Saudi Arabia’s bid to host 2034 World Cup has received the highest-ever rating: FIFA

Saudi Arabia’s bid to host 2034 World Cup has received the highest-ever rating: FIFA
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File photo showing Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman officially announcing the Kingdom's bid to host the FIFA World Cup™ 2034. (SPA)
Saudi Arabia’s bid to host 2034 World Cup has received the highest-ever rating: FIFA
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Saudi delegation led by Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki bin Faisal, minister of sport and president of the Saudi Olympic and Paralympic Committee, and Yasser Al-Misehal, Saudi Arabian Football Federation president, submitted the Kingdom's bid book to FIFA to host the FIFA World Cup 2034™ at a ceremony hosted in Paris, France, in July 2024. (SPA file photo)
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Updated 30 November 2024
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Saudi Arabia’s bid to host 2034 World Cup has received the highest-ever rating: FIFA

Saudi Arabia’s bid to host 2034 World Cup has received the highest-ever rating: FIFA
  • Last October, a FIFA delegation arrived in the Kingdom to review details of the bid and inspect the facilities to be used for the event
  • Games will be played in 15 stadiums distributed across Riyadh, Jeddah, Alkhobar, Abha and NEOM, plus ten other hosting sites

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s bid to host the FIFA World Cup 2034 has received a rating of 419.8 out of 500, the highest technical rating ever given by the International Federation of Association Football to a file submitted to host the event, the federation has said.

FIFA’s announcement came ahead of the federation’s general assembly on Dec. 11 to decide which countries would host the 2030 and 2034 World Cups, the Saudi Press Agency reported early on Saturday.

On July 29, a Saudi delegation led by Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki bin Faisal, minister of sport and president of the Saudi Olympic and Paralympic Committee, and Yasser Al-Misehal, Saudi Arabian Football Federation president, officially submitted the Kingdom’s bid book to FIFA to host the FIFA World Cup 2034 at a ceremony hosted in Paris, France.

Last October, a FIFA delegation arrived in the Kingdom to review the details of the bid. As proposed, 48 teams will be participating at venues in one country for the first time in history.

The delegation visited the cities proposed to host the tournament, inspected the sports projects and facilities included in the bid, and reviewed other preparations.

Commenting on the FIFA announcement, Sports Minister Prince Abdulaziz said that the attention, empowerment and support received from King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman contributed to the bid gaining the confidence of the international community.

SAFF President Yasser Al-Misehal said that “through the bid file, we are committed to providing an exceptional experience for all participants in the tournament, whether teams or participating delegations, and certainly for fans and football lovers around the world.”

Hammad Al-Balawi, head of the Bid File Unit, said: “The Kingdom’s bid file offers five host cities with diverse cultural and urban character that help fans and football lovers explore unique cultures and experiences in different regions of the Kingdom.”

In addition, he said, there were ten other hosting sites that “contribute to enhancing the experience of the participating teams through training camps and modern sports facilities, in addition to providing high accessibility between cities.”

As stated in the Kingdom’s bid, games will be played in 15 stadiums distributed across Riyadh, Jeddah, Alkhobar, Abha and NEOM, in addition to the ten other hosting sites across Saudi Arabia.


UAE’s Rashid Al-Dhaheri fastest in F4 Middle East Trophy first practice

UAE’s Rashid Al-Dhaheri fastest in F4 Middle East Trophy first practice
Updated 28 sec ago
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UAE’s Rashid Al-Dhaheri fastest in F4 Middle East Trophy first practice

UAE’s Rashid Al-Dhaheri fastest in F4 Middle East Trophy first practice
  • Chloe Chambers tops the F1 Academy timesheet, with title favorite Abbi Pulling in second

ABU DHABI: The UAE’s Rashid Al-Dhaheri recorded the quickest time in the first practice session of the Formula 4 Middle East Trophy Round as the Formula 1 Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix 2024 weekend officially got underway.

