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Eight youth teams vie for Isuzu Cup BorneoPost Online | Borneo , Malaysia, Sarawak Daily News » Sports - New 2 Borneo

Eight youth teams vie for Isuzu Cup

Posted: 07 Dec 2013 02:48 PM PST

by Matthew T. Umpang reporters@theborneopost.com. Posted on December 8, 2013, Sunday

KUCHING: Football Association of Sarawak (FAS) hopes to break new ground with the Isuzu Cup which kicks off on Dec 15.

FAS president Datu Sudarsono Osman is hoping that the state-wide Under-19 tournament will be a key avenue to unearth new talents.

He was speaking to reporters during a sponsorship signing ceremony at the Dewan Masyarakat MBKS here yesterday as he thanked Isuzu Malaysia Sdn Bhd for their generous support.

Assistant Minister of Youth Development and Housing Datuk Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah was present to witness the ceremony.

Rhino Motors general manager David Tay was also present.

Isuzu Malaysia has set aside RM100,000 to sponsor the tournament which is jointly organised by FAS and Samarahan Division Football Association (PBBS).

FAS deputy president Datu Mohd Abu Bakar Marzuki, who is chairman of the tournament organising committee, received a mock-cheque from the Isuzu Malaysia.

Eight teams will compete for honours in the tournament to be held at several venues across the Samarahan division.

Isuzu Malaysia senior manager Junaidy Sulaiman shared the hope that the competition would be an impetus for the development of youth football.

"It is an honour for us to help in the development of local football. We hope to get more youths here in Sarawak to take up football more seriously or perhaps choose it as a career," he said.

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Wushu star Diana strikes first gold for M’sia

Posted: 07 Dec 2013 02:47 PM PST

NAYPYITAW, Myanmar: It was a golden strike by national wushu athlete Diana Bong Siong Lin when she fulfilled a forecast at the opening of the wushu event by bagging Malaysia's first gold medal in the 27th SEA Games near here yesterday.

The 28-year-old Sarawakian collected 9.70 points to beat eight others in the Nanquan event which was held at the Wunna Theikdi A Closed Stadium.

The silver medal for the event was won by Vietnamese athlete Minh Phuong Bui who collected 9.68 points, merely 0.03 points over Malaysia's Cheau Xuen Tai who clinched the bronze.

Another bronze for Malaysia in wushu came from Phoo Eyin in the women's Jianshu event when she scored 9.46 points.

The gold medal for the event was won by Thuy Vi Duang (Vietnam) who collected an overall 9.7 points, or a difference of only 0.01 point, to beat the silver medallist from Myanmar, Sandy Yoo.

Diana said initially, she was a bundle of nerves as she shouldered the challenge to win the country's first gold medal. Nevertheless, the feeling of nervousness dissipated when she stepped into the arena.

"In the arena, I tried to focus on the competition fully and felt happy when I managed to pass the one minute and 20 second duration," she told reporters here yesterday.

The athlete from Sungai Tapang, Kuching said she had a headache in the morning but it did not affect her focus when performing in the arena.

Diana said mental strength was important for every athlete and she was able to overcome any problem, including diarrhoea since three days ago.

Prior to this, she won the gold medal in the women's nanquan-nandao-nangun combined event at the SEA Games in Thailand in 2007, and repeated the success at the SEA Games in Laos in 2009, through the women's nangun-nandao combined event.

However, luck was not on her side at the SEA Games in Indonesia, two years ago, when she managed only a bronze through the women's nandao-nangun combined event.

Diana said she was happy with her success yesterday, as she had redeemed her failure in Indonesia.

"The grief in failing to clinch the gold medal in Indonesia is now over and I feel very happy today, after waiting for two years to erase my disappointment," she added. — Bernama

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Tiger stuns rivals with magical 62

Posted: 07 Dec 2013 02:45 PM PST

THOUSAND OAKS, United States: Tiger Woods matched his own Sherwood Country Club course record on Friday with a 10-under 62 to take the lead in his World Challenge.

The world number one, who started the day four shots off the lead, had 10 birdies and no bogeys for an 11-under total of 133.

That gave him a two-shot lead over first-round leader Zach Johnson, who had four birdies in a four-under 68 for 135.

"It was good today," said Woods, who has won this 18-man tournament he hosts for the benefit of his charitable foundation five times. He set the course record of 62 in the second round in 2007, en route to one of those triumphs.

