Sports42 FRIDAY, JANUARY 29, 2016

‘Credible’ anti-doping agency in Russia will take time

TOKYO: The chief of the world’s anti-doping samples destroyed. “We are asking Russian it goes,” Howman told AFP. Russia must Howman called doping the biggest chal- organisation said yesterday it could take authorities to re-establish a new agency with “ensure that they have experienced people lenge facing sport despite other ills such as months before Russia re-establishes a credi- proper people in charge,” David Howman, who can run the programme themselves, reports of match-fixing scandals in tennis. ble anti-doping body following allegations WADA director general, told AFP in an inter- and they need more doping control offi- “Doping is still the king,” he said regarding its of state involvement in the practice. view on the sidelines of a seminar in Tokyo. cers,” he said, adding that that will require significance as an ethical issue. “Doping, like Russia was banned from international “It could take months,” Howman said. “I training. “They need to have managers in no other issue, hits athletes where (it) hurts,” competitions by the International have no idea.” WADA has also requested charge of the programme who know” how, he said, referring to their quest for glory and Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) in that an independent international expert when and where to conduct anti-doping gold medals. Efforts to root out foul play in November after a World Anti-Doping join the new board of RUSADA. measures, he said. Howman also said that sport have special significance for Tokyo as it Agency (WADA) independent commission UK Anti-Doping, Britain’s anti-doping whether Russian athletes can participate in prepares to host to 2020 Olympics, he said. found evidence of “state-sponsored” doping body, has offered to send experts to Russia the Olympics is “not our decision” but one to “You must ensure that the clean athletes in the country The country’s anti-doping to drug-testing programmes across all sports be made by the International Olympic prevail when attention turns to Tokyo,” body RUSADA was declared non-compliant in Russia. For now, doping testing in Russia Committee. Howman said in the speech, calling for all by WADA after it was discovered that posi- “will be run by RUSADA but under the moni- Earlier in a keynote speech at the seminar who dope to be excluded from competition tive drug tests had been covered up and toring of UK Anti-Doping, and we’ll see how attended by some 200 sports officials, at the 2020 Games. — AFP

