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Interactive fan event to mark NBA Abu Dhabi Games 2022

Giannis Antetokounmpo (left) of the Milwaukee Bucks drives to the basket during the game against the Atlanta Hawks last year. (Scott Cunningham/NBAE)
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Updated 17 September 2022
Arab News
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Interactive fan event to mark NBA Abu Dhabi Games 2022

  • Event features NBA legends Chris Bosh, Vince Carter, Shaquille O’Neal, Isiah Thomas and Dominique Wilkins
  • ‘NBA Night in Abu Dhabi hosted by Shaq’ will celebrate first NBA games in Abu Dhabi
Updated 17 September 2022
Arab News

ABU DHABI: The National Basketball Association and the Department of Culture and Tourism — Abu Dhabi have announced that NBA District, an immersive, interactive fan event, will be held at Manarat Al Saadiyat in the UAE capital from Wednesday, Oct. 5 until Sunday, Oct. 9.

The event will mark the NBA Abu Dhabi Games 2022, which will feature the Atlanta Hawks and 2021 NBA champions the Milwaukee Bucks playing two preseason games at Etihad Arena on Yas Island in Abu Dhabi.

The two games on Thursday, Oct. 6 and Saturday, Oct. 8, are the league’s first games in the UAE and the Arabian Gulf.

NBA District will showcase the music, media and art associated with basketball culture. Fans will be able to engage with NBA personalities from around the world, watch authentic NBA game entertainment, enjoy hands-on basketball activities, and purchase limited-edition merchandise. 

Programming will include:

  • Performances by the Milwaukee Bucks Dunk Team and mascot “Bango” and by the Atlanta Hawks Dance Team and mascot “Harry the Hawk”
  • Live art performances by UAE-based artist Mr. Dripping and NBA Lab Creative Director Billi Kid
  • Panels and workshops featuring current and former NBA players, global content creators, artists and entertainers
  • Hands-on basketball activities, including Jr. NBA clinics for boys and girls and the “NBA Ice Buckets” buzzer-beater competition for a chance to win tickets to the games
  • Photo opportunities with NBA personalities and authentic NBA memorabilia, including the Larry O’Brien Trophy
  • NBA-themed exhibitions and games
  • International and traditional Emirati food and beverages
  • Limited-edition NBA apparel and merchandise

“At Manarat Al Saadiyat, everyone can enjoy an immersive, exciting atmosphere watching the games live, as well as exhilarating basketball activities and entertainment acts,” said Director-General for Tourism at DCT Abu Dhabi, Saleh Mohammed Saleh Al-Geziry.

“Hosting NBA District as part of the region’s first NBA games is another highly memorable moment for Abu Dhabi, as we continue to attract top-tier global sports, share our warm Emirati hospitality and showcase the destination’s many exciting, inspiring and relaxing experiences with the world.”

NBA Head of Fan Engagement and Direct-to-Consumer for Europe and the Middle East George Aivazoglou said: “Whether you are new to the NBA or a passionate fan, NBA District will offer a first-of-its-kind NBA experience in the heart of the city. 

“Featuring interactive basketball activities, authentic NBA game entertainment, appearances by NBA legends and more, NBA District will be a celebration of all things NBA and the perfect backdrop to our first games in Abu Dhabi,” he added.

The NBA Abu Dhabi Games 2022 are part of a ground-breaking multiyear collaboration between the NBA and DCT Abu Dhabi that earlier this year saw the launch of the first Jr. NBA Abu Dhabi League, a youth basketball league for 450 boys and girls ages 11-14 from schools across Abu Dhabi. 

The collaboration also includes a variety of interactive fan events featuring appearances by current and former NBA players, a series of NBA FIT clinics promoting health and wellness, and an NBA 2K League exhibition event.

Topics: Abu Dhabi United Arab Emirates (UAE) basketball

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Inter looking to power back up ahead of Champions League match at Barcelona

Updated 59 min 31 sec ago
AP
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Inter looking to power back up ahead of Champions League match at Barcelona

  • Inter is hoping it won’t have to make a similarly arduous journey after an unprecedented blackout brought much of Spain to a standstill
  • Inter heads to Barcelona following a dire run of results that has seen its dreams of another treble evaporate
Updated 59 min 31 sec ago
AP

