Sports


Omantel to support national team, fans
MUSCAT — The Oman Football Association signed an agreement with Omantel Group facilitating the telecommunications company to sponsor the Oman national football team and the fans associations. The one-year deal, inked ahead of the 19th
Gulf Cup Football Championship to be hosted in Muscat from January 4 to17, was singed during a ceremony...

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Haitham to preside over Gulf Cup inaugural ceremony
MUSCAT — His Highness Sayyid Haitham bin Tareq al Said, Minister of Heritage, will preside over the inaugural ceremony
of the 19th Gulf Cup Football Champion-ship at the SQSC on January 4. The opening ceremony is scheduled to start at 5.00 pm. This was revealed by the Ministry of Sports Affairs in a press statement after a meeting of the Gulf Cup Organising Committee
...

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Fifa lifts ban on Kuwait paving way for Gulf Cup participation
TOKYO — Fifa has lifted bans on the national associations of Peru, Samoa and Kuwait, soccer’s world governing body said. Peru and Kuwait were suspended for political interference, while Samoa was punished for mismanagement in October. “We are not the police but we have our statutes and we ask that that they are correctly respected,” President Sepp Blatter said...

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Olympic Day Run on Thursday
MUSCAT — The Oman Olympic Committee (OOC) and the Oman Athletic Association, in association with McDonalds,
will organise the annual Olympic Day Run on December 25. OOC General Secretary Hilal bin Ali al Sinani and OAA General
Secretary Fawzi bin Hamed al Kiyumi revealed the details of the 2008 edition at a media conference here yesterday.

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Beckham happy to join AC Milan
ROME — AC Milan vice-president Adriano Galliani presented David Beckham to Italian media and fans, welcoming the English star as he joins the Devils on loan from Los Angeles Galaxy. The 33-year-old Beckham is to remain at Milan until March 9, after which he will rejoin the US team in California. “Good evening everybody and first of all a heartfelt thanks to all of you,...

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Allardyce’s Blackburn Rovers off to winning start
LONDON — South Africa striker Benni McCarthy scored twice as Blackburn Rovers began life under new manager Sam Allardyce with a 3-0 win at home to Stoke City yesterday. Victory was only Rovers’ fourth in 18 English Premier League
matches and came just three days after former Bolton and Newcastle boss Allardyce replaced the sacked Paul Ince.

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Duel bidding for 2018, 2022 World Cups
TOKYO — Fifa announced yesterday that it will hold a simultaneous bidding process for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups, with England considered a “strong” candidate. The decision means that should a bidder for 2018 be unsuccessful then they would be able to enter the vote for 2022 to be held immediately afterwards, so long as the 2018 hosts are not from the same continent.

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Walchhofer wins WC downhill
VAL GARDENA, Italy — Michael Walchhofer of Austria won the men's World Cup downhill here yesterday on a course shortened at the top due to strong winds. He clocked 1:50.57 to finish 00.38 seconds clear of a back-to-form Bode Miller
of the United States and 00.54 seconds ahead of Manuel Osborne-Paradis of Canada.

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