* Belgium remain top of the table in the first FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking of 2016, while Argentina and Spain have also held onto their respective second and third positions.
* No team moved in or out of the top ten ranking this month.
* The biggest mover by points this month is Saudi Arabia (up 42 points)
* The biggest mover by ranks this month is Thailand (up 12 ranks)
* Cuba made the biggest drop by points and ranks this month (down 118 points, drop down 45 ranks)
1 Belgium 1494 points
2 Argentina 1455 points
3 Spain 1370 points
4 Germany 1347 points
5 Chile 1273 points
6 Brazil 1251 points
7 Portugal 1219 points
8 Colombia 1211 points
9 England 1106 points
10 Austria 1091 points
11 Uruguay 1074 points
12 Switzerland 1050 points
13 Ecuador 1040 points
14 Netherlands 994 points
15 Italy 991 points
16 Romania 980 points
17 Wales 974 points
18 Croatia 958 points
19 Côte d’Ivoire 950 points
20 Hungary 945 points
Top Ten African teams in World Ranking;
1. Côte d’Ivoire (19) 950 points
2. Algeria (28) 845 points
3. Ghana (33) 778 points
4. Cape Verde (39) 745 points
5. Tunisia (40) 711 points
6. Senegal (45) 661 points
7. Republic of Congo (48) 638 points
8. Guinea (49) 624 points
9. Cameroon (57) 586 points
10. Egypt (58) 585 points
* Nigeria did not make any move on the rankings this month. The Super Eagles are still ranked 66th in the world ranking and 14th in the CAF ranking.
Over 700 coaches from 99 nations will attend this week’s 19th ITF Worldwide Coaches Conference by BNP Paribas in Antalya, Turkey on 24-28 November. The event is being organised by the ITF and Turkish Tennis Federation (Turkiye Tenis Federasyonu) at the Hotel Riu Kaya Palazzo.
The ITF Worldwide Coaches Conference, which is held every two years, is the showpiece of the ITF’s Coach Education Programme. The five-day conference will bring together leading international experts in coach education, player performance and sport science to present on the latest developments in these fields through practical on-court coaching and lecture room presentations.
The theme of this year’s conference is ‘A Player Centred Approach to Long-term Development: Participation to Performance’. The presentations and workshops will relate to four distinct ages of player development:
1) 10 years & under (building phase)
2) 11-14 years (development phase)
3) 15-18 years (junior phase)
4) 19-23 years (transition to professional phase)
Keynote speakers will include British Fed Cup captain Judy Murray, former Belgian Fed Cup captain Carl Maes, and former Davis Cup players Dominik Hrbaty and Francisco Roig,
In addition to the main themes of the conference, the presentations and workshops will cover a wide variety of topics, including the ITF’s Tennis10s programme under the Tennis Play and Stay campaign banner, player development and participation programmes, performance analysis and athlete pathways, conditioning and injury prevention, psychology and wheelchair tennis.
Dave Miley, ITF Executive Director of Tennis Development, said: “We are delighted to see such a large number of coaches and speakers in attendance at this year’s ITF Worldwide Coaches Conference. This conference will address the importance of each stage of a player’s long term development, from the initial participation programmes through to high performance training. We are grateful for the continued support of our presenting sponsor BNP Paribas in staging this event.”
The ITF Coach Education Programme aims to improve the number and level of coaches worldwide with a strong focus on helping National Associations to use the ITF recommended syllabi to create their own coach education programmes and become self-sufficient in coach education in their respective nations.
The FINA Water Polo World League 2016 kicked-off on Tuesday October 21, with the men’s European preliminaries home-and-away games.
The season started well for Balkan powerhouses Serbia and Croatia, gold and silver medallists at both FINA World Championships 2015 in Kazan and at the 2015 edition of the FINA Men’s Water Polo World League.
The Serbian team has collected all titles at stake since 2014, namely: the FINA World Cup 2014, the FINA World Leagues 2014/2015 and the FINA Worlds, while neighbour Croatia triumphed at the last Olympic Games in London 2012.
In first round of the 2016 Water Polo World League yesterday night, Group A’s Serbia defeated France in Belgrade (12-9) as Andrija Pralainovic scored four goals alone becoming the best scorer of the match. Captain Filp Filipovic sent three successful shots.
Group C’s Croatia crushed Turkey in Sibenik (CRO) 19-6, totalising three points. Players scoring the most goals were Antonio Petkovic, Marino Cagalj and Ante Vukicevic (three goals each).
