As sportS fans around the world reel from revelation after revelation that there is a legitimacy crisis in sports governance, news last week that the 2016 Rhodes Scholar award went to a 24-year-old woman from Clarendon named Sherona Forrester was welcome relief.This young lady from Clarendon epitomises all the attributes recommended by the Rhodes committee.Forrester has been shown to be not only an economics genius, but her life story to date has revealed that it is possible to combine academic work, sports, and community involvement without sacrificing any personality traits.Forrester has represented this nation at football and singing, as well as being involved (at leadership level) in countless other activities that makes a youngster’s life worthwhile.grow where plantedI listened in awe to an interview with her on a local radio station last week and wished that her story could be printed and distributed to all schools under the purview of the Ministry of Education as it shows that you can grow where you are planted.Our 2016 Rhodes Scholar grew up in a rural community and went to school in her vicinity.After earning a place at Glenmuir High, Forrester spent her secondary school life there, and achieved excellence in every sphere of curricular and extra-curricular activity on offer at the school.As her sporting prowess was revealed, history will show that she did not have to go to a brand-name ‘netball school’, or a brand-name ‘maths school’, or a brand-name ‘female football school’ to achieve mastery in her many crafts.Her story must have been a dagger to the hearts of all the proponents of school transfers to enhance the potential of child athletes. You can grow where you are planted.Congratulations to Ms Forrester and the Ministry of Education “Keep up the pressure!”The transfer of students primarily to enhance a school’s sporting record is wrong, and perpetrators need to be exposed and sanctioned.I have been made aware of a report from the Danish Institute of Sports Studies, authored by one Dr Arnout Geeraert, where he looked at (and ranked) sporting federations around the world based on how transparent, democratic, and accountable they were. He has found that the international sports governance system is deeply flawed.By design, international sporting organisations do not allow stakeholders to monitor and sanction decision-making members. None of the associations studied published per diem payments and bonuses given to senior officials. None has term limits for their president.In Jamaica, when you think of (and remember) the fisticuffs, subterfuge, slandering of opponents’ character, and other nefarious activities that surround the elections for presidents of our sporting associations – a non-paying job – and the point-blank refusal to step down in the face of genuine concern and criticism of fans, the impression is that we need to do something about our own problems. Something is indeed rotten, and it is not only in the state of Denmark!IMPATIENT FOR ANSWERSThe war of words between the president of the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) andthe chairman of a Caricom Committee chaired by the prime minister of Grenada is impatient of a solution.Readers may recall that a committee set up to look at the governance structure of West Indies cricket, with majority members nominated by the WICB, found that the president and his executive body should immediately be dissolved and an interim body set up to administer cricket in the West Indies.The president, Dave Cameron and his executive, after agreeing to abide by the findings of the committee, is now using every ploy known to man to extend the life of their board. Interesting times are indeed ahead. I hope that when the smoke clears, the will of the people of the Caribbean will prevail.We need term limits, annual salaries, and published audited accounts for all of our sporting organisations. Nothing else will do.
