LONDON -- The Ukrainian city of Lviv withdrew its bid for the 2022 Winter Games on Monday, becoming the third contender to drop out of the race for an Olympics that no one seems to want.
Sheldon Richardson Jersey . Lviv pulled out because of the continuing political and security crisis in Ukraine, where government forces are battling an insurgency by pro-Russian separatists. Lviv officials said they would now focus on bidding for the 2026 Winter Games instead. The decision to withdraw, which had been widely expected, followed talks between Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk and IOC President Thomas Bach. "We concluded that it would be extremely difficult to pursue the 2022 bid under current circumstances but that a future bid would make sense for Ukraine and Ukrainian sport," Bach said in a statement. The announcement came exactly one week before the International Olympic Committee selects a short list of finalists for the 2022 Games. Three cities remain in contention: Almaty, Kazakhstan; Beijing, and Oslo. With Lviv out, the IOC executive board is likely to retain all three and not cut any of the candidates. The host city will be selected by the full IOC in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on July 31, 2015. "We have always said that we will only continue if we can be certain to deliver on all our promises," Lviv bid CEO Sergei Goncharov told The Associated Press. "Due to the current circumstances in Ukraine, we, however, felt that a bid for 2026 would make more sense. We remain convinced of the positive impact that hosting Olympic Games would have for the city of Lviv and the whole country." Lvivs withdrawal follows the earlier pullouts of Stockholm and Krakow, Poland. The Swedish capital dropped out in December after politicians declined to give financial support. The Polish city withdrew last month after 70 per cent of residents rejected the bid in a referendum. The future of Oslos bid also remains uncertain. The Norwegian government has yet to back the project and wont make a decision until the autumn. In addition, recent polls have shown that more than half the population opposes the games. If Oslo drops out later, that would leave only two cities standing. Almaty, commercial capital of the former Soviet republic of Kazakhstan in Central Asia, hosted the 2011 Asian Winter Games and would shape up as the favourite. Beijing, which hosted the 2008 Olympics, is bidding to become the first city to stage both the Summer and Winter Games. Beijing proposes holding Alpine events 120 miles (190 kilometres) away in the northern Chinese city of Zhangjiakou. And with Pyeongchang, South Korea, hosting the 2018 Winter Games and Tokyo the 2020 Olympics, the IOC would normally be reluctant to send the games to Asia for a third straight time. Even before the start of the official 2022 campaign, two potential serious contenders stayed away. St. Moritz-Davos and Munich cancelled proposed bids after voters in Switzerland and Germany voted "no" in referendums. The troubled race poses a crisis for the IOC, which is running out of potential sites for the games. Potential host cities, especially in Western Europe, are concerned about the financial costs of the games. Many have been scared off by the $51 billion price tag associated with Februarys Winter Olympics in Sochi. Russia spent much of the record sum on long-term infrastructure projects for the entire region. Rio de Janeiros delayed preparations for the 2016 Olympics are also a major concern. Changes to the bidding process and efforts to reduce the cost of the games are among the key issues being addressed by the IOC as part of Bachs "Agenda 2020" -- his blueprint for the future of the Olympic movement that will be voted on in December. Despite their withdrawal, Lviv bid officials have travelled to Pyeongchang this week for debriefings on the Sochi Games. Bach said the IOCs preliminary assessment of the Lviv bid found "a huge potential for future development." "We will continue to pursue our dream," Goncharov said. "We have learned a great deal during our first ever bid and we will come back stronger."
Daniel Carlson Vikings Jersey . The 27th-ranked Austrian underwent surgery on a torn tendon in October and needs more time to recover, the Austria Press Agency reports on Saturday.
