Iranian Wrestler Wins Silver in Russia

Iranian freestyle wrestler Mohammad Reza Azarshakib has claimed the silver medal in the men’s 120-kilogram weight category of the 2013 Ivan Yarygin Memorial Grand Prix after being overpowered by his Russian opponent in the final bout.
Azarshakib , who had overcome his Russian rivals in his march to the last contest, lost to Magomedgadzhi Nurasulov from Russia and finished second, Press TV wrote.
In the 96-kilogram weight class, Hamed Talebi Zarinkamar defeated Russian and Chinese competitors in his first two bouts, but conceded defeat in his third match against his Russian opponent.
Elias Bakhtiari, suffering from impact injuries, lost to his Chinese rival in the same weight category and was out of the competitions.
Reza Bayat was also deleted from the wrestling tournament after Soslan Ketsoyev from Russia beat him in the men’s 84-kilogram weight class.
The Ivan Yarygin Memorial Grand Prix is considered one of the most challenging international events in the world.
The event, which features men’s and women’s freestyle, is named in honor of the late Ivan Yarygin, an Olympic champion athlete, former Soviet Union freestyle coach, and ex-Russian Wrestling Federation president.
The 2013 Ivan Yarygin Memorial Grand Prix started on Janauary 27 in the Russian city of Krasnoyarsk, located about 4,000 kilometers (2,480 miles) from Moscow, and will continue until January 29.
The tournament has brought together about 200 wrestlers from 18 countries, including Russia, Iran, Japan, the United States, Mongolia, Kazakhstan, and France.
Iran has taken part in the sports event with nine wrestlers.

Milan, Juventus in Man City Talks

Manchester City have held talks with AC Milan and Juventus about the sale of striker Mario Balotelli, but will only let him go if the Serie A clubs meet their valuation.
City value the Italian, 22, at around 24m euros (£21m) including add-ons.
According to BBC, Balotelli is not actively up for sale and City will not subsidies any of his salary should he leave the club.
Contrary to reports, Balotelli is with the squad that travelled to London for Tuesday’s meeting with QPR.
Milan initiated talks with City over the Italy striker, and Juve subsequently made contact with the Premier League club to discuss buying Balotelli, who arrived in Manchester from Inter Milan in August 2010 for a fee in the region of £24m.
Earlier on Monday, City assistant manager David Platt had said Balotelli would not be moving to AC Milan this month.
“I don’t think anything is going to happen,” said Platt of a proposed January move.
“It’s a shame the manager’s not here. He might know more than me but as far as we are concerned I think he is still a Manchester City player.
And City manager Roberto Mancini had also insisted on Friday that the Italian, regularly linked with a return to Italy since he arrived in England in 2010, would not leave the club.
“It is not true. Mario stays. We didn’t have any requests about Mario or other players,” said Mancini.
The Italian also said it would be “difficult” to buy new players with so little time left in the transfer window.

Armstrong Doping Inquiry Shut Down

The independent commission set up by the International Cycling Union (UCI) to investigate the Lance Armstrong doping scandal has been disbanded.
World (Wada) and US anti-doping (USADA) agencies refused to co-operate with it.
The inquiry will now be replaced by a Truth and Reconciliation Commission, BBC wrote.
“We support a well-structured truth and reconciliation process but the UCI cannot be allowed to script its own self-interested outcome in this effort,” said USADA CEO Travis Tygart.
“The UCI blindfolded and handcuffed its independent commission and now hopes the world will look the other way while the UCI attempts to insert itself into the investigation into the role it played in allowing the doping culture to flourish.”
UCI president Pat McQuaid described the change as “the best way to examine the culture of doping in cycling in the past and to clear the air so that cycling can move forward”.
McQuaid added that the commission was being disbanded following talks with Wada president John Fahey. “Fahey confirmed Wada’s willingness to help the UCI establish a Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC), as well as saying that Wada had no confidence in the existing independent commission process,” added McQuaid.
The three-person commission, which included Paralympic champion Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson, had been established in response to a damning report from USADA into a decade of cheating by Armstrong and his US Postal Service Team.

Rockets Hand Jazz Worst Home Loss

The Houston Rockets had plenty of trouble getting to Salt Lake City as a blizzard left them grounded for a while in western Colorado.
Once they arrived, they made the Jazz pay, rolling to a 125-80 victory on Monday night and handing Utah the most-lopsided home loss in franchise history, AP wrote.
‘’We could have had Michael Jordan in his prime with us tonight . and it wouldn’t have mattered (the way we played),’’ Jazz center Al Jefferson lamented.
‘’It was like everything went wrong. They came ready to play. I don’t know where our energy was.’’
The Rockets, after recently suffering through a seven-game slide, are out of that funk. They have now won three straight and four of their last five.
‘’That’s the way we have to play,’’ Houston coach Kevin McHale said. ‘’We have to play with pace. We have to move the ball. The ball can’t get sticky. It’s got to go from side to side. And guys just got to make plays.’’
James Harden continued to do most of the damage, scoring 25 points despite sitting the entire fourth quarter with the rest of the Rockets starters.
Harden, selected as an All-Star for the first time recently, has averaged 27.2 points in his last five games.
When he wasn’t driving the lane, the Rockets were pouring in 3-pointers.
They hit 16 of 34 on the night to tie their season high for shots made beyond the arc.
But it was their pace that floored the Jazz, outscoring Utah 26-2 on the break.
‘’That’s how we play,’’ Harden said. ‘’If you watch Rockets basketball, you know we get out in transition and we get some stops. We just try to do a good job of that for 48 minutes.’’
The Rockets held Utah to 39.5 percent shooting, and the Jazz made just 5 of 18 3-pointers.

