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<title>Sports</title><image>
<title>People's Daily Online</title><link>http://english.people.com.cn/</link>
<url>http://english.people.com.cn/images/en/top_logo_e.gif</url>
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<description>People's Daily Online</description>
<link>http://english.people.com.cn/90001/90779/index.html</link>
<item>
<title>China's snooker ace Ding to donate tournament bonus for quake relief</title>
<NEWS_ID>6412629</NEWS_ID>
<link>http://english.people.com.cn/90001/90776/90882/6412629.html</link>
<pubDate>Fri, 16 May 2008 16:56:06 +0800</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[Ding Junhui promised to donate all his game bonus to the disaster relief against the country's worst quake in recent decades, said the Chinese star with the 2008 Huangshan Cup Snooker All-star Game entering the last three days. 

    "Whe ...]]></description>
<full-text><![CDATA[Ding Junhui promised to donate all his game bonus to the disaster relief against the country's worst quake in recent decades, said the Chinese star with the 2008 Huangshan Cup Snooker All-star Game entering the last three days. 

    "When the quake started, I was practicing snooker. I heard from many friends that some areas were damaged pretty seriously," said Ding at a press conference on Thursday. "I hope I can do something to help, but one man's power is limited. I hope everyone can give a hand." 

    The earthquake measuring 7.8 Richter Scale jolted southwest China's Sichuan Province at 2:28 p.m. on Monday. By Thursday, nearly 20,000 people were confirmed dead in the most destructive quake in the country in decades. 

    After the domestic selection game closed on Thursday, Ding and Liang Bowen, along side with Liu Chuang and Jin Long, entered the international phrase and will vie with stars like Stephen Hendry, Mark Williams from Friday to Sunday. 

    Fu Jiajun from Hong Kong said: "It's a wonderful thing to compete with these first-class players, and it will be an exciting game." 

    Due to unsolved matter of poor performance during a press conference at the earlier China Open, Ronnie O' Sullivan had to change his schedule and let slip the game. 

    The tournament, consisting of two-day national selection and three-day international competition, started here Wednesday at the capital city of East China's Anhui Province and will end on Sunday. 

Source:Xinhua]]></full-text>
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<item>
<title>Olympic venues unaffected by earthquake</title>
<NEWS_ID>6412586</NEWS_ID>
<link>http://english.people.com.cn/90001/90776/90882/6412586.html</link>
<pubDate>Fri, 16 May 2008 16:18:35 +0800</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[On May 12， an earthquake, measuring 7.8 on the Richter scale, hit Wenchuan County in southwest China's Sichuan Province; and several other provinces and cities felt the earthquake including Beijing. Li Zhanjun, Director of the BOCOG (Beiji ...]]></description>
<full-text><![CDATA[On May 12， an earthquake, measuring 7.8 on the Richter scale, hit Wenchuan County in southwest China's Sichuan Province; and several other provinces and cities felt the earthquake including Beijing. Li Zhanjun, Director of the BOCOG (Beijing Olympic Press Center), recently said that none of the Olympic venues have been affected to any degree of impact or destruction. He said that according to relevant State regulations, all civil structures have to meet a seismic resistance of more than 8 on the Richter scale and the Olympic venues are no exception.

Although parts of Beijing evidently felt the earthquake at the time it occurred in Sichuan Province; the National Stadium (the "Nest"), main stadium of the 2008 Beijing Olympics in its phase-out period, has not been affected. Li Jiulin, chief engineer of the Department of Contracts for the National Stadium project, was in the "Nest" for quality inspection with site workers. No one in the "Nest"at that time felt the earthquake or noticed anything unusual. Li Jiulin contended that since the "Nest’s"designed seismic resistance scale was 8 on the Richter scale, an earthquake of a relatively small scale would not pose a threat.

All the Olympic venues were evaluated for seismic safety prior to construction.

By People's Daily Online]]></full-text>
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<item>
<title>IOC Chairman satisfied Beijing's air quality</title>
<NEWS_ID>6412570</NEWS_ID>
<link>http://english.people.com.cn/90001/90776/90882/6412570.html</link>
<pubDate>Fri, 16 May 2008 16:18:56 +0800</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[With the health of athletes who participate in the upcoming Beijing Olympic Games being of the utmost importance to the International Olympic Committee (IOC), the IOC's Medical Commission has been appraising the air quality in the host city ...]]></description>
<full-text><![CDATA[With the health of athletes who participate in the upcoming Beijing Olympic Games being of the utmost importance to the International Olympic Committee (IOC), the IOC's Medical Commission has been appraising the air quality in the host city of Beijing.

