TUESDAY, JULY 26, 2016 SPORTS

All Blacks coach Hansen signs on for 2019 World Cup

WELLINGTON: All Blacks coach Steve was due to expire next year, when the Blacks chasing three World Cups in a 2011 after serving as assistant coach sion gave NZR time to look for a long- Hansen yesterday re-signed with the British and Irish Lions tour New Zealand. row. “I love what the All Blacks are, the under Graham Henry for eight years, term successor to Hansen, ideally one New Zealanders until 2019, giving him He said the recent 3-0 Test series win history that comes with them and the including the All Blacks World Cup victo- who would work under him at the 2019 the chance to defend the World Cup in over Wales had confirmed he still had legacy that they’ve created. I’m really ry on home soil in 2011. World Cup. Japan. Hansen has already been the passion for the job and he decided grateful and love being part of it.” During He signed a contract extension in “We’ve got an opportunity now lead- involved in two World Cup wins with the to continue after discussions with his Hansen’s tenure as All Blacks head coach, 2014 and repaid NZR’s faith in him last ing through to 2020 to make sure that All Blacks, as assistant coach in 2011 and family. Hansen added that support from they have won 52 Tests, drawn two and year by guiding the All Blacks to their we do a really good job around succes- head coach in 2015, overseeing a spell of the players and management for him to lost just three, giving him a winning per- first World Cup title outside New sion planning,” he said. unprecedented success. stay in the job was unanimous. centage of 92.1 percent. “We’ll need to Zealand. Hansen, a former policeman “You can see with what’s going on in “It’s good news for everyone involved “Once I got over those discussions it be better if we want to continue to who played in the South Island rugby Super Rugby and with some of our Kiwi in rugby in this country,” New Zealand was a real no-brainer because it’s the improve as a team... we’re capable of stronghold of Canterbury, also coached coaches around the world that we’ve got Rugby chief executive Steve Tew told best job going,” he said, adding that he doing that,” he said. Wales to the quarter-finals of the 2003 some very, very good New Zealand reporters. Hansen’s existing contract was relishing the prospect of the All The 57-year-old was appointed in late World Cup. Tew said the contract exten- coaches.” — AFP

England’s World Cup hopes boosted by deal with clubs

LONDON: England’s hopes of dominating players instead of 33 for the England Elite world rugby under Eddie Jones were given Player Squad (EPS), with up to 36 players a boost yesterday with a new eight-year able to be selected for training camps. agreement between the Rugby Football Jones will also be able to select his Union (RFU) and Premiership Rugby squads later than before. The additional Limited (PRL). training camps will take place in early English clubs will take £2million ($2.6m, October ahead of the autumn internation- 2.4m euros) per year-double the amount als and in January during the build-up to compared to the previous eight-year the Six Nations. agreement-from the £200million sum The clubs will also rest players from the agreed between the two parties. England squad who play above a certain In return, England coach Jones will gain amount of minutes in the November Tests greater access to players, who will also be and during the Six Nations. rested more often by their club teams. Mark McCafferty, the chief executive of “This is a true partnership focussed on PRL, said Jones-who guided Australia to the making English rugby the best in the world 2003 World Cup final when they lost to for club and country,” said RFU chief execu- England-had explained his case very clear- tive Ian Ritchie. ly. “Eddie has come to meet with our board Ritchie, who had to put off the two-year- on a couple of occasions to explain his view old talks when he had to deal with of the English game and where he was England’s first-round exit from last year’s hoping to take it,” said McCafferty. World Cup, said Jones had highlighted “One of the things he explained very areas he felt he needed to be strength- clearly having worked all over the world ened. “We feel we’ve got the balance right was that we have the best set-up in the and Eddie is very happy with the access it world in terms of facilities, back-up and gives him to players,” said Ritchie. support. “But he also explained his frustra- Jones, who led England to a historic 3-0 tion that because of that, and with the series whitewash of World Cup finalists player base we have, that we need to be Australia after also winning the Six Nations more successful at club and international Grand Slam, will now be able to select 45 level.” — AFP SHANGHAI: (L to R) Xia Xiaoyan, Managing Director of YunFeng Capital, Ching Kuo-Wu, AIBA President and Zhang Dazhong, CEO of Alisports, pose for photos during a press conference between AIBA (International Boxing Association) and Alisports (Alibaba Sports Group) in Shanghai yesterday. The International Boxing Association (AIBA) denied accusations it intends to take over the sport, following a controversial decision Bitter London lesson drives to allow professional boxers fight at next month’s Rio Olympics. — AFP Yadav on path to Rio