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Qatar’s high jump champion Mutaz Essa Barshim wowed home fans as he won the ‘What Gravity Challenge’ at the Katara Amphitheatre competing alongside top world stars scaling to his season’s best 2.31m.The event – a brainchild of Barshim – was organised with the support from Qatar Olympic Committee and the Qatar Athletics Federation. Barshim held off a strong competition from South Korea’s Sanghyeok Woo on countback as he also jumped 2.31m, while American JuVaughn Harrison settled for third place with 2.28m.Speaking soon after his win, Barshim said, “To be honest, I am very happy. Today, the Gravity Challenge finally saw the light, after it was an idea on paper. I am very happy about winning the first edition in Doha. I thank all the sponsors and supporters. I thank the fans who came here to witness the event and would like to present this victory to them. Our idea is that we will continue to host this tournament. This is just the first stop.”Barshim received the trophy, designed by local artist Ahmed al-Bahrani, along with a prize of $15,000 from the Dr Thani bin Abdulrahman al-Kuwari, Second Vice-President of Qatar Olympic Committee.Barshim cleared 2.28 and 2.31 in his first attempts. Asian Champion Sanghyeok Woo had earlier cleared 2.28 in his second attempt, before clearing the 2.31 mark in his third.USA’s World Championships silver medallist Harrison’s ended at 2.31, when he failed all three attempts. He had cleared the 2.28 in his third try to finish third.World Indoor champion Hamish Kerr of New Zealand jumped 2.25 metres to end up fourth while Donald Thomas of the Bahamas completed the top five with his season’s best of 2.21.Former world champion Bohdan Bondarenko and his Ukranian compatriot Andrii Protsenko both registered 2.17 metres, while Japan’s Naoto Tobe also cleared the same height, his season’s best.

An hour or so after the pre-event press conference for the Doha Diamond League was over, Neeraj Chopra was still giving interviews to journalists, seeking exclusive quotes from India’s javelin superstar. While others who attended the media conference – Steven Gardiner, Nina Kennedy and Miltiadis Tentoglou – had long left the venue and were taking much-needed rest before Friday’s event at the Suhaim Bin Hamad Stadium, Chopra was in no hurry to leave.Among many amazing qualities that the reigning Olympic, World and Asian champion possesses, it’s his rare ability to handle every situation with composure and always sport a smile and pose for pictures for anyone who walks up to him.But there is one question that has followed him ever since – by his own admission – he threw 88.06m at the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta, en route to winning the gold medal. When will he cross the 90m mark?“I really want to break this barrier,” Chopra said on Thursday, as he launches himself towards what he hopes will be a successful title defence at the Olympic Games in Paris this August.Fellow Olympic and World long jump Champion Tentoglou, who was seated two seats away from Chopra, chipped in: “I will be very happy if Neeraj throws 90m tomorrow, truly happy.”The Greek echoed what everyone in the athletics world would want. The 90m throw is a magic mark for a javelin thrower and Chopra – who set his personal best of 89.94 in 2022 – has never shied away from acknowledging that he needs to cross it one day. For an athlete, who has won all that needs to be won, the distance should not matter. But here is Chopra, who continues his quest for excellence despite having gone the distance no Indian has dared to achieve.“I am stuck between 88 and 90 metres,” said Chopra in a lighter vein on Thursday. “This question has followed me ever since I threw 88.06 at the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta. But I had elbow surgery soon after, which forced me to miss the 2019 season.