She’s ranked No. 1 on the Ladies Professional Racquetball Tour, where she boasts 34-tournament and 137-match winning streaks.

ATLANTA, U.S.A. – At times, Paola Longoria makes her sport look easy.

The petite Mexican star, all 5-feet-5 of her, has spent the better part of six years on a dominant rise to the No. 1 ranking for the international Ladies Professional Racquetball Tour, where she boasts eye-popping, 34-tournament and 137-match winning streaks. Her gold medal haul from the world's top tournaments grows yearly.

It wasn’t always that way, though.

During a visit to the United States for a May 24-25 clinic, Longoria discussed her early days on the professional tour when she was a teenager barely getting into tournaments and regularly drawing the highest-seeded players in the field.

“When I got to tournaments I was always playing the No. 1 or No. 2,” said Longoria, who was born in San Luis Potosí and now lives in Monterrey, where she attends college. “I had to call and say, ‘Mom I already lost.’ Over time, I improved my level and now I’m No. 1 and very happy about that.

“But it was tough being a professional at first. When I got to the tournaments and lost in the first round, it seemed like I spent more time on flights than on courts. It was kind of funny. Those experiences you learn from and that makes you stronger with more experience.”

Longoria, who turns 25 in July, is the most accomplished player in the world, as well as an ambassador for her sport – in Mexico and beyond.

She was presented with the 2010 National Sports Award for her performance and lifetime achievement – prompting then-Mexican president Felipe Calderón to compare her racquetball contributions to those of the legendary Lorena Ochoa in golf. She also earned a spot on Forbes’ 2013 list of the 50 most influential women in Mexico, alongside figures like actress Salma Hayek, Calderón’s wife Margarita Zavala and singer Paulina Rubio.

“I was very happy,” said Longoria, her smile growing wider as she discusses the ranking. “It’s for the way your career is going, the way you’re an example for the young kids. It was a great experience to be in there with all these powerful women. Forbes is big in Mexico and around the world. It was nice to share my experiences with people who read the magazine, to let them know that my career wasn’t easy. They didn’t give me everything. I worked really hard to get to the top of the rankings and I want to stay No. 1.”

The journey to No. 1 began when Longoria was an 8-year-old participant at a sports camp that included racquetball. The smaller racquet suited her tiny frame better than that of a more popular option, tennis, and the idea of playing an indoor sport appealed to her.

From there, a racquetball pioneer began to emerge and a run of junior world championships ensued. She won her first U.S. Open at just 18, becoming both the event’s youngest and first Mexican winner.

After that breakthrough win, she moved for a year to the city of Sacramento in the U.S. state of California to play in tournaments more frequently and work on her game.

“[Back then], racquetball wasn’t a big deal where I’m from, honestly,” Longoria said. “When I started playing racquetball, I didn’t think it would be a huge deal like it is now. Knowing my government right now supports the racquetball program a lot and they treat us the same as athletes who have Olympic sports, that is very nice to have that support. In past years, they haven’t had tournaments in Mexico. Right now because I’ve been No. 1 for three years and undefeated, the government said it would be good to see me play in my home country. We have a tournament in Toluca, another one in Mexico City and one is my invitational in Monterrey.”

The support from Mexico fuels Longoria when she competes for her country internationally, which she has done very well throughout her young career.

She won the gold medal in singles at the last World Championships in 2012, a first for a Mexican woman, in addition to repeating as doubles champion with partner Samantha Salas. She takes the court for Mexico again June 14-21 at this year’s World Championships in Canada.

“It’s very special to represent my country,” Longoria said. “To go to other countries and play for Mexico, I’m very proud of that. I’m proud to be part of the Mexican team. When you’re playing in World or Pan American Games to win gold for your country, it means a lot for them, for the way my team and my country support me.”

Another type of support comes from a lengthy list of sponsors, from companies like Head, Oakley and Nike. Then comes the backing of her immediate team – coach, trainer, sports psychologist, doctor and therapist.

All together, they help Longoria keep racquetball moving smoothly so she can tackle other goals.

One of those is her education. She graduated last year with a college degree in engineer and mechanic administration and began working on a master’s degree. She currently mixes her graduate studies with racquetball, creating a hectic schedule.

