■ FOOTBALL
Saints star stabbed
New Orleans Saints defensive end Charles Grant was injured after being stabbed at an Atlanta night club on Saturday, US media reported. Grant, who was stabbed in the neck, was not seriously injured, the New Orleans Times-Picayune reported on Sunday. Grant was stabbed during an incident that also involved the shooting death of a pregnant woman, the NFL network reported. It is not known if Grant had any connection to the shooting.
■ ATHLETICS
Maurice Greene calls it quits
Maurice Greene sprang a little surprise on Monday -- he's retiring. The former Olympic and world champion cited nagging injuries for his decision, making the announcement half way around the globe and not long after the Super Bowl had ended in Glendale, Arizona. "Today is my official day of announcing my retirement," he said in Beijing, sitting down for an interview. "You're the first I've told it to." Traveling in China inspecting Olympic facilities with a group of contenders for Olympic gold, the 33-year-old Greene said injuries forced him to retire. Coaching and business interests in the US will now be his focus. "It's a little sad for me but it's happy at the same time because I've had a great career. I've done a lot of great things," Greene said. From Kansas City, Kansas, Greene was the dominant sprinter of the late 1990s and into the new century.
■ FORMULA ONE
Star endures racist taunts
Lewis Hamilton endured racist taunts from spectators at Formula One testing, Spanish media reported on Sunday. The 23-year-old Briton, F1's first black driver, was jeered and insulted when he moved between the McLaren motorhome and the team's garage at the Montmelo circuit on Saturday. Circuit director Ramon Pradera instructed staff to erect barriers around the team's paddock for Hamilton's safety, the reports said. Banners making references to Hamilton and team boss Ron Dennis were removed while the stands directly above McLaren's garage were cleared to ensure no debris could be thrown down when the car returned to the pit lane. "We would like to make a plea to the fans to behave correctly," Pradera said. "No type of offensive behavior can be tolerated." Hamilton was widely blamed in Spain for Fernando Alonso's failure to clinch a third straight championship last season after the Spaniard joined from Renault. Alonso, who has since rejoined Renault, finished third in the drivers' standings, with rookie Hamilton finishing second.
■ OLYMPICS
Koreans resume talks
South and North Korea resumed talks yesterday on plans to send a joint supporters' squad to the Beijing Olympics by train across the heavily fortified frontier, officials said. The one-day meeting, the second of its kind, took place at Kaesong just north of the border, the South's Unification Ministry said. At a rare summit last October, leaders of the two nations agreed to send a train of supporters to the Games in August and to repair the dilapidated railway up to the North's border with China. Yoo Sang-il, an Olympic official, led South Korea's delegation. The North's was headed by Hwang Chol, a department director of the Council for National Reconciliation. A regular cross-border freight train service to a Seoul-funded industrial estate at Kaesong started in early December for the first time since the Korean War.
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