Nadal to Play Singles, Doubles and Mixed in Rio
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FOOTBALL | Page 9 CCRICKETRICKET | Page 11 Sane treads Aussie Smith well-worn banking on To Advertise here path to reverse swing Call: 444 11 300, 444 66 621 the EPL on Galle turner Thursday, August 4, 2016 Dhul-Qa’da 1, 1437 AH OLYMPICS Doping for gold, Olympians ignore health risks Page 3 SPOTLIGHT Supermodel, dancers to lead Rio opening ceremony show If Beijing 2008 was ostentatiously lavish and London quirky, Rio will try to capture Brazil’s amazing diversity, love of music — and talent for fun. ‘We want to have the biggest party there has ever been in this country’ AFP Pele, probably the most famous Brazil- Rio de Janeiro ian of all. However he never played in the Ol- ympics and NBC, the US network with upermodel Gisele Bundchen, exclusive broadcasting rights for the trailblazing transgender beauty United States, suggests that organizers Lea T and carnival dancers will should look at Brazilian marathon run- show off Brazil in its multicol- ner Vanderlei de Lima. Sour glory at the Olympic opening cer- De Lima was leading in the 2004 emony tomorrow. Athens Olympics when a spectator ran Rio has a hard act to follow after Lon- out and grabbed him. don 2012’s alternately humorous and He ended up winning bronze and jaw-droppingly sophisticated version. forgave his attacker, earning plaudits This opening ceremony, held in a for his humility. country suff ering its deepest recession Olympic organising commit- in almost a century, will be more modest. tee spokesman Mario Andrada says Co-artistic chief Fernando there’ll be plenty of surprises tomor- Meirelles, who directed the hit movies row. “We didn’t show even 20 percent,” “City of God” and “The Constant Gar- he said. dener,” has said his budget is a fraction of the London splurge. Pele asked to light Rio But organizers promise to keep the Olympic pyre, checks with more than 70,000-strong crowd in sponsors Rio’s legendary Maracana stadium and the estimated three billion people Pele has been invited to light the Ol- watching it on television at the edge of ympic pyre for the Rio Games tomor- their seats. row but the Brazilian soccer great is If Beijing 2008 was ostentatiously checking with his sponsors to see if lavish and London quirky, Rio will try he is free to lead the torch ceremony to capture Brazil’s amazing diversity, in the Maracana stadium. love of music — and talent for fun. “I have a contract that I am bound “We want to have the biggest party to fulfil,” Pele told Globo TV late on there has ever been in this country,” co- Tuesday, adding that he was consult- artistic director Daniela Thomas says. ing the US company that holds the rights to his brand name whether he DANCING THROUGH HISTORY can take up the invitation from the No one does big outdoor parties better Olympic organising committee. than Rio — think the annual carnival — A member of Colombia’s Olympic team performs with dancers during a welcoming ceremony at the Athletes’ Village ahead of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. “As a Brazilian, I’d love to do it,” said and music is at the heart of that. the 75-year-old, who helped his coun- Along with thousands of athletes Another heavyweight theme in the depicted an assault. “Brazil is vast and all this diversity, opponents in the crowd. “I am totally try win the World Cup three times parading behind their national fl ags, show, which starts at 8:00pm (2300 A well-connected columnist in in one way or another, needs to be rep- ready” for heckling, he said. and would be launching the Games as well as a contingent of refugees, GMT) and lasts roughly four hours, will Globo newspaper said the crowd mis- resented in an event like this,” she said. Outside the stadium, security will in the stadium where he scored his there’ll be hundreds of performers be global warming and Brazil’s crucial interpreted what was meant to be a skit be heavy in case of demonstrations by 1,000th goal in 1969. from a dozen local samba schools sing- role as home to the Amazon rainforest, about a street vendor, not a mugger. TENSIONS groups supporting Rousseff . Pele later told reporters that Interna- ing and dancing in wild costumes. reports say. In any case, Bundchen, who struts It won’t be all smiles and samba. As for the A-level attendance, US tional Olympic Committee President Two icons of Brazilian popular mu- out to the classic Brazilian hit “Girl Brazil is going through a major po- President Barack Obama will be among Thomas Bach and the head of the sic, Caetano