导出博客文章VATICAN CITY -- Pope Francis implored sports leaders on Wednesday to do a better
job of keeping corruption off the playing field.Speaking at the first global
conference on faith and sport, Francis said sports must be protected from
manipulations and commercial abuse.It would be sad for sport and for humanity if
people were unable to trust in the truth of sporting results, or if cynicism and
disenchantment were to drown out enthusiasm or joyful and disinterested
participation, Francis said.The popes challenge comes during a period of
widespread corruption in sports, from various scandals at FIFA to Olympic ticket
abuses to match-fixing in numerous leagues and games.Members of the
International Olympic Committee, soccer executives and athletes were attending
the three-day conference in the Vatican.In sport, as in life, competing for the
result is important, but playing well and fairly is even more important, Francis
said. I trust that these days of meeting and reflection will allow you to
explore further the good that sport and faith can bring to our societies.Francis
has denounced doping in sport, saying drug-fueled victories are sterile. He has
urged athletes to be clean and to use sport for personal development and
solidarity.Francis has also spoken out strongly about corruption in all aspects
of society and urged young people to resist its addictive lure.U.N. Secretary
General Ban Ki-moon and IOC President Thomas Bach were special guests for the
opening ceremony of the convention, called Sport at the Service of Humanity.It
was very inspiring, Bach told The Associated Press of the popes speech. Thats
what we all have in common. We are joining forces in the fight against
corruption, for instance.We know that hes a great friend of sports and hes
appreciating the values of sport very much, Bach added. We could feel that in
this speech today and also in the private audience.Former Juventus great and
Italy World Cup winner Alessandro Del Piero took part in a ceremonial kickoff
for the event with a soccer ball on stage.Sport is passion for me, Del Piero
said. I always tried to give my all in full respect of the rules and with the
great passion that always made me stand out, together with desire and humility,
in pursuit of my dreams.---Associated Press writer Nicole Winfield contributed
to this report.---Andrew Dampf on Twitter:
www.twitter.com/asdampf
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edged the visiting Acadie-Bathurst Titan 2-1 on Saturday in Quebec Major Junior
Hockey League action.
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Wood Collection . After Gasquet beat fifth-seeded Ivan Dodig of Croatia
7-5, 6-3, Tsonga followed up with a 6-7 (3), 6-2, 6-2 win against sixth-seeded
Edouard Roger-Vasselin in an all-French match.
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. One game after a miserable showing in Oklahoma City, Gay tied a career high
with 41 points and the Sacramento Kings cruised to a 114-97 victory at the New
Orleans Pelicans on Tuesday night.
Swell White
Marble Bottle . -- Matt Rupert scored once in regulation and again in the
shootout as the London Knights extended their win streak to nine games by
defeating the Owen Sound Attack 4-3 on Friday in Ontario Hockey League action.
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Bottles Uk Sale . Siddikur, whose previous win on the circuit came in
Brunei three years ago, finished his bogey-free round with a birdie on the 18th
for a total of 17-under 199. Indias Shiv Chowrasia, who has finished runner-up
in this tournament twice, was in second place after a 66. ST. PAUL, Minn. -- The
Mercury reviewed video of their 113-95 loss to the Lynx in Game 1 of the WNBA
semifinals before a light practice Thursday at the Xcel Energy Center. Brittney
Griner hardly needed the visual reminder of something that bugged her.In 27
minutes Wednesday in Game 1, the 6-foot-8 Griner, the tallest player on the
floor, grabbed two rebounds, both on the defensive end. Her 16 points on 7-for-8
shooting meant nothing to her, because scoring isnt her primary gig. Her inside
presence keys Phoenixs defense, which came up woefully short in Game 1.Four days
after her dominant second-round performance in New York -- 22 points, 10
rebounds, five assists and four blocks -- lifted Phoenix into the WNBA
semifinals, Griners lack of aggression annoyed her so much that she brought it
up without being asked. She knows she needs to be better Friday night in Game 2
(ESPNEWS, 8 p.m. ET).Two rebounds in a playoff game? Thats ridiculous, said
Griner, a two-time WNBA Defensive Player of the Year. Its unacceptable. I have
to make a better effort at boxing out Syl (Sylvia Fowles), or whoever it is, and
getting more boards.Rebounds usually arent plentiful when one team shoots 63.9
percent, as the Lynx did. Yet Fowles grabbed 10, keying Minnesotas 38-20 edge on
the glass and 16-2 dominance in fast-break points.I saw a Minnesota team playing
one of the best games Ive seen them play, and I saw a Phoenix team that didnt
play anywhere near as good as they could play, Phoenix coach Sandy Brondello
said. We just didnt give them any resilience or defense. We didnt execute much.
Hopefully we play better in the next game.The Mercurys poor defense and
inability to slow the Lynx even a little enabled Minnesota to set the league
record for points in a regulation-length playoff game. Brondello sat Griner,
Diana Taurasi, Penny Taylor and Candice Dupree for the entire fourth quarter,
unwilling to overtax them with the game out of hand. In the final minutes,
Taurasi turned to jaw with a heckler. It was that kind of night.Our overall
schemes were a little bit too passive, Dupree said. Because our offense was
going early, our defense slacked. We cant let our defense bbe predicated on our
offense.dddddddddddd Regardless of whether were scoring the ball or not, weve
got to be able to get stops. Weve got to be more aggressive.The new best-of-five
semifinal format, instead of a best-of-three series, means one clunker doesnt
decide a series. That takes the elimination edge off Friday night. Brondello
said the Mercury prefer playing up-tempo to prevent Minnesota from setting its
defense. But that requires Phoenix to play some defense itself.There wasnt much
on either side Wednesday, except late in the first quarter, when Minnesotas
three-guard tandem of Anna Cruz, Jia Perkins and Renee Montgomery disrupted
Phoenixs offense by slowing the hot-shooting Taurasi.The Lynx countered with 14
consecutive points in the second quarter to go up 39-25. Phoenix never
recovered. The Mercurys 34-point third quarter made little difference because
they gave up 36. Phoenix shot 53.5 percent and still lost big.The first quarter
we had a pretty good rhythm, doing things that were hurting them, Taurasi said.
In the second quarter it all went away. In the third quarter, we were trading
baskets. That doesnt help when youre down double digits.Added Griner: A lot of
times they just drove down the middle. Weve got to clog up the paint, make it
harder for them to get to the basket. ...In a playoff like this, when you let a
team go on a run like that, theyre going to make it hard for you to get it back.
We got into a little bit more of rhythm, though, with our offense later on in
the game. Now its coming out the next game, applying that at the beginning of
the game and all the way to halftime.Minnesota coach Cheryl Reeve wasnt thrilled
with her teams defense, either, making that a point of emphasis Thursday. Her
bench might be thinner for Game 2 if Janel McCarville, who missed Game 1 with
back spasms, and Cruz (buttocks contusion) cant go.Brondello also termed backup
center Kelsey Bone (left elbow strain) questionable for Game 2. She hurt it in
the fourth quarter trying to wrest her arm free from Fowles grasp. ' ' '
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