■ Rugby Union
Willie Mason suspended
Australian rugby league second rower Willie Mason was given a one-week suspension yesterday for striking Britain's Stuart Fielden during Saturday's Tri-Nations match won by Britain. Mason pleaded not guilty to punching Fielden in the third minute, citing self-defense. But the Tri-Nations judiciary panel said Mason's reaction was "disproportionate" to Fielden's provocation in the match won 23-12 by Britain. Mason was also fined. The one-week ban means he'll miss the Nov. 18 match in Brisbane against Britain, but be available for the tournament final a week later in Sydney against either Britain or New Zealand.
■ Horse racing
Yeats running in Melbourne
Irish stayer Yeats heads a list of seven overseas horses trying to take home Australia's biggest racing prize, the Melbourne Cup, over 3,200m today at Flemington. Yeats, ridden by controversial English jockey Kieren Fallon, has two major races victories this year. It's the one the six-year-old Yeats didn't win -- the Group 1 Irish St Leger -- that nearly caused trainer Aidan O'Brien to cancel his trip to Australia for the AU$5 million (US$3.85 million) race. On Sept. 16, Yeats, the odds-on favorite, finished second in the 2,800m St Leger, and connections for O'Brien told Australian officials that the horse, with earlier wins in the Ascot Gold Cup in June and the Goodwood Cup in August, wouldn't be coming. But Yeats' strapper David Hickey said O'Brien changed his mind.
■ Cricket
Jayawardene to be retained
Mahela Jayawardene will be retained as Sri Lanka's captain for next year's cricket World Cup following his impressive record which also won him the ICC's best captain's award for this year, an official said. "We are looking at having him up to the World Cup," Sri Lanka's chief selector Ashantha de Mel said. He said even though an official announcement is yet to be made, Jayawardene deserves to be retained after he led the team with success since being awarded stand-in captaincy in March after Marvan Atapattu's injury.
■ Boxing
Briggs looks to future
An hour after his stunning, last-second knockout victory over Sergei Liakhovich in Phoenix, Arizona, new WBO heavyweight champion Shannon Briggs began to look ahead. If it were up to Briggs, he would take on IBF champion Wladimir Klitschko to unify two of the four heavyweight titles. Briggs claims Klitschko's camp once led him to believe he was in line for a title shot, only to snub him. "I've got a vendetta against him," Briggs said on Saturday. "When it comes to feelings, I want him. If it's money, or something like that, then I've got to take somebody else. But feeling-wise, I want him."
■ Golf
Asian Tour adds matches
The Asian Tour will add five tournaments to its schedule for next year, with three new events in Indonesia and a first-ever stop in Cambodia, organizers said yesterday. Prize money for next year was also bumped up by more than US$2 million to a record US$26.5 million from this year, the Asian Tour said in a statement. Total prize money has more than doubled since 2004, it added. "The expansion of golf in Asia is epitomized by a number of new events that will take place next year, most notably in Indonesia, and it will be exciting to break new ground with the inaugural Cambodian Open," Asian Tour executive chairman Kyi Hla-han said in the statement. The Tour's flagship Singapore Open, won by Australia's Adam Scott this year, will also increase in prize money from US$3 million in 2006 to US$4 million next year. No. 1 Tiger Woods, South Africa's Ernie Els and Retief Goosen, Scotland's Ryder Cup star Colin Montgomerie and Scott were among the notables in the region recently.
■ Ice Skating
Canadians top dancing
Marie-France Dubreuil and Patrice Lauzon, the world silver medalists, stood atop the Skate Canada podium after a home victory in ice dancing on Sunday. Teenagers Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir, the world junior champions this year, were right below them when the free dance concluded the four-day Grand Prix meet on Sunday. Canada has rarely had such a potent 1-2 punch in ice dancing. Dubreuil and Lauzon scored 196.68 points, placing them well clear of Virtue and Moir, who had 171.92. Federica Faiella and Massimo Scali of Italy finished third. Other winners in Skate Canada were two-time world champion Stephane Lambiel in the men's event, Canada's Joannie Rochette in the women's and China's Zhang Dan and Zhang Hao in pairs.
