Saturday, August 7, 2010

Diving-Guo may have made final splash after Asian Games snubChina's Guo Jingjing, the most succesful female athlete in Olympic diving, will miss the Asian Games in Guangzhou later this year sparking fresh rumours she will retire. The 29-year-old is one of China's most famous female athletes after winning four Olympic Gold medals and numerous world titles but has not competed since December's East Asian Games. "We have selected a 20-memeber provisional squad for the diving events of Guangzhou Asian Games, and Guo Jingjing is not included," Zhou Jihong, the head of the Chinese diving team, told Xinhua news agency. "The squad will be eventually cut down to 16. Guo's name will not appear in the roster, that is for sure. Whether she will resume training or retire, we have to wait and see." The 2010 Asian Games will take place from Nov 12-27.

Guo JingjingImage via Wikipedia
China's Guo Jingjing, the most succesful female athlete in Olympic diving, will miss the Asian Games in Guangzhou later this year sparking fresh rumours she will retire.
The 29-year-old is one of China's most famous female athletes after winning four Olympic Gold medals and numerous world titles but has not competed since December's East Asian Games.
"We have selected a 20-memeber provisional squad for the diving events of Guangzhou Asian Games, and Guo Jingjing is not included," Zhou Jihong, the head of the Chinese diving team, told Xinhua news agency.
"The squad will be eventually cut down to 16. Guo's name will not appear in the roster, that is for sure. Whether she will resume training or retire, we have to wait and see."
The 2010 Asian Games will take place from Nov 12-27.
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Dharmakeerthie invited for Asian Games

Manel Dharmakeerthie, South Asia’s most prominent International Wushu judge and referee, was once again included in the Elite panel of International Wushu Judges and Referees by the World Governing Body for Wushu, International Wushu Federation [IWUF] to serve in the forthcoming 16th Asian Games’ Wushu Competition to be held from 13th to 17th of November 2010 at Nansha Gymnasium in Guangzhou, China.

Manel Dharmakeerthie
Dharmakeerthie who pioneered to set up Contemporary Wushu as a National Sport in Sri Lanka and South Asia came to limelight as an International Judge in 2001 passing his Diploma and obtaining his International Judging License from the IWUF International Judge and Referee Examination held in Macau , China. The same year he served as an International Judge at the 06th World Wushu Championships held in Yerevan, Armania.
For his excellent performance as a Judge IWUF Technical Committee immediately invited him to serve in the Elite Panel of IWUF International Judges at the first ever Sanshou [Combat Event of Wushu] World Cup held in Shanghai, China in 2002. Since then he is a permanent member of the prestigious panel and has served in three World Wushu Championships (eighth WWC in Hanoi, Vietnam in 2005, ninth WWC in Beijing, China in 2007 and 10th WWC in Toronto Canada in 2009, all 04 Sanshou World Cups held to date (second SWC in Guangzhou, China in 2004, (third SWC in Xian, China in 2006, and fourth Sanshou WC in Harbin, China in 2008).
Wushu was included first time in the International World Games in 2009 in Kaohsiung in Taiwan and Dharmakeerthie served there too as an International Judge. Pinnacle of his International Judging career was the Beijing Olympic Wushu Tournament held in 2008 during the Olympic Games in China. “Only the very best of the World serve as judges in Olympics and it’s a great honour to be invited to serve in that Competition” says Dharmakeerthie.
Being an International promoter of the World’s oldest Martial Art ,Wushu of which has 139 member Countries in its World Body IWUF, Dharmakeerthie pioneered to include it in the 10th South Asian Games held in Colombo Sri Lanka in 2006 with the help of National Olympic Committee and Ministry of Sports of Sri Lanka. Now he works hard to introduce Wushu into Commonwealth Games.
“It too will be a reality soon” he says. Dharmakeerthie was instrumental in setting up Wushu Federation of Maldives and getting the NSC recognition for Bangladesh Wushu Association. He serves as the Secretary General of South Asian Wushu Federation (SAWUF) and a Member of the Traditional Wushu Committee of Wushu Federation of Asia (WFA).
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Residents Willing to Assist at Asian Games

Gz2010Image via Wikipedia
Residents from all walks of life were eager to apply as volunteers for the upcoming 16th Asian Games and 2010 Guangzhou Asian Para Games.

A total of 921,689 applications had been submitted to the Games organizing committee by the deadline on Sunday, according to Wang Huanqing, director of the volunteers department of the Guangzhou Asian Games Organizing Committee.

In July alone, more than 20,000 residents applied as volunteers, which was a record for a single month, Wang said.

Although the recruitment of volunteers for the Games had closed, Wang said applications would continue to be accepted until September 30 from those wishing to work as city volunteers.

The 16th Asian Games and the 2010 Guangzhou Asian Para Games need 590,000 volunteers, including 85,000 Games volunteers (60,000 for the Asian Games and 25,000 for the Asian Para Games) and 500,000 city volunteers.

Among the applicants, 86.2 percent are local Guangzhou residents and nearly 70 percent are students and staff at higher education institutions.

Selected applicants will be officially registered as volunteers for the Games before the end of October.

Zhong Nanshan, 70, a respiratory doctor and academician, said he was pleased to learn that he could be a volunteer at the Games.

