AP — CHICAGO

Kawhi Leonard made it look effortless, nailing one 3-pointer after another and nearly matching an All-Star Game record.

The tough part came afterward. Finding the right words to express how he felt after becoming the first Kobe Bryant MVP award winner wasn’t so easy.

Leonard scored 30 points and hit eight 3-pointers to lead Team LeBron to a 157-155 victory over Team Giannis on Sunday night.

He was presented the MVP trophy that the league renamed after Bryant on Saturday, three weeks after the Lakers great and his 13-year-old daughter Gianna were among the nine people killed when their heli-copter crashed near Los Angeles.

“It’s very special,” Leonard said.

“Like I said, I had a rela-tionship with him. Words can’t explain how happy I am for it. Able to put that trophy in my room, in my trophy room, and just be able to see Kobe’s name on there, it just means a lot to me. He’s a big inspiration in my life. He did a lot for me.”

There were all sorts of tributes to Bryant, his daughter and late NBA Commissioner

Emeritus David Stern. But once the game started, it didn’t take long for Leonard to make his presence felt.

Leonard hit one just seconds into the game. He made all four 3s in the first quarter - the only shots he took while scoring 12 points.

Leonard was 7 of 10 in the first half, only to cool off a bit after that. He missed a step-back 3 that could have won it with his team up 154-153, but was the runaway winner for the game’s MVP honors with seven votes.

LeBron James got three and Chicago product Anthony Davis and Chris Paul received one apiece.

All that’s missing for Leonard now is the league’s regular season MVP award.

“My mindset is always just to try to make my team the best team at the end of the regular season,” Leonard said.

07TUESDAY 18 FEBRUARY 2020 SPORT

My mindset is always just to try to make my team the best team at the end of the regular season: Kawhi Leonard

SPORTLook, whatever league we are in, I will still be here. Even if they put us in League Two, I will still be here: Guardiola says he will stick to Manchester City despite ban.

AFC Champions League: Al Sadd vs Sepahan; Al Taawon vs Al Duhail

Atlético Madridvs LiverpoolBorussia Dortmundvs PSG

FOOTBALL FOOTBALL

TO

DAY’S

A

CT

ION

Team LeBron tops in All-Star GameREUTERS — CHICAGO

Anthony Davis made a walk-off free throw and Team LeBron defeated Team Giannis in the 69th NBA All-Star Game on Sunday.

Davis, the Los Angeles Lakers’ big man and first pick in the All-Star draft, missed badly off the back iron before sinking the second for a 157-155 victory in the unique, hotly con-tested showcase.

Kawhi Leonard earned the Kobe Bryant MVP Award after recording 30 points to lead Team LeBron, while Giannis Antetokounmpo (Milwaukee Bucks) had 25 in a losing effort.

Neither team used a sub in the final quarter.

With the winner being the first team to 157, LeBron James (Los Angeles Lakers) gave Team LeBron a 156-153 lead.

But on the ensuing Team LeBron possession, Chris Paul (Oklahoma City Thunder) opted for a 3 and missed. At the other end, Team Giannis closed the gap to 156-155 on two Joel Embiid (Philadelphia 76ers) free throws.

James was denied an earlier

basket that would have made the score 156-153 after a review showed Antetokounmpo cleanly blocked James’ layup initially called goaltending.

James Harden (Houston Rockets) made up for a missed set of free throws by making two and putting Team LeBron up 154-152.

Team LeBron mounted a comeback in the fiery final quarter that included Team Giannis’ Kyle Lowry taking two charges and an official chal-lenge -- overturning a foul call to a jump ball and change of possession -- with the game tied at 152. Harden made a 3 to tie the game at 146 and Davis brought it back to all square after Team Giannis got two free throws from Embiid.Team

Giannis led 133-124 after three quarters, starting the unusual untimed final quarter. The target final score of 157 was cal-culated using Team Giannis’ score total after three quarters and adding 24 points.

A tightly contested third quarter tilted to Team LeBron with a Nikola Jokic 3-pointer.

The Nuggets’ 7-footer knocked down his shot with 22.2 seconds left and, after a turnover, applied a full-court press resulting in a foul and a pair of free throws for Russell Westbrook (Houston Rockets). He made 1 of 2.

Trae Young (Atlanta Hawks) connected on a cross court lob with Rudy Gilbert (Utah Jazz), tying the quarter 41-all with 2.2 seconds left. Westbrook missed a shot at the buzzer.

Team Giannis led 92-83 at halftime, with Young splashing a half-court shot at the buzzer.

Antetokounmpo lit up the second quarter and brought hustle at both ends -- not exactly an All-Star Game staple -- putting up 14 points and five boards in the period. Team Giannis won the second quarter 51-30.

Kawhi Leonard wins first Kobe Bryant All-Star MVP award

Team LeBron reacts after winning during the 2020 NBA All-Star Game at United Center on Sunday.

Team LeBron forward Kawhi Leonard of the LA Clippers is presented with the Kobe Bryant MVP trophy after the 2020 NBA All-Star Game at United Center on Sunday.

All-Star Game

Davis, the Los Angeles Lakers’ big man and first pick in the All-Star draft, missed badly off the back iron before sinking the second for a 157-155 victory in the unique, hotly contested showcase.

Beaulieu’s 1st goal of season lifts Jets over Blackhawks

AP — MANITOBA

Nathan Beaulieu’s first goal of the season early in the third period sent the Winnipeg Jets past the Chicago Blackhawks 3-2 on Sunday.

Playing in his 27th game of an injury-riddled season, the defenseman fired a one-timer from the point that hit a Chicago player and got by goalie Corey Crawford to give the Jets a 3-2 lead. Beaulieu also had an assist.

Mason Appleton had a goal and an assist and Jack Roslovic also scored for Winnipeg, which was coming off two straight losses. Dmitry Kulikov added a pair of assists.

Connor Hellebuyck made 31 saves for the Jets (30-25-5), who were playing the fifth game of a six-game homestand (3-2-0).

Patrick Kane had a goal and an assist and Ryan Car-penter also scored for Chicago, which was coming off an 8-4 win in Calgary on Saturday night. Crawford stopped 35 shots for Chicago (26-25-8), which completed a 1-4-0 road trip. The Blackhawks led 1-0 after the first period.

Carpenter scored his third goal of the season after Kane sent a sharp-angled backhand pass to the front of the net and Carpenter redirected the puck past Hellebuyck at 15:44.

Jets forward Andrew Copp went in alone on Crawford about a minute later, but his shot missed the net.

Winnipeg outshot the Blackhawks 14-10 in the opening period. Appleton tied it when he tipped in Beaulieu’s point shot at 6:38 of the second. Winnipeg appeared to go ahead at 9:05 on a goal by Kyle Connor, but it was reviewed and waved off because the puck went in off his arm.

Roslovic gave the Jets a 2-1 lead at 15:37 when he tipped Kulikov’s point shot, but Chicago tied it when Kane scored his 27th of the season with 53 seconds left in the period.

'United by Emotion’ chosen as Tokyo 2020 mottoREUTERS — TOKYO

‘United by Emotion’ was revealed as the motto for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics and Paralympics yesterday as organisers look to hammer home the message of diversity and inclusion.

Tennis player Naomi Osaka, who was born in Japan to a Haitian father and Japanese mother but raised in the United States,

narrated the motto’s pro-motional video.

