LAUSANNE: The vetting process for Russian and Belarusian athletes who have qualified for the Paris Olympics has started but is far from complete, the International Olympic Committee said on Wednesday.
Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, the IOC initially recommended a ban from international competitions of athletes from Russia and its ally Belarus, but has since allowed them to qualify for the Paris Olympics as neutrals.
Yet each qualified athlete is undergoing a vetting process by a three-member panel appointed by the IOC to make sure they meet certain eligibility criteria.
Not having actively supported the war in Ukraine and not having been contracted to any military or security agency are among those criteria.
“The vetting process is ongoing,” IOC spokesman Mark Adams told a press conference. “It is ongoing and will continue toward the Games.”
“I cannot give you the exact deadline. The reason it is taking so long is we are doing it very, very thoroughly.”
“We need to get the information from a lot of people. So, the process has to be done properly.”
The IOC has said it expects to see about 36 Russian and 22 Belarusian athletes competing as neutrals in Paris.
The maximum number, depending on qualification standards and country quotas, and which is unlikely to be reached, would be 54 and 28 respectively.
“You can imagine the amount of work required to go through a full and through process,” said IOC sports director Kit McConnell.
“That includes review of contracting situations, social media and so on.”
“In terms of timelines we are conscious of confirming the places available. We are working with international federations and trying to do that as quickly as possible... but obviously in a very thorough way.”
The Paris Olympics kick off on July 26.
Vetting of Russian, Belarusian athletes for Paris Games ongoing-IOC
https://arab.news/8xzpu
Vetting of Russian, Belarusian athletes for Paris Games ongoing-IOC
- Each qualified athlete is undergoing a vetting process by a three-member panel appointed by the IOC to make sure they meet certain eligibility criteria.
- “The vetting process is ongoing,” IOC spokesman Mark Adams said
Guardiola wants close friend Arteta to explain himself after cryptic comments about Man City
- Arteta seems certain their relationship won’t be damaged
- Guardiola, however, might have gotten irritated
MANCHESTER: The friendship between Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola and Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta could come under strain with the rivalry between their title-chasing Premier League clubs intensifying in recent days.
Arteta seems certain their relationship won’t be damaged.
Guardiola, however, might have gotten irritated.
Arsenal’s tactics, and use of soccer’s so-called “dark arts,” brought some criticism from a number of City players after the feisty 2-2 draw between the teams last weekend.
Arteta responded rather cryptically by saying he has “all the information” about City owing to his time there as an assistant to Guardiola from 2016-19.
“So I know, believe me,” Arteta said.
Those remarks were sufficiently vague for Guardiola to wonder whether Arteta may actually be alluding to the off-the-field issues at City, which are currently defending themselves against 115 charges of breaching Premier League regulations following an investigation into the club’s financial affairs.
“Next time he has to be more clear exactly what does he mean,” Guardiola said of Arteta. “He said he was here four years and we know exactly what happened here.
“It can be related (to) the process now with 115 charges, maybe it’s about that. He knows information about that maybe, or maybe he has something like ... I don’t know. OK, next time, like a good relation I have with him, hopefully this question has been asked. He can answer exactly what does it mean when he said he was here and ‘I know what’s happening here.’“
Guardiola was speaking Friday in a news conference that took place about the same time as Arteta was holding one at Arsenal’s training base.
Asked about his relationship with Guardiola, Arteta said: “I love him, I respect him, I admire him and I admire his team and everything that he does. This is sport. One thing is our profession, another is our personal relationship.
“If our relationship was damaged because one draws and the other one wins or the amount of times that they’ve beaten us, I would not talk to him anymore. So that’s not our relationship, especially the relationship that I consider both of us have. In sport it will never get in my way, a personal relationship, that’s for sure.”
Guardiola said he feels Arsenal might be provoking his players into a rivalry, picking up especially on post-match comments by Arsenal defender Gabriel.
“Gabriel said it perfectly after the match — so this is a war, we are here to provoke the opponent, to push them,” Guardiola said. “At the end what can you do? OK, you provoke me — I’m there. You want a war? I’ll do a war.”
Arsenal have finished runner-up to City in the league the last two seasons.
MOD UAE dominate opening day of Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Jiu-Jitsu Championship
- Round 3 No-Gi takes place from Sept. 27-29 at Al-Bait Metwahid in Sharjah
SHARJAH: MOD UAE emerged as the frontrunner on the opening day of the Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Jiu-Jitsu Championship, Round 3 No-Gi, which is being held from Sept. 27-29 at Al-Bait Metwahid in Sharjah.
Friday’s action saw athletes from the Adults and Masters divisions take to the mat, with MOD UAE competitors delivering commanding performances to firmly establish their lead. Sharjah Self-Defense Sports Club followed closely in second place, while Al-Ain Jiu-Jitsu Club secured third spot.
The championship continues over the weekend, with U-12 and U-14 athletes competing on the second day, followed by the U-16 and Youth categories on the third. The competition is part of a five-round series held across the Emirates throughout the season.
Yousef Abdullah Al-Batran, board member of the UAE Jiu-Jitsu Federation, said: “Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Jiu-Jitsu Championship is a great platform to promote jiu-jitsu and support its growth among different categories of athletes. It shows our ongoing efforts to achieve excellence and reflects the strong support from our leadership to advance various sports, especially jiu-jitsu, as it plays a key role in promoting values like determination, persistence and patience.”
