■ RUGBY UNION
Under-19 finalists decided
South Africa ousted defending champion Australia 32-18 and set up a final against New Zealand at the under-19 world rugby championship on Tuesday. New Zealand repeated its tournament-opening win against Wales with another comfortable result in the other semi-final, 36-12. "I am pleased with how [the pack] performed," South Africa coach Eric Sauls said.
■ ATHLETICS
Hurdler chases fourth title
Olympic hurdles champion and world record holder Liu Xiang of China is gunning for a fourth consecutive win at next month's Osaka Grand Prix, a prelude to the world championships later this year in the same Japanese city. "Osaka has been a lucky city for me because I have never lost a competition there. I am trying my best to keep my 100 percent record," Liu, the world-record holder in the 110-meter hurdles, said in an interview with Chinese television.
■ INDIA
Official upset over bid loss
A top sports official blames his country's sports minister for losing out on hosting the 2014 Asian Games to South Korea, a news report said yesterday. "We looked a divided lot," the Hindustan Times quoted Suresh Kalmadi, chief of the Indian Olympic Association, as saying after Tuesday's meeting of the Olympic Council of Asia in Kuwait voted to award the Games to the South Korean city of Incheon. Kalmadi objected to Indian Sports Minister Mani Shanker Aiyar's recent remarks that hosting a big sporting event made no difference to the country's poor. In New Delhi, Aiyar declined to reply to Kalmadi's statement, saying that losing the bid was not a defeat for India.
■ SOCCER
Sochaux end Montceau run
Two extra-time goals from Sebastien Grax and Jerome Leroy ended the dream run of fourth division Montceau in the French Cup on Tuesday. The part-time outfit battled gamely for 90 minutes, holding their first division opponents to a scoreless draw before finally succumbing in added time. It took Sochaux until the fifth minute of extra-time to get the goal their play deserved. Grax finished along the ground after a cross from the left by Julien Quercia and the first division side, who currently sit fourth in the table, ended the game on 112 minutes, Leroy finishing off another cross from Quercia, this time from the right. Sochaux will now face either Marseille or Nantes, who clashed in the second semi-final yesterday.
■ BASKETBALL
NBA referee suspended
NBA referee Joey Crawford has been suspended indefinitely for improper conduct toward San Antonio's Tim Duncan during the Spurs' game in Dallas on Sunday. Duncan claims Crawford challenged him to a fight before each of the technical fouls he received during the Mavericks' 91-86 win over the Spurs at American Airlines Center. "Joey Crawford's handling of this situation failed to meet the standards of professionalism and game management we expect of NBA referees," Commissioner David Stern said on Tuesday in a statement. Duncan, a nine-times All-Star, received his second technical on Sunday while on the bench laughing about a call the 55-year-old Crawford made against Spurs center Fabricio Oberto. Crawford's suspension will cover at least the remainder of the 2006-07 season, including the NBA playoffs and finals.
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
Revelations of positive doping tests for nearly two dozen Chinese swimmers that went unpunished sparked an intense flurry of accusations and legal threats between the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and the head of the US drug-fighting organization, who has long been one of WADA’s fiercest critics. WADA on Saturday said it was turning to legal counsel to address a statement released by US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) CEO Travis Tygart, who said WADA and anti-doping authorities in China swept positive tests “under the carpet by failing to fairly and evenly follow the global rules that apply to everyone else in the world.” The
Taiwanese judoka Yang Yung-wei on Saturday won silver in the men’s under-60kg category at the Asian Judo Championships in Hong Kong. Nicknamed the “judo heartthrob” in Taiwan, the Olympic silver-medalist missed out on his first Asian Championships gold when he lost to Japanese judoka Taiki Nakamura in the finals. Yang defeated three opponents on Saturday to reach the final after receiving a bye through the round of 32. He first topped Laotian Soukphaxay Sithisane in the round of 16 with two seoi nage (over-the-shoulder throws), then ousted Indian Vijay Kumar Yadav in the quarter-finals with his signature ude hishigi sankaku gatame (triangular armlock). He
Rafael Nadal on Wednesday said the upcoming French Open would be the moment to “give everything and die” on the court after his comeback from injury in Barcelona was curtailed by Alex de Minaur. The 22-time Grand Slam title winner, back playing this week after three months on the sidelines, battled well, but eventually crumbled 7-5, 6-1 against the world No. 11 from Australia in the second round. Nadal, 37, who missed virtually all of last season, is hoping to compete at the French Open next month where he is the record 14-time champion. The Spaniard said the clash with De Minaur was