Birthday boy Thomas resists Roglic assault to stay in Giro pink

Birthday boy Thomas resists Roglic assault to stay in Giro pink
Overall leader's pink jersey, INEOS Grenadiers's Geraint Thomas (R) and Jumbo-Visma's Primoz Roglic ride in the last climb during the 18TH stage of the Giro d'Italia 2023 cycling race on Friday. (AFP)
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Updated 26 May 2023

Birthday boy Thomas resists Roglic assault to stay in Giro pink

Birthday boy Thomas resists Roglic assault to stay in Giro pink
  • Thomas, the 2018 Tour de France champion, is bidding to become the oldest Giro champion
  • The stage was ridden in sunshine after much of the first two weeks of the three-week race was run in the cold and wet

ZOLDO ALTO, Italy: Geraint Thomas said he had a “decent day” on his 37th birthday on Thursday as he kept the Giro d’Italia’s leader’s pink jersey and withstood an attack by Primoz Roglic that shook off all the other leading contenders.

On the first of three brutal days in the Dolomites, local boy Filippo Zana edged French veteran Thibaut Pinot in an exhausted dash to the line to win the 18th stage of the race.

Down the mountain, Roglic, paced by teammate Sepp Kuss, went on the attack from the group of leading riders.

The Jumbo-Visma pair quickly dropped all their main rivals except Ineos’ Welshman Thomas who stuck to Slovenian Roglic’s rear wheel and celebrated his birthday by keeping the leader’s pink jersey.

Thomas, the 2018 Tour de France champion, is bidding to become the oldest Giro champion.

Italian Fiorenzo Magni was 34 years and 180 days old when he won in 1955.

UAE Team Emirates’ Joao Almeida dropped down to third overall, after finishing ninth near the Austrian border.

“Decent day,” said Thomas.

“To gain time on Almeida and not get dropped by Primoz is a good day — a solid day for sure.

“I felt pretty good, pretty in control<” he said of his battle with Roglic.

“In the last two kilometers he really squeezed on again. He was really strong but I’m happy with how I was,” Thomas added.

He remained 29 seconds ahead of Roglic who took back the second place he lost to Joao Almeida on Tuesday.

“Primoz had a bad day the other day, Almeida today. I’ve just got to keep being consistent. Just take it day by day, climb by climb,” Thomas said.

After the top three there is a gap to Irishman Eddy Dunbar who is fourth at 2 minutes, 39 seconds.

Marc Reef, Jumbo-Visma’s sports director, said his team planned to keep attacking Thomas.

“Thomas showed he is really, really strong and in perfect condition,” said Reef.

“Only one moment of weakness is necessary to crack him and that’s what we’ll fight for,” he added.

The stage was ridden in sunshine after much of the first two weeks of the three-week race was run in the cold and wet.

In the tough conditions, the field has been thinned by illness, with favorite Remco Evenepoel and Thomas’s team-mate Filippo Ganna among those dropping out with Covid-19, and crashes, which claimed, among other, two more Ineos riders Tao Geoghegan Hart and Pavel Sivakov.

“What is a big thing from today is that the mental aspect is playing a role after those hard weeks we’ve had and we can look with a lot of confidence to tomorrow,” said Reef.

Pinot, who is retiring at the end of the season, drove the breakaway on as he collected enough points to take the King of the Mountains classification lead. He also climbed to seventh overall, 4min 43sec behind Thomas.

However, he lost out on a stage victory in the final climb to the line for the second time in four days.

Zana, the Italian champion, is part of the Jayco-Alula team and was racing on home roads in north-east Italy.

“I played my cards right in the final in the sprint,” he said.

“It was an opportunity of those that come around a few times in life and I took it.”

Friday’s 19th stage is a 183km ride from Longarone to Tre Cime di Lavaredo that includes five significant peaks.

Saturday’s penultimate stage is a ferocious 18.6km uphill time trial.


Brazil court seeks arrest of LA Galaxy’s Costa for failing to pay child support

Brazil court seeks arrest of LA Galaxy’s Costa for failing to pay child support
Updated 54 min 25 sec ago

Brazil court seeks arrest of LA Galaxy’s Costa for failing to pay child support

Brazil court seeks arrest of LA Galaxy’s Costa for failing to pay child support
  • The 32-year-old Costa cannot be arrested outside Brazil, according to the court’s ruling

SAO PAULO: A Brazilian court is seeking the arrest of L.A. Galaxy striker Douglas Costa for failing to pay for child support.
An attorney for the Brazilian striker said on Tuesday in a statement that he trusts the decision by a judge in the city of Porto Alegre will be reversed. Details of the case are sealed.
The 32-year-old Costa cannot be arrested outside Brazil, according to the court’s ruling, which was issued on Friday.
Costa has played for Brazil, Bayern Munich and Juventus. He signed a deal with the Major League Soccer team in February 2022, and it runs to December.


