PARIS: Ukrainian Sports Minister Matviy Bidnyi says “the Russians wanted his country to cease to exist” but instead over two years on from the invasion, “the opposite has happened” at the Paris Olympics.
“Ukrainians are here, Ukraine is participating in the Olympic Games,” he said on the eve of the opening ceremony.
Bidnyi, who replaced Vadym Gutzeit as sports minister last November, said sport’s greatest show spread over a fortnight in Paris — and televised around the globe — would for Ukraine “primarily be a big screen to the world.”
Despite heavily disrupted preparations, with some athletes leaving Ukraine, others being killed and training facilities destroyed since Russia invaded on February 24, 2022, Ukraine is still sending a 143-strong team to Paris.
“We need to remind the world that Ukraine exists, is fighting, and is capable of winning,” Bidnyi told AFP by email on Thursday.
“Under the coordination of the Office of the President of Ukraine, we plan a large campaign to best explain that the very fact we perform under the Ukrainian flag in Paris is a great display of willpower.”
Ukraine won 19 medals in Tokyo in 2021, but Bidnyi says under the vastly different circumstances this year there was a different bar to be set.
“We believe in every Ukrainian athlete and wish to win all the medals,” said the 44-year-old body builder.
“But the truth is broader — every Ukrainian athlete at the Olympic Games is a hero who is already a winner.
“At the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, few believed we would stand.
“But we did, Ukrainian defenders stopped the Kremlin’s onslaught.”
Bidnyi said he could not be prouder that the athletes had managed to remain focused enough to qualify for Paris in their respective sports.
“Ukrainian athletes have proudly overcome the incredible hardships brought about by the Russian war,” he said.
“The killing of loved ones, the destruction of homes and stadiums, endless relocations — these are challenges that all Ukrainians, particularly athletes, constantly face.”
Ukrainian athletes, coaches and the country’s sporting infrastructure have not been spared from the destruction wreaked by Russia since their forces invaded in February 2022.
Ukraine co-hosted the European football championships as recently as 2012.
“Sports infrastructure has suffered significant losses — that’s true,” he said.
“The Russians damaged and destroyed more than 500 sports facilities, including 15 Olympic training bases across the country.
“But we can rebuild the sports infrastructure. However, we will never be able to bring back the killed athletes.”
Bidnyi said he dreads waking up to receive new figures about dead and wounded athletes and coaches.
“Every morning, I receive an SMS with updates on how many Ukrainian athletes and coaches the Russians have killed,” he said.
“Almost every day, this number increases. As of now, the Russians have killed 488 Ukrainian athletes and coaches.
“Among them are dozens of world and European champions, participants of previous Olympic Games, who should have been in Paris now but were killed by Russia.”
Those who have made it through to Paris have done so in the most trying of circumstances, says Bidnyi.
“Ukrainian rower Anastasia Rybychok lost her home and training base in Kherson,” he said.
“They were first bombed by the Russians and then flooded after the Russians blew up the Kakhovka Hydroelectric Station.
“Because of Russian terror, we experience power outages. Our athletes have to train in gyms without air conditioning or ventilation simply because there is no electricity.
“Many Ukrainian athletes have lost loved ones due to the war.”
Bidnyi says he is delighted that under constant pressure from his office and others the International Olympic Committee have vastly restricted the number of Russians and Belarusians competing in Paris and ordered them to compete under a neutral flag. They are banned from the opening ceremony.
Russia sent a team of 330 to Tokyo “and today there will be a maximum of 15 people without a state, without a flag, without an anthem, without any possibility of hinting where they came from.”
Olympics serves as reminder Ukraine still exists, says sports minister
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Olympics serves as reminder Ukraine still exists, says sports minister
- “We need to remind the world that Ukraine exists, is fighting, and is capable of winning,” Bidnyi said
- Ukraine won 19 medals in Tokyo in 2021, but Bidnyi says under the vastly different circumstances this year there was a different bar to be set
Pakistan says head coach to scout for cricketing talent in domestic event after dismal performances
- Pakistan have been reeling after their first-ever Test series loss to Bangladesh this month, the latest in a string of poor performances
- The defeat came hard on the heels of chastening losses against Afghanistan and United States in the ODI and T20 World Cups respectively
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s head coach Gary Kirsten will be scouting for cricketing talent in the upcoming Champions Cup, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) said on Saturday, following a series of dismal performances by the national side.
Pakistan have been left reeling after their first-ever Test series loss to Bangladesh this month, the latest in a string of poor performances which have seen the game hit rock bottom.
The cricket-mad nation was left in despair after losing the second Test in Rawalpindi by six wickets on Tuesday as Bangladesh swept the series 2-0. It was the 10th winless home Test in a row for former powerhouses Pakistan.
However, the PCB has set its sights on the inaugural Champions One-Day Cup, due to take place at Iqbal Stadium in Faisalabad from September 12 to 29, to find new cricketing talent in the country.
