Porto’sperfectpark
All theworld’sgreat citiesneed tobreathe.NewYork’sCentral Park,Brussels’
Warandepark/ParcdeBruxellesandLondon’sHydePark, forexample, offer
peaceandgreeneryamid theurbanhubbub. Portomaynotbeacityon that
scale, butnonetheless ithasaparkat itsheart tomatchany in theworld: the
ParquedaCidadedoPorto, opened in 1991, is thebiggest inPortugal and took
60years tocreate.
Itwasworth thewait. Lakes,woods, openspaces: it’sapark to literallyget lost
in,with 10kmofpathswinding through80hectaresand leadingyou far from the
bustleofdowntownPorto. It’salso thecity’s favouriteplace toplaysport.Anyday
of theweek, you’ll findyoungandold,menandwomen, cyclingand running
between the treesandacross thebridges.
Better still, perhaps, for thevisitor, theParquedaCidade is thebestplace to
finda footballmatch to join.WhateveryouendupdoingonawarmAugustafternoon
–a realworkout, or just flyingakite– theparkhasone last treat instore: if you’ve
enteredat theAvenidadaBoavistaoroff the ring road, it’sworth findingyourway
to thepark’s farend,where the landscapedgardensgiveway to theAtlanticcoast
andacool breezedriftsacrossMatosinhosbeach.
visitporto.travel
the knowledge
Hoopanddream
OneWorldCup finishes, and
another begins.As football fans
drawbreathafter thedrama in
Brazil,basketball fans turn their attention toSpainand
the2014FIBABasketballWorldCup,whichbeginson
the lastweekendofAugust and featuresgames in
Barcelona,Madrid,SevilleandBilbao.
The2010 tournament,wonby theUS, reached
aTVaudienceofmore than800million. It alsoactsas
aqualifying tournament for theOlympics, offering
aglimpseof thosewho’ll bemakingheadlines inRio
twoyears fromnow.
EvenAmerica’sNBA, seekingout an international
audience, isnowkeen tosee its rising talentson the
worldstage.That shift inattitudehelpedensure theUS
tookgold inTurkey four yearsago.TheNBA’syoung
bloods,however,will be tested to the full inSpainby
nationswith richbasketball traditionsof their own,
suchasRussia,Greece,SerbiaandCroatia, andcrowds
as loud–andproud–asanyat the footballWorldCup.
Andkeepyour eyeson thehosts,whowerechampions
themselves inJapan in2006.
fiba.com/spain2014
Wolffonwheels
PerhapsSusieWolffwasalways
going tospendher lifedriving
fast.Shegrewup inOban innorth-
westScotlandwhereher parents ran
amotorcycleshop.By2000, shehadmoved to
Edinburghandwasstudyingat thecity’s renowned
BusinessSchool.After yearsspent dominating the
sport inBritain, shewas recognisedwithanaward
as theworld’s top femalekart-racingdriver.
Wolff interruptedher educationand turnedpro in
2001,workingherwayup through the ranks inFormula
Renault, Formula3andTouringCar championships. In
2012, she reachedmotorsport’spromised land,named
asadevelopment driver for theWilliamsF1 team.
It canonlybeamatter of timebeforeWolff adds to
her appearances inFridaypractisesessionsbygetting
behind thewheel ona raceday.Whenshedoes, she’ll
become the first femaledriver to takepart inaGrand
PrixsinceGiovannaAmati back in 1992.Her impact has
alreadybeen recognisedbyher oldalmamater:Wolff
returned toEdinburghUniversity last year toaccept an
HonoraryFellowshipawarded in recognitionof her role
asanambassador forwomen insport.
susiewolff.com
the ticket
the athlete
DINISSANTOS; PAPHOTOS; NBAE/GETTY IMAGES
august2014
98
extra time
words
tomwatt
FLYTO
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