THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 2017 SPORTS

Jesus delighted by Japan club ‘baffled’ Oscar shows golden flying City start over sexism row touch for Shanghai

TOKYO: The chairman of the Japanese golf club set to host SHANGHAI: Megabucks import Oscar began repaying some of his hefty price LONDON: Manchester City striker Gabriel Jesus said yesterday he had been the sport at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics said they are bewil- tag when he scored on his competitive debut for Shanghai SIPG, helping them “surprised” by his extraordinary start to life in the Premier League. The 19-year- dered by requests to lift its ban on women becoming full seal a spot in the AFC Champions League group stage. The Brazil midfielder, old rising star arrived in England last month after City agreed a members. Kasumigaseki Country Club in Saitama, north of who quit Chelsea in a 60 million euro ($64 million) deal, rolled in SIPG’s opener in deal with Brazilian side Palmeiras in pre-season. While some Tokyo, postponed a decision to review its membership policy Tuesday’s 3-0 play-off victory over Thailand’s Sukhothai FC. overseas players take time to adjust to the physicality and following a board meeting on Tuesday after the club came Fellow Brazilian Elkeson also got on the scoresheet as SIPG pace of the Premier League, Jesus has settled in immedi- under fire from Tokyo’s female governor Yuriko Koike. The took their place in Group F alongside FC Seoul, Urawa Red ately with three goals in four appearances, including a governor said she felt “uncomfortable that women cannot Diamonds and Western Sydney Wanderers. It means that double in Sunday’s 2-1 win at home to Swansea. Such become full members in the 21st century,” while the SIPG, coached by ex-Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur boss has been his impact, he has has kept Argentina ace International Olympic Committee also expressed concerns Andre Villas-Boas, get a shot at Asia’s club crown, won twice Sergio Aguero out of the side for the last two matches, about the rule. Tokyo organisers have also filed a written by Chinese rivals Guangzhou Evergrande in recent seasons. which has in turn led to speculation about the request to the golf club to change the rule, a Tokyo 2020 offi- Oscar’s deal with Shanghai SIPG is thought to be 24 million Argentine striker’s future at Eastlands. “Yes, I am very cial told AFP yesterday. A meeting to discuss requests to drop euros a season — which would put him above Real Madrid’s surprised,” Jesus told mancity.com when asked how its ban on full female members ended with no firm decision, Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi of Barcelona in a list of the things had gone since he joined the club. “Although I according to public broadcasters NHK. “It’s extremely annoy- world’s best-paid players. It is still below the 38 mil- work a lot every single day, with everyone’s support, in ing the situation has evolved into what it is so quickly,” board lion euros reportedly paid by city rivals order for that to happen. “I am very happy. Each day I feel chairman Kiichi Kimura told local media. “There was no deci- Shanghai Shenhua to Argentine striker Carlos that I am adjusting really well, with the support of sion and we will discuss it further. “We are baffled, that’s our Tevez, which rates him as the highest paid everyone in the club. —AFP situation right now,” he said. — AFP footballer on the planet. —AFP

OLYMPICS Tokyo 2020 bid chief quizzed over payments

TOKYO: Japanese prosecutors have ques- of laws nor bribery, I have told (prosecu- tioned Japan’s Olympic chief and other offi- tors) the same explanation I’ve given (pre- cials over millions of dollars in payments viously),” Takeda told the Yomiuri. Private made during Tokyo’s successful bid to host broadcaster Nippon TV carried a similar the 2020 Olympics, reports said yesterday. story. A JOC investigation reported last Japanese Olympic Committee (JOC) September that it had found no evidence president Tsunekazu Takeda, who also led of bribery by Japanese officials in the case. the Tokyo bid, was among those quizzed in Diack, whose son Papa Massata Diack recent weeks at the request of French has denied receiving the money, was an investigators, the Yomiuri Shimbun report- International Olympic Committee (IOC) ed. French authorities said in May last year member at the time of the Tokyo bid. that they were investigating the 2.8 million The Tokyo prosecutors office declined to Singapore dollar (1.8 million euros, $2 mil- comment, while JOC officials and Tokyo lion) payments to a Singapore-based con- 2020 organisers could not immediately sultancy. confirm the reports. Japanese officials have consistently “The Tokyo 2020 Organising Committee denied wrongdoing and have said that the has no means of knowing the bid commit- payments were for consulting services. tee’s activities,” the organising committee The two payments, linked to a son of said in an email to AFP. disgraced ex-world athletics chief Lamine Allegations the payments were improp- Diack, were made either side of Tokyo win- er were first reported by Britain’s