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It comes as no surprise that in her second dispensation as prime minister of Jamaica, Mrs Portia Simpson Miller has again incorporated sport among her ministerial responsibilities.

We suspect too, that across the sporting fraternity, there is a sense of considerable relief. For few, if any, within the new Cabinet has the breadth of knowledge regarding the issues affecting sport as should Mrs Simpson Miller. This after decades of being either the minister responsible for the sector or the shadow spokesperson.

Nor should there be any question regarding her commitment to sport and to those who compete and have competed in Jamaican colours.

In its election manifesto, Mrs Simpson Millers Peoples National Party (PNP) reminded Jamaicans of an impressive list of physical and administrative sporting structures set up by its governments over the last 50 years. Mrs Simpson Miller can proudly claim that a number of those, including the National Sports Council, Sports Development Foundation (SDF), the National Indoor Sports Centre, The Trelawny Multi-Purpose Stadium, The Sports Development Foundation, and the CHASE Fund were established under her watch as minister between 1989 and 2007.

We are aware that she understands the great value of sport in promoting the Jamaican brand. Hence her reference in her inaugural address on Thursday to this summers London Olympics and the promise of more glorious performances by Jamaican athletes. The Games will present, she said, another chance to unite and work together as one people, and take full advantage of the prospects that will emerge… as we invite the rest of the world to Meet Jamaica…

Dovetailed to Jamaicas 50th anniversary celebrations, the Olympics will present an opportunity too good to miss as Mrs Simpson Miller well knows, having witnessed the spinoffs from the success of Mr Usain Bolt, Mrs Veronica Campbell-Brown, et al over recent years and the qualification of the Reggae Boyz to the FIFA World Cup finals in France back in 1998.

And while sport has done its part in nation-building, as we have pointed out on many occasions previously it also has great potential as a foreign exchange earner. The millions of dollars brought in annually by some of our top sportsmen and women in athletics, football and cricket should, by itself, be testimony to that potential.

However, for sport to be sustainably developed, the State, even in these tough economic times, must continue to provide adequate support.

The PNP in its manifesto has pledged to continue its fine tradition of support by Seeking to intensify all efforts to maximise the countrys sports potential; Developing sports tourism as an integral part of the countrys approach to national development; Taking advantage of the performance of our outstanding sportsmen and women by producing video documentaries and films, which enhance the profile of the indigenous film industry and further promote Brand Jamaica; The introduction, after broad consultation, of a Revised National Sports Policy; Ensuring that the Trelawny Sports Complex is developed into a truly multi-purpose facility; Establishment of a Sports Museum; Re-establishment of the National Sports Council; Constant interaction and dialogue with national sports organisations; Strengthening the capacity of schools and community institutions to provide recreational opportunities for children and adults as a contributor to healthy lifestyles; Encouraging the integration of sports activities with the range of creative pursuits in co-curricular school and youth club programmes for promoting leadership skills, self-confidence, wholesome relationships and pride in country.

Given her record, we feel confident that Mrs Simpson Miller will do her utmost to fulfil these promises. We will be watching.

Both Clijsters and Williams, the 2010 Australian Open champion, were playing their first tournaments in four months. Clijsters struggled with injuries last season and only played eight tournaments, including the win at the Australian Open which helped her return to the No 1 ranking for one week.

She said her hip had started to go into spasm during the match and she withdrew to avoid a serious rupture.

I felt my left hip was getting tighter and tighter to the point I couldnt move forward with my upper body, she said. So it was the smartest choice to try and not let it get any worse, to be ready for Melbourne.

Players have complained in the past that the Australian Open is too early in the season, with most having limited tournament play after the offseason. The heat in the Australian summer is another issue and the predominance of hard-court tournaments is often cited as contributing to injuries.

Oh, its definitely more demanding, Clijsters said of the hard-courts, but I think every surface has their advantages and disadvantages.

Its just, our sport has evolved into such a strong sport where physically, I mean, its so much more demanding on the body and how we play.

Clijsters said players were spending more time in the gym to build strength to cope with the increasing demands on their bodies and many traveled with a physio.

