the world: Al Thawadi · 6/17/2020  · T20 World Cup, won by Australia in March, and reintegrating...

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SPORT | 06 Former World No. 1 Venus Williams still dreaming at 40 SPORT Bayern Munich emerge Bundesliga champions SPORT | 07 WEDNESDAY 17 JUNE 2020 QORC: Omani participants Ammar, Zakariya are unstoppable THE PENINSULA – DOHA Omani participants Ammar Bulushi and Zakariya Al Ofi yesterday impressed with another fine round of perform- ances to maintain lead of their respective groups after the second round of the 2020 Qatar Online Racing Championship (QORC). Exhibiting admirable skill handling their rally cars on the gravel terrain in Spain, Ammar Abd Zakariya won five stages each in the hugely popular online series that is receiving wide attention from Qatari and regional participants. Ammar with a tally of 80 points heads the pack of partic- ipants in Group B. Ammar is 11 points ahead over Qatar’s Adel Abdulla. Ammar lost significant time in two stages but was dominant in the rest of the stages to stay top of Group B. Qatar’s Abdulla, who was unbeaten in three-round qual- ifying stage last week, won just one stage yesterday. The Qatari off-road ace remained in overall second position with 69 points, two points ahead of Ahmed El Kholy. In Group A, Zakariya held an eight-point lead over Khalid Al Maraghi. The Omani racer lost the first two stages but regrouped spectacularly to win the next five with ease. In third position was Mansour Dbeissy with 66 points. After three semi-final rallies, top three from each group will qualify for the final which will take place on Saturday. The WRC8 series is the third online event organised by the Qatar Motor and Motorcycle Federation (QMMF) following highly suc- cessful Touring Car Champi- onship and the MotoGP series. The online competitions have gained in popularity after it was held for cars and bikes in the last two months. In total 28 competitors have registered for the championship with more still keen to get registered. QMMF said the winner of the two-week competition will receive QR15,000 in prize money. The runner-up will take home QR13,000, while third- placed competitor will get QR10,000. ROUND 2 RESULTS GROUP A: 1. Zakariya Al Ofi (Oman) 37:43.534 secs; 2. Khalid Al Maraghi +2.726; 3. Mansour Dbeissy +49.469; 4. Ahmed Al Kuwari +2:27.681; 5. Patrick Roux +3:55.482; 6. Misfer Al Hajri +4:24.521. GROUP B: 1. Ammar Bulushi (Oman) 37:33.266 secs; 2. Ahmed El Kholay +9.899; 3. Adel Abdulla +10.866; 4. Mishari Al Thefiri (Kuwait) +24.750; 5. Hamad Al Sulaiti +2:41.696; 6. Nasser Al Kuwari +3:28.317 OVERALL STANDINGS GROUP A: 1. Zakariya Al Ofi (Oman) 80 points; 2. Khalid Al Maraghi 72; 3. Mansour Dbeissy 66; 4. Ahmed Al Kuwari 62; 5. Patrick Roux 60; 6. Misfer Al Hajri 58 GROUP B: 1. Ammar Bulushi (Oman) 80 points; 2. Adel Abdulla 69; 3. Ahmed El Kholy 67; 4. Mishari Al Thefiri (Kuwait) 64; 5. Hamad Al Sulaiti 60; 6. Nasser Al Kuwari 58. Qatar 2022 will unite the world: Al Thawadi QNA – DOHA The Secretary-General of the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy (SC) Hassan Al Thawadi affirmed that the announcement of the completion of the Education City Stadium, the third stadium for the FIFA 2022 World Cup, sends a message of hope to the world in light of the spread of the Corona- virus Covid-19, considering that the World Cup will unite the world and bring people together after the crisis ends. Al Thawadi said in an Interview with Qatar News Agency (QNA): “ We are very proud to have completed our latest stadium. Our plans remain on track - despite the pandemic. Edu- cation City Stadium is our third tour- nament venue, after Khalifa Interna- tional and Al Janoub, and we expect to unveil two more stadiums by the end of the year.” “In many ways, I believe Qatar 2022 has become even more important due to recent events. Sport - and par- ticularly football - has the potential to bring people together in a post- COVID-19 world. And as the next World Cup hosts, the completion of another stadium helps to lift spirits and give us all something to look forward to,” Al Thawadi said. “As for the stadium itself, it is an incredibly striking venue. Fans and players will love it. It’s a true football arena. The seats are very close to the pitch, so the atmosphere will be incredible. I can’t wait for the stadium to host a match with 40,000 fans present. “ The World Cup looks set to be one of the biggest global gatherings in the post-COVID-19 era. That will no doubt bring challenges - but at the same time it is an incredible opportunity to unite the world through our common passion for football,” the Secretary- General added. Al Thawadi also stressed that this World Cup is already special - the first in the Middle East and Arab world, and the second in Asia. Now, there is an extra layer of expectation and an opportunity to provide billions of people with an unforgettable, feel- good moment. “We know that sport is unique in its power to unite and truly transcends borders. It’s one of the reasons we wanted to bring the World Cup to Qatar. We want to showcase our love for football while giving people the chance to experience a new culture. It is something we hope can contribute to dismantling stereotypes and mis- conceptions about our country and region.” Al Thawadi said. On Education City Stadium, Al Thawadi said: “It’s a beautiful stadium, first and foremost, and one we call the ‘Diamond in the Desert’. The facade features diamond-like patterns which change color according to the sun’s position - hence the nickname. “I think it’s a stadium that football fans will love. It dominates its location, which is right next to Education City Golf Club. It really stands out on the horizon and, like I said earlier, I think the atmosphere, when it’s full to capacity, will be something really special. It will be a cauldron of noise and passion during the World Cup.” He added that the stadium’s location is also significant. "It’s situated in Education