THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 8, 2016 SPORTS Ecclestone: New F1 owners would want him to stay

LONDON: Formula One’s commercial The Briton said he would not be cancer and is due to step down as chair- One at more than $8 billion according approved by the sport’s governing supremo Bernie Ecclestone has been attending next week’s Singapore Grand man of Nestle, the world’s largest food to media reports, would represent the International Automobile Federation asked to stay on for three years after an Prix, the social highlight of the sport’s and drink company, in 2017. Ecclestone, biggest shake-up in the cash-rich sport (FIA) and other global motorsport imminent takeover of the sport is com- Asian calendar, because of the negotia- famously unwilling to delegate in the for decades. series, and European anti-trust regula- pleted by US cable TV mogul John tions. “Because all this is going through, past, indicated he would be happy to A deal with Liberty would also herald tors. Malone’s Liberty Media. they (CVC) want me to be there (in share the workload. a new era for a European-dominated The FIA has a one percent stake in “They want me to be here for three ) to help them with all sorts of “He (Carey) can do lots of things that I sport that has long sought to break into Formula One’s parent company Delta years,” the 85-year-old, who over the things. I can’t afford to be away for five to haven’t done with this social media, the US market and win fresh audiences, Topco, which could be worth around decades has built the sport into a busi- six days.” which he seems to be in touch with. He’s with team principals already welcoming $90 million according to forbes.com, ness with annual turnover of around $1.9 been dealing with sponsorship with his the possibility of a bigger push. and that has been held up as a possible billion, told Reuters yesterday. Media TUESDAY MEETING TV people. Between us we’ll get on with Liberty Media has interests in the conflict of interest. reports have suggested the first part of a A Formula One board meeting is it,” he said. Atlanta Braves baseball team, satellite The privately-owned Force India and broader deal between outgoing rights scheduled for next Tuesday, by which radio service Sirius XM, entertainment Sauber teams have also filed a com- holders CVC and Liberty Media could be time the deal should have been finalised BIGGEST SHAKE-UP group Live Nation and minority inter- plaint asking EU authorities to investi- announced yesterday. and a new chairman introduced. Ecclestone’s future had been called ests in Time Warner and Viacom. gate the sport’s governance and distri- However Ecclestone and CVC chair- Ecclestone expects that to be Chase into question, with former team owner Malone’s Liberty Global is the bution of revenues. Ecclestone expect- man Donald Mackenzie voiced some Carey, executive vice-chairman of Rupert and television pundit Eddie Jordan say- world’s largest international TV and ed the European Commission to take a scepticism about the time frame at last Murdoch’s 21st Century Fox and a direc- ing on Sunday that Monza could even be broadband company, operating in closer look at the sport as a result. weekend’s Italian Grand Prix. “Honestly, I tor of Sky News owner Sky Plc, who the Briton’s last race. “That’s Eddie more than 30 countries in Europe, Latin “It’s like the police. You get stopped don’t think anybody knows-including would replace Austrian Peter Brabeck- Jordan. If he had any money, and wanted America and the Caribbean through a for a rear light and they want to know if our friends from Liberty, and Donald,” Letmathe. a small wager, I’d give him good odds,” series of different brand names. you’ve got a driving licence and insur- said Ecclestone, who still expected the Brabeck, 71, has been chairman since said Ecclestone. One bump in the road ahead could ance. So I don’t know what effect that deal to get over the line. 2012 but has recently recovered from The takeover, which values Formula be the need for the deal to be will have,” he said. —Reuters Gatland confident his Lions can beat world champions

EDINBURGH: “Likewise, there are some out- approval from tour manager John “Warren is acutely aware of the believes his British and Irish Lions standing coaches who could poten- Spencer, who will accompany the challenges we will face in New can trump their series win under tially be involved and we’ll look to coach on a trip to New Zealand Zealand and we’re confident he’s him in 2013 and defeat world cham- announce them in December. today. the right man to lead us to a series pions New Zealand in their three- “I’m looking forward to seeing “His international track record victory.” With the contracts of Test series next year after being how they and the players get on speaks for itself and he also under- Ireland coach Joe Schmidt and appointed head coach yesterday. domestically, in Europe and interna- stands the essence of the Lions and England’s Eddie Jones not allow- The 52-year-old Wales coach- tionally.” how to unite four nations in one ing for secondment to the Lions, who guided the Lions to a 2-1 series Gatland received the stamp of purpose,” said Spencer. officials appeared to have opted win over in 2013 — faces a for Gatland over Scotland’s Vern monumental task in overcoming his Cotter without much hesitation. fellow New Zealanders as the Lions Wales attacks coach Rob have won just one series in New Howley will replace Gatland, as he Almaz Ayana Zealand, back in 1971. has done in the past when the However, Gatland, who was also Kiwi has been unavailable, as part of the coaching set-up under Wales caretaker coach for the Ayana’s stunning 10,000m record Ian