“We are each different, and all so much the same,” Osaka says in the video, which showed her entering the newly-built National Stadium surrounded by a diverse group of supporters.

“And in these moments we experience and these emotions we share, we change what we can imagine together.”

Japan, which has long prided itself on being homogeneous, is becoming more ethnically diverse and Osaka, currently 10th in the world rankings, is often held up as the face of these changing times.

“Diverse groups of people, by sharing their emotions, will become one,” Tokyo 2020 CEO Toshiro Muto said during the announcement.

“That is the kind of

Games we want the Tokyo 2020 Games to be.”

The motto will be dis-played on the iconic Tokyo Skytree, the Japanese cap-ital’s tallest landmark, from Monday until March 25, the day before the torch relay begins.

Some 10,000 athletes from over 200 countries will gather in Tokyo for the Olympics, which run from July 24 to August 9.

Tokyo Marathon limited to elite runners because of virusAP — TOKYO

Tokyo Marathon organizers drastically reduced the number of participants for this year’s race yesterday out of fear of the spread of the virus coming from China.

The general public is being barred from the race on March 1. It will now be limited to a few hundred elite participants, organizers said in a brief statement.

“We cannot continue to launch the event within the scale we originally antici-pated and we regret to inform you the following:

The Tokyo Marathon 2020 will be held only for the mar-athon elites and the wheel-chair elites,” organizers said.

The Tokyo Marathon is the city’s annual race and not to be confused with the Olympic marathon that will take place during the 2020 Tokyo Games. Those races are to be held in the northern city of Sapporo.

The marathon is the latest large sports event to be impacted by the virus. Almost all sports events in China over the next few months have been called off, including next month’s

world indoor track and field championships and a Formula One race in April.

The cancellations in China have a domino effect on Olympic qualifying, both in China and elsewhere, and muddle the picture for thou-sands of hopeful Olympians, families, and their travel plans.

The Tokyo Marathon was expected to attract about 38,000 participants. Only one death in Japan has been attributed to the virus. The latest death toll in mainland China is 1,770.

Organizers of the Tokyo

Olympics and the Interna-tional Olympic Committee have said repeatedly they will not cancel or postpone the games and are following the advice of the World Health Organization.

“Certainly the advice we’re receiving externally from the WHO is that there’s no case for any contingency plans or cancelling the games or moving the games,” John Coates, the head of an IOC inspection team, said Friday in Tokyo.

The Olympics open on July 24 with about 11,000 athletes participating.

People pose for photographs with the Olympic rings in front of the Japan Olympic Museum in Tokyo, Japan, yesterday.

Japan’s Honami Maeda approaches the finish line to win the women’s race of the Marathon Grand Championship, a marathon test event for the upcoming Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, in Tokyo in this September 15, 2019 file picture.

08 TUESDAY 18 FEBRUARY 2020SPORT

Al Shaqab to host second Internations Camp for young ridersTHE PENINSULA – DOHA

Al Shaqab, member of Qatar Foundation, is gearing up to welcome talented young riders from around the world to the second edition of the Al Shaqab Internations Camp.

Scheduled to run from 21 February to 8 March at the Longines Arena at Al Shaqab, the camp will be conducted in two stages. It will offer partici-pants an opportunity to refine their riding skills, while enjoying an enriching expe-rience in a multicultural, moti-vating, and challenging envi-ronment. The program has been designed to include two high-profile qualifying competitions that will be held on the opening days of the upcoming interna-tional equestrian events at the Longines Arena at Al Shaqab,

Commercial Bank CHI Al Shaqab Presented by Longines from 27 to 29 February and the Longines Global Championship Tour (LGCT) first leg the fol-lowing weekend, from 5 to 7 March.

Mohammed Sultan Al Suwaidi, Manager, Equine Edu-cation Department at Al Shaqab, came up with the concept of the camp.

A rider himself, with several triumphs to his credit, Al Suwaidi said: “Al Shaqab is dedicated to providing the highest level of equestrian education programs and services. Participants in the Al Shaqab Internations Camp will receive the best of our resources. We had a fantastic response from the young riders who attended last year’s camp, who thoroughly enjoyed

the experience. We hope for similar positive results this year.

“The focus of this camp is not merely on improving the height a rider can clear.

Besides regular lessons and training sessions, we have lined up several unique activ-ities to help them acquire important leadership and communication skills.”

Camp participants will benefit from the opportunity to learn from the experienced world-class riders partici-pating in and the LGCT.

“Thanks to the

cooperation of the Al Shaqab Commercial Department, some of the top riders taking part in Chi Al Shaqab and LGCT will provide a clinic for the camp participants,” explained Al Suwaidi.

“Similarly, the qualifying competitions of our camp will be held alongside these events. These prestigious equestrian competitions offer our young riders an unparalleled oppor-tunity to measure themselves against the best, and to increase their levels of confi-dence and self-esteem.

“Also, importantly, at the same time that Al Shaqab’s pro-grams provide the platform to foster and nurture the next gen-eration of riders, they also promote Qatar’s reputation as a p r e m i e r s p o r t i n g destination.”

Thousands attend NSD celebrations at Losail International CircuitTHE PENINSULA – DOHA

For the fourth consecutive year, Losail Circuit Sports Club (LCSC) celebrated National Sports Day (NSD) with ladies and children; giving them the oppor-tunity to exercise and enjoy this day in an outdoor facility in full privacy.

Windy and chilly conditions did not stop 3,667 ladies and children from par-ticipating in the variety of fitness-focused activities that started at 9 o’clock in the morning and continuously run until 7 in the evening, under flood-lights at the Circuit.

This year, the attendance was slightly higher than previous editions and it shows an increase of 6% of the participants compared to last year, with 80% being Qataris.

Khalid Al Remaihi, LCSC Vice Pres-ident and General Manager, was very happy with the lady’s attendance and their participation on NSD.

“Even though the weather has not been perfect as it was windy and cold,

we are very pleased to see that the number of participants has increased compared to last year.

This is the fourth year we have organized this event for ladies and children and we try each year to improve the services and activities

available so everybody can enjoy this family day. Losail International Circuit is the perfect facility where all the ladies can enjoy and practice sport with a total privacy and freedom as all the volun-teers, security and staff is female’ said Al Remaihi.

‘’I would like to extend my gratitude to the Ministry of Culture and Sport, Qatar Sports for All Federation and Qatar Cyclists for their continued support in making this a successful event. I would also like to thank all the suppliers, professionals and volunteers

that added to the overall success of this special day," Al Remaihi said.

Apart from cycling, running or walking around the 5.3 km track, ladies were able to take part in a variety of activities at no cost.

Activities such as spinning sessions, pound fitness, zumba, Bollywood dancing, body weight and workshops on prenatal basics and the ABCs of running were scheduled throughout the day. For those who wanted to have a more relaxed day, there were express sport massages, yoga sessions and pilates available as well.

Children also enjoyed this day with a lot of fun activities planned with pound generation, hip hop, zumba, kids boot camp, face painting, pedal cars and a skate park located at the Paddock.

Overall, it was a great day filled with loads of sporting activities and edu-cation. We hope that all ladies and kids enjoyed the day and we encourage them to keep practicing a healthy, active and balanced lifestyle.

