Month: June 2019

WUHAN, Hubei province – Test events in boxing and skydiving for this year’s Military World Games are being conducted in Wuhan this week.

The six-day boxing test, which is the third round of the 2019 China Boxing Tournament, sees 50 boxers from 40 teams fighting across 15 weight divisions – men’s 49kg, 52kg, 57kg, 60kg, 63kg, 69kg, 75kg, 81kg, 91kg, +91kg; women’s 51kg, 57kg, 60kg, 69kg, 75kg.

It is co-organized by the Chinese Boxing Federation, Military World Games boxing competition committee and Wuhan Sports University.

The tournament has adopted the latest technical and competition rules approved by the Chinese Boxing Federation.

Bouts are comprised of three three-minute rounds, with a one-minute break between each.

The top three men along with the top three women in the Olympic class will qualify for the title fights.

Zhang Biao, executive director of the boxing competition committee, said organizers were focused on honing presentation elements ahead of the Military World Games, which will be held in Wuhan from Oct 18-27.

“The key point and main difficulty of stadium maintenance is the lighting system,” said Zhang.

“A boxing competition has major requirements for lighting. It is necessary to scientifically design the lighting angle, lighting position and installation angle of the lamps to ensure that athletes will not be adversely affected.”

Meanwhile, a parachute-jump competition featuring 10 provincial teams kicked off on Wednesday at Hannan General Aviation Airport, which will serve as the skydiving base during the Military World Games.

The four-day test competition is evaluating facilities with a view to meeting the required standards, according to the executive committee of the Military World Games.

The committee will assess the overall results of the operation to ensure a smooth and successful competition in October.

Over 300 young volunteers from local colleges have been recruited to provide services throughout the process.

Located in the southwest of Wuhan, Hannan General Aviation Airport is one of China’s leading airports, featuring a 1.6 km runway, the longest of China’s domestic airports.

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The airport also boosts the local industries of general aviation and satellite. A total of 30 test events will be staged prior to October’s Military World Games, a multi-sports event that has taken place every four years since 1995.

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Tite’s side look to get their tournament off to a winning start as they take on huge underdogs Bolivia in the opening game of the Copa America

Copa America host nation Brazil are set to take on Bolivia in the competition’s opening match at the Cicero Pompeu de Toledo Stadium in Sao Paulo. 

Brazil’s preparations for the tournament have been marred with controversy with  Neymar being removed as captain after he punched a fan following Paris Saint-Germain’s Coupe de France final loss , and the 27-year-old was later ruled out for the summer when he suffered ankle ligament damage in a friendly against Qatar. 

Bolivia, meanwhile, have lost their last three games and come into the game low on confidence. 

Game	Brazil vs Bolivia
Date	Friday, June 14
Time	1:30am BST / 8:30pm ET
Stream (US)	fubo TV (7-day free trial)

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TV Channel, Live Stream & How To Watch

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In the United States (US), the game can be watched on Telemundo, ESPN+ and  live and on-demand with fuboTV (7-day free trial) .

New users can sign up for a free seven-day trial of the live sports streaming service, which can be accessed via iOS, Android, Chromecast, Amazon Fire TV, Roku and Apple TV as well as on a web browser.

US TV channel	Online stream
Telemundo / ESPN+	fubo TV (7-day free trial)

In the United Kingdom (UK), the game will be broadcast on Premier Sports 1 and can be streamed via Premier Player HD.

UK TV channel	Online stream
Premier Sports 1	Premier Player HD

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Squads & Team News

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Position	Brazil squad
Goalkeepers	Alisson, Cassio, Ederson
Defenders	Thiago Silva, Miranda, Marquinhos, Filipe Luis, Alex Sandro, Dani Alves, Eder, Fagner
Midfielders	Casemiro, Arthur, Coutinho, Allan, Fernandinho, Paqueta, Willian
Forwards	Neres, Jesus, Everton, Firmino, Richarlison

Brazil will line-up without Neymar yet again after the Paris Saint-Germain forward was ruled out for the duration of the Copa America with an ankle injury.

And Tite indicated after his side’s 7-0 thrashing of Honduras that Roberto Firmino and David Neres would likely start against Bolivia.

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There were some concerns over Arthur when he was forced off with a knock on Sunday but Tite has since confirmed the midfielder did not suffer a serious injury. 

Confirmed Brazil starting XI: Alisson; Dani Alves, Thiago Silva, Marquinhos, Filipe Luis; Fernandinho, Casemiro, Coutinho; Richarlison, Firmino, Neres.

