Bayern v Barcelona Champions League match to be held without fans

Munich, Barcelona’s Champions League group match away at Bayern Munich next week will be played without fans due to the prevailing COVID-19 situation in the German state of Bavaria, the LaLiga club said on Friday.

Barca, second in Group E behind Bayern, are due to face the German side on Dec. 8 at Allianz Arena, Reuters reports.

“Bayern Munich v FC Barcelona will be played behind closed doors,” the Spanish club said.

“The game corresponding to match day six in the Champions League will be played without fans in the stadium due to the serious increase in coronavirus cases in the German region of Bavaria in the last few weeks.”

Manchester City’s game at RB Leipzig on Dec. 7 will also be played behind closed doors after the German state of Saxony went into partial lockdown last month.

The German government on Thursday reintroduced restrictions for sports events amid rising cases of COVID-19 infections and ruled that Bundesliga matches can only have an attendance of up to 50% and up to a maximum of 15,000 spectators.

German authorities fear a fourth wave of COVID-19 risks overwhelming intensive care units. The countryrecorded 74,352 new infections and 390 deaths on Friday, as per Robert Koch Institute.

Two cases of the new Omicron variant were also detected in the southern German state of Bavaria last week.

Bayern said in a statement that their Bundesliga games at home to Mainz 05 (Dec. 11) and VfL Wolfsburg (Dec. 17) will also be played behind closed doors.

“It is a hard hit to play again in front of empty stands in the Allianz Arena,” Bayern board member Jan Dreesen said.

“Without fans football is only half as beautiful, not to speak of the financial consequences. But we have to accept the decision.”

Source: Bahrain News Agency

The Identity is in the Run: Eritrean Duo win Cross Internacional de Atapuerca

The 17th edition of the Cross Internacional de Atapuerca, the fourth Gold standard meeting in this season’s World Athletics Cross Country Tour, was won by Eritrean Olympic duo Rahel Daniel and Aron Kifle much to the adulation of the international athletics arena.

The event which was held on 13 and 14 November 2021 began with the women’s 5000m race. 19 year old Rahel Daniel, in her second international race won the competition, in the process having beaten household names Margaret Chelimo and Beatrice Chebet.

Rahel, who run the entire race just behind Chelimo and Chebet, took her chance in the final straight to sprint past the Kenyans and cross the finish line in 25:03.

The Eritrean teenager who took part in her maiden international competition this year at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics was the underdog coming into this competition with Margaret Chelimo the clear favorite to win the event. However Rahel had other ideas.

The race started with a group of 14 having completed the first lap just under 6:28 as the Kenyan contingent set the pace early on. Halfway through the race, the group disintegrated, Beatrice Chebet, Nora Jeruto, Celliphine Chespol, and Rahel Daniel the only ones to keep up with Chelimo’s pace.

Beatrice Chebet took over after a few laps and Chespol withdrew from the group, leaving only four runners in the last 100 meters to battle it out for first place. In the final straight, Rahel Daniel emerged from the group and took the lead in surprise that had the fans on the edge of their seats. The Kenyans were rattled, they had in front of them little known Rahel leading the race and they couldn’t keep up as the Eritrean crossed the finish line in spectacular fashion holding off world under 20 cross country champion Beatrice Chebet and 5000m world silver medalist Margaret Chelimo. Nora Jerato who won the Diamond League final in the 3000m last September finished fourth overall, while 3000m steeplechase world under 20 record holder Celliphine Chepsol came fifth.

You have here experienced runners who are record holders, winners of several other events and numerous other accolades under their belt and a 19 year old Rahel taking part in just her second international event. For Rahel, the least experienced runner in the pack to actually go out there and beat well-known athletes and claim her first international win is nothing short of remarkable as she officially announces herself to the athletics world.

Little did people at the event know that Rahel set the stage for another Eritrean win the following day. This time around, Aron Kifle did his bit and stopped Rodrigue Kwizera from winning another cross country victory in the 9000 meters race.

Proceedings began with last year’s winner Ouassim Oumaiz and Carlos Mayo leading the main group in a rather slow opening. 10 minutes into the race Kwizera moved to the front leading a group of 12 men.

The pace accelerated, 23 year old Aron Kifle, who saw his compatriot Rahel Daniel win her competition the previous day took charge of the pack as Rodrigue Kwizera, Thierry Ndikumwenayo, the brothers Ayeko, Thomas and Joel as well as Spanish duo Abdessamad Oukhelfen and Carlos Mayo followed suit.