Participants during the National Sports Day celebrations at the Losail Circuit Sports Club.

Edmund surges to victory in New YorkREUTERS – LONG ISLAND

Briton Kyle Edmund swept past Italy’s Andreas Seppi with a strong second set to win the New York Open and a second ATP Tour career title on Long Island on Sunday.

After breaking a 5-5 first-set deadlock, Edmund lost only one game in the second for a 7-5 6-1 victory at Nassau Coliseum.

The title was the first for the 25-year-old since Antwerp in 2018 and he defeated Seppi for the second time in the space of a month, having won in straight sets in Auckland in January.

“There’s a lot of hard work throughout the year, a lot of ups and downs that you don’t see behind the scenes. To win this title means a lot to me,” Edmund told ATPTour.com.

He backed up clinching the final two games of the first set by taking the first three of the second on his way to victory.

Both players traded service holds throughout most of the opening set. But with Seppi serving at 5-6, Edmund raised his level and added even more velocity to his groundstrokes.

Using his forehand to push Seppi around the baseline, he earned a pair of set points and

let out a roar after converting his first chance with a down-the-line backhand winner.

The baseline rallies took their toll on Seppi in the second set and Edmund capitalised, grabbing 12 of the first 15 points for a 3-0 lead. With Seppi serving at 1-4, the Italian pushed

a slice backhand long and Edmund went on to close out the match.

“He played a good match today and he deserved to win,” Seppi said. “I played some good matches this week. I’ll take the positives from here and move forward.”

Ruud claims maiden ATP Tour titleREUTERS – SALVO

Casper Ruud put Portugal’s Pedro Sousa on the defence early and became the first Norwegian to win an ATP Tour title at the Argentina Open on Sunday.

Ruud appeared on his way to an easy victory with his first-set domination but lucky loser Sousa made it a lot tougher in the second before falling 6-1, 6-4.

The win propelled the 45th ranked Ruud to world number 34 yesterday, the highest ranking ever by a Norwegian.

In doing so, Ruud will surpass his father and now

coach Christian Ruud who was a former player on the tour and previous highest ranked Nor-wegian (39).

“I feel a great sensation now,” the 21-year-old Ruud said. “It is what all players look for and dream. I am very happy with my career, although I know that I am still young.” The eighth seed won all nine of his service games without facing a break point, He broke three times and won 43% of his return points.

Ruud broke in his first return game as Sousa, who had his left leg heavily wrapped, was wide on a cross-court forehand.

The Norwegian claimed the

set on a Sousa forehand down the middle which went long.

The second set was much closer as crowd favourite Sousa pulled within 4-5 before Ruud wrapped up the match on a forehand from well off the court by the Portuguese.

Despite the loss Sousa was pleased with his play in the tournament.

“It’s the best week of my life, my first final and maybe the last one,” he said. “I came to play qualies (qualifiers) about two weeks ago and I am sitting here on Sunday. I cannot be more happy. Ruud played very firm and is the deserved champion.”

Clijsters comeback, sons and fathers: Talking points in tennisAFP – PARIS

Four-time major winner Kim Clijsters makes a second career comeback in Dubai this week where the WTA will also experiment with coaching from the stands.

Not to be outdone, the ATP trials electronic line calling on clay courts for the first time.

AFP Sport looks at five talking points in tennis this week:

Clijsters ready for second comeback Four-time Grand Slam champion Kim Clijsters revealed

that a persistent inner feeling and advice from her husband served as the key to her WTA return at the Dubai Championships.

“It was a feeling that I had inside for a little while,” the 36-year-old mother-of-three said.

“Once in a while that feeling would go away when I was home with the (three) kids. A couple times it would come back. It got stronger and stronger.”

The Belgian has been handed a tough first round assignment against last month’s Australian Open finalist Garbine Muguruza for her first match since the 2012 US Open on Monday.

Clijsters retired initially in 2007 to marry and have her first child, returned in 2009 winning three of her four majors.

Electronic reviews make a mark in Rio Fourteen years after the electronic review challenge

was introduced, the system debuts on clay for the first time in Rio from yesterday.

The challenge system was first introduced on the ATP Tour in 2006 on the hard courts of Miami and has since been used on all surfaces with the exception of clay where the protocol of allowing players to ask chair umpires to check ball marks has been maintained. Only show courts in Rio will have the system therefore there will be no limit to the number of challenges players are able to make to maintain consistency for those on outside courts where standard ball mark inspection will still apply.

Sending the right signalsIt famously got Serena Williams into hot water at the

2018 US Open final, but now the WTA will sanction a trial of allowing coaches to signal to players at the Dubai tournament.

At the moment, WTA tour players can summon their coaches into court during changeovers and only once in a set. However, it’s not allowed at the four Grand Slams or at all on the ATP Tour.

Borg begins new family eraLeo Borg, the 16-year-old son of Swedish legend and

11-time Grand Slam champion Bjorn, makes his pro debut this week at the second-tier Challenger event in Bergamo, Italy.

Borg, who is ranked 98 in the world junior rankings, begins against a qualifier in the 46,000-euro Bergamo event. If he gets through that, he’d come up against grizzled 30-year-old Argentine Marco Trungelliti.

ATP 1. Novak Djokovic (SRB) 9,720 pts 2. Rafael Nadal (ESP) 9,395 3. Roger Federer (SUI) 7,130 4. Dominic Thiem (AUT) 7,0455. Daniil Medvedev (RUS) 5,890 6. Stefanos Tsitsipas (GRE) 4,745 7. Alexander Zverev (GER) 3,885 8. Matteo Berrettini (ITA) 2,860 9. Gael Monfils (FRA) 2,860 10. David Goffin (BEL) 2,600

WTA 1. Ashleigh Barty (AUS) 8,367 pts 2. Simona Halep (ROU) 5,796 3. Karolina Pliskova (CZE) 5,290 4. Belinda Bencic (SUI) 4,720 (+1) 5. Bianca Andreescu (CAN) 4,665 (+1)6. Elina Svitolina (UKR) 4,650 (-2)7. Sofia Kenin (USA) 4,495 8. Kiki Bertens (NED) 4,335 9. Serena Williams (USA) 3,915 10. Naomi Osaka (JPN) 3,626

LATEST RANKINGS

ATP ARGENTINA OPEN RESULTS

MEN'S SINGLESCasper Ruud (8), Norway, def. Pedro Sousa, Portugal, 6-1, 6-4.MEN'S DOUBLESMarcel Granollers, Spain, and Horacio Zeballos (1), Argentina, vs. Guillermo Duran and Juan Ignacio Londero, Argentina, 6-4, 5-7, 18-16.

WTA DUBAI RESULTS

WOMEN'S SINGLESQUALIFICATIONVeronika Kudermetova (5), Russia, def. Bethanie Mattek-Sands, United States, 6-4, 6-2.Kristina Mladenovic (4), France, def. Polona Hercog (7), Slovenia, 6-3, 6-1.Aliaksandra Sasnovich, Belarus, def. Ana Bogdan, Romania, 6-4, 7-6.Jennifer Brady (9), United States, def. Hsieh Su-wei (6), Taiwan, 6-2, 6-2.Sorana Cirstea, Romania, def. Carla Suarez Navarro (11), Spain, 6-2, 1-6, 6-4.Katerina Siniakova, Czech Republic, def. Alison van Uytvanck (8), Belgium, 5-7, 6-2, 7-5.