“To have the ability to promote my sport more on TV, in newspapers, is important,” Longoria said. “This sport could be in the Olympics because it’s really fast. It’s a very extreme sport. My work is to promote this sport more all the time and try to increase the level of play on the tour. I try to improve the juniors program in Mexico with clinics, tips and playing with the kids. I want to share the experiences from all the years I’ve been playing the sport. It’s nice how they support the juniors program in Mexico. They’re the future of the sport.”

Longoria is racquetball’s present, and she doesn’t plan on slowing down soon. Her goal is to stay atop her sport – not as easy a feat as she makes it look.

“Now that I’m No. 1, you have the pressure to keep winning,” she said. “All the girls want to be you and break your record. But I like the pressure. It keeps me motivated to keep working hard.”

[readon1 url="http://infosurhoy.com/en_GB/articles/saii/features/sports/2014/05/30/feature-02"]Source:infosurhoy.com[/readon1]

Mexico is responsible for one of the biggest single-game surprises of this tournament, as the team fought to a scoreless draw with favorite and host nation Brazil in Group A action. And while Mexico goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa turned in an outstanding performance to help his team earn a critical point in group play, the team was also able to attack Brazil and create dangerous chances against one of the strongest teams in the field.

The confidence and chemistry that Mexico has displayed in the World Cup is a stark contrast from seven months ago, when the team was forced to win a home-and-home playoff series against Oceania champion New Zealand just to qualify for the tournament. Fortunately, former Club America manager Miguel Herrera was able to guide Mexico through the two-leg series, and since then the team has solidified itself both in defense and in the attack, evolving into one of the biggest surprises in the World Cup thus far.

While Mexico's transformation into a World Cup contender can be partially credited to Herrera's abilities as a fantastic motivator and a cunning tactician, there are other individual and team factors on the field that are contributing to Mexico's ascent. Here are three keys to Mexico's success, along with a look at how far El Tri could go in Brazil.

Marquez, Ochoa setting the defensive tone

At 35 years old, Rafa Marquez has become the first player to captain his team in four World Cup tournaments. And while he has slowed down physically in the later stages of his career, his leadership is undeniable given the fact that he is also coming off of two consecutive Liga MX season titles with his club Leon.

Marquez relies heavily on his experience and instincts as a central defender in Herrera's 5-3-2 formation, and his team-high 7.0 interceptions per match for Mexico in the World Cup are an extension of the team-high 4.8 interceptions that he recorded for Leon in the 2014 Clausura. As an indirect result, just 32 percent of the shots that Mexico has conceded so far have been on target -- compared to 42 percent in World Cup qualifying, which Marquez was mostly not a part of -- and Brazil in particular were forced into more touches from wide positions as it looked to play around Marquez and attack different areas of Mexico's back line.

[readon1 url="http://insider.espn.go.com/sports/soccer/story/_/id/11101919/why-mexico-world-cup-contender-2014-world-cup"]Source:insider.espn.go.com[/readon1]

(CNN) -- So goodbye.
Nobody wanted it to end this way -- the embarrassment and humbling of a side which has brought so much joy to the world.

"You cannot consider that this generation is finished," said Spain midfielder Xabi Alonso ahead of its crunch game against Chile. "On the contrary, we are still alive."
But Alonso's words rang hollow Wednesday as Spain sank to a 2-0 defeat by Chile at the Maracana -- almost as if this generation has been given the last rites.

Dumped out of the World Cup after just two group games on the same day that King Juan Carlos abdicated his throne and signed it over to Prince Felipe, the nation's footballers have now relinquished the crown they once wore with distinction.

Those fortunate enough to have a ticket for the dethroning came wearing red -- Chilean red.
Even before kick off, there was a sense of something special -- a wind of change, a new era about to be ushered in.

This was a moment nobody wanted to miss -- including the 85 Chilean fans who were apprehended by military police after trashing the stadium's media center.

While the spine tingling a capella version of the Chilean national anthem galvanized those in white with a call to arms, Spain shrunk away almost apologetically.

It was left to Eduardo Vargas and Charles Arranguiz to put the final nails in the coffin-- both men scoring in a high-octane first half.

There was no fightback -- no last stand, no heroics from Spain. Those who had once thrilled and mesmerized for so long, slowly and silently slipped away into the Rio night.

This was not a mere collapse -- this was an implosion of seismic proportions.