When I came on tour…nobody was hardly ever in the gym besides warming up with a skipping rope or doing some shoulder exercises and now theres everybody, because its necessary, she said. The tennis that I play is physically so demanding on the body and then…combine that on a hard court.

Murray, who will play in a mens semi-final at Brisbane on Saturday, dropped the opening sets in his first two rounds as he overcame soreness and stiffness from the offseason. He breezed through a quarterfinal against 2006 Australian Open finalist Marcos Baghdatis and said hes feeling OK now.

Nadal, who has struggled with a sore left shoulder, was beaten in straight sets by Gael Monfils in the Qatar Open semi-finals on Friday, but did not blame any injury problems for the loss.

There have been several other injury pullouts. Sixth-seeded Alex Bogomolov Jr. of Russia withdrew from Qatar with a right ankle injury, and at Brisbane, Florian Mayer retired with a groin injury and Tommy Haas with a calf muscle injury.

Maria Sharapova withdrew before the Brisbane tournament with an injured ankle and Venus Williams announced in mid-December that she was pulling out of the ASB Classic in Auckland, New Zealand, which was supposed to be her first competitive match since August. The 31-year-old Williams is still recovering from the immune system disease Sjogrens syndrome, which can cause fatigue and joint pain.

There has been no word on Venus status for the Australian Open. Her sisters fitness for Melbourne will likely be in doubt until just before the tournament starts.

Im going to take a couple of days off, not too many, and see how I feel, Serena Williams, the 2010 Australian Open champion said after her withdrawal at Brisbane. Im still hopeful of playing the Australian Open.

– AP

MIAMI Don Carter, the bowling great with the unorthodox style who flourished as a genuine sports celebrity during the games golden age on TV, died Thursday at his Miami home. He was 85.

The Professional Bowlers Assn. announced the death of Carter, who had been hospitalized with pneumonia complicated by emphysema.

Carter, known as Mr. Bowling, was the games original superstar. He became his sports most recognizable name at a time when alleys were thriving across the country and bowling was starting to assert itself as a fixture on television.

He was a leading force in the formation of the PBA in 1958 and became a charter member of the PBA Hall of Fame in 1975.

Carter had a style all his own as he took his steps to the line. With his stooped shoulders and cocked elbow, he made a deep knee bend as he unleashed the ball as if pushing it toward the pins. He helped transform a sport that had been a blue-collar recreational activity.

Don was the greatest bowler of his era, Hall of Fame bowler Ray Bluth said. There was no one like him.

He also became the first athlete in American sports history to sign a $1-million marketing endorsement contract, with bowling ball manufacturer Ebonite in 1964.

He was a pioneer, a champion and will never be forgotten, said Tom Clarke, the PBA commissioner.

The 6-foot, 200-pound Carter bowled five 800 series, 13 perfect games and six 299s in sanctioned play

In 1970, he was inducted into the American Bowling Congress Hall of Fame. The same year Carter was selected as the greatest bowler in history in a Bowling Magazine poll.

Born in St. Louis on July 29, 1926, Carter was introduced to bowling on his 13th birthday.

He played amateur American Legion baseball with Yogi Berra and Joe Garagiola. After serving with the Navy during World War II, he signed a minor league contract with the Philadelphia Athletics as a pitcher-infielder. After a year, he returned to St. Louis and bowling.

Carter married LaVerne Haverly in 1953. After they divorced, he married Paula Sperber in the 1970s. Both women are in the Womens International Bowling Congress Hall of Fame.

After retiring from bowling in 1972, Carter moved to Miami. He occasionally competed in pro-am tournaments in the 1990s, and he owned a chain of alleys and a line of bowling apparel.

In addition to his wife, Paula, Carter is survived by sons Jim and John, daughter Caycee, three grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.

news.obits@latimes.com

                                                                 By Timothy Sichela

THE New Year is with us and the countdown proper to this month’s much-awaited 28th edition of the Orange Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) has truly started.

Obviously the biggest sporting highlight of the year, the London 2012 Olympic Games is in another continent, but I will focus on 2012 AFCON where Zambia has some hope.

