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WEDNESDAY, JUNE 24, 2015 SPORTS Qatar group to push sports integrity in US NEW YORK/LONDON: FIFA’s granting of rights to Russia for 2018 and Qatar four designed to enhance its public image. country won its bid to host the 2022 According to a book by journalists rights to Qatar to host the World Cup in years later, according to a US law Whatever its other goals, I am sure the competition. from the UK’s Sunday Times called “The 2022 is a focus of U.S. and Swiss probes enforcement official. The Swiss authori- ICSS was established in part for this rea- Soon after, Qatar’s 2022 World Cup Ugly Game,” Eaton surprised his bosses into alleged corruption at soccer’s gov- ties have their own criminal probe into son,” said Wrage, who resigned in frus- Supreme Committee - in charge of at FIFA when he announced his move to erning body, but that isn’t stopping a those decisions. tration from FIFA’s Independent delivering infrastructure and planning ICSS in 2012 and brought along the bulk group financed by the tiny nation from “The ICSS encourages and supports Governance Committee in 2013, saying for the contest - announced an agree- of his investigative team. coming to Washington this week to talk any proactive action that targets corrup- calls for change went unheeded. And ment with ICSS to assist with security for Eaton, who is due to speak at about cleaning up sports. The Doha- tion in sport governing bodies by law Jens Sejer Andersen, the director of the games. Wednesday’s event, could not immedi- based International Centre for Sport enforcement agencies,” the organization Danish government-funded sports Hodge said the establishment of the ately be reached for comment. Last year, Security (ICSS), which is largely funded said in a statement on its website. integrity group Play the Game, said the ICSS was in no way connected with the the ICSS published a joint research proj- by the Qatari government, will talk Its budget is 70 percent financed by ICSS clearly had a credibility problem vote to award Qatar the World Cup ect with the Sorbonne in Paris, one of about its efforts to boost transparency the government of Qatar and the rest is “when serious suspicions are floating in rights and plans to create the center France’s best-known universities, that in bidding processes for major sporting income from projects, said ICSS the air surrounding Qatar’s 2022 bid due were well underway beforehand. found an estimated $140 billion is laun- events and combat financial malpractice spokesman Stuart Hodge. ICSS couldn’t to the corrupt culture in FIFA at the ICSS’ advisory board includes dered every year through sports bet- in professional sport at an event it is immediately say how large that budget time.” Singapore’s Khoo Boon Hui, who was ting. ICSS also partnered with the holding at the National Press Club on is. ICSS, though, says it is independent. Interpol’s president from 2008 to 2012. United Nation’s Office on Drugs and Wednesday. Critics say the organization has a “There is no external influence or input Qatar’s 2022 Supreme Committee was Crime to help train law enforcement The group, which is headed by two public perception problem because of put on the ICSS from the government of among the top ten sources of external officers so that they could crack down former officials from Qatar’s military, the investigations into the allegations Qatar in terms of how we are run and funding for the international crime on game-rigging. includes FIFA’s former head of security about how it’s main patron won enough our activities,” said Hodge. fighting group in 2014. One ICSS advisory board member as an executive director and Interpol’s support from FIFA’s 24-member execu- Both Russia and Qatar have vehe- Interpol earlier this month suspend- Juliette Kayyem, who worked as an former president as a member of its tive committee in 2010 to get the 2022 mently denied there was any wrongdo- ed a 20-million-euro ($22 million) sports assistant secretary at the Department of advisory board. The event comes on the hosting rights. It had faced competing ing in the way they won the World Cup “integrity” agreement with FIFA in the Homeland Security in President Barack heels of the indictment by US authori- bids from the U.S., South Korea, Japan hosting rights. They were not the sub- wake of the investigations. Obama’s first term, said she didn’t see ties of nine current or former FIFA offi- and Australia. ject of the indictments announced by ICSS’s connections to FIFA include any reasons for concern, noting that the cials and five executives in sports mar- “There is no question that a Qatari