Sports

AMMAN — The Jordan Golf Federation (JGF) is organising one of its biggest tournaments of the year this Friday at the Bisharat Golf Club for the Ramadan delayed Independence Day Championship.

A full field of players are anticipated for the event which will played as a Texas Scramble format featuring players from a number of nationalities.

This will be the first tournament organised by the JGF since it was given full federation status by the Jordan Olympic Committee earlier in the summer. Players will have a shotgun 8:30am start, meaning they will all tee-off at the same time on different holes. 

AMMAN — Young brothers Mousa and Hashem Shannah are making a big impact on the junior golf scene in the UAE where they have finished first and second in the Troon Junior Club Tour, according to the Jordan Olympic Committee News Service. 

Nine-year-old Mousa claimed the order of merit title with five tournament wins and two runner-ups. His younger brother Hashem, 6, finished second with one tournament win, two runner-up spots, one third place and three other top six finishes. 

Australia’s Jeff Horn stunned Filipino Manny Pacquiao in a bloody Brisbane battle to claim a unanimous 12-round decision and win the WBO world welterweight title in front of 50,000 fans at Lang Park on Sunday. 

The unheralded 29-year-old former schoolteacher, who improved his record to 17-0-1, was awarded the win over the eight-division world champion by scores of 117-111, 115-113 and 115-113.

“I’m so happy, I can’t explain my feelings,” Horn said at ringside, before welcoming the prospect of a rematch. 

“I’ve just believed since I was very young that I could do this.”

Pacquiao, one of the finest boxers of his generation, paid the price for a slow start and his inability to end the fight with a knockout. 

The 38-year-old was knocked off his stride by the aggression of the taller and heavier Australian in the early rounds but looked to have weathered the storm as the fight wore on and Horn tired. 

With blood pouring from both sides of his forehead after accidental butts, the southpaw launched a fierce assault on Horn which nearly ended the contest in round nine.

“Show me something in this round, or I’m going to stop the fight,” the referee warned the Australian. 

Horn, who was cut above his right eye in round two, said he had been exhausted and rattled by the Filipino’s punches.

“It was hard, hard getting through that round, hard getting hit, getting caught with a shot and then continue on,” Horn said.

“[But] I was like ‘settle down everyone, I’m fine’. I was recovering pretty quickly.”

‘People’s champ’

The Australian showed remarkable powers of recuperation as he battled gamely on through the final three rounds with Pacquiao, who earned the last of his 38 knockouts in 2009, unable to capitalise on his dominance.

The bout ended with the fighters in a clinch on the ropes and although Pacquiao gave a little shuffle 

“Very tough. I didn’t expect that tough,” said Pacquiao, whose record now reads 59-7-2. “It’s okay, it’s part of the game. That’s the decision of the judges, I respect that.”

Pacquiao, who had hoped for an impressive victory to fire talk of another fight against Floyd Mayweather Jr, said he would “absolutely” return for the contracted rematch against Horn. 

An emotional Horn brandished a walking stick as he also called out the undefeated Mayweather, who has come out of retirement at 40 years of age for a 12-round crossover boxing match against mixed martial arts champion Conor McGregor.

“This is no joke, which one does he want? The walking stick or the gloves?” the Queenslander said.

The loss stunned people in the Philippines, where Pacquiao, now a high-profile senator, has long been a national hero.

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte’s spokesman, Ernesto Abella, said the loss “would not diminish the honours he bestowed to the people and to the flag”.

“Nothing will change: Senator Manny Pacquiao will remain our People’s Champ,” Abella said.

AMMAN — Jordan has announced a strong five-member team that will compete at the 10th World Games in Wrocław, Poland, from July 20-30, according to the Jordan Olympic Committee News Service.

The five athletes to have come through a tough qualifying period are Lama Qubbaj and Haidar Rasheed (Ju Jitsu), Ali Khalaf and Bara’a Al Abbsi (Kickboxing), and Mohammad Salameh (Muay).

The World Games is a platform for sports and disciplines that are not contested in the Olympic Games, and is organised and governed by the International World Games Association and recognised by the International Olympic Committee.

