Translated material
Week calendar
On Thursday, St. Petersburg Zenit at the Petrovsky Stadium has an excellent chance to secure a ticket to the quarterfinals of the UEFA Cup in a confrontation with the French Marseille. The first game at the Velodrome brought the players from the banks of the Neva a victory - 1:0. Right at the start of the Premier League, its debutant Nalchik “Spartak” is taking an exam in front of the national champion, winner of the national Cup and Super Cup CSKA. For the third time in a month, the capital's Spartak is playing against the second newcomer of the high society of the Vladivostok Luch, with whom the lot brought it together at the stage of the 1/8 finals of the Russian Cup.
TENNIS. March 13--19. First category BTA tournament. Masters series tournament. Indian Wells (USA).
For the last two years, the Masters in Indian Wells has been won by the world number one, Swiss Roger Federer. Before this, Australian Lleyton Hewitt won the main prize here twice. There are similar duplicates in the track records of the German Boris Becker and the Americans Michael Chang and Pete Sampras, who retired from their careers. But no one managed to become a winner in this Californian city three times in a row. Last year's champion, Belgian Kim Clijsters, is absent from the women's tournament, which is why she automatically loses first place in the WTA rankings, allowing Frenchwoman Amelie Mauresmo to reach the top, who also did not arrive in Indian Wells.
BASKETBALL. March 14. Men's match of stars of the Old World "Europe against the rest of the world" under the auspices of FIBA. Limassol (Cyprus). March 14. FIBA Europe Cup. Women. Final. 1st match. March 14, 17, 18. Super League. Women. March 14--16. Euroleague ULEB. "Top 16". Second round, 2nd round. March 16. FIBA Challenge Cup. Men. Final. 1st match. March 16--18. Super League. Men.
CSKA will begin the second round of the “Top 16” stage of the ULEB Euroleague on March 15 with a home match against Lietuvos Rytas. Last Thursday, late in the evening Moscow time, the “red-blues” won their third victory in a row at this stage, defeating the German “Bamberg” 75:64. The most productive player for the Muscovites was Slovenian forward Matjaz Smodis, who scored 23 points. CSKA is leading in Group F, and a victory over the Lithuanian club guarantees access to the quarterfinals.
The All-Star Game, hosted by the continental branch of the International Basketball Federation (FIBA-Europe), will take place for the third season in a row. In 2004 it was held in Kyiv, and a year ago - also in Cyprus, but in Nicosia. In both cases, the victory was celebrated by players from the “rest of the world,” that is, mostly Americans.
Two Russian clubs have to take the last steps towards winning FIBA trophies. Girls from Spartak near Moscow, whose main star is US national team center Lisa Leslie, are playing the first match of the finals away from the French ASPTT (Aix-en-Provence). “Ural-Great” from Perm in the Challenge Cup goes to Ukraine to the city of Yuzhny for a fight with the local “Khimik”.
In the men's super league championship, the main thing this week will be Saturday's match between the current champion CSKA and Khimki near Moscow at the site of the capital's army team. If successful, the “red-blues” become early winners of the regular season, and the team of Italian head coach Ettore Messina will have the advantage of home at all stages of the playoffs. The November first round match in Khimki ended in favor of the guests - 84:73. For women, the Super League championship ends on March 18 on the banks of the Volga with a meeting of the best team in the world, Europe and the country VBM-SSAU (Samara) against last year’s bronze medalist UMMC (Ekaterinburg).
VOLLEYBALL. March 13, 14, 18. Super League. Men. March 14, 18. Super League. Women. March 18-19. Women's Champions League Final Four. Cannes (France).
On the first day of the competition, the hosts meet with the strongest team of the continent based on the results of the 2004/05 season, “Foppapedretti” (Bergamo, Italy), in another match the Italian “Perugia” and “Gunes Vakifbank” (Istanbul, Türkiye) will compete. Cannes is the most stable club in the Old World; it reached the Final Four of the Champions League for the fifth time in a row, winning the title in 2002 and 2003.
The last round of the regular championship of the men's super league will take place on Saturday. In the women's national championship, there are still two game days left before the finish, and the most interesting for the weekend is the Moscow region derby "Zarechye-Odintsovo" - "Dynamo".
CYCLE HIGHWAY. March 18. Race of the Pro-Tour series Milan-San Remo.
The longest race on the international calendar is 297 km long.
BIATHLON. March 16--19. World Cup stage. Kontiolahti (Finland).
The program of the eighth, penultimate cup stage includes sprint races on Thursday, Saturday pursit and Sunday mass starts.
SKI RACING. World Cup stages. March 15. Changchun (China). March 18-19. Sapporo (Japan).
For its organizers, the stage in Japan will be a rehearsal for the first 2007 World Ski Championships in Asia. True, to be absolutely precise, during the 1972 Olympics the results automatically counted towards the world championship.
SPRINGBOARD JUMPING. March 18-19. World Cup stage.
Flying skiers will demonstrate their skills on the world's largest jump, 215 m high. Last season, Finn Janne Ahonen managed to reach 240 m on the second day of the competition, but due to a poor landing, he took only sixth place, and the victory went to Norwegian Bjorn Einar Romoren.
MOUNTAIN SKIING. March 15--18. World Cup stage. Øre (Sweden).
During the final stage of the “White Circus” there will be starts in four disciplines for men and women. These are downhill, slalom, super-G and giant slalom. The season ends with a team tournament.
SNOWBOARD. March 17--19. World Cup stage. Furano (Japan).
FREESTYLE. March 17--19. World Cup stage. Apex (Canada).
SKIING combined. March 18--19. World Cup stage. Sapporo (Japan).