■ Cricket
Piper pinched for pot
Warwickshire's Keith Piper was suspended for the rest of the English county cricket season Friday after testing positive for cannabis. The wicketkeeper, who tested positive at a county match against Glamorgan on April 14, was banned until Sept. 30 by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB). Piper, 35, had a one-day contract with the county champion, and the suspension could end his playing career. Piper pleaded guilty to using cannabis at a May 12 hearing and had been suspended from all cricket since then. The ECB also ordered Piper to attend a drug counseling course and undergo another doping control check. He could be target-tested as many as six times in the following 18 months. Piper, who toured India and Pakistan with the second-tier England A team in 1994 and 1995, also paid £250 (364 euros) toward the cost of the hearings by a three-man disciplinary panel. In 1997, Piper was banned for one match and fined £500 by Warwickshire after testing positive for cannabis.
■ Soccer
China league failing
China's ailing professional soccer league faces collapse unless a management crisis is stemmed, a top official for the sport was quoted as saying. Asian Football Confederation General Secretary Peter Velappan said he was seeking talks with Chinese officials following allegations of mismanagement and corruption made by the recently sacked coach of last year's league champions Shenzhen Jianlibao. "The crisis at Shenzhen must be solved urgently, or Chinese football would collapse," Velappan was quoted as saying in the eastern Chinese city of Qingdao. He was in the city Friday to announce new programs to boost soccer in the region. Shenzhen fired coach Chi Shangbin earlier this month after a disastrous winless start to the season. Chi blamed failures on the team, saying players were deliberately performing poorly after salary cuts. Chi's assistant, Yang Saixin, who resigned in protest, went further, calling players "ruffians" and accusing them of fixing matches and gambling. Most of the teams in China's one-year-old super league are mired in financial woes following the loss of major sponsors. Velappan said poor management was behind the crisis.
US track and field athletes have about four dozen pieces to choose from when assembling their uniforms at the Olympics. The one grabbing the most attention is a high-cut leotard that barely covers the bikini line and has triggered debate between those who think it is sexist and others who say they do not need the Internet to make sure they have good uniforms. Among those critical or laughing at the uniforms included Paralympian Femita Ayanbeku, sprinter Britton Wilson and even athletes from other countries such as Britain’s Abigail Irozuru, who wrote on social media: “Was ANY female athlete consulted in
Four-time NBA all-star DeMarcus Cousins arrived in Taiwan with his family early yesterday to finish his renewed contract with the Taiwan Beer Leopards in the T1 League. Cousins initially played a four-game contract with the Leopards in January. On March 18, the Taoyuan-based team announced that Cousins had renewed his contract. “Hi what’s up Leopard fans, I’m back. I’m excited to be back and can’t wait to join the team,” Cousins said in a video posted on the Leopard’s Facebook page. “Most of all, can’t wait to see you guys, the fans, next weekend. So make sure you come out and support the Beer
Former US Masters champion Zach Johnson was left embarrassed after a foul-mouthed response to ironic cheers from spectators after a triple bogey at Augusta National on Friday. Johnson, the 2007 Masters winner, missed the cut after his three-over-par round of 75 left him on seven-over 151 for 36 holes, his six on the par-three 12th playing a big role in his downfall. Television footage showed Johnson reacting to sarcastic cheers and applause when he tapped in for the triple bogey by yelling: “Oh fuck off.” Such a response would be considered bad form in any golf tournament, but is particularly out of keeping
The sacred flame for the Paris Olympics was lit yesterday in Olympia, Greece, the birthplace of the ancient Games, in a ceremony inspired by antiquity and marked by messages of hope amid multiple global crises. “In ancient times, the Olympic Games brought together the Greek city states, even — and in particular — during times of war and conflict,” International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach said. “Today, the Olympic Games are the only event that brings the entire world together in peaceful competition. Then as now, the Olympic athletes are sending this powerful message — yes, it is possible to compete fiercely