An analysis in March—including temperatures, wind, humidity and SO2, NO2, CO, Ozone and PM10 readings—was made by the Beijing Environment Protection Bureau from August 8-27, 2007; and given to the IOC. The data have been evaluated on the basis of WHO 2005 interim target standards.

The IOC Medical Commission is satisfied with the outcome of its analysis which indicates that the health of the vast majority of athletes competing in the 2008 Olympic Games will not be impaired. These findings are also supported by the fact that no health issues related to air quality were reported to the IOC by any team physicians looking after athletes who competed in the August 2007 test events. Nor were there any air quality-related problems reported at the IAAF Junior World Championships held in Beijing in August 2006.

The IOC is confident that measures already put in place, in addition to those planned by Beijing organizers and city authorities, will continue to improve the city's air quality leading up to and during the Games.

The groundless rumors saying that athletes competing in Beijing Olympics will have to put on gauze masks for the sake of health have been crushed by the hard facts. "The air quality in Beijing is generally satisfactory and much better than expected. I have visited the city several times, and never used masks; nor will I use one to attend the Games,"said Arne Ljungqvist, Chairman on the IOC's Medical Commission.

By People's Daily Online]]></full-text>
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<title>Adriano in Brazilian team for World Cup qualifiers</title>
<NEWS_ID>6412261</NEWS_ID>
<link>http://english.people.com.cn/90001/90779/90871/6412261.html</link>
<pubDate>Fri, 16 May 2008 11:01:22 +0800</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[Veteran forward Adriano was called up for the second time since Germany 2006 as the Rio-based Brazilian football confederation released on Thursday the 25-man squad drafted for the FIFA World Cup qualifiers. 

    Last year, Adriano exper ...]]></description>
<full-text><![CDATA[Veteran forward Adriano was called up for the second time since Germany 2006 as the Rio-based Brazilian football confederation released on Thursday the 25-man squad drafted for the FIFA World Cup qualifiers. 

    Last year, Adriano experienced a bad phase in his career due to injuries and problems with alcohol abuse. 

    Italy's Inter Milan then agreed to loan him out to Brazilian club Sao Paulo, where he has been displaying significant improvement since January. 

    On Wednesday, the forward scored for his team in the 1-0 victory over Fluminense in the Libertadores Cup's quarterfinal. 

    Brazil will face Paraguay on June 15 in Asuncion, and Argentina on June 18 at home, in its quest for South Africa 2010. Adriano and Santos' wingback Kleber were drafted exclusively for the two matches next month. 

    Before that, the Brazilian team will play two friendly games inthe United States: on May 31, against Canada, and on June 6, against Venezuela. Real Madrid's wingback Marcelo and Betis' forward Rafael Sobis were called only to those two matches. 

    Squad: 

    Goalkeepers: Julio Cesar (Internazionale), Doni (Roma), Diego Alves (Almeria); 

    Defenders: Lucio (Bayern Munich), Alex Costa (Chelsea), Juan (Roma), Luisao (Benfica) 

    Wingbacks: Daniel Alves (Sevilla), Maicon (Internazionale), Gilberto (Hertha Berlin), Marcelo (Real Madrid), Kleber (Santos); 

    Midfielders: Elano (Manchester City), Gilberto Silva (Arsenal),Mineiro (Hertha Berlin), Josue (Wolfsburg), Anderson (Manchester United), Diego (Werder Bremen), Kaka (Milan) 

    Forwards: Adriano (Sao Paulo), Alexandre Pato (Milan), Julio Baptista (Real Madrid), Luis Fabiano (Sevilla), Rafael Sobis (Betis), Robinho (Real Madrid) 
 
Source： Xinhua]]></full-text>
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<title>China gymnastics women's coach unhappy with Olympic draw</title>
<NEWS_ID>6412034</NEWS_ID>
<link>http://english.people.com.cn/90001/90779/90867/6412034.html</link>
<pubDate>Fri, 16 May 2008 09:09:30 +0800</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ Lu Shanzhen, coach of the Chinese gymnastics women's team, expressed his unhappiness about the draw of the women's team competitions for the Beijing Olympic Games gymnastics here on Thursday. 

    The draw was made here on Thursday duri ...]]></description>
<full-text><![CDATA[ Lu Shanzhen, coach of the Chinese gymnastics women's team, expressed his unhappiness about the draw of the women's team competitions for the Beijing Olympic Games gymnastics here on Thursday. 

    The draw was made here on Thursday during the finals of the 2008 Federation Internationale de Gymnastique (FIG) World Cup. 

    According to the draw, the Chinese gymnastics women's team, will play in qualification 1 with Romania, and mixed groups 3 and 4. 

