■ SUMO
Hakuho maintains lead
Mongolian grand champion Hakuho defeated Chiyotaikai yesterday to maintain sole possession of the lead at the Autumn Grand Sumo Tournament. In the day’s final bout at Ryogoku Kokugikan in Tokyo, Hakuho used an arm throw at the edge of the ring to send ozeki Chiyotaikai toppling to the dirt surface. Hakuho improved to 11-1 with three days left in the 15-day meet. Chiyotaikai dropped to 7-5. Mongolian sekiwake Ama stayed in the title chase when he shoved out Bulgarian ozeki Kotooshu to improve to 10-2. Kotooshu has struggled with his form in this tournament and dropped to an unimpressive 6-6 record.
■ SOCCER
EU probes Azzurri funding
The European Commission on Wednesday gave the Italian region of Calabria five days to explain why it is using 1.8 million euros (US$2.6 million) in community funds to sponsor the national soccer team. Calabria, as one of Italy’s poorest regions, is eligible for EU regional aid. Local authorities have decided to spend 6 million euros in EU funds to promote the region as a tourist destination. However, the commission is now questioning the wisdom of devolving almost a third of this money to sponsor the Azzurri, as the national team is known, in the run up to the 2010 World Cup. The commission also criticized Calabria’s decision to spend a further 500,000 euros in EU money on a promotional campaign featuring AC Milan’s Gennaro Gattuso, a native Calabrian and a popular member of the Azzurri. Gattuso has said he will devote the money to his Forza Ragazzi charity, which has built sports facilities in a bid to help Calabria’s poorest youths.
■ FOOTBALL
Lions fire executive Millen
The Detroit Lions sacked president and chief executive Matt Millen on Wednesday after a tenure that has seen the Lions deteriorate into one of the National Football League’s worst teams. “I have relieved Matt Millen of his duties effective immediately,” Lions owner and chairman William Clay Ford said. Lions executive vice president Tom Lewand will report directly to Ford on all business and organizational matters while Martin Mayhew will assume the position of general manager. The decision comes just two days after Lions vice chairman Bill Ford Jr, William Clay Ford’s son, said he would sack Millen if he had the authority. His remarks reflected the derision with which Detroit fans have come to regard Millen, with the chant of “Fire Millen” often ringing out during Lions games. Since Millen was hired in 2001, the Lions have posted a league-worst 31-84 record and have endured six seasons with double-digit defeats. They won six of their first eight games last season, but still ended up with a losing record at 7-9, their best showing in Millen’s tenure.
■ LONDON OLYMPICS
Toilets not to face Mecca
Olympic organizers issued detailed design rules for the 2012 London Games on Wednesday, including a mandate that at least some toilets in the Olympic park do not face the holy Islamic city of Mecca. Members of the Olympic Delivery Authority said they wanted the Olympic and Paralympic games to be inclusive of people with different faiths and individuals with disabilities. Other design requirements include wide paths with smooth surfaces and seats at regular intervals. Muslims face Mecca, in Saudi Arabia, when they pray and generally do not believe they should do the same when using the toilet.
By the time Cameron Menzies finally left the arena on Monday, the blood gushing from the gash on his right hand had trickled down his wrist, part of his forearm and — somehow — up to his face. Smeared in crimson and regret, and already mouthing sheepish apologies to the crowd, he disappeared down the steps, pursued by a stern-looking Matt Porter, the chief executive of Professional Darts Corp (PDC). The physical scars from Menzies’ encounter with the Alexandra Palace drinks table after his 3-2 defeat against Charlie Manby at the Darts World Championship would be gone within a few weeks.
Manchester United on Monday blew the lead three times to miss out on moving up to fifth in the Premier League as AFC Bournemouth would not be beaten in a thrilling 4-4 draw at Old Trafford. United have lost just once in their past 10 games, but Ruben Amorim would be frustrated as more points at home were frittered away despite arguably the best attacking display of his reign in charge. Amad Diallo and Casemiro gave the hosts a halftime lead either side of Antoine Semenyo’s equalizer. Two Bournemouth goals from Evanilson and Marcus Tavernier in seven minutes at the start of the
LOW-GOAL SHOOT-OUT: Of the nine penalties in the shoot-out, only three went in, with Flamengo’s Samuel Lino, and Vitinha and Nuno Mendes of PSG netting Matvei Safonov on Wednesday made four straight penalty saves in a penalty shoot-out to help Paris Saint-Germain beat Flamengo in the Intercontinental Cup final and win a sixth trophy of the year. The Russian goalkeeper was thrown in the air by his teammates after his exploits in the shoot-out, which was won 2-1 by PSG after a 1-1 draw after extra-time. It completed a trophy-laden 12 months for the French team, who had already won the Trophee des Champions, Ligue 1, the Coupe de France, the UEFA Champions League and the UEFA Super Cup — also on penalties against Tottenham Hotspur in
Italian Luca de Aliprandini described Saturday’s World Cup giant slalom at Val d’Isere as the hardest race of his life, coming two days after his Swiss partner Michelle Gisin suffered a heavy fall in training which required neck surgery. De Aliprandini finished 26th in the men’s event won by Loic Meillard, but the result paled into insignificance with two-time Olympic ski champion Gisin in hospital with injuries to her wrist, knee and cervical spine (neck). “It was Michelle’s wish that I race here. I couldn’t say no to her, but it was the toughest race of my entire life,” an emotional De
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