Selvya Octariani

History and development

 

The beginnings of badminton can be traced to mid-18th century British India, where it was created by British military officers stationed there.^[2] Early photographs show Englishmen adding a net to the traditional English game of battledore and shuttlecock. The sport is related to ball badminton, which originated in Tamil Nadu, and is similar to Hanetsuki which originated in Japan. Being particularly popular in the British garrison town Poona (now Pune), the game also came to be known as Poona.^[2][3] Initially, balls of wool referred as ball badminton were preferred by the upper classes in windy or wet conditions, but ultimately the shuttlecock stuck. This game was taken by retired officers back to England where it developed and rules were set out.
Although it appears clear that Badminton House, Gloucestershire, owned by the Duke of Beaufort, has given its name to the sports, it is unclear when and why the name was adopted. As early as 1860, Isaac Spratt, a London toy dealer, published a booklet, Badminton Battledore – a new game, but unfortunately no copy has survived.^[4] An 1863 article in The Cornhill Magazine describes badminton as "battledore and shuttlecock played with sides, across a string suspended some five feet from the ground".^[5] This early use has cast doubt on the origin through expatriates in India, though it is known that it was popular there in the 1870s and that the first rules were drawn up in Poonah in 1873.^[4][5] Another source cites that it was in 1877 at Karachi in (British) India, where the first attempt was made to form a set of rules.^[6]
As early as 1875, veterans returning from India started a club in Folkestone. Until 1887, the sport was played in England under the rules that prevailed in British India. The Bath Badminton Club standardized the rules and made the game applicable to English ideas. J.H.E. Hart drew up revised basic regulations in 1887 and, with Bagnel Wild, again in 1890.^[4] In 1893, the Badminton Association of England published the first set of rules according to these regulations, similar to today's rules, and officially launched badminton in a house called "Dunbar" at 6 Waverley Grove, Portsmouth, England on September 13 of that year.^[7] They also started the All England Open Badminton Championships, the first badminton competition in the world, in 1899.
The International Badminton Federation (IBF) (now known as Badminton World Federation) was established in 1934 with Canada, Denmark, England, France, the Netherlands, Ireland, New Zealand, Scotland, and Wales as its founding members. India joined as an affiliate in 1936. The BWF now governs international badminton and develops the sport globally.
While initiated in England, competitive men's badminton in Europe has traditionally been dominated by Denmark. Asian nations, however, have been the most dominant ones worldwide. Indonesia, South Korea, China, and Malaysia along with Denmark are among the nations that have consistently produced world-class players in the past few decades, with China being the greatest force in both men's and women's competition in recent years.

Robin Van Persie has found a home in Man U If his national team coach is to be believed, Robin Van Persie moved from Arsenal to Manchester United because he wanted people to be mean to him. If that indeed was the Dutchman's true motivation behind a switch that cost United a transfer fee of $38 million, he is going the wrong way about it. Manchester United's Robin van Persie, top, celebrates with Wayne Rooney. (AP)In Champions League play Tuesday, Van Persie scored both goals as United survived a tricky away clash to beat Romanian champions CFR Cluj, a result that set the club on course to a likely spot in the knockout stage, even after only two of six group games. While some have speculated on where Van Persie's mind was at when he chose to leave Arsenal, his soccer home of the previous six years, and join one of its English Premier League rivals, Netherlands head coach Louis Van Gaal revealed some of the 29-year-old's thought processes. "Robin had several options of course, to stay, to go to Manchester or to go somewhere else," Van Gaal told Dutch television. "To me it seemed that his priority was to go somewhere where he would be pushed. All of his options were great clubs and it was important to him that wherever it was people would not just agree with him, but they would be mean to him, if necessary, and push him to improve and to be his best." United has had mixed results in the early part of the EPL season, losing at home to Tottenham last weekend and slipping four points behind leaders Chelsea. Van Persie has already shown glimpses that he can bring the kind of scoring productivity that boss Sir Alex Ferguson craves though, and Tuesday's double will help the settling-in process no end. Cluj, situated in the Transylvania region that literary mythology claimed was home to Count Dracula, might be relatively unknown outside Romania but had served notice of their ability by winning their opening group match at Portuguese side Brada. The hosts made a confident start against United and deserved their opening goal, when Pantelis Kapetanos produced a calm finish after 14 minutes. At that point United's critics were busy whetting their knives once more, and the theory that this is far from being Ferguson's best crop of players in his long career, especially defensively, seemed to carry some weight. That argument will be settled over several months and not 90 minutes, yet this was still a comeback to give Ferguson some level of satisfaction. If Van Persie's equalizer on 29 minutes was scrappy – with the ball glancing off his shoulder and flying into the net – his second was outstanding, a skillful flick of his left boot just after halftime that beat goalkeeper Mario Felgueiras. Van Persie was the player Ferguson urgently wanted over the summer, making him the focal point of his transfer activity, and it seems that the team's fortunes may hinge on his productivity. It was a carefully researched move on Van Persie's part, who is at a point in his career where he has the potential to elevate himself into the discussion of the world's very finest players. He spoke at length to experienced mentors such as Van Gaal and former United players such as goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar before eventually taking the plunge in choosing United over Italian giants Juventus. "He wanted to hear my thought about [United and Juventus]," Van Der Sar told the Daily Telegraph. "We spoke for five minutes about Juventus and 55 minutes about United." Van Persie, then, has perhaps found his natural home, as these sixth and seventh goals since his move would indicate. If this kind of scoring rate continues, he may have difficulty in finding the hard time he seems to want. Other popular content on the Yahoo! network: • NFL Power Rankings: The Vikings continue their march toward the top 10 • Coach Tom Thibodeau's four-year extension with Bulls could hit $20M • Y! News: Watch experts crash a jet on purpose

