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Religion and sport: Do prayers help players?

2011-05-28T19:33:00.002+07:00

Religion and sport: Do prayers help players?

At the Champions League final there is likely to be evidence of faith, with players making the sign of the cross and other religious gestures. But does belief really boost sporting performance, asks Matthew Syed.

All eyes will be on Lionel Messi, the world's greatest footballer, when he walks out with Barcelona in the Champions League final. If you watch carefully, you may see him crossing himself as he strides onto the pitch.

On the opposing side, Manchester United striker Javier Hernandez has been known to pray on the pitch.

Messi and Hernandez are not the only footballers to reveal their beliefs during the pursuit of their sport. Real Madrid star Kaka has often talked about his faith, praying on the pitch and thanking God for his rapid recovery from a broken back.

Other sportsmen, from Muhammad Ali to Jonathan Edwards, the triple jumper, have also spoken about the power of faith. They believe in different theologies, but all would assert they have benefited from their convictions. As Ali put it in the build-up to his clash with George Foreman in 1974: "How can I lose with Allah on my side?"

Atheists will regard the idea that religion can make a difference to outcomes in sport as fanciful. But it is possible to put aside the issue of whether or not God exists and just examine the impact of faith on performance.

This is what Jeong-Keun Park of Seoul University did in 2000 by studying the performances of Korean athletes. He found that prayer was not only a key factor in coping with anxiety but also in attaining peak performance.

A quote from a participant in Park's study encapsulates the findings: "I always prepared my game with prayer. I committed all things to God, without worry. These prayers make me calmer and more secure and I forget the fear of losing. It resulted in good play."

This echoes extraordinary research about the power of faith from the world of medicine. In the 1960s, a series of studies found that heart disease is far less common among the religious than in the general population, even after controlling for different lifestyles. Later studies extended this finding, including a paper in 1996 which found that mortality rates in secular kibbutzim are nearly twice that of their religious counterparts.

It seemed that religious beliefs conferred real health benefits.

How is this possible? You can look for answers in one of the most perplexing of all psychological mysteries - the placebo effect, a phenomenon that has transfixed doctors since Theodor Kocker, a Swiss surgeon, performed 1,600 operations without anaesthesia in Berne in the 1890s.

Kocker's patients were told that anaesthesia had been administered and were able to endure surgery without even clenching their teeth, despite the fact that they had nothing beyond saltwater running through their veins.

In recent years, the placebo effect has been found to extend way beyond pain relief. It can cure ulcers, combat nausea and much else besides. It can also boost concentration, so long as the pill is dispensed in the right colour. Pink placebos, it turns out, have better concentration-boosting qualities than blue ones.

All of which hints at how the placebo effect works. Its power has nothing to do with the pharmacology of the drug (which is, by definition, non-existent); rather, its effect derives from the power of belief in the drug.

But this belief is not created out of nowhere, it is manufactured within a context. Anything that imbues the treatment with greater authenticity will strengthen belief. Colour, for example, is strongly connected in certain cultures with certain types of effect: red is buzzy, white is soothing. Drug companies play on these meanings. Stimulant medication tends to come in red or orange, antidepressants in white, and so on.

The placebo effect provides one possible explanation as to why those with religious beliefs have better health outcomes. Instead of a belief in the efficacy of sugar pills, patients have a belief in the healing power of God. And it is not just Christians who have better outcomes, but also those who hold different beliefs, such as Muslims. It would seem that it is not the content, but the strength of belief that matters.

As Anne Harrington, Professor of Medical History at Harvard University, puts it: "There is an innate capacity for our bodies to bring into being, to the best of their ability, the optimistic scenarios in which we fervently believe".

The results from the study of South Korean athletes have been replicated again and again, and across religious boundaries. The belief that a higher power is guiding one's performance seems to boost performance and remove doubt, something which can help sports people just as much as it helps patients.

Even away from faith, there are examples where belief can appear to change outcomes in sport. England midfielder Paul Ince used to leave it until the last moment to put his shirt on. Goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer has worn the same shin pads since he was 16. Nani, the Manchester United winger, plays with his socks the wrong way round.

Of course, these superstitions have little relevance to performance - unless you really believe they do. As Edwards, who lost his faith after retirement, put it: "Any belief can have powerful effects, so long as it is held with sufficient conviction".

All of which suggests that religious conviction really can boost performance, but only if you truly believe.

Matthew Syed is the author of Bounce: The Myth of Talent and the Power of Practice

Sports minister ready to meet Blatter over PSSI problem

2011-05-25T07:59:00.002+07:00

Sports minister ready to meet Blatter over PSSI problem

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Youth and Sports Minister Andi Malaranggeng on Tuesday said he is ready to meet with FIFA President Sepp Blatter in Zurich, Switzerland, in an effort to solve the conflict inside the Indonesia`s Football Association (PSSI).

The minister said so in response to the chaotic situation that happened at the National Football Association (PSSI) congress last Friday (May 20). The congress was held to elect a new PSSI chief but it ended in deadlock.

"If necessary, I am ready to accompany the Normalization Committee`s Chief Agum Gumelar to meet with Blatter in Zurich," said the minister adding that he kept hoping that FIFA would not impose a sanction on Indonesia for taking too long to solve PSSI`s internal problem.

Apart from communicating with the Indonesian Sports Council (KONI) and FIFA to find the best solution to the problem, Andi said he had reported the deadlock situation at PSSI`s congress to President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.

"The president has given me a full mandate to help solve the problem " he said.

The chief of PSSI`s Normalization Committee, Agum Gumelar. along with the PSSI acting secretary Joko Driyono, is scheduled to leave for Zurich next May 27.

Agum and Joko are about to meet FIFA`s Executive Committee members to report about the recent situation in Indonesia. The two figures are also scheduled to attend a congress to elect new president of FIFA. The congress will also determine whether FIFA will impose sanction to Indonesia or not.

(T.B016/A051/HAJM/A014) Editor: Priyambodo RH

RI to ask for FIFA`s benevolence

2011-05-25T07:56:00.002+07:00

Indonesia to ask for FIFA`s benevolence

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Indonesia will ask world soccer organization FIFA not to impose a sanction on the Indonesian Soccer Association (PSSI) for its failure to hold a congress that resulted in the election of new leadership, the congress`s chief organizer said.

"Mr Joko (Driyono), I and possibly representatives from the ministry of youth and sports affairs and the Indonesian National Sports Committee (KONI) will leave for Zurich, Switzerland on Friday ask FIFA not to pass a sanction on PSSI," Agum Gumelar, chairman of the Normalization Committee, said in the PSSI website here on Tuesday.

Agum and Joko Driyono will present a complete report to FIFA on the holding of the PSSI congress and lobby the world soccer organization so that it would not impose a sanction on Indonesia over the failure of the Normalization Committee to organize the congress.