City - which is home to schools and univer- sities, along with a host of research and development organizations, among other entities. Education City is the home of Qatar Foundation, which is playing a huge role in helping our country deliver its National Vision - namely to develop a knowledge economy and shift our reliance away from hydrocarbons. This stadium is the next step in the story of Education City as it will provide facilities for this vast community both in the lead-up to the World Cup and beyond. He stressed that Qatar Foundation (QF) is a key stakeholder in the World Cup project, adding: “QF is a valued stakeholder and will play a key role in helping us to deliver the World Cup and - impor- tantly - support us in ensuring this tournament leaves a lasting legacy for years to come. QF will take ownership of Education City Stadium after the tournament for the benefit of its entire community - which numbers many thousands of people.” Al Thawadi added: "Those who fol- lowed the journey of our bid to host the FIFA World Cup will remember the final presentation, in which Her Highness Sheikha Moza bint Nasser delivered a speech to the voters asking when the right time was for the World Cup to come to the Middle East. Her Highness told them that the time was now. Her Highness’s speech was an iconic moment for our bid. It’s fitting that almost ten years later we are launching the stadium located within QF - an entity that has blossomed into a global center for education under the leadership of Her Highness Sheikha Moza bint Nasser.” He said that the Education City Stadium is the only Qatar 2022 stadium so far to receive a five-star rating from the Global Sustainability Assessment System, a FIFA-approved compliance scheme which is administered by the Gulf Organization for Research and Development. Al Thawadi pointed out that a number of features helped it to receive this rating, including the fact that 85% of materials were regionally sourced and 29% were from recycled content. In addition, 35.5% of the building ele- ments can be disassembled and reused - including the seats in the modular upper tier, which will be removed and donated to a country which needs sporting infrastructure after the tournament. “We are very proud of this inno- vation - which will be replicated across several Qatar 2022 venues. It will ensure no stadium becomes a ‘white elephant’ after the tournament and ensure the legacy of our tournament is felt far and wide.” “Despite COVID-19, we remain ahead of schedule when it comes to delivering all the infrastructure required for the World Cup. We have actually completed 85% of con- struction across our portfolio and are well on course t o delivering everything well in advance of the tournament," he said. On SC programs during this period, Al Thawadi said: “I’m proud of the way all our staff have adapted in recent months. It’s been a testing time for eve- ryone but through excellent collabo- ration and communication we have found a way to carry on preparing for this huge tournament”, adding: “Our legacy programs are just one example of business continuity. Generation Amazing - our football for devel- opment program - has been broad- casting live sessions on social media, helping to connect its vast community and inspiring them with health and fitness drills to do at home. Meanwhile, the Josoor Institute moved quickly to deliver all its professional diploma program online - meaning their dele- gates kept learning despite being stuck at home”. He also pointed out that SC also worked closely with its ambassadors, including the likes of Xavi Hernandez, Cafu, Samuel Eto’o and Tim Cahill, to share key messages about social dis- tancing and details on how to stay active, both mentally and physically, during this testing time. “We have spent significant time engaging with counterparts from within the sporting world on their chal- lenges as they try to plan for similar- sized events, or work to restart their leagues. We’re doing everything we can to gather as much information as pos- sible and exchange knowledge on new protocols concerning health and safety as football and sport restarts, in order to be as ready as possible for hosting the world in 2022,” Al Thawadi said. Al Thawadi concluded by saying: “We have faced challenges since the day we won the right to host the World Cup - no doubt about that - but we’ve always managed to rise to the occasion. Innovation is embedded in everything we do - whether it’s in relation to cooling technology, modular stadiums or developing the perfect grade of grass for our stadiums and training sites. Innovation and hard work have led us through the previous months and we will forge ahead with that same ethos and commitment as our journey towards 2022 and beyond continues”. 20 ve ve ves s a a e. Q QF n n n n C C Cit ity o or or o t the he h wh wh whic ich h o o op ople le.” . o o o o o f fol o - o ho ho h st st e er er e t t t the he he he e e H H H He e e e er r r er er a a as a s se se se e s se e e er r r r r r r r r r r sk sk sk sk k s s s s s in in n n n n n n ng g W W W Wo Wo o o W Wo W W W Wo o Wo o o or r r rl l r d d d t t t t t. . . 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In many ways, I believe Qatar 2022 has become even more important due to recent events. Sport - and particularly football - has the potential to bring people together in a post-COVID-19 world. And as the next World Cup hosts, the completion of another stadium helps to liſt spirits and give us all something to look forward to: Al Thawadi The Stadium (Education City Stadium) itself, it is an incredibly striking venue. Fans and players will love it. It’s a true football arena. The seats are very close to the pitch, so the atmosphere will be incredible. I can’t wait for the stadium to host a match with 40,000 fans present: Al Thawadi Hassan Al Thawadi, Secretary-General of the SC

Transcript of the world: Al Thawadi · 6/17/2020  · T20 World Cup, won by Australia in March, and reintegrating...