"Although I am the oldest volunteer, I will do my best to serve the Games and hope to become a member of the Asian Games' medical team," he said.

Zhong, together with Ding Lei, NetEase CEO, and pop star Li Yuchun were chosen earlier this year to represent the Games' volunteers.

Huang Yangnan was the last to apply as a volunteer for the 16th Asian Games

The Guangzhou native, who is majoring in international finance at a university in the United States, flew back to his hometown on July 31 and applied online later that night.

Guangzhou, which on Wednesday marked the 100-day countdown to the 16th Asian Games, is one of the mainland cities with the largest number of volunteers.

The southern metropolis took the lead in opening the country's first volunteer service hotline in 1987 and now has more than 700,000 registered volunteers, who account for 10 percent of the city's population
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Xu Ruisheng: Asian Games to benefit Guangzhou citizens

East Asian Games display, Kowloon, Hong KongImage by pondspider via Flickr
Guangzhou, August 2 - The Guangzhou Asian Games will leave rich legacies and benefit local residents in various aspects, said Xu Ruisheng, Executive Deputy Secretary General of the Guangzhou Asian Games Organising Committee (GAGOC) and Vice Mayor of Guangzhou.












Xu Ruisheng (right), Deputy Secretary General of GAGOC and Vice Mayor of Guangzhou, speaks at a press conference on Monday (August 2).
Mr Xu made the remark during a press conference at GAGOC headquarters on Monday (August 2), two days before the 100-day countdown to the Games.
He said the organisers have set up 48 operation teams for all competition venues and staged a number of promotional events ahead of the 100-day countdown, including an Asiad-themed Guangdong Week at the Shanghai Expo Park recently.
The vice mayor thanked the public and Guangzhou citizens in particular for their constant support of and involvement in the preparations for the 2010 Asian Games, saying it has proved to be a highly engaging sport and cultural gala whose excitement is widely shared.
Taking into account the long-term development of the city, Guangzhou has built Asian Games venues and their supporting facilities in different clusters as a pavement for its transition to a multi-centre city. After the Games, the Asian Games Town will become a new residential area and the launch zone of the Guangzhou New Town - a major project for the city's southward expansion. Elsewhere, the post-Games use of the venues reflects lasting benefits for the people: venues in the Guangzhou Higher Education Mega Centre will greatly enhance the universities' infrastructure for physical education; the Zengcheng Dragon Boat Lake will open to the public as a park; the Guangzhou Equestrian Venue in Conghua will be used as a training base of the Hong Kong Jockey Club and expected boost Conghua's tourism; the Asian Games Town Gymnasium will be able to host basketball, volleyball and badminton matches as well as exhibitions and concerts.
Mr Xu emphasised that the organisers have been bearing in mind from the beginning how the venues will benefit Guangzhou citizens after the Games.
He also briefed the media about Games preparations in terms of sports, torch relay and volunteering.
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Guo may have made final splash after Asian Games snub

(Reuters) - China's Guo Jingjing, the most succesful female athlete in Olympic diving, will miss the Asian Games in Guangzhou later this year sparking fresh rumours she will retire.
China's Guo Jingjing exits the pool during the women's synchronized 3m springboard final at the East Asian Games in Hong Kong December 13, 2009. Jingjing, the most succesful female athlete in Olympic diving, will miss the Asian Games in Guangzhou later this year sparking fresh rumours she will retire.
Credit: Reuters/Tyrone Siu/Files

The 29-year-old is one of China's most famous female athletes after winning four Olympic Gold medals and numerous world titles but has not competed since December's East Asian Games.
"We have selected a 20-memeber provisional squad for the diving events of Guangzhou Asian Games, and Guo Jingjing is not included," Zhou Jihong, the head of the Chinese diving team, told Xinhua news agency.
"The squad will be eventually cut down to 16. Guo's name will not appear in the roster, that is for sure. Whether she will resume training or retire, we have to wait and see."
The 2010 Asian Games will take place from Nov 12-27.
(Writing by Patrick Johnston in Singapore; Editing by John O'Brien;
To query or comment on this story email sportsfeedback@thomsonreuters.com
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Indonesian President Makes Jakarta a Co-host For 2011 Southeast Asian Games

Official presidential portrait of Susilo Bamba...Image via Wikipedia
akarta. President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono on Friday announced that Jakarta would co-host the 2011 Southeast Asian Games.

The capital, however, will only serve as a satellite venue, as Palembang will be the main hub for the regional games.

Yudhoyono made the announcement in front of athletes under the Golden Indonesia Program (Prima) during a visit at their camp at the Indonesian Special Force Training Center, Batujajar, Bandung, West Java.

He also urged the SEA Games organizing committee (Inasoc) to “carefully select the right sports events for the Games, and choose the ones wherein the country has a medal potential after these choices are discussed with other participating countries.”

Jakarta was the sole hub of the SEA Games when the country hosted the tournament in 1979, 1987 and 1997, topping the medal standings in all three editions.

The 194 gold medals Indonesia won in the 1997 Games remain the record, but the country has failed to breach the 100-gold mark in six editions since.

Andi Malarangeng, the state minister of youth and sports, said Jakarta has enough time to prepare venues for the SEA Games.
“The city will be more than ready to hold events with its existing facilities,” he said.

