The last time the F1 circus turned up in Hockenheim for the German Grand Prix, I dont think anyone noticed we were here.
Adidas Gazelle Kengät . Despite a World Cup-based ticket offer that gave fans the chance of up to €70 off the cost of tickets, roughly seven people (I exaggerate...) turned up to watch the weekends track action.The poor turnout in 2014 led to understandable hand-wringing about the future of the German Grand Prix, and questions about the future sustainability of the race given that the German fanbase didnt seem to feel the same passion for the likes of Sebastian Vettel and Nico Rosberg that it once had for their beloved Red Baron, Michael Schumacher.This time around, with weekend ticket sales said to be over 50,000 (the joke in the paddock today has been that theyve sold 50,001...), it is impossible to miss the fact that Formula One is in town. Hockenheim is certainly well short of the 60,000 fans needed to break even, and when the first of the shuttles from the media car park arrived at the paddock gates this morning it was clear that the German circuit has gone for Shanghai spec grandstands, covering up large swathes of empty seats in the stadium complex with Rolex advertising.Despite the continued lack of interest in the race, however, F1s presence is unmissable thanks to the added security that has set up camp at the Hockenheimring -- and in the nearby towns and villages -- in the wake of a month of violent attacks in Germany, some of which have been linked with Isis activity.As a high-profile event with guaranteed global media coverage, the German Grand Prix is perceived to be a possible target for trouble-makers of any persuasion. There are concerns that the race will be subject to attempted attacks by those determined to ensure that their particular platform receives maximum exposure, similar to the concerns over attempted violence at the Euro2016 football matches held earlier this summer.From the minute we landed in Stuttgart on Wednesday afternoon it was clear that Germany was on high alert, with a visible police presence in and around the airport and added checks at customs. Arriving in Mannheim, the city centre was a sun-soaked paradise filled with people lazing about in parks and sipping frosty beers in pavement cafes. But behind every corner lucked dozens of police cars, riot vehicles, and armoured cars. A similar police presence could be seen along the roads to Hockenheim this morning.This focus on security -- while both vital and reassuring -- could also prove to be the final nail in the coffin for the German Grand Prix.Since 18 July, Germany has seen four attacks on home soil. The BBC reported: On 18 July, a teenage Afghan refugee hacked at passengers on a train in Wuerzburg with an axe and knife, wounding five. He was shot dead by police. On 22 July, a German teenager of Iranian heritage shot dead nine people in Munich before shooting himself dead. On 24 July, a 21-year-old Syrian refugee killed a woman with a machete and wounded five other people as he fled before being arrested. Later that day, a 27-year-old Syrian whose refugee application had been refused blew himself up outside a bar in Ansbach. Fifteen people were wounded.While the attacks were not linked, and Isis has claimed responsibility only for the attack in Wuerzberg (the Ansach bomber had proclaimed allegiance to the Islamic State, although IS has not confirmed the connection), Germany currently has the feeling of a country under siege. That siege is made all the more complex by the lack of an obvious enemy.Many of those who had been considering a last-minute trip to the race in Hockenheim this weekend will weigh up the risk of going to a high-profile event with a sizeable group of people and determine that the reward is not worth the potential risk. Large groups are now targets, and large groups at an event being broadcast globally are in greater risk due to the instant global exposure any attack would generate.The Hockenheim promoters have been relying on late purchases to boost the audience to above the 60,000 needed to break even, something that looks increasingly unlikely in the current climate.And its a real (albeit understandable) shame, for since the F1 circus last visited Baden-Württemberg in 2014 a lot of work has been done -- with limited resources -- to improve the Hockenheim experience for fans, media, and team personnel alike. It is cruelly ironic that securing Hockenheim from potential threats could well be what prevents the circuit from securing its future place on the F1 calendar...
Adidas Deerupt Kengät . The move comes after the Canadiens were approached by the Buffalo Sabres for permission to speak to Dudley - a former Sabres player and head coach. "The Sabres called for permission and I appreciate that, Im flattered, Dudley told TSN Hockey Insider Pierre LeBrun of ESPN.