    "It is the worst draw!" Lu expressed his disappointment after the draw. "We are in the first qualification and will start with balance beam." 

    "It will be a big challenge for us," added the coach. 

    Usually comparing with the others, gymnasts don't like qualification 1, since it starts in the morning which may have many disadvantages for the results, like lower temperature, shorter warm-up time, fewer audience, and so on. 

    "The draw was quite unlucky," said Cheng Fei, winner of vault at the 2007 Gymnastics World Championships. "We should work harder." 

Source:Xinhua]]></full-text>
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<item>
<title>China gymnastics coach satisfies with "lucky draw" for men's team</title>
<NEWS_ID>6412033</NEWS_ID>
<link>http://english.people.com.cn/90001/90779/90867/6412033.html</link>
<pubDate>Fri, 16 May 2008 09:09:38 +0800</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[Huang Yubin, the head coach of the Chinese gymnastics national team, expressed his satisfaction over the draw for the men's gymnastics team competitions in the Beijing Olympic Games here on Thursday. 

    The draw was made here on Thursd ...]]></description>
<full-text><![CDATA[Huang Yubin, the head coach of the Chinese gymnastics national team, expressed his satisfaction over the draw for the men's gymnastics team competitions in the Beijing Olympic Games here on Thursday. 

    The draw was made here on Thursday during the finals of the 2008 Federation Internationale de Gymnastique (FIG) World Cup. 

    According to the draw, the Chinese men's team, winner at the 2000 Sydney Olympics, will play in qualification 2, together with Canada, France, Japan, Russia and mixed group 4 in the Olympic Games. 

    Comparing with the others, many gymnasts don't like qualification 1, since it starts in the morning which may have many disadvantages for their scoring, like lower temperature, shorter warm-up time, fewer audience, and so on. 

    Huang was quite satisfied with the draw. "I am happy with the results," he said. "We are in the qualification 2, not the first. And we are in the same qualification group with Japan and Russia, which are gymnastics powerhouses." 

    "But good luck still cannot lead us to the gold," added Huang. "We must perform to our best." 
 
Source:Xinhua]]></full-text>
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<title>Indonesia enters Uber Cup badminton final</title>
<NEWS_ID>6412029</NEWS_ID>
<link>http://english.people.com.cn/90001/90779/90867/6412029.html</link>
<pubDate>Fri, 16 May 2008 09:08:31 +0800</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[Indonesia beat Germany 3-1 in front of a boisterous home crowd at the Bung Karno Sports Hall Thursday night and advanced to the final of the Uber Cup women's badminton tournament. 

    Xu Huaiwen, representing Germany, beat world No. 25  ...]]></description>
<full-text><![CDATA[Indonesia beat Germany 3-1 in front of a boisterous home crowd at the Bung Karno Sports Hall Thursday night and advanced to the final of the Uber Cup women's badminton tournament. 

    Xu Huaiwen, representing Germany, beat world No. 25 Maria Kristin 22-20, 21-15 while German's second singles Julianne Schenk was defeated by Adriyanti Firdasari 21-16, 22-22. 

    Indonesia's doubles pair Jo Novita/Gfreysia Polii demolished Birgit Overzier and Kathrin Piotrowski of Germany 21-16, 22-20. 

    The third singles of Indonesia Pia Zebadiah won over Karin Schnaase 21-7, 21-16, to send her country to the final. 

    After the match, Adriyanti, ranked 35th in the world, said that Indonesia's win has proved "we are able to beat China in the final." 

    Indonesia's Uber Cup team manager Susi Susanti said in news briefing that Indonesia's win over Germany today proved "our team's ability and it is the best chance for our country to win the Cup." 

    "Miracle will happen," said the former Olympic medalist. She said Indonesian girls must be confident and be well-prepared physically and psychologically, adding that China's Uber team is also a young team and sometimes is not stable. 

    Indonesia will meet China in the Uber Cup final scheduled on Saturday. 

Source:Xinhua]]></full-text>
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<title>Sharapova to take over Henin's No. 1 crown</title>
<NEWS_ID>6412027</NEWS_ID>
<link>http://english.people.com.cn/90001/90779/90868/6412027.html</link>
<pubDate>Fri, 16 May 2008 09:07:51 +0800</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[Maria Sharapova will assume the No. 1 ranking in women's tennis as a result of Justine Henin's retirement. 

    Henin, who announced her retirement on Wednesday at the age of 25, has asked to be removed from the rankings, the WTA Tour sa ...]]></description>
<full-text><![CDATA[Maria Sharapova will assume the No. 1 ranking in women's tennis as a result of Justine Henin's retirement. 