KOLKATA, India (CMC): Captain Darren Sammy has lashed out at cricket broadcaster Mark Nicholas for describing West Indies as “short of brains” in a pre-tournament preview, and says the comment helped served as a catalyst for the side’s success in the ongoing Twenty20 World Cup. Writing before the tournament, Nicholas said West Indies were “short of brains, but have Indian Premier League history in their ranks”, a comment Sammy and the Caribbean side took great exception to. “How could you describe people with ‘no brains’? Animals got brains. We’re not an object,” an emotional Sammy told a media conference on the eve of the Twenty20 World Cup final here yesterday. “To me, that particular comment really set it off for us. You could see me talking about it. It’s kind of emotional, as for somebody who I respect and had good rapport with that particular gentleman. “To describe our team, who were defending champions four years ago, as we guys with no brains is really out of order.” West Indies lost just once in the preliminaries – to Afghanistan in their final game – to top Group 1 ahead of the semi-finals. They then produced a spectacular performance against tournament favourites India, chasing down 193 at the Wankhede Stadium on Thursday in Mumbai to book their spot in the final. Sammy said that because of the criticism, West Indies had become closer as a unit and were now highly motivated ahead of today’s final. “Everybody is entitled to his opinion. You guys (media) ask most difficult questions to get a good story. We understand that. The key for us is the belief in our own circle. Whatever they say, it does not really matter,” Sammy pointed out. “God doesn’t love the ugly, and we’re very wonderful and very beautiful men. That’s why we play exciting cricket. For us, all these things have happened before the tournament. That’s the passion, determination that we take on the field. It’s one more step. We believe that we could do it.” Highly motivated
BERLIN (AP):Bayern Munich ground out a 3-1 win at Stuttgart and provisionally opened an eight-point lead to move closer to an unprecedented fourth straight Bundesliga title yesterday.”We need another three wins and a draw to achieve something very special, something no team in Germany ever achieved,” Bayern coach Pep Guardiola said.An own goal from Georg Niedermeier got the defending champions under way in the 31st minute and David Alaba made it 2-0 in the 52nd.Daniel Didavi pulled one back in unorthodox fashion in the 63rd, scooping the ball while on the ground over the helpless Manuel Neuer. Didavi did not have time to get up from his previous attempt.Bayern substitute Douglas Costa sealed it in the 89th with a shot inside the left post.Borussia Dortmund can restore the five-point gap today with a win at Schalke in the Ruhr derby. Five rounds remain after the weekend’s games.”I always watch Bundesliga on Sundays,” Bayern chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge said. “But I rely on Bayern Munich and not Borussia Dortmund.”
SEVERAL of the country’s top senior and junior athletes will be busy competing at the 122nd staging of the Penn Relays in Franklin Field, Philadelphia, from Thursday to Saturday. Most of these athletes from top high schools and colleges will depart the island today.Top college team, the University of Technology, will be leaving the island this morning through the Norman Manley Airport, while top high school female team Edwin Allen High will depart from the Donald Sangster International Airport in Montego Bay this evening for New York, before driving over to Philadelphia.Several schools, including Kingston College, Holmwood Technical, and Vere Technical, will also be leaving from Montego Bay this afternoon and will head straight to Philadelphia.After winning two titles last year among the girls, head coach of Edwin Allen Michael Dyke is very optimistic.”We are very strong in the 4×100 and 4×800 metres, and despite not running consistently well in the 4×400 metres so far this season, I am confident that the girls can pull it off,” said Dyke.St Elizabeth Technical High School (STETHS), Holmwood, and Hydel have posted fast times in the event so far.”Edwin Allen is yet to run at full strength all season, but come this weekend, we will be at full strength as we have three members from last year’s winning team, and a member of the team who was injured for the majority of the season is now fully fit,” Dyke advised.Despite his top half-miler Cemore Donald, not competing at Penns this season, Dyke is confident that they will pull it off in the 4×800 metres.”Donald (Cemore) is just in Class Three and we are not taking her this year as we risk not having her in the final year of competition as an athlete can only compete at this meet for four years,” said Dyke.Several years ago, Dyke saw one of his teams being disqualified after one of his athletes was deemed to have competed for more than four years.Meanwhile, George Forbes, competition’s officer of the Inter-Secondary Schools Sports Association (ISSA), is warning schools to ensure that all their athletes are ‘legitimate’ to compete at Penns as he does not want any embarrassment. Forbes recently sent letters to the various principals of the schools attending the meet, reminding them of Penn Relays’ eligibility rules.In the letter, he stated two things:1. No athlete can participate at the Penn Relays for more than four years.2. Eligibility is recorded when the athlete first competes. Example: If the student first attended in 2014, misses 2015 and 2016, then this student’s final eligibility is 2017, even if there is a change of school.In closing, Forbes is asking everyone to do their diligence in order not to cause embarrassment to schools or athletes.
