GLASGOW (AFP) - Holders Sevilla take on Tottenham Hotspur in the quarter-finals of the UEFA Cup, the draw for which was made here on Friday.
Sevilla remained on course to become the first side since Real Madrid in 1986 to successfully defend their title with a dramatic come-from-behind win against Shaktar Donetsk on Thursday night.
Spurs, winners of the first edition of the UEFA Cup in 1972 and again in 1984, booked their place in the last eight by beating Portuguese side Braga in the fourth round on Wednesday.
Martin Jol's side are the only British club left in the comeptition after Newcastle were knocked out by AZ Akmaar on Thursday.
The Dutch outfit's reward was a quarter-final match-up against Werder Bremen.
Werder's Bundesliga rivals Bayer Leverkusen, winners in 1988, face Spanish side Osasuna who enter uncharted territory as this is the first time they've made it this far in a European competition.
The final last eight pairing pits another Spanish side, Espanyol, against Benfica of Portugal.
The first legs will be played on April 5 with the return legs the following Thursday.
The winner of the headline tie between Sevilla and Spurs will face either Bayer Leverkusen or Osasuna in the first semi-final with the second semi contested by Espanyol or Benfica against AZ Akmaar or Werder Bremen.
The draw was made in Glasgow where the final will be staged at Hampden Park on May 16.
UEFA Cup quarter-final draw
AZ Alkmaar (NED) v Werder Bremen (GER)
Bayer Leverkusen (GER) v Osasuna (ESP)
Sevilla (ESP) v Tottenham Hotspur (ENG)
Espanyol (ESP) v Benfica (POR)
1st leg - April 5
2nd leg- April 12
Friday, March 16, 2007
Saturday, March 10, 2007
Wembley Stadium reconstruction completed
The delayed 800-million-pound reconstruction of Wembley Stadium has been officially completed, the Football Association said Saturday.
The keys to the new 90,000-seat stadium have been handed over by Australian construction firm Multiplex, the FA said in a statement on its website.
But the English game's governing body said it could not confirm that the showcase FA Cup final would take place there on May 19 -- the stadium must first host two "ramp up" events to test the facility.
These will be a community day for local residents to see the stadium on March 17 and the England under 21 team's game against Italy on March 24.
Wembley's re-opening has been beset by repeated delays and financial wrangling which has forced the FA to reschedule England international matches.
Rock band Bon Jovi had been due to open the new stadium last June but they, like veteran rockers the Rolling Stones, Robbie Williams and the reformed Take That, were forced to move venues after building work overran.
Now singer George Michael is due to play the first concert at the stadium, in northwest London, on June 9.
The keys to the new 90,000-seat stadium have been handed over by Australian construction firm Multiplex, the FA said in a statement on its website.
But the English game's governing body said it could not confirm that the showcase FA Cup final would take place there on May 19 -- the stadium must first host two "ramp up" events to test the facility.
These will be a community day for local residents to see the stadium on March 17 and the England under 21 team's game against Italy on March 24.
Wembley's re-opening has been beset by repeated delays and financial wrangling which has forced the FA to reschedule England international matches.
Rock band Bon Jovi had been due to open the new stadium last June but they, like veteran rockers the Rolling Stones, Robbie Williams and the reformed Take That, were forced to move venues after building work overran.
Now singer George Michael is due to play the first concert at the stadium, in northwest London, on June 9.
Monday, March 5, 2007
News From Beijing 2008
About 600 performers from Beijing were in Hollywood California Saturday taking part in a large parade showcasing traditional Chinese culture to the American public and promoting the Beijing 2008 Summer Olympic Games. The event was jointly sponsored by Beijing and Los Angeles municipal governments, and attracted thousands of local residents and tourists. L.A. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa said during the inauguration of the event that it was a great honour for Los Angeles that Beijing chose it as the only U.S. city to hold such a gala. Los Angeles is competing against Chicago to become the U.S. candidate for the 2016 Summer Olympic Games.