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Former World

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emerge

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WEDNESDAY 17 JUNE 2020

QORC: Omani participants Ammar, Zakariya are unstoppableTHE PENINSULA – DOHA

Omani participants Ammar Bulushi and Zakariya Al Ofi yesterday impressed with another fine round of perform-ances to maintain lead of their respective groups after the second round of the 2020 Qatar Online Racing Championship (QORC).

Exhibiting admirable skill handling their rally cars on the gravel terrain in Spain, Ammar Abd Zakariya won five stages each in the hugely popular online series that is receiving

wide attention from Qatari and regional participants.

Ammar with a tally of 80 points heads the pack of partic-ipants in Group B.

Ammar is 11 points ahead over Qatar’s Adel Abdulla. Ammar lost significant time in two stages but was dominant in the rest of the stages to stay top of Group B.

Qatar’s Abdulla, who was unbeaten in three-round qual-ifying stage last week, won just one stage yesterday. The Qatari off-road ace remained in overall second position with 69 points,

two points ahead of Ahmed El Kholy.

In Group A, Zakariya held an eight-point lead over Khalid Al Maraghi. The Omani racer lost the first two stages but regrouped spectacularly to win the next five with ease. In third position was Mansour Dbeissy with 66 points.

After three semi-final rallies, top three from each group will qualify for the final which will take place on Saturday. The WRC8 series is the third online event organised by the Qatar Motor and Motorcycle Federation

(QMMF) following highly suc-cessful Touring Car Champi-onship and the MotoGP series.

The online competitions have gained in popularity after it was held for cars and bikes in the last two months. In total 28 competitors have registered for the championship with more still keen to get registered.

QMMF said the winner of the two-week competition will receive QR15,000 in prize money. The runner-up will take home QR13,000, while third-placed competitor will get QR10,000.

ROUND 2 RESULTSGROUP A: 1. Zakariya Al Ofi (Oman) 37:43.534 secs; 2. Khalid Al Maraghi +2.726; 3. Mansour Dbeissy +49.469; 4. Ahmed Al Kuwari +2:27.681; 5. Patrick Roux +3:55.482; 6. Misfer Al Hajri +4:24.521.GROUP B: 1. Ammar Bulushi (Oman) 37:33.266 secs; 2. Ahmed El Kholay +9.899; 3. Adel Abdulla +10.866; 4. Mishari Al Thefiri (Kuwait) +24.750; 5. Hamad Al Sulaiti +2:41.696; 6. Nasser Al Kuwari +3:28.317

OVERALL STANDINGSGROUP A: 1. Zakariya Al Ofi (Oman) 80 points; 2. Khalid Al Maraghi 72; 3. Mansour Dbeissy 66; 4. Ahmed Al Kuwari 62; 5. Patrick Roux 60; 6. Misfer Al Hajri 58GROUP B: 1. Ammar Bulushi (Oman) 80 points; 2. Adel Abdulla 69; 3. Ahmed El Kholy 67; 4. Mishari Al Thefiri (Kuwait) 64; 5. Hamad Al Sulaiti 60; 6. Nasser Al Kuwari 58.

Qatar 2022 will unitethe world: Al ThawadiQNA – DOHA

The Secretary-General of the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy (SC) Hassan Al Thawadi affirmed that the announcement of the completion of the Education City Stadium, the third stadium for the FIFA 2022 World Cup, sends a message of hope to the world in light of the spread of the Corona-virus Covid-19, considering that the World Cup will unite the world and bring people together after the crisis ends.

Al Thawadi said in an Interview with Qatar News Agency (QNA): “ We are very proud to have completed our latest stadium. Our plans remain on track - despite the pandemic. Edu-cation City Stadium is our third tour-nament venue, after Khalifa Interna-tional and Al Janoub, and we expect to unveil two more stadiums by the end of the year.”

“In many ways, I believe Qatar 2022 has become even more important due to recent events. Sport - and par-ticularly football - has the potential to bring people together in a post-COVID-19 world. And as the next World Cup hosts, the completion of another stadium helps to lift spirits and give us all something to look forward to,” Al Thawadi said.

“As for the stadium itself, it is an incredibly striking venue. Fans and players will love it. It’s a true football arena. The seats are very close to the pitch, so the atmosphere will be incredible. I can’t wait for the stadium to host a match with 40,000 fans present.

“ The World Cup looks set to be one of the biggest global gatherings in the post-COVID-19 era. That will no doubt bring challenges - but at the same time it is an incredible opportunity to unite the world through our common passion for football,” the Secretary-General added.

Al Thawadi also stressed that this World Cup is already special - the first in the Middle East and Arab world, and the second in Asia. Now, there is an extra layer of expectation and an opportunity to provide billions of people with an unforgettable, feel-good moment.

“We know that sport is unique in its power to unite and truly transcends borders. It’s one of the reasons we wanted to bring the World Cup to Qatar. We want to showcase our love for football while giving people the chance to experience a new culture. It is something we hope can contribute to dismantling stereotypes and mis-conceptions about our country and region.” Al Thawadi said.

