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Khairy has every right to intervene — NSC chief BorneoPost Online | Borneo , Malaysia, Sarawak Daily News » Sports - New 2 Borneo

Khairy has every right to intervene — NSC chief

Posted: 23 Jan 2014 10:02 AM PST

KUALA LUMPUR: The transparent approach of Khairy Jamaluddin in engaging local sports personalities shows how serious the Youth and Sports Minister is in looking into local sports development, said National Sports Council (NSC) director-general Datuk Seri Zolkples Embong.

He said the meetings Khairy held with sports bodies or actions in intervening in the affairs of local sports associations should not be made into an issue.

This, he said was because a minister had the authority to do so as provided under the Sports Development Act to ensure national sports development was on the right track.

"He is concerned about problems faced by the associations and as the minister, he has the power over all national sports development programmes and activities.

"Should there be problems, they should be handled well so that plans could be implemented to avoid creating more problems," he told reporters after attending a Maulidur Rasul celebration procession around the National Sports Complex in Bukit Jalil here yesterday.

Zolkples was commenting on a closed-door meeting Khairy had with national professional cyclists recently to gather views and suggestions on improving the quality of the national highway cycling programme.

Meanwhile, NSC has denied claims that national swimming coach Paul Birmingham would be following in the foot steps of national hockey chief coach Paul Revington, who resigned from his post last week.

Zolkples said the matter did not arise because Birmingham had informed the NSC's Athletes Preparation Division director Ariffin Mohd Ghani that he was facing health problems.

"His (Birmingham's) absence from training the national squad since last month was because he contracted dengue fever …now he has almost recovered. Furthermore, he and the national swimming contingent recently returned from the SEA Games in Myanmar.

"I hope he does not face any serious problems that can affect his duties," he told reporters.

On another note, Zolkples said at the meeting between the NSC and the Amateur Swimming Association of Malaysia last week, NSC agreed to increase coaches for aquatic sports in preparing for the 2015 and 2017 SEA Games.

Revington cited health reasons for stepping down as hockey chief coach. — Bernama

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Backup players gain exposure at Indonesian tourney

Posted: 23 Jan 2014 10:02 AM PST

by Ting Tieng Hee, reporters@theborneopost.com. Posted on January 24, 2014, Friday

KUCHING: Sarawak Sukma XVII lawn tennis shadow team players gained valuable exposure at a tournament in Pontianak, Kalimantan, Indonesia recently despite not winning any title.

This tournament from Jan 16-19 is one of the competitions chosen for the state players to gain exposure in preparation for their challenge in Perlis from May 27 to June 4 .

The Sarawak Lawn Tennis Association (SLTA) sent a 12-member team including five female players and the best performer was Linda Liong who reached the girls singles final only to be beaten 6-3, 6-1 by Vita Taher.

Linda entered the final after beating compatriot Belinda Chai 6-4, 2-6, 6-1 in the last four while another state player Cecelia Lai was beaten 6-1, 6-1 by Vita in the other semi-final. However, Kirstin Liong and Alia Azman were knocked out in the first round of the competition that saw 10 players contesting for the title.

In the boys singles, only Alvin Teng made it to the semi-finals where he fell 6-3, 3-6, 4-6 to M Faizol Riska.

The event was won by another Indonesian Arief Rahman who beat Faizol 6-2, 6-0 in the final.

Kenneth Tan, Rohaizat Achop Borhan Janang bowed out of the quarterfinals while Mohd Pauzi Zaki, Mohd Norhairi Khaidir, Rahmat Juimbai Borhan Janang and Gregory Tan were first round casualties.

In the boys team event, Indonesia edged Sarawak 3-2 with Rohizat and Kenneth Tan-Rahmat Juimbai Borhan Janang claiming the points for the visitors.

In the girls team competition the Indonesia team beat Sarawak 3-1.

Cecelia Lai delivered Sarawak's solitary point when she beat Finandya Suci 6-3, 6-4 in the second singles.