Games : Vikas Krishan Yadav has pared to deal with any such heartbreak.” learned from the bitterest experience He is, though, determined to ensure he AIBA denies bid to that he can leave nothing to chance in does not have to deal with anything simi- the Olympic ring and it is a lesson the lar in Rio. “I have an unfinished business in Indian boxer will carry with him to the the Olympics,” he said. “My dreams were Rio Games. shattered in London. I want to fulfill them take over the sport Four years ago, the then 20-year-old in Rio.” welterweight thought he had clinched a place in the quarter-finals of the London ON COMPETITION MODE SHANGHAI: The International Boxing Olympic tournament after beating Yadav secured his Rio spot only at the Association (AIBA) yesterday denied accusa- American Errol Spence 13-11. end of last month at an Olympic qualifier tions it is trying to take over the sport, follow- Paddler Florence accepts Rio His joy turned quickly to outrage in , where he settled for bronze after ing a controversial decision to let professional when ’s governing body a cut he sustained rendered him med- boxers fight at the Rio Olympics. mission to win double gold AIBA, after reviewing video footage, ically unfit for his semi-final bout. At an AIBA congress in Lausanne in overturned the result and awarded the “I qualified for London eight months Switzerland last month, 95 percent of dele- American four additional points for fouls before the Games and probably got a bit LONDON: British canoe slalomist David current and the clock. In London he was a gates voted to allow professional boxers for Florence never got to blast off into space but medal favourite in C1 but did not even make committed by Yadav. subsequently too casual,” said the boxer who is sup- the first time ever to enter the competition. the 33-year-old Scot will try to go where no the final. took the case to the Court of Arbitration ported, among others, by JSW Sports. The decision was met with widespread Olympic paddler has gone before by winning So would he be applying his mathematical for Sport (CAS), which rejected the “This time I could not qualify from derision in the boxing world, with many mak- the C1 and C2 gold medals at the Rio Games. brain to the task awaiting him in Rio? appeal. (last year’s) world championship, so the ing their views clear even before the change Had things gone to plan for the mathematics “I don’t apply much science to it,” he said. Yadav has since moved up to the 75kg pressure was building. It helps in a way, was made. AIBA president Wu Ching-Kuo said and physics graduate it could have been “There is not much point when every gate is category, but the feeling of being for I’m now in competition mode and I’m the organisation had no plans to take over Florence rather than Tim Peake who became different and the water changes all the time, wronged in London has never left him. not going to relax.” the sport and allowing professionals to com- the first Briton to walk in space this year. it’s more about using your subjective experi- “London taught me a big lesson,” the For Yadav, who claimed the light- pete in Olympic boxing was a great step for- Instead he stayed on terra firma, or to be ence.” The British team will be one of the best softly-spoken boxer told Reuters in an weight gold at the 2010 ward for it. The official, who is Taiwanese, more precise, on white water, establishing prepared in Rio having been to the venue interview, sporting a mosaic of bruises and the bronze in the next made the comments at a press conference to himself as one of the world’s top paddlers. In more than any other squad. Which is why on the top half of his face and a couple of edition of the continental gathering in announce a joint venture to promote boxing Brazil he will try to become the first canoeist Florence thinks the double is on. “I’ve done it stitches over his right eye. “It taught me I , winning is all. He feels embar- between AIBA and Alisports, an arm of to win the C1 and C2 golds at the same at the world championships and the World can’t leave anything to chance. It taught rassed when all he has to show from one Chinese internet giant Alibaba which is Olympics. “I think if I’d been accepted (for the Cup before so obviously I’m capable of it,” he me results of close contests can go either of his trips abroad is a souvenir T-shirt or owned by entrepreneur Jack Ma. “We never European Space Agency) I probably would said. “The worlds is actually a tougher field so way even after you’ve been declared the a bag full of duty-free. said we want to take over boxing. We just have retired from canoeing,” the three-times if I can make the most of all the training we’ve winner. To avoid any such embarrassment want to open the door because no one can world champion said at the Lea Valley white- had in Rio it’s a great opportunity and I know “Since then, I have always tried to after Rio, Yadav is approaching the stop athletes from going to the Olympics, that water centre where he and Richard Hounslow I’m in with a great chance.” While the father of make my bouts one-sided and win it Games as if they were his last as he bids is a fundamental concept,” Wu said. took C2 silver in 2012. “(Peake) was obviously two will be all alone in the C1 he will have really big. That will be my effort in Rio as to emulate , who won “If the athlete says ‘My dream is to go to far, far better qualified for it than me. A for- Hounslow at his back in the C2. mer test pilot in the military. Fair enough real- They won the Rio test event against a well.” Shattered by the London setback, India’s first boxing medal with a bronze, the Olympics’, then we just want to open the ly.” With a brain adept at problem solving and high-quality field and have an almost tele- Yadav largely shunned the ring for the also in the 75kg class, at the 2008 Beijing door.” In May legendary boxing promoter Bob an Olympic gold still missing from his CV, you pathic understanding. “A big part of C2 is next 18 months, undertaking training to Olympics. Arum told AFP the plan to introduce profes- might expect him to be poring over perform- really getting to know how each of you pad- become a policeman in the northern “I’m taking it as my last attempt at an sional boxers was “total madness” and would ance data in between sessions in the gym. dle and be able to react accordingly, keeping Indian state of instead. Olympic medal and I feel I’m better pre- result in “serious injuries”. That is not his style, though. each other in sync and get your timing “I was a lot younger and more vulner- pared this time,” Yadav added. Arum believed the decision was commer- His preparation for his Rio double bid together,” Florence said. Florence has not able then. I saw no point in continuing “In London, I was just another clueless cially orientated, with AIBA seeing more lucra- takes place exclusively in amongst the spray ruled out going on to Tokyo in 2020, but boxing. I would wake up at nine, sleep young boxer in his first Olympics. Four tive opportunities, and part of a wider power and foam of the rapids at Britain’s state-of- knows Rio could be his last chance to win late and be casual about my training,” he years down the line and I’m still young grab by the association. But Wu rejected the the-art performance centre, a far cry from the Olympic gold. In Beijing he took the silver in recalled. but I have Olympic experience behind charges saying that “only the best AIBA box- shopping trolley-choked canal of Edinburgh the C1 and in London he again had to settle “But a boxer is like a caged bird which me too. “My health is perfect, I got ers” would be facing professional fighters. he once paddled. “It’s nothing to do with not for silver in a thrilling C2 final as he and doesn’t know what to do with freedom. I enough ring experience and my coaches Speaking about the new relationship with enjoying (the gym),” said Florence, who in Hounslow, the last crew down, failed to over- started craving the rigour of boxing. and my family are right behind me. If I Alibaba, Wu predicted a bright future for box- 2013 became the first man in 60 years to win take compatriots Tim Baillie and Etienne Stott “The time away from ring allowed me can’t win a medal this time, I probably ing in , which he described as a “noble C1 and C2 (with partner Richard Hounslow) by 0.37 seconds. “In London initially there to think about boxing. Now I’m better pre- won’t ever.” — Reuters sport” that could “prepare youth for the chal- golds at a world championships. was disappointment to come so close to an lenges which they face in society”. “If anything, in the winter I wish I could be Olympic gold,” Florence said. “With a bit of Chinese President Xi Jinping has made the in the warmth of the gym rather freezing and time for reflection I’m really pleased with development of the country’s ailing football wet. “I spend all my time now on the white both those Olympic medals. Gold? Yes, of team a national priority, but Wu did not see water channel where you can develop your course I’d love to win gold.” And if it mission this as a barrier to the development of boxing. strength and fitness and learn specific skills at accomplished, would his eyes turn to the “President Xi Jinping loves boxing-wait and the same time.” stars again? “I’m not sure about that. Well see,” he told AFP. Alibaba, which owns a 37 FINE MARGINS have to see,” he said. “I’m not ruling it out but I percent stake in Asian football champions Florence knows only too well the fine mar- think that was the first time they had ever Evergrande Taobao, launched gins of his sport, where paddlers have to opened up applications, so I’m not sitting Alisports last September to develop the sport- weave between gates, battling against the waiting.” —Reuters ing economy in “an innovative way with digi- tal thinking”, according to its website. In the months since then Alisports has signed deals to stream NFL American football games in China and sponsor FIFA’s Club World Cup, and announced a partnership with bas- ketball’s governing body FIBA. The Chinese government said in 2014 it aimed to grow the country’s sports market to more than five trillion yuan ($760 billion) by 2025 to become “a vital driver for sustainable economic and social development”. Many Chinese companies are seeking to ride the wave, with high-profile deals including prop- erty behemoth Wanda’s acquisition of Swiss sports marketing group Infront and a share of Spanish football club Atletico Madrid. A con- sortium led by state-backed China Media Capital has bought a $400 million stake in David Florence Vikas Krishan Yadav Premier League giants Manchester City. —AFP