"I only made probably two putts that were downhill. I hit a lot of good shots, leaving myself in these spots so my putts weren't really that difficult to make."

Woods saw a long putt at the seventh curl around the hole and drop in the back for birdie.

He kept his momentum with a key two-putt par at the par-three 12th and birdied 13 despite a tough lie in a bunker with an acorn behind his ball.

Oddly enough, Woods wasn't feeling that great as he warmed up for a round that was delayed for an hour by morning frost.

"I did not warm up well," he said. "I was not hitting it very good on the range."

He opened with back-to-back birdies at the first and second, leaving himself a putt of less than two feet at the first.

But it wasn't until the third hole, he said, that he felt his swing really click.

"I tried to keep that feeling the rest of the day, and I did," he said. "I hit a lot of good shots after that."

Woods' score was one shot off the best of his career. He has shot 61 four times, most recently in the second round of the WGC Bridgestone at Firestone in August — where he went on to win by seven strokes.

"This is similar to what I did at Firestone this year," he said. "I think Firestone is a much more difficult golf course than Sherwood, but as far as quality ball-striking, I hit it equally as good today if not better."

American Matt Kuchar carded a 68 for 136 to stand alone in third place heading into a weekend that could see rain move across the rolling countryside course, 64 kilometres (40 miles) west of Los Angeles.

"The next couple days, if the weatherman actually does get it right, we are going to have a hell of a test," Woods said.

Johnson birdied the 18th to narrow the gap to Woods — an especially pleasing finish after his bogey there on Thursday.

"Steady golf," he said of his round. "Four-under is a nice score. Amazing what Tiger did out there. It's just some incredible golf."

Former world number one Rory McIlroy, who captured his first win of 2013 just last week at the Australian Open, endured another tough day.

He carded a five-over 77 that included a double-bogey six at the par-four fourth and a quadruple-bogey nine at the par-five 16th. — AFP

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187 exponents compete in state wushu championship

Posted: 07 Dec 2013 02:43 PM PST

by Matthew T. Umpang reporters@theborneopost.com. Posted on December 8, 2013, Sunday

KUCHING: The 23rd Sarawak Wushu Championship kicked off yesterday with organisers implementing the standardised plus optional routine rules.

According to Wushu Federation of Sarawak (WFS) deputy president James Ting, the move is to ensure that Sarawak complies with international wushu standards.

As Sarawak will host the Malaysia Games (Sukma) in 2016, he also revealed that the state might implement the standardised plus optional routine rules by then.

"When wushu was first included as an event, all routines were standardised. It was only changed to optional during the Sukma 2008 when Terengganu were host," said Ting.

Penang was the first Sukma host to include wushu as an event in 2000.  Ting reasoned that the rule change from standardised to optional routines rules was because the standardised routines were deemed too subjective by most participants.

For a start, the organisers have thus decided to make this year's inter-division tournament run on the new ruling.

A total of 187 exponents representing the various divisions namely Kuching, Betong, Sarikei, Sibu and Miri are competing in this year's championship.

Hot favourites Kuching are expected to retain their overall champions title.

The two-day event, held at the Kenyalang Community Hall here, ends today.

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Badminton superseries finals to kick-off 2014 Visit M’sia Year

Posted: 07 Dec 2013 02:42 PM PST

KUALA LUMPUR: The acclaimed Badminton World Federation (BWF) Superseries Finals, to be held here in Kuala Lumpur beginning Wednesday, will be a significant event in the lead-up to the much-anticipated 2014 Visit Malaysia Year (VMY).

Tourism Malaysia director-general Datuk Mirza Mohammad Taiyab said the tournament was part of the international events agenda of the VMY 2014, and Malaysia was proud to host the tournament for the third time.

"As Malaysians get ready for VMY 2014, our nation is primed to be the perfect host to welcome visitors from the world over to enjoy the endless array of events, happenings and wonders of Malaysia," he said in a statement here yesterday.

He said hosting international events like the BWF Superseries Final, not only put Malaysia on the global sporting map but also created opportunities for economic and tourism activities in the country.

The BWF Superseries comprises 12 tournaments over the year, which began in South Korea in January, and then made its way through a host of other locations like India, China, Singapore, Indonesia, Denmark, France, Japan and Hong Kong.

The concluding finals, to be staged at the Kuala Lumpur Badminton Stadium in Cheras, promises a line-up of top international players who received the highest points in the BWF Superseries ranking, including home favourite world number one Datuk Lee Chong Wei.