At Yas Marina Circuit, the Mumbai Falcons Racing driver clocked 1:56.905 to hold off Evans GP’s Kai Daryanani of Great Britain, who was second fastest (1:57.309) while Indonesia’s Kabir Anurag of Xcel Motorsport finished third.

Meanwhile, Yas Heat’s Racing Academy saw its drivers in the top 10 fastest times with Adam Al-Azhari (1:57.838) and his teammate August Raber (1:57.930) finishing seventh and ninth, respectively.

Chloe Chambers topped the F1 Academy’s one and only practice session at Yas Marina Circuit with a lap of 1:56.175, followed closely 0.138 seconds later by Abbi Pulling — the current favorite to re-claim the F1 Academy championship in Abu Dhabi.

Dorian Pin’s last lap push was enough to secure third, with Emirati racer Hamda Al-Qubaisi in the Red Bull finishing fourth. With fewer than two-tenths of a second separating the top four front runners, today’s qualifying session should be close.

Fifth-placed Bianca Bustamente has had a tough run in the series, having not scored points since Barcelona, however she looked in decent form in the practice run, leading the rest of the midfield.


NBA to return to China for first time since 2019 fallout

NBA to return to China for first time since 2019 fallout
Updated 10 min 9 sec ago
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NBA to return to China for first time since 2019 fallout

NBA to return to China for first time since 2019 fallout
  • No NBA games have been held in China since two pre-season contests in 2019
  • Basketball is hugely popular in China and in the fallout the NBA lost hundreds of millions of dollars

MACAU: The NBA will stage two pre-season games in Macau next October, its deputy commissioner said on Friday, marking its return to China after being frozen out for more than five years.
No NBA games have been held in China since two pre-season contests in 2019 after a tweet from then-Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey supporting pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong.
Morey posted an image bearing a slogan used by demonstrators urging the world to “Stand with Hong Kong.”
He later deleted the tweet and apologized, but China effectively cut ties with the league after NBA executives defended Morey’s right to freedom of expression.
Basketball is hugely popular in China and in the fallout the NBA lost hundreds of millions of dollars as a result of it being yanked off Chinese television until 2022.
“It’s my pleasure to announce that the Brooklyn Nets and the Phoenix Suns will play two pre-season games at Sands’ Venetian Arena on October 10 and October 12, 2025,” deputy commissioner Mark Tatum said in Macau.
Macau is a special administrative region under China’s “one country, two systems” framework and is known as the country’s Las Vegas, being the only city that allows gambling.
Tatum said that Macau was home to “some of the most passionate” NBA fans.
The Venetian Arena is part of the Las Vegas Sands conglomerate controlled by the Adelson family, who are the majority ownership group in the Dallas Mavericks.
ESPN, citing unnamed sources, said the relationship between the NBA and China had improved with the aid of NBA China chief executive Michael Ma, who was hired in 2020.
The games will be part of a multimillion-dollar agreement to stage two annual NBA pre-season matches over the next five years in Macau, according to the South China Morning Post.
Las Vegas Sands was “excited... (to be) announcing a multi-year collaboration with one of the most powerful and iconic global sports brands in history,” chief executive Patrick Dumont told a Macau press conference.
Basketball fans on Chinese social media welcomed the announcement, although some were pessimistic that NBA games would ever come back to the mainland.
“I’m so excited just thinking about it and am looking forward to exciting games in October,” one user on social media platform Weibo said.
“Can only go to Macau.. this relationship (between China and the NBA) has not been repaired at all,” another Beijing-based user said.
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver forecasted at a sports management conference in October that the league would “bring back games to China at some point.”
“We had a well-known incident there pre-pandemic with a tweet and China’s government took us off the air for a period of time,” Silver said.
“We accepted that. We stood by our values.”
The NBA has looked to grow globally, including playing recent pre-season games in Abu Dhabi.
Emirates Airlines sponsors the NBA Cup, the league’s in-season tournament.
China is home to a huge basketball fanbase and from 2004 to 2019, 17 teams played a total of 28 pre-season games there.
Macau’s multibillion-dollar gambling industry has remained its economic lifeline and main attraction for visitors, although Chinese leader Xi Jinping has urged the city to diversify its portfolio.