Nets miss out on Dwight Howard, continue to build a contender in East Three thousand miles away, Kobe Bryant declared that the delivery of Dwight Howard had transformed Los Angeles into the most talented team of his Lakers life. With the volume silenced on the television mounted on the wall, flickering images of a long, lost franchise center, here was the Brooklyn Nets general manager in a secluded alcove of the Barclays Center, a lavish court-level suite belonging to the most famous of the franchise's ownership partners. His pursuit of Howard done, and nevertheless having still constructed an Eastern Conference contender with the Nets, Billy King would say of the Orlando Magic: "They were determined to send him West. I don't think they wanted to face him four times a year. Traditionally, superstars go out of their conference. In Philly, I sent [Allen] Iverson to Denver. Shaq went West, and back East. Carmelo [Anthony] went West to East. [Kevin] Garnett went West to East. "And I knew I was fighting against that the whole time." Across two years as the Nets GM, King had fought battles on multiple fronts against the sport's conventional wisdom. He wasn't selling New Jersey to prospective stars, but the promise of this spectacular edifice in the borough of Brooklyn. No more does King need to sell the Barclays Center with cardboard cut-out photos outside visiting locker room doors at the Newark Arena. Now, King sat on a leather sofa in something called "Jay-Z's vault," the backroom of backrooms and spoke of a different day coming in these superstar hostage crises. Deron Williams opted to re-sign with the Nets rather than join the Mavericks. (Getty Images)Between King and his rising star of an assistant GM, Bobby Marks, the Nets' front office had become the traffic cop on most of the major trade scenarios of the past two years. King and Marks had relentlessly pursued deals for unhappy stars Howard and Carmelo Anthony, and secured Deron Williams in a trade hatched and consummated within 48 hours. [Also: Kobe calls Lakers his most talented team ever] Back to his years as the Philadelphia 76ers GM, King had been the executive responsible for sending Iverson to the Denver Nuggets in late 2006. "I think players will still want to move, but I think how teams handle it could change," King says. "[Utah president] Kevin [O'Connor] made the decision to move [Williams] before [Williams] got frustrated and wanted out. When teams know they can't keep a guy, I think you're going to see them get ahead of it like [the Jazz] did. You'll see that more often. Hey, I wanted to move Allen sooner in Philadelphia than we did. I had a deal with Denver before that [2006-07] season, but their team was negotiating a sale so they couldn't do anything. "I saw it coming with Allen," King says. "I wanted to get ahead of it and move him before it ended badly." Looking back, King remembers the Minnesota Timberwolves trying hard to make a deal for Iverson to pair him with Garnett in '06, but it never happened. Between now and free agency in July, the Los Angeles Clippers' Chris Paul could become that player again. He's a free agent on July 1, and the Dallas Mavericks and Atlanta Hawks are waiting with cap space and commitments to sell him. Even now, the Mavericks and Hawks are waiting to see if somehow things get sideways with Howard and the Lakers, and Howard – however unlikely – balks on a contract extension come summer. Nevertheless, the Brooklyn Nets are out of those conversations now. King has himself an intriguing roster in the Eastern Conference, a validation of some spectacular risk-reward deals these past two years. From the trades that secured him Gerald Wallace and Joe Johnson without a commitment from Williams, King risked ridicule to stay true to a plan that ultimately vindicated him when Williams re-signed with the Nets. [Also: Coach Tom Thibodeau's four-year extension with Bulls could hit $20M] Even King's close friends in the league called, and told him he was making mistakes cutting those deals, that Williams would leave for Dallas without Howard coming to the Nets. "For me," King says, "a lot of that belief to stay with the plan comes from the influence [King's college coach, Mike Krzyzewski] had on me. Every year, he has a plan for his season and he stays with it. Beyond the support I had from our ownership, so much of this has been because I was a product of [Krzyzewski's] operation." From the failures of 'Melo and Howard, the Nets have moved on to a future with Williams and Brook Lopez, Wallace and Johnson. There was Howard on the television, wearing purple and gold, and King always knew: History says that stars get moved far away, and so the Lakers get a chance to chase championships with Superman now. Against a lot of odds, though, the Nets still come to Brooklyn with a superstar point guard and a roster to make trouble for the Knicks and Madison Square Garden. Now, the Nets come across the Hudson River, come out of Jersey and into New York, and it changes the game for the franchise. Three thousand miles away, Dwight Howard found himself a Laker, but Billy King and the Brooklyn Nets were in these superstar fights to stay now.