    Henin, who announced her retirement on Wednesday at the age of 25, has asked to be removed from the rankings, the WTA Tour said yesterday. That means Sharapova will automatically become No. 1 when the next rankings are released on Monday. 

    It will be the fourth time the Russian has become No. 1. She held the top spot for a total of 14 weeks in her career, the last time in 2007. 


    "The ranking has never been a big deal for me," Sharapova said late on Wednesday after beating Dominika Cibulkova in the second round of the Italian Open. "Whether I'm No. 1 or 5, my main goal is just to keep winning tennis matches and the ranking will take care of itself if I keep winning." 

    In Rome, American Serena Williams and holder Jelena Jankovic moved into the quarterfinals of the Italian Open yesterday with wins over unseeded opponents. 

    Fifth seed Serena tamed lively Italian wildcard Sara Errani 6-4, 6-3, while Serbian fourth seed Jankovic strolled past Russia's Maria Kirilenko 6-1, 6-1. 

    Serena twice came back from a break down in the first set before taking Errani's serve in the final game with the help of two big smashes and a net-cord winner. 

    Italy's last hope in the tournament also proved a worthy opponent in the second set, when former world No. 1 Serena again recovered to clinch the match. 

    Jankovic played assured tennis, mixing her strokes well, but Kirilenko made some careless errors and at one stage blasted a ball into the stands in frustration. 

    Swiss ninth seed Patty Schnyder stayed on course for a quarterfinal with Sharapova by edging a fine tussle with eighth-seeded Frenchwoman Marion Bartoli 4-6, 6-4, 7-6. 

    In Germany, defending champion Roger Federer breezed past Robin Soderling 6-3, 6-2 yesterday to reach the quarterfinals of the Hamburg Masters. 

    The top-ranked Federer is seeking his fifth title in Hamburg and will next play Fernando Verdasco, who upset fifth-seeded David Ferrer 7-6 (2), 6-2. 

    Federer lost in the Rome Masters quarterfinals last week to Radek Stepanek but has looked very comfortable in his first two matches in Hamburg, one of his favorite events. 

    Federer has only one title so far this year, at a relatively small claycourt tournament last month in Estoril, Portugal. He has a 24-6 match record. 

    He had won all five previous matches against Soderling, but three of them were tight. There was nothing close yesterday, with Federer hitting 24 winners compared to 10 unforced errors. 

    Verdasco, ranked No. 28, reached his second quarterfinal of the year after Valencia, where he lost to Ferrer in three sets. 

    Also, Albert Montanes rolled past Janko Tipsarevic 6-2, 6-1 and Andreas Seppi upset 12th-seeded Juan Monaco 6-0, 6-3. 

   Source: Shanghai Daily/ Agencies
 
 
]]></full-text>
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<item>
<title>China beats Poland in women's basketball friendly</title>
<NEWS_ID>6412018</NEWS_ID>
<link>http://english.people.com.cn/90001/90779/90870/6412018.html</link>
<pubDate>Fri, 16 May 2008 09:06:53 +0800</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[Chinese women's basketball team outplayed visiting Poland 91-72 in Wuxi, Southeast China, on Thursday, winning seven of the eight games played since their gathering for the Olympics earlier in March. 

    Four Chinese players scored in d ...]]></description>
<full-text><![CDATA[Chinese women's basketball team outplayed visiting Poland 91-72 in Wuxi, Southeast China, on Thursday, winning seven of the eight games played since their gathering for the Olympics earlier in March. 

    Four Chinese players scored in double figures, led by Miao Lijie, who had 20 points and five assists. Chen Nan and Zhang Xiaoni added 18 points each, Chen Xiaoli scored 12 points for the hosts. 

    China was only defeated in the eight games by the United States in the six-nation Good Luck Beijing tournament preliminary later last month, but avenged with an 84-81 rout over the Americans in the final for the title. 

    The Chinese girls controlled the game Thursday night after a 6-0 spur in the first quarter for a 13-9 edge and expended the lead to double figures with 6:20 minutes remaining in the first half. 


    Poland cut the gap to 34-42 in the earlier second half but never closed than nine points. 

    Monica Krawiec scored 19 points for the Polish, who were beaten by China 74-88 six years ago in Australia. Dorota Gburczyk scored 10 points for the visitors. 

    "Chinese team is very good, I think they can make a good result at the Beijing Olympics," said Krzystor Koziorowicz, Poland head coach. "Miao gave me deep impression this game, I saw her in Australia in 2002 when our team lost to China," the coach added. 