MILAN: Strange things happen when Inter Milan plays Barcelona in the Champions League semifinals.
The last time the two teams met in the final four of Europe’s elite club competition, in 2010, Barcelona had to make a 15-hour journey by bus to Milan after an ash cloud caused by the eruption of the Icelandic volcano Eyjafjallajokull shut down air space.
Barcelona lost that first leg 3-1 and a stout defensive performance by Inter in the return match saw it advance to the final 3-2 on aggregate — where it beat Bayern Munich to clinch a historic treble under Jose Mourinho.
Inter is hoping it won’t have to make a similarly arduous journey after an unprecedented blackout brought much of Spain and Portugal to a standstill Monday.
Power had almost fully returned to Spain early Tuesday morning and Inter’s charter flight was still scheduled to take off for Barcelona at 5 p.m. local time ahead of the first leg of their semifinal on Wednesday.
Inter coach Simone Inzaghi will be hoping his team can power back up for the game as well.
Inter heads to Barcelona following a dire run of results that has seen its dreams of another treble evaporate.
For the first time in more than 13 years, Inter has lost three straight matches without scoring a goal.
Since a 2-2 draw against Bayern in the Champions League quarterfinals, the Nerazzurri have lost to Bologna and Roma in Serie A and AC Milan in the Italian Cup — all by the same 1-0 scoreline.
That has also seen them been leapfrogged at the top of the Serie A table by Napoli, slipping three points behind the new league leader.
“The three defeats hurt and we’re not used to this, we have to look at ourselves and try to recover our physical and mental energy,” Inzaghi said.
Those three games, however, had something in common: Marcus Thuram was missing.
Thuram, who has been out with a left thigh issue, has scored 17 goals and provided nine assists across all competitions for Inter this season.
Without the France forward, Lautaro Martinez has appeared fatigued attempting to carry Inter’s attack. And Marko Arnautovic, Thuram’s replacement, has been ineffective.
Thuram has returned to training and could even start on Wednesday.
“We’ll head to Barcelona and we will play them with respect, not fear,” Inzaghi added.

Topics: Inter champions league

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Real Madrid defender Rüdiger expected to miss the rest of the season after knee surgery

Updated 29 April 2025
AP
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Real Madrid defender Rüdiger expected to miss the rest of the season after knee surgery

  • The club did not give a timeline for his return. Rüdiger had to be replaced in extra time of Madrid 3-2 loss to Barcelona in the Copa del Rey final on Saturday
  • He made headlines for shouting at the referee from the bench and for apparently throwing a small bag of ice onto the field
Updated 29 April 2025
AP

MADRID: Real Madrid defender Antonio Rüdiger underwent knee surgery on Tuesday and is expected to miss the rest of the season.
Madrid said Rüdiger successfully underwent surgery on a meniscus tear in his left knee and will begin “his recovery process shortly.” The club did not give a timeline for his return.
Rüdiger had to be replaced in extra time of Madrid 3-2 loss to Barcelona in the Copa del Rey final on Saturday.
He made headlines for shouting at the referee from the bench and for apparently throwing a small bag of ice onto the field.
Rüdiger apologized for his behavior but the incident prompted former Germany player Dietmar Hamann to call for the defender to be left out of Germany’s squad for the Nations League final four in June.
German national team sporting director Rudi Völler also criticized Rüdiger, saying he needed to show “class” and respect for others.
Germany plays Portugal in the Nations League semifinals in Munich on June 4.

Topics: real madrid

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Coach Stefano Pioli confident as Al-Nassr prepare for AFC Champions League Elite semi showdown

Updated 29 April 2025
Reuters
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Coach Stefano Pioli confident as Al-Nassr prepare for AFC Champions League Elite semi showdown

  • Riyadh giant Al-Nassr are one of three Saudi Pro League sides in the semifinals
  • Al-Hilal and Al-Ahli have also advanced to the last four and will meet on Tuesday
Updated 29 April 2025
Reuters

JEDDAH: Al-Nassr coach Stefano Pioli declared his side injury-free ahead of Wednesday’s Asian Champions League Elite semifinal against Kawasaki Frontale in Jeddah as the Saudi Pro League side look to reach the final for the first time in almost 30 years.
The Riyadh-based outfit last made the decider in 1995, but a brace from Jhon Duran and strikes by Sadio Mane and Cristiano Ronaldo sealed a 4-1 win over Yokohama F Marinos on Saturday to move the Saudi side to the cusp of a first title.
“We are ready for the match, but in training we will decide which group is going to play,” Pioli said. “The team is ready to play the game with great spirit, high performance.”
Al-Nassr are one of three Saudi Pro League sides in the semifinals, the first time a single nation has dominated the latter stages of the competition to such an extent.
The huge injection of cash into the country’s leading clubs by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund in 2023 which prompted the signing of numerous high-profile players from around the world is having a major impact on this year’s competition.
Al-Hilal and Al-Ahli have also advanced to the last four and will meet on Tuesday.
Japan’s Kawasaki are the only team from their half of the confederation left in the competition after their win over Qatar’s Al-Sadd, and the J-League side have been further disadvantaged by having one day less to recover than Al-Nassr.
Frontale needed extra-time to defeat Felix Sanchez’s side and coach Shigetoshi Hasebe admitted he was concerned about his players’ lack of freshness ahead of the Al-Nassr clash.
“All the players are tired because they played for 120 minutes, which is very difficult for us,” he said. “But we’ll be playing in a different stadium, so we can have a new feeling and I can imagine the players will play very well tomorrow night.”
Kawasaki midfielder Kento Tachibanada stressed it was important not to obsess over the reputations of their opponents.
“The key point is not to be afraid of the famous players and their big names,” he said. “Many people think the teams from Saudi will win, but I want to break that type of image tomorrow night.”

