Sports Tuesday, April 16, 2019 17 SOP 2019 to have five finals for boys at Aspire Dome gymnastics and tennis during also been sent to dignitaries. for their support in holding the UNESCO delegation Thursday’s finals. “We are set to make it a big event. “Aspire Academy is one to witness the “Our preparations are on event. The invitation has been of the most important sports track and we are looking for- extended to everyone, includ- institutions in the country. It action on April 18 ward to providing best facilities ing the Ministry of Education, contributes to the discovery of to the competing teams. We Higher Education and the Qa- talent. It is not only that as it al- Tribune News Network wish success to all the compet- tar Olympic Committee. We ways raises a slogan that actu- DOHA ing students,” Al Hitmi told the have also invited a delegation of ally appeared today as a dream press conference. UNESCO in Doha to attend the and a star tomorrow, and The School Olympic Program “We will be back at Aspire finals and get the experience Aspire has presented us with (SOP) is all set for a thrilling Dome for the finals. We want to of the Olympic program,” said many stars in various games,” finish, with boys’ teams gearing thank Aspire for their coopera- Hitmi. he said. up to vie for top honours in five tion which is playing a key role Meanwhile, Muftah said the On his part, Dr. Salem said disciplines at state-of-the-art in success of the Olympic pro- SOP provides a very good op- Aspire plays an important role Aspire Dome on Thursday. gram,” said Hitmi. portunity to students to show in the success of the finals. The details of event were re- He pointed out that (SOP) their skills. “This SOP is a huge “We are very fortunate to vealed by Qatar Sports Federa- is one of the successful pro- advantage for schoolchildren. It partner with Aspire, where the tion (QSF) Secretary-General grams that serve sports in gives them a platform to show Academy’s excellent facilities Ali Al Hitmi at a press confer- general and school sports in their talent,” he said. and good playgrounds help stu- ence at Al Bidda Tower. Abdul- particular. “The Olympic pro- “We will leave no stone dents to offer their best levels,” rahman al Muftah, Executive gram has huge importance unturned in making the finals he said. Director of QSF, and Dr. Salah and it receives great attention a huge success. The SOP has “Aspire Academy has many Salem, QSL Technical Expert, from the officials of the Qatar Secretary-General Ali al Hitmi (right) with QSF Executive Director Abdulrahman al Muftah (centre) and QSL achieved a lot of success. This scouts who contribute to the were also present. Olympic Committee under the Technical Expert Dr. Salah Salem during a press conference for the SOP finals in Doha. year we saw more participants discovery of talent in various Hitmi informed that the chairmanship of His Excel- and the level of competition has games and the work of different boys teams will fight for titles of lency Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad objectives of the program is to for all,” he said. committee was expecting a full also raised,” he added. federations, which is important football, basketball, volleyball, al Thani. One of the important establish the principle of sport Hitmi said the organising house, saying invitations have Muftah also thanked Aspire for the program,” he added.

Quick read Qatar SC, Muaither to clash in QSL playoff Quarter-final curse looms as on Wednesday The Qatar Stars League announced its final match of the 2018-19 season, the Play-Off that will pit the QNB Stars League’s 11th- placed team Qatar SC against Second Division runners-up Muaither Barca look to clear hurdle SC for a berth in next season’s top flight. his 108. The match will kick off on Wednesday, 17th April, 2019, at The Catalan club The game’s most illustri- 18:45 at the Al Duhail Stadium. ous pair could yet meet in According to the regulations, if the Play-Off ends in a draw after have not reached this year’s final, should Barca regular time, an extra time of 30 minutes (divided into two halves) a Champions capitalise on their 1-0 first- will be allowed. If the deadlock still continues, the match will be leg win United and then decided on penalty shoot-out. (TNN) League semis overcome either Liverpool or Porto in the semis. in four years Ronaldo and Juventus, meanwhile, would have to beat afp Ajax, and then either Manches- Pant left out, pick Karthik Barcelona ter City or Tottenham. A showdown in Madrid and Rahul for World Cup Four years have passed since would throw an even brighter Lionel Messi last reached a glare on Messi’s record com- Reuters be time for him. It’s unfortunate Champions League semi-final pared to Ronaldo, whose sensa- for him that he missed out.” and his drought has become a