Jakarta Governor Fauzi Bowo said the city government was “prepared” to host the SEA Games, although installing an efficient transportation system will pose the biggest challenge.

“Facilitating the participants with easy access to the venues, which will be spread around the city, will be the hardest,” Fauzi said.
“But I’m sure we can accomplish this if we start working with key institutions.”

Fauzi said he has also coordinated with several officials to discuss ways to prevent flooding in the city, a potential problem the city government cannot ignore because the SEA Games will be held in November, the start of the rainy season in the country.

The Jakarta governor added that he would discuss with the West Java provincial government the possibility of holding several events in the city outskirts, such as the BMX event in Cikole, Bandung; paragliding in Puncak, Bogor; and the rowing events at Jatiluhur Water Reservoir.

“It’s not a big problem to hold some sports outside Jakarta, as long as we can keep the venues accessible,” Fauzi said.

Last month, Yudhoyono announced that Palembang, the capital of South Sumatra, would be the main hub for the SEA Games. At the time, Bandung and Semarang were also in the running to cohost the tournament, along with Jakarta.

“I have decided that we should choose the province that is not only ready but has the spirit to be host,” Yudhoyono said.

“I believe that South Sumatra’s governor has the right spirit and will be a good host. That is [South Sumatra’s] advantage, and let us help and support it to carry out the SEA Games,” the president added.

The country was appointed by the SEA Games Council last year to take over as host of the 26th Games from Singapore, which pulled out after it said it would not be ready.
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BOA ignores chess

VANCOUVER, BC - FEBRUARY 26:  (L-R) Qingshuang...Image by Getty Images via @daylife
The exclusion of chess from the Asian Games-bound Bangladesh contingent has raised questions about the selection procedure of the Bangladesh Olympic Association (BOA) as the performance of the chess team has so far been satisfactory in the last Asian Games in 2006.
Bangladesh finished joint fourth and eventually came in seventh through a tie-breaker in the men's team event of chess, one of 10 disciplines that Bangladesh took part in during Doha Asian Games in Qatar.
Bangladesh's lone achievement in the Doha Asiad was a bronze medal from kabaddi. Besides, the other notable performances, albeit without a medal was in weightlifting.
The BOA has chosen 14 disciplines -- football, cricket (men & women), hockey, kabaddi (men & women), shooting, swimming, athletics, boxing, archery, wushu, karate, weightlifting, taekwondo and golf and the intensive training of those disciplines will get underway on August 10.
They also dropped the women's kabaddi team citing fund shortage, but later included it in due to pressure from the federation, who insisted that the women's kabaddi team have a bright chance to win a medal in the absence of the Japan and Iran teams.
The BOA initially asked the chess federation to send names of one man and one woman chess player for the rapid chess event, but the federation wanted to send both men's and women's teams instead of just for rapid chess event, in which they have only a slim chance of doing well.
"Compared to the previous match, we have a strong chance to win a medal in the team event and logically we denied to send players in the individual event," said BCF general secretary Mokaddes Hossain adding that if Bangladesh could not do well in the team event, they had good chance to earn individual norms from the event.
"I have doubts on whether they understand the game of chess, because if they did they could not drop it," said Hossain.
But BOA vice-president and chairman of training committee Mizanur Rahman Manu was not backing down.
"All right, we may not understand chess, but they should have come forward to make us understand and I think there was a communication gap. Still chess has a chance to be included," said the BOA vice president adding that they just considered the performance of last South Asian Games when choosing the disciplines for the Asian Games to be held in Guangzhou, China in November.
Manu informed that BCF president and civil aviation and tourism minister GM Quader wrote a letter to BOA president and Army Chief Abdul Mubeen, who would will take a final decision once he returns from abroad.
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Olympics - 2008, C'wealth Games 2010 & Asian Games - 2010

BEIJING - JULY 01:  Beijing residents visit th...Image by Getty Images via @daylife
(August 06, Chennai, Sri Lanka Guardian) The Organising Committee of the 2008 Olympics at Beijing did their country proud by the exemplary manner in which they organized it. The preparations were completed ahead of time, the security arrangements were impeccable and the Olympics were conducted with clock-like precision. The entire international sports-loving community applauded the Chinese for the brilliant way they organized it. The Chinese wanted to prove that not only China can do it, but also Asia can do it.

The Chinese will be hosting the 16th Asian Games at Guangzhou and Dongwuan from November 11 to 27. As usual, their preparations are ahead of time. On July 27, they held a massive security drill in these two cities to fine-tune the physical security arrangements and to test the reflexes of their security personnel who will be responsible for ensuring the security of the Games. They are confident of showing the world once again that China can do it and Asia can do it.

India is to host the 19th C’Wealth Games in New Delhi from October 3 to 14. Can we be proud of the way the Organising Committee headed by Shri Suresh Kalmadi has been going about it? Far from it. There have been increasing chaos and confusion with serious allegations flying around---of behind-the-schedule preparations, unsatisfactory construction of the required infrastructure, financial mismanagement and even corruption. In the midst of all these allegations and complaints, neither the Government of India nor the Organising Committee has had the time to pay close attention to the physical security aspects, which would demand a high-level of co-ordination from now onwards---- co-ordination at the international level for intelligence collection and sharing and at the national level for follow-up action.

