Category: Athletic

PARIS: French Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin has unveiled the extensive security measures that will be implemented to ensure the safety of the Summer Paralympic Games in Paris, which will be held from August 28th to September 8th.

This announcement was made during a press conference attended by Darmanin, alongside Amélie Oudéa-Castéra, the French Minister of Sports, Olympics, and Paralympics, and Tony Estanguet, President of the Paris 2024 Organising Committee for the Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Darmanin outlined that the security plan includes the deployment of 15,000 police officers and gendarmes to secure the opening ceremony in the Concorde area and along the Champs-Élysées, with over 25,000 security personnel on duty daily throughout the competitions.

He added that the security operation will be further strengthened by 300 members of special intervention forces, including GIGN, BRI, and RAID, along with more than 10,000 private security personnel.

The French Interior Minister emphasised that the
Paralympic torch will receive heightened protection from a dedicated team of 18 to 30 police and gendarmerie officers, supported by an anti-drone system, 12 motorcyclists, GIGN rapid intervention squad members, and a mobile force unit of 150 personnel.

Source: Emirates News Agency

Vitoria tied with Cruzeiro (2/2) Monday, in the 23rd round of the Brazilian Football League.

The Brazilian football club opened the scoring through Osvaldo Lourenco and Alejandro in the 25th and 29th minutes respectively, but Cruzeiro came back strongly in the second half, as Juan Deninho scored two goals in the 78th and 84th minutes.

With this tie, Vitoria raised its score to 22 points to occupy the sixteenth place, while Cruzeiro’s score rose to 37 points to climb to the seventh place.

On the other hand, Botafogo continues to lead the Brazilian League table temporarily with 46 points.

Source: Qatar News Agency

LONDON: Goals from Erling Haaland and Mateo Kovacic today earned City a 2-0 win over Enzo Maresca’s Blues at Stamford Bridge.

Pep Guardiola’s team are chasing a record-extending fifth consecutive Premier League title and started their 2024/25 campaign in style at Stamford Bridge.

In another clash, Brentford started their 2024/25 Premier League campaign with a 2-1 London derby victory today over Crystal Palace, as Yoane Wissa netted a second-half winner.

Source : Emirates News Agency

ABU DHABI: Mohammed Mardi, the national Muay Thai team player, presented the UAE with the title of ‘Arab Belt’ in the ‘Welterweight’ category (under-middleweight), at the conclusion of the Arab Fight Night Muay Thai Championship at Space 42 Arena in Al Raha Beach, Abu Dhabi.

Organised by the Arab Muay Thai Federation, the championship attracted 28 athletes from 14 Arab nations, compete in 15 intense bouts.

UAE Muay Thai and Kickboxing Federation, said the Emirati athlete defeated Algerian Lyes Ouari in main welterweight title contest.

Four Emirati athletes were also emerged champions.

The winners were crowned by Stephan Fox, Secretary General of the International Federation of Muaythai Associations (IFMA), in attendance of Sorayot Chasombat, Ambassador of the Kingdom of Thailand to the UAE, and number of representatives of Arab Muay Thai Federation.

Source : Emirates News Agency

MUSCAT: UAE athletes shined at 5th West Asian Bodybuilding and Fitness Championship, securing 12 colourful medals, including 7 in the final day (two gold, two silver and three bronze).

The two-day championship, which was held in Muscat, Oman, and concluded today, featured 270 athletes from 13 participating countries.

In addition to these colourful medals, the UAE national team achieved impressive feat by earning two professional cards and the champion of champions cup.

The closing day saw the UAE athletes clinching 7 medals – two gold, two silver and three bronze.

Ahmed Al Mua’lla won the gold medal in Masters Classic category and Karim Mohsen claimed gold in (-90kg).

Source : Emirates News Agency

SPAIN: UAE Team Emirates’ Brandon McNulty put in the ride of his life to secure a narrow victory in the stage 1 time trial from Lisbon to Oeiras at the Vuelta España.