Spieth trails as Horne takes lead in Singapore

SINGAPORE: South Africa’s Keith Horne shot a five-under-par 66 to lead the SMBC Singapore Open after the first round of play yesterday, with world number one Jordan Spieth breathing down his neck. Spieth and South Korea’s An Byeong-Hun posted identical birdies in the fourth, seventh, 10th and 18th holes, to trail Horne by a stroke as the four-day tournament teed off at the Sentosa Golf Club Serapong Course. Bad weather suspended play late afternoon and competition will resume tomorrow for 57 players who have not completed the first round. Teeing off on the back nine, Horne hit two bogeys but raised his game to top the leaderboard with his seventh birdie in the final hole. Despite not playing at Serapong for a couple of years, the 44-year-old said he usually has a good outing at the course. “I had a bit of a walkabout in the middle of the round but then I also had a good run coming in,” said Horne. “I putted great today which was important. I put a new driver in the bag... and I hit it so far and straight and that made a huge differ- ence.” Playing in the city-state for the first time, Spieth remains focused on winning the Singapore Open but he was frustrated with his drives, but the 22-year-old Texan said he was still adjusting. “It was a good start,” said the 2015 US Open and Masters champi- on. “I wish I had better chances of putting inside 15 feet to birdie. I LONDON: This file photo taken on November 8, 2014 shows New Zealand’s centre (R) passing the just didn’t have many today,” he added. ball during the autumn international Test match between England and New Zealand at Twickenham “But that will come. It’s just the first round in a different country, Stadium in southwest London. forecasts a “game-changing” 2016 for the sport with sevens making its different time zone. It’s still an adjustment and I think each day it will Olympic debut in Rio. — AFP get a bit better.” Overall, Spieth said Serapong lived up to what he had heard from PGA Tour pros who had played here previously. “My expectations were high, considering how highly people have Sevens Olympic debut fails spoken of this golf course,” Spieth told reporters. “It played very simi- lar to a pretty challenging PGA Tour.” The American has put aside ear- lier complaints of exhaustion after a top five finish at the Abu Dhabi to impress New Zealanders HSBC Golf Championship on Sunday. Returning after a three-year hiatus and under new spon- WELLINGTON: World Rugby forecasts a stage. he rated it: “Half a game, half an audience sorship, the Singapore “game-changing” 2016 for the sport with The Olympic debut “is a major and excit- and a full yawn.” Sevens’ devotees were Open offers a minimum sevens making its Olympic debut in Rio. But ing catalyst behind record participation dwindling and “it’s becoming an acquired prize purse of $1 million. It is interest in the game’s short-form is waning in growth ... in a sport that has multiple social choice for people’s entertainment dollar co-sanctioned by the Asian the 15-a-side code’s New Zealand strong- and performance benefits from the play- rather than a lemming-like popularity rush,” Tour and Japan Golf Tour hold, despite the appearance of superstar ground to the podium,” he said. New he wrote in the New Zealand Herald. Organization. It was former- World Cup winner Sonny Bill Williams the Zealand Rugby chief executive Steve Tew The general manager of the Wellington ly one of Asia’s richest with a Wellington Sevens this week. had also claimed this would be “a very excit- Sevens, Steve Dunbar, remained hopeful $6 million purse when last New Zealand considers itself the spiritual ing year for sevens with the Olympics in Rio ticket sales would improve but said it was held in November 2012. home of rugby, yet only about a third of the de Janiero just around the corner.” clear changes were needed in the way the The tournament was available tickets have been sold for this But not even confirmation that one of tournament was run. cancelled in 2013 after weekend’s round of the World Sevens Series rugby’s most high profile personalities and “We had 14 or 15 hugely successful years British bank Barclays chose in the capital. For a tournament that was double-World Cup winner in the 15-a-side but it was time to shake things up. We have not to renew its sponsor- once an automatic sellout at the 35,000-seat code, Williams, will be playing in Wellington started afresh with new dates, new days - ship. Japan’s Sumitomo Westpac Stadium, ticket sales slumped to has made a difference to flagging ticket Saturday and Sunday - and new ticket Mitsui Banking Corporation 18,000 a day last year and are down to sales. Tew revealed only 12,000 tickets had options,” he told AFP. is the current sponsor. 12,000 this year, even though New Zealand been sold for each day in Wellington. “I don’t “We expect a big walk-up crowd as fans Leading scores are setting their sights on Olympic gold. think it’s made a huge difference to date,” he can decide on the day whether they want to 66 - Keith Horne (RSA) This is in sharp contrast to Australia, said of the impact of Williams’s inclusion in come along.” 67 - An Byeong-Hun (KOR), which is on track to have a capacity 70,000 the New Zealand squad. Multi-sports star Fiji and South Africa who won the open- Jordan Spieth (USA) crowd at Allianz stadium for the Sydney Williams-a member of the World Cup win- ing rounds of the 2015-16 series in Dubai and 68 - Hideto Tanihara (JPN), round of the series the following weekend. ning 15-a-side All Blacks in 2011 and 2015 — Cape Town head the table going into Rahil Gangjee (IND), SINGAPORE: Jordan Spieth of Interest in sevens in Australia is said to be ris- is making his debut in the sevens branch of Wellington with 35 points ahead of USA and Quincy Quek (SIN), Paul the United States discusses his ing after they made the 15-a-side World Cup the game where New Zealand have won the Argentina (both on 29), England (26) and Peterson (USA) final last year where they were beaten by World Series 12 times in its 16-year existence. France and New Zealand (both 25). shot with caddy Jay Danzi, on 69 -Prayad Marksaeng the 13th hole during the first New Zealand. World Rugby chairman Although rugby is preparing to make its (THA), Choi Jinho (KOR), Bernard Lapasset said in his overview for ‘FULL YAWN’ Olympic debut in the abbreviated form, it round of the SMBC Singapore Scott Strange (AUS), Open golf tournament at the 2016 that it will be “game-changing as the Prominent writer has been played in the full 15-a-side version Miguel Tabuena (PHI), Javi Olympic Games provides an exciting oppor- Wynne Gray said there was an assumption at four Olympics. The United States won gold Sentosa Golf Club’s Serapong Colomo (ESP), Chapchai Course yesterday, in Singapore. tunity for the world’s top teams to showcase sevens would become more fashionable the last time rugby was included at the 1924 Nirat (THA) . — AFP the dynamism” of sevens on sport’s biggest now it has been included in the Olympics but — AFP — AP