To complete the Balkan success Montenegro defeated Spain 11-6 and traditional powerhouses Hungary, Greece and Italy also confirmed their favourite status. Hungary played Georgia (17-10), Greece crushed Romania (17-3) and Italy won in Moscow against the Russian team (16-11).
MEN’S WPWL 2016: EUROPEAN POWERHOUSES WIN IN ROUND 1
Provisional rankings:
GROUP A: HUN 3 pts (1W); GRE 3 (1W); GEO 0 (1L); ROU 0 (1L)
GROUP B: SRB 3 pts (1W); MNE 3 (1W); FRA 0 (1L); ESP 0 (1L)
GROUP C: CRO 3 pts (1W); ITA 3 (1W); TUR 0 (1L); RUS 0 (1L)
The Intercontinental tournament will take place from February 16-21, 2016 (city TBC) and the Super Final will be held in June, from 21-26, 2016
Six male and three female 470 teams have booked their nation a spot on the start line of the Rio 2016 Olympic Sailing Competition following the 2015 470 World Championship in Haifa, Israel.
Out of the 26 Men’s 470 and 20 Women’s 470 boats that will be seen at the Rio 2016 Olympic Sailing Competition six men’s and three women’s spots were available at the 2015 Worlds. Thirteen men’s and ten women’s places were decided over one year ago at the Santander 2014 ISAF Sailing World Championships with the large percentage of spots now sealed.
The six Men’s 470 nations to qualify for Rio 2016 from the 2015 470 Worlds (in nation order) are:
Argentina
Finland
Germany
Israel
South Africa
Turkey
470 Worlds – AUS Women
The three Women’s 470 nations to qualify for Rio 2016 (in nation order) are:
Australia
Germany
Poland
Australia’s Mat Belcher clinched his sixth consecutive Men’s 470 world title in Haifa, his third with Will Ryan following a successful partnership with Malcolm Page.
Lara Vadlau and Jolanta Ogar of Austria defended their women’s crown in Haifa with a convincing margin of points over Hannah Mills and Saskia Clark (GBR).
As hosts, Brazil automatically receives a place on the start line. Six places in the Men’s and Women’s 470 fleets will be awarded via a series of Continental Qualification Events sanctioned by ISAF, to finish by 1 June 2016 at the latest.
The inclusion for the first time by ISAF of Continental Qualification Events in the Qualification Pathway is an opportunity to develop sailing around the world and reflect the IOC Qualification System Principles. Key requirements of these Principles are to ensure the participation of the best athletes and ensure universality through continental representation.
There was an air of celebration about the FEI Balkan Jumping Championships 2015 where Greece and Turkey were dominant and Bulgaria also got into the gold-medal-winner’s circle last weekend. Staged at Porto Carras in Halkidiki, Greece, the four-day fixture attracted a strong entry of athletes from seven nations who battled it out for team and individual titles in Senior, Young Rider, Junior and Children’s competition.
The flags of Bulgaria, Croatia, Greece, Madedonia, Romania, Serbia and Turkey flew high, and while Turkish and Greek athletes dominated, Romania took bronze in four of the eight Championship competitions, while Croatia claimed Junior team and individual silver.
TEAM CHILDREN GOLD from Left to right:(TEAM Silver Turkey) ER Sevval with Comptess,Asik Renk with Escenta,Buke Buse with Rienne Va Plus2, Celebioglu Melis with Wilande, (Center GOLD Medal Team Greece ) from left to right: Martini Paola with COBBYDOR, Popp Selini with SAIGON 32, Tsochas Ioanna-Maria with BRILLIANT GO , Danalis Anna-Sophia with CON TOP.(Right TEAM Bronze Bulgaria ) Atanasova Vanesa with Colorado, Angelova Anna with CHARIZMA I and Arifova Belmin with ZALINA H & Michova Geni with FINESSE. Photo Alexis Vassilopoulos
Seniors
At the 2014 Championships in Zagreb, Croatia, there was a significant swing away from the traditional dominance of the Greeks and Turks, but normal order was restored this time around and, once again, Turkey earned the Senior team title along with individual gold and silver.
The Senior action began with victory for the Greek partnership of Elina Dendrinou and Carett in the opening Speed event. But Turkey’s Yusuf Cem Kayacan was only 0.6 seconds behind when runner-up with Abner, and this pair would go on to top the individual podium.