SLTA president Patrick Liew said the team that played in Pontianak was not the full team as the key players Mohd Assri Merzuki, Aries Elyaas Deen Hesham and Aslina Chua were training/studying in the US.

"It's more about preparing these back-up players for Sukma 2016 and we want them to get involved in tournaments outside Kuching and Sarawak," he said.

"It's a good mental preparation for the young players and we want them to see what is the standard of our Indonesian counterparts from Jakarta, East Kalimantan and West Kalimantan."

Liew added that the next exposure stint for the state players will be sometime in March in Bangkok, Thailand.

"We will be watching the political situation in Bangkok very closely before sending our players there for the training/tournament exposure," said Liew.

He said if the team cannot go to Thailand, the alternative venue would be in Manila, Philippines.

SLTA has set a target of capturing four gold medals from tennis in Perlis, with hopes pinned on Assri (men's singles), Ariez-Alvin Teng (men's doubles), Aslina (women's singles) and the team event.

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Fed eyes chances against stricken Rafa

Posted: 23 Jan 2014 10:01 AM PST

Renewed Swiss out to capitalise on Nadal's blistered hand in semi-final

MELBOURNE: A rejuvenated Roger Federer may get his best chance to end his Grand Slam torment against Rafael Nadal at the Australian Open with the top seed plagued by a blister on his hand.

The Swiss all-time Grand Slam champion has not beaten Nadal in five Slam encounters since his 2007 Wimbledon final triumph, in a period of dominance by the Spanish world number one.

But a combination of Federer's resurgence under Swedish mentor Stefan Edberg, and Nadal's blister-induced weakened serve, has thrown open the outcome of today's blockbuster semi-final.

Nadal was clearly discomfited by the ugly blister in the palm of his serving hand as he spluttered with seven double-faults, two on break points, in his battling four-set win over Grigor Dimitrov in the quarter-finals.

The 13-time Grand Slam champion, 27, complained that a lack of confidence in his weakened serve made him vulnerable against the rising Bulgarian star.

"I served slower. I served bad," said Nadal, who is on a 10-match winning run. "I felt my biggest problem was the serve because serving like this gives me a problem with everything else," he added.

"When you lose confidence with one important shot like the serve, then you are not able to play the rest of the shots with confidence."

"So I'm going to try to improve that, because I'll need it in the semi-final if I'm going to have the chance to be in the final."

With the defeat of three-time defending champion Novak Djokovic on the other side of the men's draw, and Federer's four-set defeat of triple runner-up Andy Murray, only the Swiss great now stands in the way of a third Australian Open final appearance for Nadal.

Former world number one Federer, now ranked sixth, is trying to prolong his fabulous career and show he is still capable of winning an 18th Grand Slam title, with his last coming at Wimbledon 2012.

The 32-year-old Swiss maestro last month hired six-time Grand Slam champion Stefan Edberg in an advisory coaching role, and said he is feeling good again about his tennis.

"It's an amazing result for me again to be in the semis. This one feels different because of the tougher times I've had in (last year's) Slams, Wimbledon, at the US Open," Federer said.

"I am back physically. I'm explosive out there. I can get to balls. I'm not afraid to go for balls."

Federer said he will draw on Edberg's big-match experience to devise his strategy against Nadal, but clearly he is relishing the prospect of playing the Spaniard again on the big stage.

"He's been tough to play against, no doubt. I'm happy I get a chance to play him in a Slam again," said Federer, who lost to Nadal in the 2012 Australian Open semi-finals in their last Slam encounter.

"The head-to-head record is in his favour. I'm looking forward to speaking to Stefan, because when we first spoke about my game, we spoke about playing Rafa as well.

"Stefan thought he had some good ideas, so I'm looking forward to what he has to say.

"Clearly with (coach) Severin Luthi, he knows him (Nadal) inside out. I'm looking forward to hear what the boys have to say. I hope I can get a win. We'll see."