The first edition of the Games was held in Santa Clara, USA, in 1981 when over 1,745 athletes representing 15 sports took part.

The event has grown with each year and this summer will see over 3,000 athletes from 110 countries compete across 31 sports.

The World Games is held in the year after the Olympic Games with athletes going through a strong qualification process to participate. Jordan has previously won four medals in taekwondo prior to that sport being included onto the Olympic programme.

In 1989, Mohammad Zu’bi and Feras Jaiusi won silver medals in Germany 1989, while Ammar Subaihi took bronze. Four years later Tareq Abu Sbetan won a bronze medal in the Netherlands. 

LONDON — Ferrari’s Formula One championship leader Sebastian Vettel risks further sanctions after the governing body reexamines his ‘‘road rage’’ clash with Mercedes rival Lewis Hamilton in Sunday’s Azerbaijan Grand Prix.

The governing International Automobile Federation (FIA) said on Wednesday that it would take another look at the evidence on Monday.

“The FIA will further examine the causes of the incident in order to evaluate whether further action is necessary,” it announced in a statement.

The outcome of that process will be made public before the Austrian Grand Prix weekend of July 7-9. 

Race stewards imposed a 10 second stop and go penalty on Vettel after he hit the back of race leader Hamilton’s car, and then angrily pulled alongside and banged wheels while both were behind the safety car.

They ruled, after an examination of the video evidence, that Vettel had steered into Hamilton in a “potentially dangerous” manoeuvre. 

Some commentators felt the German had got off lightly, with Vettel ultimately finishing fourth and extending his overall lead to 14 points.

Hamilton, who had led comfortably from pole position, finished fifth after having to pit when his headrest material came loose and was angry afterwards.

“For him to pretty much get away with driving into another driver is a disgrace,” Hamilton told reporters. “I think he disgraced himself today.

Vettel accused Hamilton of ‘‘brake testing’’ him by suddenly slowing coming out of Turn 16 as the safety car prepared to return to the pits.

The FIA said on Sunday, however, that the data showed the Briton had “maintained a consistent speed and behaved in the same manner on that occasion as in all the other re-starts during the race”.

The incident has been the talk of Formula One, with considerable debate on the severity of the punishment and fans divided.

“I think the stewards got it right; I wouldn’t have disqualified him or banned him from the next race unless he took Hamilton out of Baku,” said former racer and Sky Sports commentator Martin Brundle. 

Others disagreed and highlighted FIA president Jean Todt’s road safety campaign and Vettel’s past history of losing his cool under pressure.

Last October the German escaped sanction after apologising to race director, Charlie Whiting, for aiming an expletive-laden Mexican Grand Prix rant at him over the radio.

Todt decided then, “on an exceptional basis”, to take no disciplinary action against the four-times world champion but the FIA made clear any recurrence would trigger a summons to its International Tribunal.

Vettel refused to accept blame after Sunday’s race while Ferrari team principal Maurizio Arrivabene spoke of “some decisions that were not entirely clear”.

AMMAN — Jordan’s learning curve in the world of 3x3 basketball continued at the FIBA U-18 3x3 World Cup in Chengdu, China, according to the Jordan Olympic Committee News Service. Just four months ago the sport was not even officially recognised in Jordan, but the newly formed committee accepted a last minute invitation from basketball’s world governing body FIBA to step in for Kyrgyzstan who had to withdraw.

But luck was not on Jordan’s side on Day One as they faced Group D’s top two sides Romania and Belgium. An injury to talisman Abdullah Al Sawalhi during the first match against Romania made life even tougher for Jordan which played well during the 18-9 defeat to the tournament fourth seeds.

With a man down, meaning they were unable to sub during game two, Jordan found the impressive Belgians a tougher proposition and eventually lost 21-3. But it was a landmark day for Jordan which is trying to build the sport following the sport’s inclusion to the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. 

The team has a day off on Thursday to regroup and hope that the injury to Sawalhi will not be as bad as first feared. On Friday they will complete their programme by facing Uganda and Indonesia.