Former puted heavyweight boxing champion Mike Tyson responds to a question during an interview at the MGM Grand Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada in this March 23, 2012 file photo. New Zealand revoked an entry visa for former heavyweight boxing champion and convicted rapist Mike Tyson on October 3, 2012 after a charity going to benefit from his visit dropped its support. Tyson, 46, who served three years of a six-year U.S. jail sentence for rape in 1992, had been due to take part in an event in November, but needed a dispensation under New Zealand immigration laws because of his conviction. REUTERS/Steve Marcus/FilesView Photo Former undisputed heavyweight boxing champion Mike Tyson responds to a question during an interview at the MGM Grand Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada … * Former undisputed heavyweight boxing champion Mike Tyson responds to a question during an interview at the MGM Grand Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada in this March 23, 2012 file photo. New Zealand revoked an entry visa for former heavyweight boxing champion and convicted rapist Mike Tyson on October 3, 2012 after a charity going to benefit from his visit dropped its support. Tyson, 46, who served three years of a six-year U.S. jail sentence for rape in 1992, had been due to take part in an event in November, but needed a dispensation under New Zealand immigration laws because of his conviction. REUTERS/Steve Marcus/FilesView Photo Former undisputed heavyweight boxing champion Mike Tyson responds to a question during an interview at the MGM Grand Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada … WELLINGTON (Reuters) - New Zealand revoked an entry visa for former heavyweight boxing champion and convicted rapist Mike Tyson on Wednesday after a charity going to benefit from his visit dropped its support. Tyson, 46, who served three years of a six-year U.S. jail sentence for rape in 1992, had been due to take part in an event in November, but needed a dispensation under New Zealand immigration laws because of his conviction. However, a youth-related charity trust which originally backed his visit to appear at the event, billed as "Day of the Champions", said it no longer wanted to have anything to do with Tyson's visit due to his rape conviction. "Given that the Trust is no longer supporting the event, on balance, I have made the decision to cancel his visa to enter New Zealand," Associate Immigration Minister Kate Wilkinson said in a statement. She said the original decision to allow Tyson in had been a "finely balanced call", with the backing of the charity a significant factor in the dispensation being granted. Tyson's planned visit had been attacked by women's groups and criticized by the Prime Minister. Tyson was undisputed world heavyweight boxing champion in the 1980s, but in 1992 he was convicted of raping teenage beauty queen Desiree Washington in Indiana and served three years in prison. He added to his notoriety later in the decade when he bit rival Evander Holyfield on both ears in a 1997 bout, for which he was disqualified and temporarily suspended from boxing. Tyson declared bankruptcy in 2003 and retired from professional boxing in 2006. Last month, Tyson spoke to a financiers' conference in Hong Kong about his life before and after boxing, his family and his acting career, which includes a recent one-man show on Broadway.

