Rudd to attend Beijing Olympics opening

Prime Minister Kevin Rudd’s decision to attend the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympics has sparked concerns about the message he is sending on human rights.

Mr Rudd ended months of indecision on Thursday to reveal he will head to China in August.

Uncertainty had surrounded Mr Rudd’s plans, following calls for him to boycott the opening ceremony because of China’s crackdown in Tibet.

As recently as last week he was still citing uncertainty over diary arrangements.

But on Thursday morning, at a farewell ceremony for athletes, he told them he would be in Beijing to cheer them on.

Mr Rudd will also attend an Australian team reception and present a flag to the team’s flag bearer at the opening ceremony.

“I, like so many Australians, will be there with pride watching you, cheering you on and urging you to do your absolute best for Australia as I know you will,” he said.

Mr Rudd – a renowned Sinophile who has been accused of a China bias in his foreign policy – said he was relaxed about accepting China’s invitation, which is supported by the Australian Olympics Committee (AOC).

“I think it’s the right thing to do.”

Mr Rudd will be in Beijing from August 7 to 10.

“We’ve made it work and I’ll be going to the opening ceremony and I’ll be there for a few days after that and come back, I think altogether about three days.”

Some world leaders have been reluctant to confirm they’re going to the Games, which have been dogged by controversy over China’s handling of human rights issues, including Tibet.

United Nations secretary general Ban Ki-moon and British Prime Minister Gordon Brown reportedly won’t be going to the opening ceremony, although Mr Brown is expected to attend the closing ceremony, when 2012 host London is presented with the Olympic flag.

The leaders of Canada, Germany, Poland and the Czech Republic aren’t expected to attend the opening ceremony.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy is also expected to be a no-show, but US President George W Bush is likely to attend.

A spokesman for the Chinese embassy in Canberra said it welcomed Mr Rudd’s decision.

But human rights advocates believe he is sending the wrong message.

Australian Greens leader Bob Brown said Mr Rudd should not go until Beijing makes real progress on Tibet.

“It’s the wrong thing to do, Mr Rudd,” he told reporters.

“Mr Rudd should be not going to the opening ceremony unless there was a real breakthrough for the Tibetans in negotiations between Hu Jintao, the top Communist leader in Beijing, and the Dalai Lama and his representatives.

“It’s not much of an ask.”

Senator Brown suggested Communist leaders would be “rubbing their hands with glee” because Mr Rudd’s tough talk on Tibet when he visited Beijing in April had come to nothing.

The Australia Tibet Council expressed disappointment that Mr Rudd made his decision before discussions between representatives of Beijing and the Dalai Lama next week.

“It takes the pressure off China to enter into formal negotiations on the future of Tibet before the Olympics,” ATC executive officer Paul Bourke said.

But the AOC says Mr Rudd will boost athletes’ morale.

“It’s good for our team that the prime minister is there. I think it’s also very important for our county that he is there,” said AOC president John Coates.

Source : http://news.smh.com.au/

Soccer-Euro-Rakitic faces fitness test for Turkey clash

By Zoran Milosavljevic

BAD TATZMANNSDORF, Austria, June 19 (Reuters) – Croatia midfielder Ivan Rakitic faces a late fitness test for their Euro 2008 quarter-final clash with Turkey in Vienna on Friday, coach Slaven Bilic said.

“The team doctors are optimistic that he will be fit but he is still in pain with a niggling knee injury,” Bilic told a news conference at the team’s training base on Thursday.

“He will have to pass a fitness test before the match and we hope he will be cleared by the medical staff to play against Turkey,” he said.

Right wing Darijo Srna has shaken off a thigh strain and should start in a four-man midfield as Bilic is set to field his favourite 4-4-2 formation.

Knee injuries have already sidelined defender Dario Knezevic and striker Igor Budan, who are out of the tournament.

Source: http://uk.reuters.com/

Euro 2008: Guus Hiddink’s young Russians too strong for Sweden

Russia (1) 2 Sweden (0) 0

Russia (1) 2 Sweden (0) 0

The Midas touch that Guus Hiddink has on international teams took Russia into the quarter-finals of a major tournament for the first time on a night when his adopted team announced their capabilities by claiming the win they needed to progress. Now the man who took Holland to the World Cup semi-finals faces his country in a fascinating tie, in Basle, on Saturday.

Hiddink took South Korea to the last four of the World Cup before reaching the finals and reaching the second stage with Australia, and while Sweden needed only a draw to qualify, it was soon apparent that the Russians were better equipped, with Roman Pavlyuchenko scoring midway through the first half. The outcome was effectively determined when Andrei Arshavin, restored after completing a two-match ban, capped a fluent display with Russia’s second.

Arshavin made a big impact in his first game of the tournament. The Zenit St Petersburg forward missed the defeat by Spain and win over Greece after being sent off in Russia’s final qualifier in Andorra.

Hiddink was concerned that Arshavin was short of match fitness but the prize was too great for the Dutchman not to take a chance and he replaced Dmitry Torbinsky.

