WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 12, 2016 SPORTS

IOC: Pyeongchang’s biggest challenge is promoting the games

PYEONGCHANG: Pyeongchang’s prepa- news conference. “There is no doubt that Pyeongchang, a sleepy ski resort town in stalled over the IOC’s decision not to pay the participation of the best athletes. It is rations for the 2018 Winter Olympics are the venues will be ready for the upcom- South Korea’s mountainous east, is a for NHL players’ travel and insurance as it reassuring that NHL is coming to on course but South Korean organizers ing test events.” “My colleagues and I much smaller destination than Tokyo, has in the past. Pyeongchang and especially look at the must step up efforts to promote the leave here more confident than ever that which will host the 2020 Summer NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly operations in Gangneung,” he said. games worldwide, the head of the IOC’s Pyeongchang 2018 will deliver great Olympics, and Beijing, which will host recently told The Associated Press he felt “When it comes to the final participa- inspection team said. Gunilla Lindberg, games,” she added. The first test event the 2022 Winter Games. “negative” about the chances the tion ... there is a date set at Jan. 15 to find head of the International Olympic will be a World Cup snowboard big air “The biggest challenge at the league’s players will appear for a sixth an agreement,” Dubi said. “Until then it Committee’s coordination commission competition from Nov. 23-26. moment is ... how to promote the games straight Olympics in Pyeongchang. will be work between all parties involved for the games, said her team was satis- Snowboard big air will make its over the world, because this is a small Christophe Dubi, the IOC’s executive to make sure that we get the participa- fied with the progress they saw in their Olympic debut at the Pyeongchang place. It’s not and it’s not director of the , said NHL tion of the very best, and that’s for both latest three-day inspection visit. Games. A new high-speed rail line - ,” said Lindberg, who added that representatives have agreed to pay an Pyeongchang and Beijing.” According to Pyeongchang organiz- designed to link the country’s main gate- the upcoming test events, which will be inspection visit to Pyeongchang later this The ice hockey tournament during ers, construction is on schedule for a way of Incheon airport with televised internationally, will be an month, which he described as a “very the Pyeongchang Olympics will take series of 26 test events scheduled from Pyeongchang in less than two hours - important opportunity to promote the positive step.” place at a stadium in the nearby city of November to April. They said six new will be completed in June and start oper- games and showcase the level of prepa- Dubi didn’t offer a firm answer on Gangneung. Lee Hee-beom, head of the competition venues for the games are ations in January 2018. ration. Another critical issue for whether the IOC would consider allow- local organizing committee, said ticket now 90 percent complete. Lindberg said that the biggest chal- Pyeongchang is securing the participa- ing the NHL to skip the Pyeongchang sales will be launched in conjunction “We saw firsthand the progress of the lenge left for Pyeongchang is promoting tion of National Hockey League players. Games before returning for Beijing in with the 1-year-to-go countdown in construction projects,” Lindberg said at a the Olympics across the world. IOC negotiations with the NHL have 2022. “We definitely always try to have February. —AP New-look Novak gives up on Fed Slams record

SHANGHAI: A new-look Novak Djokovic well there, but I lost that equilibrium. I lost said he had given up on chasing Roger that balance, because I exaggerated with Federer’s record 17 Grand Slam titles as he the way I pushed myself in that kind of made a winning return to the tennis circuit preparation and I really, you know, wanted yesterday. Djokovic, the formerly it too much maybe.” indomitable Serb who has bullied his rivals The mental revamp is astonishing from over the past two seasons, said he had a player who has long pushed himself to undergone a radical rethink after his tra- the limit in pursuit of perfection-but who vails of recent months. didn’t have to stretch himself against Italy’s The 29-year-old said he no longer saw Fognini. A lone break of serve was enough protecting his world number one ranking, for Djokovic to win the first set and Fognini now under threat from Andy Murray, as his matched the Serb with strong baseline play priority, or breaking Federer’s all-time until 3-3 in the second set. record. The 12-time