Sports Briefs

■ BOXING

Fighter in a coma

A South Korean boxer who lost consciousness after his WBO intercontinental flyweight bout is in a coma due to a brain injury, a hospital official said yesterday. Choi Yoi-sam lost consciousness and was rushed to a hospital shortly after winning Tuesday's contest against Indonesian challenger Heri Amol. The 33-year-old South Korean boxer was knocked down in the final round of the 12-round fight, but it was not known whether that caused him to pass out. "Choi's condition is very bad. He is in a coma," said Lee Mi-jong, a spokesman at Soonchunhyang University Hospital in Seoul. The boxer had surgery on Tuesday to stop the swelling of his brain, he said.



■ BASKETBALL

McGrady gets good news

The sore knee that forced Houston Rockets swingman Tracy McGrady out of a game on Sunday involves no structural damage to the joint, the Houston Chronicle reported on its Web site on Tuesday. "There was no structural damage," said Rockets trainer Keith Jones of the results of an MRI exam. "There was some inflammation in the tendon by the kneecap where the tendon starts. That's really it. Now, we stay aggressive with it. We'll change a few things and get it stronger and see where it goes. He's still day-to-day, and we'll see what happens." McGrady was originally hurt his left knee on Dec. 15 in a loss to the Dallas Mavericks. On Sunday, the 28-year-old left at half-time against Detroit after aggravating the injury. McGrady said on Sunday that he likely won't play tomorrow at Memphis.



■ SOCCER

Osim leaves intensive care

Japan's former national team coach Ivica Osim has left intensive care and started rehabilitation after suffering a serious stroke last month, local media reported. The 66-year-old Bosnian collapsed while climbing the stairs at his home after watching soccer on television and was in a coma for some time. "He's in higher spirits than I would have imagined," Japan Football Association General Secretary Kozo Tashima told reporters on Tuesday after visiting Osim. Tajima was also forced to break the news that Osim had been replaced as coach by Takeshi Okada, 51, who previously served in the same job 10 years ago. Osim's family had previously insisted information about his successor be kept from him until he was on the road to recovery, Kyodo news agency said. "He's a very intelligent person, so I believe he is able to remain objective," Tashima told reporters.



■ SOCCER

Vietnam lines up Brazilian

Vietnam has granted citizenship to a Brazilian-born goalkeeper enabling him to play for the national team, officials said yesterday. Vietnamese President Nguyen Minh Triet signed a decision on Tuesday to grant citizenship to Fabio Dos Santos, a player with Dong Tam Long An in the topflight V-League, the club's executive director Pham Phu Hoa said. Santos, 27, is the first foreign soccer player to be granted Vietnamese citizenship, Hoa said. He has been playing for Dong Tam Long An for the past five years. "Santos is Vietnam's best goalkeeper at the moment, and his chances of being called for the national squad are very high," Hoa said. Tran Quoc Tuan, the general secretary of the Vietnam Football Federation, praised the decision. "This is very good for Vietnam's soccer," Tuan said. "It reflects that V-League is very attractive to foreign players. It may pave the way for other foreign players to join Vietnamese citizenship.