WOMEN'S SINGLESROUND OF 32Elise Mertens, Belgium, def. Wang Qiang, China, 6-3, 6-0.Barbora Strycova, Czech Republic, def. Amanda Anisimova, United States, 7-6 (3), 2-6, 6-4.

Kyle Edmund of Great Britain serves the ball against Andreas Seppi of Italy during their 2020 NY Open Men’s Singles final at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Uniondale, New York, on Monday.

09TUESDAY 18 FEBRUARY 2020 SPORT

The captains of the competing teams in the Twenty20 women’s World Cup in Australia (front row, left to right) India’s Harmanpreet Kaur, West Indies’s Stafanie Taylor, Australia’s Meg Lanning, Sri Lanka’s Chamari Atapattu, Pakistan’s Bismah Maroof and (back row, left to right) Thailand’s Sornnarin Tippoch, New Zealand’s Sophie Devine, South Africa’s Dane van Niekerk, England’s Heather Knight, Bangladesh’s Salma Khatun pose during a photoshoot at Taronga Zoo in Sydney, a few days ahead of the start of the competition.

Du Plessis steps down as South Africa captainAP – JOHANNESBURG

Faf du Plessis (pictured) stepped down as captain of South Africa’s Test team yesterday ahead of an expected retirement from international cricket later this year.

Du Plessis quit as Test and Twenty20 captain. He had already recently been replaced as one-day captain by Quinton de Kock.

De Kock, a wicketkeeper-batsman, is the front-runner to also replace du Plessis perma-nently as captain in Tests and T20s. He led South Africa in this month’s T20 series against England while du Plessis was rested.

The 35-year-old du Plessis had led the Test team as per-manent captain since late 2016 and was captain in all three formats since 2017. He had stepped in as captain in a T20 series as early as 2012.

Du Plessis’ decision was not a surprise. He had indicated during the recent home Test series against England that his time in charge was coming to an end. He said he’d committed to playing for South Africa until the World Twenty20 in Aus-tralia in October and November and that’s now likely to be his swansong with the Proteas.

In Tests, du Plessis will likely play one more series, when South Africa goes to the West Indies for a two-match series in July.

Du Plessis said it was the right time for him to step down and allow a new generation of leaders to emerge. He wanted to still play in all three formats for now, he said, and contribute as a batsman and senior player.

Du Plessis is the only South Africa Test captain to win Test series home and away against Australia and was one of the Proteas’ best leaders.

Between 2016 and early 2018, South Africa won eight of nine Test series home and away, beating Australia twice and India during that period. But the last year had been dif-ficult with South Africa’s loss of form on the field exacer-bated by off-field issues at the national board, which has sus-pended its CEO amid allegations of mismanagement.

Du Plessis lost his last three Test series in charge, at home to Sri Lanka, away to India and at home to England last month. During that England series, he said the last year had probably b e e n t h e toughest he had experi-enced as captain.

“ T h e last few w e e k s of rest

away from the game have given me a lot of perspective on the great privilege and honor I have had in representing and leading m y

country in the three formats of this wonderful game,” he said. “It has been a rewarding, some-times tough and other times a lonely road, but I would not replace the experience for any-thing because it has made me the man that I am proud to be today.”

Du Plessis was selected later yesterday to play as a batsman in the three-game home T20 series against Australia, which starts this week. De Kock was named captain for the series.

Fast bowlers Kagiso Rabada and Anrich Nortje were also recalled. Like du Plessis, they w e r e rested for

the ODIs and T20s a g a i n s t England.

e es o e a d away aga st Australia and was one of the

roteas’ best leaders.Between 2016 and early

018, South Africa won eight of ine Test series home and way, beating Australia twice nd India during that period. ut the last year had been dif-cult with South Africa’s lossf form on the field exacer-ated by off-field issues at the ational board, which has sus-ended its CEO amid allegations f mismanagement.

Du Plessis lost his last three est series in charge, at home

o Sri Lanka, away to India and t home to England last

month. During that ngland series, he aid the last yearr ad probably e e n t h e

oughest he ad experi-nced as aptain.

“ T h east few

w e e k s f rest

great privilege and honor I have had in representing and leadingm y

It has been a rewarding, sometimes tough and other times lonely road, but I would noreplace the experience for anything because it has made mthe man that I am proud to btoday.”

Du Plessis was selected lateyesterday to play as a batsmain the three-game home T2series against Australia, whicstarts this week. De Kock wanamed captain for the series.

Fast bowlers Kagiso Rabadand Anrich Nortje were alsrecalled. Like du Plessis, thew e r e rested fo

the ODIand T20a g a i n sEngland

Hales must wait for England recall, says captain MorganREUTERS — JOHANNESBURG

England’s limited overs captain Eoin Morgan (pictured below) has said that batsman Alex Hales must rebuild trust with the national team set-up before he is considered for selection again.

Hales has not played for England since being withdrawn last year from the preliminary 50-overs World Cup squad after The Guardian newspaper reported he was serving a three-week ban for recreational drug use.

“There was a breakdown in trust between Alex and the team,” Morgan told the BBC after England secured a T20 series win over South Africa on Sunday. “When he was deselected, it was never down to performance. He is one of the best players in the world. Moving forward, to regain that trust there needs to be a considerable amount of time.”

Hales impressed in the recent Big Bash Twenty20 League in Australia, finishing as the tournament’s second-highest run-scorer with 576 runs for Sydney Thunder. The 31-year-old is also set to play for Karachi Kings in this year’s Pakistan Super League before gearing up for Trent Rockets in The Hundred -

England’s inaugural 100-ball franchise competition.

On Sunday, Morgan hit 57 not out off just 22 balls to lead England to a Twenty20 series victory over South Africa and a highly sat-isfying end to its three-month tour.

England chased down a challenging target of 223 in the third and final T20 to come from 1-0 down to take the series 2-1.

Morgan dealt exclusively in sixes for his boundaries , clubbing seven of them as England finished on 226-5 with five balls to spare for a five-wicket win.

South Africa made 222-6 at SuperSport Park after choosing to bat first.

Australia ready for frosty reception on South Africa returnAFP — JOHANNESBURG

Australian coach Justin Langer and limited-overs captain Aaron Finch said yesterday they were looking forward to playing in front of South African crowds on their first tour since the sandpaper scandal of 2018.

Former captain Steve Smith and batsman David Warner, who were both banned for a year for their role in ball-tampering during the third Test in Cape Town, are both in the team that will play three Twenty20 internationals and three one-day internationals against South Africa, starting with the first T20 game at the Wan-derers Stadium on Friday.

“We love coming to South Africa,” said Langer at the team’s arrival press conference. “We’ve got so many good memories for so long. It was obviously a very hard tour last time but the way our guys have moved on, it gave us a great opportunity to reassess where we’re at in Australian cricket.”

Langer said last year’s tour of England was “a great dress rehearsal” for the likely reception Smith and Warner will face, especially from an expected capacity crowd at the Wanderers.

“It was a tough (England) tour for those two guys,” said Langer.“I was really proud of the way they let their bat do the talking

and were great ambassadors off the field, so hopefully they’ll be looking forward to getting back into it and playing good cricket here.”