“Pakistan’s white-ball head coach Gary Kirsten will be arriving on 12 September to witness the entire Champions One-Day Cup and it will surely be exciting for him to work in the domestic circuit in order to look into the young talent with an eye on the upcoming white-ball assignments in Australia, Zimbabwe, South Africa, followed by the home tri-national series and the ICC Champions Trophy 2025,” Nadeem Khan, a senior PCB official, was quoted as saying by the board.
“The Champions One-Day Cup will help us unearth future white-ball prospects for the Pakistan’s white-ball teams, also marking the start of the preparation for the upcoming ICC Champions Trophy 2025. Having the Champions Cup in September will allow us to give an extended opportunity to the top performers of this tournament in International cricket before the mega-event commences home.”
Team mentors of the five sides in the tournament include Misbah-ul-Haq (Wolves), Saqlain Mushtaq (Panthers), Sarfaraz Ahmed (Dolphins), Shoaib Malik (Stallions) and Waqar Younis (Lions). The PCB also announced captains and provisional squads on Friday.
The tournament featuring top players from across the country will be a 50-over competition played on a single-league format. All matches will start at 3pm, except for the match between Lions and Panthers on September 16, which will begin at 9:30am.
Pakistan’s loss to Bangladesh came hard on the heels of chastening losses against Afghanistan and the USA in the ODI and T20 World Cups respectively.
Pakistan also have a dismal record in Tests at home in the past three years — six defeats and four draws, including England’s first-ever 3-0 series sweep there in 2022.
Ominously, in-form England are Pakistan’s next visitors and will play three Tests beginning in Multan on October 7.
Pakistan are not faring any better away from home and lost all three Tests in Australia earlier this year — their sixth successive whitewash there since 1999.
Analysts say frequent changes at the top of the PCB, which has had five chairmen in the past three years, have impeded progress. There have also been constant switches of captains and coaching staff while the domestic system of tournaments has had countless overhauls.
PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi himself called for “surgery in the system” after the T20 World Cup exit.
“We need to fix our problems,” he said last month. “But when we look at how to resolve them, we don’t have any solid data or player pool which we can draw from.”
Ex-skipper Wasim Akram echoed Naqvi’s analysis.
“The quality of our cricket has gone down with no grassroots activity, so we do not have proper back-ups,” he said recently. “We have a lot to work on.”
French tennis player takes legal action over online abuse
- The 23-year-old’s complaint to Paris prosecutors also denounced identity theft
- Tubello claimed the defeat triggered a wave of hatred from sports bettors through her social media accounts
PARIS: French tennis player Alice Tubello has filed a complaint over online abuse from sports bettors following 300 hateful messages she received after a recent defeat, a source close to the case told AFP on Saturday.
The 23-year-old’s complaint to Paris prosecutors also denounced identity theft after a false Facebook page, now closed, was created in her name and posted slurs targeting her family.
The 219-ranked player said she received a torrent of abuse after losing in the quarter-finals in Arequipa, Peru, last month to local player Dana Guzman.
Tubello claimed the defeat triggered a wave of hatred from sports bettors through her social media accounts.
Contacted by AFP, Tubello slammed “recurring abuses with sports betting, sponsors of the world tennis organization.”
“Whether it’s a victory or a defeat, every time after a match, I receive hate messages,” she said.
“I’ve even had punters come behind the fence on my property.
“Security has increased at tournaments, but there is still this phenomenon of online abuse under the cover of anonymity.”
The content of the fake Facebook page, presenting her father as “a paedophile” or publishing racist messages, were particularly distressing.
“They touched my family, I will not give up,” she insisted, hopeful that investigators can identify and arrest those involved.
Fellow French tennis player Caroline Garcia also recently shared some of the disparaging messages she has received in the wake of defeats, citing “unhealthy betting” as a driver of social media abuse of players.
After her US Open first round defeat, Garcia shared “just a few” of the messages, including one telling her to shoot herself and another saying “I hope your mom dies soon.”
“Tournaments and the sport keeps partnering with betting companies, which keep attracting new people to unhealthy betting,” former world number four Garcia said.
“The days of cigarette brands sponsoring sports are long gone. Yet, here we are promoting betting companies, which actively destroy the life of some people.”
Liverpool ‘colossus’ Ron Yeats dies aged 86
- The ex-Scotland defender was part of the Liverpool side that won the Second Division title under Bill Shankly in 1962
- He had been living with Alzheimer’s disease in recent years
LONDON: Former Liverpool captain Ron Yeats, who led the club to their first FA Cup and two top-flight titles, has died aged 86, the Premier League side announced on Saturday.
The ex-Scotland defender was part of the Liverpool side that won the Second Division title under Bill Shankly in 1962 and went on to win the old First Division twice, the FA Cup in 1965 and the Charity Shield three times.
