■ Cricket
Slow-bowling Sri Lanka fined
The captain of Sri Lanka's cricket team, Mahela Jayawardene, has been fined for his team's slow over rate against India in Sunday's one-day international. The Dubai-based International Cricket Council said on Monday that Jayawardene was fined 20 percent of his match fee after a hearing conducted by ICC referee Alan Hurst. The other players in the Sri Lankan team were each fined 10 percent of their match fees for the same offense during the game at Rajkot, India, which Sri Lanka won by five runs. Sri Lanka leads the five-match series 1-0, with the first one-dayer abandoned owing to heavy showers.
■ Olympics
Koreas discuss single team
Sports officials from the two Koreas met yesterday to discuss forming a single team for the 2008 Beijing Olympics, a South Korean official said. During the one-day meeting in the North Korean border city of Kaesong, the two sides hoped to make progress on fielding a unified team, the official with South Korea's Olympic committee said on customary condition of anonymity. The rival Koreas, which have never fielded a unified team for an Olympics, are still at odds over how to compose a single team for the Beijing Olympics since their agreement to do so in 2005. South Korea has insisted athletes should be selected based on performance, while the North wants equal representation. Athletes from South Korea and North Korea marched together at the opening ceremonies of the 2000 and 2004 Olympics, and at the 2002 and 2006 Asian Games, but competed separately.
■ Tennis
Gaudio, Moya fall in Brazil
Former French Open champions Gaston Gaudio and Carlos Moya were eliminated in the first round of the Brasil Open in Costa Do Sauipe, Brazil, on Monday. Despite 11 aces, fourth-seeded Moya fell to Thiago Alves of Brazil 2-6, 7-5, 6-3 after serving for the match at 5-4 in the second set. Fifth-seeded Gaudio lost to Potito Starace of Italy 6-4, 6-3, his seventh consecutive defeat since the third round of the US Open last September. Gaudio was the top-seeded player last year in Costa do Sauipe, but was eliminated in the second round. On Monday he served five double faults and landed only 60 percent of his first serves. Starace, ranked 85th, had lost three first-round matches coming into the tournament. Spain's Alberto Martin, runner-up the last two years, was ousted by sixth-seeded Juan Ignacio Chela 6-4, 6-2. Nicolas Massu, last year's champion, withdrew last week because of a right-leg muscle injury.
■ Cricket
Black Caps list line-up
New Zealand yesterday named their 15-man squad for cricket's World Cup starting in the Caribbean on March 13: Stephen Fleming (captain), Daniel Vettori (vice-captain), Daryl Tuffey, Shane Bond, James Franklin, Peter Fulton, Mark Gillespie, Brendon McCullum, Craig McMillan, Michael Mason, Jacob Oram, Jeetan Patel, Scott Styris, Ross Taylor, Lou Vincent.
■ Cricket
Baggy Greens name squad
Australia yesterday named their 15-man squad for cricket's World Cup starting in the Caribbean on March 13: Australia -- Ricky Ponting (captain), Adam Gilchrist (vice-captain), Nathan Bracken, Michael Clarke, Brad Haddin, Matthew Hayden, Brad Hodge, Brad Hogg, Michael Hussey, Mitchell Johnson, Brett Lee, Glenn McGrath, Andrew Symonds, Shaun Tait, Shane Watson.
■ Basketball
Riley to resume coaching
Pat Riley will resume coaching the Miami Heat following the All-Star break, an official within the NBA said on Monday. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because Riley has not formally announced his plans. Riley is expected to announce his return at a news conference today in Miami. His first game back would be on Feb. 21 against Houston. Riley left the team on Jan. 3 because of ongoing hip and knee problems, both which required surgery. He had a procedure to repair cartilage in his right knee on Jan. 5, then hip replacement surgery on Jan. 11.
■ Baseball
Liberty Media to buy Braves
Time Warner finalized an agreement to sell the Atlanta Braves to Liberty Media on Monday after more than a year of negotiations. The deal, which values the team at US$450 million, was submitted to Major League Baseball for its approval process, two people familiar with the deal said, speaking on condition of anonymity. The parties hope the league will approve the sale in time for the team to be transferred by opening day on April 1, the source said. Under the agreement, Terry McGuirk will remain in charge of the team after the sale. General manager John Schuerholz and manager Bobby Cox also are expected to remain, the source said.
■ Baseball
Rivera could leave Yanks
As the New York Yankees prepared to start spring training without Bernie Williams, Mariano Rivera talked about the possibility of not being with the team a year from now. Rivera will get US$10.5 million this season, the option year of a contract paying him US$31.5 million over three seasons. He is eligible to become a free agent after the World Series. "If they want to talk, we're willing to listen," Rivera said on Monday following a pre-spring training workout. "But I'm going to bring nothing to the table. I'm just going to focus on what I have to do and see what happens. I have a contract for this year. That's what matters. All I have to do is focus on this season."
■ Baseball
Matsuzaka draws crowd
Daisuke Matsuzaka arrived for Boston Red Sox spring training accompanied by crowds of reporters, photographers and television crews who flocked to Florida to chronicle the US$100 million Japanese ace's landing. "I have a few days left before camp officially starts," Matsuzaka said through an interpreter during a five-minute interview session. "My excitement has not reached its peak, but I would love to meet my teammates." Matsuzaka agreed to play for the Red Sox after bumpy negotiations led to a US$52 million, six-year contract.
■ Olympics
Protesters disrupt event
Police dragged a protester off the stage and officers tackled a woman with a bandanna over her face during a ceremony marking the three-year countdown to the Winter Olympics in Vancouver on Monday. Despite heavy security at the downtown event with dozens of officers in yellow jackets, including some on horseback and in riot gear, one protester managed to leap onto the stage and push the master of ceremonies out of the way. The protester shouted obscenities into the microphone before being dragged off by officers.
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