Monthly Archives: May 2021

HONOLULU (KHON2) The U.S. Coast Guard and U.S. Navy are continuing to reduce and eliminate illegal, unregulated, unreported fishing, combat transnational crimes and enhance regional security under the Oceania Maritime Security Initiative (OMSI) in the central and western Pacific Ocean.

OMSI is a program that uses Department of Defense assets that are patrolling the region to support stability and partnerships in the area.

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The USS Charleston is conducting maritime law enforcement operations with an embarked Coast Guard law enforcement detachment from the Pacific Tactical Law Enforcement Team to enforce international law, according to the Coast Guard.

The operations protect United States and Pacific Ocean island nations sovereignty and resource security.

The Charleston team is excited to work alongside the U.S. Coast Guard in conducting the OMSI mission. The embarked U.S. Coast Guard law enforcement detachment is a force multiplier and one of the greatest assets we have in countering illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing in the Indo-Pacific and strengthening regional partnerships.

Officials say the OMSI program increases maritime domain awareness and security by allowing Coast Guard law enforcement personnel to conduct maritime law enforcement operations from Navy assets.

LEDET 104 is incredibly proud to play a part in the fight against Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated (IUU) fishing activities in the Western and Central Pacific region. Our team of highly trained Law Enforcement professionals are ready to respond to this growing threat against our global resources with our maritime partners.

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Coast Guard, Navy continue efforts to enhance regional security, stop illegal fishing in Oceania - KHON2

While the Gray Zone the space between peace and war is rapidly growing in the South China Seas, its not the only body of water that has some issues on the horizon. In the South China Seas, the Peoples Liberation Army (PLA) of China has used coercion, intimidation, propaganda, and manipulation to slowly grind down its neighbors in the region.

On May 5, Reuters reported Chinese plans to refurbish an existing airstrip in the south Pacific Ocean archipelago nation of Kiribati. During WWII, the United States Navy built this airstrip on Kanton (also known as Canton), becoming a strategic stopover point for flights to Australasia and staging location for attacks on the Japanese held Islands in Oceania.

If China gets its way, they will obtain a strategic airbase location roughly halfway between Hawaii and Fiji, giving their military a greater reach throughout the tense Gray Zone region. In addition to providing a foothold in a militarily strategic location, Chinas plans may also include access to Kiribati s 1.35 million square mile exclusive economic zone; some of the most productive fishing grounds in the world.

Just one day later, similar challenges in the Atlantic Ocean were announced by U.S. Africa Commander General Stephen Townsend. On May 6, in an interview with The Associated Press, Townsend said the Chinese desire to establish a large navy port on Africas western coast capable of hosting aircraft carriers or submarines. China has been approaching African coastal countries from Mauritania to Namibia, with intent of establishing this naval facility. If their goal is fulfilled, China would be able to base its expanding Navy warships in the Atlantic, much like it has in the Pacific Ocean.

U.S. military commanders caution that Chinas growing assertiveness is not simply occurring in Oceania and Asia. They state Beijing is asserting economic influence, while pursuing footholds in African Nations, South America, and the Middle East. Recent reports show that the Pentagon may be shifting focus from the counterterrorism wars of the past 20 years to Indo-Pacific regional conflicts and threats from powerful adversaries like China and Russia.

The Chinese are outmaneuvering the U.S. in select countries in Africa, Townsend stated during his interview. Adding, Port projects, economic endeavors, infrastructure and their agreements and contracts will lead to greater access in the future. They are hedging their bets and making big bets on Africa.

Djibouti in the Horn of Africa is home to Beijings first overseas naval base, which was built years ago and is steadily growing militarily and in capacity. Townsend stated there are nearly 2,000 military personnel located at this location, with several hundred Marines for base security.

In a 2020 Defense Departments report, Chinas growth of additional military facilities to support its naval, air, and ground forces in Angola, and other locations in Africa and the Middle East is detailed. With large amounts of oil and liquefied natural gas, the report noted this region is a high priority China over the next 15 years.

It has become obvious that the Pacific Gray Zone strategy continues to enable success for Chinese expansion, and this policy may well become the playbook for the Atlantic Region. Intimidation and buyout appear to be the way of the future for autocratic nations. Today, the policy is to slowly grind down governments and claim their strategic desires, rather than perform a frontal assault of the earlier wars.

