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An inspirational Games – the first to include women's boxing as an offical sport – and the gold-medal-winning Nicola Adams galvanised fitness fanatic Lucy Fry to take her love of the sport one step further

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Prompted into action by England midfielder’s Frank Lampard’s disallowed goal against Germany at the 2010 World Cup, FIFA will use goal-line technology for the first time in Japan this week.
The technology will be employed in today’s Club World Cup curtain raiser between Sanfrecce Hiroshima and Auckland City as soccer’s governing body finally answers calls for it to join the 21st century.
Hawk-eye, widely used in cricket and tennis, and GoalRef, which uses a microchip in the ball and low magnetic waves around the goal, will be used at venues in Toyota and Yokohama.
“The important thing is for the technologies to perform as well as possible and there are no mistakes,” Hawk-Eye’s managing director Steve Carter said yesterday.
“Obviously the worst scenario you can have is if the technology isn’t that accurate (with) the TV broadcast cameras proving that the answer’s wrong.”
With European champions Chelsea, whose players have been at the centre of several goal-line controversies in recent years, competing in Japan, the science is set for even closer scrutiny.
“Hawk-Eye has seven cameras per goalmouth,” said Carter. “You’re talking millimetre level and that’s absolutely essential for football.”
Carter referred to John Terry’s goal-line clearance in England’s 1-0 win over Ukraine at Euro 2012 as an example of the precision required to get decisions right.
“If you look at the John Terry incident, we measured it using the TV footage, the ball was actually 25 millimetres over the line,” he said.
“That is well within the accuracy of our system—two, three, four millimetres of accuracy in that scenario. Football needs that level.”
FIFA had resisted pressure for technology, successfully used in other sports including cricket, tennis, rugby and American Football, for years.
But Lampard’s goal for England against Germany in South Africa, not seen by either the referee or linesman, prompted FIFA to finally turn to science.
“What happened at the World Cup in 2010 cannot happen again,” FIFA general secretary Jerome Valcke told reporters.
“The World Cup is the biggest sporting event in the world. The ball was not two centimetres in the goal — it was clearly in.
“Millions of people see that and wonder how the referee didn’t see it. That’s the decision we made after the 2010 World Cup.”
Hawk-Eye and GoalRef are front-runners for next year’s Confederations Cup in Brazil, although FIFA have kept the door open for other competing companies.
“It is expensive but over time technology gets cheaper,” said Valcke, adding that FIFA had invested US$2 million to date on development and installation at stadiums in Japan.
“The more market competition there is the cheaper it will get. It has to be available for all but at the same time it has to be accurate. We can’t afford mistakes.”
After analysing data taken from the Club World Cup, FIFA will choose which system to implement for the six Confederations Cup venues by the end of March.
Those chosen will remain in place for the 2014 World Cup, although the six other venues could potentially end up with a different system.
“Obviously the Confederations Cup is going to be a competitive tender process,” said Carter.
Both the Hawk-Eye and GoalRef systems inform referees the ball has crossed the goal-line in a split second via a vibrating wrist-watch flashing the word “GOAL”.
GoalRef were equally confident of persuading FIFA their radio-based system using low-frequency magnetic fields would be the most accurate.
“We wouldn’t be doing this if we weren’t confident we were going to proceed further beyond this tournament,” said programme manager Ingmar Bretz.
Whichever system FIFA chooses, the likes of Chelsea, eliminated from the 2004-05 Champions League by Luis Garcia’s “ghost” goal, will have one less reason to blame the referee.