McGeechan in the Lions tour of November Tests and the 2017 Six South Africa seven years ago, said Nations. ranked fifth-best performance unlike most people he fancied the Gatland, however, will be at the Lions chances of emulating John helm for the toughest assignment LONDON: Almaz Ayana will sign off her my doping is Jesus”. Dawes’ 1971 vintage and beating in the game with a three-Test stellar 2016 season in Brussels tomorrow In the wake of Ayana’s performance, a the All Blacks. series against the All Blacks the by trying to add the 5,000 metres world group of statisticians tried to place it in his- “For the All Blacks a Lions series is culmination of a 10-fixture tour record to the incredible 10,000 mark she torical context and, through a complex the ultimate test, but I’m 100 per- that includes five games against set at the Rio Olympic Games last month. comparison system, concluded that it cent confident that we can go and Super Rugby opposition and a World 5,000m champion Ayana, among ranked as the fifth-best women’s track per- win in New Zealand,” said Gatland, clash with the Maori. more than 40 Rio medallists competing in formance of all-time. Britain’s Athletics who had the misfortune to be a Adding to his problems is a fix- the final Diamond League meeting of the Weekly magazine published the results last hooker when the legendary Sean ture pile-up domestically. The year, has every chance of eclipsing the week after the statisticians used “extreme Fitzpatrick was the undisputed Lions’ first match in New Zealand record of 14 minutes 11.15 seconds set by value theory” to rank performances against number one choice for the All Blacks takes place early in June, just a fellow Ethiopian Tirunesh Dibaba in Oslo those of their contemporaries. and as a result was never capped. week after the English Premiership eight years ago. Number one in the women’s list was Gatland, who has a woeful record and Celtic League finals. Ayana came close to that mark when Florence Griffith-Joyner’s still-unchal- as Wales coach against the southern With many potential squad clocking 14:12.59 in in June but lenged 100m world record of 10.49 sec- Hemisphere sides winning just two members set to be involved in moved into a new stratosphere with her onds at the 1988 U.S. Olympic trials in out of 33 Tests since he took the those matches, the Lions coach extraordinary exploits in the 25-lap event Indianapolis, now considered by many to reins in 2008, will finalise his coach- will have reduced preparation time in Rio. have been wind-assisted and set by an ath- ing team by the end of the year and with key players prior to the Tests. On the opening morning of the athlet- lete who faced widespread accusations of he was positively purring at the Mark McCall, director of rugby ics programme, she produced an astound- doping. The American’s 200m mark from thought of once again taking charge at English Premiership champions ing run to clock 29:17.45 and take 14 sec- the same year set at the Seoul Olympics of the best talent from the four Saracens, has labelled the Lions’ onds off the 23-year-old 10,000 metres comes in at number seven on the list while countries. schedule “ludicrous” and concerns record, set by China’s Wang Junxia in Wang’s 10,000m record is one place “The chance to work with the best over their fixture programme are Beijing. behind Ayana in sixth. In a list featuring players from the four Home Nations compounded by the knowledge To give some context to that perform- records also widely regarded to have been is a coach’s dream and we have some they will be up against a superb ance, no woman had broken 30 minutes in chemically-enhanced, the only other per- outstanding talent to select from,” All Blacks team, even by the exact- the previous seven years and Wang’s time formance from this century to make the said Gatland, who has guided Wales ing standards of New Zealand rug- was also 22 seconds faster than anything top 10 was Ethiopian Genzebe Dibaba’s to two Six Nations Grand Slams. Warren Gatland by union. —AFP that had gone before. Wang’s effort was 1500m world mark set last year. also considered dubious amid reports that On the men’s side, Lee Evans’s 400m at she had signed a letter admitting her per- the Mexico Olympics was the surprise formances were aided by doping. number one, ahead of Ron Clarke’s Russia could lose 2021 biathlon worlds Ayana too faced doping questions 10,000m in 1965. immediately after her run, with Sweden’s Usain Bolt’s 19.19-second 200m at the Sarah Lahti, who also smashed her person- 2009 Berlin world championships was VIENNA: A city in Siberia will be way. This was the case for us.” recommendation of the IOC EB.” nal in the awake of the World al best in the race, saying she did not number three with the Jamaican’s 9.58 stripped of hosting the 2021 Therefore, two IBU events in The IOC announced earlier its Anti-Doping Agency inquiry believe her rival was “100 percent”. 