“But I really want to break the barrier this year. Even last year, I had said that Doha is famous for 90m. But, we were not lucky due to too much headwind. Maybe tomorrow we’ll have a good day. Obviously, it is the Olympics year and India is a big country and everyone always expects gold. My focus is to just stay healthy and concentrate on my technique. And yes, if I stay healthy everything will be good,” the 26-year-old added.Chopra, however, insisted remaining consistent has been his key to success in big events. “Maybe it is my greatest weapon. I will throw over 90, but consistency is more important for me,” he pointed out.Chopra enjoys immense popularity in India but downplayed his celebrity status saying his decision to train in South Africa, Turkiye recently and in Europe later this year, was motivated by the need to focus on the Paris Olympics.On Friday, Chopra will face competition from Jakub Vadlejch, to whom he finished second at the Diamond League final in Eugene last September but ended his season with victory at the Asian Games.They will be joined by Grenada’s two-time world champion Anderson Peters, who finished third behind Chopra and Vadlejch in Doha last year, plus 2015 world champion Julius Yego and world finalist Oliver Helander.The women’s pole vault features the indoor and outdoor world champions, as Australia’s Nina Kennedy opens her Diamond League campaign against Britain’s Molly Caudery, who competes for the first time since her world indoor triumph in Glasgow.Kennedy said she was confident of adding Olympic gold later this year as she begins her season in Doha.“The last two years in my career have been a huge step up. Two world medals and a Diamond League final winner. I will be going to this Olympics with a good shot. It’s these new nerves and new feelings, which is all new to me. I am trying to approach it exactly like last year. I am excited but I am trying to enjoy this pressure,” the Australian said.In the men’s long jump, world and Olympic champion Tentoglou makes his Doha Diamond League debut as part of a field also featuring Carey McLeod, Tajay Gayle and Simon Ehammer.The 26-year-old athlete – who retained his world indoor title with victory in Glasgow in March – boasts a personal best of 8.60m from 2021 and is so far unbeaten this year. In recent years he has gained a reputation for being an exceptional championship performer and in particular, for his final jump heroics. “I keep myself motivated because I love the event and love to jump,” said Tentoglou, when asked about what motivates to keep going.“I plan to get better every time and every year. This year is very special because of the Olympics in Paris. There are European Championships too next month. I am doing more quality training. It’s going to be a difficult year but I am excited. I am definitely one of the best and other guys know that I can jump very well anytime so I think I put pressure on them,” the Greek said.

Al Sadd on Thursday beat Al Markhiya 3-2 at Abdullah Bin Khalifa Stadium to reach the last-eight of the Amir Cup. Baghdad Bounedjah (16th minute), Paulo Otavio (34 and Abdullah al-Yazidi (60) scored the goals for Al Sadd. Al Markhiya’s goals were scored by Driss Fettouhi (84) and Naoufal Banns (89). In another match, Al Rayyan defeated Al Khor 4-1 at Al Janoub Stadium to enter quarter-finals . In the day’s final match, Al Wakrah edged past Al Muaither 5-4 on penalties after both teams were tied at 3-3 in regulation time at Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium. With the victory, Al Wakrah also qualified for the quarter-finals. PICTURES: Noushad Thekkayil

Faesal al-Yafei won the opening round of the Qatar Karting Championship at the Lusail Karting Track. In the 12-lap Group 2 race, which saw 20 drivers in action at the 1.072 kilometre track, al-Yafei finished 6.957 seconds ahead of Taha Hassiba, who came second. Tameem Hassiba was third after finishing the race 6.975 secs adrift of the winning driver. Earlier, in Group 1, Bader al-Sulaiti secured first place ahead of Jad Alawar and Victor Litaudon, who finished second and third respectively. The second round of the championship takes place next Monday and Tuesday.