Team Europe captain Jose Maria Olazabal, centre, of Spain, poses with the trophy with some of the members of the victorious European Ryder Cup team after they arrived at London's Heathrow Airport late Monday, Oct. 1, 2012. Team Europe beat the Americans in the golf tournament by 14-1/2 to 13-1/2 to retain the trophy Sunday at the Medinah Country Club in Medinah, Illinois, USA. (AP Photo) UNITED KINGDOM OUT NO SALES NO MAGSView Photo Team Europe captain Jose Maria Olazabal, centre, of Spain, poses with the trophy with some of the members of the victorious European Ryder Cup team after … * European Ryder Cup captain Jose Maria Olazabal smiles at a victorious European Ryder Cup press conference at Heathrow in London Tuesday, Oct. 2, 2012. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)View Photo European Ryder Cup captain Jose Maria Olazabal smiles at a victorious European Ryder Cup press conference at Heathrow in London Tuesday, Oct. 2, 2012. … * Team Europe Ryder Cup captain Jose Maria Olazabal of Spain poses with the trophy after he arrived at London's Heathrow Airport late Monday, Oct. 1, 2012. The European Ryder Cup team beat the Americans in the golf tournament by 14-1/2 to 13-1/2 to retain the trophy Sunday at the Medinah Country Club in Medinah, Illinois, USA. (AP Photo) UNITED KINGDOM OUT NO SALES NO MAGSView Photo Team Europe Ryder Cup captain Jose Maria Olazabal of Spain poses with the trophy after he arrived at London's Heathrow Airport late Monday, Oct. 1, 2012. … LONDON (AP) -- Describing the role as ''torture'' at times, victorious Ryder Cup captain Jose Maria Olazabal ruled out the possibility of staying on for the 2014 competition at Gleneagles. The Spaniard returned to Europe on Monday night, cradling the gleaming golden trophy and still reveling in Europe's stirring rally over the United States at Medinah on Sunday. Spain's King Juan Carlos and tennis star Rafael Nadal were among those who sent Olazabal messages of congratulations after the 14 1/2-13 1/2 win that kept the cup in European hands. But after seven matches as a player - during which he teamed up so effectively with the late Seve Ballesteros - and now another as a winning captain, he has come to the end of his 25-year Ryder Cup career. ''I can assure you it will be a no, period,'' Olazabal said Tuesday, when asked if he would stay on. ''It's a lot of work ... it takes a lot out of you for a stretch of time. It is difficult. In a way, it's torture. ''On top of that, there are a lot of players who should have the opportunity to be in my spot. The Ryder Cup is only played once every two years and there are a big number of players that have the chance to be in my position. I won't do it again.'' Darren Clarke and Paul McGinley, two of Olazabal's four assistants in Medinah, are early favorites to take over. A decision will be made in January by the European Tour's tournament committee, headed by Thomas Bjorn, another of Olazabal's assistants. ''I think these two (Clarke and McGinley) deserve a chance but I think Thomas deserves a chance and also Paul Lawrie,'' Olazabal said. ''Once those guys do it, we have Lee (Westwood), Padraig (Harrington). ''We have at least eight or nine guys that have the chance and there only a certain number of Ryder Cups. It would be hard to name just one or two.'' And what about Ian Poulter? The Englishman won a match-high four points in Medinah, including one in Saturday's fourballs that Olazabal considers the most important of them all. The win brought Europe within 10-6 and gave the team crucial momentum heading into Sunday. Poulter now has the best winning record of any European who has played more than two Ryder Cups and his passion for the event has seen him described as the ''modern-day Seve.'' ''He will be a wonderful captain for sure,'' Olazabal said. ''But he will need another 12 players just like him.'' Olazabal, who has been surviving on ''two or three hours'' of sleep a night, will return to Spain and start answering some of the 100-plus messages left on his phone following his flight back from the U.S. ''The phone has been really hot - out of all the messages, there is one that stunned me a bit,'' he said. ''The King of Spain just rang me a few minutes ago. He was pretty much like me, over the moon. That was a nice one. ''But there have been sports guys like Nadal and others from Spain. Everyone from all over the world.'' The memory of Ballesteros inspired the team in Sunday's dramatic singles, which Europe won 8 1/2-3 1/2 to engineer Europe's biggest turnaround in the event's history, matching that of the U.S at Brookline in 1999. Honoring the memory of Ballesteros was a motivating factor behind Europe's recovery. But Olazabal's influence was also crucial. ''Jose Maria has lived for this game all his life and more than anything this competition,'' said Nicolas Colsaerts of Belgium, who flanked Olazabal at a news conference at Heathrow airport, with the Ryder Cup placed in front of them. ''He made it clear to us this thing here is very, very special. ''Everyone looked at each other and understood the importance of this cup in this man's life. At some stage during the week, you looked at this guy's eyes, and they were just how they were when he played. Every time he went out with Seve into the storm, everybody saw these two men were very special and how big a deal this cup was.'' Colsaerts was one of four players in their 20s in Europe's team, along with Martin Kaymer, Rory McIlroy and Francesco Molinari. With the likes of Luke Donald and Graeme McDowell still having plenty of Ryder Cups left in them and young players such as Thorbjorn Olesen of Denmark and Matteo Manassero of Italy considered stars of the future, Europe looks well stocked. ''You don't know what the future will bring - who would have thought we would have players like Rory or Nicolas seven years ago?'' Olazabal said. ''That's the beauty of the European Tour. It always produces great players.''