Finch said his team knew what to expect when they stepped on to South African grounds.

“South African crowds are very passionate and very vocal. We’re expecting that. David loves that banter coming from the crowd. It gets him into the game. I don’t think it’s going to make much difference to our group. We’re going to play cricket with a smile on our face,” he said.

Langer said there had been plenty of talk about the culture of the Australian team following the 2018 tour.

“We’ve talked about making Australians proud of us again, earning that respect, not only from the Australian public and our past players but also across the world,” he said.

“Changing cultures is purely about behaviour,” he said.“We’re playing really good cricket, the numbers will tell you

that, we’re also playing it in great spirit.“I’m very hopeful we can continue to do that because that’s

how we all want to see cricket played. We’ve done it for 18 months now, there’s absolutely no reason why that can’t continue.”

Finch said the Australians were confident they could do well on their tour but said he had been impressed by the way South Africa played in a high-scoring T20 series against England.

“I followed that really closely. It was a great series to watch. Obviously the bat dominated more than the ball. For South Africa to having a changing side and play so well was impressive. All the guys in their side had an impact on the game at various times.”

Pakistan international and Islamabad United's all-rounder Faheem Ashraf (with microphone) takes questions from journalists during a media day in Karachi yesterday. RIGHT: Players of Pakistan Super League (PSL) franchise Quetta Gladiators during a separate media conference ahead of the start of the six-team T20 competition that begins on Thursday.

Schedule of first 10 matches in PSL:1st Match at Karachi on 20 Feb: Quetta

Gladiators vs Islamabad United2nd Match at Karachi on 21 Feb:

Karachi Kings vs Peshawar Zalmi3rd Match at Lahore on 21 Feb: Lahore

Qalandars vs Multan Sultans

4th Match at Karachi on 22 Feb: Quetta Gladiators vs Peshawar Zalmi

5th Match at Lahore on 22 Feb: Islamabad United vs Multan Sultans

6th Match at Karachi on 23 Feb: Karachi Kings vs Quetta Gladiators

7th Match at Lahore on 23 Feb: Lahore

Qalandars vs Islamabad United8th Match at Multan on 26 Feb: Multan

Sultans vs Peshawar Zalmi9th Match at Rawalpindi on 27 Feb:

Islamabad United vs Quetta Gladiators10th Match at Multan on 28 Feb: Multan

Sultans vs Karachi Kings

Australian player Matthew Wade is seen during a team

training session in Johannesburg

yesterday. Picture

released by @cricket.com.au.

10 TUESDAY 18 FEBRUARY 2020SPORT

QFA announces venues and dates of Amir Cup quarter-finalsTHE PENINSULA — DOHA

Qatar Football Association (QFA) yesterday announced the quarter-finals dates of the Amir Cup after conducting a draw ceremony on Sunday.

The matches will be held on four consecutive days. Al Arabi will face Al Ahli on March 11 at Abdullah bin Khalifa Stadium, home of Al Duhail Club.

On March 12, Al Rayyan will take on Al Markhiya at Jassim bin Hamad Stadium home ground of Al Sadd Club. On March 13, Al Sadd will play Al Wakrah at Abdullah bin Khalifa Stadium.

On March 14, Al Duhail will take on Al Sailiyah at Jassim Bin

Hamad Stadium. Seven first division teams and one second division side will be contesting the quarter-finals.Second division outfit Al Markhiya pulled off the biggest upset of this year’s Amir Cup when they defeated Al Gharafa 1-0 to make it to the last eight stage of the tournament, the only second division side to come that far.

On the other hand, a brace from Yohan Boli and goals from Khaled Muftah and Rodrigo Tabata helped Al Rayyan coast to an emphatic 4-0 win over second division side Mesaimeer in the pre-quarter-finals.

Former champions Al Rayyan looking for their first

silverware of the season have got a favourable draw avoiding Al Sadd and Al Duhail in the initial stages.

On the other hand a potential blockbuster semi-final clash between defending champion Al Duhail and Al Sadd is also on the cards.

Al Sadd thrashed Al Kharaitiyat 3-1 to advance to the elite tournament while Al Wakrah edged Al Shahania 10-9 in sudden death to move ahead. Al Duhail on the other hand defeated second division side Muaither SC 4-0 to make it to the next stage and Al Sailiya defeated Umm Salal 2-1 to book a place in the quarter-finals.

Dortmund face tough PSG testAFP — DORTMUND, GERMANY

At just 21, Kylian Mbappe is already a World Cup winner while at only 19, Erling Braut Haaland has emerged as a fast-rising star this season.

As Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi approach the end of their careers, could Mbappe and Haaland be the next duo to dominate football?

Here is a look at the star for-wards who meet when Haa-land’s Borussia Dortmund host Mbappe’s Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League last 16, first leg, today.

Haaland had barely arrived last month in Dortmund when the records started tumbling.

He justified the $22m Dortmund paid Salzburg by

becoming the first player to score a hat-trick as a substitute on his Bundesliga debut.

Having scored 28 goals in 22 games for Salzburg,

including eight in this season’s Champions League group stage, Haaland picked up in Germany where he left off in Austria.

He made his debut coming off the bench with his new team 3-1 down at Augsburg in mid January. He scored three goals in just 20 minutes to seal a 5-3 victory.

The teenager was praised by Dortmund sporting director Michael Zorc, yet calmly replied: “You signed me to score goals.”

Another two followed in a 5-1 rout of Cologne, then Haaland grabbed two more goals when Union Berlin were crushed 5-0.

He claimed his eighth goal in four games in Dortmund’s

German Cup defeat at Werder Bremen.

Haaland netted again in Fri-day’s 4-0 thumping of Eintracht Frankfurt to extend his record to nine goals in six games for Dortmund.

His attitude also impresses his new team-mates.

“When a young player has been so hyped, with everyone saying how good he is, then he can be a difficult person,” said goalkeeper Roman Buerki.

“But he is a really cool guy, very professional. I’m one of the first at training -- but he’s always there earlier.”

Haaland sees Mbappe as a role model.

“When I was in Salzburg, I started scoring goals, but I look at Kylian Mbappe banging in

Ligue 1 goals, so you can always reach a higher level,” Haaland told Bundesliga.com.

Kylian Mbappe For a player who turned 21 in December, Mbappe’s achievements are astonishing. The World Cup winner is also France’s reigning player of the year and has won three Ligue 1 titles with two dif-ferent clubs.

Champions LeagueChampions League fixtures for this week TodayBorussia Dortmund vs PSG Atlético Madrid vs Liverpool TomorrowAtalanta vs Valencia Tottenham Hotspur vs RB Leipzig

Celta strike late to put brakes on Real Madrid

AFP — MADRID,

Real Madrid’s winning streak ended when they conceded a late goal to draw 2-2 at home to Celta Vigo and finish the weekend with their lead over Barcelona down to one point.

Real manager Zinedine Zidane was philosophical.

“There’s nothing to explain, it’s just the way things are, it’s football,” he said.

“I’m not worried about it, but I’m disappointed, as always when you drop two points at home.”

Barcelona beat third place Getafe on Saturday to open a 10-point gap on the chasing pack. Sevilla could have climbed to third on Sunday but were held, 2-2, at home by rock-bottom Espanyol.

Real had won five straight in La Liga to accelerate past Barcelona. On Sunday they welcomed back Eden Hazard, who had been out since November.