Source: www.trinidadexpress.com

Trinidad and Tobago will not just begin the quest to win the 2012 Caribbean Cup on Friday. They also have a bigger goal of qualifying for the 2013 CONCACAF Gold Cup.
Eight-time Caribbean champions T&T have missed out on the last two editions of the Gold Cup, the region’s top football competition, after being eliminated at the group stage of the Caribbean tournament.
The Caribbean Cup serves as a qualifier and will send its four semi-finalists to the 2013 tournament. Hutson Charles—Trinidad and Tobago’s joint head-coach along with Jamaal Shabazz--feels it is imperative that T&T be present at the 2013 Gold Cup showpiece. He has preached the importance of Gold Cup qualification to his players from day one of Caribbean qualifying.
“They must be get fed up of hearing that. It is important for Trinidad and Tobago to keep advancing and keep winning games and especially to qualify for the Gold Cup. They (players) have been hearing that over and over and over,” Charles declared. “I think its very important, not just for them, but for Trinidad and Tobago as a whole. The football was at a low, and now we get a nice, little momentum. Going to the Gold Cup or winning the Caribbean Cup will open so many doors.” Charles believes that the path to the Gold Cup must be taken step by step, beginning with tomorrow’s Caribbean Cup Finals opener against Haiti which takes place from 6 p.m. at the Antigua Recreation Ground.
The Soca Warriors will also face Antigua-Barbuda on Sunday, and the Dominican Republic on Tuesday. Charles said he will be using all the expertise provided by Shabazz, who was head-coach of Guyana when they were edged 1-0 by Haiti in Caribbean qualifying last month.
“Much of (what) we have done in the couple days before the tournament is geared toward Haiti. Jamaal (Shabazz) has the experience playing against them as head coach of Guyana. He brings a lot of experience and knowledge. So, we practiced and whatever he saw we did. We are gearing towards Haiti,” Charles said. We are looking to win the tournament (Caribbean Cup), but we are taking it one game at a time.”
Charles also believe his players have bought into the goal of both winning the Caribbean Cup and qualifying for the Gold Cup.
“I think these guys are highly motivated. They want to do good for Trinidad and Tobago,” Charles said.”I think they will do well. We pick a nice blend and I think the chemistry is there. I think the guys will go there and represent well.”
Charles also admits that as the competition approaches, he is more at ease this time, compared to earlier this year when the Soca Warriors faced funding problems as they prepared to enter the 2012 Caribbean Cup.
At one point, the Ministry of Sport had indicated an intention not to fund the team. Charles credits the installation of Raymond Tim Kee as Trinidad and Tobago Football Federation (TTFF) president as having a major impact with stakeholder thus far. Charles thinks it now up to the players to further improve the relationship with their financial supporters by doing well at the Caribbean Cup.
“Winning and qualifying for the Gold Cup will open doors. We think our stakeholders will get on board,” Charles said “The relationship with the Ministry of Sport (will improve). I think the president (Tim Kee ) has been trying to bridge that gap, and he has been doing a tremendous work so far. The players are seeing that, and they see things happening in terms of the financial aspect. Things are starting to come on board and gives that gives us a little sense of comfort.”

By Ian Prescott ian.prescott@trinidadexpress.com

Source: www.trinidadexpress.com

Ukraine's Yuriy Bilonoh has been stripped of his Olympic shot put title from Athens 2004, one of four athletes to lose their medals after retested samples from eight years ago were discovered to be positive.

The other athletes stripped of their medals by the International Olympic Committee's (IOC) ruling Executive Board are Russian shot putter Svetlana Krivelyova and Belarus discus thrower Irina Yatchenko of Belarus, who both won bronze medals, and Belarussian hammer thrower Ivan Tsikhan, who claimed a silver medallist.

Three-times world champion Tsikhan had also lost his bronze medal from the 2008 Beijing Games but the decision was overturned at the Court of Arbitration for Sport because of a laboratory procedural error.

A case involving Russian weightlifter Oleg Perepetchenov, who won a bronze medal in the -77kg category, is still pending. 

All four tested positive for anabolic steroids after were they were among more than 100 samples from the Games eight years ago that had been kept in large deep freeze in the basement of the anti-doping laboratory in Lausanne that were reanalysed for banned substances with more modern testing methods.

The IOC stores samples for eight years to allow for retesting for newly discovered substances or for those substances for which there was no test available at the time.

"You always want to wait until science gives you the most sensitive tests," IOC President Jacques Rogge said here.