Long-range barrage lifts Cavaliers over Nuggets despite Jokic triple-double

Long-range barrage lifts Cavaliers over Nuggets despite Jokic triple-double
Updated 06 December 2024
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Long-range barrage lifts Cavaliers over Nuggets despite Jokic triple-double

Long-range barrage lifts Cavaliers over Nuggets despite Jokic triple-double
  • Cleveland made 22 three-pointers off 48 attempts as Denver connected with six of their 24 attempts from beyond the arc
  • In Washington, Luka Doncic also climbed on the all-time triple-double list, scoring 21 points with 10 rebounds and 10 assists as the Dallas Mavericks piled more misery on the Wizards with a 137-101 victory

LOS ANGELES: Donovan Mitchell scored 28 points and the league-leading Cleveland Cavaliers drilled a season-high 22 three-pointers in a 126-114 NBA victory over Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets on Thursday.

Darius Garland added 24 points and Caris LeVert contributed 21 off the bench as the Cavs withstood a triple-double from NBA Most Valuable Player Jokic to improve to 13-1 at home and 20-3 overall.

Cleveland made 22 three-pointers off 48 attempts as Denver connected with six of their 24 attempts from beyond the arc.

The Nuggets made it close in the first half with a strong showing in the paint, where they would out-score the Cavs 76-40.

Jokic scored 27 points with 20 rebounds and 11 assists for the 139th triple-double of his career, moving past legendary Earvin “Magic” Johnson (138) for third-most all-time.

Russell Westbrook tops the list with 200 career triple-doubles — reaching double digits in three key statistical categories — and Oscar Robertson is second with 181.

The exploits of Serbian star Jokic, who earned a third MVP award last season, helped the Nuggets claw back from an 18-point second-half deficit and cut the lead to nine with less than four minutes to play.

But LeVert and Mitchell answered with three-pointers and the Cavs cruised home.

“It took everybody,” Mitchell said. “Jokic is MVP for a reason, he makes that team phenomenal.”

Jokic called his rise up the triple-double list “a great thing,” but said it’s more something to look back on “after you finish your career.”

After watching his team fall to 11-9, Nuggets coach Michael Malone said he was more concerned about getting the 2023 NBA champions on a firm upward trajectory.

“I love Nikola, I really do, and I’m fortunate to coach him and he’s one of the best to ever do it,” Malone said. “But I’m just so much more concerned about my team right now.”

In Washington, Luka Doncic also climbed on the all-time triple-double list, scoring 21 points with 10 rebounds and 10 assists as the Dallas Mavericks piled more misery on the Wizards with a 137-101 victory.

With his 78th career triple-double the 25-year-old Slovenian star tied Wilt Chamberlain and James Harden for seventh place.

Dallas guard Kyrie Irving led all scorers with 25 points and the Mavs handed the Wizards a 16th straight defeat— matching the team’s longest-ever losing streak.

The Mavs, in contrast, have won six straight and 10 of their last 11.

Oklahoma City guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander put on a show in his hometown, scoring 30 points to lead the Western Conference-leading Thunder to a crushing 129-92 victory over the Raptors in Toronto.

The Thunder notched a sixth win in their last seven games to push their record to 17-5.

Oklahoma City’s suffocating defensive effort included 14 steals and 11 blocked shots and they turned 19 Toronto turnovers into 28 points.

In San Francisco, Jonathan Kuminga scored a career-high 33 points to lead the Golden State Warriors to a 99-93 victory over the Houston Rockets in a preview of their NBA Cup quarterfinal next week.

Andrew Wiggins added 23 points and nine rebounds for Golden State, who snapped a five-game losing streak despite missing stars Stephen Curry and Draymond Green.