"In the report, we will also include the hope of the Indonesian people. We hope FIFA would not issue a sanction against us, though the possibility of our request to be granted is small," Agum said.

He said that if the PSSI was punished it would a heavy blow to Indonesian soccer players who had trained made preparations to face the SEA Games. "So was the case of Persipura and Sriwijaya FC which had been qualified for the round of big 16 of the AFC Cup," he said.(*)
(A014/HAJM/a014)
Editor: Ruslan Burhani

Indonesia optimistic to beat Russia in Sudirman Cup

2011-05-23T09:21:00.003+07:00

Indonesia optimistic to beat Russia in Sudirman Cup

Qindao, China (ANTARA News) - The Indonesian team is optimistic it could beat Russia in the first round of Group B in the Sudirman Cup Badminton Championship here on Sunday.

Its manager Hadi Nazri said when seeing his players conducting an exercise here on Saturday he felt optimistic the team could beat Russia in the opening round.

However he declined to promise that Simon Santoso and his fellows could win a landslide over Russia. "The Russian players are also good and we dare not targeting a landslide victory because they have strong female players," he said.

"We would take points from the men`s group because I saw they have good players in the women`s team," he said.

Hadi said group matches are different from individual matches. "I think we can take points from the men`s events including mix doubles," he said.

He said the match against Russia on Sunday would begin with mixed doubles followed by men`s single, men`s doubles, women`s singles and women`s doubles.

Indonesia in the mixed doubles plans to field Frans Kurniawan Teng/Pia Zebadiah, who would meet Durkin Vitalij/Nina Vasilova and Bona Septano/Muhammad Ahsan to meet Durkin Vitalij/Nikolav Alexander.

In the women`s singles event it will field Ardiyanto Firdasari who would meet with Bibik Tadjana while in the women`s doubles Meliana Jauhari/Gresya Polii to meet Serena Valeria/Nina Vasilova.

Unlike before where men`s single event is always played first this time it will be started with mixed doubles because there is a player that has to play twice and women`s doubles event as the closing game.

Russian Nina Vasilova also has to play in the mixed doubles besides playing in a women`s single event.

The director of national training center, Christian Hadinata, meanwhile said although theoretically Indonesia would win the team still needs to be careful.

"I am not too familiar with Russian players but I remember one good player namely Anastasia Rassukh who used to play in pair with Hendra Aprida Gunawan.

"We must remain careful in the first match. We theoretically will win but we must be careful," the former top men`s double player said.(*)

(H-YH/HAJM/H-YH)

Editor: Ruslan Burhani

At 46, Hopkins becomes oldest boxing champion

2011-05-22T19:16:00.002+07:00

At 46, Hopkins becomes oldest boxing champion

(AP) MONTREAL — Bernard Hopkins became the oldest fighter to win a major world championship, taking the WBC light heavyweight title Saturday night from Jean Pascal at the age of 46.

Hopkins (52-5-2) broke the age record set by George Foreman in a heavyweight title victory over Michael Moorer in 1994. Hopkins won at 46 years, 4 months, 6 days. Foreman was 45 years, 10 months.

"I won't retire until I'm 50," Hopkins said.

He won the WBC, IBO and The Ring magazine titles from the 28-year-old Pascal (26-2-1), the Montreal fighter who was making his fifth defense before 17,560 at the Bell Centre.

The bout was a rematch of their Dec. 18 draw in Quebec City.

"He's a great champion. He has great defense and a lot of tricks. I was a young champion," Pascal said of Hopkins in the ring afterward. "These two fights will help take me to the next level. I learned a lot from Bernard and his style."

The Philadelphia native played up his uncanny fitness in the pre-fight banter and looked the fresher man throughout the bout, taunting Pascal by doing push-ups as he waited for him to start the seventh round and doing them again after the fight.

Hopkins landed more punches and was able to slip many of Pascal's power shots, answering with clever jabs and scoring more than once on right-hand leads.

Hopkins didn't, as planned, wear a Philadelphia Flyers jersey into the ring, but one of his corner men did.

In the co-feature, Chad Dawson showed masterful defense and crisp punching in scoring a 12-round unanimous decision over Montreal's Adrian Diaconu in a light heavyweight elimination bout.

Hopkins will next fight Dawson (30-1).

More than Manchester

2011-05-20T17:40:00.002+07:00

More than Manchester

On Saturday, May 14, as the final whistle ended a 1-1 draw in the English Premier League between Blackburn Rovers and Manchester United, a man looking perhaps a shade younger than his 69 years began dancing around and hugging everyone in sight.

If Sir Alex Ferguson, United's manager, looked like a bit of a dork — as he usually does when celebrating — nobody cared. United had just won its 19th English League title, beating the record of its archrival Liverpool, the team that Ferguson had long ago promised to "knock off their perch."

Of those 19 championships, 12, together with five FA Cup victories, have been won since Ferguson arrived in 1986. On May 28 he will go for another title, when United meets Barcelona in the final of the European Champions League in London. If his team wins, Ferguson will have his third European championship and United its fourth. Only Real Madrid, AC Milan and Liverpool have won more.

But the bare bones of United's record — and Ferguson's — tell barely half the story. Analyses of sports clubs' commercial operations vary, depending on who's doing them, but in 2010, Forbes magazine ranked United the most valuable franchise in world sports, with an estimated worth of $1.8 billion — more than that of the New York Yankees or Dallas Cowboys — and that was before it signed a record $130 million shirt-sponsorship deal with insurance company Aon. United's international fan base, measured in the tens of millions (with much of it in Asia), is greater than that of any other team in any other sport. Sponsors include Nike, a Turkish airline, a Thai beer, the capital of South Korea, a Chilean winemaker and a bevy of telecommunications companies spanning the globe. But the global reach of the brand has not come at the expense of local loyalty. United's stadium at Old Trafford averages attendance of some 75,000 a game, in a season 10 months long.

It's an astonishing record, but it's also a bit of a mystery. Manchester is an O.K. sort of a place, the cradle of the Industrial Revolution, with a famous club scene and a concert hall uniquely named after an economic theory, but it's not a capital city or a megalopolis. So how did this town in the northwest of England manage to produce one of the age's true global brands? And — even more mysterious — how has a single man, over 24 years, been able to sustain such excellence in his teams at a time when the social, economic, technological and competitive environment of his sport has been transformed, turning it into perhaps the only spectacle that the world truly holds in common?

The story starts with a tragedy.

Making the Legend Live

On the evening of Feb. 6, 1958, a chartered plane carrying United's young team — England's champions, known as the Busby Babes, after their manager, Matt Busby — stopped off in Munich on its way back from Belgrade, where United had drawn with Red Star, securing a place in the semifinals of the European Cup (the precursor to the Champions League). Conditions were dire, with slush on the runway and snow in the air, but after two failed attempts to take off, the pilots tried again. The plane never made it, clipping a house at the end of the runway and crashing. Seven of United's players were among those who died in the crash. An eighth, Duncan Edwards, just 21, who men of a certain age will tell you with iron conviction was the greatest footballer England ever produced, died two weeks later. Busby was terribly injured and was administered last rites but survived.

