wouldnt make watching or playing t

MOSCOW -- Russian investigators are pressing graft charges against a former deputy governor of St. Petersburg linked to the construction of a trouble-plagued stadium that is to host World Cup matches in 2018.The Investigative Committee said in a statement on Wednesday that Marat Oganesyan, the citys deputy governor in 2013-2015, has been detained on suspicion of embezzling 50 million rubles ($777,000) on a single contract to supply display screens for the new stadium. However, it could be only part of a much larger corruption case.Investigators said Oganesyan arranged for a friendly subcontractor to win the contract and funneled the money out via shell companies. Investigators said they have filed a motion with a local court to jail Oganesyan pending the probe.One official in the St. Petersburg city hall as well as three employees of the subcontractor are also under investigation in relation to the 69,000-seat stadium, provisionally called the Zenit Arena.Current deputy governor Igor Albin said on Twitter that the total sum of damages at the stadium ... exceeds 700 million rubles ($10.7 million), citing evidence presented to the city governments construction department.No external events will influence the construction of the Zenit Arena now: the budget for the construction is balanced and everything that is needed has been bought, Albin added.Wednesdays announcement came amid a blitz of corruption-related arrests and investigations in Russia. Late Monday, Economic Development Minister Alexei Ulyukayev was detained over an alleged $2 million bribe, while Wednesday also saw reports of investigations at a state technology firm and a helicopter manufacturer.The St. Petersburg stadium has taken almost a decade to build, prompting Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev to publicly call it disgraceful. The stadium, which is to host a 2018 World Cup semifinal match, is set to cost more than $600 million. Until the ruble dropped sharply in value in 2014 against the backdrop of international sanctions and a low oil price, the same ruble budget was worth more than $1 billion, making it one of the most expensive soccer stadiums in history.The St. Petersburg City Hall in July fired the general contractor over repeated delays and cost overruns, also saying that authorities have gone to the police because it has allocated $39 million for the construction which has been unaccounted-for. Later than month President Vladimir Putin issued a special decree, ordering officials in St. Petersburg to speed up the construction.FIFA expects Zenit Arena to be delivered in December so that it is ready to host the Confederations Cup next year.There have also been several deaths of workers during construction. In the past 12 months, three have died in accidents, and investigators said Tuesday a North Korean man working on the stadium had died of an apparent heart attack in a workers communal area at the stadium. Wholesale Shoes China . Haas said he "felt a lot of pain" in his right shoulder when he slammed his racket to the ground in frustration after losing his serve at 3-3 in the first set. Wholesale Nike Shoes Free Shipping .J. -- New York Giants wide receiver Victor Cruz will miss the rest of the season after having surgery on his left knee. http://www.shoessalecheap.com/ . First off, the fans ripped the Cubbies introduction of a fuzzy new kid-friendly mascot named "Clark". 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But they may soon go the way of wooden rackets and white tennis balls packed in tin cans.Those words are being put out of business by the US Open. Is the last major domino in the long line of tennis traditions about to fall for good?The long, ongoing war against noise at most major sporting events might have reached a tipping point at this US Open. The fans arent yelling during points, and cheering service faults is still frowned upon by players and most spectators alike. But the ambient noise in Arthur Ashe Stadium has been striking this year.During some matches, repeated pleas for less commotion during play have been ignored. It soon became apparent that the root of the problem was not chatty fans, but the acoustics of the newly roofed Arthur Ashe Stadium.It was clear from the start of play that the roofworks contain and perhaps even magnify sound rising from below, like the skin of a drum. Anyone who sat down in the stadium when it was near capacity noticed it immediately.I didnt feel silence at any moment, said Garbine Muguruza, the No. 3 seed who was upset in the second round. It was continuously a noise. I think its very big, this stadium. Also, its kind of [an] echo. But its the same for the other player.Steve Johnson, the American player who made his debut on Ashe this year, was more positive despite losing his own match: It was definitely louder than most courts. But the atmosphere was great. I didnt have a problem with [the noise]. You watch as a kid night matches on Ashe. You kind of expect it.Significantly, no player of importance lit into the tournament or made claims about the noise ruining concentration or performance, not even famously grumpy No. 2 seed Andy Murray. He probably had the worst of it, too, having to play while a thunderstorm played the equivalent of a heavy-metal bands drum solo on the polyester roof.Murray, who has played a Wimbledon final with the Centre Court roof closed, said the Ashe court is louder. He wasnt thrilled by the fact that he couldnt hear the ball coming off his opponents racket, but he felt the conditions with the roof closed over the hard court didnt change the playing surface as much as they do on the grass at Wimbledon.I dont know what the TV people or fans have said about it [the noise] yet, but the players will adjust, Murray said. The players will deal with it. You get used to stuff. As an athlete, thats what you do.Murrays last assertion represents a major leap forward for a sport in which the top stars once had few good words to say about any challenging innovation. MMost former players, particularly the highly strung champions, might have blown a gasket -- and trashed the USTA -- had they been asked to play under the conditions that now characterize tennis at Ashe.ddddddddddddAt 29, Murray is a responsible, intelligent pro. The younger generation is more flexible for other reasons. Ryan Harrison, 24, believes that playing under the cacophonous conditions of World Team Tennis actually helped him hone his ability to focus. Others of his generation are also more relaxed about distractions older players might have deemed unacceptable.After he upset Milos Raonic in the first round of the Open, Harrison said: Theres been times in my career when someone drops a ball, someone does something, and my first reaction is, What did you do? But its not as big a deal as you think it is. All the things I yell about when someone is moving in the stands are not that big of a deal if I decide to just focus in and block it out.This is what critics mean when they tell tennis players that collegiate basketball players routinely shoot -- and make -- critical free throws with fans screaming and waving oversized foam No. 1 mitts right beneath the basket. Its just a matter of acclimatization.Its fitting that the assault on Quiet, please is happening in New York. Noise is the distinguishing feature of the city. Its inescapable, regardless of your race, creed or color. Rich and poor are equally subject to the wail of the police siren, the thwock, thwock of the helicopter, the mournful horns of a thousand frustrated taxi cab drivers. Noise is the backing track to life in New York, and now to tennis in New York as well.It all makes you wonder if the players willingness to deal with the conditions will lead to a change in the habits of fans. New fans coming into the game might be more inclined to hoot and holler.Shouting and cheering during points wouldnt make watching or playing tennis a better experience. Silence is observed during points for a reason: An attentive spectator is too busy watching, and theres plenty of time to cheer because the ball is in play for only brief periods. But cheering or heckling before serves, or between first and second serves, could become a common occurrence, as it sometimes is in Davis Cup.Adaptable as todays players are, they arent eager for fans to bring constant noise. As Venus Williams said after one of her matches:Theres something very special about tennis in the quiet. Theres that tension that everybody feels, the sound of the ball, the sound of the footwork is very special in sports. I do enjoy the quiet. Especially the more important the moments, silence says it all. Personally, I dont think it should go away. ' ' '