The 100 metres Jamaican showdown between world record holder Usain Bolt and world champion Yohan Blake is one of the most anticipated races in 2012. Can’t wait for June!

I shudder to even imagine Zambia winning medals at the world’s greatest show considering our athletes have failed to win any significant medals on the international stage in recent times. Sport associations were probably too busy brawling and forgot London Olympic Games were beckoning.

Thank God the Football Association of Zambia (FAZ) spared us some time to at least qualify the Chipolopolo for 2012 AFCON. The women and men U-23 soccer teams flunked the Olympic qualifiers, though.

And with the giants Nigeria, Cameroun and defending champions Egypt absent, everyone thought winning the cup had been easy. But how can that be when Senegal, Ivory Coast and Ghana are available!

The likes of Kalilo Kakonje, Felix Katongo, both who spent most of 2011 without club football, Nyambe Mulenga, who blew hot and cold the whole of last season, and a couple of South Africa-based players past their prime, give me the creeps about this AFCON.

If coach, Herve Renard really wants to win AFCON, he needs to work with in-form and fit players, he should not be rehabilitating tired legs because make no mistake about it- other AFCON finalists have altogether left passengers behind.

Renard may be satisfied with the progress his charges appear to be making in readiness for AFCON, saying the Chipolopolo are now capable of winning AFCON matches. We will see about that in next week’s friendly against South Africa.

With some of the most important games in football played in the mind, next Wednesday’s friendly is a must-win especially now that it is against a makeshift Bafana Bafana.

After losses to Nigeria and Angola, the Chipolopolo need a confidence-boosting victory before heading to Equatorial Guinea.

Away from AFCON, Chilangisha B Changwe writes: I agree with you that we did not perform well in most sports disciplines. The current FAZ executive (thought) scored many successes in the just ended soccer season raising the standards of football and qualifying for the AFCON 2012.

The Under-20 national team also defended the COSAFA Cup in Botswana.

The standards of football which have been plummeting the past few years took an upward swing. The performance by most Premier teams was relatively higher and the league was very competitive.

This led to an increase in match attendance by almost 30 per cent. In my own opinion the current executive deserve a pat on the back. The following could have been reasons behind the success.

From where this column stands, it is not easy applauding FAZ for its achievements including training of coaches at high level courses, sponsorship of league and televising of live matches by Supersport since the deals were sort of shrouded in secrecy. Catch me next week.

Have a blessed sporting year. –
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5 January 2012

Elite sport should pay its own way

193
Comments

Simon Tatz

The Federal Government has just found a spare $50 million to fund the redevelopment of the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG).

This is terrific news for all Australians who attend the one or two cricket matches held in Sydney each year. The SCG members will be chuffed.

As we watch the dark clouds descend over the European financial system and a budget surplus thinner than Shane Warnes original thatch, its heart-warming that Ms Gillard has been able to conjure up 50 mill to redevelop the Bradman, Noble and Messenger Stands.

The Feds will get some help getting the seats all comfy. Barry OFarrells mob are chipping in $86 million while the Sydney Cricket and Sports Ground Trust will deliver $50 million.

Good announcement. Delivered on the first day of the 100th Test at the SCG. Thatll boost their polling numbers, which currently sit on a par with Gautam Gambhirs batting average this series.

Australian governments love investing in sporting infrastructure and elite sport. They think it is meaningful in a vote-winning way.

In terms of elite sport we should be asking a simple question – why do governments use taxpayers money to fund what is in most regards a private concern?

Why should elite sport, with its massive TV revenue, advertising investment and highly paid players who do myriad commercial endorsements, also receive government handouts so that their playing pavilion is improved? After all, the SCG isnt a public utility like a hospital or school. It doesnt provide a service to the nation like a defence force or transport system.

Given that a telecommunications company and a TV network are currently displaying their brand names all over the field, maybe they should contribute to the upgrade? After all, they benefit just as much from the redevelopment as the ordinary Australian who would be lucky to get near a Test match in their lifetime.

We hardly ever question government investment in elite sport. While participatory sport and well-being programs get crumbs, governments continue to pour hundreds of millions of dollars into elite sport so we can finish higher than England at the Olympics or have wonderful state-of-the-art stadiums that are filled a few days every year.