    Chinese coach Tom Mahar said that "though we won, but we still have something to improve. And we may get a medal in the Olympics this summer, but we still need to play more aggressive, more teamwork, more skill." 

    Both teams will play the second and third games in Huizhou, Guangdong Province on May 17, and Jiyuan, Henan Province on May 19. 

Source:Xinhua]]></full-text>
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<title>More 5,000 translators recruited for Olympics</title>
<NEWS_ID>6411716</NEWS_ID>
<link>http://english.people.com.cn/90001/90779/90867/6411716.html</link>
<pubDate>Thu, 15 May 2008 19:20:46 +0800</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[More than 5,000 translators are on standby for this summer's Olympic Games to ensure nothing gets lost in translation, the Beijing Organizing Committee for the Olympics (BOCOG) said on Thursday. 

    Zhao Huimin, director of BOCOG's inte ...]]></description>
<full-text><![CDATA[More than 5,000 translators are on standby for this summer's Olympic Games to ensure nothing gets lost in translation, the Beijing Organizing Committee for the Olympics (BOCOG) said on Thursday. 

    Zhao Huimin, director of BOCOG's international relations department, told reporters that BOCOG will provide 53 language services besides the official languages, French and English, of the International Olympic Committee, during the Aug. 8-24 event. 

    "We have recruited over 5,000 translators of all the 55 languages through various channels," Zhao said. "Most of them are Beijing-based university students." 

    All 205 National Olympic Committees affiliated to the IOC have confirmed that they will participate in the Beijing Games. 
 
Source: Xinhua]]></full-text>
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<title>China sails into Uber Cup badminton finals</title>
<NEWS_ID>6411715</NEWS_ID>
<link>http://english.people.com.cn/90001/90779/90867/6411715.html</link>
<pubDate>Thu, 15 May 2008 19:18:56 +0800</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[China thrashed South Korea's team 3-1 on Thursday and advanced to the finals in the Uber Cup women's badminton semifinal showdown at Bung Karno Sports Hall here. 

    World No. 1 Xie Xingfang crushed South Korea's single player Hwang Hye ...]]></description>
<full-text><![CDATA[China thrashed South Korea's team 3-1 on Thursday and advanced to the finals in the Uber Cup women's badminton semifinal showdown at Bung Karno Sports Hall here. 

    World No. 1 Xie Xingfang crushed South Korea's single player Hwang Hye Youn 21-9, 21-19 in the first round of the game, but China's first doubles pair Yang Wei/Zhang Jiewen fell to Lee KyungWon/Hyo Jung Lee 21-14, 17-21, 18-21. 

    China second single player Lu Lan demolished Jang Soo Young 21-9,21-12 while doubles pair Wei Yili/Zhang Yawen swept past Kim MinJung/Bae Youn Joo 21-19, 21-8. 

    China will face the winner of Germany/Indonesia in the Uber Cup finals.  

Source: Xinhua]]></full-text>
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<item>
<title>Celtics playoff perfect at home, beat Cavs 96-89</title>
<NEWS_ID>6411714</NEWS_ID>
<link>http://english.people.com.cn/90001/90779/90870/6411714.html</link>
<pubDate>Thu, 15 May 2008 19:17:06 +0800</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[The Boston Celtics are on the road again, looking for an Eastern Conference semifinal's clinching victory after defeating the Cleveland Cavaliers 96-89 Wednesday night.

    "We know it's a win-or-go-home situation. We've got to approach  ...]]></description>
<full-text><![CDATA[The Boston Celtics are on the road again, looking for an Eastern Conference semifinal's clinching victory after defeating the Cleveland Cavaliers 96-89 Wednesday night.

    "We know it's a win-or-go-home situation. We've got to approach it that way," said LeBron James, who scored 23 of his 35 points in the first 20 minutes and then went cold again. "We're a very good team at home. But a LeBron James team is never desperate."

    Paul Pierce scored 29 points and helped shut LeBron James down for much of the second half. The Cavaliers forward had 23 points with 3:50 left in the first half but made just one basket in the next 20 minutes as Boston erased a 14-point deficit and took the lead for good. 

    Kevin Garnett had 26 points and 16 rebounds, and Rajon Rondo added 20 points and 13 assists as the Celtics moved within a win of the conference finals. Game 6 is Friday night in Cleveland. 

    "This momentum, and what we did here tonight," Garnett said, "we've got to figure a way to carry this on the road." 

    The Celtics are undefeated at home but they have yet to win on the road, a streak that allowed the eighth-seeded Atlanta Hawks to go the distance in the first round and let Cleveland back in this series after Boston won the first two games. 