On Education City Stadium, Al Thawadi said: “It’s a beautiful stadium, first and foremost, and one we call the ‘Diamond in the Desert’. The facade features diamond-like patterns which change color according to the sun’s position - hence the nickname.

“I think it’s a stadium that football fans will love. It dominates its location, which is right next to Education City Golf Club. It really stands out on the horizon and, like I said earlier, I think the atmosphere, when it’s full to capacity, will be something really special. It will be a cauldron of noise and passion during the World Cup.”

He added that the stadium’s location is also significant.

"It’s situated in Education City - which is home to schools and univer-sities, along with a host of research and development organizations, among other entities. Education City is the home of Qatar Foundation, which is playing a huge role in helping our country deliver its National Vision - namely to develop a knowledge economy and shift our reliance away from hydrocarbons. This stadium is the next step in the story of Education City as it will provide facilities for this vast community both in the lead-up to the World Cup and beyond.

He stressed that Qatar Foundation (QF) is a key stakeholder in the World Cup project, adding: “QF is a valued stakeholder and will play a key role in helping us to deliver the World Cup and - impor-tantly - support us in

ensuring this tournament leaves a lasting legacy for years to come. QF will take ownership of Education City Stadium after the tournament for the benefit of its entire community - which numbers many thousands of people.”

Al Thawadi added: "Those who fol-lowed the journey of our bid to host the FIFA World Cup will remember the final presentation, in which Her Highness Sheikha Moza bint Nasser delivered a speech to the voters asking when the right time was for the World Cup to come to the Middle East. Her Highness told them that the time was now. Her Highness’s speech was an iconic moment for our bid. It’s fitting that almost ten years later we are launching the stadium located within QF - an entity that has blossomed into a global center for education under the leadership of Her Highness Sheikha Moza bint Nasser.”

He said that the Education City Stadium is the only Qatar 2022 stadium so far to receive a five-star rating from the Global Sustainability Assessment System, a FIFA-approved compliance scheme which is administered by the Gulf Organization for Research and Development.

Al Thawadi pointed out that a number of features helped it to receive this rating, including the fact that 85% of materials were regionally sourced and 29% were from recycled content. In addition, 35.5% of the building ele-ments can be disassembled and reused - including the seats in the modular upper tier, which will be removed and donated to a country which needs sporting infrastructure after the tournament.

“We are very proud of this inno-vation - which will be replicated across several Qatar 2022 venues. It will ensure no stadium becomes a ‘white elephant’ after the tournament and ensure the legacy of our tournament is felt far and wide.”

“Despite COVID-19, we remain ahead of schedule when it comes to delivering all the infrastructure required for the World Cup. We have actually completed 85% of con-struction across our portfolio and are well on course t o

delivering everything well in advance of the tournament," he said.

On SC programs during this period, Al Thawadi said: “I’m proud of the way all our staff have adapted in recent months. It’s been a testing time for eve-ryone but through excellent collabo-ration and communication we have found a way to carry on preparing for this huge tournament”, adding: “Our legacy programs are just one example of business continuity. Generation Amazing - our football for devel-opment program - has been broad-casting live sessions on social media, helping to connect its vast community and inspiring them with health and fitness drills to do at home. Meanwhile, the Josoor Institute moved quickly to deliver all its professional diploma program online - meaning their dele-gates kept learning despite being stuck at home”.

He also pointed out that SC also worked closely with its ambassadors, including the likes of Xavi Hernandez, Cafu, Samuel Eto’o and Tim Cahill, to share key messages about social dis-tancing and details on how to stay active, both mentally and physically, during this testing time.

“We have spent significant time engaging with counterparts from within the sporting world on their chal-lenges as they try to plan for similar-sized events, or work to restart their leagues. We’re doing everything we can to gather as much information as pos-sible and exchange knowledge on new protocols concerning health and safety as football and sport restarts, in order to be as ready as possible for hosting the world in 2022,” Al Thawadi said.

Al Thawadi concluded by saying: “We have faced challenges since the day we won the right to host the World Cup - no doubt about that - but we’ve always managed to rise to the occasion. Innovation is embedded in everything we do - whether it’s in relation to cooling technology, modular stadiums or developing the perfect grade of grass for our stadiums and training sites. Innovation and hard work have led us through the previous months and we will forge ahead with that same ethos and commitment as our journey towards 2022 and beyond continues”.

20

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In many ways, I believe Qatar 2022 has become even more important due to recent events. Sport - and particularly football - has the potential to bring people together in a post-COVID-19 world. And as the next World Cup hosts, the completion of another stadium helps to lift spirits and give us all something to look forward to: Al Thawadi

The Stadium (Education City Stadium) itself, it is an incredibly striking venue. Fans and players will love it. It’s a true football arena. The seats are very close to the pitch, so the atmosphere will be incredible. I can’t wait for the stadium to host a match with 40,000 fans present: Al Thawadi

Hassan Al Thawadi, Secretary-General of the SC

Page 2: the world: Al Thawadi · 6/17/2020  · T20 World Cup, won by Australia in March, and reintegrating disgraced leaders Steve Smith and David Warner into the men’s Test team after

06 WEDNESDAY 17 JUNE 2020SPORT

T20 World Cup plans ‘unrealistic’: CAAFP – SYDNEY

Staging the Twenty20 World Cup in Australia this year is “unreal-istic” in the midst of a global coro-navirus pandemic, Cricket Australia chairman Earl Eddings admitted yesterday.

