Athletics
Slap fighting: The next big thing, or unsporting stupidity?
The competitors stand rigidly upright with their hands behind their backs, waiting to absorb a brutal slap to the face.
When the open-handed blow is delivered, there's a sharp report and the reaction can be dramatic. Some fighters barely move, while others stumble backward or fall to the floor. Some are knocked out.
UFC President Dana White is selling slap fighting as the next big thing in combat sports, putting his money and the resources of one of the world's foremost mixed martial arts organizations behind the Power Slap League. The Nevada Athletic Commission has sanctioned the league for competitions in Las Vegas.
"It's a home run," said White, who is among several UFC officials involved in the league.
Some slap-fighting beatdowns have gone viral, including a video from eastern Europe showing a man who continues to compete even as half of his face swells to seemingly twice its size. Such exposure has led to questions about the safety of slap fighting, particularly the risk of chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE, a degenerative brain disease believed to be caused by repeated blows to the head. A former chairman of the commission, which regulates combat sports in Nevada, says approving the league was a mistake.
Chris Nowinski, cofounder and CEO of the Concussion Legacy Foundation, agrees, calling slap fighting "one of the stupidest things you can do."
"There's nothing fun, there's nothing interesting and there's nothing sporting," Nowinski said. "They're trying to dress up a really stupid activity to try to make money."
White and the competitors remain unfazed, comparing commentary on slapping to the negative reaction the UFC faced in its infancy more than 20 years ago.
"I think it's definitely overblown with the topics of CTE and the damage that we're taking," said Ryan Phillips, a Power Slap League fighter. "I think a lot of people still just don't understand that it's still a slap."
Concerns about concussions leading to CTE, which can cause violent mood swings, depression and memory loss, aren't confined to combat sports. The disease has shown up in the brains of former rugby players, and the NFL and college football have taken steps to cut down on blows to the head by changing rules regarding tackling and other hits. CTE can only be detected during an autopsy.
Despite the naysayers, White said he believes slap fighting will follow a similar trajectory to mixed martial arts, which the late Sen. John McCain referred to as "human cockfighting" in 1996, when the UFC didn't have weight classes or many rules. McCain's criticism helped force the organization to become more structured, leading to its widespread acceptance.
White said the ratings of the TBS reality show "Power Slap: Road to the Title" bear out the early popularity of what to many is still a curiosity.
White said he realized there could be a market for the sport in the U.S. when he clocked the millions of YouTube views of slap fighting videos from eastern Europe in 2017 and 2018. The videos were often poorly produced, the slap matches unregulated. White became convinced that fights with written rules and shot with professional video equipment could convert many internet viewers into dedicated, paying fans.
The Nevada commission gave slap fighting some much needed legitimacy when it unanimously sanctioned the sport in October and a month later awarded White a license to promote it.
But White's enterprise was hampered when he was captured on video slapping his wife on New Year's Eve. White apologized, but has acknowledged it damaged efforts to get the league off the ground. White is no newcomer to controversy: Former UFC fighters Kajan Johnson and Clarence Dollaway filed a lawsuit in 2021 against Endeavor, the organization's parent company, alleging that UFC takes an inordinate share of the profits.
But White is charging ahead.
Three qualifying events have taken place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, ahead of the March 11 telecast on the streaming platform Rumble in which champions will be crowned in four weight classes.
Power Slap fights are typically three to five rounds. The fighters take turns hitting each other in the face with an open hand, and those on the receiving end stand with their hands behind their backs. A fighter has up to 60 seconds to recover and respond after receiving a blow. Fighters can earn up to 10 points based on the effectiveness of the slap and the defender's reaction.
Fights can end in a decision, knockout, technical knockout or disqualification, such as for an illegal slap. All slaps are subject to video review. Each event has two referees and three judges.
Also present are a supervising doctor and a physician or physician's assistant, plus three EMTs and three ambulances. White has touted the safety record of the UFC, but has not talked specifically about injuries in the Power Slap League.
White says slap fighting is safer than boxing or mixed martial arts because each contestant usually takes only three blows per bout. In boxing, White said, that number could be 400 or more, and that doesn't include the shots taken during sparring. There is no sparring in slap fighting, he noted.
