
The five teams competing in the event are regional runners-up Ireland (Europe), Nepal (Asia), Papua New Guinea (East-Asia Pacific), Uganda (Africa) and USA (Americas) and they will be bidding to win the tournament and book the final remaining place in the ICC U19 Cricket World Cup which takes place from 22 January to 14 February 2016.
Uganda Head Coach Henry Okecho believes that it is important to start well as the side bids to qualify for its third U19 Cricket World Cup, having previously qualified for the 2004 (Bangladesh) and 2006 (Sri Lanka) tournaments.
Jagat Tamata Coach of Nepal, whose side faces Papua New Guinea in the opening round in Kinrara Oval on Friday, said: “We feel now the Nepalese team is mentally strong as well as physically fit and over the last two months our team has been very hard working in preparation.
Dipak Patel, the former New Zealand international and current Head Coach of Papua New Guinea hopes that his side can book its passage to India. “The PNG Garramuts are looking forward to the challenge in Kuala Lumpur. They have worked very hard in PNG with very limited resources and game-time.
One of the many players keen to make a positive mark and help his nation qualify for the ICC U19 Cricket World Cup is Ireland captain Jack Tector who is hopeful of a successful tournament in what he admits will be challenging conditions. “As a group we are massively excited for the tournament. It gives us the opportunity to improve even further on the good things we did in Jersey.
Tournament Schedule:
15 October – Nepal v Papua New Guinea (Kinrara Oval), Uganda v USA (Royal Selengor Club)
16 October – Papua New Guinea v Ireland (Kinrara Oval), Nepal v Uganda (Royal Selengor Club)
17 October – Reserve/Rest Day
18 October – Papua New Guinea v Uganda (Kinrara Oval), USA v Ireland (Royal Selengor Club)
19 October – Nepal v USA (Kinrara Oval), Uganda v Ireland (Royal Selengor Club)
20 October – Reserve/Rest Day
21 October – Nepal v Ireland (Kinrara Oval), Papua New Guinea v USA (Royal Selengor Club)
22 October – Final (Kinrara Oval), 3rd & 4th Place Play-Off (Royal Selengor Club)
Match Officials: Graeme La Brooy (Match Referee), Tabarak Dar, Vinay Kumar Jha, Sarika Prasad (Mentor Umpire), Ahmad Shah Pakteen, Ian Thomson, Kalidas Viswanadan
Squads
IRELAND: Jack Tector (captain), Rory Anders, Andrew Austin, Varun Chopra, Sonny Cott, Adam Dennison, Aaron Gillespie, Joshua Little, Gary McClintock, William McClintock, James Mitchell, Tom Stanton, Lorcan Tucker, Benjamin White
PAPUA NEW GUINEA: Sinaka Harry Arua, Ovia Boge, Jack Dairi, Arua Gau, Doura Iruna Gavera, Harry Christopher Gavera, Lohia Guba, Vagi Guba, Vagi Miria John, Vagi Karoho, Vagi Boko Kora, Sere Sam, Lou Vagi Toua, Nou Mavara Ako Toua
UGANDA: Derrick Bakunzi (captain), Brian Adriko, Frank Akankwasa, Zephania Arinaitwe, Trevor Bukenya, Joseph Byaruhanga, John Gabula, Abdalah Lubega, Simon Okecho, Collines Okwalinga, Ashiraf Senkubuge, David Wabwire, Steven Wabwose, Kenneth Waiswa
The Federal Government through the Ministry of Culture and Tourism has given former green Eagles winger Folorunsho Okenla the mandate to run the biggest cultural festival in Africa, the Abuja Carnival, now known as the Nigeria National Carnival for the next three years.
The Morroc 88 star who is now an accomplished marketing expert has been told to change the face of the festival and take it back to the summit of cultural events celebrated across the world.
While revealing this in Abuja, Okenla who is renowned for his mesmerizing wing-plays in his playing days says his new mandate is a national assignment that will be given optimum attention and insists that the Nigeria National Carnival should be the biggest carnival in Africa.
“The Nigeria National Carnival is an annual event that showcases the rich cultural values of the most populous country in Africa, reflects the diversity of ethnic expressions in Nigeria and by its name should be the biggest in Africa.
