WEDNESDAY, JULY 22, 2015 SPORTS Chinese team in America’s Cup talks

LONDON: A Chinese team is one of Chinese to come in if they are not going Interest in sailing in China is growing, industry and a lot of interest from some Ainslie’s Land Rover-backed British team three talking to America’s Cup organis- to be competitive. I think it would do with China’s Dongfeng Race Team chal- of the owners to get more active in among the favourites. “Could they win? ers about joining the five challengers so more harm than good,” said Coutts, CEO lenging strongly in the recent Volvo international sailing.” Absolutely. They could definitely win it,” far entered for the 2017 edition, five of 2013 winners Oracle Team USA. Ocean Race and CCTV television set to Previous Chinese teams have had no said the New Zealander. “Having said times winner Russell Coutts said yester- “You’d be better off bringing them in broadcast all stages of the 35th success. “We’ve had Chinese teams in that, all six teams that are in the game day. in the next cycle in my view, making America’s Cup, starting with this week- the past and they’ve frankly been a bit now are very, very competitive. Of those “This new entity that is looking to sure that they have a really competitive end’s World Series event in Portsmouth, of an embarrassment for the people six, five of them I believe could go on come in would be (from) mainland team and are going to make a good England. involved. We can’t afford to have that,” and ultimately win if they make the right China, which would be fantastic,” the show of it.” “I went to mainland China for the first said Coutts. decisions. New Zealander, chief executive of the Of the three potential entries, Coutts time a few years ago and at that stage I Any new entrant would join teams “And even the sixth team are no America’s Cup Events Authority, told was hopeful that one of them would would have said ‘Look, there’s just no from New Zealand, France, Britain, dummies. They could turn it around. I Reuters. “get across the line” but that was likely to way sailing here can develop fast Sweden and Japan hoping to challenge think it’s very open this time. “You look Speaking at a media event organised be the limit. enough’,” said Coutts. holders Oracle Team USA in Bermuda in at a new team like Softbank Team Japan by British watchmakers and official tim- “I frankly don’t think there’s much “I then went back there and was just 2017. Australian and Italian teams have and some of the decisions that they’ve ing partners Bremont and with the ‘Auld more room at the moment...for this cycle staggered at what had happened in the withdrawn. made in terms of getting personnel and Mug’ on display next to him, Coutts but ultimately it would be great to have two years since. “There is a transforma- Coutts said the 35th edition prom- putting together a new team-I would added that it was important they were 12 teams out there battling away,” he tion going on over there and quite a lot ised to be the most competitive yet with rate them as definitely having a chance competitive. “I don’t really want the added. of development within the marine four times Olympic gold medallist Ben of winning.” —Reuters

Motorhome — a battle between modernisers and traditionalists

GAP: There’s nothing new in sport about , Bardiani-CSF at the Giro modernisers and traditionalists locking horns, d’Italia or Caja Rural at the Vuelta a Espana, particularly when it comes to new technolo- their budget is about one tenth of the gy. In a sport like football it can relate to biggest teams’. goalline technology, in Formula One it might “The charm of our sport is that they still be about an aerodynamic innovation and in have a chance to win a stage or something. paralympic athletics it could concern the Everyone has the right to dream. “If we keep length of prosthetic limbs. increasing the gap between the rich and the But rarely in any sport has such debate poor, we’ll lose one recipe for our success.” So raged over accommodation.Yet that is the far the traditionalists are winning this battle case in cycling and it was all sparked by and Brailsford is barking up the wrong tree. Australian Richie Porte turning up to May’s Even International Cycling Union (UCI) presi- Giro d’Italia in his own personal caravan. dent Brian Cookson is against the idea. Authorities quickly put a stop to that and He says it would discourage towns from Porte’s Sky team found themselves in the eye applying to host a Tour stage and would be of a storm. unpopular with fans. “We have to look at the Such was the passionate backlash against overall situation here, this would not be good the use of motorhomes-where a rider sleeps for cycling, for the economy of the sport and in his own personal caravan rather than at a it’s not good for the image of the sport either hotel like the rest of his team or rivals-that it’s because suddenly you’ve got these tempo- become almost an in-house joke in cycling rary villages set somewhere where you don’t circles. But Sky manager says include the public,” he said. it’s about improving performance as he “When they (Sky) first started the team believes a rider can sleep better on his own that first year (2010), when the riders were away from a hotel’s distractions. warming up outside the team bus, they “The heart of what I and, not only Team would put big screens up so the public could- Sky but for the last 15 years the British n’t see the riders warming up. Olympic programme, have always put riders “That was a real disincentive to the fans. first and looked after their performance and The fans hated it because they couldn’t see seen what areas we can improve their per- the riders. It gave a very bad image of the formances,” said Brailsford. team to the public.” So far the traditionalists “And you could argue that part of the have got there own way on this subject and Tour’s won in bed. We know from a sport sci- motorhomes are not likely to make an appear- ence point of view that sleep’s very important ance at the Tour any time soon. But Brailsford is and I like to think about opportunities and not giving up just yet. “The innovation I’m ways of looking at the riders in a better way.” interested in is the innovation that will last,” he However, French team FDJ’s manager Marc said. “We all want them (riders) to race hard Madiot says motorhomes would give some and be spectacular in the mountains, we want teams an unfair advantage. them to perform better and better and if we “It’s a question of equity. Not all the teams want them to do that then we’ve got to keep are rich enough to buy more and more vehi- pace with what we can do to make sure that cles,” said Madiot in his blog on they recover better to be in the best possible Cyclingnews.com. shape to perform to their optimal level-it’s as “Bretagne-Seche Environnement at the simple as that really.” —AFP Quintana: Alps stages ONTARIO: Gold medalist in the men’s taekwondo under-68kg category, Mexico’s Saul Gutierrez (center left) poses with silver medalist Maxime will be spectacular Potvin of Canada (left) and bronze medalists Luis Colon III (center right) and Miguel Angel Trejos, at the Pan Am Games. —AP

