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W Series changing the game for women in motorsport

Adam Layaan Kurik Riza

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A dominant win from pole position, plenty of overtaking throughout the field, a driver charging through from the back after early contact, and the top three finishers jubilantly spraying prosecco on the podium at Austria’s Red Bull Ring.

While this might sound like a short review of the weekend’s Formula One Styrian Grand Prix, it actually describes last Saturday’s action in the first round of the 2021 W Series, an all-female racing championship that is increasingly turning heads and striking a blow for gender equality within global motorsport.

The W Series is the brainchild of Catherine Bond Muir, a former solicitor and corporate-financier who had worked on deals including the sale of Chelsea FC to Roman Abramovich and the acquisition of Aston Villa FC by Randy Lerner.

“I looked at the number of women who were racing in single-seater motor racing series across the world, and year on year, the numbers were actually going down,” Bond Muir tells Xinhua. “And that was at a time where sports like football, rugby and cricket were really starting to grow for women, so motorsport was bucking the trend and actually going backwards. So I thought the W Series was a really good idea because women are not catered for in lots of different aspects of motorsport.”

Leaning on her corporate finance days, Bond Muir drafted a business plan and set out on a two-year journey to raise enough capital to set up what would eventually become the W Series – a daunting task in a hostile business environment for someone with no skin in the motorsport game.

After much rejection, the cards began to fall for Bond Muir when her idea caught the eye of ex-Formula One driver David Coulthard, who now commentates on that series and retains a wealth of connections within global motorsport.

“David is the best opener of doors that I have ever met in my life,” Bond Muir says of the Scot’s input to the W Series. “He introduced us to our cornerstone investor Sean Wadsworth and our racing director Dave Ryan, who had been at [Coulthard’s former F1 team] McLaren for over 30 years. No one would have spoken to Catherine Bond Muir, so I needed motorsport credibility, and that’s what David brought along with him.”

Coulthard’s involvement in the W Series stems from his deep-rooted belief that women can compete at the same level as men if they are given the platform to do so, after his early rise through the ranks sounded the death knell for his younger sister’s aspiring karting career.

By contrast, the W Series – which uses the same machinery and equipment as many F3 series – is free to enter, and carries a total prize purse of 1,500,000 U.S. dollars, with the series champion taking home 500,000 dollars. Drivers are chosen by the series itself through an ability-based selection process, rather than by dint of the finances they might bring.

As movements for female empowerment gained greater traction in the years following Bond Muir’s first business plan, interest in a female-only racing series had gained enough momentum for the W Series to begin life in 2019, with 55 initial applicants whittled down to 20 drivers on the grid for the first-ever race at Hockenheim in Germany that May.

Five more races followed that year, with British racer Jamie Chadwick emerging triumphant at the end of the season to be crowned the first-ever W Series champion and catch the eye of the Williams F1 team, who signed her up as a development driver.

Chadwick is back on the W Series grid this season to defend her 2019 title, which she clinched at that year’s final race at Brands Hatch after a season-long battle. What would she say to a casual fan to attract them to watch along?

“Just turn on the TV. If it’s anything like 2019, it’s going to be great racing and it’ll have everyone hooked after the first race.”

The 2021 W Series runs for eight rounds and concludes in Mexico City on October 30.

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Germany one of UEFA Euro 2024 favorites, says Matthaeus

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by Oliver Trust

BERLIN, March 27 (Xinhua) — Enthusiastic fan chants filled the Frankfurt arena as a determined team pushed its way to success, impressing pundits. The German national team seems rejuvenated after a remarkable transformation.

“We see and feel something that wasn’t there before,” remarked Real star Toni Kroos, the driving force behind the 2014 World Champions, upon his return after an absence of over two years.

“The team went through dark times and many months of drought, but we managed to build up faith and confidence in these two games and our training sessions,” the midfielder stated.

Having defeated France (2-0) and the Netherlands (2-1), two of Europe’s leading sides, feels like a refreshing restart without inherited burdens for the German national team.

