<p><strong>Bernie Ecclestone stands firm over his support for the 2012 Bahrain Grand Prix – Formula 1</strong></p>
<p>Bernie Ecclestone has once again come in support for the Bahrain Grand Prix.</p>
<p>Ecclestone said that the organisers of the Bahrain Grand Prix would not take a risk with the safety of the event and the people involved.</p>
<p>“That's a danger,” Ecclestone said. “Nothing you can do about that. It could happen anytime, anywhere. There are always people threatening. I don't believe the [organisers] would take a risk if they thought there was a risk. Let's see.”</p>
<p>Bahrain has been in a state of civil unrest for some time now. The 2011 seasons Grand Prix event in the country was dropped due to the situation in the country. Various Human Rights organisations and media supported the boycott of the event.</p>
<p>Ecclestone remained a supporter of holding an event even in those conditions but pressure from all quarters changed his decision. From the end of the previous season till now the debate has been very similar as it had been for the previous event, but the
difference is Ecclestone and the organisers of the event have been very aggressive to defend holding the event this year.</p>
<p>The government has shown that they have the situation in hand and there are no security issues in the country. Bahrain Human Rights Center though have a different picture portrayed and say that there are many human rights violations prevalent in the country
and the event should be called off. They believe that the event will allow the government to portray an image of peace and calm for the world which in fact is not the case.</p>
<p>Another positive for the event has been the political support from Britain. A letter was written and published in Time magazine in support of the event by British MP’s.</p>
<p>Ecclestone also defends the event by saying that all around the globe most of the countries have issues within and if F1 is to look into all the troubles different nations are going through before deciding to hold an event, there would not be any place to
hold a Grand Prix except maybe Switzerland.</p>
<p>He said, “They [the protesters] don't need to resort to violence. All they need to do is stand on the road on the way to the circuit, with placards, and they would get their message out there. Nobody's going to shoot them.”</p>
<p>le, tX� em�$@�� playing friendly practice matches at home and away. The Rice Owls will host Houston Baptist in the next week. The two instate rivals will cross their paths, in order to polish their skills. The fans will be allowed to watch the performance
without any fee. The admission is totally free and volleyball lovers are encouraged to come for the support of teams.</p>
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<p>Next up, the Owls will take part in the FAST Complex College Invitational which will be held at Reliant Centre. The fixtures and schedule of the tournament have not been finalised yet but Owls are confirmed to participate in the invitational.</p>
<p>In the month of April, Rice Owls will have more matches. An all-day volleyball tournament will be held at Rice University campus. Teams from Houston, HBU, Stephen F. Austen University, Lamar, and Sam Houston will join the Owls in the competition. The tournament
is scheduled to be kicked off on Saturday, April 14. The Owls will have the competitive edge of playing at home courts and will probably stay on top in standings.</p>
<p>After the spring training matches, the Rice Owls will hold the summer training camps in June. The summer camps will continue until the start of season in August.</p>
<p>The Rice Owls aim to be fully prepared before the start of season. The team is headed by experienced coach Genny Volpe, who helped the team to claim many accolades in past. The Owls finished the 2011 season with an overall record of 18-13.</p>
<p>Last year, the Rice ladies appeared in 20 conference matches and clinched success in thirteen. They tied for second-place in the Conference USA (C-USA).</p>
<p>Once again, Volpe is working on her team to further improve the record in 2012 season. This time, eleven letter winners and five starters from last year’s team will be on board to represent Owls. The middle-blocker Nancy Cole and setter Megan Murphy have
returned in the team and Rice is hoping for great performance in upcoming season.</p>
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