I Dig Sports
In 2022, the tournament will be staged in the Gulf Area of the world, the destination is Oman, a national association that is rapidly making its presence felt on the international stage.
One year ago, a highly successful Oman Junior and Cadet Open was staged in the capital city of Muscat; this year an equally well received Seamaster 2019 ITTF Challenge Plus tournament was held. Furthermore, later in the year in July, Salalah will host the ITTF World Hopes Week and Challenge.
The fact that Oman has will now host the 2022 World Veteran Championships means that they have completed the full complement from the very youngest in the hopes category, to the most senior in the veteran’s event.
Present in Budapest, the Oman Table Tennis Federation was represented by Abdullah Mohamed Bamakhalef, President; Mohammed Humaid Al Kelbani, Secretary-General and Sajad Al Lawati, Head of the Competition Committee. They secured the vote in favour of Malaysia who were present in the guise of Edward Chua Soon Ann, Vice-President of the Table Tennis Association of Malaysia and his wife Ann.
Oman the destination and there is one player who I am sure can thoroughly recommend Oman as a destination.
In Budapest at the Liebherr 2019 World Championships, matters closed with Mattias Falck receiving the Richard Bergmann Fair Play Award, from Claude Bergeret, a most fitting end to a very special tournament for the 27 year old Swede, who very much against the odds had reached the men’s singles final.
Notably it was the same outcome as earlier in the year; likewise at the Seamaster 2019 ITTF Challenge Plus Oman, he had been the men’s singles runner up.
Read: Swaythling Issue No.106 – March 2019
Swaythling Club Executive Committee, elected by acclamation
Most notably Ebby Schöler returned to the role of President, a position he had held prior to the Annual General Meeting last year in Halmstad when he has stood down in favour of Öivind Eriksen and assumed the role of Deputy President.
Reto Bazzi continues in the role of Rules Expert, the remaining members of the Executive Committee being new to office.
After years of loyal and most appreciated service, alongside Öivind Eriksen, Gloria Wagener tendered her resignation as Secretary as did Werner Schnyder in the role of Treasurer. Harvey Webb assumes the role of Deputy President, Claude Bergeret fulfils the role of Secretary, Richard Scruton shoulders the task of Treasurer.
However, Gloria Wagener is not lost to the Swaythling Club structure, becomes the Special Advisor to the Membership Committee, being the contact for the database.
Notably, Membership is one of only two sub-committees retained in major overall; the other being the World Veteran Championships. Chair of the World Veteran Championships is Hans Westling, Reto Bazzi is the Director with members being Ina Jozepsone alongside a representative to be nominated by the International Table Tennis Federation.
Meanwhile, Milan Orlowski is the Chair of the Membership Committee, the position of Director is vacant, the members being Jaroslav Stanek, Jonny Ternlind, Aloar Azevedo and Yao Zhenxu.
A new email address has been opened for membership: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Read: Swaythling Issue No.106 – March 2019
We’re back with another new edition of the SPEED SPORT Power Rankings! With rain stopping dozens of races across the country, was there any major movement in the Power Rankings? Click below to find out!
CONCORD, N.C. – Stewart-Haas Racing and Busch Beer have revealed what Kevin Harvick’s millennial car will look like when it rolls onto the track for the Monster Energy NASCAR All-Star Race at Charlotte Motor Speedway on May 18.
The car, which is primarily pink, features an array of emojis and new-age slang. The paint scheme came about as the result of a bet by Busch Beer prior to the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series season finale last November at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
Busch Beer was so confident that Harvick would win his second Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series championship on Nov. 18 that the company said if he didn’t, his car would sport a millennial-inspired paint scheme at some point in 2019.
Old guys will rule again at Homestead. In fact, Busch is so confident that Harvick will win that if he doesn’t, we’ll give millennials the v lit paint scheme they always wanted in a race next year. Don’t @ us. pic.twitter.com/uZ63oc8wa2
— Busch Beer (@BuschBeer) November 15, 2018
Harvick didn’t win the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series championship that night at Homestead-Miami Speedway, that honor went to Joey Logano. As a result, Busch Beer was forced to honor the Twitter bet.
Busch Beer fans on social media voted for what should go on the car back in March and the scheme was revealed Tuesday on Busch Beer’s Twitter page.
“I think the car and the program are a lot of fun,” Harvick said. “It sucks losing a bet, but I’m willing to live up to my end of the deal. Through the process of the car design, I’ve learned a lot of new words, none of which make sense to me, nor could I ever use in the right context. However, it’s the All-Star race, and we have a great partner in Busch, who always like to have fun and keep things fresh. In the end, I want to win. Whether I’m driving a millennial pink car, a purple car or my normal car, it’s all about winning.”
