Global Voices » Sport

Namibia: 2012 Chess King of Namibia

Ndesanjo Macha — Thu, 17 May 2012 09:51:49 +0000

Namibia has a news King of chess: “Candidate Master Charles Eichab won the National Chess Championship 2012. The 9 round National Chess Championship came to a close today, 4 May 2012 and Charles Eichab took the honors with an almost perfect score of 8.5/9 He only conceded 1 draw against Fide Master Leonhard Mueller who came 2nd also with 8.5/9.”

Russia: NHL Stars Return to 2012 World Hockey Championship

Donna Welles — Thu, 17 May 2012 01:31:46 +0000

Undefeated after seven games, and boasting an All-Star lineup of Evgeni Malkin, Pavel Datsyuk, Alexander Semin, and Alexander Ovechkin, the Russian national team will face Norway in the quarterfinal round of the 2012 World Ice Hockey Championship, tomorrow on May 17.

The 2012 World Ice Hockey Championship is being held in Stockholm and Helsinki. Both cities hosted tournaments during the preliminary round, where eight teams competed for the four slots advancing to the single-elimination quarterfinals. Helsinki's group consisted of: Belarus, Canada, Finland, France, Kazakhstan, Slovakia, Switzerland, and the U.S., while Stockholm's had: the Czech Republic, Denmark, Germany, Italy, Latvia, Norway, Russia, and Sweden.

Russia started the tournament on Saturday, May 5, with a 5-2 victory over Latvia, before going on to beat Norway 4-2 on Sunday, Germany 2-0 on Tuesday, and Denmark 3-1 on Thursday.

Russia's Emotional 7-3 Victory Over Sweden

Dmitry Mikhaylov announced in his bilinguial blog how the Russian team came from behind to beat the host country on Friday, May 11.

STOCKHOLM – In a highly anticipated match-up, Russia and Sweden met tonight at the Globe Arena in an emotional battle of undefeated teams at the 2012 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship. Down 3-1, Russia scored six unanswered goals to win 7-3.

In response to this highly emotional victory, both the mainstream and citizen media outlets of the Russian Internet devoted dramatically increased coverage to the tournament.

Bloggers Respond to Russia's 2-0 Victory Over the Czech Republic

Planet's Sporting World discussed [ru] how, although Russia scored after only 24 seconds of play, the Czech Republic dominated much of the game, but could not capitalize. NHL Pittsburgh Penguins player Evgeni Malkin scored for Russia in the third period, before he and two of his teammates — Pavel Datsyuk and Milan Mikhalek — were charged with minor penalties.

As is often the case when mainstream outlets build attention on an event, many Russian bloggers quoted their reportage, as a way of spreading popular analyses. Ruslan's News reposted [ru] a quote from Evgeni Malkin, taken from a Vesti article:

Тяжело всё выполнить. Но, конечно, здорово сыграли. И в обороне пять минут выстояли в третьем периоде. Это, наверное, дало всплеск эмоций, и после этого мы забили быстрый гол.

It's difficult to accomplish everything. But, of course, we played great. And our defense held out for five minutes in the third period. This, probably, generated a lot of emotion, and afterwards we scored a quick goal.

News Spreads of the Return of Alexander Ovechkin & Alexander Semin

Similarly, news of the return of Alexander Ovechkin and Alexander Semin from the NHL, following the Washington Capitals' 2-1 loss to the New York Rangers, spread rapidly in both mainstream and citizen media outlets. (Evgeni Malkin's Pittsburgh Penguins and Pavel Datsyuk's Detriot Red Wings were eliminated even earlier, in the previous round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.)

Alexander Semin scores the first goal in the World Ice Hockey Championship final, 18 May 2008, photo by Alexey Chernyadyev, CC BY-SA 3.0; Wikimedia Commons.

Most bloggers framed the story as a homecoming for Ovechkin and Semin, while some Twitter users indicated their familiarity with mainstream journalism, such as Sport.rbc and Lenta.ru.

Lisbeth Armel:

Прочитала, что овечкин любит хип-хоп и r'n'b. представила. 5 минут сидела с фейспалмом.

I read that Ovechkin likes Hip Hop and R&B. I sat down and thought about it. For five minutes I just facepalmed.

Sanya Belovka:

Овечкина и Семина Ждем с нетерпением….В россии….2-1 Вашингтон домои)!!!А Овечкин В ШВЕЦИЮ!!!!

We're anxiously waiting for Ovechkin and Semin….[to be] in Russia [again]…..[He lost] 2-1 to Washington, and now he's homeward-bound.) !!! But [it turns out] Ovechkin is headed for Sweden!!!!

Ilgiz Taipov:

Приезд Овечкина и Семина по разному комментируют, кто то вспоминает его прошлогоднюю игру за сборную, и пишут типа зачем он нужен и т.п.. Надо уметь использовать потенциал этого игрока, а мы то знаем что он может играть, что потенциал у него огромный. Семин тоже хороший игрок, то что с Вашингтонгом Кэпиталз случилось это чисто тренерский просчет.

People are saying different things about the arrival of Ovechkin and Semin. Some recall how [Ovechkin] played [poorly] for last year's national team, and wonder why we need him, etcetera. We have to be able to use this player's potential, and we know that he can play — that he has enormous potential. Semin is also a good player, and what happened with the Washington Capitals was purely an issue with the coach.