Grand Slam-winner But Fognini’s serve deserted him as he beat Fabio Fognini 6-3, 6-3 at the Shanghai double-faulted to hand over a break, and Masters in his first match back after skip- then again for three match points, before ping last week’s China Open with an elbow sealing his fate with his seventh and final injury. “Right now, no,” he said, when asked double. Djokovic gave the Italian a wry if surpassing Federer’s 17 major titles was smile of sympathy as they shook hands. still one of his goals. “I don’t think about The defending champion will play Grigor that at all. “I don’t think about any trophies Dimitrov or Vasek Pospisil in the third or number ones in the world, rankings, round. anything like that. It’s completely different. “It is there, because I play partly because TOMIC INJURY I enjoy being successful and seeing the Earlier outspoken Australian Nick results of my work. But on the other hand Kyrgios said he had to stifle yawns as he that comes second.” dispatched Sam Querrey 6-4, 6-4 to tot up Djokovic has been in a funk since com- his sixth win in a row. pleting a career Grand Slam-and a run of Kyrgios said he was “bored” and tired four straight major titles-at the French after last week’s exertions at the Japan Open in June. Open, where he lifted the third trophy of The Serb, who has admitted having “pri- his season and career on Sunday. vate issues”, lost in Wimbledon’s third “I was just a little bit bored at times,” he round, and then failed to win a match at said, when asked why he wasn’t his usual DOHA: US cyclist poses on the podium after winning the gold medal in the women’s elite event as part of the the Rio Olympics before finishing runner- vocal self on court. “I was feeling very tired 2016 UCI Road World Championships yesterday, in the Qatari capital Doha. — AFP up at the US Open. today.” Juan Martin del Potro has also been in strong form but his tournament was ‘WANTED IT TOO MUCH’ quickly over when he was dumped out by He said he had had a complete change Belgian seed David Goffin 4-6, 6-3, 7-5 in Neben wins second of heart about his approach to tennis 2hr 18min. Bulgaria’s Grigor Dimitrov beat because the “must-win mindset... is not French seed Richard Gasquet 6-4, 6-4 as he working for me any more”. bounced back quickly from losing Sunday’s “I try to be in this moment and take China Open final to Andy Murray. world time-trial title things slowly, and, you know, I’m not rush- And Australia’s Bernard Tomic said his ing anywhere. I’m not in a need, you know, season might be over after he retired with to achieve anything,” he said. an abdominal problem while 3-6, 3-0 down DOHA: America’s Amber Neben won the “I was so nervous,” said Neben afterwards. “It Vleuten might complete a fairytale win after “I feel like I have overcome that step. against Roberto Bautista. women’s time-trial title in Qatar yesterday, the was so hard watching but at the time so excit- her horrific crash in Rio which left her with con- Right now it’s about just, you know, follow- Tomic said he had been struggling with second time she has been crowned world ing to have won. I feel for Ellen but am so excit- cussion and three cracked vertebrae. ing my gut, following my instinct, whatever the undiagnosed injury during last week’s champion at the event. ed for myself. But despite being an early leader she tailed I feel like doing.” run to the China Open doubles final with In an exciting and close race she posted a She added: “This one was more special off to finish fifth and later took to Twitter to say He added: “Just before I arrived to his partner Jack Sock. time of 36 mins 37:04, beating of because of everything that has happened that she had been too “conservative” on her Olympic Games, things were looking great, “I’ve just got to look at this and if it’s the into second by six seconds, between 2008 and now.” She averaged more first lap. Riders completed two laps of the Pearl I was in great shape. I won Toronto. You something I have to stop a little bit, I have and Australia’s who was a further than 47 kilometres per hour along the 28.9 kilo- Qatar course, an artificial island in Doha, esti- know, I was, as I can say, the peak of my to, and if it means for the rest of the year it two seconds behind. metre course in the Qatari capital, Doha. mated to have cost $15 billion (13.5 billion abilities. “I was extremely motivated to do means that,” he said. — AFP Neben previously won the title in 2008, in Although van Dijk and Garfoot came close, euros) to build, and home to some 12,000 peo- Varese, Italy. At 41, she becomes the second the expected challenges from pre-race ple. They set off in 38 degrees Celsius (100 