The International Olympic Committee wants to keep considering changes that could result in both the 2024 and 2028 Summer Games awarded in September. An internal letter written by IOC President Thomas Bach’s spokesman suggests further adjustments are needed in the way Olympic hosts are chosen. It references Bach’s statement from last year, saying the “process produces too many losers”. In December, Bach floated the idea of awarding both the 2024 Games, as scheduled, along with the 2028 Games. Los Angeles and Paris are the remaining candidates from a list that began with five cities. Budapest, Hungary, said this week it was withdrawing. The letter, obtained yesterday by the Associated Press (AP), was first reported by Inside The Games. In an interview last week with the AP, Bach said continued speculation about awarding two Olympics at the IOC’s meeting in September “may give us some ideas”. “This procedure as it is … our political environment in such a fragile world just produces too many losers,” Bach said last Saturday. The letter echoed that phrasing, saying “the political situation in our fragile world requires us to further adjust the candidature procedure”. The IOC acknowledged Budapest’s withdrawal, which will be made official by Hungary’s Olympic committee. “It is clear that a promising Olympic Games candidature has been used to promote a broader domestic political agenda beyond the Olympic Games and was overtaken by local politics,” said the letter, written by Bach’s spokesman, Mark Adams. Adams defended Bach’s ‘Agenda 2020’, the core of which was to streamline the Olympics and make bidding more attractive and less expensive for cities. “All three candidates have made it clear that their candidatures would not have taken place without Olympic Agenda 2020,” Adams wrote. Still, the dwindling of the candidate pool raised questions about whether Agenda 2020 was really working. The point of the letter was that Agenda 2020 was only the start and more reforms are needed. If those reforms involve awarding the next two Summer Games this year, it will be a hard sell for both Paris and Los Angeles, each having insisted its proposals are good for only 2024. Replicating plans for 2028 would be possible but would also take significant retooling since many of the contracts in place for development and stadium use are for only the 2024 Olympics. FRAGILE WORLD
Amateur Swimming Association of Jamaica (ASAJ) president, Handel Lamey, feels the country’s performance at the recently concluded Carifta Swimming Championships will see them begin to keep pace with their higher ranked regional rivals, in the near future. According to Lamey, some Jamaican performances surpassed his expectations in terms of national and Carifta age group records which fell, including a few long-standing meet records from, as early as 1996.”We are getting closer to the top; we are moving closer and closer, so we are progressing,” reasoned Lamey.good performances”We had some very good performances, looking forward to us keeping this team together,” the ASAJ boss added.Lamey assured that the ASAJ will be looking to recruit the skills of a technical director who will be expected to keep the swimmers well conditioned, and improving.”We need much more work, first and foremost. I think we need a national director that will now direct a nationalprogramme that will focusnot only the junior swimmers,but senior swimmers,” hecontinued.”If we had the national programme, they could fall within that programme right away,” he assured. Lamey wants to have a gym in place at the National Aquatics Centre, which he revealed, will be furnished with equipment already here.Meanwhile, Jamaica placed sixth overall with 530.50 points, ending Carifta with 12 gold, eight silver, and 10 bronze (30 medals).They surpassed the 25 achieved last year in Martinique.
Duterte’s ‘soft heart’ could save ABS-CBN, says election lawyer Malacañang open to creating Taal Commission Duterte’s ‘soft heart’ could save ABS-CBN, says election lawyer IT happens: Facebook sorry for Xi Jinping’s name mistranslation NBA eliminates timeouts to keep the ends of games moving MOST READ Filipinos turn Taal Volcano ash, plastic trash into bricks PLAY LIST 01:40Filipinos turn Taal Volcano ash, plastic trash into bricks01:32Taal Volcano watch: Island fissures steaming, lake water receding02:14Carpio hits red carpet treatment for China Coast Guard02:56NCRPO pledges to donate P3.5 million to victims of Taal eruption00:56Heavy rain brings some relief in Australia02:37Calm moments allow Taal folks some respite It would also take him to 19 career majors and make him the oldest champion at Wimbledon in the Open era.“The plan was always to hopefully be strong later on in my career,” said Federer who will face Tomas Berdych in Friday’s semi-finals.“I don’t see myself playing better than a few years ago. I always hope to improve every year.