Coach Zinedine Zidane also recalled his other 100 million euro player Gareth Bale to complete an all-star attack with Karim Benzema.

Yet Celta leapt into the lead after seven minutes. A pass from Iago Aspas sent Fedor Smolov galloping clear up the middle and he shot low past Thibaut Courtois.

“There were mistakes, especially for the first goal,” said Zidane. “We were not well positioned, it happens, and it’ll happen to us again.”

Celta had only climbed out of the relegation places the weekend before and looked anxious and overawed on the ball.

Real dominated the rest of the first half and their starry attacking lineup produced pacy, intricate and imaginative attacking interchanges but a combination of good defending and bad finishing kept Real out for the rest of the first half.

Real again dominated the start of the first half.

Sergio Ramos, already playing as an extra striker, slammed the ball into the net but had been standing offside.

In the 52nd minute, Marcelo, not for the first time, found space on the left. His low cross deflected to Toni Kroos following the attack. The German drilled in the equaliser. It was the sixth straight season Kroos had scored against Celta.

Atlético’s season on the line against LiverpoolAP — MADRID

Liverpool and Atlético Madrid appear to be heading in opposite directions entering their last 16 meeting in the Champions League today.

While defending European champion Liverpool has every-thing going its way, Atlético’s season will be on the line when the teams meet in Madrid in the first leg.

Liverpool has already won the UEFA Super Cup and the Club World Cup this season, and it’s increasingly just a formality before it wins its first English league title in 30 years. Atlético, meanwhile, lost the Spanish Super Cup and was eliminated by a third-division club in the Copa del Rey.

The team is already 13 points off the lead in the Spanish league.

Atlético will have little to play for if it is eliminated by Liv-erpool in the Champions League.

“Certainly it will be a very difficult match, but all Cham-pions League matches are dif-ficult,” Atlético forward Yannick Carrasco said.

“If we do what we have to do and what (coach Diego) Simeone wants us to do, we can get through. The most important thing will be to play with heart and to give everything we have. The fans will be behind us, helping us give our best.”

Liverpool will be returning to Wanda Metropolitano Stadium for the first time since it beat Tottenham to win the Champions League title in June. The second leg will be on March 11 at Anfield. Liverpool has dropped only two points in the Premier League all season, while Atlético has won only one of its last five matches in the Spanish league. Liverpool is coming off a win at Norwich that gave the team a 25-point lead over Manchester City.

Atlético drew 2-2 at Valencia on Friday to barely

hold on to fourth place and the final Champions League spot for next season.

Atlético has never struggled so much since Simeone’s arrival as coach in late 2011. It made it

to two Champions League finals with him in charge, but things changed after the Argentine coach was forced to revamp the squad last season following the departure of Antoine

Griezmann and other veterans, such as Diego Godín and Filipe Luís. The team has struggled in attack and is not as solid defen-sively, which used to be the team’s biggest weapon.

PSG forward Kylian Mbappe celebrates after an own goal by a Dijon player during the French Cup quarter final on February 12.

Borussia Dortmund players training ahead of their Champions League match against PSG at the Borussia Dortmund Training Center in Dortmund, Germany, yesterday

Liverpool midfielder Mohamed Salah (right) jokes with team-mate Takumi Minamino during a training session at Melwood in Liverpool, north-west England, yesterday.

Aspire Academy, Rangers share points in eight-goal thrillerTHE PENINSULA — DOHA

Hosts Aspire Academy and reigning champions Glasgow Rangers played out the first draw of this year’s Al Kass International Cup, sharing the points after an eight-goal thriller.

Both sides were already assured of qualification so made plenty of changes from their respective victories over Suwon Samsung.

Rangers needed to win to top the group but they got off to a nightmare start, going behind after just two minutes. Abdulrahman Al Dosari swung in a cross from the left but the Rangers defence dithered, allowing the alert Mobark Hamza to open the scoring.

It was 2-0 on eight minutes as Rangers’ defence was again sloppy and Mohammed Al-Quraishi showed fine control before firing a left-foot shot past Scott Cowie.

Charlie Lindsay, named as Rangers’ captain pulled the Glasgow side back into the match with a perfectly-flighted free-kick after 13 minutes to give Amir Katoul no chance.

A high-scoring start to the match saw Aspire restore their two-goal lead on 17 minutes when Talal Al-Raeesi was given plenty of space and he let fly from long range, sending the ball just out of Cowie’s reach.

A fifth goal followed on 29

minutes as Rangers reduced the arrears with a well-taken effort by powerful striker Adedire Mebude. Zak McKay sent a fine cross in from the right and London-born Mebude held off two challenges before scoring with an angled drive.

Cowie gifted Aspire their fourth goal on 38th minutes when he parried Al Quraishi’s cross straight into the path of Abdulaziz Al Naimi who made no mistake.

Rangers reduced the arrears to 4-3 on 41 minutes, Lindsay tucking the ball under the keeper after Mebude had flicked it into his path.

Rangers attacking play was impressive but they were sloppy at the back and on-loan American professional Francis Jacobs, on his first start for the

club, totally miskicked in his own area but Al-Dosari failed to take advantage.

Within seconds, Rangers broke up the other end and Robbie Ure, who netted against Suwon in the opener, fired over. Kyle Semple also went close for Rangers as they chased an equalizer, although they needed to win to top the group.

Rangers finally grabbed an equalizer in the 88th minute as Lindsay’s flick sent through Ure and his shot was parried to Rory Wilson to score. Wilson had only come on two minutes earlier but there was a hint of offside about his goal.

Lindsay picked up his second Most Valuable Player (MVP) award of the tournament and is already established as one of the class acts this year.

The players of Aspire Academy and Glasgow Rangers in action during the Al Kass International Cup at Aspire Academy yesterday.

An official of Qatar Football Association conducting the draw proceedings of the Amir Cup on Sunday.

11TUESDAY 18 FEBRUARY 2020 SPORT

THE PENINSULA – DOHA

Samuel Eto’o has described the decision to host the CAF Super Cup in Qatar for a second successive year as beneficial for fans, organisers and players.

The four-time African Player of the Year and Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy ambassador attended the match as a guest of the Confederation for African Football (CAF). He said the sold-out event at Thani Bin Jassim Stadium offered Qatar’s football-mad community another opportunity to embrace the beautiful game as the country gears up to host the FIFA World Cup in 2022.

“It was a magnificent idea to bring the game to Qatar,” said Eto’o, who played for Barcelona, Inter Milan and Chelsea as well as Qatar SC during his 22-year career.

“Everyone is aware of Qatar’s preparations for the World Cup and to be able to host events like this can only help that process continue at pace. It also gives local people the chance to

see teams from other countries playing here – it’s a perfect solution.”

Eto’o, twice a winner of the CAF Africa Cup of Nations, continued: “What was particularly pleasing to see when arriving at the stadium was that there were people from all over the world at this game. Qatari nationals,

Africans, Europeans – it’s exactly how the World Cup will be in 2022. I think it’s going to be a magnificent experience.

“I have a close connection with Qatar, from playing here, to my work as an SC ambassador, so I spend a lot of time here. I know there is a very

large African community here, so to have one team from Egypt and another from Tunisia competing made it even better. It is not always easy for these fans to travel so far to watch their teams, so it’s wonderful that once a year their teams can come to them.”