In New York, a big third quarter saw the Knicks beat the Charlotte Hornets 125-101 to push their winning streak to four games.

Karl-Anthony Towns scored 27 points and grabbed 16 rebounds and OG Anunoby scored 15 of his 25 points in the third, when the Knicks outscored the Hornets 38-16 to take control for good.

Brandon Miller scored 26 points to lead the Hornets, who led by as many as 13 in the first quarter and were down by just three at halftime but spiraled to a seventh straight defeat.


UFC 310 pits 2 champs in the main event but rest of the card worth a look

UFC 310 pits 2 champs in the main event but rest of the card worth a look
Updated 06 December 2024
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UFC 310 pits 2 champs in the main event but rest of the card worth a look

UFC 310 pits 2 champs in the main event but rest of the card worth a look
  • The card as a whole — even the preliminaries — is filled with intriguing matchups and storylines to close out 2024
  • Three other matches include former champions — heayweight Ciryl Gane, bantamweight Aljamain Sterling and middleweight Chris Weidman

LAS VEGAS: Following a Jon Jones-headlined card is never an easy task, and without a doubt, UFC 310 won’t sell a lot of pay-per-views based on Saturday night’s main event alone.

But the card as a whole — even the preliminaries — is filled with intriguing matchups and storylines to close out 2024.

Whether that’s enough to match the attention Jones received for a third-round technical knockout of Stipe Miocic on Nov. 16 at New York’s Madison Square Garden is another matter.

As for the main event, Alexandre Pantoja will defend his flyweight championship against Kai Asakura, who is making his UFC debut.

They replaced what was to be the main event when welterweight champion Belal Muhammad pulled out because of a bone infection in his foot. Muhammad was to fight Shavkat Rakhmonov, who now takes on Ian Machado Garry in the co-main event. Rakhmonov (18-0) is the third-ranked challenger and Garry (15-0) is seventh.

Three other matches include former champions — heayweight Ciryl Gane, bantamweight Aljamain Sterling and middleweight Chris Weidman. Gane takes on Alexander Volkov, Sterling will fight as a featherweight against Movsar Evloev and Weidman meets Eryk Anders.

Pantoja (28-5) is making his third title defense since winning a split decision over Brandon Moreno at UFC 290 on July 8, 2023. The 34-year-old followed that with a pair of one-sided unanimous-decision victories.

Those performances established him as the clear fighter in his class, and now Pantoja is headlining his second pay-per-view card this year. The first was in his native Brazil for UFC 301 on May 4 and now this one in what is still proclaimed by many to be the fight capital of the world.

“That’s a gift God gave to me,” Pantoja said. “That’s an opportunity to come here and make this main event. I think 2024 was a very good year for flyweights. I think maybe it’s the best year for us.”

Asakura (21-4) will test his skills in the UFC for the first time at age 31. He was the Rizin Fighting Federation bantamweight champion, so entering the octagon for mixed-martial arts premier organization is quite a leap for the Japan native.

BetMGM Sportsbook makes Pantoja a 2-5 favorite.

“The UFC fans have never seen anybody fight like me ever before,” Asakura said through an interpreter. “I always aim to go for a KO finish. I’m an exciting fighter and I’m here to bring excitement back to the flyweight division.”

Asakura said he has created interested since announcing he was joining the UFC and even has been stopped in Las Vegas by fans curious about how his debut might go.

“I realize there are some expectations on this event and this fight, and I’m going to do my best to exceed those expectations and give those fans something very exciting,” Asakura said.

Pantoja said it made sense for the UFC to pair him with Asakura, a champion in another organization, because he had beaten the top two contenders twice each.

“I looked at my rank and tried to figure out who’s going to be my next opponent,” Pantoja said. “Then the UFC contacted Askaura. I think that’s a very good move. That’s the power about UFC, to bring a champ from another promotion.

“If you want to be the best fighter in the world — that’s what he thinks — you need to win the UFC belt.”