100m from the same event in at number world biathlon championships if Russia in the 2016-17 season - the recommendation was an interim report on the state-backed dop- The 24-year-old Ayana, who had run eight. At number nine is Briton Sebastian Russians in the sport fail doping junior world championships in order through 2016 which its ing plot. the 10,000m only once previously, has Coe, the current president of the never failed a drugs test and, through an International Association of Athletics retests of samples taken at the Ostrov in February add a World board will review in December. “When it’s about granting the interpreter, responded to the interroga- Federations (IAAF), whose 800m record set 2014 Sochi Olympics. Cup event in Tyumen the follow- Situated 2,500 kilometers east rights for the world champi- tion by saying: “My doping is training, in 1981 stood for 16 years. —Reuters International Biathlon Union ing month - will go ahead as of Moscow, Tyumen won Sunday’s onships, it’s the sole responsibility President Anders Besseberg told planned. election by getting an absolute of the delegates from the differ- The Associated Press yesterday Also in other winter sports, no majority in the first round of vot- ent national federations,” “it’s possible without problem” to major events have been moved ing, beating rival bids from Besseberg said, adding that “none Adam set for Bordeaux reallocate the hosting rights from from Russia so far. Pokljuka in Slovenia and Nove of the delegates asked questions the city of Tyumen if more Russian In a statement to the AP, the Mesto in the Czech Republic. or had any remarks” during the after All Black beatings doping infringements surface fol- IOC said it “is aware of the deci- Officials from several national congress when they were BORDEAUX: Wallaby veteran Adam explained that to Laurent. He was very lowing the revelation of an sion of the IBU Congress and will biathlon federations, including informed by him on the updated Ashley-Cooper is set to put his Bledisloe reasonable about it, obviously upset and alleged state-backed doping plot continue its discussions with the those of the United States, IOC recommendation. Cup woes behind him and hit the Top 14 I understand why, but I was going back at the Sochi Games. International Olympic Winter Canada and Norway, publicly criti- “The voting on the candidates season running to go some way to for the two games and now I’m back, very “WADA and IOC have commis- Sports Federations about the cized the choice for a Russian ven- run in the absolutely normal way,” appeasing his disgruntled Bordeaux- happy to be back and I hope he is too.” sions working on this,” Besseberg practical implementation of the ue as it would send a wrong sig- Besseberg said. —AP Begles club president. Laurent Marti was said. “If they should come up with left upset when Ashley-Cooper returned ‘NOTHING PERSONAL’ to Australia to play in the two opening Ashley-Cooper insisted there had things that it will be wrong, or as a Rugby Championship Tests against New been “nothing personal”. “He’s the presi- kind of punishment, that you can- Zealand, the All Blacks coming out con- dent of this club, he cares about this club not organize big events in Russia, vincing winners, 42-8 and 29-9. It meant and he wants all the players to be avail- then there is absolutely no prob- the utility back, capped 114 times by the able here,” the 32-year-old Wallaby said. lem for us. We will have a new Wallabies, missed Bordeaux-Begles’ “I understood he was upset about the congress in 2018.” opening three games of the Top 14 sea- availablity of players, and that’s what The IBU Congress in Chisinau, son, his side having snuck past Racing 92 footy is, what business is. It’s nothing in their opener before going down to personal, it’s a business, he wants the Moldova, last weekend elected Toulouse and Montpellier in the notori- best for UBB and so do I.” Tyumen to host the competition ously competitive league. Marti’s disap- Bordeaux-Begles entertain Bayonne despite a recent IOC recommen- pointment “was understandable,” Ashley- on Saturday, Ashley-Cooper saying the dation to all winter sports federa- Cooper said. “He was disappointed team could take a lot from the 32-15 tions to “freeze their preparations because when I originally signed at the defeat by Montpellier last time out. “I for major events in Russia” and end of 2014 the rules were that if I’d was pretty disappointed for the boys find host cities in other countries. signed with a French club I wasn’t because they put a lot of effort into that allowed to go back and play. game, there were a lot of positives to According to Besseberg, the “The rules changed just before the take out,” he said. “There were some criti- IOC request from July didn’t apply World Cup in 2015. I’ve always loved play- cal moments and some decisions where to the 2021 biathlon worlds ing for my country and when Michael we let ourselves down. I don’t think because its host bidding process Cheika asked me to play after the World there’s anything to be too worried or had already started. Cup I was certainly very interested stressed about. It’s important to remain Besseberg said the IBU and because I’m a patriot and I love playing positive and have that growth mindset other winter sports federations for my country so to say no was a very heading into the next game because tough decision.” Ashley-Cooper added: “I each game you want to get better. “It’s a received “a very clear statement” spoke to Laurent and explained why I long season, there’s no need to have by the International Olympic wanted to go back and play for my coun- your head down, it’s about moving for- Committee at a meeting during try. I wanted to compete against New ward, staying positive and improving on the Rio de Janeiro Games last Zealand. I wanted to compete for a each game.” Ashley-Cooper said he had month that “all competitions Bledisloe Cup because I’ve been playing got over the disappointment of those already granted to Russia should for Australia for 10 or 11 years and I two heavy defeats by New Zealand, the run normally, and applications (to haven’t had much success against them. world champions atop the standings of “I still had that desire and fire to play the Rugby Championship after the two host an event) that were in against them and play well and win. I bonus-point wins. —AFP process shall also run the normal International Biathlon Union President Anders Besseberg.