Nowinski of the concussion foundation said while there may be no sparring in practice sessions, that doesn't mean it doesn't happen elsewhere. He said comparing boxing to power slapping is misleading because slap fighters take a full blow each time.
"You can slip (boxing) punches," Nowinski said. But in slap fighting "you're taking out everything that's interesting to watch and everything sporting (from boxing) and just doing the brain damage part."
Nowinski said slap fighters don't make enough money to justify the risk. The Power Slap League wouldn't disclose how much it pays fighters, but said in a statement that participants are compensated for every match and can also earn "appearance fees" and "additional discretionary bonuses."
Stephen J. Cloobeck, who was chairman of the state commission when it sanctioned slap fighting, said White and former UFC CEO Lorenzo Fertitta sold him on the legitimacy of the sport.
"I made a mistake," Cloobeck said. "I'm not happy about it."
The commission recently approved amended rules to better define what constitutes a legal slap in an effort to minimize serious injuries.
"The No. 1 thing is the health and safety of the fighter," commission Chairman Anthony Marnell III said at a Feb 15 meeting. "Always has been, always will be."
But he went on to say: "It seems like there is a market for this, whether you like it or not."
Phillips, the slap fighter, said participants can defend themselves without losing points, such as rolling away before the hand makes impact.
And the fighters know if they lose the coin toss and get slapped first, it will hurt.
"I know what's coming," fighter Vernon Cathey said. "I'm tensing up. There's a lot of stuff I can do to protect myself."
BAF GS Abdur Rakib new treasurer of South Asian Athletics Federation
General Secretary of Bangladesh Athletics Federation (BAF) Abdur Rakib Montu was elected the treasurer of the South Asian Athletics Federation Tuesday.
Rakib was picked for the post at the annual general meeting of the South Asian Athletics Federation in the Maldives capital Male Tuesday.
Abdur Rakib and BAF Joint Secretary Mizanur Rahman represented Bangladesh at the meeting.
Earlier, BAF Vice-President Faruqul Islam also served as the treasurer of the South Asian Athletics Federation for four years, from 1997 to 2001
Imranur conferred with country's first-ever gold at Asian-level athletics
Bangladesh's fastest man, the UK-based Bangladesh-origin sprinter Imranur Rahman on Sunday evening ceremonially received the country' s historic gold medal, first ever at Asian level from the men's 60-meter sprint of the 10th Asian Indoor Athletics Championships held at the Kazakhstan capital Astana.
This is the first ever medal for any Bangladeshi athlete at Asian level athletics competition
President of Asian Athletics Association Dahlan Jumaan Al Hamad of Qatar handed over the glittering gold medal to Bangladeshi wonder boy Imranur Rahman at a medal distribution ceremony in Astana Sunday evening when the national flag of Bangladesh hoisted for the time in Asian meet and national anthem was also played.
General Secretary of Bangladesh Athletics Federation Advocate Abdur Rakib Montu, now in Kazakhstan as Bangladesh team leader, was also present on the occasion and confirmed it to UNB over phone Sunday evening.
Read more: National Athletics: Army lead medal table with 15 golds, 11 silvers, 13 bronzes
Imranur Rahman, the two times fastest man of Bangladesh since his appearances in the country's athletics last year, brought laurel for the country within one year by clinching the 60- meter sprint gold medal in the Asian Indoor Athletics Championship in Astana Saturday night.
The 29-year-old sprinter Imranur Rahman clinched country's dream gold by winning the men's 60-meter sprint title with a record timing of 6.59 seconds.
Earlier, Imranur, took 6.70 seconds in the event's heats to qualify for the semifinals and made an improved timing of 6.61 seconds to move into the final as the second best on photo-finish behind a Qatari sprinter.
In the event's final on Saturday night, the Bangladesh wonder boy Imranur further improved his personal best timing of 6.59 seconds to win a surprise gold medal for the country.
Read More: Imranur, Shirin to represent Bangladesh in Asian Indoor Athletics
Imranur's previous best timing of the event was 6.64 seconds, which he made in the World Indoor Athletics stage in Belgrade in 2022.