On the night it was Egypt’s Zamalek SC who triumphed with a comfortable 3-1 victory against Tunisia’s Espérance Sportive de Tunis. It was Zamalek’s fourth win in the cup’s 28 editions, with the Cairo side now having won the second most titles in the competition’s history.

The match was attended by a sell-out crowd in excess of 19,000. It was the second successive time the show-piece event has taken place in Doha – and following an agreement between CAF and the Qatar Football Association, it will also return in 2021 and 2022.

Eto’o said: “You can see from the ticket sales, this year and last year, and the excitement on the faces of the fans, that the decision to bring this game here was a good one. Both times it has sold out and both times it has been a wonderful atmosphere and provides people living here with the oppor-tunity to see something they might not otherwise have been able to watch. It’s good for the fans, it’s good for the organisers and I’m sure the players love coming here too. It’s beneficial to all.”

Hosting CAF Super Cup in Doha beneficial for all: Eto’o

Everyone is aware of Qatar’s preparations for the World Cup and to be able to host events like this can only help that process continue at pace. It also gives local people the chance to see teams from other countries playing here – it’s a perfect solution: Samuel Eto'o

The President of Asian and Qatar Equestrian Federations, Hamad Abdurahman Al Attiyah (right) and Mubarak Rashid Sahouti from Hassad Foods exchange documents yesterday during a sponsorship signing ceremony for the upcoming The Amir Sword Festival 2020. CENTRE: The CEO of Qatar Racing and Equestrian Club, Nasser Sherida Al Kaabi (right) with the CEO of Ooredoo Qatar, Waleed Al Sayed, during the sponsorship signing ceremony yesterday. RIGHT: QEF's General-Secretary Badr Al Darwish (right) shakes hands with the Deputy CEO of Al Emadi Enterprises, Jassim Mohamed Al Emadi, during the ceremony.

The Amir Sword Festival 2020: Sponsorship signing ceremonies

ACL: Al Sadd target place in final as Al Duhail eye full points in away clashCHINTHANA WASALA THE PENINSULA

Coach Xavi Hernandez yesterday said that Al Sadd are targeting a place in the AFC Champions League (ACL) final and are ready for the tough challenges which lie ahead for them.

The former champions will take on Iranian side Sepahan in their second Group D match at the Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium in Doha today.

The match kicks off at 6.35pm.

During a pre-match press conference, Xavi said: "I hope we can reach the final and win the title."

Al Sadd, also known as The Wolves, became the first Qatari side to win the AFC Champions League in 2011. Since then, they have reached the semi-finals twice - in the last two editions.

"This time the AFC Cham-pions League is a very chal-lenging affair, but our team has all the capabilities to win the title. We are very excited despite being pitting in a dif-ficult group, but we are ready."

Last week, Al Sadd showed resilience to come back from a goal down inside the first seven

minutes to snatch a 2-2 draw from a difficult Al Nassr side, with Hassan Al Haydos scoring early in the second half after an own goal had helped Xavis team equalise.

Al Sadd are currently placed in the second spot in Group D behind Sepahan who defeated Al Ain 4-0 on matchday 1.

The Isfahan-based side might not boast the history or the popularity of Esteghlal and Persepolis, but Sepahan are in fact IR Iran’s most successful side in the AFC Champions League, having appeared in the

competition 11 times, reaching the final in 2007 - the first Iranian side to achieve this feat, which has since been replicated by Zobahan in 2010 and Perse-polis in 2018.

"The level of the Iranian team is very high it is difficult to beat them. They have high capabilities, so playing against them is a challenge," the Barca legend added.

"We saw the Iranian team played and it was a surprise to me that they won by four goals. We will do our best," Xavi said.

"I am happy with the squad

that we have, unfortunately, we will be without few influential players, but we still have got a bunch of talented players who are able to provide a good per-formance. These kinds of pressure makes us stronger," Xavi added.

Meanwhile, QNB Stars League's table-toppers Al Duhail will face hosts Al Taawoun FC at the King Abdullah Sport City Stadium in Buraidah, Saudi Arabia.

The Group C encounter will kick off at 6.35pm Qatar time.

The Qatari giants, coached

by Walid Regragui, presented their credentials with a solid 2-0 home win against Perse-polis FC last week and will be looking for a repeat of success to stay on top.

The Saudis also had a perfect start to their continental campaign with a 1-0 victory over Sharjah last week.

During a press conference yesterday, Regragui said that his team is ready for the important confrontation in front of the home crowd.

"They (Taawoun FC) also won their first match in the group and are equal on number of points. We saw how they played in the first match. It also shows how strong the group is," Regragui said.

"But at the same time we came here to come up with a positive result and I have full confidence in the capabilities of the Al Duhail players. We hope to reach the next round. However, the competition is still in its early stage and our initial target is to earn full points from this match. In fact, we can achieve the three points and why not? Certainly we will do our best," the Moroccan tac-tician said.

Al Duhai's players in action during a practice session yesterday.

Casillas to run for SpanishFA PresidentREUTERS – MADRID

Spain’s World Cup winning captain Iker Casillas announced on Monday he will run for President of the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) when elections are called later this year.

Casillas, who led Spain to unprecedented success as they won Euro 2008 and 2012 as well as the 2010 World Cup, suffered a heart attack in May while training with current club Porto, and has not played since. He returned to training in November.

“Yes, I’ll be running for RFEF President when elec-tions are called,” the goal-keeper wrote on Twitter.

He has not played for Porto this season and the announcement all but con-firms his retirement from pro-fessional football.

Current incumbent Luis Rubiales, who took over from Angel Maria Villar in May 2018 after the former Athletic Bilbao player had spent three decades at the helm, has a mandate that runs through until after Euro 2020.

Rubiales’s tenure has been notable for ups and downs.

Spain won last year’s Under-21 European Champi-onship, but he has had numerous public disagree-ments with the head of Spain’s La Liga, Javier Tebas.

Rubiales was criticised by La Liga’s chief and local media for his refusal to allow the Spanish League to play a game in Miami, despite refor-matting the Spanish Super Cup and moving it to Saudi Arabia.

He also took the decision to sack Spain head coach Julen Lopetegui on the eve of the 2018 World Cup after it emerged he had agreed a deal to join Real Madrid after the tournament.

Al Sadd's players in action during a practice session on the eve of their AFC Champions League match against Iran's Sepahan which will take place at the Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium, in Doha, today.

Al Sadd's coach Xavi Hernandez

Al Duhail's coach Walid Regragui

FAWAD HUSSAIN THE PENINSULA

With many of their athletes already qualified, regional sports powerhouse Qatar are hoping to send a strong contingent for this summer’s Olympic Games in Tokyo.

Qatar will go to the Japanese capital, boosted by its track and field stars like reigning high jump world champion Mutaz Essa Barshim – a two-time Olympic medallist, and expert hurdler Abderrahman Samba for the July 24 – August 9 event.

The Qatar Olympic Com-mittee (QOC) is hoping more federations, which are involved in many ongoing qualifying competitions for Olympics, will join the bodies who have already won the quotas for sports biggest spectacle.

Qatar sent their biggest Olympic contingent for 2016 Rio Games when 34 athletes from six federations participated in the Brazilian city.