#MillennialCar is finally here IRL. Who else is ready for @KevinHarvick and the #MillennialCar to slay at the #AllStarRace? pic.twitter.com/3hqpFbM6KY
— Busch Beer (@BuschBeer) May 7, 2019
Some people love the old joke about the young race fan who grows up believing the last four words to the national anthem are “Gentleman, Start Your Engines.”
Others don’t see the humor in that. Maybe it all comes down to personal experience.
In July 1964, Johnny Rutherford was standing near Mario Andretti on the grid at New Jersey’s Trenton Speedway. On tap was a 150-mile Indy car race. Rutherford was starting 14th. Andretti, three rows further up, was in his maiden race with the Dean Van Lines team. Chief mechanic Clint Brawner and his assistant, Jim McGee, were performing the usual last-minute checks as the first notes of “The Star-Spangled Banner” rang out.
In those days, before TV coverage turned everything into a pose, pre-race formalities were for spectators. For the combatants, the work went on.
“McGee was hammering on the wheel nuts, the old spinner type,” recalled Rutherford. “Mario, an immigrant, was standing there at attention. McGee kept banging the wheels as the national anthem played. Mario turned his head, just slightly, and in a thick Italian accent — much thicker than how he sounds today — said, ‘Jimmy! Jimmy! Don’t bang!’”
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Today, so much of his life is a highlight reel: the four Indy car titles, the 1967 Daytona 500 win, the Indianapolis 500 victory in 1969 — jeez, 50 years ago — and the 1978 Formula One world championship. In June 1955, he couldn’t dream of the fame and fortune he would find.
He was 15 years old and staring at the Statue of Liberty from the deck of an ocean liner, the 668-foot Conte Biancamano. To his right, Manhattan’s skyscrapers glistened. But Mario was not smiling.
On board with him were his twin brother, Aldo, and their sister, Anna Maria, who turned 21 that very day. They’d sailed from Genoa, Italy, in the company of their parents, Alvise Luigi “Gigi” Andretti and his wife, Rina. Their journey over the blue Mediterranean, through the Strait of Gibraltar and across the Atlantic took 10 days.
Gigi and Rina were searching for a new life. The one they’d left had dissolved into no life at all. Before World War II, Gigi was caretaker for several farms and vineyards in Montona, on Italy’s Istrian peninsula, and the family lived comfortably.
But when the war ended and Europe’s borders were re-drawn, Istria belonged to communist Yugoslavia. Their freedom stolen, their wealth stripped away, 350,000 residents shuffled out of the region in what history books call the Istrian exodus.
Mr. and Mrs. Andretti, their kids and Rina’s parents were part of that diaspora. They spent several days in a camp in Udine, Italy, before being assigned to a displaced-persons compound in Lucca. There, the Andrettis were one of 17 families sharing a large room, with blankets for walls.
Eventually, they were given two tiny, connected rooms. The grandparents took one; in the other, Anna Maria had her own small bed, while Mario and Aldo shared the upper tier of a bunk bed, their parents below them.
Those crowded quarters were the family home for seven years. Next time you hear some race var driver talk about how he came from nothing, think about Mario Andretti in that bunk, in a building filled with strangers, in a place that wasn’t home.
But he and Aldo had spirit. In Lucca, they hung out at an auto repair shop owned by Sergio Seggiolina and Antonio Biagini, who allowed the teenagers to park the cars their customers dropped off. The men introduced the young Andrettis not only to the steering wheel, but also to the race car. They took the boys to the 1954 Italian Grand Prix at Monza, where they marveled at Alberto Ascari and his blood-red Ferrari. And early in 1955, Sergio and Antonio brought the twins to Florence so they could glimpse the passing Mille Miglia, Italy’s storied open-road race.
“It was as if I was living for the first time,” Mario told his biographer, Bob Collins.
His excitement was short-lived. That same spring, Gigi Andretti announced the family would leave for America. To Mario and Aldo, the news was devastating. In the days leading up to the trip — and during the voyage itself, Mario told writer Ed Hinton — one would whisper to the other, “No corse in America.” No racing in this new home of ours. Hence the lack of smiles as their ship idled past Lady Liberty.
But to Gigi Andretti, the sunlight bouncing off those Manhattan windows looked like gold at the end of a rainbow. Clearing immigration, he and his family traveled 80 miles west to Nazareth, Pa., home of Rina’s uncle Tony, who’d sponsored their immigration. Gigi took a job at Bethlehem Steel.
On the family’s first Sunday in Pennsylvania, Aldo was in bed with a headache when Mario bounded up the stairs, claiming he’d heard the rumble of racing engines. Aldo sprang out of bed and the two of them were out the door, chasing the noise.
It drew them to Nazareth Speedway, a half-mile oval of hard-packed dirt, around which hulking jalopies were sliding.
