ARAB TIMES, WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 9, 2015

45SPORTS

Extreme sport popularity in the region on the rise

World Rafting Championship paddles into AsiaSUKABUMI, Indonesia, Dec 8, (AFP):Around 700 competitors have descendedon the Indonesian island of Java for thisyear’s World Rafting Championship,showcasing the best of the extreme sport ina region where its popularity is on the rise.

Teams of rafters, almost all non-pro-fessional, slammed their paddles intofast-flowing rapids to battle through theCitarik River, surging past jungle-cladmountains.

Spectators stood on the shore amidpalm trees, cheering as the six-personteams raced through furious white water,navigating skillfully past rocks andthrough slalom polls.

It is the first time the championship,which has been running in one form oranother for over 25 years, has been heldin Asia.

“Definitely rafting is becoming morepopular in Asia,” said Joe Willie Jones,president of the International RaftingFederation (IRF), which organised theevent with the Indonesian federation.

“Compared to a lot of the world, it’s a

relatively new activity.”While rafting is little known in Asia

compared to other parts of the world, it isthe Japanese men who are the only full-time, professional team.

The Brazilian men also receive strongfinancial support and are among the best,while teams from eastern Europe performwell.

Indonesia was named host after organ-

isers put forward a competitive bid andthe selecting committee decided thearchipelago was suitably exotic, with itsthousands of islands, vast tracts of jungle,and steaming volcanoes.

Rafting chiefs are always keen to hostthe championship in a far-flung part ofthe world, to satisfy the adventurous spir-its of those competing.

“We like to go to unusual, exotic loca-

tions because it always makes the eventinteresting for the competitors,” said Jones.

It is not always easy for the non-pro-fessional sportsmen and -women whowant to participate, however.

“We’ve been fundraising for the lastsix months or so, just to get the money tocome over here,” said Mariam Audin, 41,a competitor from New Zealand.

“It’s not easy for everyone to fly overto Indonesia and pay for their uniforms,pay for their paddles, pay for our gear.”

There are four disciplines in the champi-onship, which this year ran from Nov 29 toDec 8, with male and female divisions com-peting across four different age categories.

The “sprint” is a short, fast dash; the“head-to-head” pits two teams againstone another in a race; the “slalom” seescompetitors steer their rafts through polesin powerful rapids; and the “downriver”is a race that takes close to an hour.

There is no single overall winner of thechampionships, but different countriesare named winners in the different cate-gories and divisions.

The men’s “open” category, where par-ticipants are aged between 15 and 40, is themost closely watched, with Brazil crownedthe winners of the category this year.

WASHINGTON, Dec 8, (RTRS): Standings from the NFL on Monday.

American Football Conference

AFC East

W L T OTL PF PA PCTNew England 10 2 0 1 375 247 .833NY Jets 7 5 0 0 295 248 .583Buffalo 6 6 0 0 296 278 .500Miami 5 7 0 0 240 300 .417

AFC North

W L T OTL PF PA PCTCincinnati 10 2 0 0 334 196 .833Pittsburgh 7 5 0 1 311 240 .583Baltimore 4 8 0 1 272 291 .333Cleveland 2 10 0 1 216 347 .167

AFC South

W L T OTL PF PA PCTIndianapolis 6 6 0 1 259 305 .500Houston 6 6 0 0 253 264 .500Jacksonville 4 8 0 1 275 341 .333Tennessee 3 9 0 0 245 296 .250

AFC West

W L T OTL PF PA PCTDenver 10 2 0 0 269 210 .833Kansas City 7 5 0 0 321 240 .583Oakland 5 7 0 0 284 314 .417San Diego 3 9 0 0 247 324 .250

National Football Conference

NFC East

W L T OTL PF PA PCTWashington 5 7 0 1 257 286 .417Philadelphia 5 7 0 0 278 302 .417NY Giants 5 7 0 1 307 296 .417Dallas 4 8 0 2 223 277 .333

NFC North

W L T OTL PF PA PCTGreen Bay 8 4 0 0 289 238 .667Minnesota 8 4 0 0 238 232 .667Chicago 5 7 0 2 251 290 .417Detroit 4 8 0 0 253 315 .333

NFC South

W L T OTL PF PA PCTCarolina 12 0 0 0 373 243 1.000Tampa Bay 6 6 0 0 271 298 .500Atlanta 6 6 0 1 279 257 .500New Orleans 4 8 0 1 299 380 .333

NFC West

W L T OTL PF PA PCTArizona 10 2 0 0 382 232 .833Seattle 7 5 0 2 305 229 .583SLouis 4 8 0 1 189 257 .333San Francisco 4 8 0 0 178 291 .333

NFL Standings

RAFTING

Washington Redskins wide receiver DeSean Jackson (11), carries the ball on a kickoff return under pressure from Dallas Cowboys outside linebacker KyleWilber (51), during the second half of an NFL football game in Landover, Md, on Dec 7. Jackson later fumbled the play on the play. The Cowboys defeated the

Redskins 19-16. (AP)

were tied 3-3 halftime and 6-6 afterthree quarters.

