■ 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.
Taiwanese gymnast Tang Chia-hung on Sunday topped the men’s horizontal bar event at the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) World Cup in Osijek, Croatia, scoring 15.233 to take his third title this season. Tang delivered an outstanding performance in the final, earning a difficulty score of 6.500 and an execution score of 8.633 with a 0.1 stick bonus. His closest competitor was Milad Karimi of Kazakhstan, who finished second with 14.933 points. It was Tang’s third gold medal in the FIG World Cup series this year, following his horizontal bar wins in Azerbaijan on March 8, and in Turkey on March
This year’s Taiwan Athletics Open, which offers Taiwanese athletes an opportunity to compete against their international peers, would be held under a new name after its organizers had earlier announced the event’s cancelation. In a statement issued yesterday, the Chinese Taipei Athletics Association said the competition would still take place on June 6-7 at Banciao Stadium, but under the name “New Taipei City Athletics Open 2026.” The event was given a new name to emphasize its local identity and conform with the international practice of naming World Athletics Tour events after cities, the association said. It said it would soon
Taiwan’s Lee Hao-yu on Friday went 0-for-3 in his MLB debut for the Detroit Tigers against the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park, becoming the 19th Taiwan-born player to reach the big leagues. The Tigers ultimately lost 1-0 in 10 innings, ending their six-game winning streak. The 23-year-old started at third base and batted eighth for Detroit. He was promoted from Triple-A Toledo ahead of the four-game series against the Red Sox at the latter’s home stadium, replacing injured utility player Zach McKinstry. “Being right-handed, and given our schedule, I think six of the next 12 games are going to
Denmark’s double Olympic badminton champion Viktor Axelsen, long a rival of Taiwan’s former world No. 2 Chou Tien-chen, yesterday announced his retirement at age 32, saying back problems meant he could no longer “compete and train at the highest level.” Axelsen, who won gold at the Tokyo Games in 2021 and again in Paris in 2024, had back surgery in April last year and said he had not overcome his physical issues. “Accepting this situation has been incredibly difficult,” he said in a statement. “But I have now reached a point where my body won’t allow me to continue.” Axelsen retires as one
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