Since 9/11, this will be the second most threatened international sports event. The first was the Olympics of 2003 at Athens. The Organising Committee of the Athens Olympics and the local Government sought and received the co-operation of the intelligence and security agencies of the NATO countries, including the US. The Beijing Olympics did not face such serious threats. Yet, the Organising Committee and the Government of China made security arrangements on the same scale as were made at Athens--- in fact, even more.

The forthcoming New Delhi C’Wealth Games will be taking place in the sub-continent where all the jihadi terrorist organizations of the world, including Al Qaeda, have an active presence and are looking for the possibility of an opportunistic act of terrorism of a spectacular nature. This is the first time since 9/11 that they will have an opportunity in their home terrain for a spectacular attack on an international event which would get them publicity the like of which they could not have hoped for. The 313 Brigade of Ilyas Kashmiri, based in Pakistan’s North Waziristan, has already held out the threat of an attack on the Games.

If we had been able to complete the infrastructure in time, we would have been able to plan better the required security arrangements and benefited from the advice of others. With the preparations still haphazard, the difficulties faced by our security agencies are bound to increase.

There are three serious issues involved in the run-up to the Games---- growing suspicions of financial mismanagement and corruption, behind-the-schedule preparations and the difficulties which would consequently be faced in making the security arrangements. The national and international credibility of Shri Kalmadi has been dented by the allegations and the daily focus of the TV channels on these allegations. How can he and the Organising Committee pay the required attention to completing the arrangements in time and co-ordinating with the Government agencies the physical security arrangements when they have been constrained to spend their time in countering these daily allegations?

Instead of continuing to dither, the Government should immediately step in and replace Shri Kalmadi and the Organising Committee. The new Organising Committee should be given the task of completing the preparations in time and making a success of the Games. It should not be burdened with countering the allegations of financial mismanagement and corruption. A separate committee should be set up to deal with these allegations.


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Final touch for Asian Games

Gz2010Image via Wikipedia
The 16th Asian Games will see thousands of athletes and spectators descend on Guangzhou. With just 100 days away from the opening of the Games.
A total of 48 venues will be used for the Games.
Most of them are already finished.
Many of the venues were renovated or reconstructed from old sports facilities.
While preparing the venues, organizers also took into consideration their post-game functions.
In Guangzhou University Town, 8 stadiums have been renovated and will be used during the Games.
This room used to be the locker room of the South China Science and Technology University. New Sauna rooms have been installed for the wrestlers. Like other facilities, they will be enjoyed by the students after the Asian Games.
The garden style of the Asian Games Village is designed to house 15 thousand athletes, referees and officials.
So far, over 11 thousand athletes have registered to compete in the 42 events in Guangzhou.
Organizers say the match schedule is basically ready and will be announced in the coming days.
7-thousand registered journalists will set a record for the most media coverage of any Asian Games.
Ren Tianhua, Vice Director, Asian Games organizing Committee, said, "In addition to the 45 mainstream media oulets from 45 Asian nations and regions, media from countries around the world also will come to report. "
Volunteers are another important factor for the Games. 590-thousand volunteers are needed. So far over 900-thousand volunteers have registered.
Marketing for the Games has also set new records. 3-billion yuan worth of sponsorship have been signed with some 50 companies.
The torch relay for this Asian Games will be held only in Guangdong Province and the relay list will be announced in September.
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Asian Games to speed Guangzhou development

GUANGZHOU, CHINA - MARCH 03:    The torch for ...Image by Getty Images via @daylife
The 2010 Asian Games will speed the economic development of host city Guangzhou, mostly through employment, tourism and consumption.
Investment for the event will add 815 billion yuan (US$120 billion) to local GDP, said Yin Tao, director of the Institute of Industrial Economy and Enterprise Management at the Guangzhou Academy of Social Sciences.
The Asian Games is expected to create 475,000 jobs as well.
The southern city expects about 150,000 foreign and 500,000 domestic tourists to visit during the Asian Games, which will run from Nov. 12 to 27. They are expected to bring income of about 542 million yuan (US$80 million) and 1 billion yuan (US$148 million), respectively.
Added consumption is expected to generate about 1.9 billion yuan (US$280 million), resulting in a 4.5-billion-yuan (US$665 million) increase in local GDP.
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Guangzhou Residents willing to assist at Asian Games

Gz2010Image via Wikipedia
Residents from all walks of life were eager to apply as volunteers for the upcoming 16th Asian Games and 2010 Guangzhou Asian Para Games.

A total of 921,689 applications had been submitted to the Games organizing committee by the deadline on Sunday, according to Wang Huanqing, director of the volunteers department of the Guangzhou Asian Games Organizing Committee.

In July alone, more than 20,000 residents applied as volunteers, which was a record for a single month, Wang said.

Although the recruitment of volunteers for the Games had closed, Wang said applications would continue to be accepted until September 30 from those wishing to work as city volunteers.

The 16th Asian Games and the 2010 Guangzhou Asian Para Games need 590,000 volunteers, including 85,000 Games volunteers (60,000 for the Asian Games and 25,000 for the Asian Para Games) and 500,000 city volunteers.

Among the applicants, 86.2 percent are local Guangzhou residents and nearly 70 percent are students and staff at higher education institutions.

