25-06-2022

SATURDAY, JUnE 25, 2022
9
Summer McIntosh at World swimming championships
Photo: AP
Gold for teenage stars Summer McIntosh,
David Popovici at swimming worlds
SPORTS DESK
The kids are all right. Canadian
teenager Summer McIntosh won the
women's 200-meter butterfly for her
first title at the world swimming
championships on Wednesday before
17-year-old Romanian David Popovici
claimed his second, reports UNB.
They still have some way to go to
match Katie Ledecky, who claimed her
18th gold at a worlds by helping the
United States win the women's 4×200-
meter freestyle relay. The 25-year-old
Ledecky now has 21 medals, extending
her record for the most among female
swimmers in the competition.
Popovici won the mens 100 freestyle
to add to the 200 freestyle he won on
Monday. He is just the second man to
achieve the double at a worlds, after
American swimmer Jim Montgomery
in 1973, and he's the first Romanian
swimmer to win two golds at a worlds.
"The airport is going to be chaotic but
I am ready for it," Popovici said of his
return to Bucharest. "For Romania it
Trans cyclist and two-time
world champion Victoria
Ivy slams FINA's 'Open'
category proposal
SPORTS DESK
World swimming's governing
body FINA is setting up a
working group to look into
creating an 'open category' to
ensure inclusivity after voting
to restrict transgender women
from competing in elite
women's competition, reports
UNB.
But before the working
group has even begun to
consider exactly how an
open category would work,
the concept has already been
dismissed by trans athletes.
Details of who would be
eligible to compete in an
'open category' and what
events such a division would
feature in have yet to emerge
with FINA giving itself six
months to formulate a plan.
So far FINA has said that
the open category would
offer opportunities for
athletes "without regard to
their sex, their legal gender,
or their gender identity"
But Veronica Ivy, trans
cyclist and twice UCI
Masters world champion,
said the proposal was an
"extreme indignity".
"FINA's choice to force
trans women into an 'open'
category with cisgender men
is an unethical non-starter,"
she told Reuters in an
interview.
"It is the very definition of
'separate but equal' and an
extreme indignity to the
women affected. Trans
women are legally, socially,
and medically women; we
are legally, socially, and
medically female.
"We ought to race with
women and international
sports federations need to
cease placing limits on who is
'woman' or 'female' enough,"
she said.
So far, the only idea floated
for swimming has come
from the World Swimming
Coaches Association, which
produced a position
statement before FINA's
congress on Sunday.
means a lot and I love the feelings, even
though I cannot explain it really well, I
am very happy." The 15-year-old
McIntosh clocked 2 minutes, 05.20
seconds in the 200 butterfly to beat
three Olympic medalists to the title.
"It's one of my biggest dreams in the
swimming world to become world
champion, and especially to do it in 200
fly is something I have always wanted
to do because this is one of my favorite
events," said McIntosh, who finished
0.88 seconds ahead of American Hali
Flickinger. China's Zhang Yufei was
third and American Regan Smith was
1.59 seconds behind in fourth.
Popovici had to fight hard to edge
France's MaximeGrousset by 0.06
seconds in the final with a time of 47.58
seconds. Canada's Joshua Liendo
Edwards, who was leading at the
halfway stage, took the bronze. Twotime
defending champion
CaelebDressel didn't race after
withdrawing from the rest of the
competition with an unspecified
medical condition earlier Wednesday.
Paul Pogba is set to return to Juventus as a free agent.
The Americans had to wait until the
women's 4×200-meter freestyle relay
for their 11th gold of the championships
as Claire Weinstein, Leah Smith,
Ledecky and Bella Sims. Australia was
second and Canada third. "I am so
proud," Ledecky said. "I think I realized
when we were on the medal podium it
had been a while since we had all been
up there singing the national anthem
together; trying to hit those highpitched
notes together. So that was a lot
of fun." Only the U.S. (11 gold, six silver,
nine bronze) and Australia (two gold,
five silver, one bronze) have won at
least one medal on each of the five
nights of the swimming competition.
