‘Wonderful day’ for Marianne Vos as she wins Stage 2 of women’s Tour de France

‘Wonderful day’ for Marianne Vos as she wins Stage 2 of women’s Tour de France
Team Jumbo Visma's Dutch rider Marianne Vos celebrates as she crosses the finish line to win the 2nd stage of the new edition of the Women's Tour de France cycling race on July 25, 2022. (AFP)
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Updated 26 July 2022

‘Wonderful day’ for Marianne Vos as she wins Stage 2 of women’s Tour de France

‘Wonderful day’ for Marianne Vos as she wins Stage 2 of women’s Tour de France
  • For the 35-year-old Dutch rider, one of the great names of cycling with three world road championships and Olympic track gold among her many honors, this yellow jersey has a sense of unfinished business

PROVINS, France: Dutch rider Marianne Vos took over the yellow jersey in the women’s Tour de France with victory in a three-way sprint to win the second stage from Meaux to Provins on Monday.

Team Jumbo-Visma’s Vos edged out Silvia Persico and Katarzyna Niewiadoma to claim the jersey from compatriot Lorena Wiebes who finished 29 seconds behind in sixth place.

“It’s not revenge, it’s an absolutely wonderful day,” said Vos who finished second behind Wiebes in Sunday’s opening stage on the Champs-Elysees.

Trek-Segafredo’s Elisa Longo Borghini, winner of Paris-Roubaix and a definite contender for the yellow jersey in France, finished fourth in the stage, two seconds back.

Less fortunate was her Italian compatriot Marta Cavalli, winner of this year of the Amstel Gold and the Fleche-Wallonne and a potential winner of the overall title here.

The 24-year-old was taken to hospital after suffering a head injury in one of three nasty crashes in a last 30 kilometers where the crosswinds and gusts of up to 45 km/h made the riders jumpy about the prospect of a break in the peloton.

“We don’t have much news from Marta, she is suffering from a head injury,” said team manager Stephen Delcourt on arrival in Provins.

“We remain in contact with the doctor. She has been sent to the hospital to carry out a CT scan as a priority.”

The FDJ-Suez-Futuroscope rider was already on the ground when she was hit by Australian champion Nicole Frain who came flying through without braking.

Cavalli, who was runner-up on this year’s Giro d’Italia, climbed back on her bike but failed to finish the stage with the team pulling her out and sending her to hospital.

“She suffered a big shock. We didn’t want to take any risks,” said Delcourt.

“She wanted to carry on but the team said no. We don’t want to play with the lives of us runners.

“We are very worried. You saw the very spectacular crash and how dangerous our sport is. We really have to be careful. I am very worried for the safety of our riders.”

It was a bad day all round for FDJ as Danish rider Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig, their other potential challenger, got caught up in another crash and lost more than a minute to Vos, Longo Borghini and Niewiadoma.

In addition to Cavalli, another Italian Gaia Masetti also gave up as well as the German Laura Suessemilch, who is undergoing hospital tests for possible fractures, according to her Plantur-Pura team.

French rider Maeva Squiban finished the stage but “could not walk” on arrival, according to her team, Stade Rochelais, and “took an X-ray.”

For 35-year-old Vos, one of the great names of cycling with three world road championships and Olympic track gold among her many honors, this yellow jersey has a sense of unfinished business.

She won on the Champs-Elysees in 2014 in the first edition of La Course which took place on the last day of the men’s Tour de France, a race she helped to launch.

As a child she pressed her parents to take her to watch the Tour.

“We were going to Alpe d’Huez, to the sprint finishes, to Pau,” she said again at the start in Meaux on Monday. “That was how we spent our summer holidays, driving the course in our camping van.”

Vos now leads the general classification with a 10-second lead over Valcar rider Persico, with Niewiadoma of Canyon-SRAM two seconds further back.

Tuesday’s stage three should also suit the sprinters with a 133.6km ride through the Champagne region from Reims to Epernay. The race ends in Paris on Sunday.