Selected applicants will be officially registered as volunteers for the Games before the end of October.

Zhong Nanshan, 70, a respiratory doctor and academician, said he was pleased to learn that he could be a volunteer at the Games.

"Although I am the oldest volunteer, I will do my best to serve the Games and hope to become a member of the Asian Games' medical team," he said.

Zhong, together with Ding Lei, NetEase CEO, and pop star Li Yuchun were chosen earlier this year to represent the Games' volunteers.

Huang Yangnan was the last to apply as a volunteer for the 16th Asian Games

The Guangzhou native, who is majoring in international finance at a university in the United States, flew back to his hometown on July 31 and applied online later that night.

Guangzhou, which on Wednesday marked the 100-day countdown to the 16th Asian Games, is one of the mainland cities with the largest number of volunteers.

The southern metropolis took the lead in opening the country's first volunteer service hotline in 1987 and now has more than 700,000 registered volunteers, who account for 10 percent of the city's population.

By Zheng Caixiong, China Daily

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Malaysia Remain Hopeful Of Winning Gold In Asian Games Despite Losing To South Korea

A rattan sepak takraw ball.Image via Wikipedia
KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 5 (Bernama) -- Malaysia who lost to South Korea in the Thai King's Cup Sepak Takraw World Championship in Chiang Mai last Saturday continue to dream of winning a gold medal at the Asian Games in Guangzhou, China.

National team manager Datuk Awang Sham Amit said the 1-2 defeat to South Korea would not derail the Malaysian Sepak Takraw Association's gold medal target.

"Players who were fielded against South Korea during the semi-final match were not the first choice players. We decided to give all the 21 players a chance to see their capabilities," said Awang who is also the association's vice president.

"Though South Korea beat us, it does not mean that they (Korea) are a great team and difficult to beat," he said when contacted.

At 2006 Asian Games in Doha, Malaysia won two silver and a bronze medal

-- BERNAMA
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Taiwan hopeful of Asian Games gold in Go

Taipei, Aug. 5 (CNA) The captain of Taiwan's Go team that will compete in the 2010 Asian Games said Thursday that the country's mixed doubles teams stand a great chance of winning a gold medal in the competition.

"Red-faced King of Go" Chou Chun-hsun, will be paired with Hei Chia-chia, while Chang Hsu will be teamed with Hsieh Yi-min in the mixed doubles category of the contest. Japan-based Chang and Hsieh have both returned home to prepare for the games.

The dream team, under the guidance of head coach H.F. Lin, has been training in Taipei since last December and the players are making every effort to ensure victory, Chou added.

Go, or weiqei, will be on the roster of the Asian Games for the first time this year, and China, Japan and South Korea, as well as Taiwan, are fielding

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Friday, August 6, 2010

Security bolstered for Asian Games


Policemen of public security border defence line up during a gathering to vow for the security mission of 16th Asian Games in Guangzhou, south China's Guangdong Province, Aug. 4, 2010. Aug. 4 is the 100-day countdown to the Asian Games. (Xinhua/Liu Dawei)

BEIJING, Aug. 5 (Xinhuanet) -- Governor of Guangdong province Huang Huahua demanded no mistakes in security for the Asian Games and the police pledged to make an all-out effort to safeguard the event, as the 100-day countdown began on Wednesday to the opening of the Games on November 12.

Huang required that the security forces fine tune their plans, strengthen preventive measures, increase training and drills, and improve coordination with neighboring provinces to ensure a safe Games.

The Guangzhou police authority has invested 2 billion yuan ($29 million) in security for the Games.

They have also drawn up 1,698 security measures for the event, which exceed the 910 drafted for the Beijing Olympics Games in 2008, as well as 151 guidelines and 36 policies, Guangzhou Daily reported.

The police are increasing security checks at international ports, inter-city roads and links to neighboring provinces.

In addition to employing surveillance cameras, the police are weaving security nets composed of communities, road patrols, enterprises and other organizations.

The Guangzhou police will mobilize 800,000 security guards and volunteers to help patrol the Games. Additional policemen are expected to join them from other forces.

The police will strengthen security already in place at large shopping areas, road-side stores and factories. Control will also be tightened over access to post boxes, telephone booths, manholes and trash cans.

More than 2.6 million surveillance cameras are in place across the city, including more than 12,000 within and around the Games' venues.

All the divisions of the Guangzhou police have been linked on an intranet connection, with the technological facilities upgraded to cover command, emergency management and preventative operations.
The police have improved wireless telecommunications networks and satellite-enabled communications systems.
The Guangzhou police have launched 1,782 online community police officers to increase the efficiency of units at the grassroots.
They have trained security personnel involved in the Games on large event security management, including anti-terrorist and anti-riot measures. Security personnel have also received instruction on the Asian Games, international etiquette and the English language, among others.
The police have forged cooperative links with forces in the neighboring provinces of Hainan, Fujian, Hunan and Jiangxi and the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, along with their counterparts in the Hong Kong and Macao special administrative regions.
Efforts are further being coordinated for the exchange of intelligence at the provincial, State and international levels.
Military personnel have also been placed on standby for any biological, chemical or nuclear incidents.
(Source: China Daily)
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Liu Xiang assured of qualification for Asian Games despite missing national trials

110 metre hurdles record holder Liu Xiang is a...Image via Wikipedia
JINAN, East China, Aug. 5 (Xinhua) -- China's Olympic champion Liu Xiang will not compete in this week's national trials for the Asian Games but is still assured of a slot in the Chinese contingent for the quadrennial multi-sport event, a top athletics official said on Thursday.
Feng Shuyong, vice director of China's Athletics Association, said the men's 110m hurdles star needs to focus on his preparations for the Asian Games and will not take part in any competition ahead of the November 12-27 event.
More than 1,000 athletes will compete in the four-day national trials which kicked off here on Thursday.

