MONTREAL: It’s time to put the fun back in F1. Formula
One’s new owners are hoping to dial down some of the
intensity of the high-power and high-pressure racing circuit
this season, swapping the paddock for paddling at the
Canadian Grand Prix this month with the return of the Great
Montreal Raft Race .
Just hours before strapping rock star drivers into multi-
million-dollar cars traveling at more than 200 mph, team
crews - and executives - traded their firesuits for life pre-
servers in a beer-soaked beach party on the erstwhile
Olympic rowing venue next to the Circuit Giles Villeneuve.
There were no protests, no post-race inspections, no con-
structor points. Just a few dozen team members - from
mechanics to principals - soaked but smiling as they paddled
their hastily assembled crafts across the murky lagoon with
nothing at stake except bragging rights.
“We take Formula One very seriously; that doesn’t mean
we should take ourselves seriously,” said Sean Bratches, F1’s
managing director of commercial operations. “We let our
hair down a little bit - or let our hair get wet today,” he said
after toweling off and taking a swig from a beer bottle to
wash the taste of the lagoon from his mouth. “And it was
quite enjoyable.”
Since taking over Formula One this year, new owner
Liberty Media has said it wants to liven up race week with a
more American - meaning fun - approach to the events.
(Executives were also careful to stress that they want to
maintain the cachet that makes the races popular with its
European base.) So when the traveling circuit returned to
Canada this month, so did the raft race.
‘The spirit of the event’
A staple of the Canadian Grand Prix until the late 1990s,
the raft race fizzled out when the demands on the mechan-
ics increased and they became too busy to design and build
their own crafts. Before it was discontinued, the “rafts” grew
increasingly complicated; in 1990, for example, Ferrari
brought in a one-man craft with an outboard engine. To
eliminate the technological arms race and maintain the
focus on fun, this year’s competitors were each given a cou-
ple of wooden pallets for the structure and some empty
plastic water jugs for flotation. (There also was no shortage
of beer.) They had 45 minutes.
“Please build with the spirit of the event in mind,” teams
were told. “Utilization of that secret America’s Cup project
file you have tucked away on your laptop will be frowned
upon.” They were required to have seven people on the boat
and encouraged to include the team principal among them.
(Haas worked around this by having a life-sized cardboard
cutout of principal Guenther Steiner, in full yacht club attire,
at the stern.) Toro Rosso wore silly wigs, Renault had jaunty
sailor’s caps, a third group went with a pirate theme.
Formula One management also floated a team, as did the
media relations department.
Crews were given rope to hold the craft together, a
megaphone for taunting opponents and paddles. Other
than the mandatory life vests, and the goal of paddling up
and back across the canal, there didn’t seem to be many
rules. Tennis balls were lobbed back and forth like inert can-
nonballs; a fire hose sprayed teams that got too far in front
or otherwise looked too comfortable. “There may be some-
thing you think is a shark in the water,” they were warned
by the announcer, who also served as the DJ and gave
updates during the race. “Please don’t get too violent with
it. It is a bloke in a black suit.”
Micah Desforges, who waved the checkered flag, was part
of the Tribu event-planning team that was hired by Red Bull.
“Everyone is in a good mood, and we’ll try to get some funky
stuff happening,” he said. “It’s good to get the community
together, have a good vibe, good event. Get the pressure
down, and that’s what it’s all about.” McLaren easily won the
race - good for a chuckle, since the team has struggled all
season in Formula One itself . That didn’t stop them from cel-
ebrating with the traditional champagne spray from a
makeshift podium.
“It’s a good message for Formula One: To all work togeth-
er to make Formula One great,” said Ross Brawn, the circuit’s
managing director for motorsports. “It’s a serious business;
we know that. But evenings like this make it all worthwhile
as well.”Bratches said the raft race was a natural, because it
had a history and the lagoon was already there next to the
track. He said he’d like to see other fun events added during
the season, “taking advantage of unique circumstances like
rowing lakes that somebody else might have.” “This is just a
Montreal thing. But I think there’s other creative things
where we can engage one another and really extend the
community,” he said. “It’s a great community of people at
Formula One, and this was a fantastic event.” — AP
45
S p o r t s
FRIDAY, JUNE 23, 2017
MONTREAL: In this image from video, competitors take part in the raft race at the Formula 1 Canadian Grand Prix. — AP
‘Great Montreal Raft Race’
puts fun back in Formula 1
Record at stake
on LPGA Tour
CROMWELL: As the scores kept going lower and lower at Erin
Hills, more than one observer suggested the US Open looked
more like the Travelers Championship. There is one big differ-
ence. The Travelers Championship might have more top-10
players on the weekend. Rory McIlroy and Jason Day, now No
3 and No. 4 in the world, are part of a field that is stronger
than usual at the TPC River Highlands. Both had the weekend
off at the US Open. Joining them at the Travelers
Championship are Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas.