"When we retested the athletes for Athens they had undergone testing that was negative [during Athens]."

"Since then there has been progress, we were informed about better tests and new tests.

"The more time you have, the bigger the chances that science will deliver better tests."

With Bilonoh losing his medal, doping has now claimed both men's and women's shot put winners of the competition staged at Ancient Olympia, a move that was aimed to bring the modern version back to its ancient roots.

Irina Khorzanenko lost her shot put medal after testing positive for the steroid stanozolol.

The total tally of doping cases from the Athens Olympics is now 31 after 26 positive tests at the time, which was the most in any Games.

"Athletes who cheat by using doping substances must understand that just because they get away with it one day, there is a very good chance that they will be caught in the future," said World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) President John Fahey.

"The retesting and subsequent decisions of the IOC are proof of that."

The IOC said it will ask the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) to get the four medals back and readjust the results and rankings from the Athens Games.

Until then, no decision will be taken on reallocating the medals.

Adam Nelson of the United States finished second in the shot put in Olympia behind Bilonoh and would stand to move up to gold.

Nelson and Bilonoh finished with the same best throw, but the Ukrainian was declared the winner because his second-best attempt was longer.

It was the first time an Olympic field event was decided by a second-best mark.

"I'm still processing this one, but the 2004 Olympics were a really special moment for me," Nelson told the New York Times after being told that Bilonoh had been disqualified.

"My wife was there, a bunch of my friends from college, my family.

"We competed at the birthplace of the Olympic Games.

"The downside of this is I feel like our country was robbed of a medal at the relevant time.

"One of the biggest parts of an Olympic career is when you hear your anthem and see your flag when you stand on that podium.

"That's something I can never replace."

Denmark's Joachim Olsen is set to be awarded the silver medal and Manuel Martinez of Spain the bronze.

In the hammer Turkey's Esref Apak will be promoted from bronze to sliver medal and Vadzim Dzevyatusky of Belarus takes bronze.

In the women's events, the discus and shot bronze medals should go respectively to Vera Pospisilova-Cechlova of the Czech Republic and Nadezhda Ostapchuk of Belarus.

Ironically Ostapchuk was disqualified earlier this year after winning gold in the shot at London 2012 for testing positive for the banned anabolic agent metenolone - she is presently serving a one-year ban.

By Duncan Mackay at the Palace Hotel in Lausanne

Source: www.insidethegames.biz

Contact the writer of this story at duncan.mackay@insidethegames.biz

The ongoing probe into alleged malpractice by Asian football powerbroker Mohamed Bin Hammam, which has seriously split his increasingly dysfunctional confederation, reaches a crucial stage within the next 48 hours during which FIFA-appointed United States investigators must decide what action to take against him, if any.

With the tension rising over whether Bin Hammam (pictured top) can eventually clear his name and be allowed to return to the corridors of power, FIFA has confirmed to insidethegames that the current 45-day ban on the 63-year-old Qatari expires on Friday (December 7) and that the next steps "will be determined at the appropriate time by the competent bodies".

That effectively means the FIFA Ethics Committee, the investigative half of which is chaired by US lawyer Michael Garcia, and the adjudicatory half-chaired by German judge Hans-Joachim Eckert.

With painstaking detail, Garcia's investigative team - the omnipresent Freeh Group -  have been looking into allegations that Bin Hammam seriously mismanaged Asian Football Confederation (AFC) finances during the nine years he was President, allegations he has persistently and fiercely denied.

Garcia has also been seeking new evidence that Bin Hammam - a former FIFA vice-president who was a member of its Executive Committee for 15 years - bribed Caribbean voters during his election challenge to FIFA President Sepp Blatter last year.

insidethegames has been advised by Caribbean sources that no new evidence was found.

Bin Hammam's life ban for that alleged bribery was lifted by Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in July through lack of sufficient evidence but the ruling made it clear that a further inquiry was permissible if new evidence was produced.