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China takes aim at regional rivals on Asian Games fairways

Gz2010Image via Wikipedia
hina's young golfers will soon catch traditional regional powers Japan and South Korea, starting at this year's Asian Games, according the Chinese officials.
Zhang Xiaoning, secretary-general of the China Golf Association (CGA), told local media the body plans a national training camp for the November 12-27 Games in Guangzhou.

There is still a big gap between us and the Asian first-class golf countries, like South Korea, Japan and India." Zhang was quoted as saying by the China Daily on Thursday.
"(But) we have been preparing for the Asian Games over the past two years. We have provided a lot chances for the amateur golfers and a lot of young players have stood out."
Zhang added: "Playing on home soil, I just hope our young players can play at their normal level and get the much-needed experience to catch up with our neighbours."
South Korea swept all four gold medals in golf at the 2006 Asian Games in Doha and has won 12 golds in total at the regional event. Japan is second on the list with seven golds.
China has won just one medal, a bronze by Zhang Lianwei at the 1994 Asian Games in Hiroshima.
However, the country has invested heavily in the sport, especially since it was voted back into the Olympic Games and is scheduled to make its return at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Games.
China will hold an 11-player national training camp from later this month before the team is announced for the Guangzhou competition.
The Asian Games will host more than 14,000 athletes and officials from 45 Asian countries.
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China Southern To Add Capacity For Asian Games

China Southern Boeing 747-400F at Amsterdam Ai...Image via Wikipedia
August 4 -- China Southern Airlines (600029, 1055.HK) plans to increase the number of flights by between 800 and 900 flights to manage the influx of passengers during the Asian Games to be held in Guangzhou, reports gushi360.com, citing Tan Wangeng, general manger of China Southern Airlines.
Tan estimates that the Asian Games will generate 50,000 passengers for China Southern Airlines, which is one of the partners of the Asian Games. 
According to Tan, China Southern Airlines currently operates a fleet of 410 airplanes. 
The company expects to put ten or more airplanes into operation before the opening of the Guangzhou Asian Games.
Shares of China Southern Airlines rose 0.69 percent to close at 7.31 yuan today.
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RP athletes to join 36 of 42 sports in Asian Games

Philippine Olympic CommitteeImage via Wikipedia
THE Philippines is looking to join 36 of 42 sports events when the 2010 Asian Games gets going in Guangzhou, China.
National team delegation chef de mission Joey Romasanta made the assessment after emerging from a meeting with the joint secretariat of the Philippine Olympic Committee and the Philippine Sports Commission.
Romasanta discussed this possibility with PSC chairman Richie Garcia and the three commissioners during the meeting. Also discussed was the budgetary requirement of the national delegation to the Asiad.
“There are 36 NSAs which could join the games. We will know the final number once we are finished with our evaluation,” said Romasanta, who added that the final number will be known within the week.
More than 200 athletes may join the official list for the quadrennial meet. This total includes the national men’s and women’s dragon boat team, which is the biggest contingent in the delegation with 50 athletes, 25 each in the men and women’s side.
Other team events include softball and men’s basketball, which listed more than 13 members in their teams.
Other athletes who made the qualifying mark include those from billiards and snooker, boxing, bowling, chess, cycling, dancesports, karate, lawn tennis, taekwondo, and wrestling.
Meanwhile, the PSC may not have enough budget to help finance international tournaments in the next 12 months.
According to Commissioner Salvador Andrada, the PSC will instead encourage national sports associations to look for sponsors from the private sector.
Yesterday, the PSC board granted a request from the chess association which plans to organize two international meets here, but denied a request from baseball, which wanted to hold an eight-nation baseball meet.
“The PSC will not be involved for the meantime. But, on their own, they (organizers) can do it with the help of private sponsors,” said Andrada.
Andrada said PSC chairman Garcia has indicated that the government sports agency may not have sufficient funds to support international competitions until 2011, but may be able to source out funding by middle of next year.
The PSC has allocated P1.494 million for the staging of the 6th Prospero Pichay Cup International chessfest set Aug. 20 to 28, and the first Florencio Campomanes Memorial chessfest on Aug. 28 to Sept. 5.
But the board turned down a request of P3 million by the Philippine Amateur Baseball Association, which plans to host an international meet in 2011.
PABA president Hector Navasero, in a letter to the PSC board, said he made the request after the Baseball Federation of Asia gave them the greenlight to stage the meet.
Navasero said the country is supposed to host the competition for the fifth time since 1954. Peter Atencio
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Eight Asian Games Archers To Train In South Korea

16th Commonwealth GamesImage via Wikipedia
KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 5 (Bernama) -- Eight Recurve archers identified for the Commonwealth Games and Asian Games, will undergo a two-week training stint in South Korea, next month.