Real Madrid turned to the same old story in the Champions League and even though Bayern Munich knew all of the words, they were powerless to stop the kings of Europe pulling off another improbable and yet inevitable comeback.Joselu’s late double fired the record 14-time winners into the Wembley final on June 1, just as it seemed Bayern had set up another all-German battle as in 2013.Madrid’s Jude Bellingham will face his former team Borussia Dortmund in search of the 15th, after Los Blancos returned from what he described as “dead and buried” to triumph.“We saw ourselves in the final and now I’m lost for words,” said shellshocked Bayern goalkeeper Manuel Neuer.“Madrid are immortal,” wrote Spanish newspaper Marca. “The eternal miracle,” proclaimed another capital publication, AS.Madrid will be firm favourites to extend their dominance in Europe after reaching their sixth Champions League final in the last 11 years and winning five of the last 10.Regardless of whether they are outplayed, as by Manchester City in the quarter-finals, or on the verge of elimination, as against Bayern, Madrid so often find a way where other teams would wither.Alphonso Davies’ second-half strike had Bayern dreaming of a 2013 final rematch against Bundesliga rivals Dortmund, but journeyman forward Joselu intervened in the dying embers of the match.“It’s happened again – it’s happened so often,” marvelled Madrid’s Carlo Ancelotti, a four-time winner of the trophy as a coach.“Fans who push us on, a fantastic stadium, players who never stop believing – it’s simply something magical.”Madrid have enjoyed many spectacular comebacks over the years but the last time they lifted the trophy, in 2022, their run to the final defied belief at every step.Two goals down on aggregate against Paris Saint-Germain in the last 16, an 18-minute Karim Benzema hat-trick sent them through.Despite trailing Chelsea 3-0 in the semi-final second leg, a majestic Luka Modric pass and Rodrygo’s finish forced extra-time, and Madrid went on to win.Thomas Tuchel was Chelsea coach at the time and even with that first-hand experience, the Bayern boss could not prepare his team for Madrid’s penchant for European magic.Two injury-time goals in just over a minute from Rodrygo rescued Madrid in the semi-final against Manchester City – and even though Liverpool outplayed them in the Paris final, Los Blancos triumphed.However the match which sprang to mind most readily was Madrid’s previous victory over Bayern in 2018, when goalkeeper Sven Ulreich made an inexplicable error to allow Benzema in.This time it was veteran Neuer, who had excelled throughout, who suddenly found himself spilling a shot he would usually contain comfortably and Joselu pounced.Fellow goalkeepers Gianluigi Donnarumma, Loris Karius and Edouard Mendy will have sympathy after they all committed high-profile errors against Madrid in recent years, contributing to Los Blancos’ burgeoning trophy cabinet. AC Milan, with seven Champions League wins, are Madrid’s closest contenders on exactly half the Spanish giants’ tally.Final opponents Dortmund have lifted the trophy on just one occasion, back in 1997, and few will give them a chance against the might of Madrid.Since ending an 11-year dry spell by winning their 10th Champions League during Ancelotti’s first spell at the helm a decade ago, Madrid have not looked back.“We always believe in ourselves... it happened again and we’re going for the 15th,” said Vinicius Junior, who scored the goal that won Madrid’s 14th.

Qatar Airways has commenced its three-year partnership as the ‘Official Airline Partner’ and Qatar Airways Cargo as the ‘Official Cargo Airline Partner’ of MotoGP.The multi-year partnership is built upon the success of the first Grand Prix title sponsored by Qatar Airways, which took place in 2023, and the most recent 2024 edition which took place from March 8 to 10.As Official Cargo Airline of the MotoGP, Qatar Airways Cargo, the world’s number one cargo carrier, will provide air transport of race and bike equipment for all MotoGP races around the world.Announced on the eve of the 2024 French Grand Prix, the partnership builds on the success of the season opener at Qatar’s Lusail International Circuit.The signing ceremony took place prior to the start of the Qatar Airways Grand Prix 2024, featuring HE the Minister of Sports and Youth Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa bin Ahmed al-Thani, Qatar Airways Group CEO Badr Mohamed al-Meer, Carmelo Ezpeleta, CEO of Dorna Sports (MotoGP rights holder), Abdulrahman bin Abdullatif al-Mannai, President, Qatar Motor and Motorsport Federation and Lusail International Circuit.Al-Meer said: “Qatar continues to demonstrate its commitment to being a prominent hub for motorsports, and our new partnership with MotoGP only propels us forward. The Qatar Airways Grand Prix of Qatar was the perfect season opener for us to welcome this unique partnership that combines the worlds of aviation and motorsports.”Mark Drusch, Chief Officer (Cargo) at Qatar Airways Cargo added: “As the largest air cargo carrier in the world, operating an extensive global network on a young modern fleet and bespoke charter solutions in place, we meet the requirements to be dedicated air cargo carrier for the MotoGP.”Ezpeleta said: “MotoGP is a global sport and to move across the world as we do, a partner like Qatar Airways has overwhelming value for our personnel, our freight and the whole paddock. There is no better partner to become the official airline of MotoGP.”