Hot/Not: Johnson's 2006 Comeback Proves Chase is Far from Over Brad Keselowski has two Chase wins and a certain aura of championship invincibility. Jimmie Johnson, on Keselowski's heels, doesn't have a win quite yet but the three top-10s in his back pocket are par for a championship course. Denny Hamlin? Well, it's hard to think his New Hampshire domination will be a one-off effort in the season's final seven races. The first three races of NASCAR's 2012 Chase for the Sprint Cup have largely taken on a tune in favor of those three drivers, thanks mostly to their consistent performances. It's produced the first definition of Chase haves and have-nots heading to Sunday's race at Talladega Superspeedway - a place where those drivers who trail are hoping for a shake-up. But what if Talladega doesn't play out like the Chase tumbler many expect it to be? Will NASCAR have weeded out championship contenders less than halfway through the 10-race stretch? Making that prediction, of course, is roughly as reliable as one of Kyle Busch engines this year. No one knows how NASCAR's most important laps of the season will play out. We do, however, know that drivers seemingly reeling from mediocre Chase starts still stand a shot. Inspired by NASCAR's statistic guru Mike Forde, I set out to fully understand what kind of comebacks the sport could potentially see as we move through 2012's final seven races. But I'm not one to live on possibilities, so I opted to find what kind of turnarounds we've actually already seen in the not-so-long eight year history of the Chase. The results were interesting, but admittedly hard to come by. Thanks to NASCAR changing the point structure radically last year, box scores and race recaps from the middle of the last decade didn't provide a perfectly accurate picture of what today's Chase contenders face. Essentially, the old point system and the new point system were wildly different and offered a different percentage of points at each position compared to the maximum number of points available. The solution, thanks to a friend with substantial Microsoft Excel acumen, came in the form of a data-ready spreadsheet and two doses of Advil. The story it told, however, was pretty interesting - especially for a cloudy, rainy fall day in Indiana. Unsurprisingly, Johnson - owner of five of the eight total championships so far awarded under the Chase format - lays claim to the most impressive Chase comeback yet. It's a detail most likely overlooked because he won three more titles after it, and because it was steady and almost stealthy ascent from the bottom rungs to the top. Johnson's mighty comeback played out in 2006 when he rolled to the championship after falling behind by an incredible 165 points just three races in. In the old point system, that was more than the number of points available to gain in any one race (161). Yet Johnson, scoring just one Chase win that year, found a way to lead the point standings just five races later thanks to a runner-up finish at Texas. Most astoundingly, he had two more races to complete the comeback and didn't need them. How, though, would that have played out in NASCAR's current point system? Would Johnson have completed the comeback at all? Damn right it would. Had Johnson (and the rest of the field) been competing in 2006 with NASCAR's current one-point-per-position system, he would have left that season's third Chase race at Kansas trailing by 45 points. Just one week later - the series visited Talladega for the fourth race of the Chase in 2006, too - Johnson's fortune wasn't looking that much better. He only gained one point on then-series leader Matt Kenseth, leaving a 44-point gap with six races to go. Johnson's fortunes, unlike those of many competitors, turned especially bright in the next five races. The No. 48 reeled off finishes of second, first, second, second and second between Charlotte and Phoenix, and left for the season finale with a manageable title lead. He didn't relinquish it. Johnson's ascent to Chase supremacy in 2006, however, was certainly helped by his competitors. Jeff Burton, with a decent eight-point lead going to the sixth race at Martinsville, plummeted out of contention with an engine failure. Johnson's win that day saw his deficit rocket from 40 points behind before the race to just 17 points back by the end of the day. The very next week at Atlanta, Johnson was one of two drivers to actually pick up points on Kenseth while seven other contenders suffered mild to substantial point losses.

Murray wins opener in Japan Open title defense Andy Murray opened the defense of his Japan Open title by beating Ivo Karlovic of Croatia 7-6 (7), 6-4 in the first round on Tuesday. Murray withstood 17 aces from Karlovic at Ariake Colosseum. Gael Monfils of France, who was scheduled to be Murray's opponent, withdrew with a right knee injury he aggravated in Beijing last week, and was replaced by lucky loser Karlovic. Monfils is returning to Paris to have his knee examined. Despite having break points in the first and seventh games, Murray was unable to capitalize. Playing for the first time since winning the U.S. Open last month, Murray admitted it was not easy against the towering Karlovic. ''Playing against him you know it is going to be uncomfortable,'' Murray said. ''He is a tricky player.'' Murray, who bested Karlovic in the first round at Wimbledon, serve three consecutive aces in the eighth game to level at 4-4. With both players unable to break serve, Murray finally prevailed 9-7 in the tiebreak with a forehand passing shot down the line, after saving a set point when he was down 7-6. Karlovic, who had 12 aces in the set, squandered a chance to go up 6-3 in the tiebreak when he double-faulted. Murray, who won the gold medal at the London Olympics, took an injury timeout following the first set after appearing to injure his back early in the match. ''It feels fine now,'' Murray said. ''After not playing for a while, then to start making sudden, aggressive movements, it can happen. By the middle of the second set I was fine.'' The second set was on serve until the 10th game, when Murray went up 0-40 with Karlovic serving. The Croat saved two match points, but sent a forehand long on the third to give Murray the victory. Murray said his priorities have changed following his first Grand Slam victory. ''I have reset my goals,'' he said. ''Winning a Grand Slam was so important to me that I was often focusing on the next Grand Slam rather than the next match or tournament. That is going to be different now.'' In other matches, sixth-seeded Milos Raonic of Canada defeated Radek Stepanek of the Czech Republic 6-4, 6-4, while eighth-seeded Kei Nishikori of Japan ousted compatriot Go Soeda 4-6, 6-2, 6-3. Tommy Robredo of Spain topped Jarkko Nieminen of Finland 6-2, 6-4; Jeremy Chardy of France downed wild card Yuichi Sugita of Japan 6-1, 7-5; and qualifier Dmitry Tursunov of Russia dispatched Bernard Tomic of Australia 6-4, 7-5.