Ukraine: Yulia Tymoshenko's Plight and Euro 2012

Veronica Khokhlova — Thu, 17 May 2012 01:12:02 +0000

There must be some corners on the web (e.g., here and here) where football fans are still having apolitical discussions of the 2012 UEFA European Football Championship, scheduled to take place in Poland and Ukraine from June 8 to July 1. For the past few weeks, however, the upcoming sporting event has featured prominently in arguments and discussions among those who seem more interested in the Ukrainian and European politics than sports.

Earlier this month, several European politicians, including the EU Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso and German Chancellor Angela Merkel, announced their plans to boycott Euro 2012 in protest against the imprisonment of ex-PM Yulia Tymoshenko. However, there is no consensus among the EU officials yet on whether “to call a political boycott of the Ukraine half of the Euro 2012 football championships.”

Tymoshenko's arrest came on August 5, 2011, a little over a month after the beginning of her first trial on June 24. She was kept at Kyiv's Lukyanivska Prison (GV texts about this facility are here and here) until December 30, when she was transferred to the Kachanivska Penal Colony in Kharkiv to serve a seven-year sentence for exceeding her powers as Prime Minister. Reports of Tymoshenko's health problems and her 20-day hunger strike have dominated the recent coverage of her case. On April 19, another trial of Tymoshenko began in Kharkiv, but she refused to attend it. The hearing of this second case, in which Tymoshenko is charged with evading taxes in the 1990s, has been postponed until late May.

While the preparation for the tournament in Ukraine was marred by a number of other controversies (e.g., the cruel treatment of stray animals; accusations of hotel price gouging; and, of all things, the threat posed by the “beautiful Ukrainian women”), this latest international scandal seems to have done the most harm to Ukraine's image so far.

On May 3, the Economist asked readers in an online poll if they supported the calls to boycott the games held in Ukraine:

The apparently brutal treatment of Yulia Tymoshenko, an imprisoned Ukrainian opposition leader, has led to calls for European leaders to stay away from Ukrainian matches in the upcoming Euro 2012 football tournament, which the country is hosting jointly with Poland.

The Economist agrees with these calls. Do you?

Of the 1,834 votes cast so far, 68 percent are in favor of the boycott and 32 percent are against it.

Odessablogger - who believes that “the football is the wrong stick to hit Ukraine with given the need for EU personalities to interact directly with the Ukrainian people” - recounted some of the examples of sports and politics “colliding” in the past, and quoted from the April 28 Der Spiegel interview [en] with boxer and politician Vitali Klitschko, who opposes the boycott of Euro 2012:

“[…] This tournament is the biggest sporting event in the history of Ukraine. It has to happen. It is even an excellent opportunity to draw the world’s attention to the maladministration in our country. […]”

Odessablogger also noted Yulia Tymoshenko's stance on the boycott:

[…] In case you are wondering, the current position taken by Ms Tymoshenko herself over the matter, is that there should not be a boycott because of her, and that the Ukrainian people should see the EU leaders in Ukraine as it will encourage them to look to the EU rather than think they have been written off. […]

Marek Siwiec, a Polish politician and Member of the European Parliament, explained on his BlogActiv.eu blog why he did not support the boycott:

[…] In Poland we need to understand (and I repeated it many times) that the football championship for Ukrainians is a national question – a source of pride, regardless of political views. Ukrainians deserve to have this tournament in their country in an atmosphere of festivity, in spite of all. […]

[…] Besides, as a whole political class, just as we act together in defence of Yulia Tymoshenko, in this case we should separate sport from politics. If there was somebody in Poland who would like to take this opportunity to rob something from Ukrainians, I warn – the political costs in the mutual relations will be long lasting and serious. […]

Jonathan Hibberd of Chicken in Kiev wrote about Germany's stance on Euro 2012 in Ukraine:

Merkel boycotts Ukraine? Business as usual.

Germany has been boycotting Ukraine's interests for some time. […]

[…] Germany should in fact, albeit indirectly, accept some responsibility for what has happened here since 2010. As one leading commentator said a couple of years back, it would have meant an awful lot if Chancellor Merkel had come to Kiev and made a speech in support of Ukraine's European ambitions. Don't forget how narrowly Tymoshenko lost the Presidential election. German endorsement of a European and Euro-Atlantic choice for Ukraine might well have been enough to swing the election for her, but instead it was held against a background of resignation, that Europe didn't want Ukraine and rapprochement with Russia was paramount. Merkel was not there for her then. […]

At OpenDemocracy.net, Valery Kalnysh, deputy editor of the Kommersant Ukraina newspaper, shared this possible explanation for the German leader's position:

[…] But why, on the other hand, is Germany so active in taking up the cudgels against Ukraine? During the course of a conversation, a German journalist commented ‘It’s quite easy for Merkel to attack Ukraine and demand respect for human rights. Unlike Russia, you have no oil or gas and you’re not as strong and influential as China. It’s convenient to criticise Ukraine and it does great things for [her] popularity rating.’ […]

LEvko of Foreign Notes explained “why Ukraine's Euro 2012 [would] not be as big a success as hoped”:

[…] In previous tournaments, in my experience, many fans have made an extended holiday of their visits to countries hosting such events; days between matches being spent on the beach, sightseeing, etc. etc. In countries such as Austria/Switzerland or Portugal, where tourism is highly developed, this was an attractive proposition..but, no disrespect intended…Kharkiv? Dontesk?