Mamma Mia! Corse in America! Through sheer, dumb luck, they had landed in a race-track town.
INDIANAPOLIS – Chicago Blackhawks goaltender and two-time Stanley Cup champion Corey Crawford will lead the field to the green flag for the sixth annual IndyCar Grand Prix on May 11.
Crawford will serve as the driver of the Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport Coupe Pace Car for the opening event of the Month of May at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Twice an NHL All-Star (2015, 2017) and a member of the NHL All-Rookie team in 2011, Crawford is just the eighth Blackhawks goaltender to win more than 100 games in the team’s storied history. The Windy City fan favorite is also an avid car enthusiast who enjoys restoring vintage vehicles.
“I’m honored to have been selected to drive this year’s Pace Car at a place as famous as the Brickyard,” Crawford said. “Indianapolis is an incredibly passionate sports city, and I couldn’t be more excited to represent the Blackhawks and see their love for IndyCar racing in person.”
Crawford, 34, a native of Montreal, was selected by the Blackhawks in the second round of the 2003 NHL Draft. He lifted the Stanley Cup with his teammates in 2013 and again in 2015.
“It’s great to have such a popular athlete with Hoosier sports fans and a dedicated car enthusiast like Corey Crawford lead the IndyCar Grand Prix field to the green flag in a Corvette,” said Michael Stouffer, Chevrolet motorsports marketing manager. “The IndyCar Grand Prix will be a thrilling race that kicks off an exciting three weekends of action in May at the famed Indianapolis Motor Speedway.”
Crawford will lead the starting field of the NTT IndyCar Series race on the 14-turn, 2.439-mile road course at IMS in a Corvette Grand Sport that features:
– 460-horsepower (343 kW) LT1 direct-injected V-8 engine
– Eight-speed paddle-shift automatic transmission
– Z07 performance package
– Polished aluminum 19-inch front/20-inch rear wheels
– Competition sport bucket seats
– Performance data recorder
– Selective magnetic ride control
– Arctic white body color with unique GM design graphics package
“Corey is going to have a blast driving this year’s Corvette Pace Car, especially since he’s such a true fan of cars and racing,” IMS President J. Douglas Boles said. “Many Indy residents have long enjoyed cheering for Corey and his teammates, and between today’s news and the return of Jim Cornelison to the Indy 500, the Blackhawks are fast becoming the preferred NHL team of IMS.”
ESCALON, Calif. – After five years of racing together, Cody Hodgson has made the tough decision to depart Double Nickel Racing and the Weiher family and seek other opportunities this season.
Double Nickel Racing was born in 2014 as a combination effort between the Hodgson and Weiher families, with Cody Hodgson tabbed as the driver.
“It has been a great five plus years racing with Todd Weiher and everyone involved with this race team, but I really feel that in every driver’s career they have to take a step back from running their family car, and that is where I am at,” Hodgson said. “Initially I had planned on getting through this season, and spending the offseason trying to put something together, but it feels like right now is the right time for both myself and the Weiher’s to change directions.
“I truly wish the Weiher Racing team all the best moving forward.”
With a strong racing pedigree, Hodgson has had success in nearly everything he has sat in.
A three-time National Karting Champion, Hodgson has also picked up two Super Kart USA Pro Shifter Titles, and he became the second American to ever podium at a Rotax Karting World Championship event when he did so in Egypt back in 2009.
In 2011 Hodgson spent time as a NASCAR development driver with Dave Davis Motorsports in the K&N Pro East Series, before making the jump to sprint cars back in 2014.
“Again, Todd Weiher has been like a second father to me, and without him and his family none of this would have been possible,” Hodgson added. “I have a lot of racing left in me, and I am already on the hunt for my next opportunity.
“I have a lot of fire in me, and all I want to do is go racing.”
Longtime Detroit Red Wings general manager Ken Holland was named the new GM and president of hockey operations of the Edmonton Oilers on Tuesday, and he got right to work.
At his introductory news conference, he said he had already informed Ken Hitchcock that he will not return as coach of the team.
Holland had spent 36 years with the Red Wings organization, including 22 as GM, and was the architect of three Stanley Cup winning teams.
Two weeks ago, Holland's position with the Red Wings shifted to an advisory role when Detroit welcomed Steve Yzerman as the GM. Yzerman, a former Red Wings great, had previously served as the general manager in Tampa Bay.
According to multiple reports, Holland's deal with the Oilers is for five years, at $5 million per year.
The Oilers have missed the playoffs in 12 of the past 13 seasons, despite picking first overall for three straight years from 2010 to 2012 and again in 2015. There is pressure to win while superstar captain Connor McDavid is still in his prime -- and under contract. McDavid, 22, has a deal that runs through 2025-26 with a $12.5 million cap hit.