Thursday, March 1, 2007
Abu Dhabi to Host World's Richest Cycling Race
Challenging routes and stages in and around Abu Dhabi, the capital of the Persian Gulf state of the United Arab Emirates, have been unveiled for November’s US$1million Abu Dhabi Cycling Race of Champions, one of the world’s richest cycling events, which, for the first time, will pit individual winners and teams from the sport’s three most prestigious European tour events into direct competition.
The ten-day, three-stage 212 kilometre event will see individual and team champions from cycling’s golden trio of European races: Italy’s Giro d’Italia, the Tour de France and Spain’s La Vuelta, as well as five wildcard teams, vie for the inaugural title of the Abu Dhabi Cycling Race of Champions in the Middle East. The race has the official support of the International Association of Cycling Teams.
“This is another powerful component in Abu Dhabi’s evolution into an international, major events destination. Abu Dhabi will now join the international professional cycling circuit as the biggest ‘Grand Slam’ event for this popular sport. The event represents a major commitment to align the UAE capital with the most renowned strategic partners to fulfil the vision of the country’s President and Ruler of Abu Dhabi, His Highness Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan and the Crown Prince and Executive Council Chairman, His Highness Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan to position the emirate as a destination of global standing,” said His Highness Sheikh Sultan Bin Tahnoon Al Nahyan, Chairman, Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority.
“We are building an impressive portfolio of top-tier global sporting events in Abu Dhabi. The Formula One Grand Prix announcement made international headlines earlier this month, and we believe the Abu Dhabi Cycling Race of Champions will emulate that success.”
The Abu Dhabi Cycling Race of Champions is to be held annually in the UAE capital for the next five years and will be the grand finale in the sport’s international calendar. This November, cycling’s elite will compete, in front of a spectator turnout anticipated to run into hundreds of thousands, across three stages: a tasking mountain race through the passes of Jebel Hafeet, the emirate’s highest point at nearly 4,000 feet which backdrops the garden city of Al Ain, and two flat stages through the capital’s streets which sandwich the mountain leg.
The opening stage will follow a 99 kilometre route that starts and ends at the prestigious seven star Emirates Palace Hotel overlooking the Persian Gulf from Abu Dhabi’s signature Corniche. It will loop around Abu Dhabi island, and three times around the Corniche centre to showcase the capital’s key sightseeing attractions.
Stage two – the mountain race – encompasses an 89 kilometre route starting in the heart of Al Ain city circling the downtown area, passing Al Ain Zoo and then climbing up Jebel Hafeet’s winding passes.
The final 24 kilometre individual time-trial stage is a showcase of Abu Dhabi’s Corniche starting and ending at the Emirates Palace Hotel.
The seven-figure purse on offer is almost double that of July’s Tour de France, the most prestigious date on the cycling calendar and traditionally the one event that crosses the sport’s boundaries and attracts global publicity - a feat Abu Dhabi aims to equal.
“The Abu Dhabi Cycling Race of Champions has already generated a lot of attention as it’s the first event of its kind and it’s happening in the Middle East,” said Mubarak Al Muhairi, Director General, Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority. “The routes will cover a lot of Abu Dhabi’s geography so it’s great publicity for the whole emirate – it will highlight the duality of our beautiful natural areas and ultra-modern urban districts.
“One of Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority’s main criteria in deciding which events to support is the international media impact that be created to build substantial and positive awareness of Abu Dhabi. The Abu Dhabi Cycling Race of Champions fits this challenging criteria and we congratulate the organisers for their foresight and determination in bringing this event to fruition.”
Unipublic, the Spanish headquartered international cycling events specialist which has over 17 years experience with high profile events and is the sole owner and organiser of the Spanish La Vuelta race, will be responsible for all the event’s technical components including route design and planning, appointment of judges, race logistics and management in line with the sport’s international best practices.
The globally televised Abu Dhabi Cycling Race of Champions will kick-off with a celebratory Pro-Am race - along Abu Dhabi Corniche - which will create a community carnival style event with professional cyclists, amateurs and families participating.