Aron Kifle upped the ante with his blistering speed in the final stages of the race as he opened a four second gap on Kwizera, the Ayeko brothers, and Oukhelfen on the penultimate lap.

Kwizera easily left the Ayeko brothers and Oukhelfen on his rear and went on a hot pursuit of Aron who always looked comfortable at the front from the get go. Kwizera managed to close the gap in the final 300m but was never going to be within reach of Aron who finished the race 25:33, a second faster that Kwizera’s 25:34 while Joel got the best of his brother Thomas to claim third.

The 17th edition of the Cross Internacional de Atapuerca closed a fantastic two days competition for Eritrea as both the women and men’s event was won by Rahel and Aron.

In an interview with Eritrean sports journalist Tesfaldet Mebrahtu after the race, Coach Livingstone Abraham said, “The result wasn’t easy”. “We had to rigorously train our athletes from the 1500m to the 5000m to have them race ready and we saw quick results but as I said it was not easy.” Owner of the Mereb Setit training center, Mr. Teweldebrhan Tesfagaber, on his part stated that this was a victory for the nation and added that Olympic athlete Rahel is a leading example for current and future aspiring athletes. Mr. Teweldebrahan on the occasion also called upon relevant stakeholders to invest on helping female athletes across the country.

Rahel Daniel and Aron Kifle’s victory in Spain is another achievement in a string of many others that will surely add to the pedigree of the country’s ability to produce athletes who can not only compete in the world stage among the very best out there but also have the ability to win, succeed and hold their own just as a relatively less known 19 year old Rahel Daniel did so on the 13th November 2021.

 

Source: Ministry of Information Eritrea

Head of Women’s Tennis Association Concerned About ‘Safety and Whereabouts’ of Chinese Tennis Star

The head of the Women’s Tennis Association on Wednesday voiced concern over an email it received in which Chinese professional tennis player Peng Shuai was said to deny her previous allegations of sexual assault.

Peng, one of China’s biggest sport stars, said on social media earlier this month that former Chinese vice premier Zhang Gaoli coerced her into sex and that they later had an on-off consensual relationship.

Her post was quickly deleted and she had not been seen publicly or made a statement since then, alarming the global tennis community.

On Twitter, Chinese state-affiliated media outlet CGTN released what it said was an email Peng had sent to WTA Chairman and CEO Steve Simon in which she denied the allegations, and that she was not missing or unsafe, but just “resting at home.”

But in his own written statement, Simon said the email only raised his concerns as to Peng’s “safety and whereabouts,” and that he had a hard time believing she actually wrote the email.

Peng is a former World No. 1-ranked doubles player, taking 23 tour-level doubles titles, including Grand Slams at Wimbledon in 2013 and the French Open in 2014.

She hasn’t competed on tour since the Qatar Open in February 2020, before the COVID-19 pandemic forced tennis to take a hiatus.

Former Vice Premier Zhang retired in 2018 and has largely disappeared from public life, as is usual with former Chinese officials.

Source: Voice of America

China Silent on Missing Tennis Star, Despite Global Pressure

TAIPEI, TAIWAN — An email purportedly from a Chinese professional tennis player that a Chinese state media outlet posted on Twitter has increased concerns about her safety as the sport’s biggest stars and others abroad call for information about her well-being and whereabouts.

So far, those calls have been met by silence.

Chinese officials have said nothing publicly since the accusation about two weeks ago by Grand Slam doubles champion Peng Shuai that she was sexually assaulted by a former top government official. The first #MeToo case to reach the political realm in China has not been reported by the domestic media and online discussion of it has been highly censored.

Steve Simon, the chairman and CEO of the Women’s Tennis Association, questioned the authenticity of the email intended for him, in which Peng says she is safe and that the assault allegation is untrue. It was posted Thursday by CGTN, the international arm of Chinese state broadcaster CCTV.

“I have a hard time believing that Peng Shuai actually wrote the email we received or believes what is being attributed to her,” Simon wrote.

The statement, he added, “only raises my concerns as to her safety and whereabouts.”

Simon has demanded a full investigation, and the WTA said it is prepared to pull tournaments out of the country if it doesn’t get an appropriate response. Top players including Naomi Osaka and Novak Djokovic have spoken out, and the hashtag WhereisPengShuai is trending online.

China has largely suppressed a #MeToo movement that flourished briefly in 2018 and is forging ahead with the Beijing Winter Olympics in February despite boycott calls by activists and some overseas politicians over China’s human rights record.

