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Saudi Arabia: Governor Crowns Winner of 2024 Hail Toyota International Rally

The Governor of Hail region has crowned Saudi driver Yazeed Al-Rajhi with the title of the 2024 Hail Toyota International Rally in its 19th edition. SPA
The Governor of Hail region has crowned Saudi driver Yazeed Al-Rajhi with the title of the 2024 Hail Toyota International Rally in its 19th edition. SPA
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Saudi Arabia: Governor Crowns Winner of 2024 Hail Toyota International Rally

The Governor of Hail region has crowned Saudi driver Yazeed Al-Rajhi with the title of the 2024 Hail Toyota International Rally in its 19th edition. SPA
The Governor of Hail region has crowned Saudi driver Yazeed Al-Rajhi with the title of the 2024 Hail Toyota International Rally in its 19th edition. SPA

The Governor of Hail region, Prince Abdulaziz bin Saad bin Abdulaziz, and Chairman of the Hail Region Development Authority (HRDA), has crowned Saudi driver Yazeed Al-Rajhi with the title of the 2024 Hail Toyota International Rally in its 19th edition.
Organized by the Ministry of Sport in cooperation with HRDA and the Saudi Automobile and Motorcycle Federation (SAMF), the rally represents the first round of the 2024 World Rally Cup "Baja" category.
It is also considered the first round of the 2024 Middle East Rally Championship, and part of the Saudi Toyota 2024 Championship.
The ceremony took place at Al-Maghwah Entertainment Park in Hail on Saturday, in the presence of the President of SAMF, Prince Khalid bin Sultan bin Abdullah bin Faisal, the Deputy Governor of Hail region and HRDA Vice Chairman, Prince Faisal bin Fahd bin Meqrin bin Abdulaziz, and Princess Haifa bint Abdulmohsen bin Abdulaziz.
Prince Abdulaziz, who is also the Chairman of the Organizing Committee, crowned the champions of the 2024 Hail Toyota International Rally. Al-Rajhi, accompanied by his German co-driver Timo Gottschalk, managed to clinch the title for the seventh time in its history, aboard a Toyota Hilux. They covered the distance of the special stage, which was 164 km long, in one hour, 42 minutes, and 55 seconds.
The Portuguese, Joao Ferreira, came in the second place in the overall standings, with a narrow margin of 38 seconds to Al-Rajhi. Lithuanian Rokas Baciuska came in third place behind them, with a time difference of one minute and 9 seconds.
Rally driver Saleh Al-Saif managed to win the 2024 Hail Toyota International Rally in the "Challenger" category, surpassing Portugal’s Joao Dias and the Argentine, Diego Martinez, who placed second and third respectively.

At the end of the ceremony, Prince Abdulaziz praised the support of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud, and the Crown Prince for sports.

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US Open Doubles Champion Max Purcell Suspended for Anti-doping Breach

FILE - Max Purcell returns a shot to Tommy Paul, of the United States, during a second round match of the US Open tennis championships, Thursday, Aug. 29, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II, File)
FILE - Max Purcell returns a shot to Tommy Paul, of the United States, during a second round match of the US Open tennis championships, Thursday, Aug. 29, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II, File)
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US Open Doubles Champion Max Purcell Suspended for Anti-doping Breach

FILE - Max Purcell returns a shot to Tommy Paul, of the United States, during a second round match of the US Open tennis championships, Thursday, Aug. 29, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II, File)
FILE - Max Purcell returns a shot to Tommy Paul, of the United States, during a second round match of the US Open tennis championships, Thursday, Aug. 29, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II, File)

Two-time Grand Slam winning doubles player Max Purcell has entered a voluntary provisional suspension under tennis’ anti-doping rules.
The International Tennis Integrity Agency announced the sanction in a statement on Monday after the 26-year-old Australian admitted to violating Article 2.2 of the Tennis Anti-Doping Program “relating to the use of a Prohibited Method”.
Purcell posted a statement on Instagram saying he had “unknowingly received an IV infusion of vitamins above the allowable limit of 100 ml.”
Purcell said he had told the medical clinic that the infusion needed to be below 100 ml because he was a professional athlete, but that the medical records he received back showed that the IV had been above that level, The Associated Press said.
“This news was devastating to me because I pride myself on being an athlete who always makes sure that everything is WADA safe,” Purcell wrote. “I volunteered this information to the ITIA and have been as transparent as possible in trying to put this whole situation behind me.”
The ITIA said the suspension came into effect on 12 Dec., and time served under provisional suspension will be credited against any future sanction. The length of time of the voluntary suspension was not specified by the ITIA.
“During the provisional suspension, Purcell is prohibited from playing in, coaching at, or attending any tennis event authorized or sanctioned by the members of the ITIA (ATP, ITF, WTA, Tennis Australia, Fédération Française de Tennis, Wimbledon and USTA) or any national association," the ITIA statement read.
Purcell, with compatriot Jordan Thompson, won the U.S. Open in September and won Wimbledon with another Australian, Matthew Ebden, in 2022. He is currently ranked No. 12 in doubles.
He also finished as a runner-up in the Australian Open doubles final twice, in 2020 and 2022.
Purcell, ranked No. 105 in singles, was not listed on the Australian Open entry lists released earlier this month and did not receive a wildcard or feature on the qualifying entries.
The ITIA did not say whether Purcell's absence from the draw of the tournament starting Jan. 12. was due to the sanction.
The latest doping violation in tennis comes just weeks after five-time Grand Slam champion Iga Swiatek accepted a one-month suspension after testing positive for the banned substance trimetazidine.
Top-ranked men's player Jannik Sinner, winner of two Grand Slams this year, was exonerated by the ITIA after twice testing positive for a trace amount of an anabolic steroid in March with the World Anti-Doping Agency appealing the ruling.