U.S. prosecutors last month. Chris Eaton, the group’s executive direc- ICSS was doing good work in examining keting or broadcasting on May 27. They entity faces some reputational chal- tor for sport integrity. A former how to keep massive sporting events face charges of bribery, money launder- lenges as it sets out to clean up sports,” QATAR, FIFA, INTERPOL LINKS Australian cop and Interpol official, safe. The faculty member at Harvard’s ing and wire fraud involving more than said Alexandra Wrage, an anti-corrup- ICSS President Mohammed Hanzab, a Eaton became FIFA’s head of security in Kennedy School of Government $150 million. tion expert and founder of the former lieutenant colonel in the Qatar 2010 where he looked into allegations declined to comment on Qatar’s World That investigation is also examining Annapolis, Maryland-based TRACE Armed Forces, announced the formation of vote swapping between Qatar and Cup award, but said: “I think every per- allegations that there was corruption in International. of the organization in March 2011, only Spain-Portugal, who had put in a joint son on that board is asking all the right the awarding of World Cup hosting “Qatar is investing heavily in projects about three months after the desert bid for the 2018 World Cup. questions.”—Reuters Five Africans in Tour de France PARIS: Having received a wild card invita- the ninth man and much is expected of the tion to the Tour de France, South African two in Africa. There are also three South outfit MTN-Qhubeka have named an Africans in the team, namesakes Jacques unprecedented five African riders in their and Reinardt Janse van Rensburg and nine-man team to race the July 4-26 event. national champion Louis Meintjes. All five They are also the first ever African team are debutantes in the world’s most famous to take part in the Tour de France. Four of bike race. American rider Tyler Farrar has the five took part in the Tour de France won stages in all three Grand Tours, while warm up race the Criterium de Dauphine former Sky man, Norway’s Edvald Boasson from June 7-14, where Eritrea’s Daniel Hagen won two Tour de France stages in Teklehaimanot won the polka dotted 2011. “Our objective is a stage win and to climbers’ jersey. wear one of the jerseys,” team manager Another Eritrean climber, 21-year-old Brian Smith said, admitting they had no Merhawi Kudus, who did not race the sprint hopes and no chance of placing a Daupine, joins the Tour de France line up as rider on the overall podium. —AFP Walker — from also-ran to offshore sailing king GOTHENBURG: Ian Walker secured the first es in Alicante nine months ago. “If we can be ‘British’ victory in the Volvo Ocean Race, on the podium for every leg, we will not be which was launched 41 years ago from far away from winning this thing.” It was a Portsmouth, and woke yesterday with the strategy that worked to perfection. challenge of ‘what next?’. The 45-year-old has devoted the last sev- BROKEN MAST en years of his life to climbing a personal His boat, Azzam, had accrued two victo- Everest. No British skipper had won offshore ries - achieved in the testing leg one from sailing’s toughest and most prestigious event, Alicante to Cape Town and then the epic leg formerly the Whitbread Round the World five through the South Ocean - by the time Race, but Walker put that to rest on Monday they had finished the sixth stage of nine. Just SANTIAGO: Brazil’s Thiago Silva (center) is congratulated by his teammates in this file photo. —AP in Gothenburg with a resounding, five-point as importantly, they were solidly on the podi- win after nine, gruelling months at the helm um in all the others, with three of them in of Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing. runners-up spot. The race has covered some 38,739 nautical Until leg five, however, Dongfeng Race Neymar-less Brazil face miles since the seven-strong fleet set out Team (China) looked capable of scuppering from Alicante, Spain in October last year, visit- Walker’s well-laid plans, especially after win- ing 11 ports and every continent. ning their ‘home’ stage into Sanya, China, on Walker made his first attempt to win this leg three. tough route to trophy ultimate test of guts and stamina as well as But a broken mast forced the Chinese seamanship in the 2008-09 edition on a joint- team out of leg five and with it they picked funded Chinese/Irish boat called ‘Green up eight points for a non-finish in a contest in SANTIAGO: If Brazil are to win their fifth Copa have reached the final four years ago, just a year best ever chance to win this tournament-in Dragon’.

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