Topics: football Saudi Pro League SPL Al-Nassr Stefano Pioli

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Power outage still affecting Madrid Open tennis tournament. Opening of the gates delayed on Tuesday.

Updated 29 April 2025
AP
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Power outage still affecting Madrid Open tennis tournament. Opening of the gates delayed on Tuesday.

  • They did not immediately announce any schedule change regarding the matches
  • The power went out at 12:34 p.m. local time (1034 GMT) on Monday and 22 matches had to be canceled for the day
Updated 29 April 2025
AP

MADRID: There was still no power at the Caja Magica tennis complex that is hosting the Madrid Open on Tuesday, putting in jeopardy the resumption of play a day after several matches had to be canceled.
Tournament organizers said the opening of the gates for fans was delayed until 11 a.m. local time (0900 GMT) because of the outage. They did not immediately announce any schedule change regarding the matches.
“Due to reasons beyond the organization’s control, the Caja Mágica is still without power supply as of this morning. As a result, the opening of the gates has been delayed, and we expect to open them at 11 a.m.,” they said.
The power went out at 12:34 p.m. local time (1034 GMT) on Monday, stopping two ATP singles matches and one doubles match that were underway. A total of 22 matches had to be canceled for the day.
Organizers said the games were called off “to guarantee the safety of the players, fans and personnel.” Spectators were told to leave the sports complex.
Power was restored at night through most parts of Madrid, and organizers had said late Monday that play would resume on Tuesday.
Among the matches expected for Tuesday included second-ranked Alexander Zverev facing Francisco Cerundolo. On the women’s side, the remaining six fourth-round matches were scheduled, including top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka facing Peyton Stearns and second-ranked Iga Swiatek taking on Diana Shnaider.
The blackout brought much of Spain and Portugal to a standstill, knocking out subway networks, phone lines, traffic lights and ATM machines.

Topics: Spain tennis Madrid Open

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Australian doubles player Purcell accepts 18-month doping ban

Updated 29 April 2025
AFP
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Australian doubles player Purcell accepts 18-month doping ban

  • Max Purcell has admitted receiving intravenous vitamin infusions of more than 500ml on December 16 and 20, 2023
  • The limit under the World Anti-Doping Code is 100ml in a 12-hour period
Updated 29 April 2025
AFP

SYDNEY: Australia’s two-time Grand Slam doubles champion Max Purcell has accepted an 18-month doping ban, the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) said on Tuesday.
The 27-year-old in December took a voluntary suspension, describing himself at the time as “devastated” and saying he had not intended to break anti-doping rules.
Purcell has admitted receiving intravenous vitamin infusions of more than 500ml on December 16 and 20, 2023. The limit under the World Anti-Doping Code is 100ml in a 12-hour period.
His ban will end on June 11, 2026, taking into account time served out of the sport.
He will also forfeit results and prize money for the period between December 16, 2023 and February 3, 2024.
Purcell’s co-operation and information sharing with the ITIA allowed for a 25 percent reduction in sanction, it said.
ITIA chief executive Karen Moorhouse said: “This case does not involve a player testing positive for a prohibited substance but demonstrates that the anti-doping rules are broader than that.”
Writing on Instagram, Purcell said: “I have accepted the mistake I made and will make sure I’m even more diligent with everything regarding the integrity of the sport.”
Purcell won the 2022 Wimbledon doubles title alongside fellow Australian Matt Ebden and the US Open crown in 2024 with Jordan Thompson.
In his social media post, Purcell said he had been unable to sleep and eat properly because of his worries over the case.
“I’m so glad this is finally over for me and I can move on with my life,” he added.
It is the latest doping controversy in tennis.
Former women’s number one Iga Swiatek is back in action after last year accepting a one-month ban after testing positive for a banned substance.
Men’s number one Jannik Sinner has been out of action since accepting a three-month doping ban in February after twice testing positive for traces of the steroid clostebol in March last year.
The three-time Grand Slam winner is due to return before the Rome Open, which runs from May 7-18.

Topics: tennis Max Purcell Australia

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