Adidas Alphabounce Suomi .2 billion agreement with Rogers Communications for the leagues broadcast and multimedia rights.
http://www.nmdhalvalla.com/ . -- Patrick Reed got an early start in golf. When Marwa Amri was last on Indian TV screens three months ago, she had just won bronze at the Olympics, and after flag-waving celebrations with her coach, was sharing the podium with Sakshi Malik. It was a special moment for India but it was an even bigger moment for Amri - shed become not just the first Tunisian but the first African woman to win an Olympic medal in wrestling.On Saturday, Amri, 27, was at a promotional event in Mumbai. Dressed trendily, her highlighted hair tumbling down, she fit right in at the upmarket Mumbai hotel where this correspondent met her. What stood out, though, was the large bronze disc that she kept close to her and gazed at from time to time.Life has changed a lot, Amri said.The bronze medal isnt just a validation of all the hours and years of hard work she put into the game, it has also become a passport to a different world. In India as a guest of the Pro Wrestling League (PWL), Amri has been feted, done the Bollywood round - posing for pictures outside Shah Rukh Khan and Salman Khans houses - and is now set to attend a big fat Indian wedding when fellow wrestler Geeta Phogat ties the knot on November 20.Im very, very happy, she said. I couldnt sleep for two days after I won the medal, it was a little unbelievable. I slept with the medal the day I won it. Now I get called for events and functions.The upcoming PWL will be her first event after the Olympics, where she defeated Azerbaijans Yuliya Ratkevich 6-3 in the 58-kg bronze medal bout to create African sporting history. I was aware of the history I was about to create, and it was added pressure during the Olympics, she said. Her medal was won in the last ten seconds, when she lifted Raktevich off her feet and pinned her for a four-pointer. In one move she overcame the 2-3 deficit and launched her country in a new territory of athletic success.Before that I had won a few big medals, African championships, world championships, but this was the one I really wanted. In those last ten seconds, I knew when I went in for the move that I would get at least two points, I had to. When the final whistle blew, Amri sank to her knees and let the tears flow. Her coach Zouhair Seighir then carried her on his shoulders for a victory lap.My coach, he has been with me for about 10 years, she said. There were so many times when I wanted to give up, when I was losing or things were not going my way. Wrestling is not big in Tunisia, and I would ask him why are there no camps set up for me, why dont I have better sparring partners, he would ask me to calm down and train. He used to be a wrestler iin his day, and had played a few international competitions, but never the Olympics.
Adidas Gazelle Tarjous. He taught me to dream. He would keep me going on when I wanted to quit.****The oldest of four siblings, Amri grew up with a sense of responsibility. Her father had died when she was nine and she would help her mother bake bread to keep the household running. At 11, Amri found wrestling.I just took it up because I liked it... my school had an indoor hall and mat. Tunis, the capital city that obsessed over football, had little to give a budding woman wrestler. Forget Tunis, the whole of Tunisia had about seven womens wrestlers when I started, Amri recalls. I used to spar with boys. While they are stronger, women react to situations differently and come up with techniques or moves that are unexpected. Ask her to explain, and she says that men go more by the textbook while women are better at improvising. Also, there wasnt much money to fund my international trips. Ahead of the bigger competitions, like the African championships, the government would help but otherwise I had to fend for myself. None of the girls that I started with continued. One of her younger sisters also took up the sport but gave up quickly because she didnt enjoy it. Amri, though, kept stoking her dream. She got a degree in physical education and worked as a PE instructor in a school in the town of El Omrane. The down time was spent watching Indian movies and serials, which were dubbed in Arabic.I would work every day. Finish training, then go to work, then back to training. The schedule - two sessions of two hours every day, with a focus on diet and cardio closer to events - wouldnt ease even during the month of Ramadan.The Olympic dream first became a reality in 2008, when she competed at the Beijing Games. I finished 10th in Beijing (in 55 kg). But having competed there, I knew I could win an Olympic medal. I was a little better in London (she made the quarterfinals). And this time I just didnt want to let it go. Amri had made the bronze medal bout through the repechage round and pinned down the opportunity with dramatic flair.Have things changed in Tunisia for women wrestlers? Not really, she concedes; theres too many more girls joining the sport, or sponsors coming in, but she hopes things will change in the near future. Its not impossible, she says. And another twirl of the bronze medal validates her belief.(Deepti Patwardhan is a freelance journalist based in Mumbai) ' ' '