Forwards Nkunku, Dembélé recalled by France for Euro qualifiers

Forwards Nkunku, Dembélé recalled by France for Euro qualifiers
Updated 31 May 2023

Forwards Nkunku, Dembélé recalled by France for Euro qualifiers

Forwards Nkunku, Dembélé recalled by France for Euro qualifiers
  • The two strikers were included in coach Didier Deschamps’ squad for upcoming European Championship qualifiers against Gibraltar and Greece
  • France top the Group B standings in qualifying after back-to-back wins against the Netherlands and Ireland

PARIS: Christopher Nkunku and Ousmane Dembélé were recalled Wednesday to France’s national team.
The two strikers were included in coach Didier Deschamps’ squad for upcoming European Championship qualifiers against Gibraltar and Greece after missing Les Bleus’ previous games due to injury.
France top the Group B standings in qualifying after back-to-back wins against the Netherlands and Ireland. The two-time world champions take on Gibraltar in Portugal on June 16, then host Greece three days later at the Stade de France.
Nkunku, who plays for RB Leipzig in the Bundesliga, has been sidelined for months due to a knee injury while Barcelona’s Dembele missed a series of games due to a hamstring problem.
Deschamps will be without the injured Paul Pogba and N’Golo Kanté, with William Saliba also missing because of a back injury.
France squad:
Goalkeepers: Alphonse Areola (West Ham), Mike Maignan (AC Milan), Brice Samba (Lens)
Defenders: Axel Disasi (Monaco), Wesley Fofana (Chelsea), Theo Hernandez (AC Milan), Ibrahima Konaté (Liverpool), Jules Koundé (Barcelona), Ferland Mendy (Real Madrid), Benjamin Pavard (Bayern Munich), Dayot Upamecano (Bayern Munich)
Midfielders: Eduardo Camavinga (Real Madrid), Youssouf Fofana (Monaco), Antoine Griezmann (Atlético Madrid), Adrien Rabiot (Juventus), Aurélien Tchouaméni (Real Madrid),
Forwards: Kingsley Coman (Bayern Munich), Ousmane Dembélé (Barcelona), Olivier Giroud (AC Milan), Randal Kolo Muani (Eintracht Frankfurt), Kylian Mbappé (Paris Saint-Germain), Christopher Nkunku (RB Leipzig), Marcus Thuram (Borussia Mönchengladbach).


Meet Kash Shaikh, man bringing ‘baseball diplomacy’ to Middle East, South Asia

Meet Kash Shaikh, man bringing ‘baseball diplomacy’ to Middle East, South Asia
Updated 31 May 2023

Meet Kash Shaikh, man bringing ‘baseball diplomacy’ to Middle East, South Asia

Meet Kash Shaikh, man bringing ‘baseball diplomacy’ to Middle East, South Asia
  • Houston, Texas native is chairman, CEO of Baseball United, 1st pro baseball league focused on Middle East, Indian subcontinent
  • Kash Shaikh: ‘It’s a fascinating thing. I run my businesses, including Baseball United, our team, our culture, we run it like a sports team’

DUBAI: For Kash Shaikh, it is all about “bringing people together.”

It, in this case, is the monumental task of bringing professional baseball to the Middle East and South Asia. He described it as “baseball diplomacy.”

Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Baseball United, the first-ever professional baseball league focused on the Middle East and Indian subcontinent, Shaikh told Arab News: “Everyone on our leadership team is a lifelong baseball fan.

“We’ve been connected to the game, either as executives or players or fans, for really our whole life. We have a collective 500 years of baseball experience within our leadership team.

“About a year-and-a-half ago, we all came together with this idea, this vision to grow the game of baseball. And as we were thinking through the potential opportunities with the game, what we realised pretty quickly was that the biggest opportunity for growth was international. And the best place for that growth would be the Middle East and South Asia, for a few reasons.”

He referred to his target region as “the epicenter of bat and ball sports,” with more than 1 billion cricket fans.

Shaikh said: “It’s also a region that’s fully embracing sport and investing in sport. Dubai, and the UAE is a big example, so too is Saudi Arabia, Qatar, obviously, and other countries throughout the region.

“And it’s a region where this is a completely white-space opportunity from a business and a brand-building standpoint. There are no professional baseball leagues in the region, we’re the first, and there’s not much professional baseball and baseball infrastructure at all within the region.

“There are passionate people who love the game though. There are kids who have tools and talent, there are coaches who want to teach, there are federations speckled across the region that have been working really hard for decades, but just haven’t got the resources, the funding, and the support that are necessary to grow. We call those nations, the forgotten nations of baseball,” he added.