It was Washington kicker DustinHopkins’ turn on the second play of thefourth quarter, this time from 46 yardsout.

The Cowboys appeared ready to takethe lead in the final five minutes afterCassel found Bryant for a 42-yardcompletion down the left sideline to theWashington three-yard line. However,Dallas could not punch it in, and Baileyhit a 20-yard to tie it 9-9.

The teams combined for just twofirst downs and 43 yards of offenseduring an inept first quarter. Casselcompleted two of six passes during thefirst 15 minutes, while Cousins wassacked three times.

Bailey’s 38-yard field goal gaveDallas a 3-0 lead in the second quarter.Washington responded with a 14-play,58-yard drive, and Hopkins’ 45-yardfield goal on the final play of the halfmade it 3-3.

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The St Louis Rams fired offensivecoordinator Frank Cignetti, head coachJeff Fisher announced, and replacedhim with assistant head coach/offenseRob Boras.

St Louis suffered a 27-3 loss to theArizona Cardinals on Sunday. It wasthe team’s fifth straight loss.

In the team’s five-game losingstreak, the Rams have scored a total of54 points and converted 16-of-70third-downs (22.9 percent). AgainstArizona, they were 1-for-12 on thirddown.

Indianapolis Colts quarterbackMatt Hasselbeck, who left Sundaynight’s 45-10 loss to the PittsburghSteelers in the fourth quarter withshoulder and neck injuries, is not sureif he will be able to play this Sundayagainst Jacksonville.

Hasselbeck said that he initially gothurt in the first quarter before a third-quarter hit brought the medical staffonto the field.

With Andrew Luck still sidelinedby a lacerated kidney and shoulderinjury, the Colts could be forced to turnto Charlie Whitehurst, who playedthe final two drives against the

This photo taken on Dec 7, shows the Slovakian (front) and Canadian (behind)teams competing during the World Rafting Championship on the Citarik River in

Sukabumi in western Java island. (AFP)

This photo taken on Dec 7, shows the Argentina team competing during themen’s master event at the World Rafting Championship on the Citarik River in

Sukabumi in western Java island. (AFP)

Washington Redskins running backMatt Jones (31), is stopped by theDallas Cowboys defense includingstrong safety Barry Church (42), andfree safety J.J. Wilcox (27), during thefirst half of an NFL football game in

Landover, Md, on Dec 7. (AP)

Best of the Rest

Vlaar joins AZ Alkmaar:Netherlands defender Ron Vlaar hasreturned to his first club AZ Alkmaaruntil the end of the season as a freeagent, the Dutch top flight side saidon Monday.

The 30-year-old centre back hadbeen training with AZ after turningdown a new contract with EnglishPremier League club Aston Villa inthe close season before having a kneeoperation.

“We are very pleased with the cap-ture of Ron Vlaar. He gives our squada huge boost of quality,” AZ sportingdirector Max Huiberts said on theclub’s official website (www.az.nl).

AZ are 10th in the Dutch champi-onship, 20 points behind leaders AjaxAmsterdam.

“I do not need to explain what hisstrengths are, which everyone can seefrom the last few seasons,” addedHuiberts. “Last year he was a drivingforce behind the success of (theDutch) at the World Cup.”

Vlaar helped the Netherlands reachthe 2014 World Cup semi-finals,where they lost to Argentina on penal-ties before beating hosts Brazil 3-0 inthe third-place playoff. (RTRS)

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Greek players announce strike:Greek football players announced onMonday that they will go on strikeindefinitely starting next week.

The announcement from the GreekProfessional Football PlayersAssociation said that the country’s fed-eration and top two leagues failed tokeep to their agreement of two yearsago to compensate players who werelet go by financially troubled teams.

“The players have exceeded thelimits of tolerance and patience andare tired of hearing promises,” a play-ers’ statement said.

The association said the strikeaction will begin with the third roundGreek Cup matches of Dec 15-17 andcontinue with Super League and sec-ond division matches of Dec 19-21.

“We have no other way to preserveour professional, economic, athleticand material existence. We ask noth-ing more than to activate the reliefmechanism that was agreed upon. Wedo not want anything more than whatwe are entitled to,” added the players.(AFP)

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Stielike ‘tips hat’ to players:South Korea’s national football coachUli Stielike pronounced himself satis-fied Tuesday with his first full year inthe job, crediting his players with arrest-ing a long slide in the team’s fortunes.

South Korea reached the final of theAsian Cup in 2015 and have won allsix of their second-round World Cupqualifiers, scoring 23 goals and con-ceding none. “If I had to sum up theyear in one word, it’d be satisfaction,”the former German international told ayear-end press conference in Seoul.

“Looking back on the year, I thinkwe met our expectations. And I amalso grateful for the players’ efforts. Itip my hat to them for everything theydid this year,” he said.