The Turkish foursome of Oktay Sezek (SIEC Zappa), Hulki Karagulle (Skara Glen’s Cascador), Can Ince (SIEC Caro Ass) and Sencer Horasan (Duvkalle) pipped the Greek team that included Dendrinou, Monika Martini (Amadu), Anastasios Raisis (Hermes van de Pereboom) and Grigoris Voglis (Quelly Briquedalle). But the Turks were well behind when counting 12 faults at the end the first round, when Romania’s Ionel Bucur (Bangkok Girl), Razvan (Quickborn), Luca Ruxandariu (Bamboo) and Norbert Schuman (Belle de Jour) held the lead on a five-fault scoreline.
The Romanians lost their grip in round two however when adding 12 more to their tally while the Greeks matched their first-round result of eight faults to leave them on total of 16. It was three great second-round clears, from Sezek, Karagülle and Ince that clinched it for Turkey who added nothing to their first-round effort.
The veteran Karagülle is no stranger to success in these Championships. “I won individual gold in the Junior category back in 1979 in Athens when I was 16 years old, and I participated in many Balkan Championships since then and won several team and individual medals. I’m an amateur rider and I’m very happy to be able to still compete and win the Senior individual silver medal today. Porto Carras is an excellent place to organize a show, we all competed also in the CSI last week and enjoyed sun, sea and show jumping. Many thanks to the organisers, I hope to come back here again in the future” said the 52-year-old rider.
And he put the icing on the cake when lining up behind fellow-countryman Kayacan on the individual podium while Romania’s Ionel Bucur took the bronze. Newly-crowned individual champion, 22-year-old Kayacan, said, “this is my first time representing my country at senior level and it’s a great feeling to claim individual gold. It’s impossible not to be happy! Abner is such a fantastic horse – I’ve been riding him for three years now and he gives me one-hundred-percent every time we compete!”
Young Riders
Greece also got off to the perfect start in the Young Riders division when Anna-Maria Papageorgiou and LC Waikiki Akino pinned Talya Afyoneri and Wervelwind into second spot and another of the Turkish contingent, Ece Kitis with Cassitano, into third in the first individual qualifier. But the Turks had it all their own way once again in the team competition in which Greece took the silver and Romania the bronze.
And their victory was all the more creditable because Turkey fielded only three riders, Afyoneri and Kitis joined by Necdet Kaan Karagülle (Campari) to post a 16-fault score first time out, but producing a clear-cut win when adding only four more at their second attempt.
Papageorgiou teamed up with Antigoni Tsafara (Intrepid Leonardo), Iro Kaltsidou (Eagano VH Dingenshof) and Aikaterini Laskaridis (Charlotte) to clinch silver despite early elimination for Kaltsidou while Romania’s Stefan Leonte (Darius), Razvan Andrei Gheorghe (Sziszi), Claudiu Floristean (Wellcome) and Cristian Ceausescu (Teodor) filled the third step of the team medal podium.
The form held through to the closing stages when Afyoneri and Karagülle took individual gold and silver for Turkey ahead of bronze medallist Papageorgiu from Greece. It wasn’t the first Balkan individual title for 19-year-old Afyoneri, but it was a very special one. “Winning is a great feeling… I am so happy to be the Young Riders champion, both in team and individual! And also, being the champion for the second time after three years make me, my family and my trainer so proud! It is difficult to explain our feelings. I couldn’t do this without them and of course without my horse, Wervelwind. Being a part of this kind of an organisation is fantastic. Thanks to everyone who has shared all this with us”, she said.
Juniors
Bulgaria’s Izov Ventsislav and Exop threw down the gauntlet with a brilliant win in the opening Junior Speed event and never looked back. From a starting field of 33, the pair scorched home in 73.42 seconds to pin Georgios Velonis and Vivendi Colt and Nikolina Makarona and Arce de Triomphe from Greece into second and third places, and then came out to jump double-clear in the team competition before taking the individual Junior title.
A total of six nations lined out for the team event in which the Greeks took early control with a zero first-round score and clearly clinched gold when adding only four faults second time out. Ioli Mytilineou and Ascot jumped double-clear for the winning side, and with Makarona, Alexandros Kokkonis (Oscar de Semilly) and Konstantinos Evangelos Papathanassiou (Secret Prince) also producing one clear performance apiece it was a polished performance from the new champions.