"We cannot complain we did not deserve to go out, they were better than us," Spain coach Vicente del Bosque told Spanish TV.

"The team showed character, we pressed forward but we had little luck in front of goal.
"We were certainly inferior to our rivals here at the finals. It is not the moment to think about the future. Little by little we will make the necessary assessments."

Spain left Salvador last Friday, beaten, thrashed and humiliated after being dismantled with ruthless efficiency by a Dutch side set on revenge following its defeat in final four years ago.

It was a defeat which not only brought a shattering halt to the domination it had enjoyed on the international stage -- it was a defeat which signaled the end of an era.

For the past six years, this Spanish side has thrilled those who marveled at its tiki-taka passing and ability to make the game look so effortless.

For so long a perennial failure, its victory at the 2008 European Championship finals ushered in a period of almost flawless football.

Victory at the 2010 World Cup was secured courtesy of a win over the Netherlands, while it retained its European crown comfortably two years later.

But the signs of weakness have been growing ever since it was swept aside in last year's Confederations Cup in Brazil.

The 3-0 defeat by the host nation in the final shocked not only seasoned observers but also those who had believed Spain's domination would surely continue.

A year on, and the weaknesses which were so ruthlessly exposed were laid bare for all to see.
After the 5-1 defeat by the Dutch, the Spanish players spoke of how this current generation were not yet finished.

Cesc Fabregas, the Chelsea midfielder, philosophized over how this occasion would mean "life or death" for his side.

But while coach del Bosque would have hoped to revitalize his team by resuscitating his ailing players, Chile arrived hoping to inflict the mortal wound.

Where Chile appeared hungry and sprightly, Spain looked slow, cumbersome and leaden footed.
The removal of Xavi, for so long the dominant force of the Spanish midfield, already hinted at the start of something drastic.

Gone too was Gerard Pique, the Barcelona defender, who endured a difficult time against the Dutch -- not that he was alone.

While 11 men in red Spanish shirts made the short walk onto the Maracana field, their minds appeared to be clouded, fuzzy, full of the doubt.

No more so than goalkeeper Iker Casillas -- the captain, the man who despite having not featured regularly for club side Real Madrid kept his place in the team.

A dismal showing in the previous game had led to calls for him to be replaced -- but on form or not, there was nothing he could do about Chile's opening goal.

Jorge Sampaoli's side, playing with a joyful and often naive innocence, roared into action with a thrust which would not look out of place on the dancefloor of a club in Santiago.

With 20 minutes played, Chile's ability to combine pace and intricacy cut through the Spanish defense and Vargas rounded off a wonderful flowing move.

The goal came with a sense of inevitability -- Chile, roared on by the majority of the stadium, were rampant.

Where Spain faltered, Chile stood strong. Where Spain was wasteful, Chile cradled possession like a mother holds its small child. Where Spain sporadically threatened, Chile moved to strike down each and every attack.

For a World Cup champion to exit the tournament at the group stage is not unheard of -- France were embarrassed in 2002 and Italy barely competed four years ago as it exited with a whimper.
But neither of those teams managed to dominate like this Spanish side.

Perhaps had Spain managed to arrive at the interval just one goal behind it may have been different -- but what transpired was nothing short of disastrous.

With three minutes of the half remaining, the much maligned Casillas, the man who lifted the trophy four years ago, all but relinquished his and Spain's grip on the crown.

Alexis Sanchez's 20-yard free kick appeared simple enough to save but Casillas contrived to punch the ball straight into the path of Aranguiz, who fired home from close range.

That self-inflicted wound proved fatal -- Spain never recovered.

It tried to fight back, Sergei Busquets missed a great opportunity from five-yards and striker Diego Costa, one of the biggest disappointments of the tournaments, also went close.

But it was more in hope than expectation.

Each and every time Chile moved forward, Spain fell away seemingly unable to cope with the pace of its opponents.

Mauricio Isla should have rubbed salt in Spanish wounds with 20 minutes remaining only to send his effort wide of the post with the goal gaping.

Del Bosque even sent on Koke as substitute -- a man whose surname is Resurrección.

Not that it mattered -- the curtain had already been brought down, the mourners had left -- the cortege was already on its way.