“I’m just very happy that I’m still doing so well. Am I surprised? Maybe a little bit.”The contrast between Federer and Murray and Djokovic on Wednesday was impossible to ignore.ADVERTISEMENT Missile-capable frigate BRP Jose Rizal inches closer to entering PH Navy’s fleet Defending champion and world number one Murray lost in five sets to Sam Querrey of the United States, hobbled by a long-standing right hip injury.Djokovic, the three-time winner, quit after two games of the second set of his quarter-final against Berdych with a right elbow injury.Like Murray’s hip, the elbow problem plaguing Djokovic has been a constant menace for many seasons.It has got so bad that Djokovic admitted he is contemplating either surgery or even an extended break from the sport.Federer has already trimmed back his schedule, skipping the 2016 and 2017 French Opens which were won by Djokovic and Nadal.After losing to Raonic in the Wimbledon semi-finals last year, Federer shut down his season to rest a knee injury which had already required surgery earlier in 2016.He came back in January this year, won the Australian Open for his 18th Slam, added the Indian Wells-Miami Masters double before hibernating again through the claycourt season.“Once you hit 30, you’ve got to look back and think of how much tennis have I played, how much rest did I give my body over the years, how much training have I done, did I do enough, did I overdo it or not enough,” he explained.“It’s always calibrating the whole thing. For me it worked out. Sometimes the body and the mind do need a rest.” CBB It was his 100th match at the All England Club and the 50th Grand Slam quarter-final of his career.At 35, Federer is the second oldest man to reach the semi-finals after Ken Rosewall who finished runner-up in 1974 at the age of 39.FEATURED STORIESSPORTSEnd of his agony? SC rules in favor of Espinosa, orders promoter heirs to pay boxing legendSPORTSRedemption is sweet for Ginebra, Scottie ThompsonSPORTSMayweather beats Pacquiao, Canelo for ‘Fighter of the Decade’READ: Djokovic ponders long break ‘for body and mind’With ‘Big Four’ rivals Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic suffering injury-hit exits on Wednesday and Rafael Nadal having lost in the fourth round, Federer is favourite to reclaim the Wimbledon title on Sunday and break the tie for seven he has shared with Pete Sampras since 2012.
Marcosian mode: Duterte threatens to arrest water execs ‘one night’ View comments LATEST STORIES Switzerland’s Roger Federer, left, celebrates as he leaves the court after beating Canada’s Milos Raonic, right, at the end of their Men’s Singles Quarterfinal Match on day nine at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London Wednesday, July 12, 2017. APLONDON, United Kingdom — Roger Federer insists he is only slightly surprised to find himself tantalizingly within touching distance of a record eighth Wimbledon title despite his 36th birthday fast approaching.The Swiss star reached the Wimbledon semi-finals for the 12th time on Wednesday with a 6-4, 6-2, 7-6 (7/4) win over Milos Raonic.ADVERTISEMENT End of his agony? SC rules in favor of Espinosa, orders promoter heirs to pay boxing legend Sports Related Videospowered by AdSparcRead Next 787 earthquakes recorded in 24 hours due to restive Taal Volcano LIVE: Sinulog 2020 Grand Parade Don’t miss out on the latest news and information. 
Missile-capable frigate BRP Jose Rizal inches closer to entering PH Navy’s fleet Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton of Britain celebrates after winning during the British Formula One Grand Prix at the Silverstone racetrack in Silverstone, England, Sunday, July 16, 2017. (Photo by FRANK AUGSTEIN / AP)SILVERSTONE, England — Lewis Hamilton slashed Sebastian Vettel’s Formula One championship lead to one point by winning a record-equaling fifth British Grand Prix on Sunday as his title rival was left reeling by a late puncture.Vettel was in third heading into the penultimate lap at Silverstone only to see his front left tire shred – immediately after Ferrari teammate Kimi Raikkonen’s car experienced the same fate.ADVERTISEMENT Duterte’s ‘soft heart’ could save ABS-CBN, says election lawyer LATEST STORIES LIVE: Sinulog 2020 Grand Parade View comments 787 earthquakes recorded in 24 hours due to restive Taal Volcano Don’t miss out on the latest news and information. IT happens: Facebook sorry for Xi Jinping’s name mistranslation Marcosian mode: Duterte threatens to arrest water execs ‘one night’