The horror shocked Britain. Even those who didn't follow football or weren't from Manchester had loved the Babes, who had brought a sense of glamour to a nation that was still struggling to lift itself from the drabness of the postwar years. I was just 6 at the time, and the Munich disaster was the first time I realized that really bad things could happen. We lived in the suburbs of Liverpool — both my parents had been born in the streets next to Liverpool's stadium — so United wasn't our team. But our next-door neighbors, a retired railroad worker and his wife, were big United fans, and I can remember, when I got home from school the day the news broke, feeling a child's surprise at seeing adults so visibly distressed. A few weeks later, we all crowded into the only house on our street with a TV to watch United's second string try to win the FA Cup, only to cruelly lose to Bolton Wanderers.

Yet out of the ashes, Busby rebuilt the club. By the mid-1960s, he had formed a thrilling new team around three players known in United legend as "the Holy Trinity": George Best, Denis Law and Bobby Charlton, who was just 20 when he was hauled from the wreckage of Munich.

Even I, a die-hard Liverpool fan (which is why this article is written through gritted teeth) loved seeing them play. In 1968, 10 years after Munich, they positively murdered Portuguese champions Benfica to become the first English side to win the European Cup. As the game ended, Busby marched across the field to embrace Charlton, two survivors united in a moment of shared joy and grief.

RI to host world bridge tournament

2011-05-20T06:44:00.007+07:00

RI to host world bridge tournament

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - The World Bridge Federation (WBF) has appointed Indonesia to host a world bridge tournament in 2013, a spokesman said.

"This is a good chance for us after we failed to host it for the first time ever in 2001 because of the terror attacks on the WTC in September 2001," executive chairman of the event Yudianto Hasan said here on Thursday.

He said the tournament would be participated in by champion countries from eight zones, namely Europe, North America, South America, Asia and the Middle East, Central America and Caribbean, Asia and the Pacific, South Pacific and Africa.

"Indonesia is the champion of the Asia and the Pacific zones so we deserve to take part in the tournament," he said.

"Those entitled to participate in the tournament are 1st to 3rd champions from each zone. In total, 22 countries will take part in it," he said.

The 22 countries would compete in the tournament for three cups, namely Bermuda Bowl and Venice Cup for open teams and Nissan Rand Cup for a senior team.

The tournament would be held in the resort island of Bali but no exact date had been set, he said. (*)
Editor: B Kunto Wibisono

Wayne Rooney Twitter battle has people shaking their heads in approval and disapproval

2011-05-20T05:18:00.002+07:00

Wayne Rooney Twitter battle has people shaking their heads in approval and disapproval

(CBS/ What's Trending) - Wayne Rooney is in more hot water this morning after letting loose online. Rooney, fresh after winning the Premier League last weekend with Manchester United, threatened a Liverpool fan yesterday via Twitter after banter between the two got out of control.

Rooney, who has not been a member of the site for long but has already amassed over 570,000 followers, took offense when Liverpool fan @sam_oldham_LFC (whose account has now been deleted) called the England striker a "fat w----" and also tweeted "smash ya head in with a pitchin wedge." Rooney took this to heart and responded with a tirade of his own. (Well, at first, showing that he still needs to get a hang of Twitter, he tweeted angry comments at himself. He eventually figured out how to direct it at the appropriate parties.)

RI climbers reach Mt McKinley peak

2011-05-19T00:30:00.003+07:00

RI climbers reach Mt McKinley peak

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - A team of Indonesian climbers on Sunday conquered the 6,194 meter-high Mount Denali/McKinley in Alaska, USA - the fifth of seven of the world`s highest mountains they had planned to scale.

The climbers set their foot on the highest mountain peak in North America and the US at 09.15 p.m. local time on Sunday or 12.15 western Indonesian time on Monday and promptly put up the red-and-white national flag there, the Secretariat of Seven Summits in Jakarta said on Tuesday.

Only four of the five core climbers managed to reach the peak. They were Fajri Al Lutfi, Iwan Irawan, Martin Rimbawan and Nurhuda, it said.

The other core climber, Ardhesir Yaftebbi, along with a guide returned to vase camp to accompany Metro TV journalist Popo Nurakhman who had difficulties when the team reached an altitude of 5,900 meters above sea level, it said.

The secretariat said the climbers started climbing the mountain on Tuesday (May 2). Because of bad weather they were confined to Camp 3 at a height of 4,328 meters above sea level until Thursday (May 12).

As the weather was improving they continued climbing the mountain and set up High Camp at a height of 5,242 meters above sea level. On Sunday (May 15) they reached the Denali peak following 15 days of climbing.

The weather was cloudy with the wind reaching 10 mph when the climbers reached the Denali peak. Yet they could not stay there any longer because they had to make their descent , the secretariat said.

All the climbers arrived back at High Camp at 04.15 a.m. local time on Sunday. They were expected to arrive at Talkeetna on Thursday (May 19), it said.

By conquering the Denali/McKinley peak, the climbers still have two of the world`s seven highest mountains to climb. They are the 4,897-meter-high Mount Vinson Massif in Antartica and 8,850-meter high Mount Everest in Nepal. The team will conclude their two-and-a-half year expedition in May 2012.(*)
(S012//HAJM/s012)

Editor: Ruslan Burhani

Cleveland Cavaliers win the NBA draft lottery, get the first and fourth selections next month

2011-05-18T08:08:00.002+07:00

Cleveland Cavaliers win the NBA draft lottery, get the first and fourth selections next month

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The Cleveland Cavaliers finished with the first and fourth choices in the first round of next month's NBA draft following Tuesday's draft lottery held in Secaucas, N.J.

The Cavaliers benefited from their deal with the Los Angeles Clippers that sent Mo Williams to the Clippers and Baron Davis and a first-round pick to the Cavaliers, as that was the pick that was rewarded by the ping-pong balls and moved into the top three selections. The Cavaliers' own selection, which held the second-best chance (19.8 percent) for the No. 1 pick, was bumped to the fourth spot when Utah also moved into the top three.

Minnesota (25 percent), the Jazz and the Cavaliers had to wait for the final reveal.
Here is the draft order for the first 14 selections:
1. Cleveland
2. Minnesota.
3. Utah.
4. Cleveland.
5. Toronto.
6. Washington.
7. Sacramento.
8. Detroit.
9. Charlotte.
10. Milwaukee.
11. Golden State.
12. Utah.
13. Phoenix.
14. Houston.

The Cavaliers were represented on the stage during the broadcast by Nick Gilbert, the 14-year-old son of team owner Dan Gilbert.

Both the Cavaliers and the Utah Jazz have two selections among the top 14, thanks to mid-season trades.

