TEHRAN, Feb. 19--Iran’s under 19 soccer team will participate in the Turkmenistan Presidential Cup.
The tournament will be held from February 21 to 29 with the participation of 10 teams, namely Turkmenistan (three teams), Iran, Tatarstan, Russia, Turkey, Armenia, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan, Mehr News Agency wrote.
The participants will split into two groups of three teams and one four-team group.
A cash prize of $35,000 has been set aside for the winners. The top team will be awarded $20,000 while the runner-up and third team will receive $10,000 andÊ$5,000 respectively. Iran youth soccer team is preparing for the Asian U-19 Tournament to be held in Saudi Arabia with 16 teams in November.

TEHRAN, Feb. 19--The First Presidential Cycling Tour of Iran will be held from May 10-14.
Iranian Cycling Federation announced that 10 foreign as well as four domestic teams will take part in the tourney, according to IRNA.
The event will be held according to the latest standards of the International Cycling Union (UCI).

KISH ISLAND, Hormuzgan, Feb. 19--Iran’s Traditional Gymnastic Team ranked first in 2nd Kish International Traditional Contest held to commemorate the 29th anniversary of the victory of the Islamic Revolution.
According to IRNA, the traditional gymnastics team from Tajikistan ranked second while teams from Kish Island and Iraq jointly took the third place.
Nepal’s traditional gymnastic team ranked fourth while teams from Sri Lanka and South Korea came fifth and sixth respectively. Ê
Head of Iran’s Traditional Gymnastics (Zurkhaneh Sports) Federation Mohsen Mehralizadeh said at a ceremony to appreciate the sponsors of the event, “Thanks to these games’ sponsors’ precise planning, the 2nd such contest was held at an excellent level on Iran’s beautiful Kish Island.“
Pointing out that in the past year we have witnessed an expansion of enthusiasts and athletes in this originally Iranian sport around the world, he added, “Some 21 teams of 16 countries participated at this year’s contests, which shows great international support for this sport.“
He appreciated the assistance of Kish Free Trade Zone Organization and the island’s Athletic Sports Organization in organizing the international sports event.Ê
Teams from England, Germany, Belarus, Nigeria, Azerbaijan, Tajikistan, India, South Korea, the United States, Canada, Nepal, Uganda, Indonesia and Ukraine took part in the event. Iran and Iraq each fielded two teams.

TEHRAN, Feb. 19--Iran on Tuesday announced that Spanish trainer Javier Clemente rejected an offer to coach the national football team after a row over his insistence on living at home in Spain rather than in the Islamic Republic.
The announcement ends a week-long, often contradictory, saga over whether Clemente would agree to the terms and means one of Asia’s heavyweight teams is still without a coach with the 2010 World Cup qualifiers underway, AFP wrote.
Ali Kafashian, the head of Iran’s football federation, said Clemente had refused to sign an addendum to his contract committing him to only leaving Iran twice a year.
“Clemente said in a letter to the Iranian embassy in Spain that he is not ready to have a new addition to his contract as Iranian national team coach,“ Kafashian told the ISNA news agency. “We are going to study other options for the coach,“ he added.
Iran’s sports press had bitterly mocked Clemente for his insistence on doing much of his work by watching videos at his luxury villa in northern Spain and officials also said they did not want a coach who ’just flies in-and-out’.
Kafashian said Clemente could still change his mind but hinted the chances were higher of hiring an Iranian coach after the unhappy experience of selecting a foreign trainer.
“There are five or six domestic choices and two or three foreign ones. In the next two to three days we will officially announce the coach,“ he added.
Despite boasting stars like Bolton Wanderers midfielder Andranik Teymourian and Eintracht Frankfurt winger Mehdi Mahdavikia, the national side has underperformed after exiting the 2006 World Cup in the first round.
The National Team suffered a major embarrassment earlier this month when it could only draw with minnows Syria in its first World Cup qualifier, a performance that reflected the effects of the absence of a coach. Clemente coached the Spanish national side in two World Cups but was available for the Iran job after Serbia sacked him for failing to lead the team to the Euro 2008 finals.

TEHRAN, Feb. 19--Iran’s Water Polo Team will fly to Hungary on February 24 to take part in the training camp prior to Olympics qualifiers to be held in Romania.
The team is scheduled to compete in Oradea, Romania, from March 2 to 9, where they will meet head-to-head with the best teams in the World to qualify for the 2008 Beijing Olympics, Mehr News Agency wrote.
Iran has been drawn with Mexico, Germany, Italy, Canada and Macedonia in Group B. A total of 12 teams will participate in the event and top three teams will eventually qualify for the Olympics. Iran is to take part in the event with 13 players.