Kylie Masse claimed Canada's second
gold of the night by winning the
women's 50-meter backstroke ahead of
American Katharine Berkoff and
Analia Pigree of France.Masse became
the first swimmer from Canada, male
or female, to win three golds at a
worlds.
"I was a little tired this morning,"
Marchand said.
Paul Pogba returns to Juventus on free
transfer after Manchester United exit
SPORTS DESK
Manchester United signed Paul Pogba for
a then-world-record fee of £89.3 million
from Juventus in 2016. Six years down
the line, the French mid-fielder is
returning to Juventus on a free transfer
after leaving Manchester United, reports
UNB.
Pogba is moving to Juventus for the
second time in his career - he previously
joined the Italian giants in 2012 from
United.
Pogba enjoyed a successful four-year
first stint in Turin, winning four
consecutive league titles and two Coppa
Italia trophies. He will also be reunited
with manager Massimiliano Allegri as the
club look to win their first Serie A title
since 2020.
Pogba won three trophies in his debut
campaign, but he fell out with then-
United manager Jose Mourinho and
struggled to find consistency under
successive bosses Ole Gunnar Solskjaer
and Ralf Rangnick. Pogba endured an
uneasy relationship with the United fans,
and they booed him in his final two
appearances against Norwich City and
Liverpool.
It is understood that Pogba will now
commit to a three-year deal through to
2025, with those terms worth around
€7.5m-per-season (£6m/$8m). Paul
Pogba is expected to officially sign the
contract at the start of July.
Pogba has complained United offered
him "nothing" despite the midfielder
reportedly being offered two contracts
worth more than £290,000 a week.
In the new Amazon Prime documentary
titled - The 'Pogmentary', it is revealed
how the failed negotiations transpired
between the player and the club.
The Athletic, which had access to
preview material, reported how the
Frenchman dismissed United's second
offer with his late agent Mino Raiola,
describing it as 'nothing' as he sat in his
Rolls Royce.
"Paul, you are in a situation which is
very particular. You have no idea. You
have no idea," Raiola tells Pogba as he is
driving in Miami.
Pogba then asks: "Did Manchester
(United) make a second offer?" To which
Raiola replies: "Yes. They absolutely want
you to stay. For me, the offer doesn't
reflect that. I told them, "If you want him
to stay, don't make that offer".
"I will make them understand that if
they really want you to stay and they want
to build a project around you, this time
they have to act differently and put the
money on the table."
"They're bluffing," Pogba replies. "How
can you tell a player you absolutely want
him and offer him nothing? Never seen
that." At the end of the documentary,
Pogba pledges to "show Manchester that
they made a mistake in waiting to give me
a contract. And show other clubs that
Manchester made a mistake in not
offering me a contract."
Photo: File
Saif moves to 3rd
with exciting win
in BPL
SPORTS DESK
Saif Sporting Club moved to
the third position inthe points
table in the TVS Bangladesh
Premier League football
defeatingChittagong Abahani
Limited by exciting 4-3 goals
held on Thursday atShaheed
DhirendranathDatta
Stadium in Cumilla, BSS.
In the day's match, striker
Faisal Ahmed Fahim scored a
brace while Nigerianforward
EmekaOgbugh and Rwanda
midfielder Emery Bayisenge
supported him witha lone goal
each for Saif who led the first
half by 1-0 goal.
Afghan midfielder Omid
Popalzay, Nigerian forward
Candy Augustine and
hiscompatriot Peter
Ebimobowei netted one goal
apiece for Chittagong
AbahaniLimited.
EmekaOgbugh opened an
account scoring the first goal
for Saif in the 43rdminute
while after the breather
Omid Popalzay restored the
parity forChittagong
Abahani Limited in the 57th
minute of the match.
Candy Augustine put
Chittagong Abahani Limited
ahead scoring the second
goalin the 65th minute, but
Fahim brought back Saif in
the match scoring the
twogoals in span of two
minutes. He restored the
parity scoring his first
andsecond goal for Saif in
the 72nd minute and put
Saif SC ahead again
scoringhis second and third
goal for his team in the 74th
minute of the match.
