p15_Layout 1 4/5/17 10:24 PM Page 1 THURSDAY, APRIL 6, 2017 SPORTS IOC strips more medals Liverpool fined over Guardiola tells players from 2008, 2012 Games approach for Stoke starlet to prove their worth LONDON: Liverpool were hit with an academy transfer ban and AARHUS: Uzbeki wrestler Artur Taymazov was stripped of his freestyle LONDON: Manchester City will make “necessary” changes to the squad ordered to pay £100,000 ($124,000, 117,000 euros) after admitting gold medal from the Beijing 2008 Olympics 96-120kg category following a when the transfer window opens in July and it is up to the players to their part in the ‘tapping up’ of a promising Stoke youngster. The positive doping sample in re-testing, the International Olympic prove the club cannot do without them, manager Pep Guardiola has Premier League club won’t be able to sign any academy players who Committee said yesterday. Fellow wrestler Vasyl Fedoryshyn of Ukraine, said. “Every club wants to improve and the changes are necessary but have been registered with a Premier League or Football League team who won silver in the men’s 55-60kg freestyle event at the we are going to discuss it at the end of the season,” the former same Games, was also disqualified along with Russian in the last 18 months. Although the ban is for two years, the second Barcelona and Bayern Munich manager told Svetlana Tzarukaeva, who won silver in the London 2012 12 months has been suspended for a three-year period and will only British media. “The players decide for them- women’s 63kg weightlifting event. All three tested posi- be activated in the event of any further similar breach by the club. A selves through their performances.” Third- tive for the anabolic steroid turinabol. More than 100 ath- brief statement from Liverpool said: “The club accepts the sanction.” placed City travel to face leaders Chelsea in letes have had positive results in re-tests of samples taken The case involves forbidden inducements offered to a 12-year-old at the Premier League. Chelsea saw their lead during the London and Beijing 2008 Olympics conduct- Stoke and whom Liverpool accept they spoke to before they should over Tottenham Hotspur trimmed to seven ed by the IOC. The re-testing programme is part of have and also paid for him and some of his family to attend a game at points after a stunning 2-1 home defeat to the IOC’s efforts to catch cheats using newer Anfield. Liverpool also offered to pay the player’s school fees, which Crystal Palace at the weekend and City mid- testing methods or looking for substances were being paid by Stoke at this time, but this was a breach of newly- fielder Kevin de Bruyne said nerves could that were not known at the time of past introduced regulations which state a benefit can only be offered if it is creep in at Stamford Bridge should City Olympics, and to prevent them from com- applicable to all youngsters across the club’s academy and this was emerge with a win. City trail Chelsea by 11 peting in future Games. —Reuters not the case.—AFP points. —Reuters Nissan and NISMO announce global motorsport program for 2017 DUBAI: The 2017 motorsport season is about Yasuda. For the first time in seven years, Jo?o Team Principal: Masahiko Kondo to start, and on behalf of Nissan, Takao Paulo de Oliveira will return to KONDO Racing, Forum Engineering ADVAN GT-R / Yokohama Katagiri, CEO and president of NISMO, has now which took two victories last year, and will #46 - MOLA - Satoshi Motoyama / officially announced Nissan/NISMO’s motor- team up with Daiki Sasaki. MOLA will continue KatsumasaChiyo sport activities for 2017. These are as follows: with the same strong driver combination from Team Principal: ToshiomiOeki last year, with veteran Satoshi Motoyama chal- S Road CRAFTSPORTS GT-R / Michelin SUPER GT GT500 lenging the series alongside young gun Nissan’s new GT500 racer, which incorpo- With sights firmly set on reclaiming the KatsumasaChiyo. rates the distinctive design of the standard GT500 championship title, Nissan/NISMO will Toshikazu Tanaka, corporate vice president 2017 Nissan GT-R NISMO, was developed in field four newly developed Nissan GT-R NISMO of NISMO, remains as Nissan’s team executive compliance with the 2017 SUPER GT technical GT500 entries in 2017. director. The complete roster: regulations and inherits the competitive and Having won the SUPER GT GT500 hard-charging spirit of previous incarnations Championship two years in a row in 2014 and #23 - NISMO - Tsugio Matsuda / Ronnie of the Nissan GT-R NISMO GT500. 