It is a carnival that is supported by the Nigerian Ministry of Culture and Tourism and this year’s event will take place between November 21 and 24.
Folorunsho Okenla
Just like sports, the Carnival seeks to unite Nigerians by bringing together young adults from different cultural divides and providing an atmosphere where cultural values could be appreciated, not only by Nigerians but by the world.
It will be a rich blend of cultural and ethnic events to show the wealthy heritage of the people of Nigeria. It features traditional music and dance, cultural parades, indigenous circus shows among others.
It is also important to note that corporate giants like Glo, Turkish Air, Dangote Group among others have signified interest to be part of the carnival.” The former Birmingham City of England player said.
Okenla who was a roommate to late midfielder, Samuel Okwaraji also shared his thoughts on the Super Eagles 0-0 draw against Tanzania.
“I think Nigerians should give Oliseh a chance, the Super Eagles cannot be transformed in a day or with just one match. He needs the nation’s total support to succeed.
We need to focus on the assignments at hand because it will be unbearable to miss out of AFCON again.”
The International Olympic Committee today announced a two million dollar fund that will be made available to National Olympic Committees for programmes focused on refugees.
“We have all been touched by the terrible news and the heartbreaking stories in the past few days. With this terrible crisis unfolding across the Middle East, Africa and Europe, sport and the Olympic Movement wanted to play its part in bringing humanitarian help to the refugees. We made a quick decision that we needed to take action and to make this fund available immediately,” said the IOC President, Thomas Bach. “We have a long term relationship with the United Nations and with the UNHCR and we draw on their help and expertise. We know through experience that sport can ease the plight of refugees, many of them young people and children, be they in the Middle East, Africa, Europe or in other parts of the world. Our thoughts are with the many refugees risking their lives and the lives of their families to escape danger. ”
NOCs and other interested parties will be asked to submit projects to the IOC for funding. The fund itself is made up of one million dollars from the IOC and a further one million from Olympic Solidarity.
President Bach added that “because of the nature of the crisis the assessment of projects and the distribution of funds will be carried out extremely quickly. We are able to work on the ground with our partners in the National Olympic Committees and the expert agencies to get help to where it is needed most urgently.”
The IOC already works with a number of United Nations agencies to help refugees around the world. In April 2014 the two organizations signed a historic agreement aimed at strengthening collaboration.
The IOC has been working with the UNHCR for two decades and has already seen thousands of refugees benefit from sports programmes and equipment donated by the IOC.
Last year IOC Honorary President Jacques Rogge completed his first mission as Special Envoy of the United Nations (UN) Secretary-General for Youth Refugees and Sport.
With the goal of raising awareness on the conditions of youth refugees and the impact of sport for their well-being, Rogge visited Syrian refugees currently living in the UN camp of Azraq, located in the desert 100 kilometres east of the Jordanian capital, Amman. The camp currently hosts more than 5,000 shelters housing some 18,000 refugees.
Since 2004, the IOC and UNHCR have organised a “Giving is Winning” programme. This global solidarity campaign allows athletes, officials and sponsors of the Olympic Games, National Olympic Committees , International and National Federations, and other Olympic Movement stakeholders to donate tens of thousands of clothing items to help refugees . The campaign has already collected over 170,000 items of clothing, which have reached refugees in 23 countries across Africa, Asia, Latin America and Europe.
In 2013 and 2014, the IOC, Worldwide Olympic Partner Samsung and the UNHCR joined forces to distribute IOC Sports Kits to more than 180,000 internally displaced young people living in refugee camps in 20 countries throughout Asia, Africa and Latin America.
Black Stallions In Action at the Rugby Africa Cup 1C
The President of the Nigeria Rugby Football Federation, Sir Edward Fom Pam has refused to be depressed over the non-qualification of the senior national team to the Africa Rugby division 1B after Zambia defeated Zimbabwe by 19 points to 12 in the promotion decider on Saturday.
The Black Stallions narrowly missed out on promotion after losing to the home team by 15 to 8points in their first match before defeating 3rd ranked rugby playing nation in Africa, Zimbabwe by 34points to 23 to brighten their chances which was later dimmed by Zambia.
