■ 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.
OUT AGAINST INDONESIA: Taiwan reached the semi-finals at the tournament for the first time by defeating Denmark, with Chou Tien-chen beating Viktor Axelsen Taiwan yesterday crashed out of the Thomas Cup team competition in Chengdu, China, but achieved their best result at the top-tier badminton event by reaching the semi-finals. Indonesia were too good in the semis, winning 3-0 to advance to today’s final against China, who eliminated Malaysia 3-1. In the opening singles of the men’s team clash at the Hi-Tech Zone Sports Center Gymnasium 2, Anthony Ginting defeated Taiwan’s Chou Tien-chen 21-18, 21-19 in 51 minutes, which put a huge hole in Taiwan’s aspirations to perhaps even make the final. In the men’s doubles, Fajar Alfian and Muhammad Ardianto downed Lee Yang and Wang
NO DOUBT: Spurs star Wembanyama was unanimously selected as NBA Rookie of the Year, winning all 99 votes to become the first Frenchman to capture the honor The Minnesota Timberwolves on Monday night produced a dominant defensive display to seize a commanding 2-0 lead in their best-of-seven playoff series against the Denver Nuggets with a 106-80 road victory. The third-seeded Timberwolves harassed Denver relentlessly to claim a second straight win over the NBA champions as the series heads back to Minneapolis for Game 3 on Friday. Karl-Anthony Towns and Anthony Edwards scored 27 points apiece, but the star of the show was Minnesota’s suffocating defensive effort, which knocked Denver out of their stride almost from the tip-off. The Timberwolves finished with 11 steals and 12 blocks, in sharp contrast to
Top-ranked Iga Swiatek on Saturday came through “the most intense and crazy final” she has ever contested to avenge her loss to Aryna Sabalenka in last year’s Madrid Open final with a grueling three hour, 11 minute victory in the Spanish capital. Coming back from 1-3 down in the decider and saving three match points in total, Swiatek claimed a 7-5, 4-6, 7-6 (9/7) victory to secure the Madrid Open trophy for the first time. “Well, who is going to say now that women’s tennis is boring, right?” Swiatek said. Swiatek, who picked up the 20th title of her career, and ninth at
One of Malaysia’s top soccer clubs has pulled out of today’s season-opening Charity Shield after a spate of assaults, including an acid attack, on players in the country. It leaves the kickoff of Malaysia’s season this weekend under a cloud following the unprecedented acts of violence against players, which have left the country shocked and angry. Authorities said they have imposed tighter security, but Selangor said that they would not play in the showpiece curtain-raiser against Malaysian Super League champions Johor Darul Ta’zim (JDT) citing “a series of criminal incidents and recent threats.” Selangor and Malaysia winger Faisal Halim is in intensive care