■ Hockey
Morrow put on injured list
Dallas Stars captain Brenden Morrow was placed on injured reserve on Thursday, two days after surgery to repair severed tendons in his right wrist. Morrow, a left wing who is in his first season as captain of the National Hockey League club, had the surgery on Tuesday night at a hospital in Chicago after he was stepped on by a skate in the Stars' 2-1 loss to the Blackhawks that evening. He was to be re-evaluated by Stars medical staff yesterday. Morrow, 27, also missed eight games earlier this month with a groin injury.
■ Hockey
Caron traded to Ducks
The pacesetting Anaheim Ducks have acquired goaltender Sebastien Caron in a multi-player deal with the Chicago Blackhawks, the NHL team said on Thursday. The Ducks, whose first-choice goalie Jean-Sebastien Giguere is injured, also gained right wing Matt Keith and left wing Chris Durno from the Blackhawks in exchange for defenseman Bruno St. Jacques and right wing Pierre Parenteau. Giguere is recovering from a groin strain suffered during the second period of the Ducks' 4-3 win against San Jose on Tuesday, their 28th victory this season in 39 games.
■ Basketball
Wade's sprain confirmed
Tests on Thursday confirmed that the wrist injury of Miami Heat guard Dwyane Wade is a sprain, and he was likely to be a game-time decision for yesterday's National Basketball Association game against New Jersey. Wade, who was named the Most Valuable Player of the NBA finals last June as the Heat downed Dallas to claim the title, was hurt with six minutes left in the opening quarter of Wednesday's 109-103 loss to Chicago. Wade, 24, underwent an MRI on Thursday that confirmed the diagnosis.
■ Basketball
Grizzlies fire Fratello
The struggling Memphis Grizzlies fired head coach Mike Fratello on Thursday, the National Basketball Association team confirmed. The club did not immediately announce a replacement for Fratello, the most successful career coach in the franchise's history, but did schedule a press conference for yesterday in Memphis. "We felt it was time to make a change and move in a different direction based on our record and future goals," Grizzlies president of basketball operations Jerry West said in a statement. Fratello had a 95-83 record and led Memphis to consecutive playoff appearances, but the Grizzlies slipped to an NBA-worst 6-24 after a 112-96 loss at home to Milwaukee on Thursday.
■ Cricket
Craig McMillan called up
New Zealand cricket reject Craig McMillan has been called into the New Zealand one-day squad with batsman Nathan Astle in doubt for the second clash with Sri Lanka in Queenstown, New Zealand, tomorrow. McMillan, who played the last of his 175 one-dayers against Australia early last year, was to join the squad following their seven wicket loss in the first international on Thursday, New Zealand Cricket said yesterday. The 30-year-old has been called in after his brother-in-law Astle suffered bruising to his thigh after being hit three times on the same spot by Sri Lankan pace bowler Chaminda Vaas during his innings of 83.
■ Soccer
Terry has back surgery
Chelsea and England captain John Terry has had back surgery, his club said on Thursday. The central defender, who has missed the last four matches for his club, underwent the operation in France following consultation between the Chelsea medical department and a leading neurosurgical specialist, Chelsea said on their Web site (www.chelseafc.com). "The operation to remove a sequestrated lumbar intervertebral disc was successful and everyone at the club wishes John a speedy and full recovery," Chelsea said. The club, four points behind Manchester United at the top of the Premier League, did not say how long they expected Terry to be out of action.
■ Soccer
Vasco hope to sign Romario
Vasco da Gama said on Thursday they hoped to find their way around a FIFA ruling and bring back 40-year-old striker Romario for a fourth stint at the club. Romario has already played for two clubs -- Miami FC in the US and Adelaide United in Australia -- since July and FIFA rules prevent him from playing for a third team until the end of June. "We're trying to find a solution as quickly as possible," Vasco's legal vice-president Paulo Reis told Brazilian media. "We've found a path to follow but we're not going to say what it is. I've no doubt that we're going to find a solution to the problem."
■ Tennis
Hingis finds love match
Former world No. 1 Martina Hingis is to marry Czech tennis player Radek Stepanek. The 26-year-old Hingis confirmed news of her engagement at a media conference at the Gold Coast yesterday where she is preparing to play the Australian women's hardcourt championships. Hingis said 28-year-old Stepanek, ranked 19 in the world, had proposed to her in Prague last month but it was not until she arrived in Australia that anyone noticed her diamond ring. "I was surprised when it was spotted right away because in Switzerland I've been walking around for a month and no-one's said anything," she told reporters.
■ Sailing
Bullimore raring to go
British yachtsman Tony Bullimore, who was dramatically rescued by the Australian navy after his yacht capsized in the Southern Ocean, said yesterday he was ready to begin another solo round-the-world attempt. Bullimore, whose unlikely survival story made him a household name in Australia in 1997, plans to break the solo round-the-world record of 70 days when he sails from the southern city of Hobart in the next few days. The veteran yachtsman is scheduled to depart in his 102-foot (31m) catamaran as soon as Sunday.
Taiwanese world No. 1 women’s doubles star Hsieh Su-wei on Saturday overcame a first-set loss to win her opening match at the Madrid Open. Top seeds Hsieh and partner Elise Mertens of Belgium, with whom she last month won her fourth Indian Wells women’s doubles title, bounced back from a rocky first set to beat Asia Muhammad of the US and Aldila Sutjiadi of Indonesia 2-6, 6-4, 10-2. Hsieh and Mertens were next to face Heather Watson of the UK and Xu Yifan of China in the round of 16. Thirty-eight-year-old Hsieh last month reclaimed her world No. 1 spot after her Indian
EYES ON THE PRIZE: Armed with three solid men’s singles shuttlers and doubles Olympic champions, Taiwan aim to make their first Thomas Cup semi-final, Chou Tien-chen said Taiwanese badminton star Tai Tzu-ying yesterday quickly dispatched Malaysia’s Goh Jin Wei in straight sets, while her male counterpart Chou Tien-chen beat Germany’s Kai Schaefer, as Taiwan’s women’s and men’s teams won their Group B opening rounds of the TotalEnergies BWF Thomas and Uber Cup Finals in Chengdu, China. World No. 5 Tai beat Goh 21-19, 22-20 in a speedy 33 minutes, her fourth straight victory over the world No. 24 shuttler since they first faced each other in the quarter-finals of the 2018 Malaysia Open, where Tai went on to win the women’s singles title. Malaysia followed up Tai’s opening victory
Chen Yi-tung (陳奕通) secured a historic Olympic berth on Sunday by winning the senior men’s foil event at the 2024 Asia Oceania Zonal Olympic Fencing Qualifiers in United Arab Emirates. Chen defeated Samuel Elijah of Singapore 15-4 in the final in Dubai to secure the only wild card in the event, making him the first male Olympian fencer from Taiwan in 36 years and only the sixth Taiwanese fencer to ever qualify for the quadrennial event. The last appearance by a Taiwanese male fencer at the Olympics was in 1988, when Wang San-tsai (王三財) and Cheng Ming-hsiang (鄭明祥) competed in Seoul. The
A soccer jersey carrying a national map including disputed Western Sahara has become a hot commodity in Morocco after a diplomatic dispute with Algeria. Retailers said RS Berkane jerseys have been flying off the shelves after a Confederation of African Football (CAF) Cup match against Algerian club USM Alger was canceled last month over the jerseys. “We are overwhelmed by the influx of messages and requests,” said Brahim Rabii, representative of the official RS Berkane jersey distributor. Algeria broke off diplomatic relations with Morocco in 2021, partly over the issue of Western Sahara. The former Spanish colony is largely controlled by Morocco, but claimed