■ Soccer
Revolution makes MLS Cup
League MVP Taylor Twellman scored in the fourth minute to lead the New England Revolution over DC United 1-0 and to a second consecutive appearance in the Major League Soccer final in the US on Sunday. New England will play Houston next Sunday in the MLS Cup in Frisco, Texas after the Dynamo defeated the Colorado Rapids 3-1. It will be the Revolution's third appearance in the title game; they lost to the Los Angeles Galaxy in 2002 and again last year. Though this is the first season for the Dynamo, the squad is made up primarily of players and coaches from the San Jose Earthquakes, the MLS champion in 2001 and 2003. For New England's goal, Pat Noonan lifted a cross to Twellman, who lost defender Brian Namoff and put a 14m shot past goalkeeper Troy Perkins.
■ Basketball
Concerns linger for Hornets
NBA commissioner David Stern said there is no question about the Hornets' full-time return to New Orleans in the short term, but that long-term concerns about the city's recovery and corporate support for pro basketball need to be resolved sooner than later. "We have to do it shortly upon the return," Stern said during a visit on Sunday for the Hornets' home opener against the Houston Rockets, which the Hornets won 96-90. "We have to lock it all in, otherwise it becomes a lame duck and that's really bad for us, but it's even worse for New Orleans," Stern said. Sunday's game was the first of six the Hornets will play in New Orleans this season. The rest, including any playoff home games, will be in Oklahoma City as part of a two-year agreement following Hurricane Katrina.
OUT AGAINST INDONESIA: Taiwan reached the semi-finals at the tournament for the first time by defeating Denmark, with Chou Tien-chen beating Viktor Axelsen Taiwan yesterday crashed out of the Thomas Cup team competition in Chengdu, China, but achieved their best result at the top-tier badminton event by reaching the semi-finals. Indonesia were too good in the semis, winning 3-0 to advance to today’s final against China, who eliminated Malaysia 3-1. In the opening singles of the men’s team clash at the Hi-Tech Zone Sports Center Gymnasium 2, Anthony Ginting defeated Taiwan’s Chou Tien-chen 21-18, 21-19 in 51 minutes, which put a huge hole in Taiwan’s aspirations to perhaps even make the final. In the men’s doubles, Fajar Alfian and Muhammad Ardianto downed Lee Yang and Wang
NO DOUBT: Spurs star Wembanyama was unanimously selected as NBA Rookie of the Year, winning all 99 votes to become the first Frenchman to capture the honor The Minnesota Timberwolves on Monday night produced a dominant defensive display to seize a commanding 2-0 lead in their best-of-seven playoff series against the Denver Nuggets with a 106-80 road victory. The third-seeded Timberwolves harassed Denver relentlessly to claim a second straight win over the NBA champions as the series heads back to Minneapolis for Game 3 on Friday. Karl-Anthony Towns and Anthony Edwards scored 27 points apiece, but the star of the show was Minnesota’s suffocating defensive effort, which knocked Denver out of their stride almost from the tip-off. The Timberwolves finished with 11 steals and 12 blocks, in sharp contrast to
Top-ranked Iga Swiatek on Saturday came through “the most intense and crazy final” she has ever contested to avenge her loss to Aryna Sabalenka in last year’s Madrid Open final with a grueling three hour, 11 minute victory in the Spanish capital. Coming back from 1-3 down in the decider and saving three match points in total, Swiatek claimed a 7-5, 4-6, 7-6 (9/7) victory to secure the Madrid Open trophy for the first time. “Well, who is going to say now that women’s tennis is boring, right?” Swiatek said. Swiatek, who picked up the 20th title of her career, and ninth at
Playing soccer and competing for trophies is the best way that many transplanted Hong Kongers and Macanese have found to stay in touch, and to interact with Taiwanese society, said officials at the Taiwan-Hong Kong-Macau Football Friendship Cup, which was held on April 13. Twelve clubs, mostly of players and coaches originally from Hong Kong and Macau, took part in the tournament in New Taipei City. The event is sponsored by the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) and the Taiwan-Hong Kong Economic and Cultural Co-operation Council. Participating teams were from the wider Taipei area, Hsinchu, Taichung, Kaohsiung and other areas. They divided into two