Europe is currently in the deepest economic crisis since WW2. There is little cash around..not enough to pay the Ukraine's rip-off hotel prices.

Then there's the Olympic games in London later in the year - an attractive draw for sports fans.

[…] But the tsunami of bad press in Europe's mass media over the Tymoshenko affair will be the final turn-off. Fans will rather stay at home, or, at best, fly in and out for matches, just like they do for European club matches.. […]

Olga Mrinska of Regional Accents reflected [uk] on the Euro 2012 boycott scandal in the context of the general social and political situation in Ukraine:

[…] The repressive race aimed at the opposition leaders has reached its apogee in the past year, and domestic politics has become the center of attention of world leaders. […] Today's Ukraine is, above all, associated with the jailed opposition, lack of freedom of speech, kleptomaniac and lying officials. Our president must have naively (???) believed that [it's possible to endlessly mislead these “spineless” European leaders and feed them with “mañana” [empty promises] at any mention of the democratic reforms - the leaders who live in ordinary houses in the city center (Germany), ride bicycles (the Netherlands), fly regular commercial flights (Finland) and have incomparably fewer guards that he does (choose any EU country).] And when these Europeans have finally stood up […], [the Ukrainian leaders began talking] of the Cold War era and bias. In my opinion, this is a lousy excuse…

The problem isn't with the Europeans, but with the Ukrainians - the voters who have brought to power people without the intellect, without a strategic vision and without the belief in the better future for the country and its people. The problem is with the so-called elite that, just like those hotel owners, lives only in the present, without giving any thought to the future.

Despite the avalanche of negative information about Ukraine in the world media, justified in most cases, we still have a chance to [show Ukraine in a positive light] to those football fans who would attend the Euro. Out people are the last frontier and the last hope. The end result and the final assessment of the event depends on their open-mindedness, decency and hospitality. […]

Finally, a few words about the aspect of Euro 2012 that has gone largely unnoticed - [the view that the Ukrainians themselves have of the event]. Five years ago, we were promised an ocean of private investments, a new and shining infrastructure that would serve host cities for decades, an influx of tourists and billions for the economy. Instead, residents of Kyiv and other cities have experienced mainly negative consequences - destruction of parks, totally dug-up cities, closed streets, altered public transportation routes, […], growing prices, etc. […]

Macedonia: Blogging in Estonian about Skopje Marathon/Half-Marathon

Filip Stojanovski — Tue, 15 May 2012 22:35:30 +0000

Sandra Jürs blogged in Estonian about her participation in the Skopje Marathon/Half-Marathon [mk, en] on May 6, 2012.

India: Cricket Or Wife

Rezwan — Tue, 15 May 2012 07:38:46 +0000

Jaspreet discusses how some Indian men have to balance between their love for cricket and obviously for their wife.

Costa Rica: The Circus that Saves Children's Lives

Juliana Rincón Parra — Tue, 15 May 2012 01:39:27 +0000

To the south of Costa Rica lies the town of Perez Zeledon, home to the Fantazztico Circus that is giving children and youth in the region a chance to stay out of drugs and trouble while opening doors to international travel.

In a video documentary, the story of this 12 year old project by the New Life Asociation (Asociacion Vida Nueva) takes shape. In an interview, a mother explains how young people are left to their own devices, and they end up getting in trouble or addicted to drugs due to lack of opportunities to study or work. The circus gives them a chance to learn skills, discipline and become part of a group where they become valued. It is also the story of Josue, who drifted away from the circus, and almost died from a drug overdose. As he says, he returned to the circus where he knew he'd find the support to go on, and now he tries to steer clear from peer pressure.

The Circo Fantazztico has had the opportunity to travel overseas to Europe, presenting their show and work to audiences while also discovering new cultures and places.

The Sula Batsú Cooperative of Costa Rica which works in training and skill building for cooperatives and other non-government organizations shared through their facebook page a link to the promotional video with the comment:

El viernes pasado nos visitó la agrupación Circo FantazzTico, en este proyecto social se usa la pedagogía circense como medio del trabajo preventivo con niños, niñas y jóvenes en riesgo social. La idea del proyecto es crear un lugar seguro para los niños, niñas y jóvenes que están en una situación social difícil, y que puedan aprender habilidades corporales al igual que adquirir competencias sociales…

Last Friday the Fantazztic Circus group visited us, this social project uses the circus training as a means to do preventive work with children and youth in social risk. The project's idea is to create a safe place so that boys, girls and young people in difficult social situations can learn physical movement skills while they learn social skills…

The Circus is also well received nationally: the following video shows their presentation in the National Stadium of Costa Rica in the capital city of San Jose, to an audience of 10 000 people. The presentation included aerobatics of people twisting on ropes, fabric and tumbling as well as floor exercises and pyramids.