National Archery Association of Malaysia (NAAM) honorary secretary Abdul Hamid Hassan said the eight archers, four men and four men, would head to South Korea after the fourth round of the World Cup in Shanghai, China, from Aug 31 to Sept 4.

"NAAM is more focused on Recurve events because we have potential medal winners," he told Bernama Thursday.

Abdul Hamid said only six Recurve archers - three men and three women - would compete in the Commonwealth Games in New Delhi, India from Oct 3-14, while four men and four women would feature in the Asian Games in Guangzhou, China from Nov 12-27.

The four men in the Recurve team are Cheng Chu Siang, Wan Mohd Khalmizam Wan Abdul Aziz, Muhammad Izzudin Abdul Rahim, Arif Farhan Ibrahim Putra while the four women are S. Anbarasi, Ng Sui Kim, Noor Aziera Taip and Shahira Abdul Halim.

"South Korea was chosen as the training base because the country had produced so many world champions and world class archers. The Malaysian archery coach Lee Jae-Hyung is also from the same country," he said.

Abdul Hamid said NAAM has targeted one gold medal from the Commonwealth Games.

-- BERNAMA
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Wednesday, August 4, 2010

Adidas raises 2010 earnings per share forecast

Presentation Of The FIFA World Cup 2010 Final ...Image by adifansnet via Flickr
FRANKFURT — The world's second biggest sports equipment and clothing maker, Adidas, raised its earnings per share outlook on Wednesday after a stong second quarter thanks to the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.
The Bavarian-based group that also owns the US brand Reebok had already said football-related sales should reach 1.5 billion euros (1.98 billion dollars) in 2010, which meant overall profit should rise.
"We had an outstanding first half year driven by the FIFA World Cup 2010 and the resurgence of the Reebok brand in North America," a statement quoted chief executive Herbert Hainer as saying on Wednesday.
"Sales momentum at both Adidas and Reebok accelerated in the second quarter with currency-neutral sales increasing 13 percent and 16 percent respectively."
Adidas said earnings per share should now increase to between 2.50 and 2.62 euros, compared with a previous estimate of 2.05 to 2.30 euros.
On the basis of the number of free-floating shares, that would give a full-year net profit of between 523-548 million euros, up from 430-480 million.
Adidas sponsored 12 of the 32 teams that competed in the World Cup, including Spain, the new world champion, and Germany, which finished third.
Second-quarter operating profit leapt by 172 percent to 195 million euros, as other lines also benefited from a global economic rebound and foreign exchange effects.
The group cited in particular a rise in the value of the Russian ruble and a decline in operating overhead spending as factors behind its improved outlook.
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Fifa fines Spain and Holland

Popularity of football (soccer) around the wor...Image via Wikipedia
FIFA has issued fines to Spain and the Netherlands for their players’ poor conduct during the 2010 South Africa World Cup final.
Football’s showpiece match, held last month, saw Spain emerge triumphant but only after referee Howard Webb saw fit to issue yellow cards to eight Holland players and send off John Heitinga in extra-time. Spain’s players also failed to show good discipline as Webb issued five bookings to the Latin side. As a result, Fifa has decided to fine Holland’s national football association £9,080 and Spain’s governing body £6,053.
One of the more questionable actions in the game saw Manchester City player Nigel De Jong deliver a challenge after 28 minutes of action, which resulted in his boot being implanted in Spain midfielder Xabi Alonso’s rib cage. The 28-year-old former Liverpool star required treatment before he was able to continue playing and later described the tackle as "one of the worst tackles" he had ever been on the receiving end of. De Jong was booked for the challenge though many pundits were astonished that Webb had failed to issue the player with a red card for violent conduct.
'Anti-football' slammed
Holland legend Johan Cruyff had slammed Holland’s tactics they had employed in the match, calling their style “anti-football”. The man who is widely credited as having helped innovate Total Football - an attractive, flowing system which sees players swap positions on-the-fly – said to Spain’s El Periodico that: "This ugly, vulgar, hard, hermetic, hardly eye-catching, hardly football style... If with this they got satisfaction, fine, but they lost."
After the game, Holland manager Bert van Marwijk spoke of his retreat at both his players’ conduct and that of Spain’s as both teams marred the biggest match in football. He said: “It’s not our style to commit horrible fouls. It’s not our kind of football. As I said, also the Spaniards committed terrible fouls. It may be regrettable for a final. “That’s not our style, but you do play to win. It’s a final.”
The game saw the most cards issued in a World Cup final, beating the record set by the 1986 final where Argentina beat West Germany and six yellow cards were issued. The match also had the poorest disciplinary record of any of the 64 games played at the World Cup finals in South Africa. In total, the Netherlands committed 28 fouls in the match, with the Spaniards conceding 19.
Spain won the match 1-0 after an extra-time goal from Barcelona’s Andreas Iniesta. The midfielder, who was also booked in the game, latched on to a pass from Cesc Fabregas of Arsenal and fired a half-volley past Dutch goalkeeper Maarten Stekelenburg. This came after the Dutch finally received a red card, putting them down a man. Whatever FIFA's fines, losing the biggest prize in footbal because of poor discipline is a far bigger blow.
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FIFA’s takes late penalty shot