Although he recently lost a separate CAS appeal against being suspended while all the claims against him are being examined, Bin Hammam has waged a relentless legal challenge claiming he has done nothing wrong and that the investigations are entirely politically motivated.

The issue now is whether by Friday, after imposing a series of back-to-back suspensions, Garcia, or Eckert, announces there is enough additional incriminating material to further ban Bin Hammam.

To make matters even more intriguing, the AFC last week announced plans to elect a new President before April next year to replace Bin Hammam who has been out of office for 18 months fighting the corruption claims.

Should the election be approved by the AFC's legal department and should Bin Hammam's long campaign for justice fail, it would bring to an end the turbulent reign of a man whose supporters say revolutionised Asian football but whose critics accuse of giving preferential treatment to some federations over others.

By Andrew Warshaw

Source: www.insidethegames.biz

Contact the writer of this story at andrew.warshaw@insidethegames.biz

It has now been a few months since London 2012 ended and in many circles; that is a lifetime ago.
On my almost-daily visits to the capital, I still travel past the Olympic Park in Stratford.

But no longer is it the lively theatre that so wonderfully showcased the world's greatest athletes to all four corners of the globe; rather an almost deserted building site that harbours the London 2012 ghosts of Usain Bolt and Michael Phelps.

Obviously it will soon reopen as the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park where we are promised it will become a vibrant new East London community. But I don't think anyone can honestly expect it to still contain the same magic that it did during this summer.

The people who made it such a marvellous spectacle are also gone to different walks of life.

Rather poignantly, I attended the 2015 Rugby World Cup draw on Monday (December 3) where Debbie Jevans, the former London 2012 Director of Sport, now serves as chief executive of the Organising Committee for the next big sporting event on English shores.

But when surrounded by the rugby media, not one reference was made to Jevans' past life at London 2012, despite her integral role in the bid for and then organisation of the 2012 Games.

But in a small corner of London this week, in SoHo Hotel, the 2012 Olympics and Paralympics was being remembered at the LOCOG annual (and last) Christmas media drinks.

Heading the cast was London 2012 chairman Sebastian Coe with London 2012 chief executive Paul (now Lord) Deighton also in attendance.

As is customary for the event, Coe climbed on the table towards the end of proceedings to thank the media, surprisingly sincerely, for their contribution in making London 2012 such a success.

"It is you, asking the hard questions, that made us a better organisation," Coe said to widespread approval in the room.

He carried on in an emotional speech before humorously ending: "See you all at the British Olympic Association (BOA) soon!"

Of course Coe was referencing the fact that he is now BOA chairman, but the joke was that it seemed almost irrelevant in the context of this night.

Clearly London 2012 ended several months ago but with the year now drawing to a close, it feels like the metaphorical curtain is only now closing on the Olympics and Paralympics and arguably the greatest ever year for the old capital city.

The Olympic and Paralympic circus has now packed up and left town but what remains is the warm satisfaction of having been a small part of the greatest Games in history.

And that was something rather bittersweet for all of us in SoHo Hotel.

Tom Degun is a reporter for insidethegames

The Indian Olympic Association (IOA) were today suspended by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) because of the row over its elections.

The IOC's ruling Executive Board, which is meeting here today, suspended the IOA for not holding the elections under the Olympic Charter in its election process.

The IOA had been directed by the High Court in New Delhi to hold the elections tomorrow according to the Government's controversial Sports Code, while the IOC wanted it to abide by the Olympic Charter that favours autonomy.

That led to IOC member Randhir Singh and his supporters withdrawing from the contest last month.

It leaves tainted official Lalit Bhanot elected unopposed as the IOA's secretary general, while Abhey Singh Chautala, the chairman of the Indian Boxing Federation, is set to take over as President.

Bhanot is out on bail after being held in custody for 11 months last year over corruption charges during the 2010 Commonwealth Games in New Delhi when he was secretary general of the Organising Committee.

But if the elections go ahead tomorrow then they will be "null and void", the IOC warned.