France wins bid to host 2018 Ryder Cup

2011-05-17T22:54:00.002+07:00

France wins bid to host 2018 Ryder Cup

Five nations -- France, Germany, Holland, Portugal and Spain -- participated in an exhaustive and comprehensive bid process, the first of its kind, to host the 2018 Ryder Cup. France came out on top and the 42nd edition of the matches will take place at Le Golf National on the outskirts of Versailles near Paris.

By European Tour staff

France will host The Ryder Cup for the first time in 2018. The historic announcement, which will see golf's greatest team event return to the Continent of Europe for the first time in 21 years, was made by Ryder Cup Europe at Wentworth Club in Surrey, England.

Le Golf National on the outskirts of Versailles near Paris, the well-established home of the Alstom Open de France, will become only the second Continental venue - following Club de Golf, Valderrama, in Spain in 1997 - when the 42nd edition of The Ryder Cup between Europe and the United States is contested in the autumn of 2018.

Five nations - France, Germany, Holland, Portugal and Spain - had participated in an exhaustive and comprehensive Bid Process - the first conducted by Ryder Cup Europe - to identify the country best qualified to follow Medinah Country Club, Illinois, USA, next year; Gleneagles, Scotland, in 2014 and Hazeltine, Minnesota, USA, in 2016 as host of the biennial contest.

George O'Grady, Chief Executive of The European Tour - the Managing Partner of Ryder Cup Europe - made the official announcement at the iconic Wentworth Club, a venue which in 1926 had staged an international match recognised as the forerunner to The Ryder Cup itself one year later.

Also in attendance were delegates from the five Bid Nations, the PGA of Great Britain and Ireland, the PGAs of Europe, high ranking officials from the world of golf and the media, as France received the seal of approval to host The 2018 Ryder Cup.

Richard Hills, Europe's Ryder Cup Director, had led a four-strong Bid Committee, comprising 2018 Bid Director David MacLaren, Ryder Cup Match Director Edward Kitson and Financial Director Jonathan Orr, to examine and evaluate each Bid, including a series of thorough site inspections to the five countries who had confirmed their desire to stage The Ryder Cup in seven years' time. A sixth, Sweden, had dropped out of the race in the spring of 2010.

The objective of the bid process was to enable Ryder Cup Europe to arrive at the correct sporting and commercial decision in terms of the host for 2018. To this end, the Bid Committee evaluated the five candidates on five specific criteria, namely: (i) a commitment to the development of a world-class golf facility (new or existing); (ii) provision of ancillary facilities, suitable access and infrastructure commensurate with the staging of an international sporting event; (iii) demonstrable government , private sector and golfing community support; (iv) commercial opportunities available to The Ryder Cup, and (v) contribution of the bid country to the development of golf - for example: historical contribution to the professional game, golf tourism, development of levels of golf participation, professional tournament golf at all levels, player participation within past Ryder Cups, and legacy.

The Bid Committee was assisted significantly in their evaluation procedure by three prominent external advisers in Michael Payne, Jaime Byrom and Nick Bitel, who brought considerable experience from their specialist sporting backgrounds, namely the Olympic Movement, FIFA and the London Marathon respectively.

Earlier this year, all five nations signed Conditional Host Agreements and the fully binding legal contract with France was triggered immediately on the announcement that they have become the successful candidate for the 2018 match.

Hills commented: "We would like to congratulate France on becoming the host for The 2018 Ryder Cup, but more importantly, we would like to express our deepest gratitude to all the representatives of France, Germany, Holland, Portugal and Spain, who responded so diligently to Ryder Cup Europe's bidding criteria and conducted themselves in a thoroughly professional manner throughout the most detailed evaluation process as we have ever embarked upon.

"At the outset, we gave the process the codename 'Operational Level Playing Field' and identified three key individuals in Michael Payne, Jaime Byrom and Nick Bitel, each of whom is highly respected in the business and sporting worlds. They brought their own unique brand of expertise to the table and we thank them for helping the Bid Committee identify the correct nation to host this prestigious match."

Hills added: "We have one worthy gold medallist in France, who gave us the confidence to believe that they will stage a truly memorable Ryder Cup in seven years' time. However, there are four impressive silver medallists involved in this extremely detailed process in Germany, Holland, Portugal and Spain, any of whom were also well positioned to host the 2018 event.

"France, as the successful nation, will now be entering into a multi-faceted relationship with Ryder Cup Europe, lasting a minimum of 12 years and benefiting many aspects of golf at all levels. All of us at Ryder Cup Europe look forward to working closely with the French Ryder Cup 2018 team in the coming years."France has hosted 118 European Tour, 60 European Challenge Tour and 12 European Senior Tour events. Ten French golfers have won 24 tournaments on The European Tour and 36 players have gained 51 wins on the European Challenge Tour while Thomas Levet and Jean Van de Velde have represented Europe in The Ryder Cup in 2004 and 1999 respectively.

Le Golf National, an impressive 'stadium' course which has received high praise over the past 20 years, will next month stage the 2011 Alstom Open de France for the tenth successive year and the 19th time in total since its inception 1991.

The Diet That Shook Up Tennis?

2011-05-17T20:12:00.003+07:00

The Diet That Shook Up Tennis, How did Novak Djokovic conquer the tennis world?

Maybe the answer is as simple as this: Since last year, he's swearing off pasta, pizza, beer, French bread, Corn Flakes, pretzels, empanadas, Mallomars and Twizzlers—anything with gluten.

It's no secret that Djokovic has had a breakout season, or that he has been, by any reasonable standard, the world's best athlete of 2011. On Sunday, he beat Rafael Nadal in the Rome Masters, his fourth-straight win over the Spaniard. It was his second win over Nadal on clay in two weeks, and again, amazingly, he did it without losing a set. The match ran Djokovic's 2011 record to 37-0 with seven titles.

As the French Open begins Sunday, Djokovic's amazing streak—the longest to start a season since 1984—is threatening to push Roger Federer (the winner of a record 16 Grand Slam titles) and Nadal (the French Open's five-time champion) off the front pages. But the transformation from odd man out to invincible overlord also is leaving gobsmacked tennis fans searching for answers. Clearly something has clicked for the Serb. But what?

Djokovic's serve, sloppy as recently as last season, is now precise, fluid and, at times, devastating. His forehand used to break down in tense moments; now he hits winners that seem to subscribe to undiscovered laws of physics. His backhand, always solid, is now impenetrable, even with Nadal's famously high-bouncing forehand. And then there's the gluten.

Last year, Djokovic's nutritionist discovered that Djokovic is allergic to the protein, which is found in common flours. Djokovic banished it from his diet and lost a few pounds. He says he now feels much better on court.

A gluten-free diet can have implications far beyond the physical, especially in tennis, which taxes the mind like few other sports. The season is 11 months long, matches are grueling and can last for hours, and the slightest dip in a player's confidence can derail months of hard work. There's never anyone else to blame for a match gone awry.

