■BOXING
Ex-rugby bad boy wins title
Former rugby league international bad boy John Hopoate won the Australian heavyweight title on Wednesday to add a new chapter to a professional sporting career that seemed to be in ruins a few years ago. Hopoate, who gained international notoriety for poking his fingers up the backsides of opposition players in his league days, claimed the title when the defending champion Bob Mirovic threw in the towel after being knocked down by a succession of heavy punches in the ninth round. It was a sweet victory for Hopoate, who only took up boxing three years ago when his National Rugby League club Manly tore up his contract after he was banned for 17 matches for a tackle that left an opponent badly concussed and bleeding from the ear. It marked the ninth time Hopoate had been suspended from the NRL with bans totaling 45 matches for offences ranging from abusing match officials to turning up to training drunk. Hopoate’s best-known indiscretion was in 2001 when he was banned for 12 weeks then sacked by his club Wests Tigers after poking his fingers up the backsides of opposition players in tackles.
■SOCCER
Player leaves intensive care
Valenciennes defender David Sommeil has been allowed to leave intensive care nearly three weeks after suffering a heart attack while training, a club spokesman said on Wednesday. The 34-year-old player, who collapsed during a training session for the French first division side on Aug. 20, has been told he can look forward to a full, albeit long, recovery. Sommeil, who joined Valenciennes from Manchester City last season, underwent a battery of cardiology tests before being tranferred to a rehabilitation center. Sommeil was admitted to hospital unconscious and awoke partially on Aug. 26. He was declared clinically awake on Sept. 4, although he was unable to make any sounds.
■PARALYMPICS
Police catch scalpers
Beijing police caught 134 scalpers selling Paralympic Games tickets near competition venues and detained 99 in a single day, local media reported yesterday. Police swept up scalpers on Wednesday for “disturbing social order” at two entrances of the main Olympic Green and a nearby subway station, the Beijing News said, citing the city’s public security authority. The detained had been handed “administrative punishments and fined,” the paper said. Scalping was rife at last month’s Beijing Olympics, with locals and foreigners seen openly offering tickets outside venues, despite government pledges to crack down and dozens of arrests. Policemen were even seen among the buyers.
■SOCCER
Katongo on target for Zambia
Striker Felix Katongo scored the only goal to lead Zambia over Togo 1-0 on Wednesday in a World Cup qualifier. Katongo scored from 30m in the 32nd minute of the match at Konkola Stadium in Chililabombwe. Zambia played aggressively from the start, with Collins Mbesuma, Rainford Kalaba and Jacob Mulenga looking dangerous but unable to score. Zambia moved top of the three-team Group 11 with 7 points from four matches. Swaziland are second with 4 points and Togo have 3. In a Group 10 match on Wednesday Chad lost 3-1 to Sudan on neutral territory in Egypt. Mali remain favorites to progress from the group especially since they play host to bottom-placed Chad on the final matchday. Congo are level with Mali on 9 points, but they face Sudan away from home in their final encounter.
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