The American cyclist expertly navigated the parcours ahead of second place Mathias Vacek (Lidl-Trek) by just two seconds. The podium was rounded out by Wout van Aert (Visma-Lease a Bike) who went off last.

McNulty was the second-to-last rider to start which meant he had his teammates and also his rivals times for reference.

At the 7km mark, Van Aert was slightly ahead of Vacek, with McNulty trailing by two seconds. However, in the final stretch, McNulty displayed his strength, powering home with a blistering average speed of 57.197 kph to claim victory.

It will be the first time the American will don the leaders jersey of a Grand Tour.

McNulty said: ‘I don’t know if I expected to win but I knew if something crazy happened, then I could win – so I guess something crazy happened, I was hoping for something good today but this is hard to belie
ve for me.

I just had super good legs. I’ve been feeling really good in training. I really went for the Olympics, and I’ve had good legs since then. I knew I could do something good, but I didn’t expect to win.’

The finale of stage 6 of the Tour of Poland ended in a copy of each summit finish this week with Diego Ulissi narrowly missing victory behind Thibaut Nys (Lidl-Trek) who took his third victory of the week. The Italian veteran has showed great form and it was on display again on the hilly transfer from Wadowice to Bukovina Resort(183.2km). The stage podium was rounded out by Oscar Onley (DSM Firmenich).

Source : Emirates News Agency

KLAIPEDA: Team Abu Dhabi’s Rashed Al Qemzi lost his lead in the 2024 UIM F2 World Championship on Saturday but stayed well in the hunt for a record fifth driver’s title as Sweden’s Mathilda Wiberg won the Grand Prix of Lithuania.

Third place in the third round of the championship was enough to give Lithuania’s Edgaras Riabko a narrow two-point lead in the title race from Al Qemzi, who finished fourth on a dramatic day in Klaipeda.

With the three remaining rounds to come next month in Italy and Portugal, two of his favourite race venues, the Emirati driver has put himself in a strong position to retain his F2 world title after a disappointing qualifying session on Friday.

While Al Qemzi rose three places on the day, coming in third, his Abu Dhabi team-mate, Mansoor Al Mansoori, made a bigger move, climbing from 17th at the start to finish among the championship points in ninth place.

Wiberg’s first F2 Grand Prix win arrived courtesy of agonising exits for the first-round winner in Italy, Britain’s Matthew
Palfreyman, and Finland’s Jarno Vilmunen.

After a perfect start from pole position, Palfreyman looked to be in complete control and on course for the championship lead before his timing belt snapped and put him out halfway through the 38-lap race.

That seemed to have presented Vilmunen with a clear path to victory, but he went out two laps from the finish after running out of fuel, leaving Wiberg to secure the win ahead of Frenchman Nelson Morin.

More drama arrived after the Grand Prix had ended when Monaco’s Giacomo Sacchi, originally placed fourth, picked up a one-lap penalty for a race infringement.

Team Abu Dhabi will be looking for better fortunes in two weeks when the fourth round of the championship takes place in San Nazzaro, which has become their regular European training base under team manager Guido Cappellini.

The back-to-back Grand Prix race weekends that round off the series in Portugal next month will suit Al Qemzi in particular as he looks to add to his four F2 world crowns.

Source : E
mirates News Agency

Doha: Mesaimeer SC signed a free transfer deal with Ali Ferydoon from the Iranian club Sanat Naft to join the first football team.

The club confirmed on its social media platforms that it signed the 31-year-old player for one season.

Ferydoon began his football career with Kuwait’s Al Salmiya, then played in notable clubs of Qatar Stars League (Al Shamal, Al Sadd, Al Ahli, Al Shahaniya, Al Rayyan, and Umm Salal).

Mesaimeer SC will play a couple of friendly matches during its abroad training camp in Turkiye in preparation for the 2024-25 Second Division League.

Source: Qatar News Agency