Greece: Olympic Flame Lit in Ancient Olympia

Veroniki Krikoni — Thu, 10 May 2012 17:57:58 +0000

Following the traditional ceremony, the Olympic flame was lit at the Hera Temple of Ancient Olympia. The high-priestess, Ino Menegaki, delivered the flame to the first runner, world champion Greek swimmer Spyros Giannotis. The Flame will travel to London for the 2012 Summer Olympic Games.

Panama: Baseball Fans React to Mariano Rivera's Injury

Rebecca Knaggs — Tue, 08 May 2012 14:03:42 +0000

Mariano Rivera entered his name amongst the greatest baseball professionals when he broke the the saves record in major league baseball [es] last year. The Panamanian pitcher achieved 602 saves last year, breaking the record of 601. (In baseball, when the pitcher enters into the eighth or ninth inning with the advantage of three runs or less and if he succeeds in maintaining the advantage, it is known as a 'safe'.)

Mariano remains part of one of the most important teams in the world of baseball: the New York Yankees. On May 3, from their Twitter account, the Yankees (@Yankees) sounded the alarm over the veteran pitcher's possible injury:

BREAKING: Yankees closer Mariano Rivera injured during batting practice tonight in Kansas City. More details to come.

Mariano Rivera, image courtesy Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0)

The Yankees would later confirm that he was being treated for a serious injury, crossed ligaments [es], and that it was very possible that it would be the end of the season for Mariano, or perhaps, taking into account the age of the pitcher, 42, the end of his career.

Reactions came quickly and soon Mariano Rivera became a worldwide Trending Topic. The hashtag #MarianoRivera was created, where the majority of the people showed the appreciation that they felt for the pitcher.

Even those that don't support the New York Yankees showed their appreciation and respect for the pitcher. For example, Randy Savage (@ltzrandysavage), who admits to hating the Yankees, wishes Mariano a speedy recovery.

To be honest. As one of the biggest Yankees haters, this is one of the worst things to happen in baseball. #MarianoRivera #GetWellSoon

Sara Hamling (@shamlingdesign) voiced a similar opinion:

I hate the Yankees but I respect Mariano Rivera a lot and it's incredibly sad if this is how his fantastic career ends.

Ryan Kellog g (@Ry_Kellog) considers it a show of Rivera's grandeur that his injury had become a worldwide trend:

You know you're an impact player when you get hurt and you trend worldwide on twitter#marianorivera

However, for Panamanians, feelings towards Mariano are mixed. On one hand, there are those that admire him and thank him for holding Panama's name on high, and then there are those that haven't forgiven him for not agreeing to wear the Panama t-shirt for the Baseball World Classic. The pitcher argued that he was being careful with regards to his injuries, but for many Panamanians, it was a show of arrogance and deplorable disdain. José Barria (@JoseBarria_) [es] writes:

Lamento mucho la lesión de Mariano Rivera. También lamento mucho que nunca haya querido jugar por Panamá en un Clásico Mundial.

I'm very sorry for Mariano Rivera's injury. I'm also very sorry that he never wanted to play on behalf of Panama in the World Classic.

Others even think that his injury was a product of karma, like Itzel Chavez (@itzelch_07) [es]:

No se desea mal ajeno pero hasta la arrogancia la castiga el karma #marianorivera

I don't wish evil upon anybody, but even arrogance is punishable by karma.#marianorivera

Dennis Allen (@Dennis27Allen) [es], on the other hand, is surprised by the love and solidarity that U.S. fanatics have shown to the Panamanian, even when his homeland he isn't so loved:

cha la gente en Panamá odia a Mariano Rivera, y ahora que el man se lesiono te das cuenta como los gringos lo AMAN..

So, the people in Panama hate Mariano Rivera, and now that man has hurt himself, you realize how the yankees LOVE him…

Others such as Eduardo Reyes (@Eduardo_1691) [es] haven't lost hope that the Panamanian will recover and finish his career pitching and representing Panama:

Pienso que mariano rivera tiene que retirarse en el clasico mundial usando la camiseta de panamá

I think Mariano Rivera has to retire from the world classic with a Panama t-shirt.

Despite the differences in point of view, the Panamanian pitcher's injury has caused chaos in the world of baseball. Many people, like Alexander Da Silva (@Adasilva507) [es], refuse to believe that this could be the end of Mariano Rivera:

Me rehuso a pensar que la carrera del panameño Mariano Rivera terminara de esta forma…

I refuse to believe that the career of Panamanian Mariano Rivera will end this way…

Chile: The Bigger Picture in a Plan to Make Stadiums Safe

Silvia Viñas — Tue, 08 May 2012 13:41:38 +0000

Diego Sazo in Ballotage [es] looks at the government's plan to make football stadiums in Chile safe. He argues that the plan tackles harmless expressions that are typical in Chilean football games (like bringing a bass drum to the stadium), and that the government should instead focus on root causes of violence, like a lack of opportunities, high inequality, and the limitations in the ‘Law on Violence in Stadiums.'

Nigeria: R.I.P. Rashidi Yekini – African Football Legend

Richard Wanjohi — Tue, 08 May 2012 08:43:01 +0000

Towards the end of last week, Africa lost one of its biggest scoring heroes in football - Rashidi Yekini. After playing for several clubs and representing Nigeria in both the Africa Cup of Nations and the World Cup, he retired into oblivion and unknown to the world he suffered mental illness to his death.

