The Guardian - UK (2022-05-02)

•••
The Guardian
Holding fi rm Monday 2 May 2022

Arsenal see off

West Ham to

stay in control

of top-four race

History maker

Taylor’s big win

in the Big Apple

gives boxing a

new lease of life

Page 40 Donald McRae Page 36

Obstacle-course racing is close to

being named as the new fi fth sport

in modern pentathlon, replacing

equestrianism, in a highly conten-

tious move. Team GB’s Tokyo 2020

champion, Joe Choong, is among a

group of Olympic and world medal-

lists who wrote to the International

Olympic Committee president,

Thomas Bach, yesterday urging him

to intervene and accusing the sport’s

governing body, the Union Interna-

tionale de Pentathlon Moderne, of

ignoring the wishes of its athletes.

“The IOC was clear in its expecta-

tion that athletes must play a central

role in the review and consultation

process for a fi fth discipline,” the let-

ter states. “This has not happened.”

The letter cites a poll by Pentathlon

United, an independent athlete rep-

resentative body, which found more

than 95% of athletes are unhappy

with the UIPM’s decision. And it calls

on the IOC to conduct a “comprehen-

sive and independent investigation”

into its lack of transparency.

The letter comes in the lead-up

to a crucial meeting of the UIPM’s

executive board today , where cam-

paigners expect obstacle racing

will be voted through before an

announcement tomorrow unless

there is a last-minute intervention.

The former British modern pen-

tathlete Kate Allenby, who won

bronze at the Sydney Olympics , said :

“ The UIPM leadership has chosen

to maintain a closed and secretive

process with non-disclosure agree-

ments placed on anyone involved in

the working group. It is a hallmark of

the way this UIPM leadership has run

our sport for decades .”

Last year Bach told modern pen-

tathlon to come up with a proposal

for the “replacement of horse riding

and demonstrate a signifi cant reduc-

tion in cost and complexity and show

improvements in safety, accessibility,

universality and appeal for youth”.

Modern

pentathlon

faces civil war

over new plans

▲ Britain’s Joe Choong is opposed to

planned modern pentathlon changes

“My feeling is there is a long way to

go. We can control our games but we

can’t control Burnley and Leeds.”

Thomas Tuchel, the Chelsea man-

ager, admitted he feared for the team’s

Champions League qualification

chances following a run of one win

in four games. “I said it many weeks

ago, I feel never safe and it doesn’t

matter if we are in a race for the top

one, two, three or four – from the

last four games we have four points

and that will never be enough,” said

Tuchel. “At the moment we don’t get

points when we play well and we lose

when we don’t. It is a bad mixture.”

Brazilian fl are

Richarlison investigated

after fi ring up Everton

▲ Richarlison

picks up

the fl are at

Goodison

Park before

launching

it back into

the crowd

JASON CAIRNDUFF/

ACTION IMAGES/

REUTERS

Everton Chelsea

10

Richarlison 46

Richarlison is facing a Football
Association investigation after
throwing a flare off the pitch at
Goodison Park following his crucial
winner against Chelsea.
The Everton striker launched a
blue fl are over the Gwladys Street
end after it had been thrown on to the
pitch during celebrations for a goal
that could prove vital for the team’s
bid to avoid relegation. No action was
taken against the Brazil international

and output to put people under pres-

sure,” the Everton manager said.

“When he gets his chances he has to

be clinical. For the level of striker he

can be, he has to be clinical and he

was today. But not just him, Demarai

Gray and Anthony Gordon had a lot of

leg work to do and they all performed

at a massively high level. We never

switched off much and, when we

did, we had a top -class goalkeeper

to save us.”

Everton remain third from bottom,

two points adrift of Leeds and Burn-

ley but with a game in hand on both

relegation rivals. Lampard added:

by the referee, Kevin Friend, but the

FA will investigate. A written warning

could follow. “We will look into the

matter but, as far we are concerned,

Richarlison was attempting to throw

it out of the ground,” said an Everton

spokesperson.

Frank Lampard, who did not see

the incident, was full of praise for his

match-winner and his goalkeeper Jor-

dan Pickford, who produced a string

of superb saves to deny Chelsea in the

second half. “I prodded Richy pre-

game because he always gives that

sort of eff ort but it has to be directed

in the right way, in terms of energy

Andy Hunter
Goodison Park

The G

Mond

Report and analysis

Pages 42-43

Exclusive

Sean Ingle

*