Position	Bolivia squad
Goalkeepers	Lampe, Cordano, Rojas
Defenders	M. Bejarano, D. Bejarano, Haquin, Jusino, Cuellar, Torres, Fernandez, Carrasco
Midfielders	Chumacero, Castro, Saavedra, Justiniano, Galindo, Saucedo, Wayar, Arano
Forwards	Martins, Alvarez, Ramollo, Vaca

Bolivia head coach Eduardo Villegas has a full squad to pick from going into the tournament.

Confirmed Bolivia starting XI:  Lampe, D. Bejarano, Haquin, Jusino, M. Bejarano, Chumacero, Justiniano, Saucedo, Saavedra, Castro, Moreno.

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Betting & Match Odds

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Brazil are unsurprisingly big favourites to win this match with  Bet365 , priced 1/12. Bolivia can be backed at 22/1, while a draw is available at 9/1.

Click here to see all of bet 365’s offers for the game, including goalscoring markets, correct score predictions and more.

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Match Preview

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Despite Neymar missing out on the tournament, Brazil remain favourites to win the Copa America on their own turf.

Should they lift the trophy at the Rio de Janeiro final on July 7, it would be the first time the Selecao have won the competition since 2007, so they will eager to put that right this time around with Chile and Uruguay having picked up titles in the last 12 years.

While the absence of their talisman Neymar will be a huge loss for Tite’s side, they have a number of talented forwards among their ranks – as shown by the nine goals they netted in two June friendlies.

Premier League stars Richarlison and Gabriel Jesus got on the score sheet against in both games with Philippe Coutinho and David Neres finding the target against Honduras after the Ajax man replaced Neymar in Brazil’s line-up from the clash with Qatar.

And that talented front line is supported by a defence filled with experience, as the likes of Thiago Silva, Felipe Luis, Marquinhos and new captain Dani Alves all likely to have prominent roles in the back four.

Even with the injury to Neymar, Bolivia’s build-up to the Copa America has arguably been less smooth than Tite’s team’s preparations. 

La Verde’s only warm-up game took place on a different continent to the tournament with Eduardo Villegas’ side losing 2-0 to France in Nantes on June 2. 

Bolivia have the longest odds to win the tournament apart from Qatar, and their opening game is by far the toughest of their group on paper. 

Anything Villegas’ team take from the match would be a huge bonus as they look to make it through to the Copa America quarter-final stages for only the fourth time since 1967. 

Two poor friendly results have left a bitter taste in the mouths of U.S. fans but the coach says he working to improve the results

United States men’s national team coach Gregg Berhalter says he expects his squad to win the Gold Cup, despite a pair of poor performances in the run up to the regional tournament.

The USMNT open the 2019 Gold Cup on Tuesday when they face Guyana in St. Paul, MN, looking to snap a two-match losing streak while also aiming to repeat as champions.

A 1-0 friendly defeat to regional rivals Jamaica earlier this month was followed by a surprise, heavy 3-0 loss to Venezuela, sparking criticism of the side.

And Berhalter, who will lead the USMNT in a tournament for the first time at the Gold Cup, says he gets the fan frustration over the defeats but still believes and expects victory for his squad this summer.

“There’s a lot that we can’t control,” Berhalter told MLSsoccer.com. “We can’t control reactions. And I understand fans being upset with losing in a friendly game, I do.

“We also have expectations on ourselves to get results. So when we’re entering this Gold Cup, we want to win this Gold Cup. That’s what we want to do and that’s what we expect to do.”

Berhalter also explained what he is trying to work to create with the USMNT, who are attempting to rebound after a disastrous 2018 World Cup qualification cycle saw them miss out on the main event in Russia last summer.

“The other part of it is we just have a process of how we work,” Berhalter said. “We work everyday, we work hard. We try to create an environment that the players love to be in, that we’re creating a strong team culture and a clear identity on the field.

“And that’s all we can control and we work hard every day to ensure that.”

After facing Guyana in the opener, the USMNT will look to secure some measure of revenge for their 2018 disappointment when they face Trinidad and Tobago in Cleveland, as the defeat to the Soca Warriors in October 2017 led to their elimination from the World Cup.

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The USMNT then close out their Gold Cup group stage when they battle Panama on June 26 in Kansas City.

After a first six months filled with commercial obligations, El Tri’s coach is excited to work with his players toward this summer’s goal

Tata Martino’s calendar for the next month is set. He couldn’t be happier about it.

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The Mexico manager is preparing for his first major tournament. Shaking hands with civic leaders or showing up to an important function in some place or another is on hold for the summer. He’s going to be doing his job and nothing else.