tional hat-trick against Atletico There were also specula- source of unease for Barcelona Madrid last month only en- Veteran Dinesh Karthik tion about who India pick as ahead of their latest attempt on hanced the sense this tourna- pipped young to their number four batsman and Tuesday. ment belongs to him. the second wicketkeeper’s spot Shankar pipped Rayudu. Manchester United are Messi is not one to com- in India’s World Cup squad on “What Vijay Shankar offers the ones looking to emulate plain, particularly given he Monday and all-rounder Vijay is three dimensional,” Prasad Atletico Madrid, Juventus and cannot be blameless in Barca’s Shankar also made the cut. said. “Apart from his , Roma by sending Barca out in underachievements in Europe. There was not much sus- he can bowl and he’s a fantas- the quarters for a fourth year But the fans are frustrat- pense hanging over chief selec- tic fielder...We are looking at running but for the Catalans, ed, with last season’s double tor M.S.K Prasad’s news confer- him as number four. We have another failure would be unfor- doing little to ease the dis- ence to announce a 15-member Dinesh Karthik and Kedar Jad- givable, not least because of the appointment of the collapse squad led by as hav also, so we have plenty of implications for their . against Roma. most of the players picked options at number four right “Last season we did the And his teammates feel it themselves. With Mahendra now.” double but we all felt bad about too, the weight of history on Singh Dhoni the undisputed Lokesh Rahul made the how it went in the Champions their shoulders from a need first-choice wicketkeeper, the squad as a back-up opener, League,” Messi said in August. FC Barcelona players during their team’s training session at Joan Gamper sport complex in Barcelona. (EPA-EFE) to square arguably the game’s selectors preferred Karthik’s but could also bat at number “We promise this season we will greatest ever player with a experience to the raw aggres- four, Prasad said. The World do all we can to bring that beau- There could be an historic stead show a decade swallowed Cristiano Ronaldo, closest in Champions League haul that sion of 21-year-old Pant. Cup in England and Wales tiful cup back to Camp Nou.” fifth consecutive Copa del Rey up by Real Madrid, whose do- second, has 311. befits that status. “We felt Rishabh Pant or DK starts on May 30. Barcelona’s dominance in too if Ernesto Valverde’s side mestic failings in that period But in the Champions “It is an important trophy,” will come into the playing XI Spain has been shaped by Mes- beat Valencia on May 25. have been exonerated by four League, Messi has lifted the Suarez said after following up only if Mahi (Dhoni) is injured,” Squad: si, who only this month over- But in Europe, Barca would Champions League triumphs in trophy four times, a relatively the league title by winning the Prasad told reporters, say- Virat Kohli (captain), took Iker Casillas as the player appear under-marked, with five years. modest return given it puts him Copa del Rey last season. “But ing Karthik’s superior keeping (vice captain), , with the most La Liga victories, only one success in the last sev- “Obviously it’s infuriating,” on a par with 11 current Real this does not hide what hap- and reputation as a “finisher” Lokesh Rahul, Vijay Shankar, 335, in its history. en years, three in 10 since Pep Luis Suarez said. “Madrid have Madrid players alone, includ- pened in Rome.” clinched it for the 33-year-old. Mahendra Singh Those wins have helped Guardiola took charge in 2008 made history and it’s a thorn in ing Nacho, Casemiro and Dani It means the pressure on “In crunch matches, who Dhoni(wicketkeeper), Kedar them capture seven of the last and set in motion what has felt, our side.” Carvajal. This year, Ronaldo is Barcelona in this competition can be the best guy who can Jadhav, Dinesh Karthik, Yuzvendra 10 league titles, a figure that in playing terms at least, like an Messi’s record is similarly hunting his sixth. runs deep, a psychological bur- handle the pressure? For that Chahal, , will surely become eight from iconic era. unbalanced. He has nine La And while Messi dwarfs the den that perhaps United, or reason, the decision went in fa- , Jasprit 11 next month, given their The list of clubs etched onto Liga titles and is by a distance Portuguese for goals in La Liga, their next opponents, will use vour of Dinesh Karthik. Other- Bumrah, , Ravindra nine-point lead at the top of the cup hoisted at the Wanda the competition’s top scorer, the opposite is true in Europe, to their advantage. For Messi, wise Pant is full of talent, there’ll Jadeja, the table. Metropolitano on June 1 will in- with an astonishing 414 goals. where Ronaldo has 125 goals to there is work to do. Smith, Warner recalled for Goffin advances