Fiery Formula 1 finale in Abu Dhabi expected

Fiery Formula 1 finale in Abu Dhabi expected
Updated 06 December 2024
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Fiery Formula 1 finale in Abu Dhabi expected

Fiery Formula 1 finale in Abu Dhabi expected
  • All the storylines to look out for at the F1 season finale at Yas Marina Circuit

The longest season in Formula 1 history ends this weekend at Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi with several intriguing matchups expected.

While Max Verstappen has already secured a fourth world championship, there is still plenty at stake at the 24th and final stop of the 2024 campaign.

McLaren and Ferrari in fierce battle for P1

With Red Bull no longer a contender for the constructors’ championship, the fight for the top spot is between McLaren and Ferrari, with the former entering Abu Dhabi with a 21-point lead.

The way Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc put it, Ferrari must have a perfect weekend, while McLaren must have a not-so-perfect one in order for the Scuderia to win.

For Sainz, helping Ferrari secure their first constructors’ title since 2008 would be a special parting gift as the Spaniard moves to Williams next season.

“It would mean everything to me, honestly,” Sainz said on Thursday.

“It’s, I think, the best way to say goodbye to my home these last four years and to the team that I’ve given my absolute best to for the last four years; and I’ve enjoyed every single moment with them.

“And to say goodbye with a constructors’ title, I think, would be the perfect sign off, the perfect goodbye. I am also honest with you saying that it’s still not a long shot, but it is a difficult one.”

He added: “Being 21 points behind two of the fastest drivers and one of the fastest teams and recovering those 21 points in one weekend requires perfection from our side, and probably a not-optimal weekend or a bad weekend from their side.

“It’s still going to be difficult, but I’ve seen worse things in racing happen before, and we’re going to give it our best shot.”

McLaren’s Piastri is confident but is aware there will be multiple battles unfolding on the track that could affect his team’s chances.

“We’re still in a good spot in terms of the lead we have. I think it’s going to be a very tightly fought weekend between probably the top four teams, not just us and Ferrari, which means that some of the other teams can potentially play a role in deciding the championship. So let’s see,” said the Australian.

Leclerc and Norris vie for runner-up spot

In the drivers’ championship, Lando Norris is leading Leclerc by eight points.

Norris will be looking to rebound from a disappointing 10-second stop/go penalty that dashed his podium chances in Qatar, where he finished in 10th place.

Meanwhile, Leclerc noted that Ferrari have not done well at Yas Marina Circuit in recent years.

“We need to do first and second this weekend and we need things to not go exactly the way they want in McLaren,” said Leclerc. “Because on paper they will be strong on this track as well. It’s also true that we’ve never won here in Abu Dhabi, so there’s quite a lot of work. It’s not impossible.

“I think we’ve had the right approach in the last few races and we’ve taken some points even on weekends where we did not expect to do so.

“On this weekend, we are a bit more neutral and we think it’s going to be a positive weekend for us. I really hope that is the case.”

Alpine in three-way fight for P6

Given they were hovering between eighth and ninth at the summer break, it is quite remarkable what Alpine have managed to achieve in the last three months.

The Enstone outfit arrive in Abu Dhabi in sixth position but have to fight off Haas and RB to keep that position by season end.

A fifth-place finish for Pierre Gasly in Qatar gave Alpine a five-point edge over Haas, with RB a further eight points behind.

Gasly will have a new teammate in Abu Dhabi, with Jack Doohan starting his Formula 1 career earlier than expected, replacing Esteban Ocon for the final race of the season instead of waiting until 2025.

“I would say personally it doesn’t change anything,” said Gasly of having a rookie teammate for a crucial race.

“I know exactly what my target is this weekend. I know what I got to do on track. I think it’s going to be intense until the line because Haas has proved at times to be able to put both cars up there.

“Even though we have a small cushion after last week’s result, it’s still going to be tight and we’ve got to get it done. I’m confident. I’m confident we’re going to be there in the battle with them.