There are currently 141 members of the World Baseball Softball Confederation, the sport’s governing body. Most of those beyond the top 30 were considered among the so-called forgotten nations. “That’s our constituency,” he said.

“The fan base is there, people don't realize there’s actually over 50 million avid baseball fans within India and over 60 million avid baseball fans within the region. That’s more avid baseball fans than we have in the United States right now. So, it’s a huge, huge opportunity.”

When it came to picking a base of operation for the new project, Shaikh opted for a location he had become familiar with over the years.

“Dubai is amazing. The leadership is amazing. The government vision is inspiring. When the UAE and Dubai get behind sport, it really step-changes the engagement across the region.

“We’ve seen what has happened with golf in the region. We’ve seen what’s happened with MMA, we’ve seen what’s happened with F1. And actually, there are more avid baseball fans than there are avid golf fans, MMA fans, or F1 fans in the region.

“Everything about Dubai, the infrastructure, the leadership, the innovation, the beauty of the city, was what drew us to the city,” he added.

Shaikh was born in Houston, Texas to a father from Mumbai and a mother from Islamabad. After attending The University of Texas at Austin — where he founded the first ever South Asian fraternity in the US — he worked for American multi-national corporation Procter and Gamble for 10 years, and had a stint with GoPro, before going on to start several successful businesses of his own.

His career allowed him to spend long stretches of time in the Middle East region.

Getting Baseball United off the ground has been far from easy, but Shaikh pointed out that he had the right partners to make it a success.

He said: “I’m grateful for the partners we have on the ground. We’ve got a great, great relationship with the Sports Council, we’ve got a great relationship with Dubai Sports City. And we wouldn’t be able to do this without them.”

Already two franchises have been established, the first being the Mumbai Cobras and the second — following recent talks with the Pakistan Federation Baseball — the Karachi Monarchs. Once the last two of the initial group of four are named, eyes will turn to Dubai in November.

“We’re starting in November, with our first four franchises playing a Showcase event in Dubai. Nov. 5 through 12, we’re calling Baseball Week in Dubai. And we’ll have a series of different events that are going to be exciting for fans and for people within the region that we’re going to announce soon. That week will culminate on Nov. 10 through 12, with the Showcase.”

The action, involving four games, will take place at the 25,000-capacity Dubai International Stadium, one of cricket’s homes in the UAE.

“If we can get 5,000 people in the stands, we’re going to be doing great. We’ll probably be setting records for leagues,” he added.

The next big landmark date after that for Baseball United will be November 2024, when an eight-franchise league will be launched in Dubai.

Shaikh noted that 800 players, from 30 countries, currently on Baseball United’s database had been vetted and scouted, with 200 already notified that they had made the list to potentially to play in the Showcase in November, as well as in 2024’s Season 1.

He said: “We have some of the best players from Finland, some of the best players from the Dominican Republic, we have some of the best players from the Far East, coming to play in the league. We have some really exciting former Major League Baseball players too, and that’s going to be cool when announced. So, we have those as the core.”

The next step in terms of rosters will be to introduce local talent, whether from existing national teams, or through grass-roots projects and training programs in the region — starting with India and Pakistan and then expanding into the Middle East.

“We’re going to be in Saudi Arabia (in June) meeting with the federation there, so I’m really excited,” Shaikh added.

An array of baseball stars past and present have in recent months backed Baseball United, not just through endorsements, but by investing their own money in the project. Among them are Felix Hernandez, Adrian Beltre, Mariano Rivera, and Barry Larkin, as well as Elvis Andrus, still an active player with the Chicago White Sox.

“There’s no way we could have done this without our Major League Baseball legends who’ve come on board. They’ve added credibility, they’ve driven excitement. And they have also ensured that the culture of the organization is focused on not just building a business and making money, but helping people, inspiring people, building community, and changing culture, all those things that I’ve been passionate about.

“They’re calling me all the time asking what’s up, what’s next?”

Shaikh was a big sports fan growing up in Texas and played basketball through college, and he has carried his experiences into his career, in particular the new venture.

He said: “It’s a fascinating thing. We run our businesses, including Baseball United, like a sports team.

“We have a culture that’s about camaraderie and accountability and discipline. I feel really blessed because I played team sports my whole life, I’m passionate about it.”


