■Baseball \nWorld Cup considered \n \nMajor league baseball's staff made a presentation Tuesday on a proposed World Cup that could start before the 2005 season. The proposal was very broad and there are many details still to be determined. While commissioner Bud Selig has said he is in favor of a World Cup, major league baseball has not made any decisions on whether to proceed with a tournament, how many nations to include and where to play the games. The presentation was made to the task force Selig appointed in January, which is called "Major League Baseball in the 21st century." \n■ Boxing \nBruno applies for license \n \nFormer WBC world heavyweight champion Frank Bruno has made an official application for the return of his boxing license at age 41 although an eye problem could well lead to rejection. Bruno has not fought since losing his title in two rounds to Mike Tyson in Las Vegas more than seven years ago and has since discovered that he has a damaged retina. But the Southern Area Council confirmed on Tuesday he had applied for his license back with a view to a big money fight with former Olympic superheavyweight champion Audley Harrison who has won his 10 fights as a pro. \n■ Extreme sports \nWinter X goes to Aspen \n \nThe Winter X Games are headed back to Aspen. The games will take place in Aspen-Snowmass for the third straight year. The eighth version of Winter X will be staged Jan. 22 to Jan. 25. About 250 athletes are expected to compete moto X, skiing, snowboarding and snowmobile events. Last year's games drew more than 48,000 to the slopes of Buttermilk Mountain in three days. The X Games were created in 1995 by ESPN. Winter X started two years later at Big Bear Lake, California. The X Games are scheduled Aug. 14 to Aug. 17 in Los Angeles. \n■ Rugby \nControversial player fined \n \nAustralian rugby league international John Hopoate, who was banned in 2001 for poking his fingers up the backsides of opposition players, was fined by his club on Wednesday after admitting to playing under a false name in a rugby union match. Hopoate received a 12-match ban in 2001 for his crude tactics while playing for Australia National Rugby League (NRL) club Wests Tigers, who sacked him. The 106kg winger, who has returned to his original NRL club Manly, was fined A$5,000 (US$3,350) after admitting he had breached his contract by playing in a fifth-grade rugby union match in Sydney on June 9. \nAgencies
Olivier Giroud’s bicycle-kick on Tuesday broke Atletico Madrid’s resistance and earned Chelsea a crucial away goal, a 1-0 victory giving Thomas Tuchel’s side a slender advantage in the UEFA Champions League last 16. Giroud’s acrobatic strike was initially ruled out for offside, but stood after the video assistant referee showed that Mario Hermoso had the final touch, delivering a huge blow to Atletico’s hopes of reaching the quarter-finals. Diego Simeone’s side had put on a typically disciplined defensive performance until that point, but Giroud’s moment of genius means that they must score in London on March 17 if they are to avoid
Tiger Woods has had surgery for multiple fractures of his right leg after a car accident that a Los Angeles police officer said he was “very fortunate” to have survived. The golfer was “awake and responsive” after the operation to insert a rod into his tibia and stabilize his ankle with pins, his TGR foundation said on Tuesday night. Los Angeles County Deputy Sheriff Carlos Gonzalez, the first to respond after Woods’ car went off the road in a single-vehicle accident, said that the sports star was “calm and lucid,” despite being trapped inside his vehicle. Woods was removed from the crash by
‘ESCAPE FROM JUSTICE’: A US gymnast who trained under Geddert for more than 10 years and was assaulted by Larry Nassar called his suicide ‘an admission of guilt’ A former US Olympics gymnastics coach with ties to disgraced sports doctor Larry Nassar on Thursday killed himself, hours after being charged with turning his Michigan gym into a hub of human trafficking by coercing girls to train and then abusing them. John Geddert faced 24 charges that could have carried years in prison had he been convicted. He was supposed to appear in an Eaton County court, near Lansing, Michigan, but his body was found at a rest area along Interstate 96, state police said. “This is a tragic end to a tragic story for everyone involved,” Michigan Attorney General Dana
WARMING UP? Coco Gauff next faces Shelby Rogers in the quarter-finals at Memorial Drive after losing to fifth-seeded Elina Svitolina in straight sets at the Australian Open Coco Gauff’s five-week stay in Australia was yesterday extended with a second-round win at the Adelaide International. The 16-year-old American beat sixth-seeded Petra Martic 5-7, 6-3, 6-4 to advance to the quarter-finals of the hard-court tournament at Memorial Drive. It was Gauff’s fourth consecutive win, after two in qualifying and another in the first round. Gauff lost to fifth-seeded Elina Svitolina in straight sets at the Australian Open. During her Australian Open debut last year, she lost to eventual champion Sofia Kenin in three sets in the fourth round. Today, Gauff faces Shelby Rogers in the quarter-finals. In other matches, second-seeded Belinda Bencic advanced with
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