China have the power to beat USA in Olympic gold rush again July 26, 2012 OLYMPIC fever is upon us at last. With one study suggesting home support can boost a host nation’s medal haul by over 50%, Team GB’s official target of 48 medals, just one more than they claimed in Beijing four years ago, seems conservative. Sporting Index’s spread of 62-64 is more realistic but we shouldn’t get [...]
Hannon’s Maureen to bounce back from unlucky Newmarket run July 26, 2012 IT’S a relatively quiet weekend on the racing front as everyone eagerly awaits Frankel’s next start in Wednesday’s QIPCO Sussex Stakes. However, there is still some decent action and the main tip is Richard Hannon’s MAUREEN in tomorrow’s Princess Margaret Stakes at Ascot (3.25pm). The daughter of Holy Roman Emperor was an unlucky loser in [...]
Bale faces ban over Olympics injury farce July 25, 2012 TOTTENHAM winger Gareth Bale could be suspended from the club’s pre-season friendlies throughout the Olympic Games should the Football Association lodge an official complaint, according to Fifa president Sepp Blatter. Bale was withdrawn from Team GB’s football squad due to injury yet on Tuesday played and scored during Spurs’ friendly against Los Angeles Galaxy, and [...]
BOA uncertain about Idowu’s Games fitness July 25, 2012 UK Athletics head coach Charles van Commenee has admitted “nobody knows” if Phillips Idowu will be fit to participate at London 2012. The triple jumper has this year competed on just three occasions because of myriad injury problems but though the British Olympic Association on Tuesday requested to see Idowu’s medical records, Van Commenee remains uncertain [...]
TEAM GB KICK OFF LONDON OLYMPICS WITH VICTORY July 25, 2012 LONDON 2012 began yesterday as Team GB’s women’s football team defeated New Zealand 1-0 in front of 24,549 fans at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff. Arsenal full-back Steph Houghton (centre) scored with a curling free kick in the 64th-minute.
£25m Oscar signs for Chelsea as spending spree continues July 25, 2012 CHELSEA yesterday confirmed the signing of Brazil playmaker Oscar from Internacional for a fee of £25m as their bid to return to Premier League title contention gathers pace. This summer’s resolute reshaping of the Chelsea squad is the most significant seen at the club since Jose Mourinho’s appointment as manager in 2004, a year after [...]
North Korea footballers rebel after use of South Korean flag July 25, 2012 NORTH Korea’s women’s football team were last night involved in the first major blunder of London 2012 when they walked off of the pitch after the South Korean flag was instead incorrectly displayed. The fixture, against Colombia, was scheduled to begin at 7.45pm at Hampden Park, Glasgow, and eventually began over an hour later after [...]
Greece dismiss Olympian following Twitter race row July 25, 2012 GREEK triple jumper Voula Papachristou has been expelled from competing at London 2012 after posting comments on Twitter that were considered to be racist. The Greek Olympic Committee deemed Papachristou to have undermined the spirit of the Games in tweets mocking African immigrants and in support of a far-right political party and, despite her subsequent [...]
Klitschko ready to make Haye with title fight July 25, 2012 WORLD heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko has revealed he he and his brother Vitali are considering a fight with Britain’s David Haye. The two-weight world champion last summer lost to Wladimir but after returning from a shortlived retirement to stop Dereck Chisora in just five rounds earlier this month after the latter had gone the distance with [...]
Kagawa scores in United victory July 25, 2012 FOOTBALL: New signing Shinji Kagawa yesterday scored his first Manchester United goal in a 1-0 victory over Shanghai Shenhua.