President Vladimir Putin has warned that his nuclear forces were “always” on alert and added that Moscow would not tolerate any Western threats, in an address at the annual Victory Day parade.In a defiant speech on Red Square before thousands of soldiers dressed in ceremonial attire, Putin heaped praise on his army fighting in Ukraine and accused “Western elites” of fomenting conflicts around the world.“Russia will do everything to prevent a global clash, but at the same time we will not allow anyone to threaten us. Our strategic forces are always on alert,” Putin told the crowd. “Russia is now going through a difficult, crucial period. The fate of the Motherland, its future depends on each of us.”The May 9 parade commemorates the Soviet Union’s defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II and has become the Kremlin’s most important public holiday as Putin puts the country firmly on a combat footing.Putin has used nuclear rhetoric throughout the conflict but has grown increasingly belligerent since last year, pulling out of a nuclear test ban treaty and a key arms reduction agreement with the United States.Earlier this week, he ordered the Russian military to hold nuclear drills involving the navy and troops based near Ukraine, raising fears he could use the powerful weapons on the battlefield.Putin said that there was nothing unusual in a planned exercise involving the practice deployment of tactical nuclear weapons in southern Russia along with ally Belarus, as preparations for the drills have begun.Russia said on Monday that it would practise the deployment of tactical nuclear weapons as part of a military exercise after what Moscow said were threats from France, Britain and the United States.“There is nothing unusual here, this is planned work,” state news agency Tass reported Putin as saying. “It is training.”Russia’s defence ministry, in its announcement on Monday, explicitly linked the nuclear exercise to “provocative statements and threats by certain Western officials against the Russian Federation”.In comments recorded on Tuesday but released by the Kremlin after the parade, Putin vowed to modernise his army’s weaponry and said Russia would use whatever foreign parts it could get to make them.“Modern military technology is changing very fast. If we want to be successful, we always have to be one step ahead,” he said in a meeting with army commanders.Putin has repeatedly framed the current fight against Ukraine as an existential battle against “Nazism”, a message that he reiterated in his address yesterday.“We bow our heads before the memory of civilians killed by barbaric shelling and terrorist attacks by neo-Nazis,” he said, adding: “Those on the front line, on the line of contact – are our heroes. We bow before your steadfastness and self-sacrifice, selflessness. All Russia is with you.”Two women were killed yesterday by Ukrainian shelling of Russia’s border regions, which have been regularly attacked by Ukraine since the conflict began.Shelling on a village street in the Belgorod region close to the border killed one, Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said.Further west in the Kursk region, a woman was killed by a direct hit on a house in a village near the border, while another woman suffered shrapnel wounds, Governor Roman Starovoyt wrote on Telegram.An overnight aerial attack on the city of Belgorod, around 30km (20 miles) from Ukraine, injured 11, Gladkov said earlier.Security in Moscow was tight ahead of this year’s parade, amid repeated Ukrainian strikes on Russian territory and after an Islamic State group attack on a concert hall near the capital in March killed dozens.Other parts of Russia including the western Kursk and Pskov regions cancelled their parades due to security concerns.The Moscow parade featured columns of Russian military equipment but was notably scaled back compared to past years as Moscow mobilises its resources for the Ukrainian front.“We come to see it every year,” said 44-year-old Yelena Melikhova, who watched the procession of military equipment heading to Red Square. “It’s very touching, very exciting.”Svetlana Sycheva, 48, said she was filled with “pride” while watching the parade.