Russia’s national football team has vast prospects ahead
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According to experts from US sport website ESPN, Russia’s national football team has vast prospects ahead, with a good chance to be qualified for the 2010 World Cup. In the wake of Euro 2008, the Russian footballers are now on the list of the best European clubs, ESPN commentators emphasised. This year, the national team rewrote Russian football history by managing to make it into the semi-finals of the European Football Championship.
29 June 2008
http://www.ruvr.ru/main.php?lng=eng&q=29011&cid=52&p=29.06.2008
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Spain wins Euro 2008
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For the second time in history, the Spanish national football team won, following a 44-year break, the European football championship title. The Spanish beat Germany in the finals of the championships 1:0 in Vienna on Sunday. The footballer who scored the goal, Fernando Torres, was recognised as the best player of the match. The Euro 2008 championship bronze medals went to Russia and Turkey. The Ukraine and Poland are due to jointly host the next European football championships in 2012.
30 June 2008
http://www.ruvr.ru/main.php?lng=eng&q=29044&cid=52&p=30.06.2008
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Spain is “the one” at Euro 2008: ¡Viva España! ¡Viva los futbolistas Españoles!
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Spaniards madly celebrated their team’s win of the European football championship until the early hours of the morning. Crowds of jubilant people took to the streets upon learning about the win. King Juan Carlos I and Prime Minister José Luís Rodríguez Zapatero offered their congratulations to the national team players right after the game. The King said the Spanish footballers had given everyone in Spain a tremendously joyous victory and he thanked them for doing that.
30 June 2008
http://www.ruvr.ru/main.php?lng=eng&q=29060&cid=87&p=30.06.2008
Editor’s Note:
Well, our Russian boys got skunked… this year. As for next year… but as for today, our sincere congratulations to a team that played well and hard. We’re not only called to be good at sport, we’re called to be “good sports”.
BMD
¡Olé España!
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200 compete in 20th International North Sea Heat
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Over 200 European swimmers took part in the 20th international North Sea Heat. The athletes were taken to the Frisian Island of Langeoog by ferryboat, whence they had to swim 10.6 kilometres (6.5 miles) to Bundesländ Niedersachsen (Lower Saxony) in Germany. Things were complicated by a stormy wind, yet, none of the swimmers fell out of the race. All of the swimmers received an award irrespective of the time they clocked.
30 June 2008
http://www.ruvr.ru/main.php?lng=eng&q=29060&cid=87&p=30.06.2008
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World Festival of Equestrian Sport opened in Aachen
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The World Festival of Equestrian Sport opened in the German city of Aachen. This is the most prestigious of all outdoor equestrian tournaments and brings together the best riders and horses of more than 20 nations. Russia plays the role of a partner and honorary participant in this year’s event. The mounted escorts of the President’s Regiment, seen in action only by visiting heads of state, have, for the first time, arrived in Aachen. Cossacks of the Don Host will show their worth and Ossetian horsemen will perform the most difficult tricks, including the art of galloping with their heads under their horses’ bellies, at the Aachen festival. Russian troikas will delight Aachen with their prowess and beauty.
1 July 2008
http://www.ruvr.ru/main.php?lng=eng&q=29121&cid=52&p=01.07.2008
Voice of Russia World Service
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Spain beat Germany to become Euro Champions
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Spain lifted the European Championship trophy Sunday night, their first major soccer title for 44 years in a deserved 1-0 win over Germany in the Euro 2008 finals at the Ernst Happel Stadion in Vienna. With six wins prior to Sunday’s final, Spain were by far the most consistent side in the competition and their imagination and skill, as well as a Fernando Torres goal in the 33rd minute, was enough to see them crowned champions. Spain’s coach, Luis Aragonés, said after the match, “This is a happy day for Spain; we’ve won this tournament in style”. Aragonés praised Torres, the game’s only scorer following a superb pass by Xavi Hernandez, saying, “He could be one of the best players in the world, no doubt”.
