■ RUGBY UNION
Aussie A team join cup
Six teams will play for the Pacific Nations Cup in May, with Australia A added to the mix for the first time, the International Rugby Board (IRB) said yesterday. The tournament replaces last year's Pacific 5 Nations event and is designed to boost the development of second-tier rugby nations in the lead-up to this year's World Cup in France. Alongside Australia A will be Fiji, Japan, Samoa, Tonga and the Junior All Blacks.
■ CRICKET
Ireland to host internationals
Ireland will host one-day matches against India and South Africa next month, the Irish Cricket Union said. Associate side Ireland will face India on June 23 and South Africa the following day ahead of a three-match, one-day international series between the two test-playing nations in Belfast. Ireland's upset World Cup win over Bangladesh last month earned them entry into the main International Cricket Council one-day ranking list. "The Irish Cricket Union (ICU) is proud that two such great cricketing nations as India and South Africa are coming to Ireland to play each other and against Ireland," ICU chief executive Warren Deutrom said.
■ SOCCER
Klose to stay in Bremen
German striker Miroslav Klose has ended talk of a possible switch to Barcelona or Bayern Munich by announcing on Wednesday he would stay with Werder Bremen until next June. The 28-year-old, top scorer at last summer's World Cup, has been the subject of intense recent speculation with the Suddeutsche Zeitung, reporting on Wednesday that Klose would move to Bayern Munich this summer. But Bremen have announced the 67-times capped Klose will honor his contract and stay with them after the player met with club officials at the northern German club on Wednesday. "We are glad that the decision has finally been made," said Bremen general manager Klaus Allofs.
■ CYCLING
Doping claims investigated
German prosecutors are investigating allegations that two T-Mobile cycling team doctors injected riders with performance-boosting Erythropoietin (EPO) shots during the years two Tour de France winners were produced, the Sueddeutsche Zeitung reported on Wednesday. The allegations against Andrea Schmid and Lothar Heinrich were raised in a book by Jef d'Hont, a Belgian who worked from 1992 to 1996 as a massage therapist for Team Telekom -- as T-Mobile was named then. "There is enough suspicion that it justifies us opening an investigation," Freiburg district attorney Wolfgang Maier said.
■ BASKETBALL
Roy named top rookie
Portland Trail Blazers guard Brandon Roy was named the NBA's Rookie of the Year on Wednesday. In balloting released on Wednesday, Roy was the runaway winner, receiving 127 of 128 first-place votes and 638 points from a panel of sportswriters and broadcasters in North America. In the last 30 years, the only unanimous choices have been David Robinson in 1990 and Ralph Sampson in 1984. Roy is the first Trail Blazer in 35 years to win the award. Sidney Wicks won in 1972, one year after Geoff Petrie shared the award with Boston's Dave Cowens in 1971. The other first-place vote went to Toronto Raptors forward Andrea Bargnani, the top overall pick in last year's draft who finished with 264 points.
■ RUGBY UNION
Dermody joins exodus
All Blacks prop Clark Dermody will join English club London Irish on a two-and-a-half year contract after this year's Rugby World Cup in France. Dermody, 27, who played three tests for New Zealand last year, made the announcement yesterday. He follows his All Blacks and Otago Highlanders propping partner Carl Hayman, who has also signed to play in England after the World Cup. "It is exciting but it's going to be like shifting to a new school. I won't know anyone until I start making a few new mates," Dermody said.
■ SOCCER
Rape charges dropped
Rape charges against South African soccer international Jabu Mahlangu were dropped on Wednesday on the grounds of insufficient evidence, police said. The 26-year-old Bafana Bafana star had been charged earlier in the day with raping a 19-year-old woman after he handed himself in at a local police station, accompanied by his lawyers. However police spokeswoman Captain Cheryl Engelbrecht told the Sapa news agency that the charges had been formally dropped when he appeared at the Johannesburg high court. "The case was thrown out because of insufficient evidence," she said.
■ RUGBY UNION
Jackson takes player honors
New Zealander Glen Jackson saw off the challenges of the likes of England center Mike Catt on Wednesday to be named the Professional Rugby Players' Association player of the year. The 31-year-old former New Zealand Maori took the prestigious award ahead of Bristol No. 8 and fellow New Zealand-born Dan Ward-Smith and Leicester's Samoan winger Alesana Tuilagi, who has been instrumental in taking the Tigers to the European Cup final. Jackson got his nose in front because of being the leading points scorer in the Premiership which has inspired Saracens to make this weekend's semi-final against Gloucester.
■ FOOTBALL
Concussion meet planned
Commissioner Roger Goodell, who disclosed last week that the NFL will make baseline neuropsychological tests mandatory for the 2007 season, is requiring all team medical personnel to attend a meeting on concussions next month. Goodell ordered all 32 teams to send its doctors and trainers to a June 19 meeting in Chicago for the first league-wide concussion summit, NFL spokesman Joe Browne said. Under Goodell's new policy, all players will be required to take a baseline neuropsychological test -- determining cognitive abilities, memory and motor skills -- by the start of the 2007 season. That way, when a player has a concussion, he can be tested to determine what neurological changes have taken place.
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
One of Malaysia’s top soccer clubs has pulled out of today’s season-opening Charity Shield after a spate of assaults, including an acid attack, on players in the country. It leaves the kickoff of Malaysia’s season this weekend under a cloud following the unprecedented acts of violence against players, which have left the country shocked and angry. Authorities said they have imposed tighter security, but Selangor said that they would not play in the showpiece curtain-raiser against Malaysian Super League champions Johor Darul Ta’zim (JDT) citing “a series of criminal incidents and recent threats.” Selangor and Malaysia winger Faisal Halim is in intensive care