Asked repeatedly about the case, China’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said again on Thursday that he is unaware of it.

The 35-year-old Peng is a former No. 1-ranked player in women’s doubles who won titles at Wimbledon in 2013 and the French Open in 2014.

She wrote in a lengthy social media post on Nov. 2 that Zhang Gaoli, a former vice premier who was a member of the ruling Communist Party’s top leadership committee, had forced her to have sex despite repeated refusals three years ago.

The post was quickly deleted from her verified account on Weibo, a leading Chinese social media platform, but screenshots of the explosive accusation quickly spread across China’s internet. She has not appeared in public since then, raising questions about her whereabouts and whether she is being detained.

Zhang, who is 75, dropped from public sight after his retirement in 2018, as is usual for former senior officials. He is not known to have any close connections to current leaders.

Peng’s accusation is the first high profile accusation of sexual assault against a powerful politician in China. Past accusations touched on prominent figures in the non-profit world, academia and media, but never reached the Communist Party’s top officials or state-owned companies.

CGTN posted the statement on Twitter, which is blocked in China along with many other foreign platforms such as Google and Facebook. It did not post it on Chinese social media, nor was there any mention of the purported email behind the Great Firewall, which separates the Chinese internet from the rest of the world.

Some internet users have circumvented the controls and posted about the news in private social media groups. Freeweibo.com, which records censored posts from Weibo, said searches for “Peng Shuai” and “Zhang Gaoli” were both among the top 10 searched topics on Thursday.

Searches for Peng Shuai’s name on China’s Sogou search engine turn up only articles about her tennis career. Her account on Weibo no longer allows comments, and no results turn up if people search for her Weibo account.

Peng wrote that Zhang’s wife guarded the door during the alleged assault, which followed a round of tennis. Her post also said they had sex seven years ago and she had feelings for him after that. She also said she knew speaking up would be difficult.

“Yes, aside from myself, I kept no evidence, no recordings, no videos, only the real experience of my twisted self. Even if I’m destroying myself, like throwing an egg against a rock, or a moth flying into a flame, I will still speak out the truth about us,” the now-deleted post said.

Her allegation came just three months before Beijing hosts the Winter Olympics, which have been the target of a boycott campaign from multiple human rights organizations largely over China’s repression of Uyghur Muslims. The games face a possible diplomatic boycott by the United States and other countries. Rights groups have likened Beijing’s 2022 Olympics to Hitler’s 1936 Berlin Olympics. China has consistently denied any human rights abuses and says its actions are part of counterterrorism programs.

Peng has played in three Olympics. The International Olympic Committee said Thursday in a statement that, “We have seen the latest reports and are encouraged by assurances that she is safe.”

The Switzerland-based IOC, which derives 73% of its income from selling broadcast rights and another 18% from sponsors, has not criticized China, and often repeats that it is only a sports business and has no remit to act on policies of a sovereign state.

Xu Guoqi, a historian at the University of Hong Kong, explained the difference between the 2008 Beijing Olympics and the 2022 Games.

“The big difference between the two Beijing Games is that in 2008 Beijing tried to please the world,” Xu told The Associated Press recently in an email. “In 2022, it does not really care about what the rest of the world thinks about it.”

The WTA can better afford to bring pressure since it is less dependent on income from China than the IOC or the NBA. The basketball league lost an estimated $400 million in broadcast rights when China blacked out its games in the 2019-2020 season after then-Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey tweeted in support of protesters in Hong Kong.

Simon’s statement said that Peng has displayed incredible courage, but that he is still concerned about her safety.

“The WTA and the rest of the world need independent and verifiable proof that she is safe,” he wrote. “I have repeatedly tried to reach her via numerous forms of communications, to no avail.”

Source: Voice of America

The Eritrean Legion dominates in Atapuerca

The Burgos Experimental Archeology Center (CAREX) was the scene this Sunday of a new edition, the XVII , of the Atapuerca International Cross , a great event for Burgos and world athletics organized by the Institute for Sports and Youth of the Provincial Council of Burgos , which once again responded to the great expectations raised and offered some exciting races in the senior category.

More than 4,000 athletes from 16 different countries took the start in the 19 planned categories , less than the more than 6,000 of the previous editions due to the reduction of registrations in the lower categories due to the anti-COVID19 health protocol, and as expected, finally African double in the absolute category and, this time, in addition to the same country, Eritrea .