Kenyan cycling develops with Asian photographer's focus Fascinated by the notion of turning the world's most gifted long distance runners into kings of the saddle, Nicolas Leong packed up his life in Singapore and moved to Kenya's Rift Valley. It mattered little to him that he knew nothing about the world of professional cycling, and barely more about the East African nation he was moving to. The dream tantalized him relentlessly until finally he stepped on a plane. Now, six years on, the former commercial photographer says the structure is in place for a generation of champions to flourish. "It was just an idea that wouldn't go away," Leong told Reuters as he reflected on a step some would call foolhardy and others courageous. "All these Kenyans were winning marathons all over the world (and) I thought it would be really good if you gave them a bike, that was essentially the idea," he added, on a rare trip back to his homeland. "They have more dominance in the marathon than anybody has dominated any other sport. The Brazilians are not as dominant in football as the Kenyans are running the marathon," he smiled. Leong was, and remains, convinced the country synonymous with world class runners will produce the first black team to compete in the Tour de France. With a long history of producing elite distance runners with stamina the envy of the world, Leong felt Kenya could spawn cyclists with the skills to suit the grueling demands of that sport. Initially, he wrote to many of the cycling sponsors and teams in the Tour de France, the toughest bike race of them all, with his idea but was mostly ignored before deciding to just do it himself and prove them wrong. Leong was working in his homeland as a photographer in 2006 when he watched Amos Matui win the Singapore marathon for the second consecutive year. Ignoring the rejection letters, Leong confidently went up to Matui and explained his idea before telling the Kenyan he would follow him home that evening to start work on his dream. UNTRAINED KENYAN Any background in cycling? "None," Leong smirked. A link to Kenya? "None," he added in between laughs. "But there was a bit of a plan," Leong attempted to stress. The strategy involved finding a cyclist in Iten - the tiny village which is the centre for the production line of Kenyan runners [ID:nL6E8II1RH] - and demonstrate what raw talent there was in the country to would-be sponsors. "I thought give this guy a bike and he will train and ride up this mountain L'Alpe d'Huez, which is really famous and ridden in the Tour de France," Leong said. "Lance Armstrong did 37 minutes up this mountain and I thought if we could get a relatively untrained Kenyan to train for a couple of months and you took him there what time would he do, so the guy did 42 minutes. "Because of that we got somebody interested and investing, an Angel investor, who is now my partner and so we started this company." The company is called 'Kenyan Riders' and now has 26 people on the payroll with one Irish and two Australian coaches supporting 14 cyclists entering events around the world. They compete in amateur international races and finished a credible second in the taxing 70-team Haute Route in the French mountains this year where Leong said the look of his team of riders attracted as much attention as their abilities. "Everywhere we turned up we were the only black people on bicycles, people who have been watching cycling for 10, 15, 20, 50 years they have never seen a black guy on a bicycle especially on the road. "We turn up and people are very curious about us first of all, we look so different, for obvious reasons, but we also have such different stories to tell." The Kenyan National Olympic Committee are aware of Leong's project but the Singaporean is diplomatic when discussing their involvement. "Yeah, well, they are not part of our lives, no. They are terribly interested, they are just not going to do anything." Without the financial support of the NOC or Kenyan Cycling, Leong has ploughed his life savings into the project and was in Singapore looking for further investment to help achieve his dream of seeing the team compete in the Tour de France. "It probably has cost me all my savings. I want to see this to it's end, to it's logical conclusion which is to get the first black African team on the world stage. "We are starting a grassroots cycling program to get people to start at the age of 14, 15, that is going to be our generation of champions. This is sort of the first run of people, so we put the work into them, trying to refine our coaching methods, trying to set benchmarks, the thing the runners have already. "It costs probably $500,000 a year to run the whole thing, to feed them, to give them salaries, to pay for the coaches, everything," Leong said. "I don't think it is a large amount of money considering what we want to do in 10 years for example."