However, Bangladesh's fastest women's sprinter Shirin Akter was eliminated from the heats of the 60-meter sprint clocking 7.93 seconds.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, State Minister for Youth and Sports M Zahid Ahsan Russell MP, Principal Secretary to Prime Minister and Athletics Federation President M Tofazzel Hossain Miah and BOA President General SM Shafiuddin Ahmed, in separate messages, congratulated Imranur Rahman for bring laurel for the country.
Read More: Glory brought to Bangladesh by women athletes changing public attitude, speakers say
Imranur, Shirin to represent Bangladesh in Asian Indoor Athletics
Country's fastest man Imranur Rahman and fastest woman Shirin Akter will represent Bangladesh in the Asian Indoor Athletics Championship to be held in the Kazakhstan capital Astana from February 10-12.
Shirin Akhter will fly for Astana Tuesday morning from Dhaka while Imranur, now in London, will join Shirin in Kazakhstan.
Both the Bangladeshi athletes will compete in the men's and women's 60-meter sprints, scheduled for February 10.
Read: Chess Olympiad : Bangladesh beat Panama in 2nd round
General Secretary of Bangladesh Athletics Federation (BAF) Advocate Abdur Rakib Montu and Federation Treasurer Jamal Hossain will also accompany the team as team leader and team official respectively.
Ahead of her first Asian Indoor meet, Shirin Akhter trained under her University (Jessore University of Science and Technology) athletics coach and former national athlete Abdullalh Hel Kafi.
Glory brought to Bangladesh by women athletes changing public attitude, speakers say
The glory that young women athletes brought to the country in recent times has encouraged more girls to join sports and is bringing about a gradual change in attitude towards female Bangladeshi players, speakers were of the view.
They said there should be more patronage for women in sports, more resources allocated at the national level, and the media can also play an important role in ensuring gender equality.
Read: Imranur first Bangladeshi athlete to reach 2nd round of World Athletics Champs
Ambassador and Head of Delegation of the European Union in Bangladesh Charles Whiteley, Deputy Head of Delegation Dr Bernd Spanier, Vice Chancellor of American International University-Bangladesh (AIUB) Dr. Carmen Z. Lamagna, Prof Dr Farheen Hassan, National footballer Rupa Akther and National shooter Ardina Ferdous, Associate Dean, AIUB Dr ABM Rahmatullah, and Laetitia Weibel Roberts and Maurice Len Brooks from International Labour Organization recently joined two separate discussions on sports and diplomacy and the dark side of World Cup 2022.
“Brilliant to meet members of Bangladesh women’s football team and shooting champions,” Ambassador Whiteley tweeted.
Sultana Kamal-Olila Group Summer Athletics begins on Friday
The Sultana Kamal-Olila Group 16th National Summer Athletics Championship 2022' organised by Bangladesh Athletics Federation. begins on Friday at the Army Stadium in Banani.Secretary General of Bangladesh Olympic Association Syed Shaheed Reza will inaugurate the two-day meet at 3 pm on Friday. Managing Director of the meet's sponsor Olila Group Zillur Rahman will also be present as a special guest..Some 370 athletes including 84 women from 39 teams, including 20 districts, three divisions, six universities, eight affiliated civil and military teams, one physical education college and BKSP are expected to compete in 40 events--22 for men and 18 for women.The details of the meet were disclosed at a press conference at the conference room of Bangabandhu National Stadium, chaired by federation vice-president M Faruqul Islam.the meet's main attraction,100-meter sprint, will be held on Friday at 4:30 pm.
Mo Farah’s story draws horror, understanding in Somalia
Many Somalis are reacting with horror — and a sense of understanding — at British runner Mo Farah’s tale of being trafficked to Britain as a child and forced to look after other children.
Olympic champion Farah was born in present-day Somaliland, a territory by the Gulf of Aden that has asserted independence from the Horn of Africa nation of Somalia. In a BBC documentary aired earlier this week Farah revealed how as a boy of 8 or 9 he was separated from his family and trafficked from neighboring Djibouti to the UK under a new name under which he eventually ran for glory.
