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                                                                                                       sports Diahuebs 10 December 2020

                           America’s Cup star Jimmy Spithill to lead US SailGP team



            (AP)  —  Jimmy  Spith-
            ill  has  signed  on  as  CEO
            and helmsman of the U.S.
            team in SailGP, giving the
            global league another for-
            mer America’s Cup cham-
            pion in its stable of stars.

            Spithill is an Australian who
            sailed in three America’s Cup
            campaigns  for  Oracle  Team
            USA, winning the first two.
            His  wife,  Jennifer,  is  from
            San Diego, where they make
            their  permanent  home  with
            their two sons.
            With Spithill taking the helm
            for the American team, Rome
            Kirby will shift to flight con-
            troller  aboard  the  50-foot
            foiling catamaran.
            The second season of SailGP
            was delayed from 2020 until
            2021 due to the coronavirus
            pandemic and will start April
            24-25 in Bermuda.
            That  will  be  a  month  after
            the 36th America’s Cup fin-
            ishes in Auckland, New Zea-
            land. Spithill is competing in
            his  seventh  America’s  Cup
            campaign, this time with It-
            aly’s Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli
            Team.                        a 30-year-old in 2010, he be-  second season and dominated  March. Burling and Tuke are  The  first  season  was  domi-
            SailGP was founded by New  came the youngest skipper to  the opening regatta in Sydney  also Olympic gold and silver  nated by Slingsby and fellow
            Zealander  Russell  Coutts,  win the Auld Mug when he  in late February, but that re-  medalists.                   Aussie  Nathan  Outteridge,
            a  five-time  America’s  Cup  steered  a  90-foot  trimaran  gatta was declared void after  “It’s  going  to  be  awesome,  who skippers Team Japan.
            champion,  and  tech  tycoon  to a two-race victory against  the season was postponed by  the  rivalries  in  a  whole  lot  The  United  States  had  the
            Larry  Ellison  after  Oracle  a  Swiss  crew  in  a  one-off  the pandemic.           of  different  ways,  and  just  youngest  team  in  SailGP’s
            Team  USA  was  defeated  by  showdown  that  was  the  re-  Ainslie  is  leading  INEOS  knowing  how  competitive  inaugural season and finished
            Emirates Team New Zealand  sult of a bitter court fight.  Team  UK  in  the  America’s  a lot of these individuals are  last out of six teams.
            in the 2017 America’s Cup in  In 2013, he led Oracle Team  Cup.                        and what’s at stake,” Spithill
            Bermuda.                     USA  to  one  of  the  biggest                            said.  “Oh,  mate,  I  just  can’t  “This  is  going  to  be  an  in-
                                         comebacks  in  sports.  Af-  “I’m thankful for the oppor-  wait for that first event com-  credibly  competitive  cham-
            “I get along well, good mates  ter  Oracle  fell  behind  Team  tunity  to  get  back  out  there  ing up in Bermuda. We’re liv-  pionship,” Coutts said. “The
            with both Russell and Larry,  New Zealand 8-1, he steered  and  go  against,  let’s  face  it,  ing in a different world now,  U.S.  didn’t  perform  as  well
            and sort of been in touch and  the  American  boat  to  eight  the best guys in the world,”  obviously,  but  it’s  just  cool  as it could, but I think overall
            watched from afar and was re-  straight  victories  on  San  the 41-year-old Spithill said.  to see that this event is going  Rome  did  a  really  good  job
            ally impressed with what they  Francisco Bay.             Peter Burling and Blair Tuke  ahead next year.”           with that team and he’s still
            did  in  season  one,”  Spithill                          announced  earlier  this  year  Spithill “was keen to join the  going to be involved. I think
            said  from  Auckland.  “When  Also on that Oracle crew were  they  will  head  a  New  Zea-  fray,” Coutts said from New  there’s  no  respect  lost  from
            the opportunity popped up I  Tom Slingsby, who skippered  land  team  in  SailGP.  They  Zealand.  “A  guy  like  Jimmy  Rome.  He  did  a  good  job
            jumped at it. I love that style  the  Australian  SailGP  team  led Emirates Team New Zea-  wants to race against the best  but there’s no question Jim-
            of racing and it’s something I  to  victory  in  the  inaugural  land to victory against Spith-  in  the  world  and  it’s  pretty  my Spithill is going to ramp
            want to be a part of.”       $1  million,  winner-take-all  ill and Oracle Team USA in  clear  that  we  now  have  the  things up.”
            Spithill  had  two  memora-  championship  in  2019,  and  the 2017 America’s Cup and  world’s best sailors commit-  Kirby  also  was  on  the  win-
            ble  America’s  Cup  victories  Britain’s Sir Ben Ainslie. Ai-  look to defend the oldest tro-  ting to SailGP. It’s going to be  ning Oracle Team USA crew
            with  Oracle  Team  USA.  As  nslie  joined  SailGP  for  the  phy in international sports in  a fantastic lineup.”  in the 2013 America’s Cup.


                             4 arrests made linked to soccer match-fixing in Moldova


            (AP) — Five of the 10 soc-   “Club  executives,  coaches,  match. “Overall, the criminal  republic that borders Roma-  team,  Sheriff  Tiraspol,  leads
            cer teams in the Moldovan  managers,  football  players  profits  are  estimated  at  600  nia and Ukraine. It declared  the  standings  after  winning
            league have been involved  and  other  intermediates  are  000  euros  ($728,000),”  the  independence in 1991 and is  18 of its 20 games since July.
            in  match-fixing  linked  to  believed to be part of the net-  Netherlands-based  Europol  among the poorest countries  Last-place Codru has lost 17
            organized  crime  this  sea-  work,” Europol said.        said.  “Links  to  EU  member  in Europe.                 of its 21 games and has a mi-
            son and four arrests have  Four  arrests  were  made  states have been also detect-    The league’s most established  nus-55 goal difference.
            been  made,  the  Europol  Monday and the offices of a  ed.  The  investigation  is  on-
            police  agency  said  Tues-  club  were  searched  by  anti-  going.”
            day.                         corruption  investigators  in  Europol said it “provided op-
                                         Moldova.  The  people  ar-   erational support by deploy-
            A  crime  syndicate  suspected  rested and the club were not  ing  two  experts  to  Moldova
            of earning hundreds of thou-  identified by Europol.      to crosscheck operational in-
            sands  of  dollars  from  bets  Wagers of up to 20,000 euros  formation  against  Europol’s
            on about 20 games has been  ($24,000)  are  suspected  of  databases  and  provide  links
            dismantled in the operation,  being placed mostly on Asian  to investigators in the field.”
            Europol said in a statement.  betting markets for each fixed  Moldova  is  a  former  Soviet
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