“We anticipate over eight hours of live or delayed broadcast being taken up on a worldwide basis, with a primary emphasis on American and European markets, particularly in Canada, the USA, Latin America, Germany, Italy, Spain, the UK, Belgium, Netherlands and France – some of Abu Dhabi’s key tourism target markets,” said Jorge de Sebastian Perez-Manglano, Commercial Director, Unipublic.
“Everyone in the cycling world cannot wait to ride into Abu Dhabi and begin preparations for the world’s richest cycling race.”
With the competing teams only being confirmed upon conclusion of the European races, organisers and cycling enthusiasts across the globe will be watching May’s Giro d’Italia, July’s summer spectacular the Tour de France, and September’s La Vuelta, with added interest to see who’ll be making up the Abu Dhabi field come November 1st.
The ten-day, three-stage 212 kilometre event will see individual and team champions from cycling’s golden trio of European races: Italy’s Giro d’Italia, the Tour de France and Spain’s La Vuelta, as well as five wildcard teams, vie for the inaugural title of the Abu Dhabi Cycling Race of Champions in the Middle East. The race has the official support of the International Association of Cycling Teams.
“This is another powerful component in Abu Dhabi’s evolution into an international, major events destination. Abu Dhabi will now join the international professional cycling circuit as the biggest ‘Grand Slam’ event for this popular sport. The event represents a major commitment to align the UAE capital with the most renowned strategic partners to fulfil the vision of the country’s President and Ruler of Abu Dhabi, His Highness Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan and the Crown Prince and Executive Council Chairman, His Highness Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan to position the emirate as a destination of global standing,” said His Highness Sheikh Sultan Bin Tahnoon Al Nahyan, Chairman, Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority.
“We are building an impressive portfolio of top-tier global sporting events in Abu Dhabi. The Formula One Grand Prix announcement made international headlines earlier this month, and we believe the Abu Dhabi Cycling Race of Champions will emulate that success.”
The Abu Dhabi Cycling Race of Champions is to be held annually in the UAE capital for the next five years and will be the grand finale in the sport’s international calendar. This November, cycling’s elite will compete, in front of a spectator turnout anticipated to run into hundreds of thousands, across three stages: a tasking mountain race through the passes of Jebel Hafeet, the emirate’s highest point at nearly 4,000 feet which backdrops the garden city of Al Ain, and two flat stages through the capital’s streets which sandwich the mountain leg.
The opening stage will follow a 99 kilometre route that starts and ends at the prestigious seven star Emirates Palace Hotel overlooking the Persian Gulf from Abu Dhabi’s signature Corniche. It will loop around Abu Dhabi island, and three times around the Corniche centre to showcase the capital’s key sightseeing attractions.
Stage two – the mountain race – encompasses an 89 kilometre route starting in the heart of Al Ain city circling the downtown area, passing Al Ain Zoo and then climbing up Jebel Hafeet’s winding passes.
The final 24 kilometre individual time-trial stage is a showcase of Abu Dhabi’s Corniche starting and ending at the Emirates Palace Hotel.
The seven-figure purse on offer is almost double that of July’s Tour de France, the most prestigious date on the cycling calendar and traditionally the one event that crosses the sport’s boundaries and attracts global publicity - a feat Abu Dhabi aims to equal.
“The Abu Dhabi Cycling Race of Champions has already generated a lot of attention as it’s the first event of its kind and it’s happening in the Middle East,” said Mubarak Al Muhairi, Director General, Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority. “The routes will cover a lot of Abu Dhabi’s geography so it’s great publicity for the whole emirate – it will highlight the duality of our beautiful natural areas and ultra-modern urban districts.
“One of Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority’s main criteria in deciding which events to support is the international media impact that be created to build substantial and positive awareness of Abu Dhabi. The Abu Dhabi Cycling Race of Champions fits this challenging criteria and we congratulate the organisers for their foresight and determination in bringing this event to fruition.”