[readon1 url="http://www.cnn.com/2014/06/18/sport/football/spain-chile-world-cup-football/"]Source:www.cnn.com[/readon1]

MEXICO CITY – The 64 years that Arturo Ruiz Garcia has spent with the horses at the Hippodrome of the Americas have been enough to teach him that disappointment is the safest bet. All the pre-dawn training, the vitamins and corn-oil concoctions, the Sore No More liniment rubdowns, give no guarantees. “You don’t know what it’s like to be with a horse for a month, day and night, and then it wakes up colicky on race day,” the 76-year-old trainer said.

Then again, bad luck is no sure thing, either. There was the time in the early 1990s when Ruiz’s blazing thoroughbred won 40 races. “Still a record here,” he said. Or when his skinny teenage jockey, Victor Espinoza, won the first race he rode - and then kept on winning. “It takes a year to go from apprentice to jockey, minimum,” Ruiz said. “Victor did it in six months.” For his old colleagues at the Mexico City racetrack where he got his start, Espinoza’s victory atop California Chrome at the Belmont Stakes this weekend would have been a validation for them all — the first Triple Crown winner in 36 years, the first Mexican jockey to achieve the feat ever. But as it so often goes at the track, it was not to be.

To make it in the lucrative world of U.S. thoroughbred racing is a dream for many Latin American and Caribbean jockeys. And in recent years, they have come to dominate the sport. The three Kentucky Derby winners before Espinoza were all from Latin America: Joel Rosario from the Dominican Republic, Mario Gutierrez from Mexico and John Velazquez from Puerto Rico. Of the 11 riders in the Belmont Stakes, there were two Jamaicans, two Puerto Ricans, a Venezuelan, Espinoza and Rosario, who rode Tonalist to victory. “It’s all in the body. Americans are taller and heavier, we are shorter and lighter,” said Ricardo Mar, director of operations at the Hippodrome.

“We are like little Chihuahuas,” said his colleague, Jacob Morett. Although horse culture is ingrained in rural Mexico, racing is not as popular here as other sports, such as soccer or boxing. The Hippodrome, which opened in 1943, is the country’s only racetrack, situated downtown on 50 acres of military-owned land. For the country’s biggest race, which happened on May 31, about 8,000 people showed up. Most weekends, attendance is far lower. “People don’t know the sport well,” Morett said.

“They consider it elitist.” But most Mexican jockeys grow up poor in rural areas, the jockeys and trainers here said, learning to ride while doing ranch work. Espinoza was one of 10 siblings from central Hidalgo state. He began by training quarter horses with his siblings and drove a bus in Mexico City before starting his career at the Hippodrome. While he has earned millions of dollars racing in the United States, a Washington Post photo/oshua Partlow great jockey in Mexico makes about $30,000 a year, said Ruiz, his former trainer. “If you are riding well, it’s enough to live,” said Jose Angel Ambrosio, a 20-year-old jockey who has been racing here for five years.

He said he rides as many as nine races a day, resting long enough to change shirts and hop on a new horse. To maintain his 112-pound riding weight, he said, “there are days I don’t eat.” He hopes someday to follow Espinoza’s example and ride in the United States.

[readon1 url="http://www.thenews.com.mx/index.php/living-articulos/22912-dreams-at-a-mexican-horse-racing-track-and-disappointment-after-belmont"]Source:www.thenews.com.mx[/readon1]

Brazil and Mexico took a step toward the second round of the World Cup with a lively, though a bit sloppy, 0-0 draw in Fortaleza on Tuesday.

Brazil was the better team, as expected, managing eight shots on goal to Mexico's four. But though Neymar was his usual active self on offense, the team was let down by poor finishing by Fred and his substitute, Jo.

And Mexico benefited from a controlled and occasionally spectacular performance by its goalkeeper, Guillermo Ochoa.

Both teams now have 4 points after two games. That is a bit disappointing for the hosts, but delightful for Mexico, which had entered the Cup with low expectations after a poor qualifying campaign.

The two teams are in the driver's seat to advance to the next round, barring something remarkable from pointless Croatia or Cameroon.

Shot, Mexico! Luiz Gustavo arrives too late, allowing Hector Herrera to fire a rocket from just outside the box. Julio Cesar gets a hand on it to tip it over, though it was a riser and may have gone over anyway. Good moment for Mexico.

And now a save at the other end. A header by Neymar brings a diving effort from Ochoa. It’s happening at both ends!