Nadal is bidding to become only the third man to win each of the four Grand Slam titles twice should he get through to Sunday's final. — AFP

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Injuries rife at Aussie Open despite shorter season

Posted: 23 Jan 2014 10:00 AM PST

MELBOURNE: When the professional tennis tours decided to shorten their respective seasons a few years ago, it was hoped it would extend the longevity of players at the top and cut down on the number of injuries.

At this year's Australian Open, though, players were once more dropping like flies, denting the draws and leaving the physiotherapists at Melbourne Park severely overworked.

The nine first-round retirements, eight men and one woman, equalled the record for the most retirements or walkovers in a grand slam event.

Many of them, including the withdrawal of Palona Hercog of Slovenia after just one game, were clearly a result of a pre-existing injury.

Others, like Czech Radek Stepanek, suffered an injury early in the match and were unable to finish.

The WTA Tour ends in late October, giving the leading women nine weeks off, while the ATP Tour has a seven-week break after the conclusion of the ATP World Tour Finals in London in early November.

The spate of retirements in Melbourne have led some to question whether players are not taking advantage of the longer break to rest their bodies but instead over-training in the off-season.

It may not be as simple as that.

Andy Murray, who famously uses the off-season to train hard in Miami, said there could be any number of reasons for a high number of injuries at this time of year.

"There's a big difference between someone having a muscular injury and twisting your ankle," the Wimbledon champion said.

"Twisting your ankle is bad luck. If there's a lot of muscular sort of injuries and stuff, then that's something different. That can be down to either not training hard enough or training too much.

"Sometimes, if you've been in Europe for a long time and it's freezing cold, coming to this heat, guys can get exhausted pretty quickly, muscles get tired faster.

"When your muscles get tired, it puts pressure on other parts of your body."

The injuries continued into the second week in Melbourne as Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova both suffered problems as their title chances bit the dust. Williams' coach, Patrick Mouratoglou, said he thought it was most likely down to the difference between practice and competition.

"All the players, you can ask them, if they practice for four hours, every day, for two months, then the first match they play, they're going to be so sore, because competition is completely different," he said.

"They push themselves much more. Even though they feel they push themselves 100 percent in practice, that's not true.

"Stress plays a very important role in that. Because of the stress they also sometimes hit the ball in extreme positions, which can lead to injuries."

Murray, who did not play between September and late December after back surgery, agreed. — Reuters

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Li marches towards second Slam title

Posted: 23 Jan 2014 09:59 AM PST

Chinese star ends Bouchard dream as Cibulkoba defeats Radwanska to make final

MELBOURNE: Chinese trailblazer Li Na marched towards a second Grand Slam title yesterday by blasting past teenager Eugenie Bouchard and into the Australian Open final, where she will face Dominika Cibulkova.

The fourth seed steamrolled the rising Canadian 6-2, 6-4 to continue her stellar form at Melbourne Park where she has now reached three finals, as well as another semi-final and the fourth round over the past five years.

After an agonising defeat to Victoria Azarenka in last year's decider on Rod Laver Arena, when she dramatically twice rolled her ankle and briefly blacked out, she is desperate to go one better.

"It is the third time, so pretty close to the trophy," the 31-year-old said, after teaching the ultra-confident Bouchard, 19, a tennis lesson.

"At least I'll try to not fall down this time, because last year in the final I think I played well but I only can say (I was) unlucky because I fell down twice."

Li's gutsy decision to get up and play on last year won her a new legion of fans in Australia, where she was already hugely popular due to her bubbly off-court persona.

Her French Open victory in 2011, the first singles Grand Slam title for an Asian player, helped popularise tennis in China. Li is also the figurehead for a push by women's tennis into the region.

She will go into tomorrow's showdown a clear favourite against Cibulkova, the tournament's surprise package, who will be making her Grand Slam final debut after crushing fifth seed Agniezska Radwanska 6-1, 6-2.

The 20th seed was in inspired form against the Pole, who said she was exhausted after ending Azarenka's title defence in three sets on Wednesday.

It ensured Cibulkova not only made her first Grand Slam final in 26 attempts, but also goes down in the history books as the first singles player from her country to get so far.

