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Tokyo 2020 chiefs nominate baseball for Games return
TOKYO: The organisers of the 2020 Olympics on Monday nominated eight new sports for possible inclusion in the Tokyo Games, including baseball.
The list, which will be narrowed down in August before being presented to the International Olympic Committee for a decision, comprises baseball/softball, bowling, karate, roller sports, sports climbing, squash, surfing and martial arts.
“We have chosen them based on three principles the Tokyo committee has decided,” said panel chair Fujio Mitarai.
According to the committee, new sports to be added to the 2020 Olympics should be popular among young people and “add value to the Games by engaging the Japanese population and new audiences worldwide,” and their selection should be “open and fair.”
“There was no objection. It was decided unanimously.”Both softball and baseball — which are combined in the nomination list — are hugely popular in Japan, where professional teams are avidly followed. The sports last featured at the Beijing Olympics in 2008.
Japanese players who make it into the Major Leagues in the US are fixtures on nightly news broadcasts.Mitarai said he could not give details of why each sport was on the list, but the inclusion of pastimes like bowling and surfing was sure to be popular.
“One thing I can say is that they’re popular among young people. Many are engaged in them globally,” Mitarai said.
The eight sports have been picked from a longlist of 26 that Tokyo 2020 organisers released earlier this month. They included tug of war, polo and the World Underwater Federation — which oversees sports such as free diving, spearfishing and submerged hockey — as well as billiards and American football.
Presently only sporting federations have been named, and each will now have to fill in questionnaires to help Tokyo 2020 organisers narrow down their list over the summer.
“We’ll submit proposals on the kinds of events,” specifically which sport and what format it will be played in, said vice chair Toshiro Muto.“We don’t know at the moment” how many and what kinds of events the eight federations are considering to propose, he said.

Amateur ranks loom for Parma as deadline expires
MILAN: Parma FC are set to drop into Serie D, the top tier of Italy’s amateur leagues, after administrators received no takeover offers prior to a deadline on Monday.
Parma ended a nightmarish 2014-2015 campaign bottom of the Serie A table having been deducted points on several occasions for the club’s failure to pay players and staff as they sunk into the financial doldrums.
They were declared bankrupt in March and went into administration pending the search for investors to take over the club and pay off its debts.
Despite automatically dropping into Serie B — Italy’s second division — the club’s failure to find a buyer mean they are set to drop into Serie D, the top tier of non-professional football in Italy.
American-Italian Mike Piazza and Italian Giuseppe Corrado were reported to be heading separate takeover bids in recent days.
But Corrado walked away from talks on Sunday night, and on Monday morning La Gazzetta dello Sport reported that Piazza had also ended his interest in buying the club.
“It is with great sadness and regret that I have to announce the end of talks to purchase Parma FC,” said Piazza according to the Italian sports daily.
Parma had released a club statement on Saturday, which read: “Administrators Dr. Angelo Anedda and Dr. Alberto Guion announce that the deadline for submission of valid offers to buy the company is scheduled for 14.00 (1200 GMT) on Monday, June 22.
“In the afternoon of the same day the administrators will meet with the Committee of Creditors and the bankruptcy judge, Dr. Pietro Rogato, in order to take any appropriate decision on the future of the club.”
If confirmed, it would be a spectacular fall from grace for the club that punched above its weight to challenge for Serie A honours in the 1996-1997 season.
Parma have never won the league title in Italy’s top flight but during their 1992-2002 heyday claimed seven trophies including two UEFA Cups, three Italian Cups, a European Super Cup and the Cup Winners’ Cup.

Mohammad Hussain Cricket Club score big win
By our correspondent
KARACHI: Mohammad Hussain Cricket Club defeated Karachi Gymkhana Whites by 136 runs in their Group A encounter of the Karachi Gymkhana Omar Associates Ramazan Festival Twenty20 Cricket Tournament 2015 here at the Karachi Gymkhana Cricket Ground on Monday.
Batting first, after winning the toss, Mohammad Hussain CC notched up a score of 202 for six after opener Abdul Saad (41 off 21 balls) set the tone with exhilarating stuff. The 109-run fourth wicket stand between Ali Waqas (66 off 39 balls) and Mohammad Sami (35 off 37 balls) pushed the total further up despite off-spinner Murtaza Habib’s double strike.
Karachi Gymkhana crashed from 29 for no wicket to 66 all out, losing all their wickets for only 37 runs. Opener Sohail Samana was the top-scorer with 24 off 27 balls. The innings was wrecked by leg-spinner Naqqash Ahmed (4-7), who was adjudged joint Man of the Match with teammate Ali Waqas.

Maradona to stand for FIFA presidency
PARIS: Diego Maradona will stand for the presidency of scandal-tainted FIFA presidency, a Uruguayan journalist who presents a television show with the Argentine football legend, said Monday.
“‘I am candidate’ are the words that Diego Maradona used when I asked him about the candidacy for the FIFA presidency,” journalist Victor Hugo Morales said on Twitter.
Morales said he had telephoned Maradona to ask how his father was. The two present the De Zurda television show together.
Maradona is a strong critic of FIFA under current president Sepp Blatter, who announced last month that he would step down.
World football’s governing body has been rocked by two multinational corruption investigations launched by US and Swiss authorities.
Former Brazilian star Zico and Liberian football federation president Musa Bility have already declared themselves candidates.The special FIFA congress will not be held before December.

Sharjeel gives Dollar East comfortable victory
By our correspondent
KARACHI: Dollar East whipped Heroes Cricket Club Quetta by eight wickets in their Group D fixture of the Naya Nazimabad Ramazan Cup Twenty20 Cricket Tournament 2015 here at the Lawai Stadium on Sunday evening.
Heroes CC, batting first, were bowled out for 129 in 19 overs with Khushdil stroking a couple of sixes and as many fours in his breezy 31 off 18 balls and Khalid Khail making 29 off 30 balls with the help of two boundaries. They were undone by off-spinner Nasir Owais (3-25) and leg-spinner Jibran Yousuf (2-19).
Dollar East raced to the target in just 12.2 overs, losing a couple of wickets. Sharjeel Khan hammered three sixes and five fours in his hurricane 44 off 20 balls. Khurram Manzoor was in equally devastating mood as he returned undefeated on 40 off 23 balls, having hit four sixes and one four. Sharjeel was declared Man of the Match.

Bulgarian greats CSKA lose licence
VIENNA: Bulgaria’s football union confirmed Monday that the country’s most successful club, CSKA Sofia, has lost its licence because of its debts.
“CSKA, which took part in the 2014-15 championship, has not received its licence and... has to play in the third division (next season),” the BFU said.CSKA have won the Bulgarian league a record 31 times but have been beset with severe financial difficulties after being sold by businessman Vasil Bozhkov in 2006.
Since then the club has gone through frequent changes in ownership and numerous coaches, and were already threatened with losing their licence in 2013.According to press reports, it has debts of 30 million leva (15.3 million euros, $17.5 million) including some 11 million leva owed to the tax office.Monday’s ruling came after CSKA on June 1 lost an appeal against losing its licence.