Croatia’s Dunja Al Jamal (Gemilio LCS), Josip Gugic (Coeur de Croatie), Nina Madirazza (Calysta) and Laura Dragicevic (Aidora I Ritz) were just two fences adrift in silver medal spot however and finished well ahead of the bronze medallists from Romania whose score totalled 28. Daria Peev (Guitendra), Francesca Moldovan (Quinara), Alexandra Miladin Bradisteanu (Castaway) and Marco Alessandro Alfieri (Hermine) each played a vital role for the Romanian team during the competition and helped keep Turkey off the podium despite second-round clears for Sevim Defne (Zinedine D) and Serener Bagriacik (Website Ter Velden).
Another double-clear in the Junior Grand Prix left Bulgaria’s Izov in fifth place in the competition but with the individual Junior gold medal in his grasp, and it was Croatia’s Nina Madirzaa and Calysta who lined up in silver medal position here ahead of the Greek partnership of Grand Prix winners Nikolina Makarona and Arc de Triomphe who earned the bronze.
Children
In the Children’s category, Turkey’s Osman Ata Vanli won the opening Speed competition with Demi Dostara ahead of Romania’s Alexandru Ghita and Paula in second and Aikaterini-Ellas Lemonidi (Quetcha de Chenee) and Anna-Sophia Danalis (Con Top) in third and fourth for Greece. That early result would prove pivotal for Danalis who emerged to take the individual title four days later.
There were four nations in contention in the Children’s team competition, and the Greeks proved untouchable when posting a zero score in both rounds. Both Danalis and Selini Popp (Saigon) jumped double-clear, and when Ioanna-Maria Tsochas was foot-perfect first time out with Brilliant Go and Paola Martin and Cobbydor were likewise in the second round it was a done deal.
It took a third-round jump-off to decide silver and bronze here, and Turkey’s Sevval Er (Comtess), Renk Asik (Escenta), Buse Buke (Rienne va Plus) and Melis Celebioglu (Wilande) came off best in the two-team tussle when adding just eight more faults to their original 16-fault scoreline. Vanesa Atanasova (Colorado), Anna Angelova (Charizma), Belmin Arifova (Zalina H) and Geni Mihova (Finesse) stood on the third step of the podium for Bulgaria when obliged to add 16 more to their 16-fault tally.
And Greece took two of the three individual Children’s medals when Danalis emerged to take gold and Popp claimed the bronze while Turkey’s Osman Ata Vanli was Children’s individual silver medallist.
Children’s champion, Danalis, put the 2015 event into perspective. “This year’s Balkan Championships in Porto Carras were amazing for me. The Greek children’s team won the gold and I also won the individual gold. The Balkan Championships are a very nice opportunity for the countries in the Balkan region to get together and compete. The Championships really help those who want to practice for European competitions. It’s an amazing experience that will never be forgotten!” said the talented 14-year-old.
Results:
The newly-crowned Junior team gold medallists from Greece at the FEI Balkan Jumping Championships 2015 in Halkidiki, Sithonia, Greece last weekend. (L to R) Alexandros Kokkonis, Nikolina Makarona, Ioli Mytilineou and Konstantinos Papathanassiou. (FEI/Alexis Vassilopoulos)
FEI Balkan Senior Team Jumping Championship:
GOLD – Turkey 12 faults: SIEC Zappa WH (Oktay Sezek) 8/0, Skara Glen’s Cascador (Hulki Karagulle) 0/0, SIEC Caro Ass (Can Ince) 21/0, Duvkalle (Sencer Horasan) 4/4; SILVER – Greece 16 faults: Amadu (Monika Martini) 0/8. Hermes van de Pereboom) Anastasios Raisis) 8/8, Quelly Briquedalle (Grigoris Boglis) 4/0, Carett (Elina Dendrinou) 4/0; BRONZE – Romania 17 faults: Bangkok Girl (Ionel Bucur) 1/4, Quickborn (Razvan Bozan) 8/4, Bamboo (Luca Ruxandariu) 0/12, Belle De Jour (Norbert Schuman) 4/4.
FEI Balkan Senior Individual Jumping Championship:
GOLD – Abnar (Yusuf Cem Kayacan) TUR 0.03; SILVER – Skara Glen’s Cascador (Hulki Karagulle) TUR 4.57; BRONZE – Bangkok Girl (Ionel Bucur) ROU 9.26.