Unipublic, the Spanish headquartered international cycling events specialist which has over 17 years experience with high profile events and is the sole owner and organiser of the Spanish La Vuelta race, will be responsible for all the event’s technical components including route design and planning, appointment of judges, race logistics and management in line with the sport’s international best practices.
The globally televised Abu Dhabi Cycling Race of Champions will kick-off with a celebratory Pro-Am race - along Abu Dhabi Corniche - which will create a community carnival style event with professional cyclists, amateurs and families participating.
“We anticipate over eight hours of live or delayed broadcast being taken up on a worldwide basis, with a primary emphasis on American and European markets, particularly in Canada, the USA, Latin America, Germany, Italy, Spain, the UK, Belgium, Netherlands and France – some of Abu Dhabi’s key tourism target markets,” said Jorge de Sebastian Perez-Manglano, Commercial Director, Unipublic.
“Everyone in the cycling world cannot wait to ride into Abu Dhabi and begin preparations for the world’s richest cycling race.”
With the competing teams only being confirmed upon conclusion of the European races, organisers and cycling enthusiasts across the globe will be watching May’s Giro d’Italia, July’s summer spectacular the Tour de France, and September’s La Vuelta, with added interest to see who’ll be making up the Abu Dhabi field come November 1st.
Tuesday, February 27, 2007
Cable & Wireless Hong Kong Women's Rugby Sevens 2007 Official Tournament Draw
Hong Kong - The official tournament draw for the Cable & Wireless Hong Kong Women’s Rugby Sevens 2007 (HKWRS) was held Monday at the Hong Kong Stadium, the venue for the Cup final for this year’s tournament. Twelve elite international women’s sevens teams will take part in the tenth anniversary Cable & Wireless Hong Kong Women’s Rugby Sevens, to be held on Thursday and Friday March 29 and 30 2007 at So Kon Po Sports Ground across from the Hong Kong Stadium. The Cup final of the Hong Kong Women’s Rugby Sevens 2007 will be played at the Hong Kong Stadium on Friday 30 March (kick-off at 6:42pm) as part of the Cathay Pacific/Credit Suisse Hong Kong Sevens 2007.
This year’s Cable & Wireless Hong Kong Women’s Rugby Sevens 2007 has attracted another highly competitive mix of national teams and leading club sides from around the globe.
Defending champions, New Zealand’s Aotearoa Maori, are returning with a goal of maintaining New Zealand’s perfect record as tournament champions in each of the nine Hong Kong Women’s Rugby Sevens played to date. Looking to unseat the Kiwis are last year’s Cup finalists Australia and national representative teams from the Arabian [Persian] Gulf, Canada, China, Japan, Kazakhstan, Singapore, Thailand and the United States of America.
Papua New Guinea, on its debut at the Cable & Wireless Hong Kong Women’s Rugby Sevens, and the hosts, the Hong Kong Women’s Sevens Team round out the competitors for 2007.
For the draw the 12 participating teams were divided into pools of four. Four teams, (New Zealand, Australia, United States and China) were seeded based on their past results in the Hong Kong Women’s Rugby Sevens and in other recent international and Asia regional women’s sevens competitions. Defending HKWRS Champions New Zealand are the tournament’s top seed in Pool A, followed by last year’s Cup finalists Australia in Pool B and 2006 HKWRS Plate champions the United States in Pool C. 2006 Asian Women’s Sevens Champions, China, are the top seed in Pool D. Following the seeding of the top four teams, the remaining eight competing sides were drawn at random to complete the tournament pools.
Canada, China and the United States will benefit from some recent match experience after appearing in the first ever 2007 Women’s International Sevens Tournament held in San Diego, USA in February. China beat Canada before losing to the USA and the USA ‘B’ and Canada ‘B’ teams to finish fourth overall in the five-team competition. Canada ‘B’ upset the hosts United States in the final by the score of 19 – 7. The results from San Diego point to the increasing parity in international women’s sevens and promise more excitement to come in the Cable & Wireless Hong Kong Women’s Rugby Sevens 2007.
