Tennis: Drone seized after Wimbledon fly-over

Tennis: Drone seized after Wimbledon fly-over

Police have seized a drone which was flown over Wimbledon as some of the world's top players warmed up for the Grand Slam in south-west London.

Officers are investigating the incident after being alerted to a man flying a drone over the All England Club from a nearby golf course on Saturday morning.

Inspector Roger Robinson of Merton police said: "It is an offence to fly a drone within 50 meters of a structure. Anyone intending to fly a drone should give prior consideration to the surrounding landscape and any structures or venues.

"While it is not our intention to prevent people from enjoying the use of drones, it is important that regulations are adhered to. Police will take positive action against anyone committing an offence."

Roger Federer, Andy Murray, Rafael Nadal, Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova were among the top stars on site on Saturday as they hone their games ahead of Monday's opening matches.

Drones have become a security concern at major sporting events since October when a Euro 2016 qualifier between Serbia and Albania ended with the match abandoned after a drone carrying a political banner was flown into the stadium.

Players clashed when the drone and flag were pulled to the ground and the Albania players refused to play on after being attacked by Serbian fans.

Also last year, a suspected drone pilot was arrested after a device was flown over Eastlands during Manchester City's Premier League match against Tottenham. (ren)

Federer, Murray, Nadal in same Wimbledon half

Federer, Murray, Nadal in same Wimbledon half

Former champions Roger Federer, Andy Murray and Rafael Nadal were all placed in the same section of the Wimbledon draw on Friday.

Top seed and defending champion Novak Djokovic was kept apart from the other members of the 'Big Four'.

However, the Serb may have to beat third-seeded Stan Wawrinka, the man who defeated him in the French Open final earlier this month, in the semi-finals.

Djokovic begins his title defence against experienced German Philipp Kohlschreiber in the first round with a possible second-round clash with 2002 champion Lleyton Hewitt, who is playing in his last Wimbledon.

If the seedings work, the last-16 would see Djokovic face Kevin Anderson of South Africa, US Open champion Marin Cilic against Kei Nishikori, Wawrinka facing David Goffin and Grigor Dimitrov taking on Milos Raonic.

In the bottom half, seven-time champion and second seed Federer could face Feliciano Lopez, Tomas Berdych would meet Gilles Simon, 2013 winner Murray could play Jo-Wilfried Tsonga with two-time champion Nadal, seeded 10 this year, up against compatriot David Ferrer

From the PGA tour: Johnson’s collapse turns into historic triumph for Spieth at US Open 

The conclusion of the 115th US Open will always be remembered more for the continuing misfortunes of American Dustin Johnson than the historic win of his 21-year-old countryman Jordan Spieth. Johnson faced a putt for eagle from well under 4 meters to claim victory on the 18th hole. At that point, Spieth couldn’t control his own destiny as he nursed his clubhouse lead at 5 under par. The world watched as Johnson stroked his putt, missing by a fraction and rolling the ball just over a meter past the hole. Johnson’s next putt for birdie to finish and tie with Spieth was a foregone conclusion. The two men would then end up in an 18-hole playoff the next day to determine the champion. Little did anyone know that fate had one more tragedy in store for the 31-year-old Johnson to add to those he had suffered in 2009, 2010 and 2011. This time it would happen in the cruelest fashion when his final putt would miss the left edge of the hole to spell his demise once more in a major championship.

In 2009, the then 25-year-old Johnson missed entering a playoff to win the PGA Championship when dealt with a 2-stroke penalty after grounding his club in a bunker. In 2010 he went into the final round of the US Open with a 3 stroke lead only to suffer a meltdown, shooting 82 to lose the championship. In 2011 he finished 2nd in the Open Championship after hitting his 2nd shot on the par-5 14th hole out of bounds. An ashen Johnson would walk off the 18th green at Chambers Bay (par 70), Seattle on Sunday a man who’d been marked with not 1 but 4 scarlet letters. Johnson could only muster, “I was trying, it just didn’t work out, I just didn’t get it in the hole quick enough,” followed by “I did everything I could, I played well, I hit the ball well, and it just wasn’t my time.”

On the other hand, no one can take anything away from the rising prodigy that is Spieth. He offered a shade of remorse for Johnson when he said, “I’m still amazed that I won.”

