Beijing Olympics: British team to breathe easy

By Simon Hart

The inventor of an anti-pollution mouthpiece to help Britain’s athletes breathe more easily in Beijing says that the British Olympic Association have taken delivery of a “substantial amount” of the devices, despite claims by BOA chairman Lord Colin Moynihan that “our athletes will not be wearing masks in any sport”.

The inventor of an anti-pollution mouthpiece to help Britain’s athletes breathe more easily in Beijing says that the British Olympic Association have taken delivery of a “substantial amount” of the devices, despite claims by BOA chairman Lord Colin Moynihan that “our athletes will not be wearing masks in any sport”.

Professor Alison McConnell, a respiratory expert at Brunel University in west London who has spent four years developing her ‘PUREbreathe’ product, has confirmed the BOA have gone ahead with the order and it will be available to the British team in China.
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Marathon runner Mara Yamauchi has said she would consider using a breathing device and other British athletes are expected to follow suit.

The device is aimed particularly at endurance athletes who spend long periods outdoors such as runners, road cyclists and rowers, though it will be allowed only for training and not competition.

Beijing is one of the world’s most polluted cities and the International Olympic Committee have admitted that endurance events could pose a health risk on heavily polluted days.

The mouthpiece has caused controversy, however, because of the potential offence it could cause to the Chinese hosts.

Two months ago Moynihan said: “We have reviewed our position and there’s no intention of British athletes wearing masks in Beijing.”

Source: http://www.telegraph.co.uk

China wrapping up security inspections of Olympic equipment

BEIJING, June 5 (Xinhua) — China’s quality supervisory agency said Thursday that security inspections of special equipment for the Beijing Olympics would be finished by June 30.

An official with the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine said the authorities would inspect and test each item to find and solve any hidden problems and make emergency plans.

The items include boilers, pressure containers and pipelines, elevators, cranes, passenger ropeways and other large pieces of equipment and machinery to be used in or near the game venues.

He said inspectors would keep close watch over all these items before and during the games.

The inspection process was going smoothly in the Olympic venues in Shanghai, Tianjin, Shenyang, Qingdao and Qinhuangdao. Local quality inspection authorities had organized emergency and rescue drills at venues in Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei Province.

With the approach of the long-awaited event, Chinese authorities have geared up to intensify security preparations.

Passengers riding the Beijing subway and major bus routes will undergo strict security checks starting at the end of June ahead of the Olympics, Beijing police said earlier this month.

“Security is a top priority of the Beijing Olympics. It guarantees a successful Olympic Games and has a great deal to do with social stability and the national image,” said Zhou Yongkang,a member of the Standing Committee of the Communist Party of China Central Committee Political Bureau on Sunday.

Zhou also urged intensified anti-terrorist efforts before and during the Games.

Beijing now has a 150,000-strong security guard contingent plus 290,000 volunteers doing patrols.

During the event, security guards who are directly assigned to the Games would number at least 80,000, according to Ma Zhenchuan, director of the Olympic security command.

Source: http://news.xinhuanet.com/

English football in decline

As Fabio Capello and his England squad gear up for Thursday’s friendly against USA there is more on the manager’s mind than winning as the number of England-qualified players starting in the Premier League drops to an all-time low.

Research conducted by BBC Sport has found that only 170 of the 498 players who started games in the top-flight 07/08 English Premier Season were English.

The figures show a dramatic slide from the 06/07 season where 191 of the starters were English.

“The number is important because that’s what I can choose from,” England manager Fabio Capello told BBC Sport after its findings were released on Wednesday.

“But more important is quality – the level of the player. At the moment the total is 34% but the (quality) level is high.”

Player quality

And while the quality of players who are starting in the EPL are of a high standard – shown by ten of the 22 players in May’s Champions League final between Manchester United and Chelsea – the fact still remains that while England are getting ready for friendly’s with the likes of USA and Trinidad and Tobago the rest of Europe are preparing for Euro 2008, which the vastly under-achieving England, while under former manager Steve McClaren, failed to qualify for.

Fifa president Sepp Blatter believes he has the answer to England’s problems with his controversial “6+5″ proposal that would see top-flight clubs having to limit the number of foreign starters to five during any one game.

But the move has recently sparked a battle of ideologies in world football with opponents saying it is unworkable and would contravene with the European Unions free workers rules.