He added: “We’re pleased to see the large turnout and strong support from the audience, which has added excitement to the championship and motivated the athletes to give their all to win. It also highlights the special place jiu-jitsu holds in everyone’s hearts.”
Haitham Hanawi of MOD UAE, who won gold in the Men’s Adults/Masters Brown/Black 56kg category, said: “Competing in this championship was tough, especially with the different strategies needed for No-Gi competitions. I won gold thanks to the hard training and support from my teammates and coaches. The matches were difficult, but it was a great way to test my skills. I believe this tournament will keep helping jiu-jitsu grow in the UAE.”
Champions Al-Nassr kick off new Saudi Women’s Premier League with win over AlUla
- Al-Shabab overcame Al-Taraji 4-0 while Al-Ahli comprehensively beat Al-Amal 6-2
RIYADH: Reigning champions Al-Nassr kicked off their defense of the Saudi Women’s Premier League title with a 3-1 win over AlUla in Riyadh on Friday night.
It was one of three matches that got the 2024-25 season underway, with AlUla shocking the home team when they took the lead through Jaine Lemke on 23 minutes. However, Clara Luvanga equalized for Al-Nassr five minutes later to ensure the teams went into half-time on level terms.
Second half goals from Ruth Kipoyi (52) and Lina Boussaha (64) completed Al-Nassr’s comeback.
Meanwhile, Al-Shabab defeated Al-Taraji 4-0 at Prince Naif bin Abdulaziz Sports City Stadium in Al-Qatif with goals from Fatima Al-Sadah (9), Nataša Andonova (40, 63) and Al-Bandari Mubarak (76).
In Friday’s third match, Al-Ahli completed a comprehensive 6-2 win over Al-Amal at King Fahad Sport City Stadium in Taif to top the table with two more matches remaining in the opening round.
Al-Ahli’s goals came from a hat-trick by Naomie Kabakaba (11, 18, 87) and one each by Elodie Nakkach (45), Ayah Al-Majali (64) and Alice Kusi (71). Al-Amal’s consolation strikes came from Mariam Sidibe (74) and Stephanie Gbogou Tape (85).
On Saturday night, Al-Hilal will welcome Eastern Flames to Inaya Medical Colleges Stadium in Riyadh, while Al-Ittihad will play host to Al-Qadsiah in Jeddah.
Al-Ittihad beat Khaleej to go top of Saudi Pro League
- Angelo Gabriel and Cristiano Ronaldo score as Al-Nassr defeat Al-Wehda 2-0, while Qadsiah overcome Al-Ahli by a single goal
RIYADH: Al-Ittihad leapfrogged Al-Ahli to claim top spot in the Saudi Pro League after a 4-1 win over Al-Khaleej on Friday night, with the reigning champions still to play on Saturday.
The visitors shocked the home crowd by taking a fifth-minute lead thanks to Khaled Narey, which they held until half-time.
But after the break Al-Ittihad rediscovered the form that saw them beat Al-Wehda 7-1 two weeks ago and scored four times in a dominant second half performance.
Karim Benzem kick-started the comeback four minutes after the break and there were further goals from Houssem Amour (56), Steven Bergwijn (68) and Hamed Al-Ghamdi (stoppage time).
The Jeddah club, champions two seasons ago, now sit top of the SPL standings with 12 points from five matches but will drop to second if Al-Hilal — with a perfect record after four matches — get at least a draw against Al-Kholood at home on Saturday night.
Meanwhile Al-Nassr managed to record their second win in a row for the first time this season when they beat Al-Wehda 2-0 in Riyadh. Angelo Gabriel opened the scoring on 41 minutes before Cristiano Ronaldo wrapped up the win with a penalty in the 56th minute. Al-Nassr now sit in third place with 11 points.
In Friday’s other match, a difficult week for Al-Ahli — which saw them suffer a shock exit in the King’s Cup — got worse. They lost 1-0 at the hands of newly promoted Al-Qadsiah, thanks to a Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang penalty on 43 minutes, his first SPL goal for the Aramco-owned club.
Rain delays day two start of India-Bangladesh Test
- Bangladesh were 107-3 after being invited to bat on opening day of second Test
- Visitors lost first Test to India after shocking Pakistan 2-0 earlier this month
Kanpur, India: Rain on Saturday in the northern Indian city of Kanpur delayed the start of the second day’s play in the weather-hit second Test between India and Bangladesh.
Only 35 overs were possible on the opening day with Bangladesh 107-3 after being invited to bat first by India, who lead the two-match series 1-0.
Morning showers made the stadium workers cover the entire ground and more rain is forecast throughout the day.
Bad light took the players off the ground nine overs after lunch on Friday with Mominul Haque, on 40, Mushfiqur Rahim, on six, batting.
Heavy downpours followed on a day which started one hour late due to overnight rain, with the ground covered and officials called stumps after just 166 minutes of play.
India fast bowler Akash Deep removed the Bangladesh openers inside the first hour of play. Off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin sent back skipper Najmul Hossain Shanto, for 31, in the third over after lunch.