[readon1 url="http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2014/06/17/sports/worldcup/world-cup-brazil-vs-mexico.html?_r=0"]Source:www.nytimes.com[/readon1]

It's perhaps understandable that World Cup hosts Brazil looked a little nervy in their opener against Croatia, though they still recorded a victory and poster boy Neymar a brace to pacify the home fans. However, they'll certainly hope to be a little more composed in their second Group A game against Mexico on Tuesday, and set themselves up for the knockout stages.

But, if Mexico's opening game is anything to go by, they shouldn't make life too easy for Luiz Felipe Scolari's side. They completely dominated Cameroon, and had two goals incorrectly chalked off by the officials before Oribe Peralta's was finally allowed to stand in the second half. With their confidence high, El Tri may well fancy their chances.

Team news

Brazil's personnel was as expected in their opening game, albeit not quite in the regular order. Hulk started on the left instead of his usual right, with Neymar shifted into the centre of the attacking midfield band and Oscar in Hulk's normal position. It didn't quite work out, leaving the Seleção looking unusually disjointed and struggling to link their midfield and attack. It's likely Scolari will make amends and revert to his more regular shape here.

Mexico, however, aren't expected to make any changes from the team that downed Cameroon in their first match. That means coach Miguel Herrera should stick with his preferred back three, with Miguel Layún and Paul Aguilar tasked with providing width as wing-backs. Despite normally playing wide, Andrés Guardado will likely keep his position in central midfield, while Giovani dos Santos will operate in support of Oribe Peralta.

Projected lineups (left to right)

Brazil (4-2-3-1): Júlio César; Marcelo, David Luiz, Thiago Silva, Dani Alves; Luiz Gustavo, Paulinho; Neymar, Oscar, Hulk; Fred.

Mexico (3-5-2): Guillermo Ochoa; Héctor Moreno, Rafael Márquez, Francisco "Maza" Rodríguez; Miguel Layún, Andrés Guardado, José Juan Vázquez, Héctor Herrera, Paul Aguilar; Giovani dos Santos, Oribe Peralta.

Key matchups

The wide battle - Brazil love to attack from the wide areas, and in this match, they'll be able to dominate them. Mexico's formation means they're wholly reliant on their wing-backs to patrol the flanks, which was fine against Cameroon -- whose wingers and fullbacks were too conservative with their positioning to ever prove too much of an attacking threat -- but will be rather more difficult against the more attack-minded Brazilians.

With Brazil's wingers regularly drifting inside and the fullbacks pushing forward, Mexico's wing-backs will have to deal with a nightmarish 2v1 situation; not knowing whether to stick man-to-man with the wingers or push out to prevent Marcelo and Dani Alves finding space on the overlap. If Brazil take advantage of this superiority, they'll probably win the game.

Luiz Gustavo vs. Giovani dos Santos - One of the star performers in Mexico's opening game was the mobile striker Giovani dos Santos, who scored both of Mexico's wrongly disallowed goals before playing a big part in Peralta's winner. He played as a second striker, drifting across the field into pockets of space behind his more immobile strike partner. If he can do the same on the counter for Mexico here -- particularly behind Brazil's fullbacks -- he could cause problems. It'll likely be up to Brazil's most defensive midfielder, Luiz Gustavo, to stop him.

Dani Alves vs. Andrés Guardado - When Mexico do have the ball, one of their most important players will likely be Andrés Guardado, who'll likely start in central midfield despite being naturally more comfortable wide left. That's because he still has a tendency to drift wide to support left wing-back Miguel Layún. Throw dos Santos into the mix too, and they could be able to work their way into some space in behind Brazil's right-back Dani Alves, and create some goal-scoring chances.

Prediction

Mexico showed promise in their opening group game, though Brazil are much, much stronger than Cameroon. They'll likely take advantage of Mexico's tactical weakness out wide to record their second consecutive victory. 2-0 Brazil.

[readon1 url="http://www.sbnation.com/soccer/2014/6/16/5812682/brazil-mexico-2014-world-cup-preview"]Source:www.sbnation.com[/readon1]

SAO PAULO, June 15 (Reuters) - World Cup favourites Brazil will be expected to defeat Mexico in the second round of Group A matches in Fortaleza on Tuesday but their Latin neighbours have no reason to feel overawed.