Racism claims against ex-England captain Vaughan ‘not proved’

Racism claims against ex-England captain Vaughan ‘not proved’
Updated 31 March 2023

Racism claims against ex-England captain Vaughan ‘not proved’

Racism claims against ex-England captain Vaughan ‘not proved’
  • The Cricket Discipline Commission said it was "not satisfied on the balance of probabilities" that Vaughan had used the alleged words
  • In its concluding remarks the CDC report said: "This is not a case which necessitated a conclusion from the panel that anyone has lied or acted out of malice

LONDON: Former England cricket captain Michael Vaughan has been cleared “on the balance of probabilities” of using racist language before a Yorkshire match in 2009.
The 2005 Ashes-winning captain was alleged to have used the term “you lot” when referring to a group of four Yorkshire team-mates of South Asian ethnicity, including Pakistan-born Azeem Rafiq.
In a report released on Friday, the Cricket Discipline Commission said it was “not satisfied on the balance of probabilities” that Vaughan had used the alleged words.
It pointed out “significant inconsistencies” in how the two key witnesses — Rafiq and England bowler Adil Rashid — had recalled the wording that Vaughan allegedly used.
But it added that its findings “do not in any way undermine the wider assertions” made by Rafiq, who told lawmakers in November 2021 that English cricket was “institutionally racist.”
In its concluding remarks the CDC report said: “This is not a case which necessitated a conclusion from the panel that anyone has lied or acted out of malice.
“Far from it. The panel had to consider whether the case as presented to it by the ECB (England and Wales Cricket Board), in light of all the evidence, was sufficiently accurate and reliable, on the balance of probabilities, to rule out mistake. It was not.”
Vaughan, who appeared in person at a CDC hearing earlier this month to answer the charges brought by the ECB, said the process had taken a “toll” on him and his family and it had been “upsetting to hear about Rafiq’s experiences.
“The outcome of these CDC proceedings must not be allowed to detract from the core message that there can be no place for racism in the game of cricket, or in society generally,” the 48-year-old said in a statement on social media.
The former batsman, who has worked as a TV and radio pundit since his retirement added: “I have never wanted to do anything that runs contrary to genuine efforts to clean up the game of cricket.
“I truly hope people can understand why, on a personal level, I could not just accept, or apologize for, something which I know I did not do.”
Yorkshire accepted in September 2021 that Rafiq, now 32, had been the victim of racial harassment and bullying during his time at the club.
But they subsequently confirmed nobody would be disciplined, a decision that was greeted with widespread incredulity.
The scandal sparked an exodus of senior boardroom figures and 16 members of the club’s coaching and backroom staff were dismissed.
Former off-spinner Rafiq, who had two spells at Yorkshire, told a British parliamentary committee in December 2022 that the abuse he and his family had faced had forced him to leave the country.
The CDC panel upheld charges against five other former players and coaches, including England Test stars Tim Bresnan and Matthew Hoggard, in relation to the use of racist and/or discriminatory language.
None of the five attended the CDC hearing in London, with Hoggard saying the ECB’s disciplinary procedures had “failed everybody.”
Former Yorkshire and England player Gary Ballance, who now plays for his native Zimbabwe, admitted using racist and/or discriminatory language prior to the hearing.
Yorkshire admitted four amended charges against them, with the panel to disclose any sanctions against the club and the individuals at a later date.
In a statement on Twitter, Rafiq pointed out that charges against seven of the eight defendants had been upheld.
“This comes in addition to the other reports, panels and inquiries that found I and others suffered racial harassment and bullying while at Yorkshire,” he said.
“The issue has never been about individuals but the game as a whole. Cricket needs to understand the extent of its problems and address them.
“Hopefully, the structures of the game can now be rebuilt and institutionalized racism ended for good.”
ECB chairman Richard Thompson said cricket must learn from an “incredibly challenging period” to make the sport more inclusive.
“When Azeem Rafiq spoke out about his time in cricket, he exposed a side of our game which no one should have to experience,” he said. “We are grateful for his courage and perseverance.”


Haaland a doubt for Man City’s match against Liverpool

Haaland a doubt for Man City’s match against Liverpool
Updated 31 March 2023

Haaland a doubt for Man City’s match against Liverpool

Haaland a doubt for Man City’s match against Liverpool
  • The 22-year-old Haaland withdrew from the Norway squad for their European Championship qualifiers against Spain and Georgia
  • City manager Pep Guardiola said Friday he would make a decision on Haaland’s availability after the team’s final training session

MANCHESTER, England: Erling Haaland is a doubt for Manchester City’s match against Liverpool in the Premier League on Saturday as the striker recovers from a groin injury.
The 22-year-old Haaland withdrew from the Norway squad for their European Championship qualifiers against Spain and Georgia during the international break. His father, Alf-Inge, was quoted by Norwegian TV saying his son had traveled to Barcelona for treatment.
City manager Pep Guardiola said Friday he would make a decision on Haaland’s availability after the team’s final training session.
The team will definitely be without England winger Phil Foden, who underwent appendix surgery last weekend.
Guardiola said doctors told him that Foden would be out for “two-to-three weeks.”
Haaland’s fitness is more important, given he has scored 28 goals in the Premier League and 42 in all competitions during a prolific first season in English soccer.
City are second in the league, eight points behind Arsenal but with a game in hand.
The team have a busy April, including home-and-away games against Bayern Munich in the quarterfinals of the Champions League and an FA Cup semifinal match against Sheffield United, as it looks to remain in contention for three trophies.