McIlroy has played only seven times this year because of a
rib injury, so he’s gearing up for a busy summer schedule.
There’s also that matter of a new PGA Tour regulation that
requires players who had fewer than 25 tournaments last sea-
son to play somewhere they haven’t been in four years. Ditto
for Spieth. For all of them, the Travelers typically is a good
way to wind down.
This was only the third time in US Open history that the
winner finished at double digits under par. For the Travelers,
the last time a winner finished in single digits under par was
Nick Price. That was in 1993, the year Spieth and Thomas were
born. The LPGA Tour heads to Arkansas for the Walmart NW
Arkansas Championship, where Stacy Lewis is celebrating the
wrong kind of anniversary. That was her most recent victory
on the LPGA Tour, but it was three years ago.
The European Tour is in Germany for the BMW
International Open, when Henrik Stenson as the defending
champion. Stenson pulled out of the US Open on Friday last
year with neck pain, then won the following week in
Germany. He pulled out of the US Open on Friday this year,
but that was because of his score. He missed the cut. Also on
tap is the American Family Insurance Classic, hosted by Steve
Stricker, who this year finally gets to play because he’s 50.
PGA TOUR
If not for Russell Knox throwing his hat at a speed that
would make Aroldis Chapman proud, he might be the forgot-
ten defending champion. Jim Furyk captured most of the
headlines last year by becoming the first player in PGA Tour
history to post a 58 , and he did it with a par on the final hole.
Alas, all that got him was a tie for fifth, but his name in the
record book is quite the consolation. Furyk now is the only
player to post two sub-60 rounds on the PGA Tour.
Knox, meanwhile, wasn’t throwing his hat for attention. He
was so pumped by making that par putt to win because he
thought for sure that would lock up a spot on Europe’s Ryder
Cup team. Turns out, European captain Darren Clarke over-
looked him. Knox is no less proud of his achievement. And the
Scot has a sense of humor on the dry side. Chris Berman of
ESPN usually helps to present the trophy, though he missed
out on the honor last year. So when Boomer ran into Knox at
the Deutsche Bank Championship, he came over to apologize
for not being there and praise Knox for winning a trophy that
had some of the biggest names in golf on it. Sam Snead.
Arnold Palmer. Billy Casper. Lee Trevino. Curtis Strange. “Ken
Duke,” Knox interjected. “I love Ken Duke,” Knox said later.
“We play a lot of practice rounds together.” — AP
CROMWELL: Jordan Spieth watches his drive from the
first tee at the Travelers Championship at TPC River
Highlands. — AP
46
S p o r t s
FRIDAY, JUNE 23, 2017
ROME: Chinese businessman Jiang Lizhang’s
Desports group has agreed to purchase a 60
percent stake in Italian side Parma, club vice-
president Marco Ferrari said yesterday. Former
UEFA Cup winners Parma have earned a Serie B
berth next season, two years after bankruptcy
led to demotion to the Italian fourth division.
Ferrari told a press conference in the north of
Italy that the club had been looking for “a for-
eign partner” for several months. “We identified
this partner in the person of Jiang Lizhang,
president of the Desports group,” he said. Jiang
already owns Spanish La Liga club Grenada and
is co-owner of the Minnesota Timberwolves
NBA franchise. He is the founder of Double-
Edged Sports (DeSports), a company specialis-
ing in marketing and sports rights. Desports
recently acquired retransmission rights for
Champions League and Europa League match-
es in China for the period 2018-2021.
“The first phase of the operation has ended
in recent weeks with the arrival of this new part-
ner and a capital increase which has led to a
minority stake of 30 per cent,” explained Ferrari.
“The transaction is expected to be concluded in
the first week of July with an increase in its
stake to 60 percent.” Both Inter Milan and AC
Milan are already under Chinese ownership.