Sports Related Videospowered by AdSparcRead Next MOST READ Filipinos turn Taal Volcano ash, plastic trash into bricks PLAY LIST 01:40Filipinos turn Taal Volcano ash, plastic trash into bricks01:32Taal Volcano watch: Island fissures steaming, lake water receding02:14Carpio hits red carpet treatment for China Coast Guard02:56NCRPO pledges to donate P3.5 million to victims of Taal eruption00:56Heavy rain brings some relief in Australia02:37Calm moments allow Taal folks some respite OSG plea to revoke ABS-CBN franchise ‘a duplicitous move’ – Lacson End of his agony? SC rules in favor of Espinosa, orders promoter heirs to pay boxing legend Raikkonen still made the podium by replacing Vettel in third, but the championship leader fell back to seventh as the 25-point lead he held over Hamilton going into the 10th round of the 20-race season was all but wiped out on an overcast afternoon in central England.It capped a dominant weekend for Hamilton in front of his home fans and the three-time world champion was assisted by Mercedes teammate Valtteri Bottas making up seven places to join him on the podium after finishing second.FEATURED STORIESSPORTSEnd of his agony? SC rules in favor of Espinosa, orders promoter heirs to pay boxing legendSPORTSRedemption is sweet for Ginebra, Scottie ThompsonSPORTSMayweather beats Pacquiao, Canelo for ‘Fighter of the Decade’“Great drive by Valtteri,” Hamilton said over the team radio after claiming victory. “Fantastic job, all weekend.”For Hamilton, the victory after failing to make the podium in his last two races will vindicate the decision to embark on a two-day holiday to Greece after last weekend’s Austrian GP. The jaunt annoyed racing fans in London who turned up to a flagship showcase of the sport that was attended by the other 19 drivers. Morado: Winning just secondary in charity game Malacañang open to creating Taal Commission
View comments JRU wins fifth in six games, trumps Letran Carpio hits red carpet treatment for China Coast Guard PLAY LIST 02:14Carpio hits red carpet treatment for China Coast Guard02:56NCRPO pledges to donate P3.5 million to victims of Taal eruption00:56Heavy rain brings some relief in Australia02:37Calm moments allow Taal folks some respite03:23Negosyo sa Tagaytay City, bagsak sa pag-aalboroto ng Bulkang Taal01:13Christian Standhardinger wins PBA Best Player award Golovkin stayed in the gym for two hours after his wife, Alina, gave birth to the couple’s second child. They also have a son. “He didn’t leave the gym until 6 pm,” Golovkin’s trainer Abel Sanchez said. “The baby was born at 4 pm.FEATURED STORIESSPORTSRedemption is sweet for Ginebra, Scottie ThompsonSPORTSMayweather beats Pacquiao, Canelo for ‘Fighter of the Decade’SPORTSFederer blasts lack of communication on Australian Open smog“His wife was in the hospital for one day. She came home next day so he was home with them.”Golovkin, who holds the World Boxing Council, World Boxing Association and International Boxing Federation middleweight belts, will face Canelo Alvarez in a 12-round mega title fight on Saturday in Las Vegas. Sanchez said he was concerned during the long training camp about how Golovkin was doing with the baby on the way and the most important fight of his career around the corner.“I started to voice my concern. ‘The baby’s not here’. He said ‘coach the baby is going to come whether I am there or not. I have already done my part.’”Sanchez said Golovkin has been in high spirits as the fight preparation shifted this week from their training camp to Las Vegas.“He is in a great mood. I don’t know if it is because of the baby being here or if because he finally got the fight he wanted,” Sanchez said.Sanchez says Golovkin is a good father and just as dedicated to his family as he is to his work.ADVERTISEMENT A costly, catty dispute finally settled LATEST STORIES MOST READ Break new ground “Golovkin is a family man. He has always been very, very, very focused,” Sanchez said. “He has never been the type of guy to go out at night. You are never going to lose him for a day.“He just bought his first car six months ago. He didn’t have a car before because he said he spends all his time in the gym.”Golovkin declined to speak about the birth at a news conference on Wednesday at the MGM Grand Hotel and Casino.“Please don’t ask me about my family. I am just focused on boxing,” he said.Sports Related Videospowered by AdSparcRead Next Winning start A costly, catty dispute finally settled End of his agony? SC rules in favor of Espinosa, orders promoter heirs to pay boxing legend OSG plea to revoke ABS-CBN franchise ‘a duplicitous move’ – Lacson It’s too early to present Duterte’s ‘legacy’ – Lacson End of his agony? SC rules in favor of Espinosa, orders promoter heirs to pay boxing legend WBC, WBA and IBF middleweight champion Gennady Golovkin attends a news conference at MGM Grand Hotel & Casino on September 12, 2017 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Golovkin will defend his titles against Canelo Alvarez at T-Mobile Arena on September 16 in Las Vegas. Ethan Miller/Getty Images/AFPGennady Golovkin is one of the most dedicated boxers in the world and even the birth of his daughter couldn’t pry him out of the gym.The three-belt champion missed the birth on Friday because he was training for his upcoming world middleweight title fight.ADVERTISEMENT Learning about the ‘Ring of Fire’ Don’t miss out on the latest news and information. 