Guardian ning the hosting rights at a vote in Buenos newspaper in last May. Tokyo beat Istanbul Aires in September 2013. and Madrid for the right to host the 2020 “Having no recognition of the violation Games. —AFP ‘Ghost skier’ leads Winter ST MORITZ: From left to right, Silver medalist of , Gold medalist of Canada and Bronze medalist Manuel Osborne-Paradis of Canada, celebrate on the podium during the flower ceremony after the men’s Super-G at the 2017 Alpine SkiingWorld Games data revolution Championships in St Moritz, Switzerland, yesterday. — AP ST. MORITZ: A “ghost skier” hurtling down those patches be attached, what relevant the slope, an athlete’s glucose levels flash- information can we get out of them. “A lot ing across the screen along with his heart of athletes are obviously suspicious of rate-it is all part of an Olympic data revolu- releasing data and that is something we tion awaiting television viewers. need to work through with federations. With the one-year countdown to the “But the direction is very clear we should Emotional Guay trumps Pyeongchang Winter Games starting today, be able over the next year to see more and European broadcaster Eurosport along more analysis that says this person is gen- with counterparts in North America and erating more power than that person,” said Japan are racing to get their gadgets ready the veteran television sports executive. “If Jansrud in super-G upset and approved by the International Olympic we can provide real information that edu- Committee and athletes. cates people about what is going on in an Peter Hutton, chief executive of athlete’s body then we are really doing ST MORITZ: Canada’s Erik Guay capped his of it well that would be it,” he said. “It’s the beau- energy, it was pretty cool.” Eurosport, said 2018 Games viewers next something interesting.” Broadcasters still return from an injury nightmare to claim an ty of racing. “It feels so good... To share it with Osborne-Paradis edged out a second “attack- year would see a “major jump” in the vol- need to get the IOC and international fed- emotional second world title when he surprised Erik, I think I was able to get third because he ing Viking” in the shape of Aleksander Aamodt ume of data compared to Sochi in 2014. erations to sign off on the data revolution. the field to win the men’s super-G in St Moritz won, I was so jazzed at the start, I had so much Kilde by three-hundredths of a second. — AFP “The amount of data on screen will be rev- But Hutton said the International Ski yesterday. The 35-year-old, the 2011 world olutionary,” he said. Broadcasters want the Federation wants change. “They are clearly downhill champion in Garmisch, timed 1min “ghost skier” on the screen to show how far ambitious to integrate more data into what 25.38sec down the 1.9km-long Corviglia course a competitor is in front, or behind, the lead- they do.” in overcast conditions and admitted to tears Stuhec tops women’s ing time. Just as the super-imposed line For athletes, performance patches after streaking into the finish area. Norway’s that showed the world record time has would be voluntary. But the broadcaster Kjetil Jansrud, the reigning Olympic super-G improved TV viewing of swimming, Hutton has already won over cycling with cameras gold medallist and winner of three super-Gs this downhill training and others believe the Winter Games is also on bikes. This has also been voluntary, but season, claimed silver, at 0.45sec, with another ripe for reform. Hutton said riders are now asking to be the Canadian, Manuel Osborne-Paradis, taking ST MORITZ: Slovenia’s Ilka Stuhec laid down a in Friday’s alpine combined event. The swimming line was simple but camera-carrier as it brings them more bronze on his 33rd birthday (+0.51sec). “It’s marker for Sunday’s world championship added clarity, Hutton said. “If you can use attention. “It makes them centre stage and incredible,” said Guay, who best mastered the flat downhill by topping times in yesterday’s train- SHORT NIGHT ghost skiers or have a line to say where is athletes like being centre stage.” Eurosport light and at-times rolling course that saw a ing in St Moritz. Stuhec, winner of five races Super-G gold medallist Nicole Schmidhofer the leader on the course, that explains the has a research unit also looking at cameras handful of favoured racers ski out including this season including three downhills and a admitted that celebrations after her shock vic- story so much better,” he said, adding that on helmets for skiers, virtual reality and Olympic downhill champion Mathias Mayer, super-G, timed 1min 34.53sec. tory on Tuesday meant a poor showing in viewers would no longer have to wait for other data experiments. “Fifty percent of winner of the Kitzbuehel super-G. Guay, who Swiss duo Fabienne Suter and Lara Gut, training, coming in 4.57sec off Stuhec. split times. “The technology is still being what they do will never get out,” he said. had a big crash last week in Garmisch, has bronze medallist in the super-G, came in sec- “It was not so good,” she said. “It was very tested, but we are really close to it.” Rival Eurosport, which paid 1.3 billion