Euro horseback archery championship combines skill, history When Hungarians first arrived in Europe in the 9th century AD they surprised opposing armies with their Asian-style fighting, with lightweight bowmen on horseback riding circles around Teutonic knights in forays as far as Germany. Their modern-day descendants have remade those battles into a sport and will display their talent at the European Open Championship of Horseback Archery at a small mountain farm 60 kilometers (37 miles) north of Budapest at the weekend. The three-day event, which resembles an eastern version of an American rodeo and attracts contestants from around the globe, features athletes in colorful historic costumes, target shoots and spectators often dressed in medieval attire. "This sport was invented here, both the historic roots and the modern comeback," Lajos Kassai, 52, said as he prepared for his run. "Hungarians are the best at it. They teach the world." Kassai, who began shooting and building bows and riding horses as a young boy, wrote the first rule book for the sport in the 1980s. He organized the first contests in 1994. Since then he has become a sought-after coach. Horseback archery, which supporters say is fun and affordable, is gaining followers. Although only 14 countries have dedicated programs to teach horseback archery, the most successful nations such as Korea, Japan, Turkey, Iran and Britain have long equestrian traditions "I live in a farm. I have horses and I do archery anyway, so for me this was a natural progression," said Daniel Griffin, who flew in from South Africa for the championship in which contestants can enter the events with no prior selection process. "It's a martial art ... to hit your target at a gallop. It's like riding your car and shooting at a target with a pistol." After the European Championship Griffin said he plans to train with Kassai, who is considered the master of horseback archery. "Obviously you can't afford to go to all events around the world but there's an event almost every month," said Alp Kayserili, a Turkish contestant dressed as a 16th century warrior. "We are friends," he added. "We keep in touch through social networks mostly."

Button given gearbox-change penalty for Japanese GP Jenson Button will have a five-place grid penalty for the Japanese Grand Prix because he needs a new gearbox for the Suzuka weekend. The Briton returns to the scene of his brilliant victory 12 months ago, 75 points adrift of championship leader Fernando Alonso, and well aware that only a victory will keep alive his slim title hopes. But he has already been given some bad news, with post-race investigations of his gearbox after the Singapore GP uncovering an identical gearbox problem to that which had put Lewis Hamilton out of the race. McLaren has no option but to change Button's gearbox for a new one, which means he will moved down five places on the grid. Hamilton will also be fitted with a new gearbox, but he will not suffer any penalty as he did not finish the last race. McLaren technical director Paddy Lowe told AUTOSPORT: "Jenson's gearbox had the same problem as Lewis's gearbox during the Singapore Grand Prix, and subsequent investigation has revealed a terminal failure. "Therefore both cars must start the Japanese Grand Prix with new gearboxes, which means that Jenson will receive a five-place penalty. "Of course, this is a great disappointment for Jenson and the team. On the positive side, we have understood and completely resolved the issue, allowing both drivers to compete with confidence for podium positions." Hamilton heads to the Japanese GP 52 points behind Alonso, with six races remaining in this year's title battle.

MotoGP and WSBK to be kept distinct MotoGP and World Superbike governing body the FIM has pledged that each series will continue to enjoy a distinct identity within the rules of the sport. The two series, run as separate championships in the past, will now both be organised by Dorna, at the instigation of hedge fund Bridgepoint. The Federation Internationale de Motocyclisme welcomed the move, and said it would sit down with all stakeholders in order to reposition the two championships. FIM president Vito Ippolito said: "I welcome Bridgepoint's decision to bring the two championships together within a single organisation. "We shall shortly be holding a meeting of all the stakeholders in order to reposition the two championships and look into the technical and operational implications. "We shall then be able to adapt the regulations to ensure that they have a distinct identity in future." The FIM acts as governing body to 50 motorcycle world championship events, including MotoGP and WSBK.

India fail to reach semis, Pakistan through India failed to reach the World Twenty20 semi-finals despite beating South Africa by one run in a gripping final Super Eight Group Two match on Tuesday. A total of 152 for six was not enough for India because in the 17th over South Africa, who were also eliminated, passed the target of 121 that ensured group rivals Australia and Pakistan would move into the last four. Hosts Sri Lanka will meet Pakistan in the first semi-final in Colombo on Thursday while Australia take on West Indies on Friday in the same stadium. The final is on Sunday. India scratched their way past 150, boosted by a late burst from Suresh Raina (45) and captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni (23 not out). Raina's 34-ball knock included five fours. Morne Morkel and Robin Peterson grabbed two wickets each for South Africa who were already out of the tournament before the match started. South Africa lost in-form opener Hashim Amla for a duck but thanks to Faf du Plessis's rapid 65 they threatened a first Super Eight victory before falling just short, Zaheer Khan claiming three for 22 for India. Lakshmipathy Balaji was twice hit for six in the final over but he also bowled Albie Morkel and his brother Morne to seal victory with one ball to spare. Yuvraj Singh was named man of the match for taking two for 23 with the ball and hitting a 15-ball 21. HARD TO DEFEND Dhoni told reporters: "121 was quite a low target to defend". India suffered their only defeat in the competition in a rain-affected Super Eight game against Australia. "We lost one game and lost it badly," said Dhoni. "Let's be practical about the reason for our elimination - it's not the fault of the players." South Africa won both their round-robin matches in the opening round but then lost all three Super Eight games. "We played poor cricket and I am really disappointed especially after all the support we got," said captain AB de Villiers. "It started against Pakistan. We got ourselves in a winning position and somehow managed to find a way to lose."

