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Dinamo Kiev returns to Europe with a draw against Fenerbahçe
10:30 pm Dinamo Kiev returned to the football world on Wednesday under special circumstances. The top club from Ukraine played a draw against Fenerbahçe in the second qualifying round of the Champions League: 0-0.
Due to the war in Ukraine, the match took place in the Polish city of Lodz. The players of both teams wore shirts with the text ‘Stop War’ on them when entering the field. The football players of Dinamo Kiev also carried Ukrainian flags.
For Dinamo Kiev it was the first game since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The score as it was when the war broke out was used as the final score. Dinamo Kiev was allowed to participate in the qualification for the Champions League on that basis.
The return in Istanbul is next Wednesday. The winner qualifies for the third qualifying round.
Most Tour riders also start in criterium Surhuisterveen
8:58 PM The 40th edition of the professional round of Surhuisterveen may have a battle between top sprinters Fabio Jakobsen and Dylan Groenewegen. The cycling criterion in Friesland announced the arrival of Groenewegen and also Mathieu van der Poel, Taco van der Hoorn and Martijn Tusveld on Wednesday.
The organization had already reported a week earlier that Jakobsen, last year’s winner, Bauke Mollema and Koen Bouwman will come to Surhuisterveen on July 26. Jakobsen and Groenewegen both won a stage in the Tour de France. Van der Hoorn missed the stage win in the cobbled stage in the Tour.
Van der Poel was successful this year in the Giro d’Italia, in which he won a stage and captured the pink jersey. The leader of Alpecin-Fenix got off the Tour last week.
Handball player Snelder temporarily out of action after knee surgery
7:47 pm Handball player Danick Snelder will not be in action for the time being. The Orange international has had surgery on her knee and has to rehabilitate for a long time, she writes on Instagram.
“Unfortunately, the season did not start as I had hoped,” said Snelder. “It is now day two after my surgery. So time to rehabilitate. My patience is tested again and I have to start from scratch. But the beginning is there and I know I can do it.”
Snelder, who plays for the German club SG BBM Bietigheim, has the next tournament planned with the Dutch team at the beginning of November. The European Championship will be held in Slovenia, North Macedonia and Montenegro. The draw linked the Orange to Olympic champions France, Romania and North Macedonia
After Serena, Venus Williams (42) also makes a comeback after injury
6.43 pm: Venus Williams makes her return to tennis in singles after a year of absence due to injuries. The 42-year-old American has received a wild card for the Toronto tournament, which starts on August 6.
Venus thus follows the example of her sister Serena (40), two years younger, who was also sidelined for a long time with injuries. Serena entered Wimbledon at the end of last month and then lost in the first round. In addition to Toronto, the 23-time grand slam champion has also pledged to participate in the Cincinnati tournament, which also takes place in August.
Venus Williams, who has won seven grand slam singles tournaments, last played in singles in August in Chicago. She already participated in mixed doubles at Wimbledon, together with Briton Jamie Murray.
Floretschermer Giacon at World Cup close to stunt against defending champion
5.17 pm: Floretschermer Daniël Giacon just failed to reach the eighth finals at the World Fencing Championships in Cairo in Egypt. The 21-year-old Dutchman took a big lead over Enzo Lefort in the second round in the first period, but the French defending champion still won: 15-14. In addition to world champion on foil, 30-year-old Lefort is also Olympic champion with the French team.
Giacon, who dealt with Dirk Jan van Egmond in the first round, finished 23rd due to the elimination. De Aalsmeerder earned a lot of points for the world ranking and will end the season within the top 32.
On Friday, the Dutch foil team will compete in the national championship at the World Cup.
Showjumpers go for podium and place at the Paris Games at the World Cup
4.37 pm: The Dutch show jumping riders can already qualify for the Olympic Games in Paris in 2024 next month. The team of national coach Jos Lansink has to finish among the best five countries, excluding France, at the world championships in Herning, Denmark.
“Of course we go for a podium place, but the most important thing is qualification for the Olympic Games in Paris,” Lansink said on Wednesday at the presentation of his team. “Right now there are six or seven very strong teams and anything is possible. We are in shape, but in a championship it should not be too bad.”
Lansink selected Willem Greve, Harrie Smolders, Maikel van der Vleuten and Sanne Thijssen for the World Cup, which will be held from 6 to 14 August.
In the dressage section, national coach Alex van Silfhout chose Dinja van Liere, Marieke van der Putten, Emmelie Scholtens and Thamar Zweistra in his World Cup selection. The Netherlands must finish in the top six in this discipline for a place at the Paris Games. “That is certainly achievable,” says Van Silfhout. “Denmark is the big favorite for me and then Germany, behind it several countries are competing for the other places.”
Practice match between Willem II and Sparta stopped after disturbances
3:32 pm: The exhibition game between Willem II and Sparta Rotterdam ended early on Wednesday. Referee Robin Vereijken whistled after 83 minutes. The reason was that there were several clashes on the field between the players of the two teams.