“Even in such difficult times we have the opportunity to rejoice, and to feel the emotions that we have just experienced,” she told AFP.Russia often invites representatives from countries it deems “friendly” to the event, though attendance had dwindled even before it sent troops into Ukraine in early 2022 amid a stand-off with the West.Nine world leaders attended yesterday’s parade – the heads of ex-Soviet republics Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan – as well as the leaders of Cuba, Laos and Guinea-Bissau.The 71-year-old Putin has ruled Russia since the turn of the century, securing a fresh six-year mandate in March after winning presidential elections devoid of all opposition.Russia’s army held off a much-hyped Ukrainian counter-offensive last year, and it has since made gains on the front lines as Kyiv struggles with ammunition and manpower shortages.Yesterday’s festivities come two days after Putin vowed at a lavish inauguration to “overcome all obstacles, realise everything we have planned, and together, we will win”.Russia and the United States are by far the world’s biggest nuclear powers, holding more than 10,600 of the world’s 12,100 nuclear warheads.China has the third-largest nuclear arsenal, followed by France and Britain.Russia has about 1,558 non-strategic nuclear warheads, according to the Federation of American Scientists, though there is uncertainty about exact figures for such weapons due to a lack of transparency.There is still much uncertainty among arms controls experts about what weapons Russia has supplied to Belarus and the nature of their storage.Typically, it would take some time to create the storage, security and barracks for such a deployment – and Russian nuclear weapons are controlled by the Russian defence ministry’s 12th Main Directorate (known as 12th GUMO).It is unclear if 12th GUMO is in Belarus, according to Western experts.No power has used nuclear weapons in war since the United States unleashed the first atomic bomb attacks on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945.

Thousands of demonstrators, including climate activist Greta Thunberg, marched through the streets of Malmo, Sweden yesterday to protest Israel’s participation in Eurovision, an AFP journalist observed.This year’s Eurovision song contest opened in the southern city of Malmo on Tuesday, with the grand finale tomorrow, but the war in Gaza is looming over the festivities.“I am a Eurovision fan and it breaks my heart but I’m boycotting. I can’t have fun knowing that Israel is there participating when all those kids are dying. I think it’s just wrong,” 30-year-old protester Hilda, who did not want to provide her surname, told AFP.The war in Gaza was sparked by the events of October 7 in Israel, which resulted in the deaths of more than 1,170 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally of Israeli official figures.Israel in response vowed to crush Hamas and launched a military offensive that has killed more than 34,000 people in Gaza, mostly women and children, according to the Hamas-run territory’s health ministry.Militants also took about 250 hostages. Israel estimates 128 of them remain in Gaza, including 36 who officials say are dead.In 2022, Russia’s state broadcaster was excluded from the European Broadcasting Union, which oversees Eurovision, in the wake of the war in Ukraine.“I feel like if they can remove Russia why can they not do it to Israel?” 29-year-old Margo Mustafa said. “The people are here for Eurovision trying to celebrate. There’s nothing to celebrate. It’s an ongoing war.”More than 5,000 people gathered yesterday afternoon in Malmo’s main square, according to an AFP estimate.Alongside signs that read: “Liberate Palestine”, banners that said “EUR legitimises genocide” and “colonialism cannot be washed in pink” could be read in the crowd.Israel’s entry, Hurricane by singer Eden Golan, competed in the semi-final.It has already been partially re-written and given a new title after Eurovision organisers deemed the original version to be too political.Protester Cecilia Brudell told AFP: “At six and nine, my children are now at an age where they want to watch Eurovision but this year we are completely boycotting it.”Since the beginning of the year, several petitions have demanded Israel’s exclusion from the 68th edition of the annual music competition.At the end of March, contestants from nine countries, including Swiss favourite Nemo, called for a lasting ceasefire.