FEI Balkan Young Riders Team Jumping Championship:
The 19th and final qualifier of the Furusiyya FEI Nations Cup™ Jumping 2015 season will take place in Arezzo, Italy on Friday 4 September, attracting a field of 13 teams.
The starting order, which was determined by a draw held in Arezzo today, will be as follows:
1. Brazil
2. Italy
3. Denmark
4. Germany
5. Ireland
6. Turkey
7. Norway
8. Poland
9. Belgium
10. Sweden
11. France
12. Slovenia
13. Czech Republic
This is the eighth and last leg of the Europe Division 2 League, and the teams from Austria, Czech Republic, Denmark, Norway, Poland, Slovenia and Turkey will be eligible for Furusiyya FEI Nations Cup™ Jumping points. A total of 16 nations have been competing in Europe Division 2 during the season, and two teams will qualify for the Furusiyya FEI Nations Cup™ Jumping 2015 Final which will take place in Barcelona, Spain from 24 to 27 September.
Friday’s competition is scheduled to begin at 14.30 local time and will be broadcast live on FEI TV, the FEI’s official online video platform.
The FEI is providing a wide range of online information resources in connection with the Furusiyya FEI Nations Cup™ Jumping.
Riders from a bigger spread of nations than ever before will line out when the FEI European Jumping Championships 2015 get underway in Aachen, Germany next week. A new high was reached when the list of definite Jumping entries was confirmed today, and a massive 28 nations will be represented, while 23 countries will field teams and five will send individuals.
The full list of nations is Austria, Azerbaijan, Belgium, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Great Britain, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey and Ukraine.
This is the 32nd edition of the FEI European Jumping Championships, and the fifth time for the event to take place at Aachen. The inaugural FEI European Jumping Championship was held in Rotterdam (NED) in 1957 when German legend, Hans Gunther Winkler, claimed the title. Only individuals competed in the early editions, but as soon as the team event was introduced at Munich (GER) in 1975, Germany laid claim to that too. The German record in these championships is second to none, with 14 individual and seven team titles to their credit.
Defending the team title
However it is the British who will be defending the team title they won in Herning, Denmark two years ago when the action gets underway on Wednesday 19 August, while Frenchman Roger Yves Bost returns as defending individual champion. The British have a strong record at the Europeans, with six individual and five team titles already on the record books. Their 2013 victory came hot on the heels of their gold-medal-winning performance at the London 2012 Olympic Games, but this time around they will be without their world no 1 rider Scott Brash who was a critical member of that successful side. Michael Whitaker steps up to the challenge once again however as does Ben Maher, while the veteran Guy Williams, Joe Clee and the relative newcomer Jessica Mendoza complete the pack. The British broke a 60-year drought when winning Olympic team gold in 2012, yet they still haven’t managed to qualify for Rio 2016. So, along with many others, they will really be feeling the heat next week when the final team qualification is up for grabs.
Despite fielding a typically formidable side, Germany had to settle for silver last time around, so Christian Ahlmann, Ludger Beerbaum, Daniel Deusser, Janne Friederike Meyer and Meredith Michaels-Beerbaum will be hoping to restore normal order, especially on home ground. Sweden took bronze in 2013, and Malin Baryard-Johnsson, Douglas Lindelow, Helena Persson, Henrik von Eckermann and Charlotte Mordanini will be hoping to put their country back on that podium. The Irish are in fighting form and completely focused on claiming one of the three Olympic qualifying spots available, but with so many others including the Belgians and the Swiss chasing the same goal it will be no easy feat.
There will be no place to hide from the moment the first individual qualifier begins, because every single jump will count in the battle for both the FEI European Jumping Championships 2015 titles and one of those coveted tickets for Rio.
Individual honours
Roger Yves Bost was only the fifth French rider ever to claim the individual European honours two years ago. Great Britain’s Ben Maher went into the final competition with the narrowest of leads, but a fence down saw him having to settle for silver ahead of team-mate Scott Brash who rose from overnight 10th place to take bronze when producing the only double-clear performance of the day.
Bost was following in famous footsteps, as the list of previous French champions included Pierre Durand and the legendary Jappeloup who first topped the podium at St Gallen (SUI) in 1987, Eric Navet who reigned supreme on home turf at La Baule (FRA) in 1991, Alexandra Ledermann and Rochet M – the first woman ever to take the title – who headed the line-up in Hickstead (GBR) in 1999 and Kevin Staut and Kraque Boom who were winners in Windsor (GBR) in 2009. Meredith Michaels-Beerbaum is the only other female champion, pipping Belgium’s Jos Lansink in a thriller at Mannheim (GER) in 2007 during the peak of her partnership with the great Shutterfly. And in the fabulous grey Fibonacci, the American-born German rider has found an extraordinarily talented replacement, so she cannot be overlooked once the action kicks off.
