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Sports Briefs

■ Olympics
Hu invites Bush to ceremony
Chinese President Hu Jintao (胡錦濤) has invited US President George W. Bush to attend the opening ceremony of next year's Beijing Olympics, a news report said yesterday. Beijing also hopes to host a summit between Bush and Hu during the visit if he accepts the invitation, the South China Morning Post reported, citing unidentified diplomats. "Beijing has sought a state visit by the leader of the world's only superpower to coincide with the Games, which would give a great boost to the staging of the most important global event ever hosted in China," the daily quoted a diplomat who declined to be named as saying.

■ Soccer
Getafe crushes Barcelona
Getafe crushed Spanish league leaders Barcelona 4-0 on Thursday night to advance to a Spanish Cup final showdown with Sevilla on June 23. Getafe lost 5-2 in the semi-final, first-leg tie at the Nou Camp, but overcame their three-goal deficit to advance 6-5 on aggregate. Sevilla, who are still on course for a treble of titles, beat Deportivo La Coruna 2-0 on Wednesday night to qualify 5-0 on aggregate. Getafe, a side from the suburbs of Madrid, ran rings around a lethargic Barcelona whose stars Samuel Eto'o and Ronaldinho looked content to sit back on their advantage. Francesco Casquero opened for Getafe after 37 minutes with Dani Guiza scoring the first of his double two minutes before the break.

■ Baseball
Arizona player arrested
Arizona Diamondbacks rookie infielder Alberto Callaspo was arrested on Thursday in Phoenix, Arizona, on charges of assaulting his wife. Venezuelan-born Callaspo, 24, was taken into custody on suspicion of assault and criminal damage, police said. He still was being interviewed by detectives late on Thursday. Police officers responded to a call at Callaspo's home about noon on Thursday and said the player's 22-year-old wife, Marianny Paola, had minor injuries. Callaspo did not accompany the team on its flight to Houston, where the Diamondbacks where scheduled to start a nine-game road trip yesterday.

■ Hockey
Players' union fires director
The NHL Players' Association fired executive director Ted Saskin on Thursday, two months after placing him on a paid leave of absence following allegations that he and senior director Ken Kim read players' e-mail. The union's executive board, made up of 30 player representatives and the six-member interim executive committee, voted to fire Saskin on a conference call. "All I am going to say at this time is that I remain proud of all the work I did for NHL players over the last 16 years and particularly in negotiating the new CBA [collective bargaining agreement], which has been working out well," Saskin said.

■ Soccer
Rincon arrested in Brazil
Former Colombian soccer player Freddy Rincon has been arrested in Sao Paulo by federal police at the behest of Panamanian authorities as part of a probe into international drug trafficking and money laundering. According to the Globo Web site, the 39-year-old former Real Madrid and Corinthians player was arrested at his house and taken to federal police headquarters pending a legal decision on an extradition request. Rincon is accused of laundering money coming from an international drug trafficking organization headed by fellow Colombian Pablo Rayo Montano.


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