"It's mostly mental energy you're talking about, not energy supplied to muscle tissues," said David Levitsky, a professor of nutrition and psychology at Cornell University, when asked about the effects of giving up gluten if one has an allergy. (An allergy differs from celiac disease, whose sufferers, Levitsky said, can incur far-reaching health effects from eating gluten, including the inability to absorb nutrients.)

Levitsky said a gluten-free diet might have benefits for those with mild allergies, or even no allergy at all. "The other part of the story is, if you believe in a cause of your disorder, it becomes the cause," he said. "We see this in many different studies. If you believe it, you change your behavior in the direction of being cured."

In tennis, something small often leads to a big boost in confidence. For Djokovic, there has been no shortage of pick-me-ups in the past nine months.

It's not every day that Federer loses a match point in a U.S. Open semifinal. Last year against Djokovic, he lost two. By the luck of the Davis Cup draw, Serbia played two home matches at the end of last year and eventually won its first Davis Cup title, with Djokovic leading the way. As his confidence surged and his fitness improved, Djokovic arrived in Melbourne with his best outlook on a season since 2008, when he won his first Grand Slam title, also in Australia.

But no one would have predicted what has transpired since January. Djokovic's season has gone from good to great to outrageously, impossibly, unrealistically phenomenal. In an age when even small sports achievements can get enormous hype, there's really no superlative to describe what the soon-to-be 24-year-old has done this year.

"He has massively improved his serve, his fitness, and he's hitting his forehand a lot better," said Brad Gilbert, the ESPN commentator and former coach of Andy Murray and Andre Agassi. "I've never seen anybody move better on a tennis court in my life. He's so flexible, he can make impossible gets with ease."

Of Djokovic's 37 wins, 13 are against Top 10 players, including four against Nadal and three against Federer, who in all his years of dominance never started a season in so grand a fashion. If Djokovic reaches the French Open final, he could have 43 consecutive victories—one more than John McEnroe's record 42 to start 1984 (that streak ended in the French Open final, after McEnroe won the first two sets against Ivan Lendl).

Djokovic's 2011 on-court stats border on the absurd: He has won 89% of his service games, 43% of his return games and half of his break points. In his four matches against Nadal, he has repeatedly gotten the better of the Spaniard in rallies lasting longer than eight shots. No one has done that to Nadal in his professional career.

After Nadal lost to Djokovic in Indian Wells in March, Nadal spoke about the importance of confidence and how quickly it can fade. "We will see when [Djokovic] loses the first time," he said. "I don't know if [it's] gonna happen in Miami or happen in Monte Carlo or not gonna happen." At the time, the remark inspired laughter—surely Djokovic, like everyone else, would lose again. All you need to know about tennis in 2011 is that it now seems plausible that he won't.

Sports minister hopes PSSI congress runs as scheduled

2011-05-17T09:39:00.003+07:00

Sports minister hopes PSSI congress runs as scheduled

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Youth and Sports Minister Andi Mallarangeng hoped that the Indonesian Football Association (PSSI) congress to elect its general chairman for the 2011-2015 period will run as scheduled on May 20, 2011.

"The congress must be conducted as scheduled and in line with the stages that have been set by FIFA. The government did not recognize all forms of settlement of disputes outside the framework as the rival congress," he said here on Sunday.

The congress stages that have been set by FIFA cover the setting up of election committee which is directly handled by the normalization committee, the election appeal committee and implementation of the congress.

Previously, the minister said the "Normalization Committee has been assigned to hold the congress stages. So that all parties should accept the decision of the committee. "It is clear that we will not support a rival congress," he said.

In addition, Andi Mallarangeng said that the congress must be carried out in accordance with the statutes of FIFA, its Standard Electoral Code, and the Statutes of PSSI so that all the dynamics proceed in the right corridor.

According to him, the differences of views and establishment of the prospective general chairman, vice chairman, and members of the EXCO are dynamics. The government assumes that it is a democratic process that needs to be respected by all the relevant parties.

"The government hopes that all differences can be settled at the soccer top forum namely the PSSI congress," the former presidential spokesman said.

Data obtained from the normalization committee showed that 19 names are candidates for the general chairmanship, 16 names are to be elected for deputy general chairmanship.
(T.B016/B003/H-NG/S012)

Editor: Priyambodo RH

Phil Neal, Liverpool legend to vsit Indonesia

2011-05-17T09:35:00.004+07:00

Phil Neal, Liverpool legend to vsit Indonesia

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Phil Neal, Liverpool legend and the club`s most decorated player, is expected to lead BritCham`s "Giving Kids A Sporting Chance" Community Finals Day at the GOR Soemantri Soccer Stadium, Kuningan, here, on Saturday (May 14).

"Phil Neal, together with members of the Liverpool FC International Academy will lead BritCham`s `Giving Kids A Sporting Chance` Community Finals Day at the GOR Soemantri Soccer Stadium," said a press statement of the British embassy in Jakarta, Saturday.

The event is the final of a football league run over six months and including 200 schools from poorer, rural areas of West Java.

All 3000 kids, aged 7-11, who have participated over the previous months will create a party atmosphere for the finals being played off between the four top schools.

At the same venue BritCham has teamed up with the British Embassy to provide children with the opportunity for LFC Academy?supervised coaching clinics. The children are drawn from the league, from local soccer schools including Muhammadiyah elementary school, which the Embassy has had successful projects in the past.

"Indonesia and the UK share a huge passion for football and sport is a great way of bringing people together. We are delighted that Phil Neal is visiting Jakarta to take part in BritCham`s `Giving Kids A Sporting Chance` Community Finals Day where he will also be giving a coaching clinics for students of various schools such as Muhammadiyah, who we work with on a range of interfaith and educational activities. They will get the chance to play together and receive top quality training. I know that the students are very excited about this event and hope they can also use the opportunity to build links with their peers from different schools across the city," British Charge D`Affaires Alison Blackburne said in the press statement.

The BritCham programme is in its fourth year after starting small and with only 100 kids involved. Now its reach has grown to a massive 3000 kids who have little opportunity for organized sporting activities.

"There can be no doubt as to the draw and influence of football in the lives of younger impressionable kids. We are delighted that the English Premier League has such prominence in Indonesia and that EPL club icons such as Liverpool have the vision and responsibility to support our `Giving Kids A Sporting Chance` programme," Chris Wren, Executive Director of BritCham said.

This third Liverpool FC International Academy Soccer Schools visit in 12 months coincides with the announcement to establish a permanent academy, nationwide soccer schools network and a branded Junior league in Indonesia- its first outside Europe. BritCham has played a major facilitation role and the signing will be commemorated at a separate Charity Gala event later on Saturday evening.
(Tx.F001)

Editor: Priyambodo RH

RI must win 60 pct of SEAG`S martial arts golds

2011-05-17T09:31:00.003+07:00

RI must win 60 pct of SEAG`S martial arts golds

Semarang, C Java (ANTARA News) - Indonesia should win 60 percent of the gold medals for the martial arts event in next November`s SEA Games if it wants to become the overall champion in this ports branch , a coach said.