"They are not entitled to have elections and if for some reason they go ahead this will not be recognised," said the IOC's Pere Miro, in charge of relations with National Olympic Committees.

"This is because this is part of a full problem.

"The election process has been tarnished since the origin.

"Many different interferences, many governmental rules and their own bad interpretation of IOA statutes,"

The decision to suspend the Olympic governing body of the second most populous country on earth had been widely expected.

The IOC Ethics Commission had in October warned the IOA against fielding either Bhanot or Suresh Kalmadi, who has been IOA President since 1996, but who is also on bail over corruption charges.

The decision means that the IOA will not receive IOC funding and its officials will be banned from attending Olympic meetings and events.

If the situation is not sorted out then India's athletes will also be barred from competing in the Olympics under the national flag, although, with the Winter Games in Sochi 2014 still more than a year away, there is plenty of time to find a solution.

The IOA had sent representatives here to try to persuade the IOC not to suspend them.

"It's the wrong decision as the IOC has not even met our representatives," said Chautala.

India had made its debut at the Olympics in Paris in 1900, although there is confusion over whether its only competitor, Norman Pritchard, who won silver medals in the 200 metres and 200m hurdles was actually competing for Britain.

The IOA was formed in 1927 and competed for the first time at the following year's Olympics in Amseterdam, when its hockey team won the gold medal, beginning a streak that continued through to the 1956 Games in Melbourne.

Abhinav Bindra, the only Indian to win an individual Olympic gold medal, had criticised the IOA for allowing Bhanot to be in a position where he could be elected unopposed.

"It's about politics and stooping to a new low," said Bindra, who won the men's 10 metre rifle event at Beijing in 2008.

"It is agonising to see such people coming back."

Bindra later tweeted: "Bye Bye IOA, hope to see u again soon, hopefully cleaner!"

The IOC's tough stance is backed by Clean Sports India (CSI), who are campaigning for a corruption-free sports administration.

Morad Ali, their spokesman, has described suspension as "surgery for the Indian sporting system".

But some of India's top athletes expressed their concern about the repercussions for their careers.

"I do not know much about this [suspension]," said boxer Mary Kom, who won a bronze medal in the flyweight category at Londo.

"I don't have a good feeling about this.

"I will not be able to give my 100 per cent without the Indian flag,"

Even Bishen Bedi, one of India's greatest ever cricketers, felt the need to get involved.

"What is worse," he asked on his Twitter page. "IOA, IOC or IPL (Indian Premier League)?! "Please come forward with constructive response. Remember the sportspersons' involvement is strictly at stake. Thanks."

Contact the writer of this story at duncan.mackay@insidethegames.biz

By Duncan Mackay at the Palace Hotel in Lausanne

Source: www.insidethegames.biz

ROYALIANS RFC, like Harvard men, retained their women’s title in the Harvard Club Rugby Festival which was played at the St Mary’s Ground, St Clair, over the weekend. Royalians which had a easier time this year since there were only two teams in this category, marched past Police in a best of three tournament to lift the title.

Vice-captain of the winning team Dalia Jordan-Browne, who was also adjudged the Most Valuable Player (MVP) said the players came into the tournament with a lot of confidence.

“We came into this tournament knowing that we were going to win. I am not being boastful but these are tournaments that we would normally. We basically tried to perform at our best, to beat ourselves and to do better each time. We tried to stick with the game plan which worked sometimes while other times it did not work. Nevertheless we are happy with the end result as we were able to retain our title,” said Jordan-Browne.

She said being one of the more experienced players in the unit, her job is not just to help carry the team, but also to motivate and guide the lesser experienced players.

The two-time winners will be heading to the sister isle this weekend to compete at the Second Annual Carib Tobago International Rugby 7’s Tournament and the vice-captain feels this win is a good confidence booster. “You could always do with a confidence booster and it also gives us an idea of basically what we need to do, the little things we need to clean up before we get to Tobago,” said the MVP.