    Delonte West had 21 points for Cleveland, which missed 10 free throws in the second half. Cav center Zydrunas Ilgauskas was held to playoff-low six. 

    Boston, which had an NBA-best 66-16 record in the regular season, has the home-court advantage throughout the playoffs. But no team has ever won a title without winning an away game. 

    Source: Xinhua/Agencies]]></full-text>
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<title>UEFA Cup finals since 1971-72</title>
<NEWS_ID>6411713</NEWS_ID>
<link>http://english.people.com.cn/90001/90779/90871/6411713.html</link>
<pubDate>Thu, 15 May 2008 19:15:47 +0800</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[Following are the UEFA Cup finals since the competition replaced the Inter Cities Fairs Cup in 1971-72: 

    Season Winners Runners-Up Agg Score 

    1971-72 Tottenham Hotspur Wolverhampton Wan. 3-2 

    1972-73 Liverpool Bor.Moenc ...]]></description>
<full-text><![CDATA[Following are the UEFA Cup finals since the competition replaced the Inter Cities Fairs Cup in 1971-72: 

    Season Winners Runners-Up Agg Score 

    1971-72 Tottenham Hotspur Wolverhampton Wan. 3-2 

    1972-73 Liverpool Bor.Moenchengladbach 3-2 

    1973-74 Feyenoord Tottenham Hotspur 4-2 

    1974-75 Bor.Moenchengladbach Twente Enschede 5-1 

    1975-76 Liverpool Club Bruges 4-3 

    1976-77 Juventus Athletic Bilbao 2-2* 

    1977-78 PSV Eindhoven Bastia 3-0 

    1978-79 Bor.Moenchengladbach Red Star Belgrade 2-1 

    1979-80 Eintracht Frankfurt Bor.Moenchengladbach 3-3* 

    1980-81 Ipswich Town AZ Alkmaar 5-4 

    1981-82 IFK Gothenburg SV Hamburg 4-0 

    1982-83 Anderlecht Benfica 2-1 

    1983-84 Tottenham Hotspur Anderlecht 2-2 

    (Tottenham won 4-3 on penalties) 

    1984-85 Real Madrid Videoton 3-1 

    1985-86 Real Madrid Cologne 5-3 

    1986-87 IFK Gothenburg Dundee United 2-1 

    1987-88 Bayer Leverkusen Espanyol 3-3 

    (Bayer Leverkusen won 3-2 on penalties) 

    1988-89 Napoli VfB Stuttgart 5-4 

    1989-90 Juventus Fiorentina 3-1 

    1990-91 Inter Milan AS Roma 2-1 

    1991-92 Ajax Amsterdam Torino 2-2* 

    1992-93 Juventus Borussia Dortmund 6-1 

    1993-94 Inter Milan Salzburg 2-0 

    1994-95 Parma Juventus 2-1 

    1995-96 Bayern Munich Bordeaux 5-1 

    1996-97 Schalke 04 Inter Milan 1-1 

    (Schalke 04 won 4-1 on penalties) 

    1997-98 Inter Milan Lazio 3-0 

    1998-99 Parma Olympique Marseille 3-0 

    1999-2000 Galatasaray Arsenal 0-0 (after extra time) 

    (Galatasaray won 4-1 on penalties) 

    2000-01 Liverpool Alaves 5-4aet 

    2001-02 Feyenoord Borussia Dortmund 3-2 

    2002-03 Porto Celtic 3-2aet 

    2003-04 Valencia Olympique Marseille 2-0 

    2004-05 CSKA Moscow Sporting Lisbon 3-1 

    2005-06 Sevilla Middlesbrough 4-0 

    2006-07 Sevilla Espanyol 2-2aet 

    (Sevilla won 3-1 on penalties) 

    2007-08 Zenit St Petersburg Rangers 2-0 

    Notes: Scores marked by * denote won on away goals. 

    From the 1997-98 season finals were decided by one match. 
 
 Source: Xinhua]]></full-text>
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<title>Kerzhakov not included in Russian squad for Euro 2008</title>
<NEWS_ID>6411712</NEWS_ID>
<link>http://english.people.com.cn/90001/90779/90871/6411712.html</link>
<pubDate>Thu, 15 May 2008 19:15:07 +0800</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[Guus Hiddink named a 25-man provisional squad for Euro 2008 on Wednesday without calling up striker Alexander Kerzhakov. 

    The Dutchman also surprised a few by calling up 32-year-old midfielder Sergei Semak for the first time since he ...]]></description>
<full-text><![CDATA[Guus Hiddink named a 25-man provisional squad for Euro 2008 on Wednesday without calling up striker Alexander Kerzhakov. 