The tournament is scheduled to take place from October 18 to November 15, and officials have previously said they are planning for it to proceed on those dates.

But with many global borders still shut due to virus-related travel restrictions, Eddings con-ceded that was looking increas-ingly unlikely.

“While it hasn’t been formally called off this year, or postponed, trying to get 16 countries into Aus-tralia in the current world, where most countries are still going through COVID spiking, I think it’s unrealistic, or it’s going to be very, very difficult,” he told reporters.

Eddings said Cricket Australia had put forward a number of options to the International Cricket Council (ICC).

“The ICC are having meetings as we speak, it’s a bit of a movable feast at the moment,” he said.

T20 World Cup chief exec-utive Nick Hockley, who on

Tuesday took over as interim Cricket Australia chief, said he expected the ICC to make a decision about the tournament’s future next month.

“We’ve got a fantastic local organising committee who are busy preparing for every eventu-ality and the decision that will come,” he said.

Australia has so far enjoyed success containing the virus, allowing it to ease restrictions, including letting crowds of up to 10,000 into sports stadiums from next month.

But strict international border restrictions remain in place and there are also limits on domestic movement between states, cre-ating an added headache for an event where forty-five matches are split between seven cities.

Eddings said India’s Test tour in December-January appeared set to go ahead, with the tourists willing to undergo quarantine to enter Australia.

However, the T20 World Cup, involving 15 visiting teams and support staff, presents a far greater logistical challenge.

The most likely scenario appears to be rescheduling the tournament until next year, but it will depend on the status of the

pandemic and finding a spot in cricket’s crowded calendar.

Postponing the World Cup could have a knock-on effect for the Indian Premier League, which was supposed to begin in March but has been repeatedly pushed back.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India is desperate to salvage the world’s richest T20 tournament, even if that means taking it overseas or playing in empty stands.

While the BCCI has

earmarked a September-October window for the event, delaying the T20 World Cup would open up an attractive slot. The ICC last week said the situation regarding the T20 World Cup and corona-virus was rapidly evolving but insisted “planning for delivery of the events in the scheduled window is ongoing”.

“The health and well-being of everyone involved is our priority and other considerations fall out from that,” ICC chief executive Manu Sawhney said.

AFP – SYDNEY

Cricket Australia Chief Executive Kevin Roberts (pictured) resigned yesterday after the troubled organisation’s board demanded a leadership “reset” as anger simmers over its handling of the coronavirus crisis.

Roberts’ departure makes him the third Australian sporting chief to fall on his sword during the pandemic, after Rugby Australia’s Raelene Castle and the National Rugby League’s Todd Greenberg.

CA chairman Earl Eddings said T20 World Cup chief Nick Hockley would take over from Roberts on an interim basis while an international search was conducted for a permanent replacement.

Eddings refused to detail why Roberts was heading for the exit barely halfway through his three-year contract.

Roberts laid off most of Cricket Australia’s staff and tried to slash budgets to state bodies and players, arguing revenues would be hit hard by the virus.

However, there was widespread pushback after it became clear that most of Australia’s home season, including a lucrative Test series against India, was likely to go ahead.

The 47-year-old, a former opening batsman for New South Wales, was never a popular figure after spearheading CA’s failed move in 2017 to cut player payments.

The highlights of his short tenure were hosting the women’s T20 World Cup, won by Australia in March, and reintegrating disgraced leaders Steve Smith and David Warner into the men’s Test team after the ball-tampering scandal in 2018.

Hafeez to delay retirement if T20 WC postponedREUTERS – LAHORE

P a k i s t a n a l l - r o u n d e r Mohammed Hafeez (pictured) says he will delay his retirement if this year’s Twenty20 World Cup is postponed because of the coronavirus crisis.

The 39-year-old former captain planned to end his 17-year international career after the World Cup in November but with hosts Aus-tralia labelling the tourna-ment’s schedule as “very high risk” Hafeez is now ready to play on.

“I gave retiring from T20 cricket after the World Cup a

lot of thought,” Hafeez said in a video conference.

“I want to retire from T20 cricket after playing a big tour-nament in which I perform well, and hopefully go out on a winning note.

“This is my plan, and if the World T20 is postponed to November or some later time, that doesn’t mean I won’t play it.” Hafeez quit tests in late 2018 but remained active in limited-overs cricket and played the 50-overs World Cup in England last year.

He was recalled to the Twenty20 squad for the home series against Bangladesh in

January and has also been picked for Pakistan’s tour of E n g l a n d i n August-September.

While there have been growing calls for Hafeez to call time on his career, he said he was still good enough for inter-national cricket.

“I’m not going to quit cricket because someone asks me to, just like I never started playing at someone else’s behest,” he said.

“I’ve spent the last 17 years justifying my selection, and I hope I’ll justify my selection again this time. All I’d like to say is - my career, my choice.”

PGA Championshipto go ahead in SanFrancisco without fans

Venus still dreaming at 40AFP – LOS ANGELES

When Venus Williams first stepped onto a tennis court in Oakland for her professional debut in 1994, the Rolling Stones were playing a concert next door at a neighbouring stadium.

Twenty-six years later, Wil-liams, like Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, is in no mood to simply fade away.