Stielike — who played 42 timesfor West Germany — has a contracttaking him through to the 2018 WorldCup in Russia.

He was appointed in Septemberlast year following the resignation ofHong Myung-Bo, who stepped downafter South Korea’s disappointinggroup-stage exit at the World Cup inBrazil. (AFP)

Bailey, Cowboys sink RedskinsDallas ends Washington’s 5-game home winning streak

WASHINGTON, Dec 8,(RTRS): Cowboys quarter-back Matt Cassel and widereceiver Dez Bryant bothdescribed Dallas’ dramaticwin over the WashingtonRedskins on Monday usingthe word “crazy.”

They might as well have been talk-ing about the NFC East race.

Dan Bailey kicked a 54-yard fieldgoal with nine seconds left to cap afurious final two minutes that alsoincluded a touchdown by each team,and the Cowboys defeated theWashington Redskins 19-16.

Following a weekend when littlewent as predicted, the Cowboys (4-8)now find themselves one-game behindthe 5-7 Redskins, New York Giants andPhiladelphia Eagles.

“It’s a crazy game, man. This is acrazy game. We battled and we got theW,” said Bryant, later adding, “We’vegot everything to win and everything tolose. It’s right there.”

With the score tied at 16-16, theCowboys’ Lucky Whitehead returned akickoff 45 yards to the Dallas 43 with37 seconds left. Two completions fromCassel to Bryant picked up 20 yards.

Two incompletions followed, butBailey’s kick was good with a fewyards to spare.

“That was one of crazier games I’veever been a part of,” Cassel said.

“The emotional roller coaster thatyou go through is pretty intense, but Ithought that the way our team fin-ished and the resilience we showed, itsays a lot about the character of thisteam.”

Washington, who saw their five-game home winning streak end, tiedthe score at 16-16 on a 28-yard passfrom quarterback Kirk Cousins to widereceiver DeSean Jackson with 44 sec-onds left, but that left enough time forDallas to hit back.

“The margin for error in this leagueis so small,” Cousins said. “You knowif you leave any time on the clock ...anything can happen.”

Jackson’s fumble on a punt return —he caught the ball on the Redskins 16and ultimately back-tracked inside the5-yard line before fumbling — gavethe Cowboys a first down on theWashington 15 with 1:26 on the clock.

Two plays later, running back DarrenMcFadden scored from six yards out,and Dallas led 16-9.

“It’s DeSean, and he has a history ofmaking big plays in key situations,”said Redskins coach Jay Gruden, whobegan using Jackson on punt returns incertain situations last week.

“I don’t regret that decision one bit.”Washington’s Rashad Ross returned

the ensuing kickoff 41 yards, and afacemask penalty moved the ball to theDallas 43-yard line. Four plays later,Jackson scored to tie the game.

“A number of different situationswhere there’s an escape hatch to say,‘Ah, boy, we gave a great effort, butmaybe it’s their night,’” Cowboyscoach JasonGarrett said. “Butour guys refused togive in. They keptbattling.”

Cassel finished16-for-29 for 222yards. Bryantcaught three pass-es, all in the fourthquarter, for 62yards.

In the secondquarter, Bryant was seen expressing hisfrustration on the sideline after Casselthrew an incompletion toward anotherreceiver from the Washington 15 asBryant broke toward the end zone.

Cousins completed 22 of 31 passesfor 219 and a touchdown.

Jackson caught six balls for 80 yards.In a battle of field goals, the teams

‘Manziel to reclaim starting role’

4-game ban for Ravens’ Boyle LOS ANGELES, Dec 8, (Agencies):Baltimore Ravens tight end Nick Boylehas been banned for the final four gamesof the NFL season after violating theleague’s policy on performance enhanc-ing substances, it was announced onMonday.

A league statement said Boyle’s sus-pension would be effective immediately.He will be eligible to play again afterBaltimore’s final regular season gameagainst Cincinnati, but with the Ravens 4-8 and third in the AFC North, his seasonis effectively over.

The statement did not disclose detailsof the positive test which led to Boyle’ssuspension.

Ravens coach John Harbaugh saidMonday however the substance involved

“wasn’t steroids or anything like that”adding that he believed Boyle had ingest-ed it unwittingly.

“I don’t think herealized it wassomething heshouldn’t be doing,”Harbaugh told theBaltimore Sun.

“If he did, he justdidn’t think itthrough. That’s howI feel, and he wastelling me how stu-pid it was. I agreed.It’s pretty dumb.Hopefully, he’ll

learn from it.”Boyle, 22, has 18 catches for 153 yards

in 11 games this season.❑ ❑ ❑

Johnny Manziel will regain the start-ing quarterback role for the strugglingCleveland Browns in this Sunday’sgame against the San Francisco 49ers,according to a report on nfl.com.

Coach Mike Pettine said at hisMonday press conference that he was notprepared to name his starting quarter-back, but NFL Media Insider IanRapoport, citing a sourced informed ofthe decision, said Manziel would beunder center for the game.

Manziel

Bailey

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