Among badminton stars to compete in the US$500,000 (RM1.6 million) tournament comprise Kenichi Tago of Japan, Jan O Jorgensen (Denmark) and South Korean men's doubles player Lee Yong Dae, as well as from the national team, men's doubles Koo Kien Keat/Tan Boon Heong and mixed doubles Chan Peng Soon/Goh Liu Ying. — Bernama

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Dutch repeat for Spain, Italian heat on England

Posted: 07 Dec 2013 02:39 PM PST

COSTA DO SAUIPE, Brazil: Dealing up an intriguing World Cup draw, FIFA fired the starting gun Friday for a Brazilian extravaganza which will see the hosts kick off against Croatia before defending champions Spain open their campaign against the Netherlands, whom they beat in the 2010 final.

The mouth-watering start for the Spanish was just one twist in the draw at Costa do Sauipe, a northeastern beach resort, as England must meet Italy when the pair brave the heat of Manaus – just what England manager Roy Hodgson did not want.

FIFA, confident Brazil will overcome stadium delays which will see the opening match venue Sao Paulo completed only in mid-April, will Sunday open the next stage of ticket sales – all tickets for the opening match and the July 13 final have already been snapped up. And FIFA president Sepp Blatter and Brazilian officials, who have not always seen eye to eye on preparations that the game's world body has seen as laggardly, both used the draw to tell the world the event will be the best ever – "this will be the Cup of Cups" as Brazil President Dilma Rousseff put it.

England have a tough task on paper, drawn in a group containing three former champions – themselves, four-time winners Italy and twice winners Uruguay – as well as Costa Rica.

But Spain, who won their first title in South Africa four years ago, also have a difficult Group B as after they play the three-time runners-up Dutch on June 13 in Salvador they then take on talented Chile in Rio before facing Australia in Curitiba.

"I said to people this morning we were going to get Holland and we did, in the first game no less," said Spain coach Vicente Del Bosque.

"Holland will demand that we start at our highest level."

Brazil, bidding for a sixth title but a first at home after losing the 1950 final match to Uruguay, take on Croatia in Sao Paulo on June 12 – assuming the venue is ready after a fatal accident last week delayed prospective completion for another four months.

The Brazilians will then take on Mexico and Cameroon in a Group A that appears on the face of it unthreatening, if not easy.

"We must pay close attention to the opening phase," said Brazil's 2002 title-winning coach Luiz Felipe Scolari. "We must play every game as if it were the final right from the outset."

England, meanwhile, will start off with a Group D meeting against four-time champions Italy in the heat of Amazonian venue Manaus on June 14 – though it is at least an evening kick-off.

That match is a repeat of the Euro 2012 quarter-final, which Italy, who knocked England out of the 1978 World Cup qualifiers, won on penalties.

"It's a tough group, there's no doubt about that," said England coach Roy Hodgson, whose team also face Uruguay, a third former champion in their group.

"In Italy and Uruguay it's almost as though we have got two number one seeds in our group."

Italian opposite number Cesare Prandelli said the group looked a tough call.

"It is the Group of Death, a very difficult group. We are worried about the distances we shall have to cover. The game against England will be very important," Prandelli said.

A notable subplot will see Germany go up against the United States, now coached by former Germany coach Jurgen Klinsmann in Recife on June 26 in their final pool match.

"That's one of those crazy stories that football writes," Klinsmann told German broadcaster ARD.

Germany, whose third and last title came in 1990, also drew Ghana and Portugal in Group G.

Klinsmann coached Germany to third at the 2006 World Cup with current German boss Joachim Loew his then assistant.

Argentina, champions in 1978 and 1986, meet sole newcomers Bosnia in Rio on June 15 and then will face Iran and Nigeria.

Former England boss Fabio Capello was happy after he saw his Russian charges draw seeded Belgium, South Korea and Algeria in Group H.

"I'm pleased with the draw. Some of the other groups consist of much stronger teams," said Capello, a second-round loser with England in 2010.

France, champions in 1998 but forced to come through the playoffs, will meet Group E seeds Switzerland as well as Ecuador and Honduras.

After a poignant homage to the late Nelson Mandela – Brazil will now observe seven days of mourning for his loss – the draw began to the exhilarating sound of samba at the northeastern beach resort of Costa do Sauipe.

The draw build-up had been dominated by news of stadium delays and anti-World Cup campaigners threatening public protest.

Yet Mandela's death changed the tone as participants remembered how he saw in sport a means of fostering social progress. — AFP

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