He had been living with Alzheimer’s disease in recent years.
“Liverpool FC is mourning the passing of legendary former captain Ron Yeats,” read a club statement. “In the words of Bill Shankly, a ‘colossus’ in club history.
“The thoughts of everyone at LFC are with Ron’s wife, Ann, all of his family and his friends at this incredibly sad time.
“Flags across club sites will be lowered to half-mast today as a mark of respect.”
Yeats was signed from Dundee United in July 1961 by Shankly, who invited journalists to “take a walk around him, he’s a colossus” at the 6ft 2in (1.87 meter) defender’s unveiling.
Yates took over as captain within six months and went on to make 454 appearances over more than a decade at Anfield.
His record 417-match run as Reds skipper was only broken by Steven Gerrard in the last decade.
He left to become Tranmere’s player-manager for three years, followed by a brief spell in the United States before returning to Anfield in 1986 as chief scout for two decades.
Yeats also won two caps for Scotland.
Trump, Williams reach final of Saudi Arabia Snooker Masters
- Top seed Judd Trump will take on 3-time world champion Mark Williams on Saturday
RIYADH: Top seed and tournament favorite Judd Trump will take on Mark Williams in the Saudi Arabia Snooker Masters final on Saturday night at the Green Halls in Riyadh after victories over Shaun Murphy and Si Jiahui respectively.
On the penultimate day of this year’s inaugural event, billed as “The Battle on the Baize,” Trump and Williams reached the final after coming through two tight contests on Friday.
The world No. 1 Trump went into a 3-0 lead, but Murphy came back strongly by taking the fourth frame with a 65 break before clinching the fifth on the final black ball.
Trump twice regained a two-frame advantage thereafter, leading 4-2 and 5-3 before Murphy leveled the match at 5-5 to force a decider.
In a tense final frame where both had opportunities to take frame and match, Trump capitalized on an uncharacteristic Murphy miss on the last green to seal victory and reach a 46th ranking event final.
“That was a very tough semifinal,” Trump said. “He fought back well and at one point looked like he would win. I let it slip away at times, and when you miss those chances sometimes you get punished.
“I managed to get over the line in the end with a bit of drama and I’m looking forward to tomorrow. It will be a great occasion and a great final for the fans.”
Awaiting “The Ace in the Pack” in Saturday’s best-of-19 showpiece is Welshman Williams, who defeated Chinese wonderkid Si 6-3.
The world No. 9 reeled off four successive frames after going one behind to the 22-year-old, leading 4-1 before eventually closing out the match 6-3.
In another high-quality semifinal, Williams — who will appear in the 42nd ranking event final of his career — made four half-century breaks, with his opponent knocking in breaks of 109 and 136.
The first ever Saudi Arabia Snooker Masters final takes place over two sessions on Saturday, starting at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m., crowning the inaugural champion of snooker’s first international major in Riyadh.
Al-Nassr star Ronaldo calls Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea his ‘second home’, describes AlUla as ‘spiritual’
Al-Nassr star Ronaldo calls Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea his ‘second home’, describes AlUla as ‘spiritual’
DUBAI: Portuguese football star Ronaldo, who plays for Al-Nassr, said that it was easy for him and his family adapting to Saudi Arabia after signing with the Saudi football club to a two-and-a-half-year contract.
“To be honest, I am really happy to be there [Saudi Arabia],” Ronaldo said in an interview former Portuguese footballer, Rio Ferdinand.
“For me the adaptation was easy, and I really love it to be there,” he said. “It is a lovely country; I love to be there; my family loves to be there.”
Ronaldo was one of the first top-name recruits to the Saudi Pro League at the start of 2023, which paved the way for entry of other big-league players from Europe.
The five-time Ballon d’Or winner began his club career with Portuguese side Sporting CP before joining Manchester United in 2003. Ronaldo moved to Spanish La Liga giants Real Madrid after six seasons at United. He then played for two years with Juventus before making a return to the Red Devils in 2021 where he played until 2023, before departing for the Saudi Pro League.
Ronaldo became the first man to score 900 career goals after tapping in the ball at the 34th minute of Portugal’s UEFA Nations League group stage match against Croatia in Lisbon, which they won 2-1.
The Portuguese football star called Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea his “second house,” adding that he loves to spend time there with his family.
“The Red Sea which is my second home or [even my] first home is unbelievable like a diamond,” he said, adding that it is “one of the most beautiful places” he has ever been to.
Ronaldo also spoke on AlUla, an increasingly famous tourist spot in Saudi Arabia’s northwest located near two oases, Khaybar and Tayma.
“It is beautiful because it is spiritual, you can feel the energy there. I felt it as well, to be honest,” the Portuguese star said.
“Even in the mountains they have snow. People in Saudi [Arabia]? Yes, they have snow. They have everything, so it is a lovely country.”