Custom Minnesota Vikings Jerseys . When Reyes signed a US$106-million, six-year deal with Miami last month, there was speculation Ramirez was unhappy about being supplanted at short. But new manager Ozzie Guillen sold Ramirez on the idea.NEW YORK -- The Minnesota Twins are waiting for Oswaldo Arcia to consistently have nights like the one he had Friday. Arcia homered and threw out a runner at home plate, Ricky Nolasco pitched six solid innings for his first win in more than a month, and the Twins flexed some muscle in beating the New York Yankees 6-1. "We really have hopes for this guy. We like him an awful lot," Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said. "You saw that tonight, what he can do." Josh Willingham and Trevor Plouffe also connected against Vidal Nuno (1-2) for the light-hitting Twins, winners for the second time in eight games. Texas and Kanas City were the only American League teams to enter Friday with fewer homers than the Twins 39. "Thats a big difference for us, two guys in the middle of our order," Plouffe said of Willingham and Arcia, who both rejoined the Twins on Monday. Willingham broke his left wrist on April 6. The 23-year-old Arcia strained his right wrist two days earlier, then spent time in the minors. Arcia has at least one hit in all five games since his return. Kurt Suzuki and former Yankees infielder Eduardo Nunez had RBI singles in the eighth, giving Minnesota its highest run total since scoring eight against Boston on May 13. Nolasco (3-5) has struggled in his first AL season of a nine-year career. He had not won since April 24, a span of six starts. But the right-hander was effectively wild in keeping New York from making any solid contact. Facing the Yankees for the first time in 240 big league games -- 223 starts -- Nolasco gave up a run on seven hits and four walks. He struck out three while throwing 107 pitches, 59 for strikes. "A hard six innings," Gardenhire said. "Its never easy against these guys." Wind was whipping through the stadium when Arcia homered to right field with one out in the second. Several minutes earlier, a brief but heavy rain shower in the first inning sent fans scampering for cover. Willingham led off the fourth with a drive over the 399-foot marker in left-centre, his second long ball since coming off the disabled list Monday. Arcia followed with a single, then Plouffe hit a two-run shot into Monument Park in centre field for a 4-1 lead. The four runs allowed by Nuno ended a streak of 14 straight games in which Yankees starters allowedd three earned runs or fewer.
Jalyn Holmes Jersey. Nuno retired 11 of the final 12 batters he faced and struck out seven without allowing a walk in 6 2-3 innings. "His stuff was pretty decent," Yankees manager Joe Girardi said. "But when he made a mistake, they hit it out of the park." Twins centre fielder Danny Santana left in the third inning when he was cut on his left eyelid by his own bouncing batting helmet. Santana was sliding headfirst into third base on a successful steal attempt when his helmet flew off. It hit the dirt and caromed up, clipping his eye. Santana was replaced by Aaron Hicks, who had missed two games with a stiff back. Santana got seven stitches and said he probably wont be able to play until the swelling around his eye goes down. The Yankees tied it 1-all in the third on Jacoby Ellsburys RBI double and had opportunities to cut into the Twins three-run lead in the fifth and sixth. Arcia helped end both rallies with rocket throws from right field. In the fifth, his accurate heave on Derek Jeters one-out single forced Brett Gardner to hold at third. Jeter strayed too far off first and Gardner broke for home. The speedy Gardner was tagged out in a rundown. "Its just a bad read, and its going to happen from time to time," Girardi said of Jeter getting caught off first. Arcia threw out Brian Roberts trying to score on Yangervis Solartes single to end the sixth. "Hes always had a good arm," Willingham said. "I think its more consistency with him." NOTES: The Twins last hit three homers in a game on Sept. 10, 2013. ... Yankees OF-DH Carlos Beltran (bone spur, right elbow) was very happy after a pain-free batting practice session. ... New York RHP Shawn Kelley (back) had his first bullpen session since being sidelined May 7. He will likely have another one Sunday. ... Gardenhire said RHP Mike Pelfrey, who had Tommy John surgery in 2012, has inflammation in his elbow and is being treated with medication. Pelfreys velocity has dropped from low 90s to around 87 mph. Gardenhire said Pelfrey was experiencing tingling in his fingers. ... Twins OF Sam Fuld (concussion) did cardio exercises and some light hitting off a tee. ... Up next: Minnesota RHP Kevin Correia (2-6) faces Yankees RHP Masahiro Tanaka (7-1) on Saturday.
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