On multiple occasions, the coach has mentioned his surprise and frustration at having so many obligations away from football, both official and unofficial, since coming on board with Mexico in January. However, he had to know that would be part of the gig. 

“The reality is I’m not used to it,” the coach said after one such event. “After my arrival to soccer in the United States, after two years in Atlanta, I understood that my role as a manager was growing beyond what happened in a practice, a match or a training camp. There were social things I had to attend to because they were beneficial and positive for the club.

“So, from there, I understood from there that there were things I have to do. I don’t analyze it too much. When Mexico does an event with an American business, they do the games, this event in Dallas, it’s something I have to participate in. Am I used to doing it? Honestly, no. But I have to do it and do it totally calmly.” 

More obligations await the manager after the summer. For now, aside from a news conference before every match and the occasional photo with a fan or coffee with an old friend, Martino will be working with his team.

There now is a singular focus: Win the Gold Cup. 

The frustration about commercial obligations hasn’t been the only unpleasant surprise for Martino. The coach also has brought up his dismay that, as CONMEBOL confirmed Thursday, El Tri won’t be invited to the 2020 Copa America. Runner-up twice coaching his native Argentina and once with Paraguay, Martino would love nothing more than to win a South American championship, even if it’s with a North American team.

This annoyance may be more salient than the sponsorship, as it’s reasonable to believe both the coach and the FMF in January thought El Tri would take part in the tournament. However, the United States’ offer to host a competition similar to the 2016 Copa America Centenario was rebuffed and the South American directors turned their attention toward Asia.

“We always want to play against the best and if we could play every day against Argentina, Brazil, Germany, France, we would,” Martino said after a 3-2 win over Ecuador last week. “I don’t pick the game, but yes we want, we want to compete in the Copa America. That’s what is going to make Mexico grow.

“We want to leave the comfort zone that comes with playing in the United States, where we’re always the home team. Of course we want to play against Ecuador in Ecuador or against Chile in Santiago. In fact, Mexico played two games in Argentina last year, but we know that with the commercial commitments that it’s out of the football-side of things and we have to do that as well.

“Let there be no doubt at all, I have no fear of losing 10 games in a row if we’re going to play against opponents that really are superior to us.”

Games against opponents better than Mexico on paper aren’t happening, though. The ones in the Gold Cup group stage against Cuba, Canada and Martinique are.

With no Copa America test on the horizon, the Gold Cup is all the more critical. The newly birthed Concacaf Nations League will be the only competition in which Mexico takes part until World Cup qualification begins. Even there, El Tri often roll through qualification facing mostly teams that look to sit back and counter against the region’s top team rather than come out and play.

The other surprise for Martino was just how deep the fault lines run between the Mexican federation and some of his top players. Mexico enters the tournament as the overwhelming favorite, even with all the absences it has. You could make a starting XI that would be a favorite to win the tournament with the players who aren’t here for El Tri, whether because of injury or a lack of desire to play on the national team.

There are plenty of great players still on the squad, though. They too have had a summer filled with answering questions about players who aren’t around, about their own dedication to the national team and about the responsibility now on their shoulders. Now they can worry more about whether they’re supposed to be tucking inside or overlapping than if they’ll make the final list. 

It is time for the players to start playing, for Martino to start coaching and for everything else to fade away. This is what the coach and his players live for. It’s time for Mexico to prove it’s as good of a team as we think it is. Official matches in the Martino era are finally here. He can finally get to work.

The youngster has left the Ligue 1 champions to join the Bundesliga side on a five-year contract

Bayer Leverkusen have confirmed the signing of young striker Moussa Diaby from Ligue 1 champions Paris Saint-Germain.

Diaby made 34 appearances across all competitions last season for Thomas Tuchel’s side, scoring four times and registering seven assists.

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But the France Under-20 forward has now completed a switch to Germany, with Leverkusen signing the 19-year-old for a reported fee of €15million.

Diaby becomes Leverkusen’s second signing ahead of the 2019-20 season, following Kerem Demirbay’s arrival from fellow Bundesliga side Hoffenheim, though Julian Brandt has left the club to join Borussia Dortmund, and his newly vacated number 19 shirt will be worn by the new signing.

“The move abroad into one of the best and most balanced leagues in Europe is extremely exciting,” Diaby, who has signed a five-year deal at the BayArena, told Leverkusen’s official website.

“I am very curious about Germany, the special football here and the great stadiums. And of course it’s great to be in the Champions League as well.”