Chambers Bay held an unconventional US Open. Links style golf with no graduated rough and trees. It was an experiment that many players lamented. The greens were condemned by almost all save Spieth who was left holding the magnificent US Open trophy at sundown. Round 1 saw the towering Dustin Johnson share the lead with the Swede, Henrik Stenson, both men shooting a sensational 5 under par 65. They were trailed by American Patrick Reed at 4 under par (66). Spieth shot a respectable 2 under par 68 and was 2 strokes back. Spieth answered with a spectacular 3 under par 67 in round 2 to take the lead along with Reed at 5 under after Reed shot a 1 under 69. Johnson was a touch back in 2nd place at 4 under after posting a 1 over par 71 in the 2nd round.

More drama was to unfold when the gutsy Australian Jason Day collapsed from vertigo on his approach to the 18th green in round 2. After round 3, Spieth, Johnson, the amazing Day and a surging Brandon Grace (South Africa) ended up tied for 1st place after posting 71, 70, 68 and 70 respectively all at 4 under par.

Spieth managed himself with brilliance posting a 1 under par 69 in the final round to take the clubhouse lead at 5 under par. The rest as they say is history. Spieth became the youngest player to win the US Open since Bobby Jones in 1923. With his back to back wins at the Masters and US Open he now stands a chance to win golf’s Grand Slam in one calendar year. To this he said, “You can’t win them all if you don’t win the first two. We’ll go to the home of golf [St. Andrews] prepared to try and win the Claret Jug.” Louis Oosthuizen of South Africa also finished tied for 2nd at 4 under par but had no chance to win since he finished ahead of Spieth. So distraught was Dustin Johnson that he left the course before receiving his runner’s up medal.

sea games 2015

sea games 2015

Indonesia yesterday in sea games can be how many points I think a lot of his hell yes pehitungan gold, silver and bronze the last-years as the champion continued wanted deh hopefully if I still voting Indonesia overall champion to get it the name of Indonesia in the eyes of the world fragrant tuh make his name known amen particularly the widely relied on the tennis branch and jump when the ball not know dah.

Paris becomes 4th city to join race for 2024 Olympic Games

Paris declared its candidacy for the 2024 Olympics on Tuesday, becoming the fourth city to enter the race and setting out its vision for bringing the games back to the French capital for the first time in 100 years.

The Paris bid, which has been in the works for months, was formally launched in a ceremony at the headquarters of the French Olympic Committee that was attended by dozens of leading French athletes.

"We believe that this bid and our goal to host the 2024 Games will excite, unite and enthuse the people of Paris, our entire nation and lovers of Olympic and Paralympic sport all over the world," bid chairman Bernard Lapasset said.

Paris joins Rome, Boston and Hamburg as declared bidders, with Budapest also expected to join the contest.

Paris has scheduled a second bid ceremony on Bastille Day on July 14, with French President Francois Hollande and other top political figures expected to take part.

"The state will do everything to see this sports movement through and to support this bid, which will serve as a model in terms of the environment, economy and social protections," Hollande said in a statement.

Paris hosted the Olympics in 1900 and 1924 and bid unsuccessfully for the 1992, 2008 and 2012 Games.

After being criticized for their perceived arrogance in their defeats to Beijing and London for the 2008 and 2012 Games, French officials have opted for a more cautious and humble approach this time, leaving government officials in a supporting role and making sure all the political hurdles were cleared before announcing a bid.

"We are off to a very good start. It's a far better start than we ever had," French IOC member Guy Drut said. "The main reason for that is the massive support of the sports movement."

The bid announcement coincided with the annual Olympic Day, which celebrates the inception of the International Olympic Committee on June, 23, 1894 in Paris.

Paris has until Sept. 15 to submit its candidacy to the IOC, which will choose the host city in 2017.

The infrastructure budget of the Paris bid has been estimated at 3 billion euros (US$4.5 billion), with operational costs of 3.2 billion euros ($4.8 billion). The cost of bidding is projected at 60 million euros ($63 million).

According to Lapasset, 60 to 80 percent of venues have already been built, meaning existing infrastructure would be at the heart of the project. The Stade de France, a new cycling track on the outskirts of Paris, the Roland Garros tennis stadium and many Parisian landmarks including the Grand Palais and Champ de Mars are likely to be used. The main construction requirements include an aquatics center, Olympic village and media center.