Suning, a leading Chinese appliance retailer,
controlled by billionaire
Zhang Jindong, spent 270 million euros
($301m) to buy a 68 percent stake in Inter
Milan. And in April AC Milan began life under
Chinese ownership in a 740 million-euro deal,
which ended former Italian Prime Minister Silvio
Berlusconi’s 31-year reign as the club’s owner
and president and saw businessman Li
Yonghong take a 99.93 percent stake in the
club. Parma-winners of the second-tier
European competition in 1995 and 1999 won a
play-off against Alessandria 2-0 in Florence last
Saturday to win promotion to Serie B. It was the
second consecutive promotion for the club
who finished sixth in Serie A in 2014 but could
not play in Europe the following season
because of financial fair-play rules. The cash-
strapped side finished bottom of the Italian top
flight in 2015 and was declared bankrupt in
March that year with club president Giampetro
Manenti jailed. In July 2015 Parma Calcio 1913
was created and admitted into the Italian fourth
division.—AFP
MOSCOW: Cristiano Ronaldo brushed
aside his off-field problems by scoring
the winner as Portugal edged out hosts
Russia 1-0 at the Confederations Cup on
Wednesday, before Oribe Peralta gave
Mexico a come-from-behind 2-1 win
over New Zealand. Ronaldo’s eighth-
minute header in Moscow gave Portugal
their first win in the tournament and vic-
tory over New Zealand on Saturday
would secure a semi-final spot.
Goals from Peralta and Raul Jimenez
saw Mexico move top of Group A later in
the day, above Portugal on goals scored,
and knock New Zealand out of the com-
petition. Ronaldo let his football do the
talking after the recent tax-evasion
accusations that have left his Real
Madrid future uncertain, with his second
man-of-the-match performance follow-
ing Sunday’s 2-2 draw with Mexico. The
forward said Portugal were worthy win-
ners after surviving a second-half
Russian fight-back.
“We’re very happy, it’s the first time
Portugal have won in Russia. The team
played very well against a side playing
at home with the support of their fans.
But we were better, we had more
chances,” he said. Ronaldo is accused by
Spanish authorities of having evaded
paying 14.7 million euros ($16.5m) in tax
and has been summoned to appear in
court next month in Madrid.
But he was all smiles, escorting a
young mascot in a wheelchair out onto
the Moscow pitch before netting his first
Confederations Cup goal. Portugal’s win
came at a cost though, as Borussia
Dortmund defender Raphael Guerreiro
had to be helped off on 65 minutes with
a suspected broken leg. “He was hospi-
talised and we think he broke his leg,”
said Portugal coach Fernando Santos.
Guerreiro’s towering cross from the left
flank hung in the air and found Ronaldo,
who rose at the far post to head back
across Igor Akinfeev.
Only a superb one-handed reflex
save from Akinfeev, who made his 100th
international appearance, stopped
Andre Silva’s bullet header just after the
break. The hosts were unlucky not to
force an equaliser after a string of
chances in a strong second-half display.
Defender Georgy Dzhikiya headed nar-
rowly over the bar from the game’s final
corner in added time.
Mexico send New Zealand packing
Later on Wednesday, Mexico needed
second-half goals by Benfica’s Jimenez
and Peralta to grab victory over New
Zealand in a bad-tempered match at
Sochi. Juan Carlos Osorio’s side now just
need a draw against Russia in Kazan on
Saturday to be sure of reaching the
semi-finals. The Kiwis’ superb first-half
display and Chris Wood’s shock goal rat-
tled Mexico and a tense match boiled
over with a mass brawl in the dying
stages.
The match turned when Porto mid-
fielder Hector Herrera came on for the
second half and Mexico’s attacks started
to flow. “I am proud of what my team
did, it’s normal to have to suffer at this
level, but we deserved to win,” said
Osorio. “We know how to adapt to dif-
ferent opponents.” New Zealand coach
Anthony Hudson had vowed they would
bounce back after Saturday’s opening 2-
0 defeat by Russia and his team was true
to his word.—AFP
Chinese investors buy stake in Parma
MOSCOW: Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo celebrates after scoring his side’s first goal during the Confederations Cup,
Group A soccer match between Russia and Portugal, at the Spartak Stadium. — AP
Tax problems? What problems?
Ronaldo scores in Portugal win
SEOUL: Carlos Queiroz was once Alex Ferguson’s formi-
dable number two at Manchester United, but he has
now carved out a new reputation: the man who can take
your team to the World Cup. After Queiroz’s Iran became
only the second team to qualify for Russia 2018, he is
savouring the unique feat of reaching four World Cups
with three different teams. It’s a record that hasn’t gone
unnoticed, with Asian champions Australia reportedly
interested in Queiroz’s services once Ange Postecoglou
departs next year.
