■ Basketball
Jazz won't play in Russia
The National Basketball Association on Friday canceled the Utah Jazz's exhibition game in Russia next month, citing security concerns. The league and the Jazz hope to reschedule the game for next year, but with Russia facing attacks from Chechen rebels, the NBA decided it was not a good idea to send a team there now. The decision comes two weeks after more than 300 people, including many children, were killed after rebels took control of a school in Beslan. "I would like to express my deepest condolences for what the Russian people have endured in recent weeks. Our thoughts are with them," NBA Commissioner David Stern said in a release.
■ Boxing
Jorge Solis endures gash
Humberto Soto's super featherweight bout with Mexican countryman Jorge Solis was declared a no contest Friday after Solis' cut from an accidental head butt became too bad for the fight to continue. The scheduled 10-round fight was stopped after the third round, with Soto leading 29-27 on two of the three judges' scorecards and 30-26 on the third. Soto, ranked third among featherweights by the WBC, dominated the abbreviated bout.
■ Rugby
Renouf decides to retire
Former Australian and Wigan center Steve Renouf retired from rugby league for the third time Saturday when Burleigh held on for a 22-18 golden-point win over Brisbane Easts in the Queensland Cup grand final. Brought out of a two-year retirement by former Brisbane Broncos teammate and current Easts skipper Darren Smith midway through the season, Renouf scored a second-half try. Renouf first retired in 1999 after a decade-long career with the Brisbane Broncos before retiring again in 2001 following a two-year stint with English Super League team, Wigan.
■ Soccer
Ljupko Petrovic resigns
Red Star Belgrade coach Ljupko Petrovic said he resigned on Friday after two humiliating losses in European competition. The reigning Serbia-Montenegro champions lost 4-0 to Russia's Zenit in St. Petersburg in the first leg of the UEFA Cup on Thursday. Last month, Red Star failed to qualify for the Champions League this season after losing 5-0 to PSV, and 7-3 on aggregate.
Bayer 04 Leverkusen go into today’s match at TSG 1899 Hoffenheim stung from their first league defeat in 16 months. Leverkusen were beaten 3-2 at home by RB Leipzig before the international break, the first loss since May last year for the reigning league and cup champions. While any defeat, particularly against a likely title rival, would have disappointed coach Xabi Alonso, the way in which it happened would be most concerning. Just as they did in the Supercup against VfB Stuttgart and in the league opener to Borussia Moenchengladbach, Leverkusen scored first, but were pegged back. However, while Leverkusen rallied late to
The lights dimmed and the crowd hushed as Karoline Kristensen entered for her performance. However, this was no ordinary Dutch theater: The temperature was 80°C and the audience naked apart from a towel. Dressed in a swimsuit and to the tune of emotional music, the 21-year-old Kristensen started her routine, performed inside a large sauna, with a bed of hot rocks in the middle. For a week this month, a group of wellness practitioners, called “sauna masters,” are gathering at a picturesque health resort in the Netherlands to compete in this year’s Aufguss world sauna championships. The practice takes its name from a
Japanese players are moving to English soccer in record numbers and more look set to follow with clubs attracted by their quality, strong work ethic and value for money. Kaoru Mitoma is the standout talent of five Japanese players in the English Premier League, with eight more in the Championship and two in League One. Liverpool midfielder Wataru Endo, the captain of Japan, believes his compatriots are “being held in higher esteem” by English clubs compared with the past. “The staff at Liverpool ask me about lots of Japanese players, not necessarily with a view to a transfer, but just saying this or
Taiwan yesterday survived Bosnia and Herzegovina to win their Davis Cup World Group I tie at the Taipei Tennis Center. The tight series started on Saturday with world No. 123 Jason Tseng losing 3-6, 7-5, 6-4 to Mirza Basic in the opening singles matchup. However, teammate Tony Wu kept the tie even, dominating world No. 86 Damir Dzumhur 6-2, 6-1. Yesterday, 24-year-old Ray Ho and partner 25-year-old Hsu Yu-hsiou kept up the momentum, making short work of Basic and Nerman Fatic, winning 6-3, 6-4. Tseng then suffered another defeat, losing 6-4, 2-6, 6-2 to Dzumhur in a brutal match that lasted more than two