■ OlympicsLost bronze medal found
Barbara Roles Williams hasn't seen her Olympic bronze medal for figure skating since it was stolen from her car 20 years ago. That's about to change. After months of detective work and help from two collectors, the medal is now at the Colorado Springs, Colorado, offices of the US Figure Skating Association, which plans to return it to Williams, a spokesman said Friday. Williams won the medal at the 1960 games in Squaw Valley, California, when she was 18. She told USA Today it was stolen from her car in 1983 as she prepared to move from Colorado Springs to California. She had given it up for lost. But after retelling the story to a collector, she happened to meet in January, Williams renewed her search. She located a collector in Long Island, New York, who believed he had her medal. She told the newspaper he offered to sell it to her, and she was willing to pay his US$4,300 price.
■ Soccer
Bangladesh fans have riot
Hundreds of rival fans fought each other with spears and sticks over a disputed goal in a village soccer match in eastern Bangladesh, injuring at least 50 people, police said yesterday. Police fired a few shots in the air to stop the rioting on Friday in Khariwala village in Brahmmanbaria district, 80km east of the capital, Dhaka. Teams from two neighboring villages were playing a match when the violence erupted, a police official said on condition of anonymity. Angry fans clashed after players from one team walked off the field when the referee disallowed a first-half goal for offside. The match was canceled. Soccer is the most popular sport in this South Asian country of 130 million people, and such violence is common.
■ Rugby
Tonga faces Australia
Tonga opened its two-match Australian rugby union tour Saturday with a 24-12 win over Queensland A, scoring four tries to two over the second-string Reds Super 12 side. Captain Inoki Afeaki was named man of the match after scoring the only try of the second half. Tonga led 19-12 at halftime and Afeaki drove over soon after the break. Despite enjoying the bulk of possession in the second half, Tonga could not consistently recycle the ball. Tongan coach Jim Love was disappointed with his side's performance as well as the refereeing of Sydney referee James Dickson. "I thought the referee allowed them to kill our ball in the rucks and mauls," Love said.
■ Soccer
Beckham talks driving
Soccer superstar David Beckham kicked off a safe driving campaign for the Japanese branch of motor oil giant Castrol Oil yesterday, telling motorists not to use mobile phones while driving. "My family is very important to me," Beckham told invited guests at Tokyo's Ariake Colosseum. "I don't use my mobile while driving and you shouldn't either." Japanese media have reported that Beckham is raking in as much as ?2 billion (US$17 million) through his tour of Asia, where he is hugely popular. Members of the foreign press have been banned from Beckham's appearances in Japan and only Japanese reporters were allowed into Saturday's event at Ariake. In the "No, mobile-driving. Yes, Beckham" campaign, Beckham appears alongside Japanese F1 racer Takuma Sato to alert drivers to the dangers of using their cellphones when driving.
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