Many spectators gathered again in Atapuerca to follow the Burgos cross. / Photo: Fernando Miguel

Thus Aron Kifle (23 years old) , a regular in Atapuerca in recent years and who had been fourth in 2019, took the victory in the men’s category after beating the three athletes with whom the victory was disputed in the sprint , and the same situation was the lived in the women’s event, in which the even younger Rahel Ghebreneyohannes (20 years old) surprised the three Kenyans with whom the victory was also played in the last meters.

Meanwhile, on the Burgos side, Dani Arce (New Balance) stood out , who crossed the finish line in 15th place , but having entered seven Spaniards ahead of him; and especially the Arandina Celia Antón (CA Adidas) , who returned one more year to leave her soul in the race and although she occupied 18th place she was the second best Spanish , only surpassed by Carolina Robles (FC Barcelona), who entered three seats ahead. A little further back, but also completing a good race, Cristina Ruiz and Lidia Campo came in 26th and 27th respectively.

Highest speed tip rewards Ghebreneyohannes

In chronological order it was first the absolute female category , disputed over 8,000 groupers, the one in charge of taking the show to the CAREX Circuit of Atapuerca. With a bouquet of African athletes more numerous than in any other edition in memory, from the first moment it was clear that there would be a race ahead , that of those who would play the victory , and another one from 10-15 position backwards , that of the European athletes who would seek to ensure their presence in the continental cross – country championship next December.

In the lead, only the first two kilometers were needed for the event to be opened by eight mainly African, Kenyan and Ethiopian athletes , and along with them a single representative from Eritrea , who in the end would surprise all their rivals by taking the victory . The Kenyan Chelimo, Chebet and Jeruto would almost always remain at the forefront of the group from which athletes would gradually be released, and as they passed through kilometer 6, with chilling averages of 3:07 minutes per kilometer , there were only five runners from head.

They thus reached the last lap of the circuit , also in the last meters, in which the Kenyan sub’23 Celliphine Chepteek took off , and thus the victory was only going to be a matter of four, an Eritrean and her three great rivals from Kenya . And what seemed impossible could happen, happened. The smartest in the class , the one who had least taken the lead and a priori the most inexperienced in her 20s, Rahel Ghebreneyohannes , made use of her greatest speed tip to almost beat Beatrice Chebet and Margaret Chelimo on the finish line. , second and third respectively just 1 second.

Behind, the Italian Nadia Battocleti , in 12th place, was the best European to reach the goal, and only three places behind , but 23 seconds behind, came second , the Sevillian Carolina Robles (FC Barcelona ) , current champion of Spain of the 3,000 meter hurdles. And another three places behind, close to the Portuguese Mariana Machado, entered the Arandina Celia Antón (CA Adidas), second Spanish and therefore very clearly presented her candidacy for the European Championship .

Minutes later, the men’s absolute category (9,000 meters) started, here with a greater opposition of European athletes than the usual large list of Africans, and in fact, in the first two kilometers , the Spanish Carlos Mayo ( current national cross champion), Javi Guerra , Abdessamad Oukhelfen and Ouassim Oumaiz (Cuevas de Nerja), winner in Atapuerca in 2019; Along with them, Dani Arce (New Balance) from Burgos, who, accompanied by Adel Mechaal for most of the race, was even setting the pace in the lead.

However, when the Africans began to rev up the rhythm and little by little they were stretching the group of about 20 units that stood together as they passed by kilometer 4, several runners were losing their rope (among them Guerra, Arce and Mechaal) and already it was only Oukhelfen and Mayo who held the guy.

Thus, in a group now of only 9 athletes, the race would reach the last 2,000 meters, in which Carlos Mayo was the one who clearly closed his head so that the Spanish responsibility fell on Oukhelfen. Along with him, the Eritrean Aron Kifle entered stronger than anyone in the last lap to go alone ahead in search of victory, and behind him the other two places of the podium would be played by Rodrigue Kwizera, from Burundi, and the Ugandan brothers Joel and Thomas Ayeko, who in this order would occupy the second, third and fourth places just one and three seconds behind the winner respectively.

Along with them, huge in fifth place , the Spanish Oukhelfen , eighth Carlos Mayo and fifteenth the Burgos Dani Arce , who once again gave everything to his countrymen although without being able to prevent up to seven Spanish runners from entering ahead of him , most of them specialists in cross-country, in principle they have more options than him to go to the European.