The trailblazing American star celebrates her 40th birthday today with the tennis season on pause amid the coronavirus crisis which has decimated the calendar.

The former world number one, however, says there is no prospect of her quietly drawing a line under a career which has yielded seven Grand Slam singles titles, four Olympic gold medals and dozens of tournament wins.

So, despite the march of time and a recent record of futility -- her last singles title came in a WTA Tour event in Taiwan in 2016 - Williams won’t be hanging up her racquet just yet.

“You always have to have dreams, so I keep having them,” Williams told the Tennis Majors website in an interview earlier this month, revealing that she still wants to challenge for the French and Australian Opens, the two Grand Slams that have eluded her.

“I would like to win Roland

Garros. I was not far from it. The same goes for the Australian Open: I was unlucky, I always missed it a little,” Williams said.

Dreams of completing a career “Golden Slam” are likely to remain elusive though.

While sister Serena has kept pocketing Grand Slams regularly, it is 12 years since Venus won her last Slam, when she triumphed at the 2008 Wimbledon Championships.

And Venus though knows that the clock is ticking.

“I probably won’t be playing as long as what I have already played,” she says.

“We’ll see how I feel. I still love winning as much, but when it’s over, it’s over.”

Williams has never been big on admitting defeat however, a hallmark of her early days under the tutelage of father Richard Wil-liams, who drummed into his

daughters the maxim that “the ball is never out” -- an exhortation to chase down every ball.

When Williams does finally call it quits, tennis will bid farewell to one of the greatest players in its history. And even though advances in sports science are increasingly stretching the boundaries of lon-gevity for modern athletes, few players today are likely to match her achievement of a professional career that has spanned four dif-ferent decades.

By now the broad brushstrokes of Williams career are part of tennis lore: the upbringing in the gritty Los Angeles suburb of Compton, the rivalry with younger sister Serena, who has 23 Grand Slam titles to Venus’s seven, the successful comeback after being diagnosed with Sjogren’s syn-drome, an auto-immune disease whose symptoms include joint pain and fatigue.

“I’ve had great moments, I’ve been on the top, I’ve been on the bottom, I’ve been down and out - I’ve done it all and I’ve been equally as happy during all of it,” Williams says.

The final years of Williams career have coincided with the emergence of a young crop of African-American tennis players, including Sloane Stephens, Madison Keys, Taylor Townsend and Coco Gauff.

China offered two F1 races this year: Shanghai official

REUTERS – SHANGHAI

China has been invited to host two Formula One races in Shanghai this season but no decision has been reached over whether to accept the offer, the head of the Shanghai Sports Bureau has told local media.

The Chinese Grand Prix was supposed to take place at the Shanghai International circuit on April 19 but was postponed until later in the year because of the corona-virus outbreak.

Formula One Management (FOM) still hope to run 15-18 races this year and have announced a revised and shortened pro-visional European schedule set to start in Austria without spectators on July 5.

“FOM asked us if it is possible for Shanghai to hold two races,” Shanghai Administration of Sports director Xu Bin was quoted as saying by state news agency Xinhua.

“We have not made the final decision, depending on the potential changes of the epidemic situation.”

The novel coronavirus emerged in the central Chinese city of Wuhan late last year and has now infected more than eight million people worldwide.

Beijing officials reported 27 new con-firmed cases for June 15 yesterday, stoking fears of a second wave of the respiratory disease.

China has been cautious about resuming professional sport even as neighbouring South Korea, Japan and Taiwan have restarted soccer and baseball leagues.

The top-flight Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) league will resume on Saturday in two central hubs in Qingdao and Dongguan but no fans will be present.

The Chinese Super League (CSL) soccer league, which was scheduled to get underway on Feb. 22, would resume in July “if everything goes well”, Xinhua quoted Xu as saying.

Xu said the administration had been talking to many international sports organisations in recent months about hosting events in China’s financial capital.

The season-opening Australian Grand Prix was cancelled hours before the opening practice session in March as the virus started to spread around the world.

The Azerbaijan, Singapore and Japan races were cancelled last Friday, joining four races already called off.

CEO resigns as CA seeks ‘reset’

disgraced Test team

squad for the homenst Bangladesh in

again this time. All I d like to say is - my career, my choice.”

I probably won’t be playing as long as what I have already played. We’ll see how I feel. I still love winning as much, but when it’s over, it’s over: Former world number one, Venus Williams

Venus Williams of the US hits a return against

Romania’s Mihaela

Buzarnescu during their

women’s singles match on day

two of the Australian Open

in this January 15, 2019 file

photo.

AFP – LOS ANGELES

The PGA Championship will be held in August but without fans, after California health officials gave the green light to the first major championship of 2020, the San Francisco Chronicle reported.

The tournament scheduled for August 6-9 in San Francisco had hoped to attract up to 40,000 fans a day at Harding Park golf course but that was before the USPGA Tour was shutdown because of the coro-navirus outbreak.

The PGA Championship, which is run by the PGA of America, was originally scheduled to take place in May.

Harding Park last held a PGA event in 2015 and has never hosted a major championship. Construction on grand-stands were already underway when the Tour was shutdown in March at the Players Championship.

Brooks Koepka will defend his title at Harding Park, where he’ll look to become the first player to win three straight PGA Championships since Walter Hagen won four in a row from 1924-27.

