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Home , 2014 Tour de France, Anil Kumble, Virat Kohli

14 THURSDAY, DECEMBER 13, 2018 sports

McLaren enters into joint Sky pull-out from cycling venture with Bahrain Merida Road-racing giant Team Sky will cease to exist as broadcaster pulls sponsorship

Decision will bring to• an end ownership of Team Sky in 2019

Brailsford says team• may continue with a new partner

AFP |

ritish media company Sky yesterday said it would axe its sponsorship of cy- Bahrain Merida’s General Manager Brent Copeland and rider B with new jersey cling giant Team Sky after next season, ending a partnership | Manama been involved with in the past that has delivered six Tour de and have been looking at en- France titles in the past seven cLaren has entered into a tering for some time. It is a years. M50 per cent joint venture completely natural fit for our Team Sky have clocked up with Bahrain Merida aimed at skills and our ambitions.” eight wins since making the professional cy- The McLaren Group, which their formation, but they have Great Britain’s Team Sky teammates ride during the 15th stage of the 105th edition of the cling team an internationally owns the McLaren F1 Team, also been plunged into contro- (file photo) recognised brand at the top of has previously worked with versy for using special exemp- the sport. Team Sky and tions to administer drugs that of creating Britain’s first Tour said the team crossed an “eth- “The purpose of this was not McLaren, in which Bahrain’s in the build-up to the London can enhance performance. de France champion -- which ical line” by using the loophole to treat medical need, but to im- sovereign wealth fund Mumta- Olympics in 2012 through The outfit, which has 322 seemed overly ambitious at the to administer drugs to enhance prove his power-to-weight ratio lakat has a majority stake, said its applied technologies wins in total since 2010, will op- time. performance. ahead of the race,” it added. yesterday that the deal would division. erate for the last season as Team But made The Commons digital, cul- Sky were also in the cross- involve technical and commer- The same unit was also in- Sky in 2019 and could continue it reality in 2012, before Chris ture, media and sport commit- hairs for a suspected anti-dop- cial collaboration delivered volved in a technical partner- under a different name if a new Froome won four Tour de tee report said MPs believed ing violation over a mystery through its applied technolo- ship with American cycle man- backer is found, a Sky statement France titles and Geraint Thom- that triamcinolone, used to treat package reportedly destined for gies division. ufacturer Specialized. said. as became Sky’s third winner of asthma, “was being used to pre- Wiggins in 2011, although a UK “Racing, technology and hu- “The combination of our “The vision for Team Sky be- cycling’s landmark event this pare Wiggins, and possibly oth- Anti-Doping investigation con- man performance are at the passion and vision for Team gan with the ambition to build year. er riders supporting him, for the cluded with no charges brought. heart of everything we do at Bahrain Merida to be a win- a clean, winning team around a Tour de France”. Sky was also caught in a McLaren,” the company’s chief ning team, with McLaren’s ex- core of British riders and staff,” From marginal gains to long-running doping contro- marketing officer John Allert pertise and dedication, is the said team principal Dave Brails- mystery package versy that began when Froome said in a statement. perfect partnership,” Bahrain ford. Deep-pocketed Sky are returned an adverse doping test, “Cycling is something we’ve Merida general manager Brent “We are proud of the part we known for Brailsford’s meticu- for elevated levels of the asthma Copeland said. have played in Britain’s trans- lous and innovative application medication salbutamol, on his Founded in 2017, Bahrain formation into a cycling nation of ‘marginal gains’, the theory way to victory in the Vuelta a Merida is owned by HH Shaikh over the last decade,” he added. that many small advantages in KNOW WHAT Espana in 2017. He was cleared Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa “While Sky will be moving on areas as diverse as wind resist- 10 months later. and led by 2014 Tour de France at the end of next year, the team ance, diet and sleep quality can Sky began its involvement winner Vincenzo Nibali. is open-minded about the future add up to a significant improve- with the sport in 2008, when 50 No financial details of and the potential of working ment in performance. and Chris it successfully teamed up with per cent joint venture the deal were disclosed but with a new partner, should the However, Sky’s image was Froome have worn a yellow British Cycling to increase par- partnership has been McLaren said the long-term right opportunity present itself.” clouded in the controversy version of the Sky jersey ticipation and support the coun- signed by Bahrain vision behind the partnership Sky’s announcement closes an over so-called therapeutic use after the finish of the past try’s elite riders, who became Merida and McLaren would be to elevate Bahrain extraordinary chapter in cycling exemptions, after a damning a major force at world events Merida to professional cy- which began with the dream British parliamentary report five Tours de France including the Olympic Games. cling’s top table. Langer ready for pacey track in second Test Kohli engineered Kumble’s AFP | Perth, Australia The Test will be the first played at the new stadium and ustralia coach Justin Langer said it appeared the exit, leaked email suggests ALanger said yesterday was similar to the fast he expected a pacey wicket at track which made its predeces- The Board of Control for the new for the sor, the WACA, a haven for pace in has denied any second Test against India and bowlers. division in the Indian camp. declared “pretty boy” “I’m really fascinated and But in a leaked email seen by “ready to go” despite Australia’s coach Justin Langer takes can’t wait to see what the wick- AFP, a senior BCCI official wrote injury. part in a practice session et brings,” he told reporters. to board administrator Vinod Australia are looking to ries but Langer admitted there “There’s only been one four-day Rai that Kohli “frequently sent avenge a 31-run defeat in Ad- was some uncertainty over the game in its history. SMSs to the CEO on which you elaide to level the four-Test se- surface in Perth. “I went and watched a bit of acted and there was a change in the NSW versus WA game the coach”. -- there was certainly some “Mr Kumble a legend in his pace and bounce there. own right was subjected to loss We’ve also seen some pace of face and made to look like a and bounce in it during the villain,” added senior adminis- one-dayers and T20 game.” trator . But he said neither team “He was gracious enough to would know how the drop- move on for which I respect in pitch plays in Test condi- India’s captain (L) walks past coach during the Indian him. There also, rules were bro- at Seef District too tions until the match begins team’s training session (file photo) ken and I had raised objections on Friday. AFP | New quently” worked behind the back then.” “Time will tell what the scenes against him. Edulji’s email originated from wicket brings... If we can he acrimonious exit of In- Former coach Anil Kumble a separate controversy in the get (WACA-style pace and Tdia’s cricket coach last year quit over a rift with Kohli in women’s national team, where bounce) it’d be a great thing was given a fresh twist yester- June 2017, saying his relation- former coach for ,” Langer day as a leaked email suggested ship with the skipper was “un- fell out with one-day captain Um al Hassan +973 17728699 Seef District +973 17364999 said. captain Virat Kohli had “fre- tenable”. .