Similarly, Sweden coach Lars Lagerback fielded the team unlucky to lose 2-1 to Spain on Saturday, and was relieved that Zlatan Ibrahimovic was able to continue, having failed to emerge for the second half against the Spaniards with a knee problem.

The Swedish doctors worked around the clock to get the striker ready and he was able to start alongside Henrik Larsson, the veteran making his 98th appearance for Sweden.

In the wonderful setting of the Tivoli Neu Stadium, with the sun setting behind the Alps, the atmosphere and colour was magnificent, the fans capturing the importance of the game in style. And it was Russia who threatened first when, in the seventh minute, Arshavin fed Diniyar Bilyaletdinov, whose forward pass fell invitingly for Igor Semshov, only for Konstantin Zyryanov to get in his way as he prepared to shoot.

While there was an urgency about the Russians, Ibrahimovic was next to force a chance, the power of his header insufficient to trouble Igor Akinfeev. Back came Russia, Aleksandr Anyukov’s cross offering Arshavin a headed chance he planted wide.

Then, from the right, another Anyukov delivery was met by Arshavin and the striker, quickly imposing himself on the game, side-footed wide. Another right-footed attempt by the striker served as further warning to the Swedes.

They were now facing a constant barrage, wave after wave of red-shirted attacks, and in the 21st minute Arshavin attempted an audacious shot from an acute angle, forcing Sweden’s Manchester City goalkeeper Andreas Isaksson to arch back and tip over his goal.

Such was the pressure, it was no surprise when Russia took the lead, in the 24th minute. Zyryanov cut the ball in from the right, to Anyukov, who just helped it inside, from where Pavlyuchenko beat Isaksson with ease to claim his second goal of Euro 2008.

Sweden, though, responded and were unfortunate not to level, with Larsson’s header, from Mikael Nilsson’s cross, dropping onto the crossbar.

Such was their swift movement and clever passing, Russia gave the impression of having twice as many men on the pitch and, in the 36th minute, Pavlyuchenko came close to scoring a second. Bilyaletdinov fed the striker and he rattled the crossbar. The ball rebounded to Zyranov, whose effort was brilliantly saved by Isaksson. At the opposite end, Akinfeev saved superbly, in the remaining two minutes of the first half, from Larsson and Nilsson as Sweden served notice of their capability to steal a draw.

But, in the 51st minute, Swedish hope turned to fear when Russia scored their second and, quite possibly, one of the best worked, if not spectacular, goals of the tournament so far.

A Swedish free kick turned into a Russian counter-attack, producing half a dozen crisp passes from the halfway line to penalty area with Zhirkov seting up Arshavin, whose right-footed finish was sublime.

Sweden could see their chance disappearing though before the end Olof Mellberg headed just over, while Russia were denied a third when Zyryanov struck the post in the 80th minute.

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

Euro 2008: Free and clear for the Greeks

By Brianna Goldberg, National Post

Match Greece vs. Spain

Relative congestion of the Danforth Almost completely free and clear. Patios sat empty. Tables inside were plateless. Bartenders all along the strip leaned on their elbows and looked bored. How could Greek town be such a ghost town when the home town was playing? This was Greece’s last game in the Euro Cup, no matter how the match transpired. Though they were defending champions in the tournament, they remain the only team in Euro Cup 2008 to not even win a single point after having played three matches.

And on top of that It was raining in sheets for the first half of the game.

Consequently “We sent half of our staff home,” said the hostess at the Fox and Fiddle. And she and another waitress still had time to dig in to a
box of luscious-looking baklava from down the road.

Finally settled At Iliada Caffeteria Bar, 550 Danforth Ave. Because there were a dozen Greece fans hooting and hollering at one screen, and about a dozen fans hooting and hollering at the Russia vs. Sweden game on the screen at the other end of the bar. It seemed like a neat counterpoint.

Meal Nobody seemed to be eating anything at Iliada … or anywhere on the Danforth, for that matter. Not even at Mr. Greek, where two lone souls stood on the patio watching the game without either a beverage or a snack.

Drink There was a strong showing of Beck’s (which is German) and Heineken (which is Dutch), though there was also a table sipping from brandy snifters: the drink of choice for a more discerning football fan.

Holy Sound Effects, Batman One lanky fellow in a blue trench coat gave a running commentary of the game in Greek. But along with the commentary also came an impressive flow of sound effects, straight out of the Batman television series.

Favourites Pow! Oup! [Sputtering like a motor]! Bo bo bo bo bo bo bo!

Thank Zeus for small mercies Angelos Charisteas saved Greece from being the only defending champion to exit the Euro Cup without scoring a single point. This was the moment of the game, and as soon as the ball hit the net three blue-clad fans immediately flipped out their cellphones to confer with fans who were further away.

Score 2-1 for Espagna

The Aftershock “We still played better than last time,” said Stelios Aslaniois, a cook who took the day off for Greece’s final match. “We had to come for the goodbye game.”

They’ll be back “Of course we’ll still watch the rest of the tournament,” said George Aslaniois. While Stelios said he is rooting for the Netherlands, George will be cheering for the team who just beat Greece. “I like Spain,” he said. “They play an entertaining game.”

Source: http://network.nationalpost.com/