Donald Trump’s youngest son, Barron Trump, will be one of the delegates representing Florida at the Republican National Convention in July, a notable move given that he has kept largely out of the public eye so far during the campaign.The convention will see the official crowning of Trump as the Republican challenger to Democrat President Joe Biden, with delegates from each state designating their candidate for the November election.A campaign official confirmed an earlier report from NBC that Barron Trump had been selected by the state party as a delegate from Florida.Barron, 18, is “very interested in our nation’s political process”, said the official, who requested anonymity to discuss internal campaign matters.Earlier this year he was seen towering over his family at his grandmother’s funeral.Barron lived in the White House as a child when his father was president, but was fiercely protected from public view by his mother Melania.In Florida, presidential campaigns submit a list of proposed delegates to the state party, which in this case would have included Barron.His selection underlines how deeply the Trump family has become involved in Republican politics.Lara Trump, Trump’s daughter-in-law, was named co-chair of the Republican National Committee in March.Eric Trump and Donald Trump Jr, Barron’s older brothers, have been active on the campaign trail.Both are also on Florida’s 41-person delegate list for the convention in Milwaukee, the campaign official said, along with Tiffany Trump, Trump youngest daughter.Ivanka Trump, Trump’s older daughter, is the only child of the former president not on the delegate roster.She served as senior adviser in his first presidency alongside her husband Jared Kushner.Delegates are allocated following primary contests in each state.While the rules are complex, delegates are typically assigned to represent a candidate at the convention, where the nominee is officially selected.Given Trump’s domination of the Republican nominating contest, almost all delegates in Milwaukee will be supporting the former president.Barron is due to graduate high school on May 17.The judge overseeing Trump’s criminal trial in New York for covering up a hush money payment to an adult entertainment actress has allowed the former president to take the day off to attend the graduation ceremony.

The death toll from flooding in southern Brazil has risen to 107, civil defence said yesterday, as rescue operations continued and authorities began to see the cost of recovering from the devastation in the state of Rio Grande do Sul.In a dramatic symbol of the disaster, rescuers saved a horse that had been trapped precariously for two days on a rooftop in a badly flooded town.More rains are forecast in the coming days, raising fears that water levels will rise further in the inundated state capital of Porto Alegre and nearby town where streets have turned into rivers.At least 136 people are still missing and more than 165,000 have been displaced from flooded homes and rescued by boats and helicopters.Television images showed the horse straddling the roof of a farmhouse on the outskirts of Canoas, a town north of Porto Alegre.The animal was secured by firemen and loaded into a Zodiac inflatable boat to take it to safety.The floods have destroyed infrastructure and bridges, blocking access to Porto Alegre, where supermarket shelves are empty and looting has been reported at night.Governor Eduardo Leite said initial calculations indicate that Rio Grande do Sul will need at least 19bn reais ($3.68bn) to rebuild from the damage, which has extended into farm areas around the capital.“The effect of the floods and the extent of the tragedy are devastating,” he said on social media.In Brasilia, the federal government estimated the fiscal impact of the flooding at 7.7bn reais ($1.49bn), mostly due to the injection of funds into a support programme for small businesses hit by the floods.“This doesn’t end here,” President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said at an event announcing steps to help the stricken state.Lula said the full extent of Rio Grande do Sul’s needs would be known only when the water recedes.

