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THURSDAY, OCTOBER 9, 2014 SPORTS Safety first for Russian Photo of the day Formula 1 race organisers SOCHI: Jules Bianchi’s horrific Japanese attended races around the world to see Grand Prix accident has thrust driver safety how other venues operated. further into the spotlight ahead of Russia’s Frenchman Bianchi, who drives for the Formula One debut on Sunday but race Marussia team and is also a Ferrari tester, organisers say they are well prepared. Even sustained severe head injuries after crash- if most of the marshals at the Sochi circuit ing into a recovery tractor at Suzuka in an are Russian, and will be working at a grand accident that ended the race. prix for the first time, they are supervised The governing FIA has ordered a full by experienced officials brought in from enquiry, while questions have been asked Australia’s CAMS motorsport body. about the decision to allow the heavy vehi- Richard Cregan, who works closely with cle into an exposed position while cars local promoter Sergey Vorobyev and was were still lapping on a wet track and in fad- previously chief executive of the Abu Dhabi ing light. Cregan said everything was ready circuit, recognised Bianchi’s accident had at the circuit, where teams were setting up added to the pressure. their garages yesterday, and ticket sales But the Irishman told Reuters at the cir- had been strong. cuit, whose fenced layout snakes around The race, held up as part of the legacy of the Olympic Park used for this year’s Winter the Olympics, is a showcase event for Games in February, that it was there any- Russia with President Vladimir Putin way. expected to attend on Sunday but it has “I think there’s always a pressure with also been overshadowed be the crisis in the first race to make sure everything is of a Ukraine. Cregan said there had been no standard that’s even beyond what is discernable effect on ticket sales, however. required by the FIA,” he said. “About a month or six weeks ago, they “We are very lucky to have somebody (sales) just took off,” he said. “I think it was like (race director) Charlie (Whiting) there people waiting to make sure the circuit was who is so attentive to detail. He’s been here finished and everything was going to be many times and very willing to come out at OK. “There was lots of discussions about very short notice to help and do inspec- sanctions and all these things and then tions. “You can never relax on safety. It’s suddenly, when all that seemed to be in always something you have to ensure,” the past in relation to our race, then we Jamie Whincup and Paul Dumbrell celebrate after winning the V8 Supercars Wilson Security Sandown 500. — www.redbull.com added Cregan. “Everything that we’ve done were selling between 500-800 tickets a day. here is according to the FIA regulations and “I think we are going to have between 54- standards.” 55,000 people here in total. Our hospitality Cregan said the local marshals had done has gone well, obviously the first to sell out a huge amount of training, including at was the general admission and main Biles leads US women to win places like Moscow raceway, and had grandstand.” — Reuters second straight world team title NANNING: Simone Biles led the United Olympic year and last year in accordance with around bronze medallist, they bounced back States to win a second straight women’s team the International Gymnastics Federation’s cal- from third spot in their opening event, vault, title at the world gymnastics championships endar. but trailed in second spot behind the US yesterday as she geared up for her defence of Kyla Ross, a holdover from the London women for the rest of the competition with a the individual all-around title. The 2012 Olympics gold medal winning team, who will gap of more than three points. Olympic champions collected 179.280 points turn 18 this month, also contributed to what The gap widened to nearly seven points through four apparatus events with hosts was a fourth US world women’s team crown after Biles collected a table-topping 15.375 China second at 172.587 and Russia third at overall. Biles, the US national champion, said points on floor with four soaring tumbling 171.462. the team gold “means the world” when com- passes as the night’s last performer. Romania finished fourth at 170.963 as a pared with individual titles she won at last Yao, Chen Siyi and Tan Jiaxin failed to land near capacity crowd roared on the home year’s worlds where she also picked the floor clean on vault and Yao fell from the uneven team at the 4,000-seat Guangxi Gymnasium title. “I’m so proud of all the girls out here bars in the second rotation. in Nanning, the day after China grabbed a who competed in our team.” China bested the others on balance beam record sixth straight men’s world team title. but their score was limited in the final event The 17-year-old Biles competed in three of ‘JUST HAVE FUN’ as Chen touched the floor after her third spir- the four events, topping the table on vault Biles will defend her all-around crown on ited tumbling pass. and floor exercise, while her team dominated Friday as the championships move into indi- “I was not really satisfied with my perform- all but balance beam. vidual contests today. She said she told her ance today,” said 19-year-old Yao. “The audi- Biles said her team of six teenagers aged novice teammates in her pep talk: “Just to go ence were so enthusiastic, that made me a lit- LONDON: In this Saturday July 21, 2012 file photo, England’s Kevin Pietersen sits on 16 and 17 had never thought of getting any- out there and have fun and do what we do in tle nervous,” she said of her fall from the the pitch during the third day of the first cricket Test match against South Africa at thing less than gold. “We just think of going practice. Just have fun and embrace the uneven bars. “I could not control my body the Oval cricket ground. — AP out there and having fun and hitting all our moment.” through the air, and I just could not hold my routines,” she said, “because we don’t really China, the 2006 world champions, were motion.” English cricket rocked watch the other competition.” paired with the United States in a rotational Today, Japan’s London Olympic champion The last world team competition was held group due to their top two places in qualify- Kohei Uchimura goes for a record-stretching by Pietersen allegations in 2011 but it was not staged in the 2012 ing. Led by Yao Jinnan, the 2011 world all- fifth men’s all-around title. — AFP LONDON: Kevin Pietersen was made to wait This week, he has been on TV and radio eight months before having his say on the ter- shows exposing the rifts with colleagues and mination of his turbulent international career coaches that marred the last years of his inter- with England. The wait is over - and the ramifi- national career. cations of his response are rocking English He said wicketkeeper Matt Prior and cricket. The sports agenda in England is being England’s bowlers “ran the dressing room” and dominated by the fallout from the release of forced fielders to apologize for errors and Pietersen’s explosive autobiography, in which dropped catches, which Pietersen interpreted the country’s most brash and controversial as a bullying culture that was allowed to devel- cricketer takes aim at former England team- op. Graeme Swann, one of the bowlers in this mates and management. alleged clique, has responded by saying “there Among the most damaging of Pietersen’s was absolutely no bullying.” allegations are that a clique in the side bullied “I expected it to be the biggest work of fic- and intimidated teammates, and that his inter- tion since Jules Verne and that seems to have national coach, Andy Flower, ruled “by fear” happened,” Swann said of Pietersen’s book. and “had it in for me.” Much of the fall-out will Prior was particularly targeted by Pietersen, blow over but the allegations about bullying described as a “bad influence, a negative influ- and intimidation are serious and have been ence” who “picks on players.” He nicknamed backed up by former England players Ajmal Prior the “Big Cheese” in the book. Shahzad and Michael Vaughan. Pietersen said Flower, who was his coach Former Australia captain Ricky Ponting for England for five years, was “contagiously agreed, telling The Daily Telegraph in Australia: sour. Infectiously dour. He could walk into a “We saw them doing it . The guys who were room and suck all the joy out of it in five sec- doing it were the so-called leaders.” onds. Just a mood hoover.” Of Flower, he wrote, Also weighing in, unwittingly, has been the “He had it in for me ever since he took over.” England and Wales Cricket Board, whose legal The ECB has so far chosen not to make an offi- document being compiled in response to cial comment on Pietersen’s book but was Pietersen’s book was leaked into the public drawn into the saga when its document was domain, and includes alleged misdemeanours leaked to, and published by, cricket website by England’s highest run-scorer during the ESPNcricinfo.com.