However 96 riders will be carrying all their hopes and dreams onto the hallowed turf of the Soers arena at Aachen in seven days’ time, and these Championships, which have turned up some of the most memorable moments of this great sport down the years, promise plenty of drama and excitement before the 2015 champions are crowned.
Rules and Competition Format
Wednesday 19th August – First qualifying competition, individuals and teams. Table C (penalties turned into seconds added), fence height 1.50m, open to all athletes and horses declared as starters in the team and individual championship. Starting order decided by a draw.
Following this first competition the scores obtained by each athlete will be converted into points. The athlete with the lowest number of points will be given zero penalties.
Thursday 20th August – Round 1 of team competition, second individual competition. Table A, 1.60, open to all athletes who took part in the first competition. Individuals go first.
Friday 21st August – Team competition final and third individual competition. Table A, not against the clock, 1.60m. Open to the top 50 individuals who carry penalties forward from first individual qualifier and round 1 of the team event. Open to the top 10 teams following the previous day’s competition, including those tied for 10th place. In case of equality of points there will be a jump-off for the team medal positions.
Sunday 23rd August – Individual final open to 25 best-places athletes and horses including ties for 25th place. Two different 1.60m courses will be jumped, with 10-12 obstacles in round A and 8-10 obstacles in round B. Competitors will start in reverse order of merit in both rounds. Individual medals will be determined by adding together penalties from the first competition, the two rounds of the team competition and the two rounds of the final competition.
The British topped the team podium for the first time in 24 years when coming out on top at the PSI FEI European Team Jumping Championship in Herning, Denmark two years ago. This time around they will be chasing not only a back-to-back double, but also one of the three Olympic qualifying spots on offer at the FEI European Championships in Aachen, Germany. (L to R) The 2013 gold medal winning team of Scott Brash, Will Funnell, Chef d’Equipe Rob Hoekstra, Michael Whitaker and Ben Maher. (FEI/Kit Houghton)
Facts and Figures:
The FEI European Jumping Championships begin on Wednesday 19 August and run through to the individual final on Sunday 23 August.
Competitors from 28 nations will participate.
23 countries have entered teams.
5 nations will be represented by individual riders.
A total of 96 horse-and-rider combinations are listed in the definite entries (11 August 2015).
This is the 32nd edition of the FEI European Jumping Championships, and the fifth time for the event to take place in Aachen.
The inaugural FEI European Jumping Championship took place in Rotterdam (NED) in 1957.
Only individuals competed in the early Championships. The team event was first introduced at Munich (GER) in 1975.
Back-to-back individual champions – Great Britain’s David Broome with Mr Softee at Rotterdam (NED) in 1967 and Hickstead (GBR) in 1969.
Back-to-back triple champions – Germany’s Paul Schockemohle and Deister at Munich (GER) in 1981, Hickstead (GBR) in 1983 and Dinard (FRA) in 1985.
Germany holds the record for the biggest number of individual victories with 14 in total over the last 58 years.
Germany also holds the record for the greatest number of wins in the team event, with seven to date.
Only one horse has ever won the individual European Jumping title with two different riders – the Irish-bred Mr Softee who claimed gold for David Barker in 1962 and then produced back-to-back victories for fellow-Briton David Broome in 1967 and 1969.
Defending champions are the British who produced their fifth win at the last Championships staged in Herning, Denmark in 2013.
For more information on the FEI European Championships 2015 in Aachen visit http://www.aachen2015.de.
Tunisia Men’s Volleyball team started the last stage of preparation for the 2015 Men’s African Nations Championship to be staged in Egypt July 22 to 30, 2015 in a local camp under supervision of the technical staff Head Coach Fathi Mkaouar, ass. coaches Riadh Hedhili and Noureddine Hefaiedh.
Tunisian team
The head coach selected 14 players for the finals led by veteran opposites Hichem Kaabi and Marouan Garci to train daily until they leave for Egypt on July 20.
Tunisia who have 8 African titles under their name, started their Programme early this month with a camp in Turkey where they played three matches against the hosts whom they faced also during Pool F of their 2015 World League campaign last month.