This year too, QOC is tar-geting a good number of Al Annabi athletes to represent the country in Olympics.

“Our athletics stars have already qualified apart from ath-letes in other disciplines. A lot of (quali-

fying) competitions are under way and many of our federa-tions are taking part in these events. We are hoping to send a strong contingent to Tokyo,” Khaleel Al Jabir, Director of the QOC Sport Affairs, told The Peninsula in an interview.

“The qualifications to reach the Tokyo Olympics are tough. But Thank God, we already have our (track and field) athletes qualified. Our weightlifter (Fares Ibrahim) has also qual-ified and we have also con-firmed places in equestrian and shooting.

“More of our federations are also going to compete in qual-ifying events in the coming months. We are also hoping to get berths for two of our swimmers for Olympics,” Al Jabir, who also heads the Qatar Swimming Association, said.

“We are looking to have more athletes but the number we already have are very strong and they are looking forward to getting good results in Tokyo,” he added.

Qatar handball team missed ticket to Tokyo after finishing third in a qualifying tournament in Doha last year as the event guaranteed place for only the winners.

“It was a tough competition and it was all about luck. We are happy with the handball team as they won the Asian Champi-onships after an outstanding performance to qualify for World Championships,” said Al Jabir.

Qatar to host more World Championships

in future: Al Jabir

Qatar has been hosting dif-ferent World Championships over the years and Al Jabir said

QOC will be organising many more such events

in the future.Last year,

Qatar became the first country in the Middle East to host the IAAF World Athletics Cham-pionships dubbed the third biggest event after Olympics and FIFA World Cup.

For this calendar year also, QOC announced a hectic schedule that includes 65 cham-pionships including world, con-tinental and regional events. The list also comprises the FIVB Beach Volleyball World Tour (March 9 to 13) and 2020 FIFA Club World Cup (December 9 to 19) to be held for the second consecutive year in Doha.

“Doha is the hub of sports. We want to host more World Championships apart from hosting other international competitions. Last year, we

hosted IAAF World Athletics Championships and this year we will host Master Judo. After 2022 FIFA World Cup, we have two major World Championships in 2023 including judo and aquatics events,” he added.

Our athletics stars have already qualified apart from ath-letes in otherdisciplines. Alot of (quali-

in Doha last year as the eventguaranteed place for only the winners.

“It was a tough competitionand it was all about luck. We arehappy with the handball team as they won the Asian Champi-onships after an outstanding performance to qualify forWorld Championships,” said Al Jabir.

Qatar to host more World Championships

in future: Al Jabirpp

Qatar has been hosting dif-ferent World Championships over the years and Al Jabir said

QOC will be organising many more such events

in the future.Last year,

Qatain thIAAFpionbiggand

FQOCschedpionstinenThe lBeac(MarClubto 19cons

“We wChamhostcom

osted IAAF World AthleticsChampionships and this year

ill h t M t J d Aftwe will host Master Judo. After00222222 FF FIFIFIFAA A WoWooWoWo lrlrlrrlddddd CuCuuCup,p,pppp,p ww ww w we eavevee t ttwowo m m mmajajjoror W WWWorro ldldldldld

ChChhaamammpipionnnnshshshshshshshhipipipipipipss ininin 2 2202202020233 33 nnncclluudddinininininningg g jujujudoddodo aaaandndndddn qqquuaaaatitititititititicsccs e eevveentntntnttsss,s,s,s,”” hehehehee dddddddedeededeededddd.dd.d.ddd.d..

Our athletics stars have already qualified apart from athletes in other disciplines. A lot of (qualifying) competitions are under way and many of our federations are taking part in these events. We are hoping to send a strong contingent to Tokyo. The qualifications to reach the Tokyo Olympics are tough. But, Thanks God, we already have our (track and field) athletes qualified. Our weightlifter (Fares Ibrahim) has also qualified and we have also confirmed places in equestrian and shooting: Khaleel Al Jabir, Director of QOC Sport Affairs

SPORT | 08

Kyle Edmund

surges to

victory in

New York

SPORTDu Plessis

steps down as

South Africa

captain

SPORT | 09

TUESDAY 18 FEBRUARY 2020

Home hero Al Attiyah leads quality field for MQCCR

Nasser SalehAl Attiyah

Road to Tokyo: Qatar plans strong contingent

THE PENINSULA – LUSAIL

Defending champion Nasser Saleh Al Attiyah tops the entry for next week’s Manateq Qatar Cross-Country Rally (MQCCR) on a quality list announced by the Qatar Motor and Motorcycle Federation (QMMF) yesterday.

Competitors from 17 nations will tackle five demanding selective sections across the Qatar deserts on February 23-27. Al Attiyah heads a three-car Toyota team that should be challenging for overall T1 honours at the top of the leader board.

Qatari drivers feature in both the T1 and T3 categories, with Mohammed Al Meer seeded at four in his powerful Chevrolet Buggy and teaming up with Ukrainian navigator Dmitry Tsyro. Abdullah

Al Rabban also features in T1 in a Jeep with Russian co-driver Igor Chudaykin.

A new QMMF Team has entered a quartet of Can-Am Maverick X3s and a Polaris RZR 1000 Turbo in the hotly-contested T3 category that has attracted 11 teams. Khalid Al Mohannadi drives the Polaris alongside the experienced French navigator Sebastien Delaunay, while Mubarak Al Hajri, Ahmed Al Kuwari, Rashid Al Mohannadi and Mohammed Harqan drive the Can-Ams.

Al Hajri is a veteran of numerous rounds of the FIA Middle East Rally Championship and cross-country rallies, both as a co-driver and a driver, and returns to action with Frenchman Laurent Lichtleuchter. Qatar-based Manuel Luchesse and Portugal’s Pedro

Santos team up with Al Kuwari and Rashid Al Mohannadi and Slov-enian Vili Oslaj partners Al Harqan and will be using hard signals to guide his driver.

Former FIA T2 World Champion Adel Abdulla also makes a welcome return to the championship after missing the latter part of the 2019 season. He teams up with Frenchman Jean-Michel Polato in the T3 category.

Other competitors are taking part from as far afield as the USA, Hungary, Poland the Netherlands and Belgium, but the duo of Gonzalo Guayasamin and Ricardo Torlaschi have travelled the furthest to take part in the T3 section in a Polaris RZR 1000. The driver hails from Equador and his navigator has trav-elled from Argentina to cross the Qatar deserts for the first time.

The sole entrants in the T4 section are the American duo of Austin Jones and Kellon Walch in a Can-Am Maverick X3 entered by South Racing.

Manateq – Economic Zones Company is the title sponsor for the third successive season. Established in 2011, the company is positioned as a vital component in achieving the economic development goals of the Qatar National Vision 2030, through providing premium infra-structure within strategic economic zones to promote the logistics and industrial sectors in Qatar.

Further information about the rally can be obtained at QMMF, Losail Sports Arena, PO Box 8708, Doha, Qatar, or via +974 443 79885, (Fax) +974 443 79732, E-mail: info@qmmf.com.qa and website: www.qatarcrosscountry.com.

Director of QOCSport Affairrssssssssssssssssssssss

Qatar's reigning high jump world champion Mutaz Essa Barshim.

Qatari shooter Mohamed Al Rumaihi

Hurdler Abderrahman Samba Fares Ibrahim