Ten-time champion Rafa Nadal overcame losing the opening set to defeat Belgian qualifier Zizou Bergs 4-6 6-3 6-4 and reach the Italian Open second round in Rome on Thursday, as the Spaniard’s steady progress continued.Nadal, who last won the title in Rome in 2021, was given a stiff test by the 24-year-old in a match which lasted almost three hours on centre court, and now faces Polish seventh seed Hubert Hurkacz.“That was not my best match, I was practising better than I played today, but I found a way to win,” said Nadal.The 37-year-old former world number one broke first to make it 3-1 in the opening set, but Bergs bounced back immediately with a break of his own, and broke again to make it 5-4 before holding serve to take the set.Nadal steadied himself and made an impressive start to the second set, taking a 3-0 lead after an early break and winning both service games to love, and although Bergs forced break points in two later games, Nadal held on.The deciding set brought another early break for Nadal to take a 2-1 lead. Bergs then had four break points when 4-2 down, but lost his chance to get back into the match and Nadal finished off the job.After spending most of last year out with a hip injury, his return in January was cut short after a muscle tear in Brisbane, but last month he reached the second round in Barcelona and the fourth round in Madrid, as he builds up to the French Open.“My game is more unpredictable than before, I didn’t play much tennis for the last two years so have had some ups and downs, on and off, but I think I can do much better than today and I hope to do it next round,” Nadal said.Nadal’s second round tie with Hurkacz will be his first match against the Polish 27-year-old.

Britain’s All England Lawn Tennis Club (AELTC) is offering up extra parkland for public use in a bid to get massive expansion plans over the line, which it says will protect the Wimbledon Championships for years to come.The offer of an extra four acres of parkland, announced by Greater London Authority (GLA) planners on Thursday, means the host of the world famous grasscourt Grand Slam event now plans to make some 27 acres of parkland accessible to the public.The land had previously been part of a private members’ golf club, bought by the AELTC to enable development.“I am delighted that ... we are now proposing even more green space for Londoners to enjoy, on land that has been inaccessible to the public for more than 100 years,” All England chair Debbie Jevans said.She added that the club had conducted some 100 tours of the proposed parkland and engaged with more than 7,000 people as part of a consultation process.“Our plans to transform the former Wimbledon Park Golf Course will deliver one of the greatest sporting transformations for London since the 2012 Olympic Games.“We are committed to delivering significant social and environmental improvements, as well as creating hundreds of jobs and generating millions of pounds in economic benefits.”Opponents of the development say, however, that the club’s plans will cause environmental damage, major disruption for the best part of a decade, and are unnecessarily ambitious in scale.An online petition started by a group called Save Wimbledon Park has more than 18,000 signatures.The group was not immediately available for comment when contacted by Reuters, but concerns listed on its website include what it calls “Unacceptable Environmental Impact”, fears that protected open space once built on could become completely developed, and that public access to the parkland could be withdrawn “as commercial priorities change”.Jevans rejected the notion that access to the land could be revoked by the club.“We have been clear that access to the new parkland is offered permanently for the enjoyment of everyone. It is our sincere hope that these newly accessible spaces become treasured assets for people and nature to thrive,” she told Reuters.The club wants to expand its footprint on land it owns to build 39 new grass courts – including an 8,000-seater showcourt – bring qualifying for one of the world’s most recognised sports events on site, and secure the tournament’s status at the top of the global sporting tree for years to come.AELTC member and former world number four, Tim Henman, said: “Wimbledon is the only Grand Slam that doesn’t play its qualifying event on the same site as the main tournament.“Transforming the former golf course to bring the qualifying event on site will provide world class facilities for the players and will enable more fans to get closer to the action, it really is a win-win”.Wimbledon’s plans got the green light from the London Borough of Merton last year, but part of Wimbledon Park – landscaped by 18th century English gardener Capability Brown – also stretches into Wandsworth Borough and that authority rejected the plans.The decision was referred to the GLA and deputy mayor of London Jules Pipe has taken on the responsibility for the application after mayor Sadiq Khan recused himself because of his public support of the plan three years ago.The GLA announced on Thursday that a public consultation will now take place until June 5, after which it will conduct a public hearing before making a decision.At the hearing, the GLA will be provided with a detailed update on the proposals, will hear views from Merton and Wandsworth councils, the AELTC and any objectors or supporters who register to speak.