Martial arts coach Rony Syaifullah when contacted here on Monday said the SEA Games to be held in South Sumatra and Jakarta in November would offer 18 gold medals in the martial arts sport branch.

"We have to win 60 percent of the golds if we want to become the overall champion in this event. That`s why we have to closely observe the potentials of our rivals," Rony said.

He said that there was optimism that Indonesia would be able to become the champion, as in the world martial arts championship in Jakarta in 2010, Indonesia was able to win the overall winner.

Indonesia was able to grab 10 golds of the 23 at stake in the Jakarta martial arts event in 2010, he said.

"In the SEA Games, a total of 18 martial art event will be competed," he said.(*)

Editor: Aditia Maruli

In Getting Stars to Backpedal, Yankees Make Point

2011-05-17T09:17:00.003+07:00

In Getting Stars to Backpedal, Yankees Make Point

The corny stuff is the bedrock of sports. We teach our children about fair play and sportsmanship. We tell them to try their best at all times. We honor hard work and hustle and respect for authority.

More than any other team, theYankees trumpet these ideals, eagerly promoting an idealized version of what they want to represent. Signs with stark messages — “accountability,” for one — line the walls of their clubhouse in spring training, as if the world’s best players need to be reminded to never give up.

The Yankees do not always meet their standards, of course; their history is littered with stars who had terrible off-field vices. But when a player commits an egregious and obvious offense, he does not always get away with it. AskJorge Posada.

•

It seems pretty clear that Posada badly wanted the Yankees to cover for him after he refused to bat ninth on Saturday’s nationally televised game against the Boston Red Sox. He was dismayed that General Manager Brian Cashmantalked about him on the broadcast.

“That’s the way he works now, I guess,” Posada said on Saturday. “Now” was the telling word.

Cashman has been more visible since the death of George Steinbrenner — scaling a skyscraper dressed as Santa’s elf, tending bar for charity while wearing a wig — and more transparent. And he is not afraid to hurt players’ feelings by saying what he really feels.

Fans should be thankful for that. Candor is a good thing, even in a tricky case like this, when the Yankees surely irked their captain, Derek Jeter, by making public their disapproval of his comments Sunday night.

Jeter supported Posada, which was no surprise considering their long friendship. Jeter said Posada was like a brother to him, a significant statement for Jeter, who has a sister and no other siblings. Yet by offering support, and saying that Posada did not need to apologize, Jeter was tacitly condoning his refusal to play.

“I ain’t lying to you,” Jeter said. “If I thought he did something wrong, I would tell him.”

Maybe, by now, Jeter has. The Yankees’ top executives — the general partner Hal Steinbrenner, the president Randy Levine and Cashman — summoned Jeter to a conference call on Monday. They did not offer details of the conversation, but they presumably told Jeter everything they knew about what Posada did.

Jeter did not reiterate his support for Posada when he spoke with reporters Monday at Tropicana Field. He stuck to a single talking point, insisting over and over that everybody was on the same page. At last, that appears to be true.

Posada has sincerely apologized, the Yankees chose not to discipline him, and he remains on the roster — unlike Raul Mondesi, who quit on the team during a game in 2003 and was traded immediately.

As for Jeter, he got another lesson in the Yankees’ expectations for him as captain. It is well known that the Yankees wished Jeter had supported Alex Rodriguez when fans booed him in 2006. This time, too much support — without all the facts — was the problem.

The easier path, certainly, would have been for the Yankees to alibi for Posada from the start and hope that nobody leaked what really happened, that Posada simply quit on the team for a day. But the truth would have probably come out anyway.

The Yankees could have publicly ignored Jeter’s all-is-well stance on Sunday. But to do so would have let his words hang there as the official record of the Yankee captain’s stance on quitting. And if the captain were to condone a player bailing on his teammates and fans ... well, then what?

Then nothing, probably. It is all symbolic. It is easy, in a way, to take the moral high ground against a player hitting .165. But the Yankees still did it, when they could have covered everything up.

•

They were not afraid of further angering Posada, because they knew he was wrong — and, ultimately, he knew it, too. And they were not afraid of taking on Jeter, who clearly gave up his bulletproof status when he signed his new contract last off-season.

It was all to prove a point: that a player cannot quit on his team and expect the team to pretend everything is fine. It was a teaching moment for everybody, from aspiring young players to veterans like Posada and Jeter. Someone, it turns out, actually reads those hokey signs in spring training.

A version of this article appeared in print on May 17, 2011, on page B12 of the New York edition with the headline: In Getting Stars to Backpedal, the Yankees Make a Point.

Bulls take Game 1 from Heat with 103-82 rout

2011-05-16T21:44:00.004+07:00

Bulls take Game 1 from Heat with 103-82 rout

CHICAGO (AP) -- The Chicago Bulls saw the stars aligning for the Heat last summer, the "Big Three" free agents uniting in Miami on a quest for a championship.

Joakim Noah wasn't conceding anything. Nor was Derrick Rose.

Chicago swept Miami in the regular season, and if the Bulls keep this up, they'll knock the Heat out of the playoffs, too.

Rose scored 28 points, Luol Deng ably contained LeBron James and the Bulls struck first in the Eastern Conference finals, pulling away to beat the Heat 103-82 in Game 1 on Sunday night.

"We felt like we could compete against anybody," said Noah. "This is just a really exciting situation right now. The position that we're in is unbelievable. ... Nobody believed that we could be in this position right now."

That belief, along with a major overhaul, led the Bulls to the league's best record and rekindled an attitude not seen in the Windy City since the Michael Jordan era - when championships were an annual event.

Missing out on the Big Three? Seeing James and Bosh join Wade in Miami?

"We're not worried about all the offseason stuff," Rose said. "We're not worried about it. We're just trying to go out there and play hard, play with an edge, play with a lot of intensity."

They certainly did on Sunday, particularly during the second half. The Bulls went on a 10-0 run midway through the third quarter, then pulled away in the fourth.

As the final minutes ticked away, fans chanted "Over-rated!" and "Beat the Heat!"

Game 2 is Wednesday night in Chicago.

Rose settled down after committing three of his four turnovers in the opening minutes and showed why he is the MVP. He hit three 3-pointers and the Bulls converted 10 of 21 in all.

Deng had 21 points. He hit four 3s, had four steals and seven rebounds, and simply put the clamps on The King, holding James to 15 points on 5-of-15 shooting.

"Definitely to guard a guy like that the whole defense has to stay focused," Deng said. "There were times we switched and times we forced him into the double. Our bigs were great at forcing him into the front."

Carlos Boozer added 14 points and nine rebounds. Noah had 14 rebounds to help the Bulls win the battle of the boards 45-33, including 19 on the offensive end for 31 second-chance points.