How many times has the SCG been filled over the past few years? How many times do 48,000 people attend this ground? By contrast, how many kids play on dirt riddled ovals with an old wooden stand that hosts a minivan full of parents?

Its an interesting political dichotomy currently going on in Australian sport. On the one side we have the poker machine lobby and the clubs screaming blue murder that any restrictions in the amount of money folks can lose on the pokies would be detrimental to community sport; while concurrently federal and state governments (well, NSW at least) are using up their apparently limited budgets investing in an elite stadium redevelopment.

What would be the political and social outcome if governments funded community sport and let the clubs and their billions in poker machine profits fund elite sport?

Governments mistakenly think that funding sporting infrastructure wins them approval. It didnt help former ACT chief minister Kate Carnell, who was forced to resign after the debacle of the Canberra Stadium upgrade. Sinking money into Newcastles football stadium didnt help their former Number One fan Kim Beazley, although Im sure Kim is just as interested in the privately owned Newcastle Knights now theyve bought the best coach and a team full of top players. The Sydney Olympics didnt save the NSW Labor government and I doubt the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games will keep Anna Blighs team in office. 

But back to the SCG. Look, in the great scheme of things, $50 million probably isnt that much. However, whenever the federal or state treasurer or a minister stands up and says they cant afford something, such as new drugs on the PBS, dental health care, major road works in black spots and the like, then it is easy pickings to point to the millions spent so that a cricket oval looks good.

Maybe its time that elite sport paid its own way, as it does in the USA, with privately built stadiums run as commercial entities with little or no government funded assistance.

Maybe its time for governments to redirect funding to community sport, to wellbeing and wellness programs, and to sporting infrastructure in rural, remote and Indigenous Australia.

Simon Tatz is the director of communications for the Mental Health Council of Australia.

On the second day of Auto Expo 2012 the first pair of hot wheels on display was the revamped Toyota Etios and Liva concept race cars.

The series would feature the current Liva and Etios, currently seen on the roads, with several modifications to ensure that these cars are track worthy. The 1.2-litre Liva engine and the 1.5-litre Etios engine would see significant modifications as well.

Toyotas venture into the Indian motor sport scene comes months after India hosted its maiden Formula 1 race in October 2011.

Electric power
For those feeling the pinch of rising fuel prices, Mahindra brought some good news. On Friday it introduced Rev NXR, a two-door hatchback powered by an electric motor which reaches a decent top speed of 104 km per hour.

The Reva NXR represents a new generation of tree hugging vehicles of the lines of Nissan Leaf toeing the line of this years environment friendly Auto Expo.

Mean machines
Moving to the sports utility vehicle (SUV) section, the global automakers seem to be aggressively targeting this segment of Indias underdeveloped car bazaar. Carmakers have unveiled over a dozen new rugged, full-powered SUVs at the Auto Expo this year.

Following the opening days trend of big wheels, General Motors India unveiled a refreshed version of the Captiva on Friday. The new model includes a powerful 2.2 litre engine along with a six-speed automatic transmission.

The new Captiva also has a fresh new sporty and muscular exterior design and a jet-black interior. It would have cruise control, a dual-row heating, ventilation and air-conditioning system, an electric parking brake, rain-sensing wipers and a sunroof.

Ratan Tatas Tata Motors is also ready to take the SUV market by storm. He unveiled the new Tata Safari Storme, a face-lifted version of the existing Safari with a new front grille, bulge in the bonnet and different side panelling. Safari Storme features the same 2.2-litre 16-valve common rail engine with a variable geometry turbocharger.

The Ertiga marks Suzukis entry into the multi-utility vehicle (MUV) segment. It has a newly developed 1.4 litre gasoline engine as well as a 1.3 litre diesel engine. The seven-seaters diesel variant claims to have fuel efficiency of an impressive 20.77 km per litre. Its commercial roll out is scheduled by April with the hope of boosting Suzukis sales amid intensifying competition in its key business of small cars.