"I had so many thoughts in my head (during the match) but just focused on my game. I can't believe I'm in a final," she said.

"Li is a great player, someone I really looked up to when I was a junior and I just want to go out there and enjoy it."

Li, who survived a match point in a tough third-round clash with Lucie Safarova, said she was glad to get past Bouchard and hopes her experience will pay off against Cibulkova.

"I've got more experience. Right now the final is special. The final is final, but it's still just one match," she said.

"So I still have to hit the ball to try to do my best. I cannot wait for my opponent make a mistake."

She put that experience to good use against Bouchard, who was playing her first Grand Slam semi-final at only her fourth attempt.

The Canadian, known as Genie, seemed overawed at the outset, losing her first three service games to love, before gaining confidence to make a match of it.

She leaves the tournament in high spirits after impressing with her composure and all-court game, but said she was disappointed to lose.

"I'm proud of how I've improved as a player throughout the tournament. But I'm never satisfied with losing. I'm always disappointed," she said.

"I wouldn't say I exceeded my expectations, but I'm happy with how I did. I always want to do better. To me it's not a surprise. I've been working hard my whole life to do this, play at Grand Slams and do well."

Radwanska was equally disappointed after freezing against Cibulkova.

It was another wasted opportunity for the Pole, who has now reached the quarter-finals or better in each of the last four years at Melbourne Park but failed to push on to the final.

"I felt like I was in slow motion today," she said. "I had a couple of tough matches, especially yesterday (against Azarenka). I think I was not fresh enough." — AFP

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PSG suffer shock French Cup exit

Posted: 23 Jan 2014 09:58 AM PST

French giants surprisingly beaten by struggling Montpellier, Falcao injured in Monaco win

PARIS: Paris Saint-Germain were surprisingly beaten 2-1 by Montpellier in the round of 32 of the French Cup on Wednesday, while an injury to star striker Radamel Falcao overshadowed Monaco's win against minnows Chasselay.

Unbeaten at home since November 2012 and flying high at the top of Ligue 1, PSG were expected to see off a struggling Montpellier side at the Parc des Princes.

However, the visitors have improved recently under coach Rolland Courbis and took the lead 20 minutes in when Daniel Congre headed in a Siaka Tiene cross.

Home coach Laurent Blanc left Zlatan Ibrahimovic on the bench at kick-off, although that allowed Edinson Cavani to play in his favoured central striking position and the Uruguayan converted a Lucas Digne centre to draw PSG level on the half-hour.

There were chances at both ends after that but it was Montpellier who snatched a winner midway through the second half, Victor Hugo Montano heading in a corner to stun the home support.

While Montpellier had their Colombian striker to thank for taking them through, an injury to his compatriot Radamel Falcao overshadowed Monaco's 3-0 victory at Chasselay earlier.

Falcao crumbled to the ground following a challenge by Soner Ertek inside the Chasselay area — for which no penalty was given — just before the interval and needed lengthy treatment before being carried away on a stretcher.

He had given the principality club the lead just before the half-hour mark, tapping into an empty net after Valere Germain had headed down a cross for his 11th goal in French football.

Emmanuel Riviere replaced the former Atletico Madrid striker after half-time and went on to score two more goals in a game that was played at Lyon's Stade de Gerland.

The injury to Falcao and the fall-out from it somewhat marred what should have been a special occasion for fourth-tier strugglers Chasselay and their star player, veteran former Monaco captain Ludovic Giuly.

"When you play against a team from a lower division, they are going to play really hard. That's normal, and that is what I tell my players before the match but it's not possible for a referee to blow his whistle for free-kicks without ever booking anyone," moaned Monaco coach Claudio Ranieri after the game.

"If Falcao has something serious, it is the referee's fault.

"Everyone wants to play like in England and let the game go. It's not possible here. The referee must see when there is a foul and blow his whistle."

The injury to the £50.4 million (US$82.5 million) striker also stole the headlines from tiny Corsican club L'Ile-Rousse, of the fifth division, who stunned the holders Bordeaux. — AFP

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