■ Soccer
Nemeth suffers embolism
Slovakian international striker Szilard Nemeth will be out of action for three months after suffering an embolism, his German club Alemannia Aachen said on Wednesday. The 29-year-old former Middlesbrough forward is currently in hospital for the blood clot but should return home at the end of the week according to his paymasters.
■ Olympics
North Korea calls for unity
North Korea has called for renewed talks with South Korea on forming a unified team for the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, a South Korean official said yesterday. The North also proposed that athletes from the two Koreas march together at the opening and closing ceremonies at next month's Asian Games in Doha, Qatar, said Park Chul-geun, an official from the South Korean Olympic committee. North Korea asked for the talks on the joint Olympic team to take place in Doha, Park said.
■ Basketball
Spectator sues Kobe Bryant
Kobe Bryant is being sued by a man who claims the LA Lakers star deliberately elbowed him during a Memphis Grizzlies' game last year. Bill Geeslin sat in the stands when the Lakers played in Memphis last Nov. 14. His three-page federal lawsuit filed on Tuesday claims Bryant came off the court during play, landed on Geeslin and "without provocation" committed assault and battery when he struck Geeslin with his elbow. Geeslin is seeking more than US$75,000 in damages for unspecified injuries.
■ Baseball
Devil Rays win Iwamura
The Tampa Bay Devil Rays won US Major League Baseball negotiating rights to Yakult Swallows third baseman Akinori Iwamura on Wednesday, submitting a winning bid of about US$4.5 million for the power hitter. The Devil Rays have 30 days to finalize a contract with Iwamura. If he is not signed by Dec. 15, Tampa Bay's bid is void and Iwamura returns to play in Japan. The 27-year-old Iwamura was a five-time All-Star in eight seasons with the Swallows. A left-handed hitter, he batted .311 with 32 homers and 77 RBIs in 145 games last season.
■ Tennis
Indonesia fined for no show
The International Tennis Federation has fined Indonesia US$31,600 and banned it from next year's tournament for canceling its July Fed Cup match against Israel at Tel Aviv. The Indonesian Tennis Association is expected to appeal the ruling before the Dec. 20 deadline, Ferry Raturandang, secretary general of the ITA, said yesterday after being informed of the decision by e-mail. Muslim-dominated Indonesia, which has no diplomatic relations with Israel, had asked that the venue of its World Group II playoff match be moved to another country. Raturandang said Indonesia was told it must pay US$5,000 for pulling out of the match and US$20,000 to host Israel.
■ Soccer
Real sell rights for US$1bn
Real Madrid agreed to sell its TV rights for 800 million euros (US$1.02 billion) in a seven-year deal, club president Ramon Calderon said on Tuesday. Calderon didn't disclose the buyer, saying the club would give details in the next few days. "It is the biggest contract in the history of world sport," Calderon was quoted as saying by the Web site of sports daily Marca. Spain's ABC newspaper recently reported that Madrid's regional government -- through its free-to-air network Telemadrid -- and bank Caja Madrid lodged a 600 million euro bid to broadcast Real Madrid games for five seasons from 2009 to 2013.
■ Cricket
Schoolboys rack up 721
Two schoolboys in the southern city of Hyderabad set a record partnership on Wednesday, evoking memories of a similar knock between batting great Sachin Tendulkar and Vinod Kambli nearly two decades ago. Openers Manoj Kumar and Mohammad Shaibaz Tumbi both scored triple centuries and put on 721 runs as they batted through a full 40 overs in an under-13s inter-school limited-overs match. Local journalists were quick to recall the 1988 exploits of a teenage Tendulkar and Kambli, who both hit triple centuries in Mumbai's Harris Shield schools competition. Tendulkar and Kambli put on a record 664 runs for the third wicket for Shardashram against St Xavier's. Manoj scored 320 off 127 balls and Tumbi 324 off 116 balls for St Peter's School and they ran up the highest total, highest partnership and eventually the highest margin of victory (700 runs) in any class of the limited-overs game. A stunned St Phillip's School were bundled out for a paltry 21 in just seven overs.
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
MLB on Friday announced a formal investigation into the scandal swirling around Shohei Ohtani and his former interpreter amid charges that the Los Angeles Dodgers superstar was the victim of “massive theft.” The Dodgers on Wednesday fired Ippei Mizuhara, Ohtani’s long-time interpreter and close friend, after Ohtani’s representatives alleged that the Japanese two-way star had been the victim of theft, which was reported to involve millions of dollars and link Mizuhara to a suspected illegal bookmaker in California. “Major League Baseball has been gathering information since we learned about the allegations involving Shohei Ohtani and Ippei Mizuhara from the news media,” MLB