Jaguar’s Mitch Evans says new race cities are growing Formula E

Jaguar’s Mitch Evans says new race cities are growing Formula E
Updated 31 March 2023

Jaguar’s Mitch Evans says new race cities are growing Formula E

Jaguar’s Mitch Evans says new race cities are growing Formula E
  • Crowd of 23,000 saw the 28-year-old make history by winning the inaugural Sao Paulo E-prix in Brazil

RIYADH: Jaguar TCS Racing driver, Mitch Evans, believes racing in more new locations around the world will help boost the popularity and profile of Formula E following his victory in the Sao Paulo E-Prix.

The 28-year-old made history by clinching an enthralling victory to become one of the first winners at the inaugural race in Brazil which was watched by more than 23,000 fans. The Kiwi held off Nick Cassidy (Envision Racing) and teammate Sam Bird to top the podium after the trio finished just half a second apart.

Sao Paulo was the latest new city that the drivers were competing in after Hyderabad and Cape Town were added to this season’s ABB FIA Formula E World Championship.

Evans, a runner-up in season eight, says racing in new locations around the world is key to attracting new fans and believes one would in future be held in his home country New Zealand.

“Formula E is a relatively young championship so it’s still in its growing phase. The more we can reach wider markets, increase the fanbase and take the championship to different parts of the world, the better it would be for the championship.

“Europe is definitely a home for motorsports and most of the big races take place there but other markets are also crucial for the competition’s growth. There have already been some new locations such as Sao Paulo, Cape Town and Hyderabad which were really exciting races.

“I do think there are markets that the championship can still reach. I would like to see a race happen in Australasia and if it was in New Zealand, it would be incredible. I’m sure that would come eventually.”

The win in Brazil is Evans’ first of the season and after disappointing results earlier in the season, he is happy to secure his first victory and hopes he can push for a title challenge. He is 47 points adrift of leader Porsche’s Pascal Wehrlein.

He added: “I felt the win should have come a little bit earlier in the season as I was in positions where I felt I could win a race before in the season. Winning was a relief but not a surprise. I felt I needed a big result with a win or podium and super happy to have won the race. There are enough races in the championship to catch up to the other drivers and I feel we have the team to build on this.”


On and off the pitch, Premier League caters to Muslims during Ramadan

On and off the pitch, Premier League caters to Muslims during Ramadan
Updated 31 March 2023

On and off the pitch, Premier League caters to Muslims during Ramadan

On and off the pitch, Premier League caters to Muslims during Ramadan
  • For the first time, English officials will provide iftar breaks for fasting players

Throughout Ramadan, many Muslims around the world find themselves counting down the hours till sunset when they can devour a lavish iftar.

Now imagine this same act of endurance as an elite athlete competing in intense professional sport.

For the first time, the English Premier League and Football League this year have asked match officials to cater to the needs of Muslim professional players.

With the Premier League restarting this weekend after the international break, the English Football Association has advised referees to provide an opportunity for Muslim players to break their fast during a match.

As the sport becomes more global and top athletes join from a range of backgrounds, it is inevitable that the presence of practicing Muslim footballers will increase in football. From Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah to Chelsea’s N’Golo Kante, some of the Premier League’s biggest superstars are devout Muslims.

During Ramadan, these athletes are pushed to their limits. Their normal training regime, which includes strict nutritional diets and regular intense physical sessions, is sent into disarray. With no food or drink through daylight hours, players’ energy levels can vary drastically during the Muslim holy month.

The move by the Premier League — one of the most lucrative sporting outfits in the world — to cater for its Muslim participants is not only a show of acceptance and inclusivity but also takes a stand against racism and islamophobia.

“The Premier League is the best for Muslim players to be in,” said Everton’s Abdoulaye Doucoure when speaking to BBC Sport. “We feel very confident here, very accepted.”

Such signs of progress and acceptance by the Premier League show that things have come a long way from the time when prejudiced spectators would describe images of Muslim fans praying at stadiums as a “disgrace.” 

This year will not be the first during which a Ramadan pause takes place in a Premier League match. In 2021, during a late kick-off match between Leicester City and Crystal Palace, an agreement between the clubs allowed for an iftar break.

This year, however, the Premier League has made such a pause a widespread guidance for all late kick-off matches, allowing Muslim players to take on energy gels and rehydrate themselves as soon as the sun sets.

However, there has been no evidence that fasting interferes with a player’s ability to perform at an elite level. A study by British sports university Loughborough concluded that “the available evidence indicates that high-level athletes can maintain performance during Ramadan.”