Veloso and Gilberto Gil, BEAUTIES from Ipanema,” will be safe yesterday. litical crisis. the many heads of state keeping away. Brazilian committee Carlos Arthur will feature. On the more contempo- One of the most famous Brazilians “There will be no robbery,” a spokes- The elected president, Dilma Rouss- According to O Estado de Sao Paulo Nuzman had personally asked him to rary side, there’ll be rappers and baile alive — Bundchen, who retired from man for organizers told AFP. eff , is suspended and likely to be eject- daily, the total of world leaders will be light the pyre and that he would have funk star Anitta. the catwalk in 2015 — and pioneering Lea T, a transgender woman who ed from offi ce in an impeachment vote the lowest in 16 years. an answer today. Leaks from a closed-doors dress transgender model Lea T will provide has broken into the mainstream fash- after the Games end. He said he would have to cancel a rehearsal on Sunday promise a run the glamour. ion industry, is billed as being the fi rst She has refused to attend the cer- SURPRISE! trip organised by his sponsors. through the transformation of Brazil, Bundchen’s role was mired in con- trans person to have a major role in an emony, saying she will not accept “a One thing the rehearsal did not show is Pele, regarded as the greatest player including a light show to recreate the troversy this week when her scene in Olympic opening ceremony. secondary role” while her former vice the lighting of the Olympic cauldron. of all time, played in four World Cups Atlantic Ocean crossed by Portuguese the dress rehearsal appeared to show Born to Brazilian soccer player Ton- president Michel Temer, now acting The identity of the lucky person car- and is the only player to have won it colonizers, depictions of slavery, a an attempted mugging before police inho Cerezo, who was part of the na- president, presides. rying the Olympic torch — which has three times: in 1958 in Sweden, when recreation of aviator Santos Dumont’s arrive and she forgives the assailant. tional team between 1977 and 1985, Temer is expected to say no more completed a 300-city relay — to ignite he was just 17, in 1962 in Chile and in fl ight in the plane 14 Bis, and the Responding to a wave of protest, Lea T told the BBC that she wants to than one line or so declaring the Games the cauldron is also a mystery. 1970 in Mexico. founding of cities. organizers angrily denied ever having embody Brazil’s diversity. open, but even that risks booing from The big favourite is football legend TENNIS Nadal to play singles, doubles and mixed in Rio AFP on centre court discussing his plans He is due to carry his country’s fl ag at “Yesterday (Monday) and today Rio de Janeiro with the team doctor and team captain tomorrow’s opening ceremony in Rio. (Tuesday) have been my strong- Conchita Martinez. Nadal admitted that his best medal est training in two months and He is scheduled to play doubles with chance may be in the doubles where the the wrist has not gotten worse,” afael Nadal committed himself Marc Lopez and mixed doubles with burden is shared. he added. to playing singles, doubles and French Open champion Garbine Mu- “It’s true that in doubles, I might go mixed doubles at the Olympics guruza. better, but you never know,” he said. son to recover from a knee injury. on Tuesday despite serious “Yesterday (Monday) and today “I will do everything possible to Fellow top ten players Milos Raonic, Rconcerns over whether or not his left (Tuesday) have been my strongest make my role the best and bring some- Tomas Berdych and Dominic Thiem wrist injury will survive the gruelling training in two months and the wrist thing positive for Spain.” have also opted out of the Olympics. challenge. has not gotten worse,” he added. The women’s singles have been “After discussing it with my team, Nadal hasn’t played at all since he MAJOR BOOST stripped of Simona Halep, Victoria I have decided I will play everything was forced to quit the French Open Nadal’s decision to play in all three Azarenka, who is pregnant, Belinda that I can. We are here and practice before the third round after damaging events was a major boost for the or- Bencic and Karolina Pliskova. has gone well — more or less,” said the tendons in his left wrist. ganisers who on Tuesday saw world Maria Sharapova, silver medal- 30-year-old Spaniard after an intense, He missed Wimbledon as a result. number four Stan Wawrinka pull out list behind Serena Williams in 2012, is 90-minute training session with com- The protective brace he wore on his with a back injury.