Month: November 2020

(Xinhua)15:38, November 26, 2020

BUENOS AIRES, Nov. 26 (Xinhua) — Sports stars from yesterday and today paid their respects to Diego Maradona after the Argentinian legends death on Wednesday. Here is a selection of some of the tributes:

Franco Baresi: He made us suffer, he scored a ton of goals against us, sometimes you fouled him, he took the blows but never complained. He was fair on the pitch. He was loved by his teammates, because he did not let his greatness weigh, and by the people, who went to the stadium for the emotions he provided.

Eric Cantona: I will miss you Diego but for me you did not die. I dont have the words to say how I feel.

Jurgen Klopp: Im 53 years old, my entire life, he was a part of it. Diego was a sensational guy. Maradona had some struggles. I will miss both.

Gary Lineker: By some distance the best player of my generation and arguably the greatest of all time. After a blessed but troubled life, hopefully hell finally find some comfort in the hands of God.

Sachin Tendulkar: Football and the world of sports has lost one of its greatest players today. Rest in Peace Diego Maradona! You shall be missed.

Lionel Messi: He leaves us but does not leave, because Diego is eternal. Ill remember all the beautiful moments shared with him and I want to take the opportunity to send my condolences to all his family and friends. RIP.

Cristiano Ronaldo: One of the best ever, an unmatched magician. Leaves too soon but leaves a boundless legacy and a void that will never be filled. RIP. You will never be forgotten.

Pele: There is still much to be said, but for now, may God give strength to family members. One day, I hope we can play together up in the sky.

Gabriel Batistuta: Eternally thank you, crying for you. I accompany your family members. Rest in peace, dear Diego.

Ronaldinho: My condolences to the family and to all those who love this genius. My friend, my idol, my number 10, thank you for every minute in your company, outside at parties or at a simple dinner. Rest in peace, my idol, I love you.

Ronaldo Nazario: Our sport has lost one of its greatest idols. Ive lost a great friend, whose talent inspired me when I was a child. Your legacy is eternal. Your magic on the pitch will never be forgotten. Rest in peace, my friend.

Rivaldo: We had great affection and admiration for each other that I will never forget. An incredible person, with a giant heart. May God comfort the hearts of family members, football lovers and also the Argentine people.

(Xinhua)10:05, November 27, 2020

WARSAW, Nov. 26 (Xinhua) — The director of the ski jumping FIS World Cup Sandro Pertile was impressed with the preparation work of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games, praising China for building the best ski jump hills in the Olympic Games history.

In my opinion, they are the most impressive Olympic ski jump hills in history, with full facilities. When you climb to the top of the inrun tower, the views are amazing. They have already installed plastic mattings, all systems. Only jumps have not been performed there yet, Pertile said in an interview with Przeglad Sportowy on Wednesday.

Two weeks ago, Pertile visited China to check the preparation for the Olympic Games 2022 in Beijing.

Located some 200km northwest of Beijing, Zhangjiakou will host all snowboarding, freestyle skiing, cross-country skiing, ski jumping, Nordic combined and biathlon competitions at the Winter Olympics.

(Xinhua)11:37, November 28, 2020

BEIJING, Nov. 28 (Xinhua) — Chinas central bank has decided to issue the first group of gold and silver commemorative coins for the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games on Dec. 1.

The set consists of nine coins, all legal tender, the Peoples Bank of China said in a statement.

All coins feature the official emblem of the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games on the obverse, decorated with designs of the Great Wall and snowflakes.

The reverse is inscribed with different pictures, denominations and Chinese characters reading The 24th Winter Olympics.

One of the gold coins, which is 60 mm in diameter, contains 150 g of pure gold and has a face value of 2,000 yuan (about 304.2 U.S. dollars), with a maximum issuing limit of 1,000.

The Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games is scheduled to open on Feb. 4, 2022.