Lewis Hamilton surpassed Ayrton Senna’s career haul of 65 pole positions in Formula One as he edged Mercedes team mate Valtteri Bottas in a final lap shootout to secure top spot for Sunday’s Azerbaijan Grand Prix.

Hamilton banished memories of a dismal qualifying session in Baku last year, when he clipped the barrier and had to settle for 10th place on the starting grid, to grab pole with a time of 1:40.593 despite running wide at Turn 16.

He will be joined in an all-Mercedes front row by Bottas, who was pipped at the death when Hamilton outpaced him in the final lap after the session had been paused by a red flag.

“That was one of the most exciting laps that I’ve had all year,” he told Sky Sports. “A lot of pressure’’. 

“The first lap I had the time but I made a mistake,” he added.

“[There was] a lot of pressure because of getting temperature in the tire but the lap just got better and better. Coming out of the last corner I was just ‘thinking please be enough’.”

The British driver is now just two behind Michael Schumacher’s overall record of 68 poles in Formula One.

“That’s how qualifying should be,” Hamilton added. “Tomorrow will be a long hard race but we’re in the best position to start.”

Sebastian Vettel had his championship lead cut to 12 points when Hamilton won in Canada earlier this month, and now faces an uphill struggle to fend off his rival again after qualifying fourth. 

“The result is okay but I’m not entirely happy,” the four-times Formula One champion said. “This morning didn’t help but it’s not an excuse.

“I’m no fan of excuses.”

Vettel was beaten to third by team mate Kimi Raikkonen in an all-Ferrari second row.

Max Verstappen dominated Friday practice but Red Bull failed to have the anticipated impact as he qualified fifth and his team mate Daniel Ricciardo was down in 10th after hitting a wall, prompting the red flag which led to the last-lap shootout.

“It’s not really nice to be in fifth,” Verstappen conceded. “In Q3 on my final lap, where it all counts, I was two tenths faster but then had a problem with my gear sync, so on the straights I was losing a lot of lap time. 

“That was very painful,” he added. “We need to get on top of that because it shouldn’t happen.”

Canadian youngster Lance Stroll, in eighth, out-qualified his fellow Williams driver Felipe Massa, who was ninth. Force India duo Sergio Perez and Esteban Ocon finished sixth and seventh respectively.

Fernando Alonso, already hit with a 40-point grid penalty, failed to advance past Q1 for the first time this season, while Jolyon Palmer did not take part in qualifying after a fire in his car during Saturday morning’s practice. 

AMMAN — All of Jordan’s different age division football teams are preparing for their respective qualifiers and competitions.

Jordan’s U-23 squad will leave for Qatar for a friendly tournament from June 28-July 7 in the final phase of preparations for qualifiers of the 3rd Asian Football Confederation (AFC) U-23 Championship in 2018. 

The Kingdom was drawn in Group E in the July 19-24 qualifiers hosted by Palestine which also includes Tajikistan and Bangladesh, as 40 teams play in 10 groups with the top team from each group, in addition to the top five second place teams moving to the championship finals. 

The team played an eight-nation tournament in Dubai earlier this year where they finished third after they beat Singapore 2-0, held China 0-0, lost 1-0 to the UAE before beating Malaysia 4-0. They also meet Oman in two friendlies earlier this month.

In 2016, Jordan was eliminated from the quarterfinals of the 2016 AFC U-23 Championship and failed to make it to the top four and a possible Olympic slot as the continent’s top three advanced to the Rio Games football tournament. In the inaugural AFC U-22 Championship in 2014, Jordan took third place when they beat South Korea while Iraq won the title after defeating Saudi Arabia.

In 2015, Jordan’s U-23 squad was eliminated from the 1st West Asian U-23 Championship and in 2014 the line-up represented Jordan at the Asian Games where they made to the quarterfinals.

