I N T E R N A T I O N A L D A I L Y JANUARY 28, 2020 SPORTS 11 Iranian b-ballers Farhad Ghaemi slowly get- ting back to games: FIVB heartbroken by MNA — On its Instagram post on Monday, Fédération Inter- nationale de Volleyball (FIVB) said Iran’s outside spiker Farhad Ghaemi, who suffered a cracked ankle during training sessions with his club team, is slowly getting back to international games. “After missing the AVC Men’s Tokyo Qualification 2020 due loss of Kobe to injury, Iran’s Farhad Ghaemi is slowly getting back into the game,” it said. SPORTS TEHRAN — Iranian international Bryant was the first African-American filmmaker “As for Iran, they have qualified to the Tokyo 2020 Olym- deskbasketball players have sent their to win an Oscar in the animated short category. pics,” it added. thoughts after Kobe Bryant›s death Team Melli captain Hamed Haddadi paid his Ghaemi who was injured at the start of the 2019 world cup has in helicopter crash respects with a simple post on his Instagram story. not been taking part in recent matches of the Iranian national Kobe, one of basketball’s great- “RIP Kobe Bryant,” Haddadi wrote. volleyball team. est players and most masterful The 2.18m former Memphis Grizzlies and Phoenix On January 12, Iran eased past China in straight sets (25-14, scorers of all time, was among the Suns center played in the NBA from 2008 to 2013. 25-22, 25-14) on Sunday at the AVC Men’s Tokyo Volleyball passengers who died Sunday in Samad Nikkhah Bahrami is also shocked and Qualification tournament to book a place at the 2020 Olympic a helicopter crash in Calabasas, saddened to learn of the tragic passing of Kobe. Games as the best Asian team. California. He was 41. “Thanks for everything that you gave to this In addition to hosts Japan, the teams of Iran, Argenti- Bryant›s 13-year-old daugh- game of basketball,” the small forward posted to na, Brazil, Italy, Poland, France, the US, and Tunisia have ter Gianna was also killed in the his Instagram account. qualified so far for Tokyo 2020 through the intercontinental crash. Other Iranian basketball players Mohammad qualification tournaments. The legendary basketball star, Jamshidi and Mohammad Hassanzadeh paid Iran qualified for the Olympics for the second time in a row, who spent 20 years with the Lakers, tribute to the NBA icon. as the Persians came fifth in the previous edition held in Rio. retired from the NBA in 2016 but the game The Islamic Republic of Iran Basketball Fed- of basketball was still an important part of his life eration has expressed its condolences following up until his untimely death. the death of basketball star Kobe Bryant. Bryant wrote, starred in, and executive produced The Iranian federation extended its heartfelt Regragui takes charge the animated short Dear Basketball, which won the condolences to the bereaved family of Kobe Bryant Oscar and Annie for best animated short in 2018. in a message. of Al Duhail Qatar Stars League leaders Al Duhail SC have announced Mo- roccan Walid Regragui will be in charge of the team as head Esteghlal coach Majidi worried about coach for the remainder of the season. Regragui, who joins Al Duhail from Moroccan outfit FUS players’ fatigue Rabat, replaces Rui Faria with the Portuguese having left three days ago due to personal reasons. SPORTS TEHRAN — Esteghlal coach Farhad FSCC of the UAE, Iraq’s Al Shorta and another team from Born in France, Regragui played for several French clubs deskMajidi is worried about his players fatigue the qualifying stages. while he also spent two years in Spain with Racing de Santander in the AFC Champions League playoff. “There is no direct flight from the UAE to Qatar and I before ending his career in Morocco, where he started coaching Esteghlal defeated Kuwait SC 3-0 at the 2020 AFC am really surprised why the AFC doesn’t know this. Our FUS Rabat in 2014. Champions League Preliminary Stage 2 in Dubai’s Maktoum players had two flights in less than 24 hours, however I The 44-year-old Regragui will be looking to keep Al Duhail Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Stadium on Saturday. believe that they can overcome the obstacles,” Majidi said at the top of the QSL standing and also chart a successful cam- The Iranian football team traveled to Tehran on Sunday in the pre-match news conference. paign in the 2020 AFC Champions League with the club drawn and flied to Doha after several hours. “We know that Qatari clubs have progressed in the recent in Group C with UAE champions Sharjah, Persepolis FC of the Esteghlal will take on Qatar’s Al Rayyan SC at the years. We’ve analyzed Al Rayyan SC well and I have to say Islamic Republic of Iran and Saudi Arabia’s Al Taawoun. Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium on Tuesday. Eventually, the they are an organized team but we also are Esteghlal, a team (Source: the-afc) winners will sit in ACL’s Group A along with Al Wahda who have won the titles two times,” he added. Iran’s Esteghlal, Shahr Khodro to lock horn with Qatari sides in ACL Play-offs Iran to host Asian Ski Champs SPORTS TEHRAN — The final and boast Iranian international Karim An- IRNA — The International Ski Federation announced a new desk eight teams in the 2020 sarifard within their ranks. date for holding Asian Youths Ski Championships. AFC Champions League group stage will be Shahr Khodro, meanwhile, came fourth According to the International Ski Federation calendar, the confirmed on Tuesday as 16 sides fight for in the Iranian Pro League and edged past event was supposed to be held within a month, but it was can- their passage to the Continental tournament Bahrain’s Riffa 2-1 in Preliminary Round celled and postponed. in the one-legged Play-off Round. 2 on Saturday. The competitions will be held on April 13-14. According to the-AFC.com, four games Al Rayyan v Esteghlal The event will be held in spiral, speed and compound fields. will take place in the East and a further four After overcoming Kuwait SC 3-0 in Pre- in the West, with former Asian champions liminary Round 2, Iranian powerhouse Kashima Antlers, Al Ain and Esteghlal among Esteghlal must now win away at Qatar’s those competing to secure a place in the 18th Al Rayyan in order to return to the Con- Nadal rides out Kyrgios edition of the competition. tinental competition. In the East zone, Japanese teams Esteghlal currently occupy the fifth spot challenge to reach Kahsima Antlers and FC Tokyo host in the Iran Persian Gulf League table with 29 Melbourne Victory and Ceres Negros points from their 16 matches, while they have quarter-finals respectively, FC Seoul welcome Malay- one game in hand. The Blues, two-time winners sia’s Kedah in Seoul World Cup Stadium of the AFC Champions League, are a spirited Rafa Nadal suffered his first lost set of the tournament but rode and Buriram United travel to Shanghai team with their new coach Farhad Majidi and out a challenge from a wholly committed Nick Kyrgios to move to face Shanghai SIPG. hope to repeat their glorious days in Asia. into the quarter-finals of the Australian Open for the 12th time In the West Zone, both Iranian teams Al Rayyan, meanwhile, are aiming to qual- with a 6-3 3-6 7-6(6) 7-6(4) victory on Monday. Shahr Khodro and Esteghlal will take on ify for the 10th time although they have never Kyrgios was a match for the 19-times Grand Slam cham- Qatari rivals and in other matches Al- Al Sailiya v Shahr Khodro make their debut in the AFC Champions been able to make it beyond the group stage. pion in the second set and for much of the third but the Ahli Saudi host Tajikistan champions FC One of the more intriguing clashes League’s group stage. The pair last faced off in the 2018 group muscle-bound Spaniard looked like the most likely winner Istiklol and Inaugural AFC Champions of the Play-offs Round sees Qatar’s Al Al Sailiya finished third in the Qatar Stars stage, with the game in Doha ending 2-2 once he got his nose back in front. League winners Al Ain take on Uzbeki- Sailiya taking on the Islamic Republic of League last year to move within a game of and Esteghlal winning 2-0 in Tehran as the stan’s Bunyodkor later on Tuesday. Iran’s Shahr Khodro, with the winners to advancing to the Continental competition Iranian side advanced and Al Rayyan exited. Paralympic community pay tribute to basketball legend Bryant time NBA champion Kobe Bryant on Sunday (26 January). words that make sense. I have been trying to wrap my mind Paralympians from around the world poured in around the depth of the impact that @kobebryant made on emotional tributes on social media as soon as the news this earth & how much bigger that impact has just become. broke that sporting great Bryant, 41, died in a helicop- Three-time Paralympic snowboard medalist Amy ter crash in California with his 13-year-old daughter Purdy recalled when Bryant approached her and her Gianna among nine reported victims. husband for a photo. Bryant, who elevated the game of basketball with “He spent at least 15 minutes talking with my husband his artistic scoring ability (fourth all-time in the NBA), and I.