Denis Masseglia, president of the national Olympic committee, said Paris "promises a feasible and flexible games concept."

Another key figure in the bid is IOC member and former Olympic canoeing champion Tony Estanguet.

Both Hollande and Prime Minister Manuel Valls have kept a low profile over the past six months but made clear they supported the bid. Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo was initially skeptical about the costs and environmental impact of the Olympics and questioned whether France should bid for both the 2024 Olympics and 2025 World Expo.

Hidalgo is now one of the bid's most fervent supporters as a political consensus sweeps the major parties, with only some members of the Green Party remaining opposed, mainly for financial reasons.

"Paris is looking forward to an exciting and bold future whilst remaining true to its rich sporting and cultural traditions," Hidalgo said Tuesday. "We will be designing an integrated project with all the talents of the City of Paris and its suburbs and with young people playing a key role."

The Paris strategy has been praised by IOC President Thomas Bach, who said in April after a meeting with Hollande that "if this candidature continues in this spirit, you have everything in hand to enter the candidature phase in full confidence."

France decided not to bid for the 2020 Olympics after Annecy was humiliated in the race for the 2018 Winter Games, receiving only seven votes in an election won by Pyeongchang, South Korea.

The last successful French Olympic bid came from Albertville, which was awarded the 1992 Winter Games. (iik)

Rio drives to second victory in Spielberg

Rio drives to second victory in Spielberg


Indonesian GP2 driver Rio Haryanto sped to his second victory of the season at the sprint race in Spielberg, Austria, on Sunday.

Rio, who started second on the grid, outpaced British poleman Nick Yelloly of Hilmer Motorsport on the inside line into turn one. 

Racing Engineering driver Alexander Rossi, who tried to go to the outside, made it three’s a crowd and caused a collision with Yelloly. The American managed to step back into the race but Yelloly was out.

Russian Artem Markelov took over the second position thanks to the collision, was pushing everything he had for his first win, but Rio was up for the challenge. The Indonesian pulled away in the fast sections to square off. in lap 13,markelov was overtaken by stoffel vandoorne who trailed closely behind Rio in the remaining lap. 

In the end, Rio — who races for the Campos Racing team — finished the race in 35 minutes and 57.944 seconds, or 1.3 seconds ahead of Stoffel Vandoorne of Belgium and Japan’s Nobuharu Matsushita who finished third with 35:58.849.

Markelov was reportedly excluded from Sunday’s race results after it was found that his car had less than one liter of fuel remaining after the finish, which is in breach of the technical regulations. It promotes Rossi to eighth in Sunday’s result and earned him the final point of the day.

“It [the race] was a really rough one especially since we’ve seen in qualifying that the difference in performance between the cars is small. During the race, the difference is still small and I think that with the DRS [drag reduction system] the guy behind me was easily catching me down the straight,” Rio said as quoted by gp2series.com.

“At one point, Markelov tried to overtake me down turn three. I was able to avoid him because he drove at the last minute. I opened the door and I tried to cut him back but we had a contact and it damaged my front wing. After that, the car was struggling with under steer. I didn’t give up, I tried to do the best I could. To get my second victory is amazing,” he added.

The win gave Rio 15 points to close up to 70 to be in third behind Vandoorne who topped the drivers’ standings with 155 points followed by Rossi with 78.

Asked about the next race in Silverstone next month, Rio said that he hoped to score some good points in the track he considers the hardest on the tires.

“I came second two years ago in the sprint race, so I’m looking forward to it. I think we have a good chance to score some good points there,” he said.

Rio is a multiple GP3 winner. Since his first full-season GP2 participation in 2012 with Carlin, he has secured several podiums but has never won a GP2 race.

The 22-year-old racer took part in F1 tests in Abu Dhabi in 2010 and Silverstone in 2012, when he met the eligibility requirements for obtaining a super-license, becoming the first Indonesian driver ever to get one.

Golf: Mickelson prolongs his US Open drought

Golf: Mickelson prolongs his US Open drought

Phil Mickelson's US Open winless drought continued at Chambers Bay after his bid for a career Grand Slam skidded to a halt on a murderous row of front nine par-fours on Saturday.

The 45-year-old American had five bogey's on the front nine en route to a seven-over 77 in the third round of the 115th US Open.

"As bad as my score was, I hit a lot of good shots that ended up as bogeys," said Mickelson.

Mickelson has finished second a record six times at the US Open and needed to win in Chambers Bay to become the sixth player in history to complete a career Grand Slam.

The crowd favourite finished his round with nine bogeys, two birdies to go with seven pars.

Mickelson needed a good showing Saturday after shooting a second round four-over 74, but his game started heading south early on in the third round and continued to go downhill.

He started the day at three-over but the first sign of trouble came on the second tee box.

Already reeling from two bogeys on his first three holes, Mickelson headed to one of the toughest four-hole stretches of par fours in the history of the US Open, beginning with the 509-yard No. 4.

By the time he made the turn he was at five-over 35 and his chances of claiming his first US Open title had all but vanished.

Mickelson parred No. 1 but followed with three straight bogeys starting with the par-four 399 yard second hole.

His tee shot on No. 2 found the deep rough on the left side of the fairway. He knocked it out but the ball sailed across the fairway into the thick fescue on the right side, coming to a stop on the side of a slope and giving him an awkward downhill stance for his approach to the green.

Mickelson then hit a fine recovery shot to about 10 feet but ended up two-putting for a bogey.

He teed off on the par-three third but his ball landed on the lip off the green and after a slight hesitation it rolled about 40 feet downhill giving him a long chip to the green. His first putt from 10 feet missed just left and he had to settle for another bogey.

He bogeyed two of the holes and parred the other two through the difficult par-four stretch to get him to four over on the day and seven over for the tournament. (dmr)

Brazil's Neymar banned for rest of Copa America

Brazil's Neymar banned for rest of Copa America

Brazilian star Neymar was banned for the rest of the Copa America on Friday, stripping the tournament of one of its biggest stars.

A disciplinary panel of the South American confederation ruled that he must sit out four games for his conduct in a match against Colombia, when he was sent off after the final whistle.

The Barcelona forward was also fined $10,000.

Brazil will appeal the ruling.

Neymar picked up a red card after apparently kicking the ball toward Colombia's Pablo Armero after the referee had blown the whistle in Colombia's 1-0 victory on Wednesday. He also appeared to head-butt another player who came to confront him, and Brazilian media said he confronted the referee before going into the change-rooms.

Colombia's Carlos Bacca shoved Neymar from behind during the altercation and also was sent off after the match. He was banned for two matches on Friday.

Neymar had already been shown a yellow card during the game, which would've been enough to keep him from playing in the key group match against Venezuela on Sunday. He had received his first yellow card of the tournament in Brazil's opening 2-1 win over Peru. Players are automatically suspended with two yellow cards.

Brazil, which has been heavily dependent on Neymar, could still be eliminated depending on its result against Venezuela on Sunday. If it advances to the knockout round, it could play three more games. If Brazil doesn't make it to the final, Neymar's suspension will be extended into the next Copa America.

All four teams in Group C have three points each heading into the final round. The top two teams in each of the three Copa America groups advance, in addition to the two-best third-place finishers.

Neymar arrived at the South American tournament boosted by the Champions League title with Barcelona and was carrying Brazil's hopes for a title in its first official competition since the World Cup at home last year.

The 23-year-old forward also couldn't play in the decisive stages of the World Cup after injuring his back in the quarterfinal against Colombia. Without Neymar, Brazil was humiliated in a 7-1 defeat to Germany in the semifinals and lost 3-0 to the Netherlands in the third-place game.

Neymar was key for Brazil in the opening win against Peru in this year's Copa America, scoring a goal and setting up the last-minute winner by Douglas Costa. He struggled against Colombia, though, and appeared nervous from the start. He got into several confrontations with the Colombian players and constantly complained to Chilean referee Enrique Osses.

After the match, Neymar said everything was caused by a "weak referee."

He loudly complained of the yellow card he received during the match after the ball bounced off his hand inside the area, saying the touch was involuntary.

Neymar's substitute in Brazil's squad has not been announced yet, but veteran striker Robinho is expected to take his spot in the attack.(ika)