Spanish King Juan Carlos, who watched the match along with Queen Sofía and Prime Minister José Luís Rodríguez Zapatero, told national TV, “We suffered, but in the end, it was worth all the pain”. Spain’s EFE news agency reported that around 90 people required medical treatment, mostly for minor injuries as the country partied all night long celebrating their long-awaited win. with temperatures reaching 30 degrees centigrade (86 Fahrenheit), the country’s fire service sprayed crowds with water to try and keep them cool. The Spanish newspaper El Mundo reported that 26 people had been hospitalised, one with serious injuries, after police were called in to contain high-spirited and drunk fans who were throwing bottles in the streets. On their way to the final, Spain defeated Russia twice, in the group stages and in the semi-finals, as well as beating world champion Italy in a tense quarter-final penalty shoot on 22 June.
30 June 2008
http://en.rian.ru/sports/20080630/112572721.html
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Four Russians named to Euro 2008 team
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Four Russian players were included in the Euro 2008 Team of the Tournament, with only winners Spain better-represented, the UEFA announced Monday on its website. The symbolic team was dominated by players from the Spanish squad, which contributed nine of the 23, but, also included four Russians and three Germans. The Netherlands and Portugal supplied two players each, whilst there was one representative each from Turkey, Croatia, and Italy. “The Team of the Tournament is something which we put into our technical report for our coaching colleagues. We give them pointers on the players that our technical experts have appreciated during this event”, UEFA Technical Director Andy Roxburgh said, according to the website. The Russian team finished the tournament with the bronze after losing its semi-final 3-0 to Spain, which in turn beat Germany 1-0 to win the title.
UEFA Team of the Tournament:
Goalkeepers:
Defenders:
Midfielders:
Forwards:
30 June 2008
http://en.rian.ru/sports/20080630/112598588.html
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Russia’s Dementieva and Petrova to meet in Wimbledon last eight
Yelena Dementieva (1981- ), Russian tennis star
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Russia’s Yelena Dementieva and Nadia Petrova both clinched straight set victories in the fourth round of the women’s singles at Wimbledon on Monday, and will meet in the quarter-finals. Fifth-seed Dementieva cruised to a 6-2 6-1 victory over Israel‘s Shahar Peer to reach the last eight for the second time in three years. Peer had defeated Russia’s Dinara Safina in the previous round. Nadia Petrova, seeded 21st, overpowered compatriot Alla Kudryavtseva 6-1, 6-4. Kudryavtseva, ranked 154 in the world, had been a relative unknown before her shock victory over Maria Sharapova in the second round.
Of the other three Russian women in the fourth round, fourth-seed Svetlana Kuznetsova was defeated by Poland’s Agnieszka Radwańska, Alisa Kleybanova lost to Venus Williams of the USA, and eighth-seed Anna Chakvetadze was beaten by Czechia‘s Nicole Vaidišová. In the men’s singles, Russia’s Marat Safin is currently playing Switzerland‘s Stanislas Wawrinka for a place in the quarter finals. Earlier in the day the other Russian competing in the fourth round, Mikhail Youzhny, lost 3-6, 3-6, 1-6 to Spain’s Rafael Nadal, the number two seed.
30 June 2008
http://en.rian.ru/russia/20080630/112627216.html
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Russia’s Yekaterina Makarova through to Wimbledon quarter-finals
Yekaterina Makarova (1988- ), Russian tennis player
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Russia’s Yekaterina Makarova and her Tunisian partner won in straight sets in the women’s doubles to go through to the quarterfinals at Wimbledon. Markarova and Selima Sfar beat the number nine seeds and former Wimbledon and Australian Open double champions, Yan Zi and Zheng Jie, from China 7-5, 6-4. The pair will now face Australia‘s Samantha Stosur and America’s Lisa Raymond (16) in the quarters.
1 July 2008
http://en.rian.ru/sports/20080701/112661995.html
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Russia’s Safin moves into Wimbledon quarter-finals
Marat Safin (1980- ), Russian tennis champion
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Russia’s former world number one, Marat Safin, continued his winning streak at Wimbledon beating Switzerland’s Stanislas Wawrinka (13) in the third round to go through to the quarter-finals. The unseeded Safin, 28, who beat third seed Novak Đoković in the second round, clinched the match in four sets 6-4, 6-3, 5-7, 6-1 on Monday to the obvious delight of the crowd on Wimbledon’s No. 1 court, to reach his first quarterfinal at the grass court championship since 2001. He will now face Spain’s Feliciano López (31).