Holland will report to Oilers CEO Bob Nicholson. According to owner Daryl Katz, Holland will have "full autonomy" in roster decisions.
"I know fans don't want plans and promises," Katz said. "They want results."
Holland said he does expect to implement "some change" but did not provide a timeline or details. He emphasized long-term sustainability, but added: "I'd like to think we are talking playoffs in '19-'20."
Holland will help choose the team's next coach. The Oilers fired Todd McLellan in November, and used longtime NHL coach Hitchcock for the remainder of the season.
Holland, a British Columbia native, called himself a "Western Canadian boy" and he spent lengths listing his personal and family connections to provinces in Western Canada. Holland called the decision to leave the Red Wings "emotional" but said he still had the passion and enthusiasm to be a general manager, which led to him taking the new job.
"I've got a core to work with," Holland said. "Now I've got to go out and support that core, find a coach, and provide stability, and build a program here that our fan base is excited about."
"My job is to provide stability," Holland said, one of a number of times he used the word "stability."
In Holland's tenure, the Red Wings made the playoffs for 25 seasons, which ended in 2017 as the team entered a rebuild.
Kirk taking indefinite leave to deal with alcohol, depression
Chris Kirk announced Tuesday that he is taking "an indefinite leave" from the PGA Tour to address issues with alcohol abuse and depression.
Kirk, who turns 34 on May 8, took to Twitter to share a statement about beginning "a new and better chapter in my life."
"I have dealt with alcohol abuse and depression for some time now," Kirk wrote. "I thought I could control it, but after multiple relapses I have come to realize that I can't fix this on my own. I will be taking an indefinite leave from the PGA Tour to deal with these issues. I don't know when I will be back, but for now I need my full focus on being the man my family deserves."
A former standout at the University of Georgia, Kirk earned the first of four PGA Tour wins at the 2011 Sanderson Farms Championship and reached as high as 16th in the world rankings following his victory at Colonial in 2015. But he's down to No. 188 in the latest rankings, having missed 11 of 17 cuts this season including each of his last four starts. He last teed it up two weeks ago at the Zurich Classic, where he teamed with Sepp Straka.
Kirk's lone top-40 finish this season came at Bay Hill, where he tied for 15th. He is currently fully exempt on Tour based on his FedExCup standing last season.
Kirk and his wife, Tahnee, have three children ages 7, 5 and 20 months.
Each week on GolfChannel.com, we’ll examine which players’ stocks and trends are rising and falling in the world of golf.
RISING
Max Homa (+9%): A sports writer’s dream, Homa overcame layers of scar tissue and years of self-doubt to reach the pinnacle of the sport. What a cool story – and what an example for those 20-something, mini-tour grinders who wonder if they’ll ever make it to the Big Show.
Joel Dahmen (+5%): The cancer survivor and irreverent journeyman is easy to root for, and he’s getting closer and closer to that first Tour title. His gutsy up-and-down on 18 netted him another cool $263K and pushed him inside the top 100 in the world rankings for the first time.
Tiger (+4%): Why do we, as media members, focus so much on Woods? Because he’s the only active golfer who could win the freakin’ Presidential Medal of Freedom. The comeback: Complete.
Pat Perez (+2%): In his first individual starts in two months, Perez gutted out a tie for eighth at the Wells Fargo – despite being in excruciating pain during therapy. Not bad for a 43-year-old who thought he’d be out for a year with a torn Achilles’ tendon.
Morgan Pressel (+1%): Rather than beg and plead for a handout, Pressel instead buckled down and advanced through the 36-hole U.S. Women’s Open sectional qualifier for the first time since she was 16. Respect.
FALLING
Rory (-1%): His final-round retreat at Quail Hollow wasn’t concerning, unless it’s viewed through the prism of his 93rd-best Sunday scoring average. For as well as he’s played this year, McIlroy has a Players title and a bunch of what-could-have-beens.
Lydia Ko (-2%): Round and round goes the Ko carousel, parting ways with her swing coach as her ball-striking stats drift toward mediocrity. Sigh.
Duf’s putting (-3%): It’s an all-day stripe show with the irons, but it’s seriously uncomfortable watching Dufner suffer on the greens. On the weekend in Charlotte he holed just 70 feet of putts – total – and looked like it was the last place on Earth he wanted to be. Which is so relatable.
Phil (-4%): Ranked 208th in driving accuracy, Mickelson is more inaccurate now than he’s ever been. That doesn’t bode well heading into Bethpage, where the rough is expected to be at least 4 inches deep.
Brooks vs. Brandel (-5%): How are player-analyst beefs still a thing in 2019? Though we don’t always agree, Chamblee isn’t a clown or some hot-take artist – he’s more prepared than any broadcaster in sports. If his researched opinions didn’t generate a reaction from golf fans, um, he wouldn’t be doing his job.
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