Black Stallions at the Rugby Africa Cup 1C
The president acknowledged that the team boxed itself into a very tight corner after unexpectedly losing to Zambia which bookmakers thought was going to be an easy ride on their way to gaining promotion, hence excuses are not warranted because the team had their chances.
Fom Pam noted that the tournament provided the technical committee of the federation a clear insight as to what the senior national team will look like based on the performances of the team at the competition after about 2 years of trying to gather together a team that can hold its own against any country in the world.
Fabian Juries, Black Stallions Coach
He thanked CMB Building Maintenance & Investment Company Limited for being there for the National team as always as they were solely responsible for the 1 week camping exercise in Zambia before the tournament which went a long way in helping the Fabian Juries led team to record a decent result.
He called on well-meaning Nigerians, corporate organizations to key into the vision of the NRFF by partnering with the federation through sponsorship of the national teams, grassroots and national competitions which will help in exposing the hidden talents scattered all over the country.
Black Stallions In Action at the Rugby Africa Cup 1C
Captain of the Nigeria Rugby National team also known as Black Stallions, Azeez Oladipo has assured Nigerians that they are going to Zambia for the Rugby Africa Cup 1C with the primary purpose of moving to the next level which is the 1B category in Africa.
Speaking before their departure, Azeez thanked the Nigeria Rugby Football Federation for going the extra mile just to ensure that the team is given adequate preparation weeks before the tournament promising that the boys will repay the faith reposed in them through qualification.
Azeez Ladipo, Black Stallions Captain In Action
It would be recalled that the team led by Head Coach, Fabian Juries with 3 officials of the federation departed for Zambia on Monday for a 1 week high-altitude conditioning which is expected to put them in the right condition for the 4 day event featuring Zambia, Zimbabwe and Nigeria.
He was quick to point out that the team has not gotten their acts together in terms of preparation as they have been hampered by finance and necessary logistics which is normal for most of the federations except for football He thanked individuals, well-meaning members of the federation and CMB Building Maintenance & Investment Company Limited for digging deep and making financial sacrifices just to ensure that the team is given all the needed encouragement and training for a good outing in faraway Zambia.
Following the terrible earthquake in Nepal last week, a ceremony was staged during the Qoros 2015 World Table Tennis Championships, to show table tennis’s support to the Nepal Table Tennis Team.
Support was provided from various sources including the ITTF Athletes’ Commission, Continental Federation Presidents, National Associations as well as the United Nations Sport for Development and Peace, and the International Table Tennis Federation.
The main theme of the ceremony was players supporting players.
“We can only imagine how difficult it is, of course, to the team and also to their country” Â Â, said Vladimir SAMSONOV, Chair of the ITTF Athletes’ Commission. He organized signed shirts from the world’s leading players to be donated to Nepal and received an offer from Belgium’s Jean-Michel SAIVE to conduct a coaching session.
“We are with them in their grief”, added Vladimir SAMSONOV. “You can still feel the sadness in here.
The table tennis world coming together to help Nepal.
Thomas WEIKERT, ITTF President, having already sought out the Nepalese earlier in the week, again expressed the condolences of the entire ITTF family, and stated his commitment to personally join them for the opening of the UNOSDP Project in November this year.
Additionally, the Presidents of all six Continental Federations – CAI Zhenhua (Asia), Khaled EL-SALHY (Africa), Ronald KRAMER (Europe), Juan VILA (Latin America), Tony KIESENHOFER (North America), and James MORRIS (Oceania) – agreed to donate a combined sum of US$ 10,000 to help with relief of Nepalese players and their families.
The International Table Tennis Federation and UNOSDP are to launch in the November a three year project worth over US$ 100,000 for the development of para table tennis in Nepal.
Young Sam MA, Co-chair of the UN International Working Group on People with Disabilities, himself an International Umpire, umpiring here in Suzhou was there to announce the support.
“We feel deeply sorry for the tragedy in Nepal; I was in Kathmandu last December to prepare a the project,” said Leandro OLVECH, the ITTF Development Director. “What we do today is just a small gesture to show that we’re with them; not only today, but also in the next three years by running a long term project.”