to 2nd round at Monte-Carlo ’s World Cup defence Masters, birthday boy Shapovalov out afp dpa from the baseline, the effects Sydney London were devastating. When he did not, as was more common, and David David Goffin moved to the Struff looked in control of the Warner completed their re- second round of the Monte- court. Still, the young Canadian markable comeback from the Carlo Masters with a comfort- held on to the crucial points and ball-tampering scandal that able 6-1, 6-4 win over Guido held up to duly convert his ad- rocked cricket when they were Andreozzi on Monday, as the vantage at 6-5 to win the first on Monday selected in defend- other main names also made it set that lasted 56 minutes with ing champion Australia’s World through unscathed. a deep roar that evinced great Cup squad. The one exception was the satisfaction. But there was no room for 15th seed Denis Shapovalov, And yet it was Struff who or Peter Hand- who despite winning the open- kept his cool under the sun on scomb at the tournament in Australia’s one-day cricket captain speaks to the media as the ing set with relative ease could the Cote D’Azur, calmly slotting England and Wales. upcoming World Cup team is announced in on Monday. (AFP) not later summon that same away winners in the second and It is the first call-up for the nous and went down 5-7, 6-3, third sets. By the end, he went former captain and his deputy themselves back at the Twen- great guys.” 6-1, to Jan-Lennard Struff. Belgium’s David Goffin plays a forehand return to Argentina’s Guido up 4-1, then 5-1, and won on an since the expiry last month of ty20 . But while Shapovalov en- Andreozzi during their match on day 3 of the Monte-Carlo ATP Masters unforced error. year-long bans for their part in Both grabbed the oppor- Australia World Cup squad: dured a birthday to forget - he in Monaco on Monday. (AFP) The outcome of that tie “sandpapergate” in Cape Town tunity and have been in good Aaron Finch (capt), , , turned 20 - on the main show means Struff will face Grigor Steve Smith, , , Marcus that had wide repercussions for touch, particularly the bombas- Stoinis, , , , court Rainier III, Goffin expe- ahead until a string of unforced Jaziri of Tunisia 6-4, 6-4. Vic- Dimitrov in the second round, Australian cricket. tic Warner who has made a blis- , Nathan Coulter-Nile, Jason rienced no such difficulties en errors allowed Andreozzi to tory then would set up the pos- while Rafael Nadal opens his Then-coach Darren tering return. Behrendorff, , route to his 10th tournament claim at least one game and sibility of a third-round show- title defence against Roberto Lehmann quit and all the top “As far as I’m concerned Australia one-day A squad: (capt), victory in 85 minutes. spare him deeper blushes. down with Thiem. Bautista Agut, who beat John brass from left they have done everything , , , Goffin, who defeated Domi- The Argentine seemed to But there was to be no Millman 3-6, 6-1, 6-1. after a scathing review said their that’s been asked of them in the Ashton Turner, Mitch Marsh, D’Arcy Short, Kurtis nic Thiem and Novak Djokovic find his footing in the second big tennis birthday party for Fabio Fognini survived an “arrogant and controlling” win- last 12 months,” said one-day Patterson, , , James to progress to the semi-final in set, but he left himself vulner- Shapovalov who could not early scare in his first round at-all-costs culture was partly to skipper Aaron Finch, adding Pattinson, Josh Hazlewood, , Sean 2017, was largely error-free and able in surrendering his fourth channel the occasional flashes match with qualifier Andrey Abbott blame for players bending the that he didn’t believe their re- Australia four-day A squad: (capt), able to save five of six break service game, as a clinical Goffin of brilliance into a second win Rublev which ended 4-6, 7-5, rules. Both players were eligi- turn would be destabilising. Marcus Harris, Kurtis Patterson, Will Pucovski, Travis points to secure his place in the powered away with the follow- over Struff after beating him so 6-4. ble for the final two games of “Knowing them both per- Head, Peter Handscomb, Matthew Wade, Mitch next round. ing two for the match. well in Tokyo in 2018. Top seed Novak Djokovic is Australia’s recent limited-overs sonally as I do, I don’t think Marsh, Michael Neser, , James There was a sense of ruth- Goffin will face Dusan La- When Shapovalov com- set to play unseeded Philipp tour against Pakistan, but selec- there will be any issues what- Pattinson, , Josh Hazlewood, Chris lessness with Goffin, who jovic in the second round, after bined his flashy one-handed Kohlschreiber in the second tors preferred that they eased soever. They are both great, Tremain wasted no time in moving 4-0 the Serb earlier defeated Malek backhand and strong strokes round Tuesday.