Furthermore, the women’s squad this week hosted Algeria in two friendlies losing the first match 1-0 but came back to win the second 3-2. On the weekend, Jordan moved back to 50th in the latest FIFA Rankings after previously losing its ranking following 18 inactive months. Among Arab teams, Tunisia is 72nd, Morocco 73rd, Algeria 76, Bahrain 78th, Egypt 81st, the UAE 83rd, Palestine 92nd, Syria 114th and Iraq 117th.

Jordan is reading to host the 2018 AFC Women’s Asian Cup and ended its Group A qualifiers with an unbeaten streak beating the Philippines 5-1, Tajikistan 10-2, Iraq 10-0, the UAE and Bahrain 6-0. 

The continent’s top eight teams will be competing in the 2018 AFC Women’s Asian Cup and the qualifiers had 21 teams playing in four groups. With Jordan technically securing a slot as host, the Philippines who came in second in the group clinched the qualifying slot from Group A, South Korea from Group B, Thailand from Group C while Vietnam moved Group D to join teams who have automatically qualified: reigning champs Japan, Australia and China.

In 2016, Jordan hosted the U-17 FIFA World Cup, the first of its kind to take place in the Middle East. Now, the Kingdom will be the first country in the west Asia zone to host the AFC Women’s Asian Cup which is held every four years, and has been won by China a total of eight of 15 times. The top five will advance to the Women’s World Cup 2019 in France.

The last time the senior team competed regionally was in 2015, when they exited the AFC Women’s Olympic Qualifying Tournament with a winless record. 

The Kingdom’s younger squads are also training for their respective Asian qualifiers. The U-19 men’s team, hosted Iraq in two friendlies this week drawing 3-3 after winning 1-0.

Jordan is set to play in Group E alongside Syria, Palestine and hosts Iran in the qualifiers, and hope to advance after they were eliminated from the qualifying rounds of the 2016 Championship. 

Jordan previously qualified to the Asian Championship four times and reached the FIFA Youth World Cup in Canada in 2007. Jordan finished fourth in 2006, but exited the group stages in 2008 and 2010 and reached the quarters in 2012. Jordan failed to qualify to the 2014 Championship. 

Similarly, the U-16 team is now preparing for their Asian qualifiers in which they will play in Group A alongside hosts Saudi Arabia, Uzbekistan, Bahrain and Sri Lanka. In 2015, the U-16 squad failed to advance to the 2016 AFC U-16 Asian Championship.

LONDON — Former German tennis star Boris Becker said he was “surprised and disappointed” after being declared bankrupt by a court in London yesterday for failing to pay a “substantial” long-standing debt.

Lawyers for the three-time former Wimbledon champion pleaded with a Bankruptcy Court registrar to allow Becker a “last chance” to pay off the debt which dates back to 2015.

But Registrar Christine Derrett, who recalled watching Becker play on Centre Court, ruled there was a lack of credible evidence the outstanding payment would be forthcoming and refused to adjourn the case.

“Surprised and disappointed that Arbuthnot Latham chose to bring these proceedings against me,” Becker, 49, wrote on Twitter, referring to the bankruptcy application made by private bankers Arbuthnot Latham & Co. in connection with a judgment debt owed to them by the six-time major winner.

“This order relates to 1 disputed loan which I was due to repay in full in 1 month time! It is disappointing that my request for today’s hearing to be postponed was refused,” said Becker.

“My earnings are well publicised and it was a clear that I have the means to repay this debt.”

The German’s lawyers had argued there was sufficient evidence to show that he would be able to pay the debt soon through a refinancing arrangement, involving remortgaging a property in Mallorca, which was expected to raise 6 million euro (RM28.7 million).

His advocate told the registrar his instructions from Becker were that it was expected the deal would be approved by a Spanish bank in approximately one month.

Becker’s lawyer said his client was not likely to benefit from bankruptcy and it could have an adverse effect on his “image”.

But the judge responded: “He should have thought about that a long time ago.”

She added: “It is not often the case that a professional person has a judgment [debt] outstanding against them since October 2015. This is a historic debt.”

“One has the impression of a man with his head in the sand.”

Becker split with former World No. 1 Novak Djokovic last December following three successful years together, the Serb winning six of his 12 Grand Slam titles with Becker as coach.