oldest women ever to win the event after favourites of the degrees Fahrenheit), but despite previous com- France’s won aged 42 in 2001. Netherlands and Germany’s plaints about the heat from riders, the relatively Her victory completes a stellar year for never materialised. short distance meant that the race length was American cycling over time-trials, after Kristin Van der Breggen finished 13th, more than not altered. Disappointingly for organisers, Armstrong won gold at the Rio Olympics. two minutes behind, while Brennauer was crowds for the event were sparse with large Neben went out in the middle of the race in sixth, almost a minute off the pace set by parts of the course without any spectators, a 41-strong field and had an agonising wait to Neben. despite it being the first time the event has see if her time would be beaten. At one stage it looked as if Annemiek Van been held in the Middle East. — AFP Sharapova returns to court in Las Vegas

LAS VEGAS: Maria Sharapova returned to the tennis court for two exhibition matches on Monday, her first appearance since test- ing positive for the banned substance mel- donium at the Australian Open in January. The Russian former world number one played at the World Team Tennis “Smash SHANGHAI: Novak Djokovic of Serbia hits a return against Fabio Fognini of Italy during Hits” event in Las Vegas, which raises money their men’s singles match at the Shanghai Masters tennis tournament yesterday. — AFP for the Elton John Aids Foundation. Sharapova, who has slipped to 93rd in the world rankings, partnered American Taylor Johnson and lost her first match to Martina 36 Olympic boxing Navratilova and Liezel Huber. “It’s very spe- cial to be back on the court,” she told reporters before the match. judges, referees “It’s been about seven months since I’ve played in front of spectators and played in a stadium environment. Obviously, very barred from events thankful for the invitation, happy to be part of this cause. “It’s been around for 24 years and it’s my LAUSANNE: Three dozen boxing referees States losing to opponents from Russia and first attendance. Thrilled to be part of it.” and judges who officiated at the Rio de Uzbekistan. Janeiro Olympics have been barred from However, some judges at those bouts Sharapova, whose ban was cut from two working at further world-level events until continued to work in Rio. After the years to 15 months by the Court of an investigation is completed. Olympics, AIBA said it sent cases of some Arbitration last week, can return to competi- The international boxing association officials and member federations to its dis- tion in April, one month before the French said the 36 referees and judges should be ciplinary commission. No details were giv- Open. ineligible to officiate at events it organizes. en of how many referees and judges were The 29-year-old, who teamed up with AIBA’s youth world championships will be affected, or a timetable for possible sanc- John McEnroe to beat Navratilova and Andy held next month in St. Petersburg, Russia, tions. On Thursday, AIBA said it was looking Roddick in her second match, acknowl- but the association has no senior world to disband its system of certifying referees edged that the journey back would be a championships scheduled in the next year. and judges for top championships. tough one. The integrity of AIBA, its officials and In a further proposed change, AIBA will “Yeah, I will look to play maybe a couple scoring system were questioned in Rio. look to “instill greater transparency” by of exhibition events leading up to my first During the games, AIBA president C.K. Wu picking referees and judges for bouts in an tournament in April,” she added. responded to the criticism by reassigning automated draw instead of selection by a “I don’t know what those will be, but I his executive director to other duties. three-member draw commission. think that’s one of the things that will be AIBA has not detailed how many Current AIBA rules have five judges scor- Olympic officials were sent home over “less ing each fight, but a computer randomly really important because match play, you than a handful” of unsatisfactory fight deci- throws out two of the scores. An open and can never really replicate it. You can practise LAS VEGAS: Tennis player Maria Sharapova competes in the World Team Tennis Smash Hits sions. Disputed bouts included fighters transparent five-judge system is now being as much as you want but there’s nothing charity tennis event benefiting the Elton John AIDS Foundation at Caesars Palace on Monday from Ireland, Kazakhstan and the United considered. — AP really like it.” — Reuters in Las Vegas, Nevada. — AFP