■TENNIS
Wind delays Davis Cup tie
The start of Spain’s Davis Cup match against Serbia has been suspended due to high winds, the Spanish tennis federation (RFET) said yesterday. The weather conditions had made the purpose-built arena on the outskirts of the seaside town unsafe and technicians were working to find a solution, RFET said in a statement on its Web site. Gusting winds overnight tore out some seats in the 16,000 capacity stadium and provoked concerns over its structure. An update on the situation is due to be given at a news conference today, RFET said. David Ferrer was due to begin Spain’s title defense in the opening singles rubber against Novak Djokovic yesterday, followed by world No.1 Rafael Nadal against Janko Tipsarevic.
■BOXING
Champ turns crooner
Beijing Olympics gold medallist Somjit Jongjohor of Thailand has ditched boxing to pursue a singing career. The charismatic flyweight, who won world amateur, Asian and Olympic titles during his six years at the top, this week released his country music album Nak Rak Samak Len (Amateur Playboy), Channel 3 television reported yesterday. Somjit, 34, will be too old to defend his title at the London Games in 2012 and had considered turning professional or becoming a coach. Thailand’s famously wayward boxers have earned a reputation for gambling, boozing and womanizing but several have gone on to enjoy successful acting and singing careers. Somluck Kamsing, the country’s first Olympic gold medalist, was chided by Thai sports chiefs for spending too much time singing or starring in soap operas and movies. He flopped in his featherweight title defense at the 2000 Sydney Games.
■FOOTBALL
Bills’ Lynch pleads guilty
Buffalo Bills running back Marshawn Lynch pleaded guilty on Thursday to possession of a loaded firearm in a vehicle and was sentenced to 36 months’ probation. Lynch must also perform 80 hours of community service stemming from his arrest last month in the Los Angeles suburb of Culver City. The 22-year-old was arrested after police saw him and two other men sitting in a car with the engine running. Police found marijuana and a loaded gun which they determined belonged to Lynch. It’s the second time in less than a year that Lynch has been in trouble with the police. He was under investigation in June for a hit-and-run accident that occurred the previous month. Lynch’s SUV struck and injured a woman before leaving the scene of the accident. Initially, Lynch said someone else was driving the car that struck the woman, who suffered minor injuries. After he admitted to being behind the wheel and apologized for the incident, Lynch reached an agreement in which he would plead guilty in the case thereby avoiding a criminal charge.
■FOOTBALL
Cowboys release Owens
The Dallas Cowboys released wide receiver Terrell Owens on Thursday, officially ending his turbulent three-year stint with the club. Owens was at the center of several controversies this past season. The Cowboys, expected to contend for a Super Bowl crown, failed to even reach the playoffs and many considered Owens a divisive player in the locker room. Owens has 139 career touchdown catches, second in all-time NFL history behind Jerry Rice. His 14,122 career reception yards rank fifth all-time and he also ranks sixth in career catches. Owens was signed by Dallas in 2006 after an acrimonious departure from Philadelphia, and left hard feelings behind when he departed his prior NFL team San Francisco.
■SOCCER
Sao Paolo defeat Cali
Brazil’s Sao Paolo beat Colombia’s America de Cali 3-1 in a Copa Libertadores match on Thursday that was sullied by fans throwing items on the pitch, an official being hit by a coin and two America players booked for fighting with each other. Striker Washington scored two goals and Borges added another as Sao Paolo went top of Group 4. Washington took advantage of a pair of defensive errors to strike for Sao Paulo in the third minute and the 29th minute. A Borges header after 49 minutes extended the lead, before Colombian Victor Cortes scored a consolation for America in the 85th minute. Sao Paolo are ahead of Defensor Sporting of Uruguay on goal difference, while America are pointless after two games. Argentine referee Hector Baldassi had to stop the match in the 59th minute and the 63rd minute after fans threw radios, a bottle of water and a coin onto the pitch. Colombian fourth official Francisco Penuela was hit on the head by the coin. Washington’s first goal came after a diagonal ball from the left by Jorge Wagner. Washington slipped between two defenders and touched the ball into the back of the net. The second goal was almost an exact replica, as Washington timed his run to beat the offside trap and held off defenders, while Cali keeper Julian Mesa remained rooted to his line. The mix-up provoked a heated argument between Mesa and defender Harold Viafara, who pushed each other angrily. The referee showed both a yellow card.
■CRICKET
Bangladesh postpone tour
Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) on Thursday postponed the tour of the Pakistan team for an indefinite period after government advice over security concerns, officials said. “We have decided to postpone the tour following advice from the home affairs ministry,” said Jalal Yunus, the BCB’s spokesman, without elaborating on the security situation. The decision came in the wake of Tuesday’s attack on the Sri Lanka team in Lahore by unidentified gunmen that left eight people dead and six Sri Lankan players injured, and last week’s troop mutiny in Bangladesh that left many people dead. Pakistan were scheduled to arrive in Dhaka today on a 16-day trip to play five one-day internationals and two Twenty20 matches.
■SOCCER
Ashley Cole arrested
England and Chelsea defender Ashley Cole was arrested and fined in the early hours on Thursday after drunkenly insulting police outside a west London nightclub. The 28-year-old was leaving the Collection nightclub in South Kensington, about 2km from Chelsea’s Stamford Bridge ground, when he swore at police. Cole refused to stop cursing and was held in a police cell for more than three hours until he sobered up and was fined £80 (US$113), the standard penalty for the offense. “I felt I was being harassed by paparazzi and, while complaining to the police about this at the scene, they did warn me to calm down — a warning that I regrettably did not heed,” Cole said in a statement.
■CRICKET
One-day game washed out
The second one-day international between New Zealand and India at Wellington was abandoned because of rain yesterday. India looked set to post a big total after racing to 188 for four from 28.4 overs, but were unable to complete their innings because of the inclement weather, which caused three separate delays. Sachin Tendulkar (61) and Virender Sehwag (54) blasted half-centuries after the tourists won the toss and elected to bat first.
The 2025 International Federation of Bodybuilding and Fitness (IFBB) Mr Universe Chinese Taipei competition began yesterday at Xinzhuang Gymnasium in New Taipei City, with more than 150 athletes showcasing their physiques. It is the first time in 16 years that the IFBB has held a competition in Taiwan, the last being the 2009 World Games in Kaohsiung. The professional bodybuilding contest is bringing together athletes from Taiwan and 16 other countries, including Malaysia, Japan, the US, France and Mexico. IFBB Chinese Taipei president Hsu An-chin said in an interview yesterday that the event came to Taiwan thanks to his lobbying efforts at last
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
Cycling great Marianne Vos won the opening stage of the women’s Tour de France with a brilliant late attack on Saturday. The 38-year-old Dutchwoman overtook her Visma–Lease a Bike teammate Pauline Ferrand-Prevot approaching the line, and then held off Mauritian rider Kim Le Court in the closing meters of a grueling uphill finish. Ferrand-Prevot looked set to win the stage, but the Frenchwoman attacked too early from 600m and could not withstand the late surge from Vos, who punched the air with her left fist as she crossed the line. Moments later, Vos hugged an exhausted-looking Ferrand-Prevot, the Paris-Roubaix winner. “I didn’t know if
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
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