“I feel very proud and honoured with that (World
Cup) achievement,” the grizzled Portuguese told AFP by
telephone. “Other coaches have qualified four times but
not with different teams.” The former Real Madrid boss
has now qualified with South Africa in 2002, Portugal in
2010 — leading them to the last 16 — and now twice
with Iran, after he also took them to Brazil 2014. This
month’s 2-0 win over Uzbekistan made Iran the first
Asian team to qualify for Russia, clinching top spot in
Group A with two games to spare-and without a single
goal conceded in 720 minutes of football.
On top of that, Iran, who will now contest back-to-
back World Cups for the first time, have been Asia’s num-
ber one team in the FIFA rankings for four years, helped
by a growing number of players succeeding in Europe.
Walter Winterbottom took England to four successive
World Cups starting from 1950, a record that was
equalled by West Germany’s Helmut Schon from 1966 to
1978. Oscar Tabarez could also make it four with
Uruguay if the South Americans reach Russia. But
nobody has done it with three different countries, apart
from Mozambique-born Queiroz. “To do it with these dif-
ferent countries, cultures and mentalities is at least,
unique,” Queiroz said. “Each country has its own chal-
lenges, its own strengths and weaknesses.”
‘Football animal’
The 64-year-old became Iran coach in 2011 and has
weathered cultural and logistical difficulties to find suc-
cess with Team Melli, helped by the talent the country
produces and the passion of the fans. “The fans love the
team and the excitement they provide is special,” said
Queiroz. “When we play at home the atmosphere is
great and there can be 100,000 fans. When we qualified,
there were celebrations in Tehran all night.”—AFP
Queiroz, from Man United
enforcer to Mr World Cup
Iran’s Portuguese coach Carlos Queiroz
47
S p o r t s
FRIDAY, JUNE 23, 2017
Al Roudhan football tournament
worn in ceremonies) to Spanish professional footballer Iker Casillas Fern·ndez (R), goalkeeper for Portuguese club Porto
and the Spain national team and former Real Madrid goalkeeper, and goalkeeper Essam Al-Hadari of Egypt (L), during
the Al-Roudhan championship in Kuwait City on June 21, 2017. The Roudhan football tournament is held annually in
Kuwait during Ramadan and hosts iconic international football players as guests to participate in the event.
— photos by Yasser Al-Zayyat
SHANGHAI: Brazilian international Oscar was
banned for eight games yesterday for trig-
gering a spectacular mass brawl in the
Chinese Super League between his Shanghai
SIPG side and Guangzhou R&F. After the for-
mer Chelsea midfielder appeared twice to
fire the ball deliberately at Guangzhou play-
ers on Sunday, he was rushed by several
opponents. Oscar fell to the ground and a
melee broke out around him.
The Chinese Football Association issued
lengthy bans to four players, including the
25-year-old Oscar, and fined him 40,000 yuan
($6,000). Oscar, who was not booked at the
time of the scrap, is one of the most high-
profile players in the Chinese Super League
(CSL) after he joined SIPG for an Asian-record
60 million euros this season. But that has not
saved him from the mammoth ban as the
CFA said he was responsible for sparking the
ugly incident just before half-time in the
away league match.
Oscar will not return to CSL action until
late August. Among the games he will miss
will be against Guangzhou Evergrande on
July 22, as Andre Villas-Boas’s second-placed
SIPG attempt to keep up the pressure on the
league leaders. “It very badly impacted the
Chinese Super League match,” the CFA said
in a statement, referring to Oscar’s key role in
the dispute in which players, coaching staff
and substitutes poured off the benches and
waded in.
Two players, one from each side, were
sent off for their part in the brawl. One of
them, Shanghai’s Fu Huan, was banned for
six CSL games, and red-carded Guangzhou
R&F player Li Tixiang got five games.
Guangzhou’s Chen Zhizhao, who seemed to
push Oscar to the floor, was banned for sev-
en league games and both clubs were fined
and warned about their behaviour. Oscar
was unhurt and the fiery encounter finished
1-1 to leave SIPG four points behind reigning
champions Guangzhou Evergrande.
Villas-Boas defended Oscar afterwards,
saying he was “just being passionate”, and
Oscar denied he purposely aimed the ball at
R&F players. “Disrespect the opponent? It is
not true. I am a very dedicated player and
respect sportsmanship,” Sina Sports website
quoted the player as saying. —AFP
Oscar gets eight-game ban over China brawl
FRIDA
Y
, JUNE 23, 2017
www.kuwaittimes.net
Abdullah Al-Roudhan gives a bisht to
Spanish professional footballer Iker
Casillas Fern·ndez during the Al-
Roudhan championship in Kuwait City
yesterday. — Photo by Yasser Al Zayyat
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