"You play defense. You play defense hard and the shot goes up and they get an offensive rebound, kick it out for a three or get a layup or a dunk," James said. "Those are demoralizing for a defensive team. We've got to figure out a way to clean that up."

Bosh led Miami with 30 points and nine rebounds. Wade scored 18 points, but the Heat simply were overmatched down the stretch.

"Dwyane and LeBron are going to create a lot of attention," Bosh said. "This is a good defensive team. ... They're going to make them distributors. We have to look at where we fell short as a team for Game 1 and come back with a better approach."

The Heat were leading 58-57 midway through the third when the Bulls made their move, reeling off 10 straight and seizing the momentum.

Rose and Bogans started it by nailing 3-pointers. A steal by Bogans against Wade led to two free throws by Rose after he got knocked to the floor going for a fast-break layup.

Then, after a timeout, Noah blocked a layup by Wade and scored seconds later on a layup off an inbound pass along the Bulls' baseline, making it 67-58.

The Heat's James Jones ended the run with a 3, but the Bulls simply weren't about to be stopped. When Deng hit a 3 with 1:15 left to make it 72-63, the crowd jumped to its feet and roared. It opened a 14-3 run that stretched into the fourth and put the game away.

Whether it was Taj Gibson feeding Omer Asik for a dunk early in the fourth or Deng racing in to put back his own missed jumper after a 3 by James, there was plenty for the Chicago fans to cheer during that stretch.

For at least some Chicago fans, beating Miami to get to the NBA finals would be sweet redemption after what happened during the summer.

With enough salary-cap room for a pair of stars, the Bulls went after James, Wade and Bosh, hoping to land some combination of the two. Everyone knows the end of that story. Even so, the Bulls wound up in great shape. The Heat did all right, too, particularly down the stretch.

They won 15 of 18 after dropping five in a row, including a loss to Chicago that left players in tears, and then took out Philadelphia and Boston in the first two rounds. Now, the Heat will have to collect themselves again.

"We took it on the chin tonight," coach Erik Spoelstra said.

Notes: Gibson had a highlight-reel dunk early in the second quarter when he threw down a vicious two-hander over Wade, leading to a three-point play. How impressive was it? Even Wade clapped about six times when he saw the replay. "That was a good one," Wade said. "I really got punked. It was good. It was a very athletic play. I knew I didn't have a chance. I was backpedaling when I saw him take off. He's very athletic." ... This is the sixth time these teams have met in the playoffs, with the Bulls sweeping the Heat in the first round in 1992, 1996 and 2007 and beating them in five games in the 1997 conference finals. Miami beat Chicago in six games in the first round in 2006.

Diego Maradona in talks to coach Dubai club Al Wasl

2011-05-16T11:57:00.002+07:00

Argentine soccer legend Diego Maradona is in talks with the Dubai-based club Al Wasl to become their new manager.

“El Diego” has not coached a team since he left his post in the Argentina national soccer team after last summer’s World Cup. He spent a weekend in Dubai amid speculations that he was close to signing a two-year deal.

“It’s more than 85 percent done,” Reuters quoted a source familiar with the matter as saying. “There will be a big announcement in the next two days. It will make all fans and football lovers in UAE happy.”

The source declined to reveal contract details.

During a tour of Al Wasl stadium Mr. Maradona received a joyful welcome, met players and was shown the medical center and training facilities.

Mr. Maradona, 50, captained Argentina to World Cup glory in 1986, while his last coaching role was also with his national side.

But his spell as Argentina coach ended last July after the country's football association voted unanimously not to renew his contract following the team’s 4-0 thrashing by Germany in the World Cup quarterfinals in South Africa.

If the Al Wasl deal is confirmed, Mr. Maradona will take over a side in fourth place in the domestic league, 16 points behind table toppers, Al Jazira, with five matches to go. The two teams play on Monday.

Signing Mr. Maradona would be the latest move by Dubai to flex its football muscles.

In April, Royal Emirates Group bought struggling Spanish La Liga club Getafe for up to 90 million euros ($127.1 million), while former Italy World Cup-winning captain Fabio Cannavaro plays for Dubai rivals Al Ahli.

(Mustapha Ajbaili, an editor of Al Arabiya English, can be reached at: Mustapha.ajbaili@mbc.net. Ramy Fahmy is a contributor to Al Arabiya English.)

Olympic Marathon Champion Samuel Wanjiru of Kenya dead at 24

2011-05-16T11:00:00.001+07:00

Kenyan olympic marathon champion Samuel Wanjiru, 24, dies after jumping from balcony of home - Police.

(picegroup) - Olympic Marathon champion Samuel Wanjiru of Kenya has died, apparently from a fall from a balcony at his home. The news was reported to Race Results Weekly in a telephone call by Shadrack Biwott, the former University of Oregon Duck who had spoken to his brother, marathoner Duncan Kibet, in Kenya.
“He jumped out of a balcony and they tried to revive him, but he didn’t make it,” said Biwott.
Federico Rosa, Wanjiru’s manager, confirmed his client’s death via a text message. No other details about his death are available at this time.
Wanjiru won the Olympic marathon title in Beijing in 2008 with an Olympic record performance of 2:06:32. His other marathon victories included Chicago in 2009 and 2010, Fukuoka in 2007, and London in 2009. Wanjiru was the World Marathon Majors points champion for the 2008/2009 and 2009/2010 seasons, and had a career best time of 2:05:10. He was also the former world record holder for the half-marathon with a 58:33 personal best.
After winning last October’s Bank of America Chicago Marathon in a thrilling sprint finish over Ethiopian Tesgaye Kebede, Wanjiru faced several difficulties.
Last December, he was arrested at his home in Nyahururu and charged with threatening his wife, striking a security guard, and possessing an illegal AK-47 rifle. Wanjiru was released on bail, and his wife later withdrew her charges against him, but he still faced the weapons charge, however.
In January, Wanjiru was also involved in a car accident on the Nairobi-Nyahururu road, rolling his four wheel drive vehicle several times trying to avoid an oncoming truck. He avoided serious injury in the incident, but later withdrew from April’s Virgin London Marathon with a knee problem.
American marathoner Ryan Hall reacted to the news of Wanjiru’s death on Twitter, posting, “Incredibly sad news about Sammy. I am shocked and saddened.”
Universal Sports contributed to this report
(c) 2011 Race Results Weekly, all rights reserved, used with permission
PETE’S NOTE::: RIP to a young talented man. It is unfortunate that the sudden fame and wealth brought along many problems for Sammy. Death from a home balcony doesn’t make sense to me though…..As a kid I always jumped off the 2nd floor balcony of the house and even sometimes the roof, and never even broke a limb……….unless he jumped head first…….which even suicidal people do not do…let’s wait to hear more
Source: Jakarta Forum

ASEAN aims to host 2030 World Cup

2011-05-16T08:38:00.003+07:00

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) will go ahead with its bid for 2030 World Cup, a report said.