Regardless of our understanding and the exactness of our intelligence on Beijings planning and expansion of the Gray Zone strategy in the Pacific and additional Atlantic operations, we are seeing new examples of Chinas efforts to expand its geopolitical reach on a weekly basis. We recently learned that President Bidens primary long-term security challenge is Chinas rapidly expanding economic influence and military might. Perhaps more concerning is the ongoing national preoccupation with political correctness, defunding the police and appropriate gender pronouns, rather than national security. As Woodrow Wilson stated in 1918, America cannot be an ostrich with its head in the sand.

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China's Gray Zone Spreads in the Pacific and Heads to the Atlantic - ClearanceJobs

The Weightlifting Federation of Africa (WFA) has been accused of ignoring athlete safety after it moved the African Championships to "a COVID-infested environment" in Kenya at two weeks' notice.

"Why is the WFA putting athletes health at risk?" said Mona De Lacey, the African representative on the International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) Athletes' Commission.

"Did the WFA Board think about the athletes health and safety?

"That should be the biggest concern right now and the presence of the Indian COVID-19 variant in Kenya is a massive concern."

Several cases of the new, deadly variant have been discovered in Kenya, where the death rate from the virus is believed to be far higher than the official figure of a little under 3,000.

Kenya is on the "red list" of countries in the United Kingdom - only citizens or those with residency rights can enter from there - and the United States Embassy warns its citizens, "If you must travel to Kenya at this time, you should have travel insurance that includes coverage for an air ambulance evacuation in the event you have symptomatic COVID-19."

The African Championships were originally due to be hosted by Mauritius but were moved to Madagascar because of COVID-19.

The competition was moved from the first week of April to mid-May, and has now been put back once more to a different date and a different country at short notice.

The African Championships and electoral Congress are now listed for Nairobi, the capital, from May 24 to 31.

Although the WFA Board voted on the move on May 5, a letter sent to member federations was dated May 9, and no public announcement has been made, simply a change on the IWF website's competition calendar.

"They have changed the dates three times, and have left everybody very little time to arrange flights, especially because its not always possible to fly direct to Nairobi from within Africa," said De Lacey, a South African.

"I have been contacted by other athletes from around Africa and we think the African federation should follow the example of Oceania, and put the Championships back until after the Olympic Games."

The European, Pan American and Asian Championships all took place in April but because of coronavrius-related travel restrictions, the Oceania Championships will not be held until August, in Nauru - two-and-a-half weeks after the end of the Olympic Games.

Amended qualifying rules for the delayed Tokyo 2020 Games allow athletes to "skip" the third qualifying phase - though some will want to compete whatever the risk as the continental championships offer a final chance to move up the rankings.

Details sent to member federations require final entries for Nairobi to be sent in by Friday this week, by which time all athletes must provide flight details.

They also need a yellow fever certificate and must have proof of a negative test result for COVID-19 within 72 hours of arrival in Nairobi.

Federations must provide adequate insurance for their delegation.

Forrester Osei, vice-chair of the IWF Athletes' Commission, would qualify for Tokyo 2020 ahead of fellow Ghanaian Christian Amoah if the event was cancelled.

Given his personal involvement, he declined to comment.

The WFA has been contacted for comment.

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Athletes slam WFA as African Weightlifting Championships moved to Kenya - Insidethegames.biz

Back in 2020, EXO Clan not only won the Valorant First Strike Oceania but also became the top Valorant roster of the region. The person leading the team was none other than the Australian-Malayasian professional esport player, Iyengaran "IyeN" Raju.

IyeN started off his professional esports career as a Counter-Strike: Global Offensive player for Citadel Gaming. Since then, he has played for multiple organizers in the Oceania region, including Corvidae and Chiefs Esports.

After a year of absence, IyeN reignited his passion for competitive esports and Joined EXO Clan as a Valorant player. He, along with his team, won numerous tournaments, including the Valorant First Strike Oceania. At the start of 2021, he moved to North America and joined Susquehanna Soniqs.

In an exclusive conversation with Sportskeeda Esports Suryadeepto Sengupta, IyeN opened up about his journey from Counter-Strike to Valorant, and his achievements.

The following is an excerpt of the conversation.

