■ RUGBY LEAGUE
Fullback charged over girl
Australia fullback Brett Stewart has been charged with the sexual assault of a teenage girl after a National Rugby League club launch, Australian media reported yesterday. Stewart, who plays for NRL and World Club champion Manly, reportedly met the 17-year-old girl outside his apartment complex following a club launch last Friday before the alleged assault occurred. He was charged after attending a police station in northern Sydney with his lawyer and Manly coach Des Hasler, the Australian Associated Press reported. Stewart was granted bail to appear at Manly Local Court on April 7.
■ CYCLING
Haussler wins stage two
German rider Heinrich Haussler won a sprint on Monday to take the second stage of the Paris-Nice race. Haussler produced a burst of speed 300m before the finish to beat Mark Renshaw of Australia and Mirco Lorenzetto of Italy. Haussler completed the 195.5km stage in 4 hours, 45 minutes, 1 second. Alberto Contador, who won the time trial on Sunday, finished 1 minute, 36 seconds behind Haussler but kept the yellow jersey as a crash 2km from the finish slowed him down and created a gap between the riders. According to race rules, any crash happening in the last 3km cancels the time gap between the pack and the riders who suffered from the incident. The Paris-Nice race ends on Sunday.
■ ICE HOCKEY
Canadiens fire Carbonneau
Guy Carbonneau was fired as coach of the struggling Montreal Canadiens, hockey’s most historic franchise that is in danger of missing the playoffs in its 100th season. The timing of Monday’s move was a bit surprising because the Canadiens are currently in a playoff position and there are only 16 games left in the regular season. General manager Bob Gainey, who handed the coaching duties over to Carbonneau three years ago, was to return behind the bench when Montreal were to host Edmonton yesterday. The Canadiens started Monday in fifth place in the Eastern Conference, but they were only one point above the postseason cutoff. What was supposed to be a season of celebration has turned into one of difficulty. Montreal (35-24-7) went into a free fall in late January and February, losing 10 of 13. The Canadiens, 5-4-1 in their previous 10 games, won 3-1 at Dallas on Sunday in their last game with Carbonneau as coach. In 230 games with the Canadiens over three seasons, Carbonneau was 124-83-23.
■ BASEBALL
Rodriguez has hip surgery
Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez had arthroscopic surgery on Monday to repair a torn labrum in his right hip and was projected to return to the team’s lineup in six to nine weeks. Dr Marc Philippon performed the 1 hour, 20 minute procedure at Vail Valley Surgery Center in Colorado. “The surgery went exactly as we planned,” Philippon said during a conference call. “No surprises.” Other options considered were a more aggressive surgery that would have sidelined Rodriguez up to four months and a conservative approach that would have included rest and treatment. “There is no doubt in our minds that this was the best option,” Philippon said. “This was the best option for Alex and the Yankees.” General manager Brian Cashman expects the three-time AL MVP back on the field “sometime in May.” Rodriguez will need a more extensive operation after the season, and Philippon said Rodriguez will “absolutely” be ready for spring training next year.
US track and field athletes have about four dozen pieces to choose from when assembling their uniforms at the Olympics. The one grabbing the most attention is a high-cut leotard that barely covers the bikini line and has triggered debate between those who think it is sexist and others who say they do not need the Internet to make sure they have good uniforms. Among those critical or laughing at the uniforms included Paralympian Femita Ayanbeku, sprinter Britton Wilson and even athletes from other countries such as Britain’s Abigail Irozuru, who wrote on social media: “Was ANY female athlete consulted in
Forget Real Madrid, Manchester City or Paris Saint-Germain, the world’s best soccer team — statistically speaking — might be a little-known outfit from the closed central Asian nation of Turkmenistan. Founded last year, Arkadag, named in honor of former Turkmen president Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow, have been unstoppable, notching up 36 consecutive domestic victories in a run still ongoing. The side have not lost a single competitive match and swept to a league and cup double in their inaugural season — success unthinkable almost anywhere else. However, in Turkmenistan, it could hardly have gone any other way. The energy-rich country is one of the most closed
Former US Masters champion Zach Johnson was left embarrassed after a foul-mouthed response to ironic cheers from spectators after a triple bogey at Augusta National on Friday. Johnson, the 2007 Masters winner, missed the cut after his three-over-par round of 75 left him on seven-over 151 for 36 holes, his six on the par-three 12th playing a big role in his downfall. Television footage showed Johnson reacting to sarcastic cheers and applause when he tapped in for the triple bogey by yelling: “Oh fuck off.” Such a response would be considered bad form in any golf tournament, but is particularly out of keeping
Taiwan’s Lee Jhe-huei and Yang Po-hsuan on Saturday won the men’s doubles bronze medal at the Badminton Asia Championships in Ningbo, China, after they were bested by the hosts in their semi-final. The Taiwanese shuttlers lost to China’s Liang Wei Keng and Wang Chang, who advanced to yesterday’s final against Malaysia’s Goh Sze Fei and Nur Izzudin. The Chinese pair outplayed Lee and Yang in straight games. Although the Taiwanese got off to a slow start in the first game, they eventually tied it 14-14, before Liang and Wang went on to blow past them to win 21-17. In the second game, Lee and