Peter Ebimobowei
reduced the margin scoring
the third goal for
ChittagongAbahani Limited
in the 87th minute while
Emery Bayisenge sealed the
victoryscoring the fourth
goal for Saif in the 90+1st
minute of the match.
The day's win saw Saif SC
secured 30 points from 16
matches while the portcity
team Chittagong Abahani
Limited remained at their
previous credit of 26points
playing the same number of
matches.
Earlier, in the first phase,
Saif SC played out to a 3-3
goal draw withChittagong
Abahani Limited held at
Bir Flight Lieutenant
Matiur RahmanStadium in
Munshiganj.
Organisers in fix
on where to host
shooting at the
2024 Games
SPORTS DESK
Paris Olympics organisers
are in a fix over where to
host shooting at the 2024
Games. The organisers have
confirmed that shooting will
now be moved from Seine-
Saint-Denis, reports UNB.
Chateauroux, which is 170
miles from Paris has now
been a preferred venue for
shooting at 2024 Olympics.
Shooting, which was
originally planned for the La
Courneuve range in Seine-
Saint-Denis is moved due to
concerns over the size of the
site.
"This is one of the options
but we need exchanges with
local elected officials and
federations," said Michael
Aloisio, the Paris 2024 chief
of staff was quoted as saying
by L'Équipe.
"We know that the
International Federation is
pushing for this option but
we are cautious."
In January, Stéphane
Troussel, the President of
the General Council of
Seine-Saint-Denis, appeared
blindsided by the reports of
the shooting's possible move
to Châteauroux.
"You have to work with us
and not behind our backs,"
he told Agence France-
Presse.
Paris 2024 said that this
switch was due to "technical
and not political" reasons,
however, including "heat,
light and noise" conditions
on Suzanne Lenglen.
World No. 1 Daniil Medvedev
banned from Wimbledon
SPORTS DESK
Daniil Medvedev finished his tennis season
on grass after a straight-set loss to Roberto
Bautista Agut in the quarterfinals of the
Mallorca Championships on Thursday,
reports UNB.
The Russian international lost 6-3, 6-2
after entering the match with an 8-2 record
on the surface this year, with his losses
coming in consecutive finals in Germany and
the Netherlands.
Medvedev, the defending champion in
Mallorca, had only one break opportunity
against the 20th-ranked Bautista Agut, who
had advanced without having to play in the
last 16 because Nick Kyrgios withdrew with
an abdominal injury. It was the fourth win
against a No. 1 player for the Spaniard, with
his three previous victories coming against
Novak Djokovic.
"I had to play very good to beat Daniil,"
Bautista Agut said. "He's the No. 1, the last
champion here in Mallorca. He just beat me
a few days ago. I played a really complete
match."
Medvedev, who will not play at
Wimbledon because of the ban on Russians
Russia's Daniil Medvedev plays a shot..
over the war in Ukraine, needed to come
from behind to get past Aslan Karatsev in the
round of 16 on Wednesday. The Russian had
also beaten Bautista Agut in two sets in the
quarterfinals in Germany last week.
Bautista Agut will play in the semifinals
against Antoine Bellier, a 303rd-ranked
Swiss qualifier who got past
TallonGriekspoor of the Netherlands 5-7, 7-6
(5), 6-2. Bellier became the lowest-ranked
semifinalist since then-No. 335 Juan Manuel
Cerundolo triumphed in Cordoba in 2021.
Second-seeded StefanosTsitsipas had
cruised into the quarterfinals but needed
three sets against American Marcos Giron to
make it to the last four on Thursday. His 7-6
(5), 4-6, 6-3 victory came in more than 2½
hours.
"It was a lot of work today. It was not easy,"
Tsitsipas said. "I had to deal with the heat,
had to deal with my opponent playing great.
It was a big physical effort. I had the fighting
spirit."
The sixth-ranked Greek, who leads the
tour with 38 wins this season, will next face
Frenchman Benjamin Bonzi, who defeated
Germany's Daniel Altmaier 6-3, 6-4.