(Xinhua)10:50, November 25, 2020

Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi pledged on Tuesday that the two countries will support each other in hosting successful Olympic Games.

Wang said China actively supports Japans hosting of the Tokyo Olympic Games and appreciates Japans support for the Beijing Winter Olympics. The preparations for the Beijing Winter Olympics are progressing smoothly and are fully recognized by the International Olympic Committee, he said.

It is hoped that through the Olympic cooperation, China and Japan will promote the friendship between the two peoples and enhance Asias contributions to the international Olympic cause, he added.

For his part, Motegi said Japan supports China in hosting successful Winter Olympics, hoping to strengthen bilateral cooperation and pass the Olympic baton from Tokyo to Beijing so as to make both Olympic Games a complete success.

(Xinhua)11:30, November 25, 2020

The 42nd ordinary general assembly of the Confederation of African Football (CAF) will be held via videoconference due to COVID-19, CAFs Emergency Committee announced Tuesday.

A statement issued by CAF communication director Alexandre Siewe said the meeting, initially scheduled to be held in Addis Ababa, will now be organized on the scheduled date of December 11 but directed from the CAF headquarters in Cairo.

CAF explained the decision was taken based on the recommendations by their medical committee after an analysis of the figures regarding the evolution of COVID-19 in Africa, with trends heralding the start of a second wave.

CAF Emergency Committee aligns with the decision not to lower our guards against the pandemic and to comply with the measures to protect the health of all stakeholders as much as possible, the statement said.

(Xinhua)17:00, November 25, 2020

The International Skating Union (ISU) Council has made adjustment to its 2020/21 event calender including the cancellation of two skating events to be held in China.

The ISU Council has agreed to move the ISU World Short Track Speed Skating Championships from Rotterdam to Dordrecht, the Netherlands on March 5-7, 2021 which will take place one week earlier than originally scheduled.

It also said on its official website on Tuesday that the ISU World Speed Skating Championships 2021 will be held in Heerenveen, the Netherlands on February 11-14, 2021.

The ISU Council decided to cancel the ISU World Cup Speed Skating events scheduled to be held in Changchun, China on February 17-18, 2021. Another cancelled event was the ISU World Junior Figure Skating Championships, scheduled March 1-7, 2021 in Harbin, China.

According to the announcement, the Council will review the situation and take the necessary decisions during its next meeting, tentatively scheduled for December 10, 2020.

(Xinhua)08:51, November 26, 2020

PARIS, Nov. 25 (Xinhua) — Following is the timeline of the life of Diego Maradona, who died of a heart attack on Wednesday at the age of 60:

On October 30, 1960, Maradona was born at the Polyclinic Evita Hospital in Lanus, Buenos Aires Province, to a poor family that had moved from Corrientes Province. He was the first son in his family after four daughters and has two younger brothers. He spent his childhood in Villa Fiorito, a shantytown on the southern outskirts of Buenos Aires.

Maradona started his football career at Argentinos Juniors, where he made his professional debut on October 20, 1976, and spent five years there. He scored 115 goals in 167 appearances before moving to Boca Juniors on a four-million US dollars transfer.

After spending only one season at Boca Juniors, Maradona landed in Europe and joined Spanish giant Barcelona for a then world-record fee of 7.6 million US dollars. Maradona won a Copa del Rey and a Spanish Super Cup with Barcelona in 1983.

In 1984, Maradona arrived in Napoli and was welcomed by 75,000 fans at his presentation at the Stadio San Paolo on July 5. He led the club to Serie A champion twice in 1987 and 1990, snapping the dominance of the league by clubs from north and center Italy. It was at Napoli that Maradona reached the peak of his professional career and was even regarded as a hero of the city.

Maradona participated in four World Cups with the Argentine national team, among which the 1986 World Cup was remembered as his masterpiece. He played every minute of every game, scoring five goals and making five assists to lead Argentina to the champion. The quarterfinal against England was one of the classic matches in World Cup history, in which Maradona scored two contrasting goals to secure 2-1 win for Argentina. The majesty of his second goal and the notoriety of his first led to the French newspaper LEquipe describing Maradona as half-angel, half-devil.