The Mexicans have won big matches against Brazil before, beating them 4-3 in the final of the Confederations Cup in 1999 and more recently in the Olympic final in London.

Although that game was not a full international, the match featured several players expected to line up in Fortaleza including Neymar, Oscar and Thiago Silva for Brazil, and Oribe Peralta, the striker whose brace gave Mexico a 2-1 victory.

It gives Brazil pause for thought as they seek their 11th consecutive win.

"We know that Mexico are a good team, they always give Brazil a hard time and it won't be any different when we play in the next match," Oscar, one of the stars of the 3-1 opening day win over Croatia, said at the team's base camp on Saturday.

"Mexico are good coming forward and they are very fast on the counter attack," the Chelsea midfielder said. "The training we are going to do this week ahead of the Mexico game will be different from the training we did before facing Croatia. Mexico play totally differently from Croatia."

Mexico will also be encouraged by a rain-sodden 1-0 win over Cameroon on Friday when they received fantastic support from their travelling fans.

The home side, however, have won 22 of the 38 previous encounters including the most recent match almost exactly a year ago in the same stadium in the Confederations Cup when Brazil romped home more comfortably than the 2-0 scoreline suggests.

Both teams - and fans the world over - will also be watching the referee almost as closely as the players.

Brazil were given a contentious penalty at a crucial moment of the Croatia match, prompting talk about home field bias. And TV replays showed Mexico had two good goals disallowed before they finally got the winner in their opener against Cameroon. (Reporting by Andrew Downie, Editing by Nigel Hunt)

[readon1 url="http://news.yahoo.com/soccer-mexico-unlikely-overawed-against-favourites-brazil-080000373--sow.html;_ylt=AwrTWf0OoZ1TMkEAIZzQtDMD"]Sourcenews.yahoo.com[/readon1]

The Riviera Nayarit prepares to welcome more than 400 domestic and foreign martial arts fighters seeking to qualify for the World Championship in Italy along with other international competitions.

	The heat is on: Samuel Eto'o and Giovani dos Santos go head-to-head as Cameroon face Mexico

Mexico coach Miguel Herrera has left Manchester United forward Javier "Chicharito" Hernandez on the bench for their World Cup opener against Cameroon.

Herrera has chosen Villarreal forward Guillermo Dos Santos and Oribe Peralta to start in attack for the Group A encounter in Natal, Brazil.

He also ended speculation as to who will start in goal with Ajaccio's Guillermo Ochoa selected ahead of Jesus Corona of Cruz Azul.

"I know that all of my players are going to leave their soul on the pitch to achieve a result," Herrera said. "We are ready to go out and win."

With Brazil and Croatia also included in the pool, Mexico know how vital Friday's game is.

The Aztecs have failed to reach the knock-out round in the past five tournaments.

"This is a very important game for us, key to our aspirations to progress to the next round," Herrera said. "We know it's not going to be easy but we are going to work very hard to beat Cameroon."

Mexico will have to show a vast improvement as they suffered 1-0 defeats in their last two friendlies against Bosnia and Herzegovina and Portugal.

"We are only interested in a win and not on the actual result," he said. "A win is what matters, taking three points and that is what we want."

Mexico had to beat New Zealand in the play-offs to reach Brazil and maintain their record of qualifying for every World Cup since 1990.

Herrera believes Cameroon's pace poses the biggest danger for his side.
"They have a very good team, with fast players, who have experience," he said. "We will try to manage possession."

Cameroon go into the encounter at the Estadio das Dunas finally able to focus on football matters.

Volker Finke's squad threatened to refuse to board the plane to Brazil due to a row over bonuses before a deal was finally reached.

The African side beat Moldova 1-0 last week in a friendly after previously drawing 2-2 with Germany in Monchengladbach.

"We know that (Mexico) had a lot of problems in qualifying and that it was difficult," Finke said. "However, they are a very dangerous team, with an intense spirit.

"I can see that it is a difficult team but one that can be beaten."
Samuel Eto'o, who will compete in his fourth World Cup, is the Cameroon captain.

[readon1 url="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/world-cup/10892657/Mexico-vs-Cameroon-World-Cup-2014-live.html"]Source:www.telegraph.co.uk[/readon1]

The World Cup will start from 12th June and will continue to till 13th July. The final match will be held on July 13 at the historic Maracana stadium.