Djokovic back in action at French Open after Kosovo controversy

Djokovic back in action at French Open after Kosovo controversy
Updated 31 May 2023

Djokovic back in action at French Open after Kosovo controversy

Djokovic back in action at French Open after Kosovo controversy
  • Djokovic scrawled the message "Kosovo is the heart of Serbia. Stop the violence" on a camera following his first-round match
  • "It was a message that is very activist, that is very political," Amelie Oudea-Castera told broadcaster France 2

PARIS: Novak Djokovic will take to Court Philippe Chatrier in Wednesday’s French Open night session under fire for his recent comments about clashes in Kosovo, after world number one Carlos Alcaraz also plays in the second round.
Djokovic, who is chasing a men’s record 23rd Grand Slam singles title at Roland Garros, scrawled the message “Kosovo is the heart of Serbia. Stop the violence” on a camera following his first-round match.
The 36-year-old faces Hungarian Marton Fucsovics for a place in the last 32 but the focus has been on his political views, with the French sports minister on Wednesday condemning the two-time Roland Garros champion.
“It was a message that is very activist, that is very political,” Amelie Oudea-Castera told broadcaster France 2.
“You shouldn’t get involved, especially in the current circumstances, and it shouldn’t happen again.”
She added that tournament director Amelie Mauresmo had spoken to Djokovic and his entourage.
Thirty peacekeepers from a NATO-led force in Kosovo were injured in clashes with ethnic Serb demonstrators on Monday during protests about the installation of ethnic Albanian mayors in northern Kosovo.
“Kosovo is our cradle, our stronghold, center of the most important things for our country... There are many reasons why I wrote that on the camera,” Djokovic told Serb media after writing his message.
Djokovic will be hoping for less drama on the court against an opponent he has beaten four times in as many meetings.
He has not failed to reach the third round of a Grand Slam tournament since the 2017 Australian Open.
In Wednesday’s early action, Stefanos Tsitsipas cruised into the third round with a straight-sets win over Spaniard Roberto Carballes Baena.
The Greek fifth seed, the runner-up to Djokovic in 2021, claimed a 6-3, 7-6 (7/4), 6-2 win on Court Suzanne Lenglen.
Tsitsipas will next face either Argentinian Diego Schwartzman or Portugal’s Nuno Borges for a place in the second week.
Elina Svitolina battled back from a break and a set down to beat Storm Hunter, just 12 hours after her husband Gael Monfils’ late-night escape act.
Ukrainian Svitolina, playing at a Grand Slam event for the first time since the 2022 Australian Open, downed qualifier Hunter 2-6, 6-3, 6-1.
Home favorite Monfils claimed his first win in nine months in a five-set first-round thriller against Sebastian Baez which finished after midnight in the early hours of Wednesday morning.
“Yes, I watched him, but not live. I was screaming in my room so if someone heard me, it was me cheering for Gael,” said Svitolina, who was being supported on Court Simonne Mathieu by Monfils.
American third seed Jessica Pegula booked her spot in the last 32 when opponent Camila Giorgi retired injured after losing the first set 6-2.
Former champion Jelena Ostapenko crashed out, though, losing 6-3, 1-6, 6-2 to the United States’ Peyton Stearns.
Later, Alcaraz continues his bid for a second major title against Japan’s Taro Daniel, while world number two Aryna Sabalenka plays Iryna Shymanovich in an all-Belarusian women’s tie.


Dubai to host 6th edition of Vice President’s Jiu-Jitsu Cup

Dubai to host 6th edition of Vice President’s Jiu-Jitsu Cup
Updated 31 May 2023

Dubai to host 6th edition of Vice President’s Jiu-Jitsu Cup

Dubai to host 6th edition of Vice President’s Jiu-Jitsu Cup
  • Competitions across several age categories will take place June 3-4 at Shabab Al-Ahli Club

DUBAI: The sixth edition of the Vice President’s Jiu-Jitsu Cup is set to kick off on Saturday at the Shabab Al-Ahli Club in Dubai, with club and academy athletes from throughout the UAE taking to the mat.

The event, organized by the UAE Jiu-Jitsu Federation, will take place on June 3 to 4 and will feature competitions across categories including under-14s, 16s, and 18s, and adults.

The championship, which was initially introduced in 2018, will feature an open belt format.

With prize money of more than 1 million Emirati dirhams ($272,000), the tournament is among the three local competitions that allow clubs and academies from throughout the country to vie for the coveted title. The other two are the Jiu-Jitsu President’s Cup and the Mother of the Nation Jiu-Jitsu Cup.

Mohammed Salem Al-Dhaheri, deputy chairman of the UAEJJF, said: “The Vice President’s Cup serves as a launching pad for new jiu-jitsu talents in the UAE, propelling them toward excellence and the opportunity to represent the national team.

“The local championships organized by the UAEJJF are on a par with the highest standards of major international championships in terms of technical and organizational aspects.

“Clubs and academies are eager to have their athletes participate in these competitions, as they provide a unique environment for them to test their skills,” he added.

Al-Dhaheri praised the efforts of participating academies and clubs in helping to strengthen the global leadership of the UAE in the self-defense martial art and solidifying its position as the world capital for the sport.