    The Dutchman also surprised a few by calling up 32-year-old midfielder Sergei Semak for the first time since he took over the Russia post in July 2006, as well as recruiting three new faces. 

    Kerzhakov has struggled to regain his form since joining Dynamo Moscow from Sevilla in February, while Semak has been in sparkling form this season, helping unfancied Rubin Kazan to the top of the Russian premier league. 

    The newcomers are Lokomotiv Moscow defender Renat Yanbayev and midfielders Oleg Ivanov of Krylya Sovietov Samara and Alexander Pavlenko of Spartak Moscow. 

    Russia are in Group D with Greece, Spain and Sweden at the championship being co-hosted by Austria and Switzerland due on June 7-29. 

    Squad: 

    Goalkeepers: Igor Akinfeyev (CSKA Moscow), Vyacheslav Malafeyev(Zenit St Petersburg), Vladimir Gabulov (Amkar Perm) 

    Defenders: Sergei Ignashevich (CSKA Moscow), Alexei Berezutsky (CSKA Moscow), Vasily Berezutsky (CSKA Moscow), Alexander Anyukov (Zenit St Petersburg), Denis Kolodin (Dynamo Moscow), Renat Yanbayev (Lokomotiv Moscow) 

    Midfielders: Diniyar Bilyaletdinov (Lokomotiv Moscow), Yuri Zhirkov (CSKA Moscow), Igor Semshov (Dynamo Moscow), Dmitry Torbinsky (Lokomotiv Moscow), Vladimir Bystrov (Spartak Moscow), Konstantin Zyryanov (Zenit St Petersburg), Roman Shirokov (Zenit St Petersburg), Sergei Semak (Rubin Kazan), Alexander Pavlenko (Spartak Moscow), Oleg Ivanov (Krylya Sovietov Samara) 

    Forwards: Andrei Arshavin (Zenit St Petersburg), Pavel Pogrebnyak (Zenit St Petersburg), Roman Pavlyuchenko (Spartak Moscow), Dmitry Sychev (Lokomotiv Moscow), Roman Adamov (FK Moscow), Ivan Saenko (Nuremberg) 
 
 Source: Xinhua]]></full-text>
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<item>
<title>Nedved not to play for Czech Republic at Euro 2008</title>
<NEWS_ID>6411711</NEWS_ID>
<link>http://english.people.com.cn/90001/90779/90871/6411711.html</link>
<pubDate>Thu, 15 May 2008 19:14:32 +0800</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[Pavel Nedved was not included in the 23-member Czech national team for the upcoming European Championships as coach Karel Brueckner called up the training camp, the Czech news agency CTK said on Wednesday. 

    Some have suggested inviti ...]]></description>
<full-text><![CDATA[Pavel Nedved was not included in the 23-member Czech national team for the upcoming European Championships as coach Karel Brueckner called up the training camp, the Czech news agency CTK said on Wednesday. 

    Some have suggested inviting Nedved, who plays in Italy, after midfielder Tomas Rosicky sustained an injury. 

    The national team will sum up in Prague on Monday and leave for Austria on Tuesday. It is going to play two friendly matches before the Euro 2008, with Lithuania on May 27 and with Scotland on May 30. 

    Squad: 

    Goalkeeper: Jaromir Blazek (1. FC Nuremberg, 14 matches/0 goals), Petr Cech (Chelsea FC, 57/0), Daniel Zitka (Anderlecht, 1/0). 

    Defenders: Zdenek Grygera (Juventus, 52/2), Marek Jankulovski (AC Milan, 62/10), Michal Kadlec (Sparta, 4/0), Radoslav Kovac (Spartak Moscow, 21/1), Zdenek Pospech (FC Copenhagen, 7/0), DavidRozehnal (Lazio Roma, 43/0), Tomas Sivok (Sparta, 5/0), Tomas Ujfalusi (FC Fiorentina, 66/2). 

    Midfielders: Tomas Galasek (1. FC Nuremberg, 64/1), David Jarolim (Hamburger SV, 14/1), Marek Matejovsky (Reading FC, 8/1), Jaroslav Plasil (Pamplona, 35/2), Jan Polak (Anderlecht, 36/6), Daniel Pudil (Slavia, 3/1), Libor Sionko (FC Copenhagen, 29/4), Stanislav Vlcek (Anderlecht, 9/0). 

    Strikers: Milan Baros (Portsmouth FC, 63/31), Jan Koller (1. FCNuremberg, 85/52), Martin Fenin (Frankfurt, 5/0), Vaclav Sverkos (Ostrava, 0/0). 
 