Here, in the Somali capital Mogadishu, those who have heard of Farah’s account express sadness for what he went through as a child forced to work in servitude. But they also point out that he was not alone in facing exploitation.
Conflict, climate change and economic collapse are displacing record numbers of people around the world, pushing more and more migrants into the hands of criminals who profit by smuggling them into Britain, the European Union and the U.S.
Somalis, like their neighbors in Ethiopia and Eritrea, are often among the desperate — people fleeing conflict and hunger in hopes of safety and a better life. Convinced they have little to lose, the young, in particular, risk their lives on flimsy boats organized by human traffickers who get them across the English Channel to Britain.
Those who can afford it pay thousands of dollars to reach countries where they hope to find jobs and security. Others fall prey to criminals who force them into sex work, drug crimes and domestic servitude.
Wealthier countries lack robust policies to respond to this complicated situation. Britain has welcomed refugees from Ukraine, for example, while proposing to deport asylum seekers from other places to Rwanda. While Prime Minister Boris Johnson says the Rwanda plan will break the business model of criminals who smuggle people across the Channel in inflatable boats, immigrant activists are suing over a plan they describe as illegal and inhumane.
Read: Olympic champion Mo Farah to make track comeback in 10,000
Farah, who represented Britain at three straight Summer Olympics in 2008, 2012 and 2016, is a rare success story. Many others trying to escape poverty, hunger and violence in countries such as Somalia don’t get so lucky — the reason many activists here say efforts must be put into supporting local governments to eradicate the many reasons people wish to go.
“It is certainly sad that Mo Farah had such a bad experience as a boy,” said Ahmed Dini, who runs the Mogadishu-based children’s rights group Peace-Line. “It has become evident that there are many contributing factors to child trafficking, such as poverty, a lack of adequate education, and insufficient security.”
Farah still has family members — including his mother and two brothers — living on a farm near Hargeisa, the Somaliland capital. He said in the BBC film that his father was killed during unrest when the boy was 4.
In the documentary, produced by the BBC and Red Bull Studios, Farah said that when he left Africa he thought he was going to Europe to live with relatives and had a piece of paper with the contact details. But the woman he ended up with tore his papers and took him to an apartment in west London where he was forced to care for her children.
Farah said his fortunes in Britain changed when he was finally allowed to attend school. A teacher who was interviewed for the documentary recalled a 12-year-old boy who appeared “unkempt and uncared for,” was “emotionally and culturally alienated” and spoke little English.
Farah eventually told his story to a physical education instructor. The teacher contacted local officials, who arranged for a Somali family to take him in as a foster child. He soon blossomed on the track.
Anti-slavery advocates say Farah is the most prominent person to come forward as a victim of modern-day slavery, a crime that is often hidden because it occurs behind closed doors and inflicts such trauma on its victims.
Now that a man of such celebrity has spoken of his experience, there can no longer be any doubt about the horror of child servitude even among ordinary Somalis who otherwise would find his account “unusual,” said Bashir Abdi, an academic based in Mogadishu.
“Children consistently face abuses, but the story this renowned athlete revealed has captured the attention of many people, including Somalis,” he said. “We often hear of child exploitations and I believe that significant (numbers of) Somali children go through domestic violence and abuses, but little is exposed to the public.”
Amina Ali, a stay-home mother of four in Mogadishu, told The Associated Press that it was tough for her to hear the story of a 9-year-old boy “so weak and helpless forced to clean house and change the diapers of other kids.”
“As a mother, I felt sadness for him once I have listened,” she said. “Praise be to Allah that he is no longer under those circumstances. However, he is now at some point where he can reveal his story and I wish those (who) committed that abuse to be brought before justice one day.”
Imranur first Bangladeshi athlete to reach 2nd round of World Athletics Champs
Imranur Rahman emerged as the first Bangladeshi athlete to reach the 2nd round of the men's 100-meter sprint of the World Athletics Championship Eugene '2022 in Oregon, USA on Saturday.