“The heart of the table tennis family is with the Nepalese inhabitants”, added Leandro OLVECH. “We give a small gesture and we will see what happens; we pray there are not so many deaths and everything will be fine; I’ve spoke to the coach and some table tennis players, thankfully, no one in their family was hurt.
“I would like to thank everyone from my heart, it’s almost like a dream to get some gifts and support from former champions and ITTF members”, said Shrestha NABITA, aged 23, a Nepalese female player. “It’s great that we can meet like this; you are taking care of our country, there is humanity in the International Table Tennis Federation.”
Notably, leading players from China, Germany, Korea, Japan, Sweden, Austria, Nigeria and Peru attended the ceremony as did ITTF Executive Committee members, SHI Zhihao, Masahiro MAEHARA and Petra SORLING,
China’s WANG Liqin, three times Men’s Singles World champion, and the Chinese Table Tennis Association were all on hand to present signed national team shirts from many past and present world champions, while representing Korea, Yang HAEUN, recently crowned World Mixed Doubles Champion was personally present to provide a signed training shirt to the Nepalese team.
Many other players also showed solidarity with the Nepalese including the Slovak Republic’s Para player Alena KANOVA, and Germany’s Petrissa SOLJA.
Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) Chief Executive David Grevemberg today (25 April 2015) visited the IOC’s Sport for Hope Centre in Lusaka, Zambia to meet with 18 Commonwealth Games Associations (CGAs) from African nations as part of a Commonwealth-wide consultation with the CGF membership on Transformation 2022, the Commonwealth Sports Movement’s ambitious agenda for growth and innovation.
In the Zambian capital, co-hosted by Mrs Miriam Moyo, CGF Regional Vice President and NOCZ President and Mr Gideon Sam, CGF Vice President and SASCOC President, David Grevemberg praised the work of African members in their important contributions to Sport, Development and Peace and discussed the opportunities and ambitions of the CGF’s new seven-year strategic plan.
“Transformation 2022 aims to place athletes, and the transformational impact of their achievements and performances on citizens and communities, at the heart of the Federation’s vision. And there is no better place to have such powerful discussions than in the incredible sporting continent of Africa.
This is a defining moment for our African colleagues, as they unite to support the ambitions of Durban and South Africa in their bid to host an inclusive and inspiring Commonwealth Games in 2022. It is also a defining moment for the Commonwealth Sports Movement, as we plan ambitiously for the future and develop and deliver Transformation 2022 in partnership with our members.”
Welcoming the delegation, Zambia’s Honourable Minister of Youth and Sport, Hon Vincent Mwale MP, said:
“African Commonwealth Games Associations have a vital role to play in achieving the Commonwealth Games Federation’s Strategic plan for 2022. The CGF provides a unique arrangement bringing diverse nations together for a common cause-sport.
The Commonwealth Movement embraces unity and humanity, impacting citizens and communities across our region and this is critical to foster mutual collaboration and prosperity through sport.”
The delegation comprised members from Botswana, Cameroon, Ghana, Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, Rwanda, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Swaziland, Uganda, United Republic of Tanzania and Zambia.
The delegation also enjoyed a tour of the IOC’s Sport for Hope Centre and Olympic Youth Development Centre as part of the visit, which opened in 2010 to promote and facilitate access to sports for young athletes, local communities and support National Sport Federations.
CGF Regional Vice President for Africa, Miriam Moyo, who coordinated and hosted the meeting of African CGAs said:
“The Executive Board endorsed the new CGF vision and plans at our recent meeting in London. However, for Transformation 2022 to be the success we all want it to be, the on-going development and shared ambitions of the wider Commonwealth family are so important. We are therefore delighted that our members have had the opportunity to play an important part in the on-going consultations and discuss the plan’s opportunities and impacts ahead of our General Assembly in September.”
The regional meeting of African CGAs follows a successful meeting on 11 and 12 April of the European CGAs at Celtic Manor in Wales hosted by CGF Regional Vice President and Commonwealth Games Wales Chief Executive Chris Jenkins.
David Grevemberg visited Zambia en route to Durban, South Africa where he will participate in the Evaluation Commission for the 2022 Commonwealth Games bid, starting April 27, 2015.
FEI World Cup™ Jumping 2014/2015 – Leagues Update 2
Horse-and-rider combinations from the Americas, Africa, Asia and Europe have enjoyed some great competition during the FEI World Cup™ Jumping 2014/2015 qualifiers, with a particularly strong turnout in South America.
The Caucasian, South African and Central Asian leagues are also complete, and invitations to attend the Longines FEI World Cup™ Jumping 2014/2015 Final in Las Vegas, USA continue to be processed.
Longines FEI World Cup™ Jumping 2014:2015
South America
The South America South League was an impressive affair, with six legs staged between May and October 2014 in which 79 athletes participated, and it was Brazil’s Sergio Henriques Neves Marins who came out on top.
The first and fifth rounds of competition were held in Argentina, at Sol de Mayo and Buenos Aires, while the remainder took place in Brazil, visiting Sao Paulo twice and Porto Alegre once before concluding at Rio de Janeiro.
The winning rider sealed victory with four starts, and although runner-up, fellow-Brazilian Artemus de Almeida, counted two wins along the way, Sergio Henriques Neves Marins racked up 56 points to top the final leaderboard by a convincing seven-point margin. Uruguay’s Marcelo Chirico Ferreira finished third while Brazilian riders filled the next six places.
Henriques Neves Marins, a veteran of the FEI World Equestrian Games™ in Jerez (ESP) in 2002 and the Athens Olympic Games in 2004, was in flying form throughout the 2014 season. The 45-year-old rider has found a consistently good performer in his 13-year-old horse Landpeter do Feroleto, and together they claimed team silver and individual bronze at last summer’s South American Games in Quillota (CHI) before coming out to clinch maximum points at the opening FEI World Cup™ Jumping 2014/2015 qualifier. They didn’t win that day, finishing second behind Jose Roberto Reynoso Fernandez, but claimed 20 points as their Brazilian counterparts were not in the hunt for points.
Henriques Neves Marins then joined up with Reynoso Fernandez, Artemus del Almeida and Francisco Jose Mesquita Musa to win the Nations Cup at CSIO4*-W at Porto Alegre in October, and rounded up the year with another good result at the last FEI World Cup™ Jumping leg to clinch pole position in the league.
Riders from Colombia and Venezuela battled it out in the South America North League in which 12 riders competed in the four legs. The first two qualifiers took place in Caracas, Venezuela while rounds three and four were staged in Bogota, Colombia. Riders could count results from three legs, but Colombia’s Camilo Rueda won with just two scores to count, and Colombians filled all of the top five places on the final leaderboard.
Santiago Medina finished second ahead of Juan Manuel Gallego in third, Juan Clavijo in fourth and Ricardo Alerto Villa in fifth spot.
Rueda was impressively consistent with his 13-year-old grey Holsteiner stallion, Cassaro, and finished with a final tally of 25 points ahead of Medina’s 23.
South African and Caucasian Leagues
The South African league began last May and ran through to October, embracing five legs. Visiting Midrand, Shongweni, Polokwane, Kromdraai and Port Elizabeth it attracted 38 South African athletes and Nicole Horwood clinched the league title ahead of Barry Taylor in runner-up spot, Shaun Neill in third and Dominey Alexander in fourth place.
Norwood kicked off with a 12th-place finish at Midrand riding Capital Colnardo, but she really got into her stride with victory at Shongweni with Capital Don Cumarco, the 12-year-old grey Belgian stallion she partnered for the remainder of the series and who has a great record as a three-time winner of the coveted South African Derby.
At Polokwane they lined up third, and at Kromdaai and Port Elizabeth they finished sixth and seventh respectively, accumulating 46 points which left them a full five points clear of their nearest rivals in the final analysis.
The Caucasian series consisted of three legs, and victory went to Azerbaijan’s Kanan Novruzov. The first competition took place at Tbilisi in Georgia and the remaining two rounds were held in Baku, the capital city of Azerbaijan. There were 11 athletes in action, and 10 of them collected points.
Novruzov made the perfect start with a win at the opening leg in Tblisi riding the 11-year-old bay Holsteiner gelding Concorde 57. The 24-year-old rider followed that with a fourth-place finish in Baku a few weeks later, and those two results were good enough to leave him a single point clear of series runner-up Alexandra Olejnik.
Of the 11 participating riders throughout the series only two hailed from Georgia, and riders from Azerbaijan dominated the final leaderboard, with Elmar Abdulayet finishing third ahead of Seyid Musayev in fourth and Patrick McEntee in fifth.
Thailand’s Siengsaw Lertratanachai won the FEI World Cup™ Jumping 2014/2015 South East Asia League (FEI/horsemovethailand.com)
Central and South East Asia
The Central Asian League was another three-leg affair in which 21 athletes from three countries – Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan – took part, and the winner was Kyrgyzstan’s Rinat Galimov.
The league opened in Tashkent, Uzbekistan with the second round taking place at Bishkek in Kyrgyzstan and the third at Astana in Kazakhstan, and Galimov got off at a great gallop with a win in Tashkent partnering her 13-year-old Swedish-bred mare, Charlize. The 30-year-old rider then repeated her success in Bishkek and was in an unassailable position by the time she arrived in Astana for the last leg, where she was just pipped for the honours by Kazakhstan’s Oleg Popelyaev who filled runner-up spot on the league leaderboard.
Uzbekistan’s Gairat Nazarov finished third in this series ahead of Kazakhstan’s Asset Tolkumbekov in fourth and Kamil Saitov in fifth place.
It was a close-fought battle for the South East Asian title which went to 18-year-old Siengsaw Lertratanachai by a narrow one-point margin over fellow-Thai rider Chewin Manathanya. All three legs took place in Pattaya, Thailand.
Lertratanachai was silver medallist at the FEI World Jumping Challenge Final 2013 in Caracas, Venezuela and finished fifth individually at the South East Asian Games at Naypyidaw, Malaysia in that same year. She was on the Thai team at the Asian Games 2014 in Incheon, Korea and, like so many other champions this season, her success in the FEI World Cup™ Jumping 2014/2015 South East Asian League began with a win at the opening leg. Partnering the 13-year-old AES mare, Viranka B, she then went on to finish third and fourth at the two remaining competitions, but she was stalked all the way by Manthanya who finished third at the first leg but then came out to win next time with Blue Boy. It was nip-and-tuck at the final leg which was won by French rider Mathilde Montginoux ahead of Sweden’s Helena Gabrielson.
In the end, Letratanachai’s faster eight-fault result gave her fourth place ahead of 31-year-old Manthanya in fifth, and that result would count as riders used their best two scores to decide the final standings.
World governing body WBSC announced today a landmark agreement that awards Tainan City, Chinese Taipei the hosting rights of the next three editions (2015, 2017, 2019) of the WBSC Under-12 Baseball World Cup, which is the only international baseball tournament in this age group (11-12 years old) to feature National Teams (along with the U12 World Cup continental qualifiers), and is the only world championship tournament in all of sports at this age level.
Cuba at the Inaugural 2011 U12 Baseball World Cup. WBSC
WBSC also revealed the qualified nations and dates for the 2015 U18 and U12 Baseball World Cups — the highest and most elite competition platforms for baseball players in these age groups.
WBSC leadership hailed the latest breakthrough agreement on the U12 World Cup, which follows last week’s major announcements on WBSC’s new flagship professional world championship — Premier 12™ — as key indicators that baseball and softball’s National Team international competitions, which are exclusive to WBSC and its Members, continue to gain a foothold among athletes, hosts, fans, broadcasters and sponsors in the sporting world’s highly competitive marketplace.
While traditionally awarding each edition of the Baseball World Cup to new host countries, WBSC leaders cited the sustainability, reduced costs and streamlined operational planning in awarding Tainan the next three editions of the U12 World Cup, which will also maximise returns and the legacy for the host city, WBSC leaders said.
The new approach, specific to the WBSC U12 World Cup, which WBSC leaders regard as having “tremendous potential to mature into one of the baseball’s biggest international showcases”, will present new opportunities to enhance and tailor long-term partnerships and sponsorship strategies for all concerned stakeholders, WBSC officials highlighted.
2015 WBSC U18 Baseball World Cup XXVII — Japan
It was also announced that the 2015 WBSC U18 World Cup will be staged from 28 August – 06 September, with the “Mecca of Japanese Baseball” — historic Koshien Stadium in Nishinomiya built in 1924 — serving as an iconic backdrop for the world’s best 18-year-old baseball players and future superstars.
KOR vs USA at the 2013 U12 Baseball World Cup.WBSC
Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) is adjusting the Hanshin Tigers’ home schedule at the legendary 47,000-seat (Hanshin) Koshien Stadium to accommodate and further add to the prestige of the WBSC U18 Baseball World Cup — and to honour the best young baseball players in the world and help drive a magical in-stadium fan-experience.
The nations heading to Koshien Stadium have been finalised after the first-ever U18 World Cup continental qualifiers in Africa (Mera, Kenya) and Oceania (Auckland, New Zealand) concluded this past weekend. The historic qualifiers were regarded by WBSC leadership as “key breakthroughs in baseball/softball’s global evolution that unite the U18 Americas, Africa, Asia, Europe and Oceania continental championships”.
The U18 World Cup in Japan will feature seven out of the Top 10 nations in the world, and eleven out of the Top 20, making for one of the most competitive U18 World Cups on record.
The powerful bloc of U18 World Cup qualified nations represents a global footprint that spans across the entire western hemisphere, Africa, Asia, Central and Southern Europe, and Oceania:
Americas (North-, Central- and South America, and the Caribbean): Two-time defending U18 World Champions No. 2 USA, No. 3 Cuba, No. 7 Canada, No. 12 Mexico and No. 16 Brazil.
Africa: No. 29 South Africa
Asia: No. 1 Japan, No. 4 Chinese Taipei, No. 8 South Korea
Europe: No. 11 Italy and No. 20 Czech Republic
Oceania: No. 14 Australia
2015 WBSC U18 Baseball World Cup
WBSC officials are confident the 2015 U18 World Cup’s broadcast and online/mobile reach will surpass the record broadcast numbers of its 2013 U18 World Cup predecessor — which had a potential broadcast reach of 144 million homes and potential online/mobile reach of 20 million, based on reports furnished by leading media rights agency and WBSC broadcast partner MP & Silva. WBSC leaders base forecasts on the strength of the 2015 U18 World Cup nations, as well as the current positive audience growth trends for international baseball properties that feature WBSC’s Members’ National Teams.
U18 Global launching pad for future stars
The biennial U18 world championship showcase has featured some of the biggest names in the sport, such as Canada’s Brett Lawrie, Japan’s Yu Darvish and Shohei Ohtani, South Korea’s Shin-soo Choo, Cuba’s Yasiel Puig and Aroldis Chapman, and USA’s Justin Upton and Buster Posey, among countless others. The most recent generation of rising stars include Cuba’s Jorge Soler, USA’s Francisco Lindor and Canada’s Dalton Pompey, all of whom played at the 2010 U18 Baseball World Cup in Thunder Bay, Canada (which will return as host for the 2017 WBSC U18 Baseball World Cup).
World Baseball Softball Confederation
2015 WBSC U12 Baseball World Cup III — Nations and Dates
The third edition of the U12 Baseball World Cup, which will showcase the best 12-year-old baseball players in the world, will take place from 24 July to 2 August in Tainan City, with the United States, “Team USA”, entering as the defending U12 World Champions.
The twelve nations qualified for 2015 U12 Baseball World Cup represent a global expansion that includes a first-ever representative from Oceania:
Americas: No. 2 USA, No. 3 Cuba, No. 10 Venezuela, No. 12 Mexico, No. 13 Panama and No. 16 Nicaragua Asia: No. 1 Japan, No. 4 Chinese Taipei, No. 8 South Korea Europe: No. 27 France and No. 32 Russia Oceania: No. 14 Australia
Added excitement will surround this year’s U18 and U12 World Cups, which kick-off the 4-year world rankings cycle — as points earned from these events will be the first to go toward the world rankings that will eventually determine the qualified nations for the 2019 Premier 12™ Pro Baseball World Championship.
Logos, groupings and tournament schedules for the U18 and U12 Baseball World Cups will be unveiled in future announcements.
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