2015, but missing out on a third consecutive Quintarelli Officially revealed last November, the car title after leading the championship until the Team Principal: Yutaka Suzuki has undergone testing in Japan as well as in last event in 2016, NISMO will be back at the MOTUL AUTECH GT-R / Michelin Sepang, Malaysia. The updates will be made track with the driver pairing of Tsugio Matsuda #12 - TEAM IMPUL - Hironobu Yasuda / just before the opening round and are expect- and Ronnie Quintarelli in Nissan’s ace car #23. JannMardenborough ed to result in an even stronger, more compet- Fresh from the GT300 class, GT Academy Team Principal: Kazuyoshi Hoshino itive GT-R that will build upon the previous graduate JannMardenborough will step up to Calsonic IMPUL GT-R / Bridgestone championship winning car’s legacy of domi- GT500, making his GT500 debut with TEAM #24 - KONDO Racing - Daiki Sasaki / Jo?o Paulo nance within the history of motorsports. IMPUL together with teammate Hironobu de Oliveira OLYMPICS RUGBY LA blames Paris over Facebook ‘likes’ story Waratahs’ Foley returns from AARHUS: Los Angeles yesterday accused rival Paris of being behind reports that the US city bought concussion to face Hurricanes Facebook “likes” to artificially boost it’s bid to secure the 2024 Games. Campaigning by the two cities is reaching a peak WELLINGTON: Wallabies flyhalf Bernard Foley has over- ahead of an International Olympic Committee decision come concussion symptoms and been cleared to play for on September 13 on which of the two will host the the New South Wales Waratahs tomorrow as they try to get 2024 Olympics. their Super Rugby season back on track against the Wellington Hurricanes. French radio station RTL said on Monday that the Foley missed the Waratahs’ first four games before LA 2024 bid had used fringe internet companies to returning to face the Melbourne Rebels two weeks ago. buy “likes”, so it could announce that it had become However, the symptoms reappeared and he missed last the first Olympic bidder to attract more than one mil- Sunday’s 41-22 loss to the Canterbury Crusaders. lion Facebook fans. “Bernard has been given the clearance after further Companies based in Pakistan, Bangladesh and expert reviews, including a review with neurologist, and Nepal are known to be used to buy social media “likes”. treatment over the course of the last week,” Waratahs “All Facebook advertising has been purchased coach Daryl Gibson said in a statement on Wednesday. directly through Facebook. It’s no surprise that this Foley’s fellow Wallabies back Rob Horne has been with- story originated from Paris,” LA 2024 spokesman Jeff drawn from the side due to a hamstring injury after initially Millman told AFP in a statement. being named to start in the centres. Israel Folau, therefore, “LA 2024 is a global campaign as the Olympic returns to the number 13 jersey with Bryce Hegarty in at movement is global. There are Olympic stakeholders in fullback. Hulking winger Taqele Naiyaravoro has also every country. “Bids advertise on traditional and social earned his first start of the season after a barnstorming media, and all Facebook advertising has been pur- performance against the Crusaders when he ran over the chased directly on Facebook.” top of George Bridge to score. A report picked up by several media documented a There will be no clash of giants on the wing, however, as sudden boost in fans on the LA 2024 Facebook page, the Hurricanes’ Julian Savea has been rested for tomorrw’s PARIS: Former All Blacks rugby player Alexander “Ali” Williams arrives at the Paris courthouse, yesterday. Williams increasing from just over 200,000 at the end of 2016 to match at Wellington Regional Stadium. and former Wallabies back James O’Connor were arrested last month outside a Paris nightclub. O’Connor was more than a million in April. Vince Aso, the competition’s top try-scorer with seven, fined for cocaine use by the Paris prosecutor’s office while Williams will face a hearing with the prosecutor for buy- At the start of the year most of the LA “likes” had has also been rested, allowing Cory Jane to make his first ing the equivalent of 2.4 grams of the drug. — AP come from the United States but since then fans from appearance this season while Wes Goosen gets his first developing countries such as Pakistan, Bangladesh start. “If you look at Julian and Vince, they’ve both started and Nepal have dramatically increased. all five matches so far, so its a chance for them to freshen Millman said there was a logical explanation to the up, but equally it gives Cory and Wes an opportunity,” Surfing and canoe bodies in sudden spike in “likes” from far off countries. “Facebook Hurricanes’ coach Chris Boyd said. advertising is more efficient in countries where there is “At the end of the day we have faith in the depth in our less competition from other brands,” he said.