Imranur, the fastest man of Bangladesh, took part in heat number 2 and finished 3rd among the six athletes making his individual best timing of 10.47 seconds featuring a new national record Saturday early hour (Bangladesh time).
The previous national record and best timing of Imranur was 10.50 seconds made in the National Athletics Championship held in last January to break the event's 22 years old record.
Also read: Imranur will represent Bangladesh in World Athletics Championship 2022
Imranur Rahman, who is undergoing higher training in the United Kingdom, reached the 2nd round of the world meet finishing overall 4th among 14 athletes, who advanced to the 2nd round with good timing in their respective four heats.
However, Imranur did not compete in the 2nd round of the meet later due to light injury during day's warm-up session.
Also read: 45th National Athletics: Imranur, Sumaiya emerge as fastest man, woman
He finally decided not to participate in the 2nd round as per advice of the doctors, because his injury may get worse further in the meet, ahead of the two major international meets--Commonwealth Games and Islami Solidarity Games.
Imranur will represent Bangladesh in World Athletics Championship 2022
Imranur Rahman will represent Bangladesh in the World Athletics Championship 2022 to be held at Eugene in Oregon of the United State of America from July 14-25.
Imranur Rahman, now in the United Kingdom, expected to reach Oregon on July 12 to compete in the World meet.
Also Read: Wimbledon wild-card entry steals set, not win, from Djokovic
Imranur will compete in the heat of the men's 100 meter sprint on July 15 at 1:30 pm Bangladesh time.
Meanwhile, general secretary of Bangladesh Athletics Federation Advocate Abdur Rakib Montu left Dhaka for USA on Tuesday while Acting President of Athletics Federation Advocate Nur Uddin Chowdhury (Nayon) MP will leave here for USA on Wednesday.
Judge asks what more Djokovic could have done for a visa
An Australian judge who will decide whether top-ranked tennis star Novak Djokovic plays in the Australian Open questioned on Monday what more the Serbian could have done to meet Australia’s coronavirus entry requirements.
The 34-year-old is fighting deportation and the cancellation of his visa in the Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia.
The Australian government canceled his visa shortly after he arrived in Melbourne late Wednesday because officials decided he didn’t meet the criteria for an exemption to an entry requirement that all non-citizens be fully vaccinated for COVID-19.
Djokovic, who court documents say is unvaccinated, argued he did not need proof of vaccination because he had evidence that he had been infected with the coronavirus last month.
Australian medical authorities have ruled that a temporary exemption for the vaccination rule can be provided to people who have been infected with COVID-19 within six months.
Circuit Court Judge Anthony Kelly noted that Djokovic had provided officials at Melbourne’s airport with a medical exemption given him by Tennis Australia, which is organizing the tournament that starts on Jan. 17, and two medical panels.
“The point I’m somewhat agitated about is what more could this man have done?” Kelly asked Djokovic’s lawyer, Nick Wood.
Read: Will he stay or will he go? Djokovic’s hearing looms large
Wood agreed with the judge that Djokovic could not have done more.
Transcripts of Djokovic’s interview with Border Force officials and his own affidavit revealed a “repeated appeal to the officers with which he was dealing that to his understanding, uncontradicted, he had done absolutely everything that he understood was required in order for him to enter Australia,” Wood said.
Djokovic has been under guard in hotel quarantine in Melbourne since Thursday, when his visa was canceled.
But the judge ordered that the world No. 1-ranked tennis player be released from hotel quarantine during his court hearing. It was not clear where Djokovic relocated to during his hearing. He did not appear on screen in the first hours of the virtual hearing.
Lawyers for Home Affairs Minister Karen Andrews will make their submission later Monday on why Djokovic should be deported.
Djokovic’s lawyers submitted 11 grounds for appeal against his visa cancellation.
Read: Djokovic in limbo as he fights deportation from Australia
The lawyers described the cancellation as “seriously illogical,” irrational and legally unreasonable.
The virtual hearing crashed several times because of an overwhelming number of people from around the world trying to watch the proceedings.
Djokovic is a nine-time Australian Open champion. He has 20 Grand Slam singles titles, a men’s record he shares with Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal.