■ Basketball
Nike inks deal with NBA
Nike Inc has signed a new global marketing agreement with the National Basketball Association in an effort to increase the sport's popularity overseas, league and company officials announced. The five-year, US$100 million contract announced Wednesday will allow the league and the sportswear giant to expand their global reach with TV advertisements using Nike's stable of NBA players in uniform. Though America is basketball's birthplace, the sport has soared in popularity in Europe and Asia.
■ Soccer
Artificial pitches get OK
UEFA have approved plans for artificial pitches to be used at national and club level from the 2005/06 season, European soccer's governing body said on Wednesday. "For next season it will be possible to play on artificial turf in the Champions League or UEFA Cup or qualifiers for the World Cup and European championships," UEFA chief executive Lars-Christer Olsson said after an Executive Committee meeting. "The need [for artificial pitches] has been big for decades, if you come from countries where you have bad winters, for example," he said.
■ Soccer
Qu awarded compensation
Former professional soccer player Qu Leheng has won a four-year legal battle for compensation from Shanghai Shenhua star Zhang Yuning after being left a paraplegic after a car crash. Zhang, who used to play for the national team when Bora Milutinovic was coach, was ordered by the Shenyang Intermediate People's Court to pay Qu 2.34 million yuan (US$282,950) in compensation, the China Daily said. Zhang was driving when the former Liaoning teammates' car crashed in April, 2000. While Qu was left in a wheelchair for life, Zhang escaped with only slight injuries. Of the total sum, 700,000 yuan (US$84,000) was for mental damages, the largest ever such award in China, Xinhua reported.
■ Hockey
Heatley might plea-bargain
Lawyers for Atlanta Thrashers forward Dany Heatley and the district attorney are discussing a possible plea deal on charges stemming from a car crash that killed his NHL teammate. "We're in contact almost weekly," said Manny Arora, Heatley's lawyer. Heatley lost control of his 2002 Ferrari and slammed into a railing last year, killing Dan Snyder. Heatley was charged with first and second-degree vehicular homicide, reckless driving, driving too fast for conditions, failure to maintain his lane and speeding. He has pleaded not guilty, but apologized publicly to Snyder's family -- who said they forgive him.
■ Tennis
Williams trial mistried
A judge on Tuesday declared a mistrial for a suspected gangster accused of murdering the half-sister of US tennis stars Serena and Venus Williams after jurors became deadlocked. Yetunde Price, 31, died after being shot in the back of the head while sitting in her car in a gang-plagued Los Angeles suburb on Sept. 14 last year. Los Angeles Judge Jack Morgan halted the panel deliberations after jurors clashed over whether to convict Robert Edward Maxfield, 24, accused of firing the shot that killed Price. Prosecutors had described the suspect as a "trigger-happy" gang member who killed Price as he defended a Los Angeles crack house from gangland rivals.
A sumo star was born in Japan on Sunday when 24-year-old Takerufuji became the first wrestler in 110 years to win a top-division tournament on his debut, triumphing at the 15-day Spring Grand Sumo Tournament in Osaka despite injuring his ankle on the penultimate day. Takerufuji, whose injury had left him in a wheelchair outside the ring, shoved out the higher-ranked Gonoyama at the Edion Arena Osaka to the delight of the crowd, giving him an unassailable record of 13 wins and two losses to claim the Emperor’s Cup. “I did it just through willpower. I didn’t really know what was going
The US’ Ilia Malinin on Saturday produced six scintillating quadruple jumps, including a quadruple Axel, in the men’s free skate to capture his first figure skating world title. The 19-year-old nicknamed the “Quad god,” who is the only skater to land a quadruple Axel in competition, dazzled with an array of breathtakingly executed jumps starting with his quad Axel and including a quadruple Lutz in combination with a triple flip and a quadruple toe loop in combination with a triple toe. He added an unexpected triple-triple combination at the end to earn a world-record 227.79 in the free program for a championship
Shohei Ohtani’s interpreter is being criminally investigated by the IRS, and the attorney for his alleged bookmaker said Thursday that the ex-Los Angeles Dodgers employee placed bets on international soccer — but not baseball. The IRS confirmed Thursday that interpreter Ippei Mizuhara and Mathew Bowyer, the alleged illegal bookmaker, are under criminal investigation through the agency’s Los Angeles Field Office. IRS Criminal Investigation spokesperson Scott Villiard said he could not provide additional details. Mizuhara, 39, was fired by the Dodgers on Wednesday following reports from the Los Angeles Times and ESPN about his alleged ties to an illegal bookmaker and debts well
HSIEH MAKES QUARTERS: Taiwan’s Hsieh Su-wei and Elise Mertens of Belgium won in the women’s doubles and face Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Sofia Kenin of the US Top-ranked Iga Swiatek and US Open champion Coco Gauff were knocked out of the women’s singles at the Miami Open on Monday, while Taiwan’s Hsieh Su-wei advanced in the women’s doubles. Swiatek lost to Ekaterina Alexandrova 6-4, 6-2, hours after third seed Gauff fell in three sets to No. 23 Caroline Garcia 6-3, 1-6, 6-2. Alexandrova beat a top-ranked player for the first time and advanced to face Jessica Pegula, a 7-6 (7/1), 6-3 winner over Emma Navarro, in the quarter-finals. Alexandrova recorded her second win over Swiatek, following a 2021 victory in Melbourne. Swiatek had won their three matches since. “We played quite