Thirty two countries will participate in this World cup. Renowned sand artist Sudarsan Pattnaik has created three different sand sculptures on FIFA World Cup with a message “Good Luck” at Puri beach of Odisha. Pattnaik has created a 9ft high sand sculpture of World Cup trophy and he also created a mini stadium with a football. He also created a sculpture on tomorrow’s opening match which will be between Brazil and Croatia.   

There is everywhere World Cup fever around the World. In puri beach there also people exited to watch the matches. Though India is not playing in this World cup still people are anxious to see the matches. Lots of tourist and local people gathered at Puri beach to see the sculpture.   

Pattnaik used about 15 tons of sand with some colour sand and took seven hours to complete this sculpture.  
 
Before also Sudarsan created many sand sculptures on FIFA World Cup at Puri beach. The World Cup will start from 12th June and will continue to till 13th July.  

The final match will be held at the historic Maracana stadium. The opening ceremony will attend more than 600 artists

[readon1 url="http://www.orissadiary.com/CurrentNews.asp?id=50722"]Source:www.orissadiary.com[/readon1]

(ATR) The Pan American Sports Organization created the Pan American Sport Festival to bring together coaches, athletes, and international judges for competition and knowledge transfer.

Originally called the Pan American Olympic Festival, the event will take place all over Mexico during July, August, and September. For 23 sports in the Pan American program there will be training camps, coaching clinics, and competition in different venues across Mexico.

The idea was originally proposed by PASO President Mario Vasquez Rana, and was approved at the PASO assembly in Toronto last October.

Training camps will range from three to eight days, with two to three days devoted to coaching clinics and knowledge transfers with international officials. The competition schedules varies based on sport to sport.

Around 3,200 athletes from 41 countries will travel to Mexico to train and compete as part of the festival. It is not a centrally organized festival; rather it will use existing sport facilities around the whole country.

“There are going to be 10 states participating and it’s an important commitment for the states, for the sports institutes from each states, the Mexican Olympic committee and the ministry of sport,” Horacio de la Vega, Director General of the Pan Am Festival, told Around the Rings.

Each and every athlete that comes here is fully sponsored by us,” said de la Vega regarding travel, accommodation, and other expenses.

Not each country will send athletes for every sport, and the largest delegations are expected from the United States and Brazil. Both countries are expected to send between 400-500 athletes in their delegations.

Bowling, canoe slalom, canoe sprint, cycling, wrestling, modern pentathlon, racquetball, rowing, squash table tennis, archery and triathlon competitions will serve as qualifiers for the 2015 Pan American Games in Toronto. No competition will serve as a qualifier for the Rio 2016 Olympics.

PASO has not said whether the event will continue, but according to de la Vega “the idea is that we make this an important event. Let’s see how it is going to fit.”

“It’s an event that we are investing a lot of money with Pan American Games and our other big events because we really focus on the athletes," says de la Vega.

[readon1 url="http://aroundtherings.com/site/A__46808/Title__First-Ever-Pan-American-Sports-Festival-Set-For-Mexico/292/Articles"]Source:aroundtherings.com[/readon1]

MEXICO CITY (AP) -- Two World Cups of soccer will be held this year, and members of the Mexico City's Aztec Warriors are training tirelessly with the dream of playing in one of them.

Players race across the field on special crutches, dribbling and kicking fierce shots at the net. Their goal: The Amputee Soccer World Cup, which will be held in Culiacan, Sinaloa, from Nov. 30 to Dec. 8.

Most of the players lost a leg in car accidents or to disease. One player, Niseforo Bazan, lost a limb to a stray bullet in Guerrero state. The goaltender is missing an arm.

Some team members play while still fighting to overcome health issues. Alejandro Balurch, 17, had a leg amputated because of cancer two years ago and now practices as much as his chemotherapy will allow.

''We want to show that there are no barriers or limitations to attaining what one desires,'' said the coach of the Aztec Warriors, Carlos Espinosa.

Before the start of each game players remove their artificial legs, playing only with crutches and kicking the ball with their remaining foot.

Espinosa says the players are practicing in the hopes that some of them will be chosen to join Mexico's national amputee soccer team that will play in Sinaloa.

[readon1 url="http://news.yahoo.com/mexico-amputee-soccer-players-train-153728489--spt.htmlp"]Source:news.yahoo.com [/readon1]