"ASEAN foreign ministers are eager to encourage public-oriented initiatives, including ASEAN`s bid for World Cup in 2030," the Indonesian Foreign Ministry said in its official website on Sunday.

It said ASEAN`s wish to host 2030 World Cup once surfaced at a special informal meeting on East Asia Summit in Bangkok in April this year. Indonesian Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa was also present at the meeting.

The meeting was a follow up to the agreement reached at ASEAN Foreign Ministers Retreat in Indonesia`s Lombok island on January 15-17.

ASEAN groups Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

The World Cup is organized by the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA). Individually, all 10 ASEAN member states are listed as FIFA`s member associations. The Cup is staged once in every four years.(*)
(S012/H-NG/a014 )

Editor: Ruslan Burhani

Manchester United are BPL Champions

2011-05-16T01:03:00.003+07:00

Wayne Rooney kept his cool from the penalty spot to win Manchester United's 19th league title with a 1-1 draw at Blackburn.

United needed a point to regain the Premier League trophy from Chelsea, but were up against a Rovers side keen to rubber-stamp their top-flight future and only a disputed 73rd-minute spot-kick secured United the draw they required.

Both sides had chances to score early on before goalkeeper Tomasz Kuszczak's flapping led to Brett Emerton's volleyed opener for the hosts after 20 minutes. United were seriously up against it - Martin Olsson hit the woodwork with a header for Blackburn - and struggled to recover until the flashpoint with 20 minutes left.

When Javier Hernandez was put through on goal, Rovers keeper Paul Robinson rushed out and the Mexican managed to knock the ball out of harm's way before going down after contact.

After consulting his assistant, Phil Dowd awarded the penalty and Rooney powered home the kick with Robinson diving the wrong way.

Barclays launches 'the fan of India"

2011-05-16T00:54:00.002+07:00

Barclays launched its search for the fan of India as it seeks to find the most passionate supporter of the BPL in India.

From Kerala to Kolkata, Mumbai to Mohali and Goa to Guwahati, India has some of the most fervent fans of Barclays Premier League football in the world.

The Barclays Premier League is the most popular domestic football tournament anywhere in the world, with over 4.77 billion people watching it in over 200 countries.

It also has many of the top players including world player of the year Cristiano Ronaldo and want to find fans that go to extraordinary lengths to support their favourite Barclays Premier League team or player.

Fans are required to explain in not more than 100 words why they are the Barclays 'Fan of India' and can include slogans, videos or photographs to support their entry.

Entries can be submitted by post, by drop box in selected malls or cafe locations, e-mail, or uploaded online by visiting www.Barclaysfanofindia.Com.

The competition will run from May 12 to June 2 with the winner announced in mid June.

The two most passionate fans will travel to England to watch their favourite Barclays Premier League team play 'live' during the 2009-10 season. This will include flights, 4-star hotel accommodation, tickets and transfers.

The 10 runners-up will also receive a Barclays Premier League team shirt of their choice, Arnold Wilson stated in a press release.

Manchester United's legendary midfielder Bryan Robson, a judge and ambassador for the Fan of India Contest said, "I know that representatives from Manchester United have visited India several times in the not too distant past and are always amazed at the level of interest there is in the Barclays Premier League... I am looking forward to seeing how this is reflected in the entries for the Barclays Fan of India competition." Liverpool's Spanish goalkeeper Pepe Reina said, "Barclays Premier League supporters are the best in the world and will go to great lengths to follow their favourite team. Liverpool have a huge following on the sub-continent so I'm hoping the Barclays Fan of India will be a Reds supporter and get the chance to come over to England and see me in action!"

Supporter killed before derby

2011-05-16T00:50:00.003+07:00

A 20-year-old Atletico Mineiro fan was shot dead last night before the Campeonato Mineiro derby against Cruzeiro.

Lucas Batista Marcelino was standing on the street waiting for a bus to take him and his cousin to the Estadio Mineirao.

According to witnesses, two men on a motorbike and wearing a shirt with the Cruzeiro colours that represent a fans' group shot them.

Batista and his 16-year-old cousin were rushed to the Pronto Socorro Joao XXIII hospital.

Batista died after the bullet hit his neck, while his cousin, whose name was not revealed because of his age, was hit in his buttock and is not critical.

Three young people were detained but released today.

Atletico lost the match 2-1.

Police drop Bellamy derby probe

2011-05-16T00:44:00.002+07:00

Police have dropped a probe into a clash between Man City footballer Craig Bellamy and a supporter who ran on to the pitch.

The supporter was pushed in the face by Bellamy, who confronted him after he staged a solo pitch invasion towards the end of Sunday's highly-charged Manchester derby.

Neither the fan nor the Wales international winger made a complaint to police about the clash but the supporter will appear in court later this month over the pitch encroachment.

A Greater Manchester Police spokesman said: "We have received no complaints about this incident and are currently not investigating the matter."

Jake Joseph Clarke, 21, of Chorley, Lancashire, will appear before Trafford magistrates on September 30 charged with going on to a playing area without lawful authority or excuse.

He ran from the home supporters' section at Old Trafford as Manchester City took the kick-off following Michael Owen's dramatic late winner in United's 4-3 Premier League victory.

Formula 1 2011 Schedule and results

2011-05-16T00:34:00.003+07:00

Schedule & Results
No.	Date	Grand Prix	Pole/Winner
1	Mar. 27	Australian Grand Prix (Albert Park)	S.Vettel/S.Vettel
2	Apr. 10	Malaysian Grand Prix (Sepang)	S.Vettel/S.Vettel
3	Apr. 17	Chinese Grand Prix (Shanghai )	S.Vettel/L.Hamilton
4	May 8	Turkish Grand Prix (Istanbul Park)	S.Vettel/S.Vettel
5	May 22	Spanish Grand Prix (Catalunya)	-
6	May 29	Monaco Grand Prix (Monte Carlo)	-
7	Jun. 12	Canadian Grand Prix (Montreal )	-
8	Jun. 26	European Grand Prix (Valencia)	-
9	Jul. 10	British Grand Prix (Silverstone)	-
10	Jul. 24	German Grand Prix (Nurburgring)	-
11	Jul. 31	Hungarian Grand Prix (Hungaroring)	-
12	Aug. 28	Belgian Grand Prix (Spa-Francorchamps)	-
13	Sep. 11	Italian Grand Prix (Monza)	-
14	Sep. 25	Singapore Grand Prix (Marina Bay)	-
15	Oct. 9	Japanese Grand Prix (Suzuka)	-
16	Oct. 16	Korean Grand Prix (Yeongam)	-
17	Oct. 30	Indian Grand Prix (Buddh Circuit)	-
18	Nov. 13	Abu Dhabi Grand Prix (Yas Marina)	-
19	Nov. 27	Brazilian Grand Prix (Interlagos)	-