Source: Xinhua]]></full-text>
</item>
<item>
<title>Zenit lift UEFA Cup in historical glory</title>
<NEWS_ID>6411710</NEWS_ID>
<link>http://english.people.com.cn/90001/90779/90871/6411710.html</link>
<pubDate>Thu, 15 May 2008 19:13:51 +0800</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[Russian champions Zenit St. Petersburg lifted its first European trophy after beating Scotland's Glasgow Rangers 2-0 in the UEFA Cup final on Wednesday. 

    The Russians enjoyed plenty of possession but could not find ways into Rangers' ...]]></description>
<full-text><![CDATA[Russian champions Zenit St. Petersburg lifted its first European trophy after beating Scotland's Glasgow Rangers 2-0 in the UEFA Cup final on Wednesday. 

    The Russians enjoyed plenty of possession but could not find ways into Rangers' packed defense until 18 minutes from time. 

    Igor Denisov played a neat one-two with Andrei Arshavin before firing home and Konstatin Zyryanov sealed victory with a close range effort in stoppage time at the City of Manchester stadium. 

    "Winning a prize like this does not come often in your life," said Zenit's Dutch manager Dick Advocaat. "I'm very proud for Zenit that we have won." 

    "I think we deserved this victory. Hopefully this is the start of something for Russian football." 

    It was only the second Russian side that had won a European trophy following CSKA Moscow's UEFA cup triumph in 2005. 

    But their victory ended Rangers' dream of repeating their 1972 Cup-Winners' Cup success and left tens of thousands of Scottish fans heartbroken. 

    Officials expected 100,000 Rangers supporters to have reached Manchester by game time with ticketless fans thronging the city center to watch on big screens. 

    "Zenit looked the more offensive team, but obviously at this stage I'm disappointed to have lost," said Rangers' manager Walter Smith. 

    "We've had a terrific tournament. In the end, I can have no complaints." 

     Rangers had been accused of playing "anti-football" during a miserly run to the final built on a solid defensive foundation. 

    The Russian side started in swift style as Andrei Arshavin, back in the side after being banned for the semifinals, fired into the side-netting after just four minutes. 

    Rangers quickly settled though but Zenit's Victor Fayzulin made a well-timed interception to clear Jean-Claude Darcheville's dangerous cross into the goalmouth. 

    Rangers showed more adventure after the break and Zenit goalkeeper Vyacheslav Malafeev pulled off a fine save with his feet to block a low Darcheville drive. 

    During the goalmouth melee that followed, Rangers claimed a penalty as Barry Ferguson's flick appeared to strike the arm of Denisov but the Swedish referee Peter Frojdfeldt decided to wave the match on. 

    The decisive moment of the match came after 72 minutes Denisov and playmaker Arshavin finally split the Rangers defense through the middle with the former sliding the ball past keeper Neil Alexander into the net from eight meters. 

    Smith threw on Nacho Novo, Lee McCulloch and Kris Boyd in a bid to get back into the game and Carlos Cuellar shot over as Rangers got numbers in the box from a throw in. 

    But the Russians finished them off deep in injury time when Konstantin Zyrianov put away a Kim Dong Jin cross at the near post. 
 
Source: Xinhua]]></full-text>
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<item>
<title>Bolivian President to play a soccer game in Peru</title>
<NEWS_ID>6411709</NEWS_ID>
<link>http://english.people.com.cn/90001/90779/90871/6411709.html</link>
<pubDate>Thu, 15 May 2008 19:13:04 +0800</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[Bolivian President Evo Morales will play Thursday a soccer game with former Peruvian soccer players, the Bolivian Embassy to Peru confirmed on Wednesday. 

    Morales and his team will play at a soccer field of the Engineering National U ...]]></description>
<full-text><![CDATA[Bolivian President Evo Morales will play Thursday a soccer game with former Peruvian soccer players, the Bolivian Embassy to Peru confirmed on Wednesday. 

    Morales and his team will play at a soccer field of the Engineering National University, the same place where the "People's Summit" or alternative summit will be held. 

    Morales will attend to both summits, Bolivian embassy said. 

    Many Peruvian soccer stars have confirmed their participation in the game, among them are Hector Cumpitaz, Cesar Cueto, Teofilo cubillas and Julio Uribe. 

    Morales usually participates in soccer games at his country and other nations. He also has a closed battle with the International Federation of Soccer Associated (FIFA) for its refusal to allow official soccer games in places more than 2,750 meters over the sea. 

    This altitude veto affects La Paz, Oruro and Potosi Bolivia's cities and Cusco in Peru. 
 
Source: Xinhua]]></full-text>
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