EMBRUN: believes fans can of Tours left in me.” expect a spectacle in the Alps once the Quintana’s Movistar teammate Valverde Tour de France resumes following yester- is fourth overall and can play a role in dis- Zeng sizzles in Canada day’s rest day. tracting Froome to help his team leader. From today there will be four stages in He believes Quintana has what it takes the Alps with 18 categorised climbs to scale to come out on top. “He’s a very young rider TORONTO: US rhythmic gymnast as the likes of Quintana, Tejay Van with potential and he’s already done good Laura Zeng increased her gold Garderen, and Alberto things in cycling,” said the 35-year-old vet- medal haul to five, women’s Contador try to hunt down race leader eran. “He’ll continue to do so and I think he baseball made a landmark debut . “The mountains are coming can turn the Tour on its head.” and for sure what comes next will be spec- Meanwhile, two-time former winner and hosts Canada had their least tacular,” said 25-year-old Colombian insisted on Tuesday’s rest productive day at the Pan Quintana. day that the Tour de France is not over. American Games on Monday. “They’re beautiful stages that are com- Chris Froome, the 2013 champion, has The 15-year-old Zeng, her ing and we hope to gain back the time dominated so far and has a 3min 10sec focus fixed firmly on the 2016 Rio we’ve lost. “I don’t know if we’ll overtake lead over second-placed Nairo Quintana. Olympics, won the clubs and rib- Froome, but we’ll try. “Even though it Contador, the 2007 and 2009 winner, is bon events to move top of the would be satisfying to be on the podium in back in fifth at 4min 23sec, but he insists he honours list for any athlete at the Paris, the main aim we’re working for is the hasn’t given up hopes of a Tour hat-trick. Games following wins in the all- yellow jersey.” “My legs are turning better than they around and other two individual Quintana has often come on strong in were in the first Pyrenean stage, I feel good apparatus finals. the final week of a and speak- now,” said the 32-year-old Spaniard, who “That’s such a huge dream of ing at his Movistar team’s hotel in Embrun, was wearing a T-shirt saying ‘Forza Ivan’ in mine, I hope that next year I can near Gap, on Tuesday he said he has support of his -Saxo teammate Ivan make it there, but for right now it trained specifically for that eventuality. Basso. The Italian left the Tour during the is one step at a time,” Zeng said “I always prepare to be regular across previous rest day a week ago to have sur- about competing in next year’s the three weeks,” he said. “I’m calm, I know I gery for testicular cancer, which he later Olympics. have a good team and they’re going to revealed had been successful. Her golden haul is the most help me to overcome all the problems that “We’ll see what happens, I’ll react impressive performance of the could arise in the race.” Quintana won the depending on several factors, such as the two-week multi-sport event for Giro d’Italia last year and was second in the weather and my rivals,” said Contador. “It’s a Tour two years ago, but he said a repeat of tough race, it’s complicated. But I can countries from across North, that result wouldn’t be a disaster. assure you I’m very motivated for this last South and Latin America as well “It wouldn’t be a failure to come second. week. The Tour’s not over.” as the Caribbean. I’ve come back to the Tour-last year people Having already won all three Grand Zeng’s efforts helped the said I didn’t come because I was afraid-but Tours, Contador said he’s only interested in United States pad their lead atop I’ve shown that’s not the case.” the overall victory, and not a podium finish. the medal table to 65 golds and He added: “The other rivals are behind “My aim at this Tour is only the yellow jer- 169 overall. Canada are next on me expect for one but we’re working hard sey. I came here to win-I wouldn’t be happy 55 golds and 148 overall with six to overhaul him. And if not, I still have a lot with a podium place.” —AFP competition days left. The United States picked up six golds on Monday after wins in men’s and women’s fencing, women’s taekwondo and rhyth- mic gymnastics group clubs/hoops were all added to Zeng’s double triumph. Elsewhere, the focus shifted from gold to diamonds as women’s TORONTO: Brazil’s Angelica Malinverno (left) and Fernanda Rodrigues try to block a shot from the United baseball marked its debut at a States during women’s volleyball competition in the Pan Am Games. Brazil won the match, 3-2. —AP major multi-sports gathering of any kind when the US beat ball, the biggest multi-sport In Monday’s final medal event, Aug. 9-16 FIBA Americas Venezuela 10-6 in a preliminary event we have ever been in and Canada erased a 10-point deficit Olympic qualifying tournament. round contest before Canada hopefully it’s going in a positive to earn an 81-73 win over the Cuba earned the bronze medal thumped Cuba 13-1. direction,” U.S. pitcher Sarah United States in the women’s after beating Brazil earlier in the Puerto Rico are the other team Hudek said. basketball title decider on the day. In table tennis, Canada, in the competition, in which the Hosts Canada, who made a back of a 33-point performance Puerto Rico and Brazil reached Americans are considered storming start to the Pan Am from Kia Nurse. For the Canadian the semi-finals of both the men’s favourites after back-to-back sec- Games but surrendered medals team, who finished fifth at last and women’s competitions. ond place finishes at the biennial table supremacy on Saturday, year’s world championship, it Paraguay and the United States Women’s Baseball World Cup in were forced to wait all day before marked their fifth win in as many filled out the other spots in the FRANCE: Colombia’s Nairo Quintana, wearing the best young rider’s white jersey, 2012 and 2014. “This is the securing their sole gold medal nights and will give them plenty men’s and women’s events tries to break away from Britain’s Chris Froome in this file photo. —AP biggest step for women’s base- success. of momentum heading into the respectively.—Reuters