Photo: File
Russia says 'happy to help' India
bid for 2036 Olympics
SPORTS DESK
WHILE IT continues to be ostracised from
world sport following the invasion of
Ukraine, Russia has offered to help India in
hosting the 2036 Olympics if the bid receives
backing from the International Olympic
Committee (IOC), reports UNB.
Russia's Sports Minister Oleg Matytsin
said his country's "specialists will be happy to
help in organising the Olympic Games in
India".
Although no concrete official move has
been made, India has repeatedly expressed
interest to host the 2036 Games with
Ahmedabad as the central city.
Last year, Indian Olympic Association
(IOA) president NarinderBatra proposed a
unique multi-city bid that will be
centredaround Ahmedabad as the key
destination. Two months ago, Gujarat's
Advocate General Kamal Trivedi told the
Gujarat High Court that "we are preparing
for the Olympics of 2036" and that the
"Olympic Committee will visit in 2025".
On Wednesday, during his visit to India,
Matytsin told RIA Sport that Russia was
"very happy" that India is hoping to host the
Games.
"If such a dream as hosting the Olympic
Games comes true, then this will be another
criterion for the stable development of the
country. We are always open to interaction
and ready to share our experience of hosting
the Olympic Games, and we have done this
many times, so if a decision is made, then
Russian specialists will be happy to help in
organising the Olympic Games in India,"
Matytsin was quoted as saying.
Russian state media also reported
that Matytsin put forward the proposal
of a friendly football match between
Russia, ranked 35 in the world, and
104-ranked India if the latter
expressed interest.
The Minister is leading a Russian
delegation to the International Convention
Against Doping in Sport in New Delhi and
held a meeting with Sports Minister Anurag
Thakur on Wednesday. Russian
Ambassador Denis Alipov was also present
at the meeting.
Sports Ministry sources said the ministers
explored areas of cooperation in sports,
including the exchange of technical
knowledge between players and coaches.
Former Croatia president Kolinda Grabar-
Kitarovic heads the IOC commission that
will select the host city for the 2036 Games,
with a decision to be taken between 2025
and 2029.
Incidentally, Russia was one of the
countries that showed interest in hosting the
2036 Olympics. However, after its invasion
of Ukraine, the country has been shunned by
the world's sporting bodies.
Matytsin told RIA Sports that "as of May
25, international sports organisations
cancelled/ postponed 186 international
sporting events planned in Russia in 2022-
2023, including 36 major international
sporting events".
Orlando Magic select Paolo
Banchero as No 1 pick
SPORTS DESK
Orlando Magic took Paolo Banchero as their
first overall pick in the NBA Draft on
Thursday, reports BSS.
After leading the Blue Devils to the Final
Four in coach Mike Krzyzewski's final season,
the 6-foot-10 forward was called first by NBA
Commissioner Adam Silver to begin the
draft, beating out fellow first-year forwards
Chet Holmgren or Jabari Smith Jr.
Banchero, who averaged 17.2 points, 7.8
rebounds and 3.2 assists in 39 starts in his
one year at Duke, will look to turn around a
lackluster Magic after their 22-win and 60-
loss season. "I had a feeling from the
information I was being told is that it was just
kind of up in the air," Banchero said.
"Orlando wasn't really sure yet, and just to be
ready for whatever." "I didn't find out,
though, that I was actually getting picked
until about 20 seconds before the
commissioner got on the stage. I didn't even
have time to really think about it or anything.
It just kind of happened. I can't believe it, but
I'm ready. I'm ready." In the weeks leading up
to the draft, Smith had been widely expected
to be the top selection. But the Magic turned
things upside down by taking Banchero. The
order had been debated throughout the
process, with Smith often considered the
player who would go No. 1. Instead, he wasn't
even second, falling behind Holmgren to
Houston at No. 3.
"Definitely added a chip, but God makes no
mistakes, so I'm happy to be here," Smith
said. "I'm happy to be where I'm wanted. I'm
happy to get to Houston and just show them,
give them what they picked. Just happy to be
here." While Banchero was a surprise at No.
1, Holmgren was always expected to go to
Oklahoma City with the second pick.