Quotas necessary

Blatter, however, insists foreign quotas are necessary to ensure the sport’s growth and well-being and to prevent a handful of rich clubs, like the so-called ‘top four’ including Manchester United, Chelsea, Arsenal and Liverpool, dominating the tables.

The move would pose a major problem for the English clubs where last season only one in five starts in the Premier League would have met the quota.

A statement issued by the Premier League has dismissed England’s problems are due to the influx of foreign players in the English league.

The Premier League statement said: “Merely looking at numbers of England players in the Premier League is a blunt and misleading measure as to how well the national team should be doing.”

“There is no shortage of players at the highest level to pick from but we all want to see more Englishmen capable of performing at this level.”

If Blatter’s controversial plans which he hopes to introduce with the backing of the European Parliment from 2010 are not given the go-ahead then the only way forward for England’s hopes on the European and international stage it seems is spend more time and invest more money in the development of grass-roots talent in order to ensure the quality English football and the future of it’s players.

UEFA and FIFA plans for foreign/home split

Uefa home-grown player rule

- From 2008/2009 season, all clubs competing in UEFA club competitions would have at least eight home-grown players in their 25-man squads.

– This figure (eight) would comprise at least four players who have spent the required three years at their club, and the rest coming from a club in the same association, otherwise known as “4+4″.

- “Home-grown” is defined as a player who has been trained by their club or by another club in the same national association for at least three years between the age of 15 and 21 without any nationality conditions.

- Only applies to UEFA club competitions, such as the Champions League and the UEFA Cup.

- UEFA does not have the power to force its 53 national associations to implement the rule in domestic competitions but said it “would encourage” its members to do so.

- UEFA has 27 associations in the European Union.

Fifa 6+5 rule

- Requires each club to field no more than five foreign players in a match with no restrictions on any substitutes introduced during the game.

- FIFA can impose such a rule on all its 208 associations if at least 75 percent of its members vote in favour at its annual congress. Each member has one vote.

Source: http://tvnz.co.nz/

Young: Villa Need European Football

The Villa attacker made his third appearance for England against Trinidad and Tobago on Sunday, but has already turned his attention to next season and European action with the Premiership side.

Young had a remarkably successful season last time round after cementing his place in the Villa team, breaking into the England set up and finally being named in the Barclays Premier League ‘Team of the Season’.

After a great start to his Villa career the former Villa man now wants to take Villa into the Uefa Cup next season.

“I said from day one when I arrived at Aston Villa that this is a massive club that needs European football” he said.

“We showed a lot of character and a real ‘never-say-die’ attitude last season and we deserved a top-six finish.

“Hopefully we can get through the Intertoto Cup and progress to the UEFA Cup. Then we have a chance to really make an impact in Europe and that’s what every player at the club wants” he added.

“That will mean a lot more games but I’m sure the manager is looking to strengthen the squad this summer so we’re better prepared for that.”

Source: http://goal.com/en/

South Asian Cup: India Start Defence In Style

Defending champions India kicked-off their title defense in style as they thrashed Nepal 4-0 in the inaugural match of the SAFF Cup at the National Football Stadium in Maldives on Wednesday.

India are in Group A of the eight-nation tournament which takes place in Maldives and Sri Lanka.

The Men in Blue started low with Nepal starting on the brighter side initiating some good moves from the midfield. However, failure to convert the chances was very much part of Nepal’s play.

Striker Juman Rai of Nepal did well to beat two defenders but his concluding left footer was wide off the target. India took control of the proceedings after the first quarter and seemed relatively at ease thereafter. The in-form N.P.Pradeep gave India the lead in the 26th minute with his towering header off a freekick.

The best moment of the match came in the 35th minute when Bhaichung Bhutia scored a spectacular bicycle kick to leave everyone stunned.

The second half was played with more pace with Nepal on the lookout to comeback into the game; it just provided the Indians with more open spaces to work on.

Sunil Chhetri added his name to the scoresheet by placing the bal into the net after receiving a Steven Dias cross from the right.

There was some rain which made the ground slippery but that didn’t deter the pace of the game. Substitute Sushil Kumar scored the fourth seven minutes from time to complete the rout over their neighbours.

However, India had to play the last 15 minutes of the game without left back N.S. Manju who limped off the field after the champions were done with all their substitutions.

Final Score: 4-0

Source: http://kr.goal.com/en/