This year’s Cable & Wireless Hong Kong Women’s Rugby Sevens 2007 has attracted another highly competitive mix of national teams and leading club sides from around the globe.
Defending champions, New Zealand’s Aotearoa Maori, are returning with a goal of maintaining New Zealand’s perfect record as tournament champions in each of the nine Hong Kong Women’s Rugby Sevens played to date. Looking to unseat the Kiwis are last year’s Cup finalists Australia and national representative teams from the Arabian [Persian] Gulf, Canada, China, Japan, Kazakhstan, Singapore, Thailand and the United States of America.
Papua New Guinea, on its debut at the Cable & Wireless Hong Kong Women’s Rugby Sevens, and the hosts, the Hong Kong Women’s Sevens Team round out the competitors for 2007.
For the draw the 12 participating teams were divided into pools of four. Four teams, (New Zealand, Australia, United States and China) were seeded based on their past results in the Hong Kong Women’s Rugby Sevens and in other recent international and Asia regional women’s sevens competitions. Defending HKWRS Champions New Zealand are the tournament’s top seed in Pool A, followed by last year’s Cup finalists Australia in Pool B and 2006 HKWRS Plate champions the United States in Pool C. 2006 Asian Women’s Sevens Champions, China, are the top seed in Pool D. Following the seeding of the top four teams, the remaining eight competing sides were drawn at random to complete the tournament pools.
Canada, China and the United States will benefit from some recent match experience after appearing in the first ever 2007 Women’s International Sevens Tournament held in San Diego, USA in February. China beat Canada before losing to the USA and the USA ‘B’ and Canada ‘B’ teams to finish fourth overall in the five-team competition. Canada ‘B’ upset the hosts United States in the final by the score of 19 – 7. The results from San Diego point to the increasing parity in international women’s sevens and promise more excitement to come in the Cable & Wireless Hong Kong Women’s Rugby Sevens 2007.
Monday, February 26, 2007
London 2012 Games Costs Could Soar
The cost of London hosting the 2012 Summer Olympic Games could rise to almost four times its original estimate. According to a report the Games could cost nine billion pounds, up from 2.35 billion pounds.
The BBC says the Treasury and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) are discussing the price, prompting some ministers to urge officials not to write a blank cheque for the Games.
The government reportedly believes construction alone could cost 3.3 billion pounds, with an extra two billion pounds allocated as a contingency fund. The nine billion pound figure also includes regeneration costs of 1.8 billion pounds and a one billion pound VAT bill, reports the Telegraph.
According to the report security costs have also risen to at least 900 million pounds.
Shadow Culture Secretary Hugo Swire MP told the BBC, “there is no doubt that there will be real worries across the country about the huge increase in costs. It is time we got a proper explanation from (Chancellor) Gordon Brown on what has gone on and assurances as to what the government is doing to control the ever-increasing budget”.
The DCMS dismissed the report Saturday as “just the latest of many figures” that have surfaced in the press.
A spokesman said, “discussions are going on across government to resolve outstanding issues and we will make an announcement about long-term budget figures when these have concluded”.
Meanwhile London’s Mayor Ken Livingstone announced that Londoners will not have to pay the rising costs of hosting the Games. He said he was freezing the Olympic element of the council tax precept at 38p a week for the average council taxpayer.
Londoners are expected to contribute 625 million pounds to the cost of the Games.
Livingstone said, “today is the first instalment of the guarantee that we will keep to our commitments on the council tax. Next year there will be no increase in the 38 pence payment and my commitment is that it will remain the same the year after that and in every succeeding year”.
Amidst the controversy over rising costs a poll, conducted earlier this month, shows that public support for the Games is at it highest since London was awarded the Games in July 2005.
According to market research commissioned by London 2012 organizers, 79 per cent of the public supported the Games – a four per cent rise from September 2005.
The BBC says the Treasury and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) are discussing the price, prompting some ministers to urge officials not to write a blank cheque for the Games.