The two finalists in the 2010 South African World Cup have reportedly received a belated penalty from the international football governing body, FIFA. Reports said that FIFA has decided to carry out the penalty and book Holland (actually the Netherlands, as Holland is merely a county in The Netherlands) and Spain for abusing the fair play rules of the world cup.
During the world cup trophy match on July 11, 2010 at Johannesburg’s Soccer Stadium, Holland collected 8 yellow cards and one red card, while Spain collected merely 5 (the most ever collected during the history of the world cup final, exceeding the 1986 Argentina-Germany world cup final where foul play caused the referee to dash out six yellow cards).
Nevertheless based on FIFA rules any Federation playing for an international that collects 5 or more yellow cards will be financially penalised. Holland will have to cough up lunch-money of some EUR 10,000 while Spain will have to do without tuck-money of some EUR 7,000.
At the same time the whole world is laughing at FIFA as many of the players can virtually get away with murder (like when Holland midfielder intentionally literally kung-fu kicked Spain’s Xabi Alonso and all he got was a yellow card warning) during the internationals as the fair play flag and clause of FIFA is more of a mock-tribunal than a deterring factor.
The international audience has sarcastically suggested that FIFA rename the game as an increasing number of hand goals are being scored and saved by non-goal keepers, while the perpetrators get away scot-free and actually praised as national heroes. Based on spectator votes FIFA ranked the Holland-Spanish final of 2010, the worst ever behaviour in a match in the history of the football tournament.
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Fourteen Players from 2010 FIFA World Cup Squad Highlight U.S. Roster Against Brazil

Bob Bradley
IN THE IMAGE: Head coach Bob Bradley will lead the U.S. Men's National Team against Brazil on Aug. 10 at the New Meadowlands Stadium.
CHICAGO (Aug. 4, 2010) — U.S. Men’s National Team head coach Bob Bradley has named 18 players to the roster that will face five-time FIFA World Cup champions Brazil on Tuesday, Aug. 10, for the USA’s first match since the 2010 FIFA World Cup. More than 55,000 tickets have already been sold for the first meeting between the two nations at the New Meadowlands Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J. Kickoff is set for 8 p.m. ET, and the match will be broadcast live on ESPN2, Univision and ESPN Deportes Radio. Fans can also follow the match live online via ussoccer.com’s MatchTracker and twitter.com/ussoccer.

Fourteen players on the roster were part of the squad that led the U.S. to a first place finish in group play at the FIFA World Cup for the first time in 80 years. The team’s dramatic performances garnered record television ratings for the ESPN and Univision Networks and captured the imagination of millions of Americans.

"This game is a great opportunity to showcase many players from the World Cup team who earned the respect and appreciation of fans across the country," said U.S. head coach Bob Bradley. "At the same time, our goal continues to be to compete and succeed against the best teams in the world. With an extremely talented group of players, Brazil will be another difficult test."

The U.S. team will begin gathering Sunday, Aug. 8, and will have the opportunity for only one training session prior to match.

Landon Donovan, who has now appeared in a U.S. record 12 World Cup matches, scored three times in South Africa, including the memorable goal in second-half stoppage time that elevated the United States to a 1-0 victory against Algeria and earned the team a place in the Round of 16. That epic moment sparked massive celebrations across the United States, and later won the award for ‘Best Moment’ at the 2010 ESPYs. In advance of the Brazil game, U.S. Soccer is asking fans to record and share their favorite memory of the 2010 World Cup.

Tim Howard earned a shutout in that match, the USA’s first in the World Cup since the team's historic 2-0 victory against Mexico in the Round of 16 of the 2002 FIFA World Cup in Korea Republic. The shutout was also just the second for the United States in 22 World Cup matches dating back to 1950.

Michael Bradley netted the game-tying goal in the 82nd minute of the 2-2 draw against Slovenia that salvaged the USA’s hopes for advancing in the tournament. Needing at least a point from the second group game to stave off elimination, his expert toe-poke finished off a fantastic passing sequence combining skill, coordination and hustle that completed the USA’s comeback from two goals down.

Five players on the roster played every minute in South Africa, including team captain Carlos Bocanegra and defender Steve Cherundolo. Having recently been named captain at Hannover, Cherundolo contributed perhaps his finest collection of performances in his national team career during the tournament.

Alejandro Bedoya, Sacha Kljestan and Chad Marshall were named to the preliminary roster for the World Cup, Kljestan having recently moved to Belgian champions RSC Anderlecht where he has earned a starting role. FC Schalke midfielder Jermaine Jones is making his first appearance on a U.S. roster since becoming eligible to play for the United States in August of 2009. Jones had been sidelined by a shin injury for nearly a year.

The United States and Brazil last met in the final of the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup, where the U.S. jumped out to a 2-0 lead on goals by Clint Dempsey and Donovan before Brazil rallied for a 3-2 victory.

The U.S. played six times in the former Giants Stadium, collecting a 3-1-2 record. After defeating Panama in the final of the 2005 Gold Cup, the U.S. played then No. 1-ranked Argentina to a thrilling 0-0 draw on June 8, 2008, in front of more than 78,000 fans.
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