Galatasaray Land Drogba Deal

Turkish giants Galatasaray have announced a deal to bring Ivory Coast captain Didier Drogba back to European football following a short spell in China.
The 34-year-old striker, who is currently on international duty at the Africa Cup of Nations in South Africa, joined Shanghai Shenhua seven months ago, CNN wrote.
“An agreement has been reached with Didier Yves Drogba of Shanghai Shenhua football team, starting from the second half of 2012-2013 season for a 1.5 year period,” the Turkish club announced on its official website.
The club announced that Drogba is to be paid $13.5 million for the 18-month period, with an additional bonus of $20,000 for each match played.
The forward left Chelsea for China last June, a month after helping the Londoners win their first European first Champions League title.
His arrival marks the Turkish club’s second significant signing this month after Dutchman Wesley Sneijder joined the 18-time champions from Italians Inter Milan.
Drogba, who had wanted to go on loan to Chelsea to keep fit for the Nations Cup, is currently preparing for Ivory Coast’s final Group D game against Algeria on Wednesday as the West Africans seek to win the tournament for the first time since 1992.
Along with former Blues teammate Nicolas Anelka, the Ivorian failed to settle in China amid reports of unpaid bonuses, with both strikers now set to return to Europe.

Iran Women Bag 2nd Win In Asia Cricket

The Iranian national team has defeated Kuwait to register its second win in the 2013 Asian Cricket Council Women’s Championship in Thailand.
Having won the toss, Iran chose to bat first in a match played at Gymkhana sports center in Chiang Mai City, located 700 kilometers (435 miles) north of the capital Bangkok, on Sunday.
Iranians scored 130 runs for two wickets in 21 overs, while the Kuwaiti team gained 129 runs for six wickets in 25 overs, Press TV wrote.
Iranian cricketer Roya Kaheni was named player of the match.
Iran’s first victory came in its second match of the tournament against Qatar on January 24.
Qatari women amassed 91 runs for eight wickets in 25 overs. In its innings, the Iranian squad scored 93 runs for four wickets in 18 overs.
The 2013 Asian Cricket Council Women’s Championship opened on January 23 and will run until January 31.
Iran is in Group B along with China, Thailand, Singapore, Kuwait and Qatar, while Group A consists of the UAE, Hong Kong, Nepal, Malaysia and Bhutan.

Wolff First to Test New Williams

Williams development driver Susie Wolff will be the first person to drive the team’s 2013 car as part of an expanded role this season.
Scottish-born Wolff joined the team last year after spending seven seasons racing in German touring cars, BBC wrote.
Wolff will have an increased program in the simulator in 2013 as well as more in-car testing time.
The 30-year-old said, “I’m showing that women can play a role at the top level of motorsport.”
Wolff joined Williams in April 2012 and is the wife of shareholder and former executive director Toto, who joined rivals Mercedes this month.
She will get behind the wheel of the new car--the FW35--before the team’s race drivers Pastor Maldonado and Valtteri Bottas at an aerodynamics test at Spain’s Idiada test circuit next month.
The team will then launch the car at the second pre-season test in Barcelona on 19 February.
Technical director Mike Coughlan added, “Susie has proved herself to be a valuable addition to our driver roster and her feedback during simulator sessions is second to none.”

Wenger: No Villa or Beckham

Arsene Wenger is still in the market for new players this week, but neither David Villa nor David Beckham will be joining Arsenal.
Beckham has asked to train at London Colney as he continues to assess offers from clubs in Europe and elsewhere, while Villa has been linked with Arsenal since the transfer window opened, Sky Sport reported.
But Barcelona have consistently said they will not sell the striker this month and, according to Wenger, there is no room for further negotiation.
He said, “Barcelona don’t want to sell, they’ve made that very clear.”
As for Beckham, Wenger said: “He has asked to come here and to work on his fitness. He has not done anything for a long, long time.
“It’s purely for fitness. There’s no speculation about signing or anything.”
Asked what Arsenal are getting out of the arrangement, he said: “Nothing. Questions in a press conference!”
There have been no new arrivals at the Emirates this month despite Arsenal’s position outside the top four and the departures of Marouane Chamakh and Johan Djourou.
Wenger said, “We are still trying, but it’s hard to sign players in January who can improve you.”

Woods Wraps Up California Win

Tiger Woods survived a sloppy back nine to win California’s fog-delayed Farmers Insurance Open by four shots - his 75th victory on the PGA Tour.
Resuming six clear of the field with 11 holes of his final round remaining, the American was never in any real danger.
The 37-year-old’s eighth triumph at Torrey Pines equals the PGA record for the number of wins at a single course, BBC wrote.
Woods’s compatriots Brandt Snedeker and Josh Teater tied for second place, four shots behind Woods at 10 under par.
Woods had got his final round off to an excellent start on Sunday, carding birdies at the third, fourth and sixth holes, and resumed on Monday in solid fashion, reaching the turn in 33.
A birdie followed at the 13th as he calmly two-putted from 52 feet, but having earlier dug himself out of trouble a couple of times after some wayward play from the tee, he bogeyed 14 and double-bogeyed 15 to reduce his lead from eight shots to five.
Another bogey on 17 will have irked Woods, and taken the gloss off an otherwise highly satisfactory week’s work for the 14-time Major winner at the scene of his 2008 US Open triumph.

Latest Turkish Signing

Queens Park Rangers defender Anton Ferdinand joined Bursaspor on loan on Tuesday as the Turkish championship continued to swell its ranks with players from Europe’s more prestigious leagues.