“But there’s still a few more racing laps that we’ve got to make sure we optimize and really get together.”

Doohan ‘ready’ for F1 debut

Doohan was already scheduled to drive the Alpine car in Free Practice 1 but now gets a full drive and is excited to experience several firsts this weekend.

“It’s a great opportunity just to run through the motions and go over everything,” said the 21-year-old Aussie, who has been reading up on all the regulations these past few days.

“To simply put it, like the driver parade that I’ve never done, laps of the grid that I’ve never done from junior categories. So these little things that are new territory, now I just get to familiarize myself before next year.

“I’m feeling comfortable and feeling ready for the weekend ahead.”

War of words escalates between Russell and Verstappen

The feud between Verstappen and George Russell has carried over from Qatar, where the world champion accused Russell of fighting to get him penalized during a meeting with the stewards.

Verstappen was handed a one-grid penalty for driving too slow in qualifying, and the Dutchman later slammed Russell, calling him two-faced, and saying he lost all respect for him.

The Red Bull driver doubled down on his comments on Thursday in Abu Dhabi, saying he has “no regrets” and in fact wishes he had said more.

That pushed Russell to hit back at Verstappen as the Mercedes man spoke to the press, in the presence of team principal Toto Wolff, to “set the record straight.”

“As drivers, you fight hard on the track, you fight hard in the stewards; the same way as Max the very next day asked his team to look at Lando’s penalty through the yellow flag,” Russell explained.

“That’s not personal Max to Lando, that’s just racing. And I do not see why he felt the need for this personal attack, and I’m not going to take it.

“I’m not going to stand here watching some guy slam me personally as he has done.”

Russell claimed that Verstappen threatened to purposely crash into him.

The Brit added: “I think we’ve got a duty as drivers, I’ve got an 8-year-old nephew who’s just starting go-karting, he watches all of my races, watches TikTok, watches YouTube, and for a world champion to be coming out saying he’s going to go out of his way to crash into someone, put them on their (expletive) head, that is not the sort of role models we should be.

“He’s a four-time world champion, but when I compare his actions to the ones of Lewis (Hamilton) — Lewis is the sort of world champion I aspire to be like.”

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by Lando Norris (@landonorris)

Hamilton bids Mercedes farewell

Meanwhile, Russell’s teammate, Hamilton, is ending a history-making 12-year chapter with Mercedes as he prepares to race his 246th and final Grand Prix with the Silver Arrows.

Hamilton admitted it has been a “painful” and “emotional” time since he announced his move to Ferrari next year, and he “massively underestimated” how difficult it would be.

“It’s been a very emotional year for me. And I think I’ve not been at my best in handling and dealing with those emotions,” he confessed on Thursday.

“You’ve all seen the worst of me and seen the best of me and I’m not going to apologize for either because I’m only human and I don’t always get it right.

“And I would definitely say this year’s been one of the worst in terms of handling that from my side, which I’ll work on trying to be better at.”

Quick hits

— In practice on Friday, Leclerc and his younger brother Arthur will make history as the first siblings to take part in a Formula 1 session as teammates.

— There is uncertainty about the future of some drivers including Sergio Perez and Franco Colapinto. Despite rumors he is being replaced next year, Perez renewed his contract with Red Bull earlier this year — until the end of 2026 — and is hopeful it will stick.

The new terms of his agreement could possibly include performance clauses. Meanwhile, Williams rookie Colapinto is highly-rated but without a confirmed seat for next year.

“I am trying to stay away (from speculation). I try to enjoy the moment. At the moment it’s my last race, so I’m trying to give the best I can for the team,” said the young Argentine.

— The F1 Academy is also in Abu Dhabi this weekend and Emirati sisters Hamda and Amna Al-Qubaisi will be racing for the last time in the female-only series. They have hit the two-season limit and get to enjoy a swansong on home soil.

— The battle for the Formula 2 Championship could not be any tighter with leader Gabriel Bortoleto and contender Isack Hadjar separated by just half a point.