Mikael Youzhny

ROTTERDAM, The Netherlands, Feb. 19--Russia’s titleholder Mikael Youzhny lost his crown here on Monday as Serb Janko Tipsarevic upset him in the first round of the Rotterdam Open with a 7-6 (7/3), 6-4 win.
The defeat was the third in the first round here for the Russian fourth seed who lifted the title a year ago.
The defeat was even more of a surprise as Youzhny had started off the season in winning style when he won the Chennai Open.
Tipsarevic sealed his reputation as a tough competitor at the Australian Open, taking Roger Federer to five grueling sets, according to AFP.
Croatian giant Ivo Karlovic played Goliath to the David of Olivier Rochus, firing a dozen aces in a 6-1, 6-2 thrashing.
The 2.08 meters Karlovic had no trouble with Belgium’s battling little man, who stands 38 centimeters shorter.
Coming into the first-round contest, Rochus had the 2-0 career edge through cunning shotmaking in a pair of 2005 wins.
But Karlovic needed to show only some of the form which took him to three titles in 2007 as he advanced in 64 minutes with four breaks of serve.
Spanish 2004 finalist Juan Carlos Ferrero fell victim to food poisoning, losing 7-5, 6-1 to Russian Teimuraz Gabashvili.
Ferrero looked pale and wan as he went through the motions on court at the Ahoy Stadium where he lost the 2004 final to Lleyton Hewitt.
The seventh seed, ranked 20th after a run to the Auckland final last month and an Australian Open fourth round showing, just wanted to forget.
The Russian reached a career-first ATP quarterfinal a year ago but also suffered 21 first round losses.
Spain’s Tommy Robredo would have the chance to earn revenge for Ferrero in the next round if he can get past first-round opponent Nicolas Mahut of France.

Roberto Mancini

LIVERPOOL, UK,
Feb. 19--Inter Milan head coach Roberto Mancini has warned his players to be wary of a Liverpool backlash when the two teams meet in the first knockout round of the Champions League at Anfield on Tuesday.
With Rafa Benitez’s side hurting after Saturday’s surprise FA Cup exit at the hands of Championship side Barnsley, some observers believe the runaway Serie A leaders could not have timed their first visit to Anfield for 43 years any better, said AFP.
But Mancini, the former Italian international striker, believes Liverpool will be anything but a push over and thinks Benitez’s side will be desperate to put on a show for their supporters after the bitter disappointment at the weekend.
Former Arsenal man Patrick Vieira and Hernan Crespo, once of Chelsea, have appeared at Anfield while playing in the Premier League.
Inter have lost only three of their last 45 away games, but such an imposing record has not translated itself into success in Europe.
“We have a possibility to prove ourselves over the next two matches. We feel that we are well equipped to make progress in this competition.
“We have a tremendous amount of respect for Liverpool. We know that we will have two very difficult matches despite what happened to them on Saturday. That defeat means nothing.
“We have a huge test before us and we want to go through to the next round. This will be a huge challenge, and we know Liverpool have done well in recent years in this competition.“

ST PETERSBURG, Russia, Feb. 19--World tennis number one Roger Federer won the prestigious Laureus Sportsman of the Year award for a record fourth year in a row on Monday.
Fellow tennis number one Justine Henin was named the best Sportswoman for the first time, ahead of last year’s winner, Russia’s world and Olympic pole vault champion Yelena Isinbayeva, Reuters wrote.
Lewis Hamilton took the Breakthrough of the Year award for his remarkable debut season in Formula One with McLaren while a fellow Briton, long-distance runner Paula Radcliffe, was named the Comeback Athlete of the Year.
Rugby world champions South Africa won the Team of the Year award and Sergei Bubka, the Ukrainian pole vaulter, received the Lifetime Achievement award.
The winners were announced at a gala ceremony attended by Russian President Vladimir Putin at St Petersburg’s Mariinsky Theatre.
Federer once again had a fantastic year in 2007, capturing three out of the four grand slam titles for the third successive season.
“I have to thank all the voters who didn’t think three (Laureus awards) would be enough,“ said the Swiss, who beat a strong field including golfer Tiger Woods, Formula One champion Kimi Raikkonen and FIFA World Player of the Year Kaka.
Federer said his first award was the most cherished.
“Every year it feels great but I have to say the first one was the most important for me,“ he told a news conference.
“It was very important to say that Roger Federer has arrived.“
Asked if he would finally give someone else a chance to win the award next year, Federer said: “No, I would like to win it again next year to have five in a row.