Well, first things first, tell our readers who exactly Iyengaran "IyeN" Raju is. What has your journey been like, and what made you realize that you wanted to seek a career in professional esports?

IyeN: Well Im just an ordinary young man who loves playing video games. I grew up playing the original PlayStation console, and then slowly moved to the PC as I started growing up. As a kid, I used to compete in many sports and was always super competitive. So once I got some experience playing video games, the competitive spirit in me automatically kicked in and made me strive to win and be the best. I realized that I didnt just wanna do a normal 9-job, rather I wanted to see if I could try out something different in life. Esports gave me an option to do that. So here I am trying out professional esports full-time and lets see where it can take me.

What were some of your most memorable childhood experiences with gaming? Other than FPS esports, what other genres or series of video games did you enjoy?

IyeN: I started off playing games on the PlayStation 1 console. My favorite game was definitely FIFA. I think Ive played all of the FIFA games since 2004/2005 onwards. I remember often playing against my brother and we would just always try and beat each other. I also loved playing Crash Bandicoot, Mortal Kombat, and a few other games.

From Citadel Gaming to Chiefs Esports Club, how did your journey as a young CS: GO professional begin? Talk to us about the initial days of your grind, and what your mindset was like at the time, compared to what it is today.

IyeN: So my first competitive game on the PC was Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, and once the COD scene died, everyone started to slowly move over to CS: GO. I started putting in some hours on CS: GO, just to try and hit the global elite, which I eventually did. Slowly getting into Private lobbies, getting to know people, and joining teams. Thats how it all got started. I wouldnt say the mindset has changed between back then and now, the mindset was and is that I always want to try and be the best and win, but that is easier said than done.

What was the thought process behind switching from Counter-Striker: Global Offensive to Valorant?

IyeN: I quit Counter Strike about 6 months to a year before Valorant came out, to finish my engineering degree. The funny thing is, if it was not for COVID-19, I wouldnt even be playing Valorant today. Everyone in Melbourne, Australia went into full lockdown, and I started playing a lot of games again, as I couldnt leave the house. Then Valorant came out, which was just really good timing.

You started your Valorant career as a player for the EXO Clan roster. During your time with EXO Clan, you won several tournaments, including First Strike Oceania. Can you tell us about your experiences as a player during that time and how it helped you grow?

IyeN: Being the best in the whole region is no easy task, and we as a roster worked really hard in order to achieve that. Not everyone in my roster has much high-tier competitive CS experience, so at the start, it took quite a bit of work but after a while everything slowly started coming together and we were dominating the OCE scene. I definitely grew a lot as a player as I started learning a lot more of the game, being the in-game leader and studying the game, and just trying to be smart in general in-game.

Back in January of 2021, your entire roster including Bob Bob Tran, Chris pl1xx Li, Kyran dizzzyLife Crombie, and Ethan Crunchy Laker got recruited by your current organization Susquehanna Soniqs. How has the organizational change affected the roster?

IyeN: Well, the main and only reason we changed organizations is we moved to North America. And that couldn't have ever happened if it wasn't for Soniqs so we truly appreciate everything they have done for us and will not take this opportunity for granted. Moving to NA brought the roster a lot more opportunities and we will continue working hard in order to achieve our goals.

Currently, you are the in-game lead for the Susquehanna Soniqs roster. How has that experience helped you grow not only as a player but as a shot-caller as well?

IyeN: It has helped me grow a lot as a player. In-game leading is a big role in a team and it teaches you a lot of things like patience, reading the game, and other things. Overall i have definitely become smarter as a player and that is thanks to shot-calling.

Who is your preferred agent, and how does the agent compliment your gameplay style?

IyeN: Well, when I first joined the roster I was just put on Cypher because we needed a sentinel player and ever since then I have just stuck with the sentinel role in the team. Also the sentinel role really also helps with the lurking playstyle that I love which is perfect for me.

You have grown to be one of the most recognizable Valorant players in Australia. Where do you see yourself in the next 5 years?

IyeN: Whats most important to me is the teams success. Nothing else matters to me in Valorant apart from winning. 5 years is a long time and I don't really know what life can throw at me then we shall see but ideally, hopefully still esports being my career.

Are you aware of the Indian professional esports scene, which has a substantial focus on Valorant as an esport?