His younger sister, Dinara Safina (9), did not enjoy the same success, however, after losing in straight sets in the women’s doubles to number six seeds Victoria Azarenka and Shahar Peer, who earlier beat Safina in an epic singles match (7-5, 6-7, 8-6) which lasted almost three and a half hours. In the mixed doubles Russia’s Igor Andreyev and Maria Kirilenko are due to play the Czech pair, Lukáš Dlouhý and Nicole Vaidisova, in their third round match on court two Tuesday. And Yelena Dementieva (5) and Nadia Petrova (21) will meet each other in their women’s singles quarterfinal match on Wimbledon’s Centre Court. In other results Russia’s Dmitri Tursunov and Nadia Petrova lost in the mixed doubles to Britain‘s Jamie Murray and American Liezel Huber, 6-2, 2-6, 9-7.
1 July 2008
http://en.rian.ru/sports/20080701/112679820.html
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Russia’s Dementieva reaches first Wimbledon semi-final
Yelena Dementieva (1981- ), Russian tennis star
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Russia’s Yelena Dementieva reached the semi-finals of the prestigious Wimbledon tennis tournament for the first time in her 10-year professional career after a marathon quarter-final victory Tuesday. In a match that lasted almost two and a half hours, fifth-seed Dementieva managed to overcome her compatriot Nadia Petrova (seeded 21) in three sets 6-1, 6-7 (6-8), 6-3. “It feels wonderful. It’s my first semi-final here and I’m very excited about it. It has been a good run for me. I’m happy I’m getting my game back”, Dementieva said after the match, the WTA website reported. In her semi-final match, Dementieva is set to play defending champion Venus Williams. The American advanced to the semis by zipping past Thailand‘s Tamarine Tanasugarn in straight sets 6-4, 6-3.
1 July 2008
http://en.rian.ru/sports/20080701/112748563.html
RIA-Novosti
European Presidents Shun the Ukraine over Timoshenko
Tags: association football, EU, Euro-2012, European Union, football, José Manuel Barroso, Kiev, Poland, political commentary, politics, President of the European Commission, Republican, right-wing, Russia, Russian, Sport, UEFA, Ukraine, Ukrainian, Viktor Yanukovych, Vladimir Putin, Yuliya Timoshenko
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On Thursday, international pressure mounted on the Ukraine over its treatment of jailed opposition leader Yuliya Timoshenko, but Kiev warned that any boycott of the European football championship next month would only hurt the interests of football fans. Nine European leaders plan to shun a Central European summit hosted by the former Soviet republic this month in a show of displeasure at Timoshenko’s plight, which the West says highlights a decline in democratic values in the country. The move appeared to foreshadow similar action by European politicians at the Euro-2012 football championship, which Ukraine is co-hosting with Poland in June and July, and which it hopes will be a showcase for the country as a modern European nation.
The Presidents of Germany, Austria, Italy, Croatia, Estonia, Slovenia, Bulgaria, and Czechia all said that they wouldn’t attend the 11-12 May gathering in the Black Sea resort of Yalta hosted by Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovich. European Commission President José Manuel Durão Barroso said that he had no plans to visit the Ukraine because of Timoshenko’s imprisonment, as she said that Yanukovich ordered her imprisonment, and that she fears for her life. On Thursday, the delegation of the EU to the Ukraine said the other 26 commissioners would follow a similar line. The boycott of the informal summit, held in Poland last year, which attracted 20 heads of states then, risks embarrassing Kiev, which says it wants to join the EU eventually. The snubbing of the summit could be a precursor to an even more painful boycott of the Euro tournament, which the Ukraine hoped would cement its position in the European mainstream.
On Thursday, the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry said that attempts to politicise the Euro tournament were destructive, saying, “A successful championship would be a victory not for politicians, parties, or ideologies, but for all Ukrainians and Poles. Its failure would be a loss for millions”. Last October, Timoshenko, a former prime minister and Yanukovich’s main political rival, received a seven-year prison sentence for abuse of office after a trial that the West called politically-motivated. Last week, Western politicians reacted with horror after she alleged that guards beat her in prison. Timoshenko’s prison is near Kharkov, one of the Euro-2012 venues, and she’s been on a hunger strike since 20 April in protest at what she said was an assault by prison guards, an allegation denied by the prison administration.
Issue Divides Poles
On Thursday, the issue prompted a domestic political dispute in Poland, as the main opposition party urged a boycott of matches held in the Ukraine, whilst Polish President Bronisław Maria Komorowski and Prime Minister Donald Tusk spoke against such a step. Yet, Tusk warned the Ukraine that its reputation would “suffer dramatically” if no humanitarian solution were found, saying, “I’ve left the Ukrainian Prime Minister and President in no doubt that the (Timoshenko) case is a test of credibility for the present Ukrainian authorities, and that the reputation of the Ukraine would suffer dramatically if it doesn’t find a civilised solution before the European championship”. The ITAR-TASS news agency reported that Prime Minister and President-elect Vladimir Putin also spoke out against a boycott, saying, “I think that under no circumstances should one mix politics, business and other issues with sports. One should leave sports alone”. In June, 16 European teams will hold matches at Ukrainian and Polish venues, leading up to the final in Kiev on 1 July.
Timoshenko, 51, was one of the leaders of the 2004 Orange Revolution that derailed Yanukovich’s first bid for presidency. Her family says that she’s in poor health due to the hunger strike and chronic back pain, but Timoshenko refuses treatment, saying she that doesn’t trust state-appointed doctors. A Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesman reacted angrily to news that German Bundeskanzlerin Angela Merkel wouldn’t attend the Euro championship, calling the move a return to Cold War tactics. The Ukrainian government and businessmen invested billions of dollars in preparations for the Euro-2012, as it would be the biggest sports event during Yanukovich’s current term in office.
However, the government’s shown no signs of heeding Brussels’ calls to free Timoshenko. Instead, the Prokuratura brought to court fresh tax evasion charges against her, which carry a sentence of up to 12 years. The EU warned the Ukraine that its members wouldn’t ratify milestone bilateral agreements on political association and free trade as long as Timoshenko remains in prison. Kiev-based political analyst Igor Zhdanov said, “These (boycott moves) are the first steps towards international isolation, not for the Ukraine, but for Yanukovich personally. This will go on for as long as Timoshenko remains in prison. However, one must understand that Timoshenko simply exemplifies all the problems with democracy in the Ukraine”.
3 May 2012
Olzhas Auyezov
Reuters
As quoted in Yahoo News
http://news.yahoo.com/europes-presidents-shun-ukraine-over-tymoshenko-170023483–soccer.html
Editor’s Note:
The EU move’s as dumb as dirt. Right now, VVP’s manoeuvring the Ukraine into agreeing to become part of the future Eurasian Union. Ukrainians want no repeat of the Western-financed and sponsored “Orange Revolution”… that led to Western corporate landsharks, diaspora Galician Uniates, and anti-patriotic pro-Western forces taking power and raping the Ukraine for four years. The glorification of the criminal terrorist Stepan Bandera by Yushchenko was the last straw, I think. No patriotically-minded Ukrainian wishes a return to that, only “nationalist” Galician Uniates and pro-American lickspittles (combined, less than 10 percent of the population) desire such a return. In short, I say, let the EU pull this juvenile shit. Let them intensify it, I say… and they shall, for the Ukraine’s rejection of the nostrums of the American Neocon Republicans and Interventionist Democrats enraged “both sides of the aisle” in the USA (which led to a loud campaign of vilification in the Western media). Not only that, the EU’s pissed off that the Ukraine insists that its internal affairs are its internal affairs, and they’re none of Brussels’ business. It’s all to the good… it’ll push the Ukraine into the Eurasian Union, and Ukrainians will have such a bellyful of Western arrogance, condescension, and hubris, it’ll put them off Western influence for centuries.
In other words, let the Westerners act out their infantile peevishness. It will only hasten the reunion of Historic Holy Rus… and that’s a very GOOD thing.
BMD