■ FORMULA ONE
Ecclestone denies insult
Formula One supremo Bernie Ecclestone has denied insulting Africa after the sport’s governing body voted to allow Max Mosley to stay on as president despite a sado-masochistic sex scandal. Britain’s Daily Express newspaper quoted Ecclestone as saying after the June 3 vote in Paris that “just because he [Mosley] got a few more votes from Africa doesn’t mean the King of Spain will want to shake his hand.” The reported remarks triggered a written complaint from Kenyan Automobile Association general secretary David Njoroge, who is also a senior member of the International Automobile Federation (FIA). Njoroge, who is a trustee of the London-based FIA Foundation for the Automobile and Society, said the African members took “great exception in what is clearly derogatory, demeaning and uncalled for attacks on Africa.
■NASCAR
Loeb wins Turkish Rally
Sebastian Loeb beat Henning Solberg by 1 second Friday to lead the first day of the Turkish Rally. The Citroen driver and defending champion took an early lead, winning the first stage on a dry gravel course. Loeb fell back in subsequent stages before winning the 7th leg. Jari Matti Latvala of Finland finished third overall. Loeb, who won the Turkish Rally in 2004 and 2005, is looking to widen his one-point lead in the 2008 title race against Ford driver Mikko Hirvonen of Finland. Hirvonen finished fifth on Friday.
■BOXING
Boxers arrested for heroin
Two Tanzanian boxers and four officials were arrested in Mauritius after they were found with 5kg of heroin, police said on Friday. The team, which was in the Indian Ocean island for the African Boxing championships, a pre-Olympic qualification for this year’s summer Games in Beijing, was arrested on Wednesday. Police first nabbed two members of the team as they placed the drugs, said to be worth US$1.8 million, next to their hotel’s perimetre wall to await collection and later picked up the rest. A Kenyan woman who came to collect the heroin was also arrested. The team consisted of two boxers, a coach, his assistant, a manager and a doctor.
■CYCLING
Russian takes alpine victory
Former mountain bike specialist Youry Trofimov of the Bouyges Telecom team claimed a prestigious alpine victory on the fifth stage of the Dauphine Libere stage race on Friday. Trofimov, of Russia, hoisted himself up the general classification after breaking free of an earlier breakaway to bring victory home after a tough, second day of racing in the Alps. “I’m still having trouble getting my head around it,” said Trofimov. “It’s a surprise. At the start of the breakaway I wasn’t thinking about victory. “But the downhill was an advantage for me, someone who has come from mountain biking,” the Russian said.
■BASKETBALL
Women make Olympic cut
Spain, the Czech Republic, Latvia and Belarus earned berths in the women’s basketball tournament at the Beijing Olympics on Friday, winning their quarter-final games at a FIBA qualifying tournament on Friday. Spain beat Cuba 82-68, the Czechs downed Japan 76-64, Latvia cruised to a 84-26 victory over Angola, while Belarus prevailed over Brazil 86-79 in overtime. Elisa Aguilar led Spain with 28 points and had four assists, while Eva Viteckova had six-three pointers in her game-high 26 for the Czechs, who rallied after trailing 21-16 at the end of the first quarter. Latvia didn’t allow Angola to score more than nine points in any quarter.
TAIWANESE EXITS: Fellow Australian Christopher O’Connell joined Tristan Schoolkate as a winner following his 6-1, 6-2 defeat of Tseng Hsin-chun Australian qualifier Tristan Schoolkate on Monday dispatched rising Brazilian talent Joao Fonseca 7-6 (7/5), 6-4 at the ATP Toronto Masters, ensuring a breakthrough into the world top 100. The 24-year-old from Perth moved to 98th in the ongoing live rankings as he claimed his biggest career victory by knocking out the ATP NextGen champion from November last year. Schoolkate, son of a tennis coach, won his first match over a top-50 opponent on his sixth attempt as he ousted the world No. 49 teenager from Brazil. The qualifier played a quarter-final this month in Los Cabos and won through qualifying for his
Top seeds Alexander Zverev of Germany and American Coco Gauff on Tuesday advanced to the third round of the Canadian Open after both players were pushed hard by their opponents. World No. 3 Zverev, playing in his first match since his first-round loss at Wimbledon, was far from his best, but emerged with a 7-6 (8/6), 6-4 win over Adam Walton under the lights in Toronto. Momentum shifted firmly in Zverev’s favor when he won a 52-shot rally in the first set tiebreak and he sealed the win on a double fault by the Australian in the second set. “It was a very
Canadian teenager Victoria Mboko upset top-seeded Coco Gauff 6-1, 6-4 on Saturday night to reach the National Bank Open quarter-finals. “Your support was incredible,” Mboko told the crowd in French after a chorus of “Ole, Ole, Ole” chants echoed around the venue. “I’m really happy to win today ... It’s incredible. I’m so happy to beat such a great champion.” Gauff dropped to 2-3 since winning the French Open. She followed the major victory with opening losses in Berlin and Wimbledon, then overcame double-fault problems to win two three-set matches in Montreal. Gauff had five double-faults on Saturday after having 23 in
Formula 1 champion Max Verstappen on Thursday said that he is staying with the Red Bull team next year, ending months of speculation over his future. “Some people just like to stir the pot, some people just like to create drama, but, for me, it’s always been quite clear, and also for next year,” the four-time champion said ahead of the Hungarian Grand Prix. “I’m discussing with the team already the plans — the things that we want to change for next year, so that means that I’m also staying with the team for next year,” he said. Verstappen has a contract with
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