Leverkusen finished fourth in the Bundesliga last season but were 20 points behind eventual champions Bayern Munich and endured a horrendous start to the campaign that saw them hover around the relegation zone at one point.

They were also knocked out of the Europa League at the first knockout stage by Russian outfit Krasnodar on away goals after a 1-1 draw in Germany followed a goalless stalemate away.

The additions of Diaby and Demirbay will boost the third most prolific attack in Germany following Brandt’s departure, but they will need defensive additions in order to close the gap to the top, conceding the most goals of any club in the top eight of the league with 52.

The 14-year-old was available for free due to Bolton’s financial woes but the Premier League champions have paid an initial fee and included bonuses

Manchester City have signed young striker Daniel Ogwuru from Bolton for around £100,000.

City have long held an interest in the 14-year-old and had their initial bid of the same value rejected back in January.

Ogwuru since became available for free as a result of Bolton’s financial problems and subsequent administration.

A number of clubs had made approaches to the youngster’s family as a result, but City have gone back to Bolton’s administrators with their original offer, which covered their obligations regarding training fees set out by the league’s Elite Player Performance Plan regulations.

City’s offer also includes a number of performance-related add-ons that will apply to Ogwuru’s time with the club’s various youth teams. Should he reach the first team in the future, Bolton could receive a seven-figure sum.

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Ogwuru has been monitored by England scouts with a view to capping him at youth level in the coming years, and City plan to put him straight into their Under-15 team for the age group’s upcoming campaign.

He has caught the eye of scouts across the north west in recent months, with his size and poise in front of goal helping him stand out.

Ogwuru will be among a number of City youngsters hoping to follow in the footsteps of Phil Foden, who has been with the Blues since he was six years old and is now a member of Pep Guardiola’s senior set-up.
 
Foden made his first appearance in a Guardiola squad in December 2016, and over the past two seasons has gained more and more first-team experience.
 
The England youngster is also expected to play even more of a role in the Premier League next season, having made three starts in 2018-19.
 
Other youngsters, including recent academy recruits, have also shown that opportunities exist within City’s youth structure, such as 16-year-old Ben Knight, who signed from Ipswich last summer for £700,000 and was put straight into older age groups.
 
Knight, who had a rival offer from Tottenham, played an instrumental role in City’s Under-18s getting to the FA Youth Cup final.
 

Beijing-based painter Xu Yang received formal art training both domestically and in France. The diverse educational experience renders her work — either classic Chinese ink painting or oil paintings — a wide view of the world. Her paintings show a celebration of the beauty of forms and her admiration of nature.

Xu’s eponymous exhibition, now on at the art gallery of Beijing News Plaza through June 17, gathers dozens of ink and oil paintings so visitors can witness her mastery of technique, having started in girlhood. 

Xu’s oil works document impressive moments of her travels, and show the grandeur of nature and how much people can be immersed in it.

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Although mostly trained as an oil painter, Xu also makes great efforts painting figures and flower-and-bird genres of Chinese painting, and specializes in the meticulous gongbi style. 

China’s sneaker culture is booming and enthusiasts are struggling to cope with the intense competition for their coveted shoes, Alywin Chew reports in Shanghai.

To pragmatic people, sneakers are nothing more than casual, soft-soled shoes that are worn for sports or leisure.

To sneaker enthusiasts, or “sneakerheads”, this footwear is so much more than just an everyday item-most view them as an ode to their passion, which happens to be China’s national sport-basketball.

“I love sneakers because I’ve always been a big fan of the NBA,” says Yalding Xu, a sneaker enthusiast who confesses that he once owned about 200 pairs of sneakers.

“In the beginning, most Chinese sneaker lovers fell in love with the footwear because of Michael Jordan and the famous Japanese anime Slam Dunk. The author of the comic, Inoue Takehiko, is also a huge NBA fan and he occasionally mentions Air Jordan shoes in the series.”

Medy Zhu, another enthusiast who currently owns about 300 pairs of sneakers, cites his admiration for the legendary United States basketball player as well.

“I usually go for Air Jordan sneakers as well as the ones that were created as part of a collaboration between a famous designer and a shoe brand,” he says.

“There are many wonderful stories and inspirations behind the shoes in the Air Jordan series. Most of the Air Jordan sneakers I own are ‘OG Colorways’, which means the shoes are released in the exact colors of the originals. Each shoe has a different story related to Michael Jordan’s career.”

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As the spring tea picking season starts, workers on a tea plantation are busy picking and drying tea leaves round the clock deep in the Taihang Mountains in Lincheng county, North China’s Hebei province.