The PGA cancelled 11 tournaments and revised its remaining schedule, finally resuming last week with no spec-tators at the Charles Schwab Challenge.

The first tournament to have fans will be The Memorial, July 16-19 in Dublin, Ohio. Officials are planning for up to 8,000 fans per day at Muirfield Village.

Tiger Woods hits out of a bunker on the 17th hole during the final round of the PGA Championship in this file photo.

This file photo shows a general view of the Melbourne Cricket Ground, Melbourne during a limiter-over match. According to the initial fixtures the iconic stadium is the host venue for the final of the T20 World Cup which is to be played on November 15, 2020.

Page 3: the world: Al Thawadi · 6/17/2020  · T20 World Cup, won by Australia in March, and reintegrating disgraced leaders Steve Smith and David Warner into the men’s Test team after

07WEDNESDAY 17 JUNE 2020 SPORT

PL braces for return after breakAFP – LONDON

The Premier League returns today after 100 days in the deep freeze, with Liverpool on the brink of winning the title in a radically changed football universe.

The English top flight follows Germany’s Bundesliga and La Liga in Spain in rebooting their seasons after the coronavirus lockdown, aiming to cram 92 games into six weeks of breathless action.

Aston Villa kick off against Sheffield United, to be followed later today by Manchester City v Arsenal, before a cascade of matches.

Despite vocal complaints from some clubs and stars including Sergio Aguero and Raheem Sterling, “Project Restart” has largely gone smoothly, with regular testing of players and staff yielding few positives.

But when Villa and Sheffield United kick off, the watching world will be confronted with a jarring spectacle, with an eerie silence in the usually noisy stands.

Piping crowd chants into sta-diums, cardboard cut-outs of supporters and live video fan walls will add colour but it will be impossible to mimic the usual vibrant atmosphere.

In total, about 300 people will be allowed in stadiums for each match, with strict health protocols in place.

There will be widespread dis-infection of changing facilities, dugouts, matchballs, goalposts, corner flags and substitution boards.

People other than players and coaching staff on team b e n c h e s m u s t w e a r

face coverings. The games themselves will look different. Players have been told to maintain social-distancing during goal celebrations and encouraged not to spit.

The hectic fixture list, warm summer temperatures and a lack of preparation time could lead to more injuries, so world gov-erning body FIFA has given the green light for five substitutions per match.

Some believe that unfairly helps teams with bigger squads. Villa’s Smith said he was not in favour of the change.

Following the recent death of George Floyd, killed by a white police officer in the United States, the Black Lives Matter cause will also be visible.

Players’ names will be replaced on the back of their shirts with “Black Lives Matter”

for the first 12 matches, while the league will back anyone who chooses to take a knee in protest before or during matches.

The subdued mood and con-stant fear of the virus making its presence felt will overshadow the remainder of a season that will always have an asterisk next to it in the history books.

When the campaign was halted on March 13, Liverpool were two wins from their first English title in 30 years.

Jurgen Klopp’s side, 25 points clear at the top, could be crowned champions as soon as this weekend if second-placed Manchester City lose at home to Arsenal today and the Reds win their first game of the restart at Merseyside rivals Everton on Sunday.

Whenever they clinch that long-awaited 19th league title, it

will be a moment to treasure for Liverpool.

But, with fans being told not to gather outside the stadium and no trophy parade planned due to social-distancing rules, the celebrations are likely to be muted.

Since the Bundesliga resumed there has been a drop in the number of home wins as teams struggle without the drive provided by their fans.

That could influence some key issues in the Premier League.

Chelsea and Manchester United will try to hold off unex-pected challenges from Sheffield and Wolves in the race to reach the Champions League.

At the other end, Norwich, Villa and Bournemouth bid to climb out of the bottom three at a time when relegation could be more costly than ever.

UEFA to decide CL plans in key meetingAFP – PARIS

As football around Europe returns after a long suspension, UEFA is set to announce the format for the latter stages of the Champions League at a key meeting today which will also raise the thorny issue of the postponed, pan-conti-nental Euro 2020.

The Champions League was frozen in mid-March before the last-16 stage had been completed, as the sport ground to a halt when the coronavirus pandemic began to take hold.

Initially, European football’s governing body had hoped to finish its flagship competition -- along with the Europa League and women’s Champions League -- by the end of June.

It soon became clear that such an outcome was overly optimistic, and during the peak of the pan-demic in Europe any prospect of

finishing the season at all looked slim.

N e v e r -theless, UEFA has for some time been working on a way of com-pleting its season in August, which looks feasible as leagues restart and the European death toll from Covid-19 slows.

With that in mind, the Exec-utive Committee meeting, to be held by video conference, is set to approve the idea of a “Final Eight” in Lisbon, as widely reported by media across Europe in recent days.

That would mean finding a way to play out the four remaining last 16, second legs before bringing

together all the quarter-finalists in P o r t u g a l ’ s capital for a series of o n e - o f f games to crown the E u r o p e a n champions. According to reports, the final would be

on August 23. The final was scheduled to be played in Istanbul on May 30.

However, last month the New York Times reported that Istanbul could instead be awarded a future final, when it is safe for fans to travel in large numbers.