Sparta was leading 2-0 in Loon op Zand at the time of the whistle, thanks to goals from Arno Verschueren and Sven Mijnans.
The match was halted for about ten minutes in the 75th minute due to thunderstorms.
Criterion Boxmeer greets almost all Dutch Tour riders
13:47 o’clock: The cycling criterion Days after the Tour greets almost all Dutch riders who are active in the Tour de France this year in Boxmeer. Mathieu van der Poel, who left earlier, has also promised to come to the Brabant municipality, organizer Pierre Hermans reports.
There are about forty riders at the start. Of the Dutchmen from the Tour, only Steven Kruijswijk is missing, who suffered fractures in a fall on Sunday. “We will continue to adhere to the principle of getting all Dutch Tour riders to Boxmeer,” says Hermans. “It is a pity that Kruijswijk cannot come, but we are very happy that Van der Poel is driving here for the first time. Of course, that also applies to the stage winners Fabio Jakobsen and Dylan Groenewegen.”
Danny van Poppel, Dylan van Baarle, Taco van der Hoorn, Bauke Mollema, Martijn Tusveld and Nils Eekhoff will also come to Boxmeer. Mike Teunissen, the winner of the last edition in 2019, is also leaving. Due to corona, the criterion was canceled in 2020 and 2021.
Carlsen won’t defend world chess title
13:05: Chess player Magnus Carlsen will not defend his world title next year, the 31-year-old Norwegian has announced in his podcast ‘The Magnus Effect’. Carlsen has held the world title since 2013.
“I’m not motivated to play another game because I don’t feel like I have much to gain,” Carlsen said.
At the end of last year, Carlsen hinted that he might never play a World Cup match again. “For the fans who expect that I will be there again next time, there is a good chance of disappointment,” he said in December.
The world No. 1 dethroned India’s Viswanathan Anand in 2013 and has held the title ever since.
“Magnus Carlsen deserves nothing but respect from FIDE and the entire chess community, whatever decision he makes regarding his career,” said Arkadij Dvorkovich, President of the International Chess Federation FIDE. “Only a handful of people in history can understand the effort it takes to play five games for the world title.”
FIDE had known about Carlsen’s doubts for some time and discussed it with him. “Since he first publicly expressed his doubts, FIDE has been open to dialogue and to specific proposals to change the format of the world championship,” said Dvorkovich. “Some of these ideas were discussed with Carlsen and other top players in May and we had a meeting in Madrid where all concerns were discussed openly and in detail. Unfortunately, it didn’t change his mind.”
It is not yet clear who will compete for the world title. Dvorkovich: „Carlsen’s decision not to defend his title is undoubtedly a disappointment for the fans and bad news for the sport of chess. It leaves a big void. But chess is now stronger than ever, thanks in part to Magnus. The battle for the world title is one of the longest and most respected traditions in sports and it continues.”
Greek track loses to Coric in second round Hamburg
12.47 pm: Tallon Valentijn has failed to reach the quarter-finals of the ATP tournament in Hamburg. The number 2 in the Netherlands lost 6-3 6-4 to the Croat Borna Coric, who has dropped to place 183 in the world ranking due to injuries. He was once the world number 12.
Greek track was unable to win a service game from his opponent and gave up his own service game once in both sets. After an hour and a half, Coric (25) used his first game point, because Greek track hit a backhand into the net.
The 26-year-old Greek track, who occupies 47th place in the world ranking, had won six matches in a row. Last week he won a challenger tournament in Amersfoort and on Tuesday he was too strong in Hamburg for the eighth seeded Holger Rune.
Next week, Greek track will play at the clay tournament of Kitzbühel in Austria.
Vitesse misses German goalkeeper Schubert at the start of the Eredivisie
10:02 am: Vitesse has to do without German keeper Markus Schubert at the start of the new season. The 24-year-old goalkeeper has suffered a knee injury and will undergo surgery shortly.
Schubert suffered the injury last weekend against the Belgian club KV Oostende. The German defended the goal of the Arnhem club in the first four exhibition games. The goalkeeper problems are piling up at Vitesse. Jeroen Houwen, who was the first choice under the bar last season, is also injured.
Vitesse opens the new season on Sunday 7 August with a home game against Feyenoord.
Australia and New Zealand countdown to 2023 Women’s World Cup
07:42 o’clock: Australia and New Zealand have started the countdown to the Women’s World Cup, which will be played in the two countries in just one year. Several landmarks in the host cities, including Sydney’s Harbor Bridge, were lit up to celebrate ‘One Year to Go’.
“Today is a hugely exciting milestone and with qualifiers taking place around the world for the tournament, more places for women and girls to play football and tickets going on sale soon, FIFA is thrilled to see women’s football in the 2023 goes ‘Beyond Greatness’,” said Sarai Bareman, FIFA’s director of women’s football.
The World Cup in Australia and New Zealand will be played in nine cities. The tournament will run from July 20 to August 20.
The European Women’s Football Championship is currently being played in England. Orange will face France in the quarterfinals. The European Championship was postponed by a year due to the corona pandemic.