“In the past, people considered planting southern tea in North China a dream. However, we made it,” said Qu Baomin, a 42-year-old tea planter who successfully brought southern tea to the mountains and started mass production.

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Tea has been planted in South China for thousands of years. In the 1950s, people began exploring tea planting in the north of the country, but the latitude and cold weather were always obstacles.

In 2012, Qu and his wife rented 2 hectares of land to plant tea in Tonghua village on Mount Sanfeng, part of the Taihang Mountains, which is at an altitude of nearly 1,500 meters above sea level, with rivers flowing through it.

The resistance of Longjing 43 tea, introduced by Qu, to the cold is relatively strong. However, for southern tea, the most difficult times are still North China’s winters, especially in the Taihang Mountains with temperatures as low as-20 C.

“The key factor to the tea plants’ survival is to keep them warm during winter, and we chose to grow the plants in a greenhouse,” said Qu, adding that it should neither be too cold nor too hot in the greenhouse. He always opens the window when the sun comes out in case the temperature in the shed gets too high.

Since he started to plant tea in 2012, Qu has spent almost all of his time in the tea garden on the mountain and his hard work has finally paid off.

In 2014, the tea quality and supervision testing center at the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs recognized that the shape, color, aroma and taste of Tonghua tea, which Qu produced, were all of high quality.

“This proves that the north can produce good-quality tea,” said Wu Xun, a researcher from the tea research institute at the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences. “The duration of sunshine is long and the temperature difference is large in the north. Once we solve the problem of ‘survival’ using greenhouses and other facilities, it is possible that the tea quality can surpass that of the south.”

Although tea from the Taihang Mountains is not well-known yet, Qu’s tea has already earned a reputation for its good quality in the middle to high-end tea market. About 100 grams of tea can be sold for between 1,000 and 3,000 yuan ($145-435) depending on the grade.

“The investment in tea planting is mainly at the early stages. As long as you survive the first five years, the benefits are considerable,” Qu said. “The economic age of tea plants is 40 to 70 years. If they are well planted, the financial returns will be several thousand yuan per mu (667 square meters) per year.”

Qu’s tea planting business has helped almost 100 farmers shake off poverty. It has also spread to other areas of the Taihang Mountains, and Shijiazhuang and Baoding cities.

Gong Qiugen, a 63-year-old farmer from Tonghua village, has been working in Qu’s tea garden since it started.

“The people who work here are all from our village,” Gong said. “Each month, I can earn 2,000 yuan ($290) and I can earn up to 10,000 yuan during the three-month tea picking season.”

Qu said: “My next goal is to lead more people to plant tea trees in the Taihang Mountains and lift more people out of poverty, so the Taihang Mountains can be evergreen with a tea fragrance spreading in the air.”

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The Argentinian legend will step away from the Mexican club after less than a year in charge

Diego Maradona has stepped away from Dorados, ending his stint with the Mexican second division team after less than one year in charge.

Maradona has decided to step away from his post to focus on his health, as the Argentinian legend is set to undergo operations on his shoulder and knee in the near future.

The former forward took charge of Dorados in September 2018, and twice got the team into the title game. Each time, Dorados fell short to Atletico San Luis, which earned promotion to Liga MX as a result of the victories.

In recent weeks, Maradona’s future with the club had come into doubt, with his contract set to expire in June, but the manager had stated that he was open to staying with the club.

Maradona claimed his stay depended on whether or not owner Jorge Alberto Hank was able to give him money to spend and the freedom clear out some of the players he no longer wants in the squad.

However, Maradona will now step away for other reasons as he looks to return to full health.

“Together we surprised the world. We show that football is passion and heart,” the club said in a tweet.

“Thanks for everything, Boss! Recover and see you soon!”

Prior to taking over at Dorados, Maradona had managed four different clubs: Mandiyu de Corrientes, Racing Club, Al Wasl and Fujairah FC. He had also taken on a role as assistant manager with Deportivo Riestra from 2013-17 while also serving as Dynamo Brest’s chairman in 2018.

His most famous managerial role, though, came with Argentina, as he took charge of the national team from 2008-10. 

During his tenure, Argentina reached the quarter-finals of the 2010 World Cup and he departed the job soon after.

The former Napoli forward recently stated that he believed he could be the man to return Manchester United to glory, while adding that he wasn’t a fan of Paul Pogba’s style of play.

Maradona, widely seen as one of the best to ever play the game and still revered as a god in Naples, was recently the subject of a documentary which will be released in cinemas on June 14.

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