Gdansk in Poland was slated to host the Europa League final but that competition also looks set to finish in a watered down

“Final Eight” format. UEFA’s announcements will have a knock-on effect on when next season can start around Europe. Everything could be derailed by a second wave of coronavirus infections.

Euro 2020 was meant to be in full swing by now, but post-poning the tournament by 12 months was one of the first big decisions taken as the crisis intensified.

Now UEFA must potentially make some big decisions about its format, and President Ale-ksander Ceferin recently hinted that the number of host cities could be reduced.

In an interview with beIN Sports, he admitted to having “some issues” with three unnamed cities. “In principle, we will do it in 12 cities. But if not, we are ready to do it in 10, nine or eight,” he said.

Gattuso looks for first title in Coppa Italia showdown against JuventusREUTERS – ROME

Gennaro Gattuso will be looking to claim the first title of his coaching career, and show that he brings more to the bench than just his famous grit and determination, when his Napoli side meet Juventus in the Coppa Italia final today.

His opposite number Maurizio Sarri, meanwhile, is eyeing his first Italian trophy and the first of what he hopes will be many conquests at the helm of the team which has dominated Italian football for the best part of a decade.

The Coppa Italia will be the first title to be settled in the current Italian season, which has just resumed after a three-month coronavirus stoppage. Today's match will be played behind closed doors at Rome’s Stadio Olimpico (1900 GMT).

Famous for his cutthroat playing style, Gattuso won the World Cup, Champions League and Serie A as a mid-fielder, but his transition to coaching has been far from smooth.

He was quickly sacked from his first two jobs, at Swiss side Sion in 2013 and Italian Serie B side Palermo, before spending six months at OFI Crete who, according to Gattuso, were “struggling to feed their players” at the time.

Back in Italy, he took Pisa out of the third tier before his former club AC Milan came calling in 2017.

Although he did not get them back into the Cham-pions League, Gattuso led Milan to the Coppa final in 2018, where they lost 4-0 to Juventus, and many felt he did better than expected with an unbalanced, youthful squad.

Gattuso then replaced Carlo Ancelotti at Napoli in December with the squad in free fall and players at log-gerheads with club management after refusing to take part in a week-long training camp.

After a tricky start, he had the team performing well - guiding them to a 1-0 win over Juventus in Serie A in January in the two sides’ last meeting.

“The squad believes in what we’re doing, works hard during the week, and these lads are giving us everything,” he said after Saturday’s 1-1 second-leg draw at home to Inter Milan that took Napoli to the final, 2-1 on aggregate.

“I think the quality level is very high and if we manage to defend and attack with humility, we can achieve great things.”

Manchester City's Argentinian star Sergio Agüero in action during a practice session yesterday, as he prepares for

today's Premier League match against Arsenal.

PREMIER LEAGUETODAY'S FIXTURES

Aston Villa vs Sheffield United (08:00pm)

Manchester City vs Arsenal (10:15pm)

Napoli coach Gennaro Gattuso reacts during the Coppa Italia semi-final second leg match

against Inter Milan in Naples, on Saturday.

Coppa Italia will be the first title to be settled in the current Italian season, which has just resumed after a three-month coronavirus stoppage.

Bayern Munich’s Polish forward Robert

Lewandowski (bottom) celebrates with a team-

mate after scoring the winning goal against SV Werder Bremen,

yesterday.

Bayern win 8th straight Bundesliga titleAP – BREMEN, GERMANY

Bayern Munich secured its eighth successive German Bundesliga title yesterday with two games to spare after beating Werder Bremen 1-0 with a goal from Robert Lewand-owski.

The win on a wet night in Bremen put Bayern 10 points clear of second-place Borussia Dortmund, which can earn a maximum nine points from its three remaining games.

Werder kept Bremen at bay for most of the first half but the champions still found a breakthrough. Jerome Boateng played a perfectly weighted ball over the defense in the 43rd minute for Robert Lewandowski to control on his chest and hit past the goalkeeper for his 31st Bundesliga goal this season.

Bayern finished with 10 men after a second yellow card for Alphonso Davies in the 79th minute. Goalkeeper Manuel Neuer made a crucial late save to stop Yuya Osako’s header.

Bayern powered to its 30th German title with a perfect record of seven wins in the Bundesliga since it resumed last month in empty stadiums amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Hansi Flick has coached Bayern to 26 wins

from 29 games in all com-petitions since he took over in November.

Bayern is chasing a possible triple.

It can add the German Cup if it beats Bayer Leverkusen in the July 4 final and is in contention for the Champions League.

Europe’s premier club competition was post-poned because of the coronavirus but is due to finish in a tournament format in August.

Last-placed Paderborn was relegated after losing 1-0 to Union Berlin yesterday.

2019/20: Bayern Munich2018/19: Bayern Munich2017/18: Bayern Munich2016/17: Bayern Munich2015/16: Bayern Munich2014/15: Bayern Munich2013/14: Bayern Munich2012/13: Bayern Munich2011/12: Borussia Dortmund2010/11: Borussia Dortmund2009/10: Bayern Munich2008/09: Wolfsburg2007/08: Bayern Munich2006/07: Stuttgart2005/06: Bayern Munich

RECENT BUNDESLIGA CHAMPIONS

Bayern Munich players celebrate after winning the match and their 8th Bundesliga title in a row.