While she feels that they will have their work cut out at that tournament she is confident that they will do well. “It is going to be a whole different realm of competition, not just the local but also the international competition. It will be fiercer, since the international teams have a lot more experienced players but it will be good and we will do well,” said the Royalians vice-captain.

Jordan-Browne said they have a fair idea of what is expected and they will not be taking anything for granted.

Some six international teams as well as four teams from the twin island Republic will do battle for the top prize which includes a trophy and US$5,000. The second placed team will take home US$2,500, the third placed team US$1,500 and the fourth placed team will get US$1,000. The Tournament will be played at the Bon Accord Recreation Ground this Saturday and Sunday.

-Kevin Sunich

Source: www.newsday.co.tt

THE Trinidad and Tobago Cycling Federation (TTCF), in collaboration with Mike’s Bikes will pay host to the National Mountain Bike Championships, scheduled to pedal off at the Arboretum, Chaguaramas, on Sunday.

This highly anticipated event is expected to attract a wide variety of off-road riders, all vying for top honours in various categories. Speaking at the event’s launch which was held at the Trinidad and Tobago Olympic Committee Office, Port-of-Spain yesterday, promoter Michael Phillips said this year’s event will be one to remember.

The Championship is the first TTCF sanctioned mountain bike event ever in TT. It is being considered an exhibition event and will be held next year under the auspices of the world cycling governing body, the International Cycling Union (UCI). The first-time event will comprise three main events; the TT Time Trial, Kids Cross Country and an Open Cross Country.

Cyclists will start the course individually at 30-second intervals, and ride one lap of a cross country course. Categories being contested will be Tinymites (13-14), Juveniles (15-16), Juniors (17-18), Elite (19+) and Masters (40+, 50+, 60+). The near three-mile (4.8km) course begins at the Arboretum and heads down to South Bank where the cyclists will make a “U” turn and head back up the North Bank, and then back to the starting point.

The Kids Cross Country will feature a one mile course that begins and ends at the Arboretum. The courses have been specifically designed to mirror an Olympic format cross-country event, consisting of between 4-6 kilometres. Registration fee for children 2 years and Under has been reasonably priced at $60 per person; while ages 13-18 will cost $80 and all riders ages 19 and over will be required to pay $100.

All entries are to be submitted by Friday and there will be no race-day registration. Cyclists must be registered with the TTCF to take part in the event.

More information can be received at the email address northernrangersmbc@gmail.com or the Mike’s Bikes Facebook account.

The event is being sponsored by Dimes, Chaguaramas Development Authority, Geronimo’s, National Lottery Control Board, Hyundai, Blue Waters, Yoplait, Kiss Hearty Balance, Gatorade, Mike’s Bikes and the TTCF.

-Jonathan Ramnananansingh

Source: www.newsday.co.tt

LAUSANNE, Switzerland (AP) — With concern mounting about the pace of progress for the 2016 Games in Rio de Janeiro, the IOC is warning Brazilian organizers that "time is ticking" and they must attack the project "with all vigor" to ensure that the first Olympics in South America are a success.

In other developments, the IOC suspended India's national Olympic committee because of government interference in its election process, two officials with knowledge of the decision told The Associated Press.

With the 2016 games less than four years away, Rio organizers briefed the International Olympic Committee executive board on Tuesday on their preparations amid leadership changes and continuing uncertainty about the budget and location of some sports venues.

Rio brought its new chief executive, Sidney Levy, who will take over the post in January. He will replace Leonardo Gryner, who becomes the chief operations officer.

IOC spokesman Mark Adams says "our message remains (that) there is time, but time is ticking, and they need to carry on attacking this one with all vigor."

After months of warnings, the IOC executive board imposed the sanction when the Indian Olympic Association failed to comply with the world body's demands for holding independent elections, the officials said.

Source: www.usatoday.com

England, Wales and Scotland are about to receive the shock news that only one of them will be allowed to 'qualify' the Great Britain sevens team for the Rio Olympics in 2016 after an IOC intervention to make the qualification as equitable as possible.