Optimum Sports, in a very detailed post titled “Rashidi Yekini 1963-2012″ said:

He scored Nigeria's first ever goal at the World Cup, against Bulgaria at USA ‘94, and led the way as they won the Africa Cup of Nations in the same year. “Yekini's fantastic skills and talent were evident to the world”Issa Hayatou - CAF President

Rashidi Yekini - Nigeria's soccer legend. Photo source goal.com.

They went on to add:

He is Nigeria's top international scorer, with 37 goals from 58 games. He was also a prolific goal-scorer in club football - seeing huge success with Shooting Stars in Nigeria, Ivory Coast’ s Africa Sport and Vitoria Setubal in Portugal, amongst others

Naija-Things wrote a brief post dedicated to Nigeria’s scoring machine:

Another Naija Hero had just fallen on Friday 4th May, 2012. Rashidi Yekini eventually passed away after suffering from a mental illness for two years now

The North Bank Evening Standard from the Gambia also shared highlights of his career:

Yekini scored nearly 40 goals as a Nigerian international, and represented the nation in five major tournaments, including 2 World Cups, where he scored the country’s first-ever goal in the competition. He was also named the African Footballer of the Year once

YouTube video below: Rashidi Yekini scoring Nigeria's first ever goal at the World Cup:

Maxibeats compiled statements from former playing colleagues:

Super Eagle ex-goal keeper Ike Shorunmu also confirmed to Saturday Tribune saying ‘It’s so sad but the truth of the matter is that our dear Rashidi Yekini is dead, Shorunmu lamented. ‘He died in a private hospital in Ibadan. ‘The woman who had a daughter for Yekini told me this sad news and told me that he would be buried today in Ira, Kwara State’, said Shorunmu.

Gist Only wrote a rather controversial headline “Late Rashidi Yekini’s Wife blames the Media for his Death”:

A former wife of Rashidi Yekini, Adeola says the Late Super Eagles star would have lived longer if the media had left him in peace.The Osogbo-based mother of Yekini’s second daughter, Mariam says the media poked into his personal life all the time and abused his modesty”
The African football game has indeed lost of its most illustrious footballers. Nigeria which has lately been through rough times for its international games has lost a great role model who will forever live in our memories for his tenacious play on the pitch.

Tunde wrote about the “untold story of Rashidi Yekini's last days”:

Accounts from neighbours and associates paint a picture of a man who struggled with serious mental and delusional disorder after losing life savings to a bungled investment.

One neighbour spoke of his losing life savings to a sham investment, and another recalled seeing him frequently around women selling Bóle (roasted plantain); and on two occasions he answered nature’s call by a roadside in Ibadan where he lived away his final days.

Then, a former teammate conjectured how a disheartening jeering from fans during a crucial match that turned out his last international showing, haunted him to a bitter end.

Those who met Rashidi Yekini within the last one year say at least one of those episodes played a role in his unexpected death last week.

African football has indeed lost one of its most illustrious footballers. Nigeria, which has lately been through rough times from poor performance in international soccer, has lost a great role model who will forever live in our memories for his tenacious play on the pitch.

Trinidad & Tobago: Getting Wired with Online News

Matthew Hunte — Fri, 04 May 2012 11:14:59 +0000

Lasana Liburd is a veteran journalist, currently based in Trinidad & Tobago, who has worked for the Trinidad Guardian and Trinidad Express newspapers and has contributed to the BBC, Daily Telegraph, Guardian (UK), Voice (UK), Caribbean Beat magazine and several others. In January 2012, Liburd launched Wired868, an online newspaper, which for the time being specializes in football coverage in addition to some news analysis/opinion. In this post, he speaks to Global Voices about this exciting project and the impact of new technology on journalism.

Journalist Lasana Liburd

Global Voices (GV): What exactly is Wired 868?

Lasana Liburd (LL): Wired868 is a smart and fully online newspaper that specializes, at the moment, in football news and features but also provides thoughtful blogs and a satirical news round-up. I say 'smart' because Wired868 distinguishes itself by the way it handles and articulates issues rather than by the topics it writes about. We plan to expand soon into other areas and we will cover them with the same professional, comprehensive, honest and sometimes fun way that we deal with sporting issues.

GV: What was the impetus for starting Wired868?

LL: We believe there is a blind spot in the local information industry and we are here to fill that void. I have been a member of the traditional old media for a long time and have 15 years experience between the Trinidad Express and Guardian Newspapers as well as several British newspapers like the UK Guardian, Telegraph and Voice. The local press has generally done a good job of keeping the nation informed in an unbiased manner and continues to do so.

However, I believe that two particular areas could be improved upon. Wired868 tries to better utilize the power of the Internet in getting news to its readers in a quicker and more efficient manner; so you don’t have to wait for the Sunday paper to discover what happened on Friday night. Also, I think issues are often presented in a superficial and reactionary manner in the old media. John says ‘X’ on Monday but Jeremy insists it is ‘Y’ on Tuesday and this goes on as readers feel increasingly confused rather than informed.

Wired868 tries to get deeper into the respective issues and often we are ahead of the story because we are shining a light into cosy but questionable set-ups that operate outside the media’s gaze. I felt the local public would appreciate if someone could deliver those two main things and I think Wired868 is already showing that it is up to the job.