euros notched up just five World Cup wins in his long ond and third, with three other teammates in slow because the night was really short! firms are also working on performance ($1.4 billion) for the European rights on tel- career, the last coming in the downhill in the top 10. “The slope is really nice, it has a lot “So it wasn’t really a training run for me.” patches worn by athletes that can transmit evision and multimedia platforms to the March 2014 before undergoing knee surgery of terrain and jumps, so it’s fun to ski,” said Liechtenstein’s Tina Weirather claimed silver real-time information on medal con- Olympics for 2018-2024 is in contact with that summer that almost saw him end his life as Stuhec, who leads the World Cup downhill behind Schmidhofer and acknowledged that tenders. US giant NBC and Japanese broadcasters a ski racer. standings. “Every day will be different and she had suffered the same relatively sleepless on the new technology, said Hutton. “It’s just the whole history with coming back everyone will be pushing more.” American experience after medalling in the women’s ATHLETES ‘SUSPICIOUS’ J.B. Perrette, president of Discovery from injuries... coming back here and forgetting speed queen Lindsey Vonn skied out of opening event of the February 6-19 world These patches can reveal the heart rate International, the US parent company of about everything and enjoying it,” said the Tuesday’s super-G, but was left satisfied with championships. and an athlete’s position, but even detail Eurosport, said the new coverage would Quebec native, who finished third in last sea- her training session in which she finished “I wanted to go really easy today because I such as glucose level-a key indicator of also aim to show more of the human side son’s World Cup downhill final in St Moritz. 11th, 2.34sec off the Slovenian’s pace. have some more training runs before my race fatigue. “That is something that can make of Olympic stars. “Happy as can be. It’s incredible to be on the “I just wanted to get a feeling for the Sunday,” she said of the downhill proper. “I sport more understandable and at the “The emotional side of the story extends podium with Jansrud and Manny, two close course,” the 32-year-old said. “I wanted to ski wanted to save some energy because I’m a bit same time more dramatic. whether it be well past the athletes. It extends to their friends.” down solid and build my confidence, have a tired from yesterday. It was a full day, I got to cycling or tennis or winter sports,” said families, it extends to their siblings, it first look. “I took it easy on some of the jumps bed pretty late and wasn’t really able to sleep Hutton. “We are having very similar conver- extends to their kids in some cases. We have ‘REAL TEAM EFFORT’ because I didn’t know what to expect and with because I was so fired up.” Among other sations in all those sports now. Where can to find ways to tell their stories.” — AFP Guay added: “You hear it often in sports that this light it was hard to see the ground. “When favourites, Austrian Ann Veith and Italian duo it’s a team effort, but in this case it really is a the light is good it’s going to be really, really Sofia Goggia and Elena Curtoni all safely team effort. fun. “Training is a good time to get a feeling negotiated the course although Austrian “I have to thank my therapists and doctors for the snow and terrain,” said Vonn, who was Mirjam Puchner crashed out. The women have and coaches for getting me in the right mental set for her first slalom practice Wednesday in a two more downhill training sessions, sched- space: all the people behind the scenes who very long time ahead of possible participation uled for tomorrow. — AFP helped to get me here. “When I crossed the line and I saw the crowd react, everyone standing up and cheering, I knew that something good had just happened. “I turned sideways and saw the green light. To finish 0.45 seconds in front of Jansrud is incredible, he’s such an unbelievable skier and has been dominating super-G. “I was quite emotional and was glad I had googles on so no one saw my eyes.” Jansrud expressed his delight at silver, saying he would now focus on Saturday’s blue-riband downhill. “I always want to aim for the gold, but Erik today showed us how it was supposed to be done. It was very impressive by him,” the Norwegian said. “I’m not feeling any disappoint- ment, I’m very happy with the silver. “I’ve been struggling a little bit with preparation coming into the world champs with sickness, but it’s a perfect day for me and I am now looking for- ward to the downhill.” Osborne-Paradis made the most of improv- SEOUL: Dancers in traditional costumes perform during the unveiling ceremony of ing light from his start bib number of 26, the countdown clock for the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics in Seoul, South describing his bronze medal as “the best birth- Korea, yesterday. Pyeongchang is the host city of the 2018 Olympic and Paralympic day present”. “I made a big mistake in the mid- Ilka Stuhec Winter Games which will start from February 2018. — AP dle of the course and I knew if I didn’t ski the rest