The fundamental changes implemented by national coach Julian Nagelsmann have sparked a new spirit and opened doors for bold dreams, as not only German record international Lothar Matthaeus has redefined new goals for the Euro tournament host.

“From what I see, the team can win the trophy this summer,” said the 63-year-old former midfielder, who has been capped 150 times, referring to the Euro taking place from June 15 to July 15 in ten German arenas.

Just in time, Nagelsmann pressed the emergency button, leaving out established forces and relying on a strict performance pattern, only selecting players currently performing at a high level, regardless of the number of internationals in the German shirt.

Last autumn, Germany seemed to have hit rock bottom, suffering from two disappointing defeats against Turkey and Austria.

“We are back on track as we feel a new spirit, and things are going much better for everyone and the entire team,” said Bayern full-back and midfielder Joshua Kimmich.

Stuttgart full-back and national team newcomer Maximilian Mittelstaedt spoke of “something big” on the way.

Nagelsmann’s strategy to outline clear areas of responsibility for each of his players has created stability, while the coach has returned to a more conservative line-up, paying attention to the team’s defense.

A back row of four with two midfielders ahead is allowing offensive forces such as Jamal Musiala, Florian Wirtz, Ilkay Guendogan, and Kai Havertz to initiate surprising attacks.

With Mittelstaedt and Kimmich, the German coach seems to have solved the full-back problem that the team had been suffering from for several years.

With Union midfielder Robert Andrich, Nagelsmann seems to have found the holding six, covering the defensive midfield part aside from conducting Kroos.

While several newcomers and returnees enjoy the upswing, left-out players such as Dortmund’s stars Mats Hummels, Niklas Suele, Emre Can, and Julian Brandt, aside from Bayern’s Leon Goretzka, are in danger of missing Euro 2024.

Regarding his job as a project focused solely on the Euro outcome, Nagelsmann has instilled confidence by creating a tight-knit community.

Both recent victories have revitalized Germany’s national team, and as a side effect, previously disappointed fans are once again backing their team.

Source(s): Xinhua

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VAM appoints former president to lead once again

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Volleyball Association of Maldives (VAM) has appointed Mohamed Latheef, as its new president.

Latheef, who was the association’s president in 2016, was appointed to the position without an election. He was appointed at the association’s extarordinary congress held on Tuesday evening at Solite Restaurants.

He came to fill in the shoes of outogoing Mohamed Ranesh after his term expired on February 2024.

Since Latheef was the only one to submit his name for the position, the former Central Asian Volleyball Association (CAVA) President was appointed without any competition.

Besides the president, the extraordinary congress saw the election of four other Vice Presidents to the executive committee of VAM, with Mohamed Sajid securing Senior Vice President’s position.

Ali Latheef was elected as Vice President, Volleyball, and Izzath Waheed was elected as Vice President, Administration. Aaidha Abdul Hakeem was elected for the female-designate Vice President’s seat.

Additionally, four more members were elected for VAM’s executive committee that include Fathuhulla Waheed, Shiyam Ali, Sofwan Ahmed and Aishath Fatheena.

Although Latheef was first elected as VAM’s President in 2016, he lost the position after the then Sports Commissioner Heena Ahmed Saleem announced the disolution of the association’s executive committee in 2019 following an investigation.

Previously, VAM’s election to elect executive committee members was scheduled for March 15th, but the current Sports Commissioner Mohamed Tholal demanded for a delay.

The association received permission to go ahead with the election under conditions.

Source(s): sun.mv

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ACC raids Badminton Association as part of corruption probe

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Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC), on Tuesday, raided the Badminton Association of Maldives as part of a probe into corruption allegations.

ACC, on Tuesday, said an investigative team of the commission has entered the Badminton Association of Maldives to gather questions and information regarding multiple allegations of corruption filed against the association with the commission.

They did not disclose any further details regarding the case.

The case has come to light after major corruption cases against Football Association of Maldives (FAM) have been investigated following which charges have been sought against some individuals.

Source(s): sun.mv

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