IyeN: The funny thing is I was there at the Zowie extremes and event and watched Forsaken cheat and get banned. I was playing for Chiefs CSGO in that event. I know of some of the players that play now in Valorant and I talk to Rite2Ace a little because I met him at that event too. Apart from that, not too much.

You have professionally played both Counter Strike: Global Offensive and Valorant. How do you think each of the games sets itself apart?

IyeN: I think they are many similarities but also a lot of differences. The basic shooting mechanics and how to win or lose rounds are very similar, so CS experiences will help a lot. But the game is also a lot more teamwork-based because of agent abilities and it's harder to solo carry in valorant compared to CSGO.

Valorant has risen to be one of the more popular esports titles within just a year of its launch. Do you think the game has long term sustainability potential, or will the player count reduce to a much smaller but stable number over the years?

IyeN: I think any game that is made by Riot Games will have long-term sustainability because Riot knows how to frequently update their games and keep them fresh which is the most important part.

What is your take regarding the ongoing Valorant Champions Tour?

IyeN: I think VCT is great, especially since Valorant is a brand new game, and the fact that Riot has already focused so much on esports this early just shows that they are fully supporting esports and want to make it big for Valorant

Any words of wisdom for the upcoming generation of esports players?

IyeN: Like anything, if you want it bad you have to work hard for it. Also, make sure when you work hard you are working smart. Also start building your brand so people recognize you.

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Valorant will have long term sustainability because Riot knows how to frequently update their games - Iyengaran IyeN Raju, the IGL of Susquehanna...

Sportardar has made its third commercial takeover of 2021 by acquiring InteractSport,which will allow the supplier to strengthen its data and content offering across Oceania and Asia.

InteractSport is an official partner of Cricket Australia, Netball Australia, Oceania Rugby and Football Australia, as well as providing services to the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) which will allow Sportradar to grow its presence across these markets.

The sports data collection and distribution firm had previously boosted its marketing capabilities by acquiring Fresh Eight in March, followed by an enhancement of its position in the US market via its take over of video analytics firm Synergy Sports.

This acquisition provides Sportradar with the opportunity to widen its data and content offering, said Carsten Koerl, CEO of Sportradar Group.

With cricket being one of the most popular sports in the world, we see this as a growth opportunity for the company, especially given the significance of the sport in the Asian region.

I have tremendous admiration for what Sam Taylor and his team have accomplished to date. I look forward to working with him and InteractSport in continuing to drive value for our sports partners and deliver great products and services to our customers around the world.

In a statement to its shareholders, Sportradar confirmed that its commercialisation and distribution framework will be combined with InteractSports products and solutions, including its content creation capabilities and subject matter expertise, although additional terms have not been released.

This in turn will be utilised to unlock significant growth within regional and global markets, bolstered by the fact that cricket has over one billion fans and three million participants internationally.

InteractSport has always been driven by innovation and delivering cutting edge solutions that benefit sports organisations and their fans, remarked InteractSport CEO Sam Taylor.

Aligning with Sportradar is a natural step in achieving our company vision it enables us to scale our operation to develop exciting new products, reach new markets and deliver even greater benefits to our current and future customers.

We are excited by the opportunity to combine InteractSports digital and data capture solutions with Sportradars market-leading capabilities in commercialisation and distribution, and the value this can bring to our platform partners, their digital and high performance teams, and the billions of fans the sports we work with have around the world. Our team is thrilled to be joining the Sportradar family and we cant wait to get cracking.

InteractSports range of services include sports management platforms, competition management capabilities, electronic scoring, registration management and fan-friendly web and mobile applications.

Additional features include a data collection tool to revolutionise how cricket is communicated to fans, along with an automated live streaming and in-game management solution.

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Sportradar acquires InteractSport in third takeover of 2021 - SBC News

Some time during the past year, rower Joan Poh realised that an overcast sky was the perfect analogy for how she felt about the uncertainty over the Olympics.

In Tokyo last Friday, she placed 12th in the women's single sculls at the Asia and Oceania qualification regatta, which represented the final opportunity for her to qualify. But she still does not know for sure if she has done well enough to return to Japan in two months for the Olympic Games.