The government reportedly believes construction alone could cost 3.3 billion pounds, with an extra two billion pounds allocated as a contingency fund. The nine billion pound figure also includes regeneration costs of 1.8 billion pounds and a one billion pound VAT bill, reports the Telegraph.
According to the report security costs have also risen to at least 900 million pounds.
Shadow Culture Secretary Hugo Swire MP told the BBC, “there is no doubt that there will be real worries across the country about the huge increase in costs. It is time we got a proper explanation from (Chancellor) Gordon Brown on what has gone on and assurances as to what the government is doing to control the ever-increasing budget”.
The DCMS dismissed the report Saturday as “just the latest of many figures” that have surfaced in the press.
A spokesman said, “discussions are going on across government to resolve outstanding issues and we will make an announcement about long-term budget figures when these have concluded”.
Meanwhile London’s Mayor Ken Livingstone announced that Londoners will not have to pay the rising costs of hosting the Games. He said he was freezing the Olympic element of the council tax precept at 38p a week for the average council taxpayer.
Londoners are expected to contribute 625 million pounds to the cost of the Games.
Livingstone said, “today is the first instalment of the guarantee that we will keep to our commitments on the council tax. Next year there will be no increase in the 38 pence payment and my commitment is that it will remain the same the year after that and in every succeeding year”.
Amidst the controversy over rising costs a poll, conducted earlier this month, shows that public support for the Games is at it highest since London was awarded the Games in July 2005.
According to market research commissioned by London 2012 organizers, 79 per cent of the public supported the Games – a four per cent rise from September 2005.
The oldest Olympic champion
Did you know that the world’s oldest Olympic champion is called Roger Beaufrand, and that he was Olympic track sprint champion and world runner-up in the same year? That was 1928.
Olympic champion before he was 20
Born at Garenne-Colombes near Paris (France), Roger Beaufrand discovered the track sprint at the Bois de Vincennes velodrome, where the cycling events for the 1924 Olympic Games in Paris were held. In 1925, he won his first victory in a race to identify talented youngsters, and set off to explore the velodromes of Europe. On 7 August 1928, to everyone’s surprise, he beat the leading sprinters of the day and achieved France’s only cycling victory by winning the Olympic sprint title. He was just 19.
Still in search of excellence
A few days ago in Béziers, where Roger Beaufrand now lives, another award was added to the Olympic medal, two national championship titles and 100 Grand Prix wins: the Legion of Honour. It was another exceptional champion, Jean-Claude Killy, triple Olympic gold medallist in 1968 in Grenoble, who had, as he himself put it, the privilege of presenting it for the first time to a citizen of the world, Olympic champion in 1928 and bearer of the Olympic torch in 1968, in whose veins and eyes the Olympic flame has never ceased to burn. After leaving the velodrome, “Roger continued to seek excellence, always inspired by the Olympic spirit, always eager to learn, trying his hand at chess, bridge, astronomy, viticulture and fine arts, becoming the director of an art gallery in Paris… and he even took up skiing!” In his congratulatory message, IOC President Jacques Rogge recalled that: “Roger Beaufrand more than ever symbolises what an Olympic champion should be: an example and an ambassador for the fundamental values of sport which are excellence, friendship, generosity, respect for others and solidarity”. A champion whom everyone will want to welcome again next year in 2008 for his 100th birthday: an Olympic year and a year ending in 8, a year dear to the world’s oldest Olympic champion!
A cycling champion after a champion hockey player
Roger Beaufrand became the oldest living Olympic champion after the death of Feroz Khan in April 2005. Both champions could well have met in Amsterdam in 1928, as Feroz and his Indian team-mates won the Olympic hockey tournament. Feroz alone scored five goals, three in a row, in the match where India beat Belgium 9-0. A total of 2,883 athletes (277 of them women) from 46 National Olympic Committees took part in the 109 events staged at the 1928 Games in Amsterdam.Source: Olympic News
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