Earlier, Maruti Suzuki had unveiled its compact SUV hybrid concept — XA Alpha — on Thursday with a bang even as virtually all competitors revved up to put out smaller and more compact SUVs.

Mahindras premium SUV Rexton, Hyundais Hexa Space and Fords compact SUV EcoSport were among some of the other cars unveiled on the opening day of the show.

Posted at 11:18 AM ET, 01/05/2012
Forget kickball: Karaoke is D.C.’s newest competitive sport
By Katie Rogers

Dave Wright and Zack Erdmann rock out to Outkast’s “Ms. Jackson” in a private karaoke room at Muzette in Adams Morgan.
(Jess Righthand for The Washington Post)
At a certain point in life, you have to give up gallivanting around the Mall dressed in the “Teletubbies” color palette and choose a more dignified way to spend your time.

Gallivanting to a karaoke bar is the natural resolution to your unique existential crisis. District Karaoke bills itself as Washington’s own karaoke league, and will unleash the madness in February, according to the group’s Web site. You can sign up for the league here. If you’re looking for ready and willing teammates, consider joining this Reddit thread or getting a job at The Washington Post.

H/T Bethonie, our resident songstress.

Follow along on Facebook:

Click the “like” button below to like PostLocal on Facebook.

By Katie Rogers
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11:18 AM ET, 01/05/2012

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SIDELINE CUT:Evras decision to go public means that the thousands of muttered, multilingual conversations that go on during the season leave players open to accusation and counter accusation, writes
KEITH DUGGAN

MANY QUESTIONS emerged from the Luis Suarez-Patrice Evra affair, not least this: how do Alex Ferguson and Kenny Dalglish, both of whom are prize members of the Glenfiddich rare collection of Scotch accents, ever make themselves understood in their multinational dressingrooms?

The Football Association and Luis Suarez: Reasons of the Regulatory Commission is not the raciest title for a publication but, from the beginning, it is gripping in its examination of the brief, heated exchange which culminated with Suarezs ban for racially abusing Patrice Evra during the match between Manchester United and Liverpool on October 15th.

Even the first few pages confirm what all sports fans know to be true anyway: you never really know what is going on in the game. Even if you have the best seat in the house, there is the game that you are watching and then there is the game that is taking place in the minds of the players and the collective minds of the teams involved.

So it was that a verbal skirmish after a humdrum corner kick in an autumn league match has led the hefty production of a 115-page report, a 48,000 fine for the Uruguayan, eight matches for which Kenny Dalglish must plan without the services of Suarez and the generally uneasy feeling created by the whole affair.

The first thing that jumps out is legal formality mingling with the spit and mud of a Lancashire derby. Mr Evra and Mr Suarez are agreed that they spoke to one another in Spanish in the goalmouth sounds like the beginning of a wonderfully promising cultural moment during the big match.

However, it would be about the only thing that the pair would agree on and the quick-fire exchange which followed revolving around Suarezs use of the word negro and its connotations in Europe and South America would form the basis of the case against him.

That Evra was left genuinely upset and outraged after his showdown with Suarez is indisputable. He was perturbed for the remainder of the match, went straight to Alex Ferguson after the final whistle and reported, boss, Suarez called me a nigger and was in an agitated state when he gave an interview to the French television channel Canal, where he claimed that Suarezs comments were designed to provoke him.

It still hurts. If its by the fans, I wont say its fine because its still a shame but when it is a player playing the same game as you its even harder to accept. Especially when I think that he has played with team-mates who were my colour.

Evras belief that there was racial intent in Suarezs remarks comes through very clearly.

But the confusion over what exactly was said and the fact that none of the other players heard clearly what precisely was said even those in the nearby vicinity were unaware of the exchange leaves it possible to see the exchange from Suarezs perspective as well.

Paragraph 162 of the report delves into the daily uses of the phrase negro in Latin America and makes it plain that it can be a term of affection or of degradation, depending on the context of the situation. Suarezs claims that his intentions during the exchange were mainly conciliatory are undermined by his admission that he said, No hablo con los Negros. The connotation of negros here is immaterial: the fact that he declared that he didnt speak to people of Evras skin colour is the crucial aspect. But the clipped language of the report cannot fully disguise the almost impossible messiness of the situation.