Tunisia lost the first and second matches in the same result 3-1 before they achieved a tight victory in a thrilling tiebreaker (25-23, 19-25, 17-25, 25-15, 19-17).
Tunisia is seeking their 9th title and the first since 2003 after Egypt overwhelmed the competition in the last five editions.
VNR from the ICC Annual Conference available here, photographs can be downloaded here
Former Pakistan captain Zaheer Abbas assumed the role of the ICC President on day three of the ICC Annual Conference week in Barbados.
Zaheer began his one-year term and thanked the ICC Board and the Full Council for confirming his nomination. He said: “I feel truly honoured and humbled to be appointed as the President of the governing body of our great game.
“This is the sport which has given us friendship, respect, recognition and an opportunity to serve our countries in different capacities. Personally speaking, it has given me more than I can ever possibly repay.
“I am thankful to all of you for the support and confidence placed in me by confirming my nomination. I am also grateful to the PCB for proposing my candidacy as the ICC President. I assure you all that I will stand shoulder to shoulder with all the ICC Members as we continue to strive to inspire more and more people to fall in love with the game we cherish.”
ICC Chairman N.Srinivasan congratulated Zaheer on his appointment, when he said: “Zaheer’s outstanding career as a stylish right-handed batsman is reflected in his remarkable record with 108 first-class hundreds and more than 7,500 international runs.
“Zaheer is clearly an iconic cricketer who always played the game with skill, flair and in the true spirit. He is a worthy ambassador of our great game.”
Zaheer, 67, played 78 Tests and 62 ODIs from 1969 to 1985 in which he scored 5,062 and 2,572 runs, respectively. He also played in the 1975, 1979 and 1983 ICC Cricket World Cups and captained Pakistan in 14 Tests and 13 ODIs. With 108 centuries, Zaheer is the only Asian batsman to score a century of first-class centuries as he finished his 22-year career with 34,843 runs.
Zaheer was also an ICC match referee in the 1993 series between Sri Lanka and the West Indies in Sri Lanka.
The ICC Council also approved the admission of the Serbia Cricket Federation (SCF) as the 58th Affiliate Member of the ICC.
Regrettably, the ICC Council also agreed to suspend the Affiliate Memberships of Morocco and Turkey, while Brunei was removed as an Affiliate Member.
Results from the 2015 BNP Paribas World Team Cup wheelchair tennis event at the Club Ali Bey Manavgat in Antalya, Turkey on 25-31 May. A total of 52 teams from 28 countries are competing in four categories: men, women, quad and junior.
Great Britain won their first title in the Men’s World Group beating France in the two singles matches, while Australia beat Japan to get the third place.
USA won the play-off against South Africa to retain the position in the men’s world group.
The BNP Paribas World Team Cup, which celebrates its 30th anniversary in 2015, is the ITF’s flagship wheelchair tennis event, often referred to as the Davis and Fed Cups of wheelchair tennis. The initial event took place in California in 1985 involving six men’s teams. The women’s competition began the following year, with quad and junior events introduced in 1998 and 2000 respectively. Due to the increased number of teams wanting to take part, the ITF introduced regional qualifying for the men’s and women’s events in 2012.
GREAT BRITAIN (1) defeated FRANCE (2) 2-0
Alfie Hewett (GBR) d. Michael Jeremiasz (FRA) 75 61
Gordon Reid (GBR) d. Nicolas Peifer (FRA) 76(5) 64
Alfie Hewett/Gordon Reid (GBR) v Michael Jeremiasz/Nicolas Peifer (FRA) not played
Men’s World Group – Position 3-4
AUSTRALIA (3) defeated JAPAN (4) 2-0
Ben Weekes (AUS) d. Satoshi Saida (JPN) 62 63
Adam Kellerman (AUS) d. Takashi Sanada (JPN) 46 76(1) 63
Adam Kellerman/Ben Weeks (AUS) v Satoshi Saida/Takashi Sanada (JPN) not played
Men’s World Group – Promotion Play-off
USA defeated SOUTH AFRICA 2-1
Steve Baldwin (USA) d. Marshall Marsh (RSA) 61 76(2)
Evans Maripa (RSA) d. Jon Rydberg (USA) 63 26 60
Hunter Groce/Jon Rydberg (USA) d. Leon Els/Evans Maripa (RSA) 63 75
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