Over the weekend, the 30-year-old has been performing mental gymnastics trying to work out the qualifying criteria to determine if she did. She thinks she has, but will only know for sure when the World Rowing Federation makes an official announcement by May 28.

The wait might be excruciating for some, but in a phone interview with The Straits Times yesterday, Poh said she is dealing with it just fine. She explained her weather analogy, which she came up with to explain to people she came across, like cabbies and private-hire drivers, who ask her what she does for a living and then "in the same breath" ask about the prospect of a cancelled Tokyo Olympics.

"I tell them it's like doing laundry," said Poh.

"You've washed all your clothes and taken them out of the washing machine. But suddenly, you look out and you're not sure if it's going to rain. How now? Do you keep your wet clothes inside?

"No. The logical thing is to hang them out to dry, and wait until the very last minute until the rain starts coming down, then you bring them in."

In the same vein, she intends to keep plugging away at her dream until "the plug is finally pulled" on it. Given everything she has put into it after it crystallised in her mind in 2018, she was never going to give it up easily anyway.

Poh's calloused hands will testify to the effort she has put in on her journey but she has also sacrificed time, money and career advancement.

From the start of 2019, she took 16 months of no-pay leave from her job as a staff nurse in Tan Tock Seng Hospital's renal department to train overseas, from Hong Kong to Greece, China, Canada and Australia.

The coronavirus pandemic saw her return to work in April last year, when she assisted dialysis patients, particularly those on peritoneal dialysis, a treatment for kidney failure.

She admitted that trying to maintain her training - at least 20 hours a week - while juggling eight-or 10-hour shifts at work was tough.

$30k

National rower Joan Poh's Olympic journey, which started in 2018, has cost between $20,000 and $30,000 a year.

"It's just the nature of the job that I won't get a fixed schedule which athletes live with," she said, recounting how she often missed meals on her first few days back at work.

"But I think this has helped me overall too, because I think I'm better now with dealing with unforeseen circumstances."

As sport began to resume with most of the world adjusting to a new normal, and with Olympic qualification back on the table, Poh in March again went on no-pay leave and returned to full-time training.

"I trained three times a day, up from two before, so I increased my training hours a bit more," she said.

"But the main difference was I was able to plan my recovery, nutrition and other errands around training again."

Poh notes that a big reason she finds herself on the brink of qualifying for the Olympics is the help she has received from supporters like the Pho3nix Foundation, which has sponsored her to the tune of 8,000 (S$12,900).

It is a non-profit organisation created by Polish businessman Sebastian Kulczyk, whose aim is to promote physical activity as a way to improve health and well-being with a particular focus on those in disadvantaged situations.

With her Olympic journey, which started in 2018, costing between $20,000 and $30,000 a year, Poh has relied on her savings for the most part.

She received support from SpexGlow funding - a government grant for loss of wages which offers financial assistance to national athletes, up to a maximum of $3,000 a month for up to 12 months - and raised about $5,000 through crowdfunding.

She also highlighted the effort of her coach, Laryssa Biesenthal, a former Canadian athlete and Olympic bronze medallist who has worked with her since August last year. They had met at the World Championships in Austria a year earlier.

Koh Yuhan, team manager of the Singapore contingent that competed at the Asia and Oceania qualifiers, said: "Coach Laryssa is one of the reasons Jo kept going.

"Many times in the past, coaches have told Jo she's too short (at 1.66m) or small to succeed in rowing, but Laryssa was the first to say, 'That's OK, we'll just find another way' for her to be successful. She has been very empowering."

Koh herself has played a big role in Poh's Olympic endeavour.

At the qualification event in Tokyo, she was a bridge between athlete and coach, cycling along the side of the Sea Forest Waterway as Poh trained and raced while filming the athlete, and sending the footage to Biesenthal.

She would also arrange calls with the coach right after Poh got off the water.

If it was too late owing to the 14-hour time difference between Japan and Canada, she would relay notes, pointers and game plans Biesenthal had come up with for the athlete.

Said Poh: "Yuhan's role as team manager is behind the scenes, just like so many of our support staff, who are all unsung heroes...

"This journey has been arduous but every time I fall short or it seems I don't have enough, people come on board to support me."

For Poh, the skies in her long struggle finally appear to be clearing up.

Link:

Poh learns to make good weather of it - The Straits Times