GV: How was the process of starting up (particularly in terms of building the infrastructure and the user base)?

LL: Wired868 has been in operation for roughly three months and has attracted 1.8 million hits based on a fairly gentle and free drive on Facebook and Twitter. Although we have a clear vision of where we want to go, there are always some limitations that a start-up company faces and patience is a virtue.
We have used our first three months as a testing period and are now upgrading the site to better serve our readers.

It would be easier if we had a few million dollars to immediately grab everyone’s attention but money does not guarantee success and the essence of Wired868, in any case, is be solution-oriented and clever. So, we have to live what we preach and find our own answers.

GV: In what ways has the project evolved since its launching?

LL: The Good Morning Neighbour or G’Mornin’ section is an addition to the site that informs readers with short, funny pieces. Each brief offers a satirical and fresh perspective on a news item carried in the mainstream media and we link to the relevant newspaper too. This section makes the news a bit easier to digest for many young readers who don’t have the same attachment to the old media but it is also a hit with older readers who enjoy having a refreshing, honest view of local affairs. The site responds to its users and there has not been any need for radical change yet but we do plan to grow and introduce new things.

GV: What future plans/projects do you have in mind (that you can reveal of course)?

LL: For the Spanish football league derby between Barcelona and Real Madrid, David Nakhid and Terry Fenwick blogged on the importance of the match as well as on the eventual outcome. Nakhid is, of course, Trinidad and Tobago’s first international footballer to play in Europe and a former Caribbean Footballer of the Year and national captain, while Fenwick is a former England World Cup player and coached professionally in England and Trinidad.

We since had W Connection coach Stuart Charles-Fevrier also share his insight on local football and we aim to continue to give a voice to experts in various fields for the benefit of our readers. We also plan to expand into other areas like Community News and to make structural additions.

GV: What sort of business model have you adopted?

LL: Wired868 uses the free business model. That is, we give our content away to consumers and ask for nothing but their time and interaction with the site. However, we intend to sell advertising space to companies that wish to make their products and services visible to our professional audience and who identify with our fresh, clever and solution-oriented vision.

Trinidad and Tobago is a small country that has punched above its weight on the global scale due to our talent, flair and personality; Wired868 has those traits too in abundance and we expect to be successful here as a result.

GV: What local/regional online sites do you see serving the same niche as Wire868?

LL: There are other sites that offer valuable information, but none that shares both our analytic approach and our use of the Internet. For this reason, I anticipated that it would take some time before the local public understood our vision. Thus far, the results have been quite encouraging though.

GV: Do you have any thoughts about any past/current online projects (e.g. TNT Times)? Any lessons learnt?

LL: TNT Times maybe overshot the market. I was in charge of the editorial side of that paper and we created a great team with writers like Cedriann Martin, Fazeer Mohammed and Erline Andrews. I think the content was really good. After three months, we had a PAHO award and tens of thousands of visitors. We were all very sad that the finances were not there to keep it going but I think, on the business side of things, too much was expected too soon.

With Wired868, I am in control of the corporate vision; there has been a lot of preparation work. The TNT Times launched with some strong financial backing from its owner and that isn’t here now. But an infinitely smaller budget just encourages Wired868 to be smarter and this isn’t necessarily a bad thing.

Also, the Internet penetration in Trinidad and Tobago stood at 18% when the TNT Times kicked off but it is closer to 50% now. So I expect that our experience, as well as the improved conditions for online projects, will make the difference.

GV: What are the general observations you have about Internet usage in T&T (available data shows T&T with a usage rate of 48.5%; Barbados is at 70.2% and Antigua & Barbuda at 80%)?

LL: Internet usage has shot up over the last three years in Trinidad and Tobago and should go higher still as confidence returns to the economy. More people all over the world are getting their news online and the Caribbean is ripe for the same media evolution.

There is a difference too, between dumping a couple dozen stories on the Internet at 11 pm every night and being a true online newspaper. The best qualities of the Internet are speed, networking and responsiveness and, over the coming weeks, months and years, Wired868 intends to stake its claim as worthy guardians of the power of the new media.

The image used in this post is courtesy Lasana Liburd.

Barbados: Racial Slurs for Winning Goal

Matthew Hunte — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 12:16:24 +0000

Joel Ward, an Afro-Canadian ice hockey player for the Washington Capitals, who is of Barbadian parentage, was subjected to racial slurs on Twitter after he scored the winning goal in overtime of the decisive seventh game against the defending champion Boston Bruins in the National Hockey League playoffs.

Sénégal: a Highly Anticipated Wrestling Match between Eumeu Sène and Balla Gaye 2

Andrew Kowalczuk — Sat, 28 Apr 2012 14:28:25 +0000

123Dakar writes [fr] about the upcoming match between two of the biggest stars of Senegalese wrestling: “The fans have been waiting for this eagerly, the competitors have to define their position and their status in the complex and surprising world of wrestling, this great match-up, which will crown either Eumeu Sène or Balla Gaye 2 as the true new King of the Arena, could cost them an arm and a leg…”

Italy: Tragic Death of Piermario Morosini Shocks the Soccer World

Sara Gold — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 16:30:11 +0000

Since April 14, 2012, the Italian radio stations, Twitter, Facebook, as well as blogs from across the world have all been discussing the sudden, on-field death of Piermario Morosini, a 25-year-old soccer player, while playing for Livorno, a Serie B team of the Italian football league system.

