■ SOCCER
Talks aim for unified team
Talks sponsored by the world game's governing body have begun to try to create a unified national team for the divided island of Cyprus. The presidents of the official Cyprus Football Association, representing the Greek Cypriot side, and the unofficial Turkish Cypriot Football Association met at FIFA headquarters in Zurich last week, the body said yesterday. The Cyprus national team recruits players only from the Greek Cypriot side of the island, which has been divided since Turkey invaded the north in 1974. Only Turkey recognizes the state subsequently declared by the Turkish Cypriots in the northern part. FIFA only recognizes the Greek Cypriot association because the world body's statutes forbid competing associations. That means teams and players from the Turkish-Cypriot side are prohibited from taking part in official international matches.
■ SOCCER
North Koreans avoid shops
A North Korean official at the Women's World Cup tournament in China has played down his side's reticence in dealing with the media, while explaining that the team did not go shopping like others because it wasted energy. Explaining the North Koreans' preference for a low profile, the squad's general manager Kim Jong-su said they found the media a distraction. "Our coach isn't against doing interviews per se, he just prefers not to because he feels they can be distracting," Kim told Fifa.com. The players also preferred the quiet approach when it came to relaxing away from soccer. "We believe that we can only compete to the best of our ability if we conserve our energy for when we need it," Kim said. "Shopping does not help anyone to relax. On the contrary it merely distracts the players' attention, and is an unnecessary waste of players' physical and mental strength and energy." North Korea were knocked out in the quarter-finals.
■ HOCKEY
Star hurt in freak accident
Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Dan Boyle will miss up to six weeks after surgery to repair tendons in his left wrist that were cut in a freak locker room mishap. Boyle, who was second in goals among NHL defensemen last season, suffered the injury on Saturday night when a skate fell off a hook in his locker and cut his wrist, completely severing the tendons. Boyle scored 20 goals and recorded 43 assists, finishing fourth in points among defensemen in 82 games last season.
■ SOCCER
Ex-Brazil striker in hospital
Former Brazil striker Casagrande was in stable condition in an intensive care unit on Sunday after being injured in a car accident, doctors said. Casagrande, one of Brazil's strikers during the 1986 World Cup in Mexico, was taken to hospital with head trauma and other injuries after the car he was in rolled over and struck several parked vehicles late on Saturday night in Sao Paulo. Casagrande's girlfriend also had to be hospitalized because of a back injury, the Albert Einstein hospital said in a statement. Casagrande, who was unconscious when he was admitted to the hospital, would remain under observation for an undetermined period, doctors said in the statement. "His prognosis is good," doctor Artur Timerman told the G1 Web site, adding that exams showed the player's head injury was not serious. Authorities were still investigating what caused the accident.
The lights dimmed and the crowd hushed as Karoline Kristensen entered for her performance. However, this was no ordinary Dutch theater: The temperature was 80°C and the audience naked apart from a towel. Dressed in a swimsuit and to the tune of emotional music, the 21-year-old Kristensen started her routine, performed inside a large sauna, with a bed of hot rocks in the middle. For a week this month, a group of wellness practitioners, called “sauna masters,” are gathering at a picturesque health resort in the Netherlands to compete in this year’s Aufguss world sauna championships. The practice takes its name from a
‘SOURCE OF PRIDE’: Newspapers rushed out special editions and the government sent their congratulations as Shohei Ohtani became the first player to enter the 50-50 club Japan reacted with incredulity and pride yesterday after Shohei Ohtani became the first player in Major League Baseball to record 50 home runs and 50 stolen bases in a single season. The Los Angeles Dodgers star from Japan made history with a seventh-inning homer in a 20-4 victory over the Marlins in Miami. “We would like to congratulate him from the bottom of our heart,” top government spokesman Yoshimasa Hayashi told reporters in Tokyo. “We sincerely hope Mr Ohtani, who has already accomplished feat after feat and carved out a new era, will thrive further,” he added. The landmark achievement dominated Japanese morning news
Roger Federer on Wednesday said that staying involved with tennis in retirement helped him avoid feeling “like an alien” ahead of this week’s Laver Cup in Berlin. Federer, who helped create the tournament, retired at the Laver Cup in London two years ago and has since stayed involved with the competition as an ambassador. “I’m happy I went back right away to some tournaments,” the 43-year-old told reporters. “I feel I ripped the Band-Aid off quite quickly and when I walk around the tennis sites I still feel I belong there,” he said. “I don’t feel like an alien, which is a
Japanese players are moving to English soccer in record numbers and more look set to follow with clubs attracted by their quality, strong work ethic and value for money. Kaoru Mitoma is the standout talent of five Japanese players in the English Premier League, with eight more in the Championship and two in League One. Liverpool midfielder Wataru Endo, the captain of Japan, believes his compatriots are “being held in higher esteem” by English clubs compared with the past. “The staff at Liverpool ask me about lots of Japanese players, not necessarily with a view to a transfer, but just saying this or