Page 15 - aruba-today-20230414

A15
SPORTS Friday 14 april 2023

Breakaway group aims to save boxing’s Olympic status

LONDON (AP) — Ameri- that fights at the 2016
can and British boxing offi- Olympics were manipulat-
cials are among the lead- ed. Current IBA president
ers of a breakaway group Umar Kremlev took over
launched Thursday with in 2020, bringing financial
the aim of saving boxing’s backing from Russian state
place at the Olympics. gas company Gazprom.
The new federation, to be The IOC wants Russians to
called World Boxing, is a compete as neutral ath-
rival to the 77-year-old In- letes in Olympic sports
ternational Boxing Asso- following the invasion of
ciation, which has been Ukraine, but Kremlev’s IBA
suspended from organizing has allowed them to fight
the sport at the Olympics at the world champion-
amid longstanding con- ships with national flags
cerns about fair judging and anthems, drawing an-
and the IBA’s ties to Russia. other rebuke from the IOC.
“Amateur, Olympic-style The United States and Britain
boxing was facing elimi- were among more than 10
nation from the Olympic countries that announced
Games,” said USA Boxing boycotts of the recent
president Tyson Lee, who women’s world champion-
is on the interim board of ships and upcoming men’s
the new organization. “I Richard Torrez Jr., from the United States, left, exchanges punches with Cuba’s Dainier Pero during world championships be-
can speak for the United their men’s super heavyweight over 91-kg boxing match at the 2020 Summer Olympics, Aug. 1, cause of Russia’s position
States and many other na- 2021, in Tokyo, Japan. Associated Press and wider concerns about
tional federations. We have the IBA. Kremlev said of-
a vested interest in main- executive Matthew Holt. “This is about the future of pic Committee meant box- ficials who backed a boy-
taining a pathway to the Lauren Price of Britain, a the sport,” Holt said. “Our ing was left off the initial cott were “worse than hy-
Olympic movement and gold medalist at the Tokyo status on the Olympic pro- program for the 2028 Olym- enas and jackals.”
somewhere along the line Olympics in 2021, and silver gram is on life support and pics in Los Angeles. Boxing World Boxing interim sec-
that turned out to not be a medalist Richard Torrez Jr. we, as an organization, is part of next year’s Paris retary general Simon Toul-
priority for IBA.” of the United States are on need to breathe new life Olympics, but it will be or- son said the new organi-
World Boxing will be based the board as athlete repre- into it. We want to operate ganized by the IOC. zation was operating with
in Switzerland and have sentatives. in the best interests of the The IOC suspended the IBA a budget of 900,000 euros
a board consisting of ath- Elections for a president boxers.” in 2019 after years of con- ($994,000) this year, without
letes and officials, including and a new board are A standoff between the IBA cerns about its finances, naming any specific fund-
Lee and GB Boxing chief planned for November. and the International Olym- governance and claims ing sources. q

Rays tie record with 13-0 start, rally to

beat Red Sox 9-3

By DICK SCANLON runs in the big leagues and the fifth. Ramirez started
Associated Press the fewest allowed. the big rally with a double
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) Playing before a crowd of off Corey Kluber (0-3) and
— The Tampa Bay Rays 21,175, the largest at Tropi- broke open the game with
tied Major League Base- cana Field since opening a three-run double against
ball’s post-1900 record for day, the Rays set a team Richard Bleier.
13 consecutive wins at a record for wins at any point Francisco Mejía cut the
season’s start, rallying to in a season by topping a deficit with a run-scoring
beat the Boston Red Sox 12-game run in June 2004. single and Brandon Lowe
9-3 Thursday behind a Boston, held to four hits, has greeted Bleier, the only left-
seven-run fifth inning that lost 13 consecutive games hander in Boston’s bullpen, Tampa Bay Rays’ Brandon Lowe (8) and Yandy Diaz (2)
Harold Ramirez began and at the Trop. with a tying RBI single. celebrate a solo home run in the first inning of a baseball game
capped with doubles. Rays starter Jeffrey Springs Randy Arozarena singled against the Boston Red Sox at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg,
Tampa Bay matched the left two pitches into the for a 4-3 lead, Wander Fran- Fla., Thursday, April 13, 2023.
13-0 start of the 1982 At- fourth inning with what the co was hit by a pitch and Associated Press
lanta Braves and 1987 Mil- team said was ulnar neu- Manuel Margot dropped score 1-1 in the first with his hitless innings with four
waukee Brewers. The only ritis, inflammation of the down a run-scoring bunt fourth this season for the strikeouts and a walk in his
longer opening streak was ulnar nerve that causes single. Ramirez then lined Rays, who lead the major major league debut after
a 20-0 start by the 1884 St. numbness or weakness. He a double into the left-field leagues with 32. seven seasons in the New
Louis Maroons of the Union was relieved after throwing corner for an 8-3 advan- Kevin Kelly (1-0), a 25-year- York Yankees minor league
Association. The Rays have a 79.8 mph changeup and tage. old right-hander who de- system.
won all but two of the a 83.5 mph to Justin Turner, Lowe added a seventh- buted April 1, pitched 2 2/3 Rob Refsnyder homered
games by four or more runs then looking at his hand inning home run off Kutter innings for the win. in the first, the first run off
and have outscored oppo- and elbow. Crawford, his fifth this sea- Braden Bristo, a 28-year-old Springs in three starts this
nents 101-30 with the most Tampa Bay trailed 3-1 in son. Yandy Díaz tied the right-hander, pitched three season.q