Margot Robbie talks about filming ‘Bombshell’s’ disturbing sexual harassment scene OSG plea to revoke ABS-CBN franchise ‘a duplicitous move’ – Lacson “Before we get the championship we have to get win number three first. We’re not gonna look for win number four. We just have to come out really, really, really aggressive and strong on the third game. That’s our focus. We haven’t achieved anything yet by winning this game, so we’re taking it one game at a time.”Sports Related Videospowered by AdSparcRead Next Don’t miss out on the latest news and information. Jake says relationship with Shaina ‘goes beyond physical attraction’ LA Tenorio. Photo by Tristan Tamayo/ INQUIRER.netLA Tenorio will be the first to admit that his shot clock-beating triple in the clutch was nothing but a stroke of luck.“It was a hail mary shot,” Tenorio proudly said.ADVERTISEMENT It’s too early to present Duterte’s ‘legacy’ – Lacson Jo Koy: My brain always wants to think funny Jake says relationship with Shaina ‘goes beyond physical attraction’ LATEST STORIES MOST READ Tenorio drilled the miraculous triple with 1:07 remaining to give Ginebra a commanding 84-76 lead. The shot turned out to be the dagger as the defending champions took a 2-0 lead in the 2017 PBA Governors’ Cup Finals.What makes Tenorio’s clutch performance in Game 2 more awe-inspiring was the revelation of his head coach Tim Cone that the star playmaker is actually playing with an elbow injury.FEATURED STORIESSPORTSRedemption is sweet for Ginebra, Scottie ThompsonSPORTSMayweather beats Pacquiao, Canelo for ‘Fighter of the Decade’SPORTSFederer blasts lack of communication on Australian Open smog“He’s gonna have a surgery on his shooting elbow at the end of the conference. He’s playing through it and still shooting the ball well,” bared Cone.The 33-year-old Tenorio, though, said that it was the Gin Kings’ defense that won the game and not his stellar play in the endgame. Coco’s house rules on ‘Probinsyano’ set Judy Ann’s 1st project for 2020 is giving her a ‘stomachache’ Carpio hits red carpet treatment for China Coast Guard PLAY LIST 02:14Carpio hits red carpet treatment for China Coast Guard02:56NCRPO pledges to donate P3.5 million to victims of Taal eruption00:56Heavy rain brings some relief in Australia02:37Calm moments allow Taal folks some respite03:23Negosyo sa Tagaytay City, bagsak sa pag-aalboroto ng Bulkang Taal01:13Christian Standhardinger wins PBA Best Player award “Our defense kept us in the game,” Tenorio said. “We didn’t play that well offensively, but our defense kept us in the game. Like what I’ve said from the start, it’s gonna be defense versus defense. It’s gonna be a grind out win, and then we expected it this game that it’s not gonna be easy compared to Game 1.”“True enough, they came out really aggressive and attacked the basket. They attacked our bigs, they attacked the mismatches, but good thing that down the stretch we came out really focused and aggressive.”Tenorio uncorked 10 of his 14 points in the payoff period, on top of three rebounds as he and teamed up with import Justin Brownlee to lift Ginebra down the stretch.The Gin Kings are halfway into their bid to retain the title and Tenorio wants no letup with Game 3 set on Wednesday.“To be honest, 2-0 is still nothing. We know miracles can still happen in this league, so we really have to come out stronger,” he said. “The series is not yet over. It’s still far, far from over.”ADVERTISEMENT View comments Kiss-and-tell matinee idol’s conquests: True stories or tall tales? Legends Jaworski, Arnaiz grace Game 2 of PBA Finals