Great fourth place for Rubén Álvarez in the sub’20

As for the rest of the categories, all of them with an important presence of athletes from Burgos, the triumphs of Laura Segura (Image FDR) in the popular female race and of the young Laia Cariñanos (At. Valle de Mena) in the sub category stood out above all . ’14. In addition, Santiago Vivanco (UBU) occupied second place in the men’s popular event, and the Arandino Rubén Álvarez (UBU) achieved a more than meritorious fourth place in the sub’20 category that puts his classification for the European Championship very close . He will have to endorse it next Sunday at the Cross de Itálica, in Seville.

CLASSIFICATIONS (In bold, Burgos athletes):

Female Absolute:

1st Rahel Ghebreneyohannes (Eritrea) 25:03

2nd Beatrice Chebet (Kenya) 25:04

3rd Margaret Chelimo (Kenya) 25:04

4th Norah Jeruto (Kenya) 25:06

12th Nadia Battocleti (Italy) 26:21

15.ª Carolina Robles (FC Barcelona) 26:44

18th Celia Antón (CA Adidas) 27:03

26th Cristina Ruiz (Castellón Beaches) 27:44

27th Lidia Campo (Valencia CA) 27:47

Male Absolute:

1st Aron Kifle (Eritrea) 25:33

2nd Rodrigue Kwizera (Castellón-Burundi Beaches) 25:34

3rd Joel Ayeko (Uganda) 25:36

4th Thomas Ayeko (Uganda) 25:36

5th Abdessamad Oukhelfen (CD Nike Running) 25:44

8th Carlos Mayo (CA Adidas) 26:04

15th Daniel Arce (New Balance) 26:32

38.º Jesús Gómez (CD Nike Running) 27:34

Source: Dehai Eritrea Online

Training on discovering and researching ancient and historical heritage

The Commission of Culture and Sports has organized training for its 35 members on the discovering and research of ancient and historical heritage.

The ten days training that started on 10 November is being provided by field experts from Italy.

At the opening of the training, the Commissioner of Culture and Sports Ambassador Zemede Tekle expressed conviction that the training program will play a significant role in enhancing the knowledge of the participants in heritage discovery and research abilities and play a due part in the heritage discovery program that will be carried out throughout the nation.

The Head of Heritage Research branch at the Commission of Culture and Sports, Dr. Tsegay Medin and Prof. Serena Massa, one of the trainers, on their part stated that the training includes basic principles of researching and preservation of ancient and historical heritages and discoveries, modern scientific heritage preservation techniques, as well as on the role of the society in discovering and preserving ancient and historical heritages.

Source: Ministry of Information Eritrea

Kenya Disbands National Football Body Over Corruption

Kenya on Thursday disbanded its national football federation over corruption allegations and said it may seek to prosecute any guilty officials.

The move was swiftly rejected by the suspended head of the Football Kenya Federation (FKF), who denied there had been any wrongdoing.

Sports Minister Amina Mohamed said the action was taken after a government investigation into FKF finances revealed it had failed to account for funds received from the government and other sponsors.

She said in a statement there would be a further probe to “establish the extent to which the misappropriation of funds in FKF may have occurred, with a view of prosecuting those who may be found culpable”.

The minister named a 15-member caretaker committee to run the federation’s affairs until fresh elections are held in six months’ time.

But suspended FKF chief Nick Mwendwa vowed to fight the move.

“I am still… in charge of the FKF. We won’t accept the decision taken by the sports ministry,” Mwendwa told a press conference.

“The FKF reject the (caretaker) committee, and we will carry on with our operations as usual. This means all football activities in the country continue as scheduled and FKF remains in charge.

Mwendwa denied that the federation had failed to account for government funds.

“FKF fully complied with the inspection process ordered by the minister, and (provided) detailed and operational documents from the year 2016 to date. But regrettably the inspectors had no serious interest in scrutinizing our documents.”

The government investigation launched two weeks ago sought to determine if 244 million shillings ($2.2 million) given to the federation was used as intended to prepare the national Harambee Stars team for the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) finals in Egypt.

Thursday’s government move may put Kenya at loggerheads with FIFA which prohibits government interference in the affairs of local federations.

Mohamed said Kenya had informed FIFA about the outcome of the government investigation.

The Harambee Stars played Uganda in a 2022 World Cup qualifier in Kampala on Thursday, a match that ended in a 1-1 draw.

Kenya is mathematically out of the running for the Qatar finals after two big losses to group leaders Mali and draws against Uganda and Rwanda.

Source: Voice of America