One prime example is Karim Benzema. In Real Madrid’s Champion’s League-winning campaign last year, he sensationally scored a hat-trick against Chelsea after fasting all day. The recommendation from sports scientists, however, is that “physical training, food and fluid intake, and sleep, are appropriate and well controlled” during Ramadan.

Sadio Mane, speaking to beIN Sports last year, described how Liverpool catered to his and his fellow Muslim teammates’ needs during Ramadan.

The players were monitored by the club’s nutritionist during pre-match preparations, while coach Jurgen Klopp agreed to reschedule training sessions to facilitate an easier Ramadan period for the team’s practicing Muslims.

This year, other clubs have taken this inclusivity to another level. Teams such as Chelsea and Brighton have for the first time organized open iftars in their stadiums; welcoming both Muslims and non-Muslims alike to break their fast, build a more hospitable community and learn about cultural differences.

Growing up as a Muslim football fan, it rarely felt that we were welcome at such sporting events. From champagne celebrations to a lack of understanding of what Ramadan means, I could even sense the divide at university-level football.

It is heart-warming to see that the English FA has scrapped champagne celebrations at cup finals, and has now provided Muslim players with appropriate and necessary breaks during Ramadan.

Let’s hope other leagues and sports around the world take a leaf out of the Premier League’s book.


Saudi’s Ziyad Almaayouf set for another major bout on Anthony Joshua undercard

Saudi’s Ziyad Almaayouf set for another major bout on Anthony Joshua undercard
Updated 31 March 2023

Saudi’s Ziyad Almaayouf set for another major bout on Anthony Joshua undercard

Saudi’s Ziyad Almaayouf set for another major bout on Anthony Joshua undercard
  • The 22-year-old boxer will face off against Georgi Velichkov of Bulgaria at London’s O2 Arena on Saturday

One of Saudi Arabia’s top boxing prospects is set to take another major step in his career on Saturday night.

Super lightweight boxing prospect Ziyad Almaayouf will face off against Georgi Velichkov of Bulgaria on the undercard of a heavyweight matchup between Anthony Joshua and Jermaine Franklin at the O2 Arena in the heart of London’s Docklands.

It will be the third time Almaayouf has fought on the undercard of a Joshua fight, with the two previous bouts taking place in Saudi Arabia.

Almaayouf told Arab News that his first fight outside of the Kingdom brought new pressures.

“The pressure is always there. The more you run from it, the more it runs after you, but, as a fighter, I have to stand there and be there,” he said. “(In this fight) I want to display defense, offense, composure — I am not only representing Saudi Arabia, but I am also representing boxing in Saudi Arabia.”

In clear recognition of his potential, Almaayouf, known by the nickname “Zizo,” will have a world-class trainer in his corner on Saturday night. That is because Almaayouf is trained by Buddy McGirt, a former world champion in two weight classes.

McGirt has trained former heavyweight champion Hasim Rahman and is the current coach of WBO middleweight world champion Zhanibek Alimkhanuly of Kazakhstan.

“I studied McGirt long before I knew him as coach, he is one of the figures that has been inspirational to me in the sport of boxing. The other is His Royal Highness Prince Khaled (Al-Saud), who has always been there for me,” Almaayouf said.

Almaayouf is not sure if his next fight will be in Saudi Arabia, but he is excited to see the growth of the sport in the country of his birth.

“It all starts with exposure, which starts to build fighters — that’s how we build fighters who show heart (in the ring). We need to be patient because that comes through the trials, turbulence, and failure in the ring. You can’t teach it. This is a tough business.”

Almaayouf is quick with a smile, and his affable personality has already won him many fans in Saudi Arabia and beyond. While being taught an entirely different sport, the young Almaayouf first became interested in boxing.

As a young tennis student, a chance encounter with a boxing class changed the trajectory of his life. The 22-year-old began training for the sport at age 11. Only COVID-19 prevented him from representing Saudi Arabia at the Tokyo Olympics and he proudly wears the Saudi emblem on his warmup jacket.

“I saw some people while training for tennis. These boxing students didn’t have a place (to train) and would use the track next to us. I saw them, and I remember thinking, who is Saudi Arabia? Who in the Arab world ever achieved in boxing? I wanted to be involved in that.”

Almaayouf speaks with pride about what the sport has achieved in Saudi Arabia in just a few short years — from heavyweight world title fights to the growth of boxing gyms across the country. Almaayouf wants to be a part of that evolving story.

“I am proud to be here as an ambassador for Saudi Arabia and its athletes, which, guided by Vision 2030, is the fastest growing economy in the world, and sport is part of that vision.”