All Blacks expect Springboks to play more expansive game New Zealand expect South Africa to play a more expansive game than they managed in their previous Rugby Championship clash when the teams meet in Soweto on Saturday, assistant coach Ian Foster said on Tuesday. The All Blacks, who have already won the inaugural Rugby Championship with their win over Argentina at the weekend, beat the Springboks 21-11 in Dunedin on September 15 with the visitors missing 20 points with the boot. South Africa then scored five tries in a 31-8 win over Australia in Pretoria last Saturday. "They seem to have the intent to play with more width than they did against us in Dunedin and they may chuck a few different things at us on Saturday. We'll need to assess where the threats are and make the adjustments," Foster told reporters in Johannesburg. "If you want to play expansive rugby, then there is the risk of errors and we've been through that process. It's not something that comes naturally." The All Blacks are also expecting a barrage of high kicks from the Springboks in the thin altitude of the highveld. "We still expect high balls and a tough physical battle through the forwards. Some things don't change," Foster said. "We pride ourselves under the high ball, but the Springboks have put us under pressure with it in the past and they punish you if you drop it. Plus it goes a lot higher at altitude. We'll have to work together as a unit at the back," fullback Israel Dagg added. The All Blacks played their best rugby since they won last year's World Cup during the 54-15 win over Argentina in La Plata and the world champions believe the small details that had been lacking in the campaign so far were in place against the Pumas. "We were pretty satisfied but the margins are still very small. The pack definitely stepped up in Argentina and it was great to see the plans finally come together," hooker Keven Mealamu said.

Jamaican athletes face doping hearing Two Jamaican athletes, including 4x400 metres relay pool member Dominique Blake, are facing disciplinary action after testing positive for doping. A preliminary hearing began in Kingston, Jamaica, on Tuesday for Blake and national 800 metres champion Ricardo Cunningham over doping violations returned by the pair at Jamaica's Senior Championships in June. Cunningham, who trains with the MVP track Club in Jamaica, appeared in person at the hearing while Blake, who previously served a nine-month ban, sent a representative. They are due to reappear on Oct. 17. Last November, former Jamaican relay world champion Steve Mullings was banned for life from competing in athletics after a second doping offense.

Trio progress at Quiksilver Pro France Gabriel Medina, Jordy Smith and Kieren Perrow won their round one heats on Sunday's truncated day of action at the Quiksilver Pro France at La Graviere. Defending champion Medina posted an impressive 9.00 on his opening ride for a solid backhand barrel before consolidating with a flurry of scores on both rights and lefts. World number nine Smith also progressed as a heat winner while Perrow caused the upset of the day, defeating former winner Adrian Buchan and last year’s runner-up Julian Wilson. Event organisers called a lay day on Monday but hope competition will resume on Tuesday, world number two Joel Parkinson will face Wiggolly Dantas in the opening heat of round two. The Quiksilver Pro France is event of seven of 10 on the 2012 ASP World Championship Tour. ROUND 1 RESULTS: Heat 10: Jordy Smith (ZAF) 12.33, Heitor Alves (BRA) 8.63, Adam Melling (AUS) 2.47 Heat 11: Kieren Perrow (AUS) 9.23, Adrian Buchan (AUS) 6.84, Julian Wilson (AUS) 6.54 Heat 12: Gabriel Medina (BRA) 14.33, Fredrick Patacchia (HAW) 9.34, C.J. Hobgood (USA) 5.23 ROUND 2 MATCH-UPS: Heat 1: Joel Parkinson (AUS) vs. Wiggolly Dantas (BRA) Heat 2: John John Florence (HAW) vs. Dusty Payne (HAW) Heat 3: Adriano de Souza (BRA) vs. Taylor Knox (USA) Heat 4: Josh Kerr (AUS) vs. Kolohe Andino (USA) Heat 5: Jeremy Flores (FRA) vs. Yadin Nicol (AUS) Heat 6: Owen Wright (AUS) vs. Matt Wilkinson (AUS) Heat 7: Julian Wilson (AUS) vs. Adam Melling (AUS) Heat 8: C.J. Hobgood (USA) vs. Fredrick Patacchia (HAW) Heat 9: Adrian Buchan (AUS) vs. Travis Logie (ZAF) Heat 10: Heitor Alves (BRA) vs. Bede Durbidge (AUS) Heat 11: Kai Otton (AUS) vs. Tiago Pires (PRT) Heat 12: Damien Hobgood (USA) vs. Miguel Pupo (BRA)