C
WWW.TIMESOFOMAN.COM THUR SDAY, APRIL 21, 2016
SECTION
BOLT EYES TRIPLE ‘THREEPEAT’ AND SUB-19 200M >C4
SPOR YOUR GAME
S
INSIDE LIFESTYLE
THE STRANGERS WE MEET SO TO SPEAK BY SALEH AL-SHAIBANY >C77
Ahmad bracing up for Blancpain Endurance Cup curtain raiser After a seven-month break since the final round of the 2015 season, the Omani driver is
It’s fantastic we’re only a few days away from the first round at Monza, I really can’t wait
relishing the prospect of being back in action at the wheel of Aston Martin V12 Vantage GT3
MUSCAT: Monza in Italy is the destination for Omani racing driver Ahmad Al Harthy on April 23 and 2, where the eagerly awaited opening round of the Blancpain Endurance Cup gets underway at the world famous ‘cathedral of motorsport’. After a long seven-month break since the final round of the 2015 season, punctuated in December by a podium-finishing debut outing in the annual Gulf 12 Hours in Abu Dhabi, the Omani driver is relishing the prospect of being back in action at the wheel of his CRICKET
Irfan Ahmed
ICC bans Hong Kong all-rounder Ifran Ahmed HONG KONG: Hong Kong allrounder Irfan Ahmed has been banned for two and a half years for failing to disclose approaches made to him to engage in corruption, the International Cricket Council said on Wednesday. The 26-year-old Pakistanborn cricketer was provisionally suspended in November with the ICC’s anti-corruption unit (ACU) investigating his role in relation to the activities of another suspected offender. “Whilst Mr Ahmed was not charged with any offence involving corruption, the ACU established that he had failed to disclose to it full details of approaches or invitations to engage in corrupt conduct that had been made to him between January 2012 and January 2014,” the ICC said in a statement. Ahmed, who had played in six ODIs and eight Twenty20 matches for Hong Kong, accepted the sanction and waived his right to appeal, the ICC added. ACU chairman Ronnie Flanagan said corrupt individuals had increased the targeting of players from ICC Associate Member nations, where cricket is firmly established and organised, and the game’s stakeholders needed to stave them off. “This penalty (imposed on Ahmed) should act as a reminder to all participants of the need to comply with their obligations under the (anti-corruption) code at all times and, in particular, the requirement to report corrupt approaches to the ACU without any delay,” Flanagan said. “It is pleasing to note that the investigation upon which these charges were founded originated from information that had been disclosed to the ACU. “This is a clear and welcome demonstration that participants now more and more fully realise their own responsibilities in combating this scourge on the game through prompt and diligent reporting as required by the Code.” Ahmed’s ban is backdated to when he was provisionally suspended and will expire on May 4, 2018. - Reuters
Aston Martin V12 Vantage GT3. Racing once again with the Oman Racing Team powered by Motorbase, Ahmad cannot wait for Sunday’s opening three-hour contest where he aims to get his fourth season in the championship off to a strong start with team-mates Jonny Adam and Devon Modell in the Pro-Am Cup Class. Determined This season marks the 34-yearold’s third piloting Aston Martin machinery in the pan-European
Ahmad Al Harthy
Oman racing star
Blancpain Endurance Cup and the coming campaign looks set to be as competitive as ever, if not more so with the entry list for Monza featuring close to 60 cars — a remark-
able number. More than 20 cars will be eligible to battle for Pro-Am honours alone. “It’s fantastic we’re only a few days away from the first round at
Monza, I really can’t wait”, said the Omani. “Every year you think Blancpain can’t get any stronger, any bigger, but it does and when you look at the entry list for this season it looks like it should be the most competitive championship yet. “Everyone at the team is so determined to make the best start we can to the new season, it’s going to be great working with Jonny and Devon and we’re all looking forward to the weekend. “It’s too early to know where we stand, so we’re not making any predictions, but we’ll aim to do the very best we can and be as competitive as possible.” Enjoying excellent support from an impressive portfolio of sponsors, headed by Oman Air for an eighth successive year, Ahmad is also backed in 2016 by the Ministry of Sports Affairs, the National Bank of Oman (NBO), Barr Al Jissah and Omantel. Additionally, of course, Ahmad is continuing in his role as am-
bassador for Aston Martin Middle East and North Africa and, as such, retains strong links to the Al Hashar Group — the official dealer of Aston Martin in Oman. “I’m very proud to again be supported by so many incredible sponsors and commercial partners, they are the reason we’re able to put the Oman Racing Team on the grid and be part of such an amazing championship”, added Ahmad. “I’m going into this season more determined than ever and very hungry to succeed. One thing is for sure, we’ll be giving our very best as we always do.” The opening ‘Bronze Test’ of the 2016 Blancpain Endurance Cup season will get underway at 0900 hours (local time) on Saturday, with free practice then following at 1100 and pre-qualifying beginning at 16.25. On Sunday, final qualifying will take place at 0900 (local time) with the opening race of the season getting underway at 1500.