Like all sports confrontations, memories are blurry of who said exactly what and when.

There are several ill-advised interventions from a Mr Kuyt, although Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard is afforded no Mr in the narrative (is it because he is a Scouser?) as the report, in precise details, follows the row through the reminder of the match and into the dressingrooms where both Mr Dalglish and Mr Ferguson end up in discussions with the referee about the incident.

If nothing else, the affair throws light on the demands of basic communication difficulties faced by football managers whose stars come from various corners of the world.

For a time, the corridors of Anfield sounded like a foreign language school, with Kenny Dalglish explaining to the commission that his fluency was limited to restaurant Spanish.

The idea of King Kenny discussing the finer points of paella on a balmy Marbella night never comes up for debate on Match of the Day and yet here it is, smack in the middle of an English Football Association legal report.

In finding Suarez guilty of using insulting words towards Evra, the commission essentially had to believe the French mans testimony rather than the Uruguayans. In paragraph five of the summary, the reasons for this are laid out. The finding was that the evidence of Suarez was unreliable and unsustainable and quite incredible.

There is something about those words which dont sit well: they stop just short of insinuating that Suarez was slippery under cross-examination. Decades ago, Frank Richards wrote Billy Bunter and the Man from South America during his classic series about the Greyfriars hero that presented the foreigner in just those terms: shady, dodgy, not to be trusted. The bottom line is that the commission decided they could not trust the word of Luis Suarez and it is yet to be pointed out that that punishment will live long after the match ban has passed. (The monetary fine is hardly of much consequence.)

It leaves relations between Manchester United and Liverpool particularly delicate given that Suarezs return coincides with the date of their next match. Evra was vindicated but he had to go through the turmoil of the hearing and has attracted as much negative comment as support for his stance; it cant have been an easy time for him.

And, ironically, by exposing himself as he has done, the Frenchman now becomes an easy target for the terraces.

And Evras decision to go public means that the thousands of muttered, multilingual conversations that go on during the season leave players open to accusation and counter accusation. There is no doubt that Evra should not have to accept racially motivated insults. There is also no doubt that players in all sport say cheap and nasty things just to get under the skin of their opponents.

English football has laboured long and hard to rid its terraces of the nakedly racist mobs and to transform its game into a product that commands a television audience around the world. The Suarez-Evra flare-up is yet another hint of the tensions that remain on the field when football players from different countries clash with one another leading to exchanges that remain unseen even though they take place in front of an audience of millions.

The last paragraph of the report reads: We conclude these reasons with the following comment. The charge against Mr Suarez was that he used insulting words which included a reference to Mr Evras colour. We have found that charge proved on the evidence and arguments put before us. The FA made clear that it did not contend that Mr Suarez acted as he did because he is a racist. Mr Evra said in his evidence that he did not think Mr Suarez is a racist. Mr Suarez said in evidence that he will not use the word negro on a football pitch in England in the future, and we believe that is his genuine and firm intention.

You can bet Suarez will keep his lips firmly sealed after this. But that wont stop the conversations that we never hear from taking place all around him.

He added: We are going to continue to work closely with Amir Khans attorney in London to get to the bottom of this. Hopefully we will have more things to disclose in the next day or so.

Schaefer believes the mystery man is an official who was not accredited as a representative of either sanctioning body.

Schaefer said: What I think would be the right thing to do would be a no-contest and therefore Amir would retain both titles. I do believe there is enough controversy to warrant the no-contest decision.

At the very least I think both sanctioning organisations (the WBA and the IBF) should order an immediate rematch and the two fighters can settle the score in the ring.

WBA vice-president Gilberto Mendoza added his voice to calls for a rematch, telling BBC Sport: There should be a direct rematch of this fight. You have to guarantee fairness.

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Alan Smith on what Manchester United can learn from 6-1 October thrashing by Manchester City

Telegraph Sport match analyst looks at where Manchester United went wrong in
the 6-1 drubbing at the hands of Manchester City at Old Trafford in October,
and how they can put things right.