Maradona captained Argentina to another World Cup final in 1990, but an ankle injury affected his overall performance and Argentina lost 1-0 to West Germany in the final.

He left Italy in 1992 and joined Spanish outfit Sevilla where he stayed for one year. In 1993, he played for Newells Old Boys and in 1995 returned to Boca Juniors for a two-year spell.

For the coaching career, Maradona was named the head coach of Argentina national team in late 2008 and guided the team in the 2010 World Cup, where Argentina was routed by Germany 4-0 in the quarterfinal stage. Maradona also stepped down as the Argentina coach after the World Cup.

He then coached Dubai-based club Al Wasl in the UAE Pro-League for the 2011-12 season. In 2017, Maradona became the coach of Fujairah before leaving at the end of the season. In May 2018, Maradona was announced as the new chairman of Belarusian club Dynamo Brest. He arrived in Brest and was presented by the club to start his duties in July. From September 2018 to June 2019, Maradona was coach of Mexican club Dorados. He was the coach of Argentine Primera Division club Gimnasia de La Plata from 2019 until his death.

On November 2, 2020, Maradona was admitted to a hospital in La Plata, supposedly for psychological reasons. A day later, he underwent emergency brain surgery to treat a subdural hematoma. He was released on November 12 after successful surgery and was supervised by doctors as an outpatient. On November 25, 2020, at the age of 60, Maradona died of a heart attack at his home in Tigre, Buenos Aires, Argentina.

(Xinhua)09:07, November 26, 2020

BUENOS AIRES, Nov. 25 (Xinhua) — Argentine soccer star Lionel Messi on Wednesday paid tribute to Diego Armando Maradona, saying the late player and coach will never be forgotten.

In a message posted on social media, the Barcelona player wrote: A very sad day for all Argentines and for football. He has left us but he isnt gone, because Diego is eternal.

Messi, who is also captain of Argentinas national team, said: I am left with all the beautiful moments I experienced with him, and expressed his condolences to all his family and friends.

The 33-year-old forward was coached by Maradona for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, where Argentina lost 0-4 to Germany in the quarterfinals.

In his post, Messi attached two photos of the pair smiling, one of them taken during the World Cup in South Africa.

Maradona, who turned 60 at the end of October, suffered a heart attack on Wednesday that led to cardiorespiratory arrest. He died at his home in the northern outskirts of Buenos Aires.

(Xinhua)14:37, October 30, 2020

ZHANGZHOU, China, Oct. 30 (Xinhua) — Chinas national mens volleyball team will aim to emulate the achievements of their female counterparts and qualify for the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, according to newly-appointed coach Wu Sheng.

In an interview with Xinhua, Wu, who vows to reshape the mens team, revealed his plan.

Reviewing this years Chinese Mens Volleyball Championship, which concluded on Wednesday, Wu said he was confident about his new team. Our players worked hard in every game and showed their strength.

Firstly, the players must learn the spirit of the Chinese womens volleyball team, added Wu, who coached Zhejiangs provincial womens team for seven years, taking one national title and finishing runners-up twice.

Chinese women are remarkably tenacious. Their never-say-die spirit is worth learning and emulating, he noted.

Looking ahead, the 53-year-old is clear about his teams strengths and weaknesses. We should focus more on building up our physical strength and endurance.

Then, the team will focus on training basic skills and techniques, and promote greater teamwork, he said.

Experienced players will mainly focus on increasing their physical capacity and the younger players will build up their basics. Im looking forward to seeing more players with potential standing out.

Our major goal is to qualify for the 2024 Paris Olympics, he said, adding that the team will first do their best to win a title at the 2022 Asian Games in Hangzhou.