The site seneweb.com explains [fr] how this tragic event unfolded:

Piermario Morosini, joueur de Livourne, est mort samedi [14 avril]. Durant la rencontre de Serie B entre Pescara et Livourne, le milieu de terrain s'est écroulé sur le terrain à la 31e minute de jeu, victime d'un arrêt cardiaque. Les secours se sont pressés autour de lui et ont tenté de le ranimer en lui prodiguant de nombreux massages cardiaques avec un défibrillateur. Mais rien n'y a fait, le footballeur âgé de 25 ans a succombé. Il est arrivé mort à l'hôpital.

Piermario Morosini, a player for Livorno, died on Saturday, April 14. During the Serie B match between Pescara and Livorno, in the 31st minute of the game, Morosini collapsed on the pitch, the victim of cardiac arrest. Medics rushed onto the field and attempted to resuscitate him. Despite their best efforts, the 25-year-old footballer succumbed. He was dead on arrival at the hospital.

"Rest in peace, Piermario Morosini " by @RealEsparta on Twitter

Over the course of his brief life, Piermario Morosini suffered many hardships. The site meltybuzz.fr remembers [fr]:

avait évolué dans plusieurs clubs de Série B (Bologne, Vicenza, Reggina, Padoue et Livourne). Mais il avait surtout vécu plusieurs drames personnels. Il avait ainsi perdu sa mère à l’âge de 15 ans. Son père est décédé deux ans plus tard tandis que son frère mourrait également quelques temps après.

He played for many Serie B teams (Bologna, Vicenza, Reggina, Padova, and Livorno). However, during this period he also experienced several personal tragedies. He had lost his mother at the age of 15. Two years later, his father passed away. Shortly thereafter, his brother also died.

Cameroun24.net compares [fr] this tragedy to that of the soccer player from Cameroon's national team, Marc–Vivien Foé, who died in 2003 during an official match of the FIFA Confederations Cup:

Cet après-midi du Samedi 14 Avril 2012, les Italiens ont vécu le remake du drame Camerounais du 23 Juin 2003 à Gerland où Marc –vivien Foé s’écroulait en plein match et décédait des instants après de suite d’arrêt cardiaque.

This Saturday afternoon, April 14, 2012, the Italians lived through a reenactment of the Cameroonian tragedy of June 23, 2003 at Stade de Gerland (a stadium in Lyon, France, home to the Ligue 1 club, Olympique Lyonnais) where Marc-Vivien Foé collapsed in the middle of a match, went into cardiac arrest, and instantly died.

The website maroc.senego.com recalls [fr] other sudden deaths of high-profile athletes in recent years:

Les images du joueur italien nous rappellent, tristement, celles du joueur du WAC Youssef Belkhouja, décédé lors d’un match de son équipe. D’autres joueurs ont subi le même sort sur le terrain, comme l’Espagnol Antonio Puerta (FC Séville, 2008), le Hongrois Mikos Feher (Benfica Lisbonne, en 2004) ou Marc-Vivien Foé lors d’un match avec le Cameroun (2003).

The images of the Italian footballer remind us, sadly, of the Wydad Casablanca athlete, Youssef Belkhouja, who also died during a match. Other players too have suffered the same fate on the field, such as the Spanish footballer Antonio Puerta (FC Seville, 2008), the Hungarian striker Mikos Feher (S.L. Benfica, 2004), and Marc-Vivien Foé, who died during a match being played by Cameroon (2003) (editor's note: the correct name of Hungarian athlete is Miklos Feher and Antonio Puerta died in 2007).

Although all of Italy is saddened by the tragedy, compounded by Morosini's youth and personal struggles, several controversies persist. Valentin Pauluzzi writes [fr] on the site calciomio.fr:

Deux enquêtes ont été ouvertes à Pescara pour savoir si les secours se sont déroulés normalement. Première polémique, le non usage du défibrillateur malgré sa présence. … Autre trame judiciaire, le timing de l’ambulance, on sait que 6 minutes et 24 secondes sont passées entre le malaise de Morosini et le départ de l’ambulance….

Two investigations were opened in Pescara to discover whether aid was administered in the proper manner. The first question is why the medics brought the defibrillator onto the field, but did not appear to use it. …Another inquiry is focused on the timing of the ambulance, which left for the hospital six minutes and 24 seconds after Morosini's heart attack.

Matthias Bertoncelli explains this delay [fr] by pointing out that a car was blocking the ambulance's way onto the field:

La voiture en question serait un véhicule de police stationné devant l’entrée où transitent en cas de besoins les véhicules de secours et ceux des pompiers.

The car in question was a police vehicle. It was parked outside the entrance which is supposed to remain clear for the use of emergency vehicles or firemen.

While insisting that this delay did not have any impact on Morosini's death, the mayor of Pescara acknowledged [fr] that the vehicle belonged to the local police and that the officer who was driving had been suspended pending an investigation. Further fueling the controversy was the fact that Piermario Morosini's fiancee was made to identify [it] the body in the morgue. The sight of a tear-stricken Anna Vavassori, a volleyball player barely 20 years old, touched all of Italy. The autopsy has not yet revealed the cause of death. On this subject, alex54.blogspot.it writes [fr]:

L'autopsie pratiquée sur le corps de Piermario Morosini, le joueur de Livourne foudroyé samedi en plein match, n'a pas révélé la cause exacte de son décès. “Il n'y a aucun signe évident qui nous permette de déterminer les raisons de la mort de ce garçon”, a déclaré Christian D'Ovidio, un responsable des services de santé. Des examens toxicologiques devraient être menés dans les jours à venir.

The autopsy performed on the body of Piermario Morosini, the Livorno footballer struck down during a match on Saturday, did not reveal the exact cause of his death. “There were no obvious signs that would enable us to determine the cause of the boy's death,” declared Christian D'Ovidio, a medical services official. Further toxicological exams would be conducted in the days to come.

The funeral, by Sol Acik on Twitter

As a mark of respect for this tragedy, sporting events around the world observed one minute of silence. The soccer clubs that had shared the services of the unfortunate athlete also took more concrete steps. The site sport-maroc.com revealed [fr]:

Le club de Livourne a annoncé que le maillot N.25, porté par Morosini, sera retiré. Udinese, qui a prêté en janvier le joueur au club toscan, a de son côté assuré qu’il s’occupera à l’avenir de la sœur du défunt.

The Livorno club announced that jersey #25, worn by Morosini, would be retired. The Serie A Udinese club, which had loaned Morosini to the Tuscan club [Livorno], stated that they would look after Morosini's sister, Carla Maria Morosini. (Carla is severely disabled and relied on her brother for financial support).

Remi Lestang writes [fr] on the blog lestontonsdusport.fr:

Une situation qui a ému le club de l’Udinese, et plus particulièrement Antonio Di Natale. Ils ont promis de prendre soin d’elle. « Nous connaissons la situation de sa sœur et l’équipe, le club et Udinese for Life [l’association caritative du club] avons décidé de l’aider car elle est vraiment dans le besoin. …. Elle a déjà tout perdu, c’est essentiel de rester au côté de la sœur de Piermario pour le reste de sa vie. Elle a besoin de nous et nous voulons l’aider. Pour elle et pour Mario. », a déclaré le joueur.

This is a situation that moved the Udinese club, and in particular Antonio Di Natale ( captain of the Udinese team). They promised to take care of her. “We know the situation of his sister and the team, the club, and Udinese for Life [the club's charitable organization] decided to help because she is truly in need. …She has already lost so much, it is essential to stand alongside Piermario's sister for the rest of her life. She needs us, and we want to help her. For her and for Mario,” declared Di Natale.

For his part, the president of the Atalanta club, Antonio Percassi told [it] the press that he considered it his duty to take care of Carla Maria Morosini forever, as would have happened if Piermario's life had not been tragically cut short. This incident is prompting people to raise their voices and ask whether the pace to which these players are subjected, contributes to these sudden deaths. Cesare Prandelli, the manager of the Italian national soccer team, stated [it] during Piermario Morosini's funeral in Bergamo:

Di fronte a questa tragedia il calcio deve porsi degli interrogativi. Medicina sportiva e prevenzione in Italia sono all’avanguardia, ma si può migliorare’.

Faced with this tragedy, the football community must ask itself hard questions. Italy has state-of-the-art preventive sports medicine, but we must improve.

Alas, it was not the end of Morosini's ordeal. The athlete's body was transported through many cities: to Pescara, where his team was playing when he lost his life; to Chieti, where the autopsy took place; to Livorno, the city of Morosini's team in which it is estimated that more than 8000 [fr] fans paid tribute to the athlete; and finally to Bergamo, where Piermario Morosini was laid to rest.

The wake [it] took place at Livorno's Armando Picchi Stadium in the presence of a great many supporters, while the April 19 funeral in the Church of San Gregorio Barbarigo [it] was broadcast on five local and national television channels [it]: Bergamotv.it, Sky tg 24, Tgcom24, Rai Sport Eco di Bergamo. Several thousand people, from sympathizers to representatives of the governing bodies of Italian sports, gathered in the church and along the road for several hundred meters.

According to a report on the program “La vita in diretta” [it] (Live from Life) telecast on the primary Italian television station, RAI UNO, the funeral ceremony recognized the personality of “Moro,” as Morosini was affectionately known. During the homily, the priest, one of Morosini's friends, recalled a touching phrase that the athlete had liked to repeat,”Me, I have more reasons to be grateful than I do to complain”, despite all of the trials and tribulations that life had in store for him.

It has been decided by the local council that from now on, the bleachers in the south bend of the stadium in Bergamo (Stadio Atleti Azzurri d'Italia) will bear the name [it] of Piermario Morosini.

Bulgaria: May Bicycle Parade

Ruslan Trad — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 23:24:04 +0000

On May 19, the 15th annual May Bicycle Parade will gather thousands of supporters of cycling in Sofia with one clear goal - to count the cyclists and show that in Sofia there are more of them than ever. Bulgarian NGO “Bicycle revolution” is organizing the event [bg]. In 2009, more than 3,000 cyclists took part in the Parade.