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■BASKETBALL

Allen, Finley shortlisted

Boston Celtics guard Ray Allen and San Antonio Spurs sharpshooter Michael Finley were among the finalists named on Thursday for the NBA Sportsmanship Award. Six finalists, one from each NBA division, were selected by a seven-member panel of former players with a vote of current players to determine a winner that will be announced after the regular season ends in two weeks.



■TENNIS

ITF fines Swedish federation

The Swedish tennis federation has been fined US$25,000 and Malmo, Sweden, has been banned from hosting Davis Cup matches for five years after the city’s authorities opted to play the tie against Israel behind closed doors. The International Tennis Federation also said in a statement the Swedish federation would have to pay an additional US$15,000 that it would have received in gate receipts had the March 6 to March 8 tie been open to spectators. The safety of the Israeli team members in Malmo — a city with a large Muslim community — prompted the local authorities to act. Around 1,000 police officers were on duty for the tie and the ITF said the security measures in place would have allowed the contest to go ahead as usual even though more than 6,000 demonstrators protested against Israel’s presence in the competition. Before the tie, Israeli doubles specialist Andy Ram called the decision to bar fans “idiotic.” Israel beat Sweden 3-2 in the tie to reach the quarter-finals.



■BOXING

Marali wins fourth title

Zolani Marali of South Africa won his fourth world boxing title when he beat Gamaliel Diaz of Mexico by unanimous decision for the vacant IBO super featherweight crown at Gauteng, South Africa, on Thursday. Diaz replaced Fahsai Sakkreenin of Thailand, who withdrew with hepatitis B two weeks ago. Marali (20-2) knocked down Diaz (23-9-2) once and both fighters wrestled to the mat several times at Emperor’s Palace.



■GOLF

Woman falls in hole, dies

A Japanese woman playing golf with her family died in a freak accident when the greens under her feet collapsed and she plunged into a 5m deep cavern, police said yesterday. A golf course official said the hollow space just below the lawn may have been formed by springtime mountain snow melt flowing through soils below the golf course fairway on Japan’s far-northern island of Hokkaido. Local authorities were investigating Thursday’s deadly accident, which happened as the woman was playing golf with her husband and two children. “We heard from firefighters that ... all of a sudden she fell into the hole in front of her 10-year-old son,” a police official said. The woman, Takae Gassho, 38, from Sapporo, was dead when emergency officials pulled her from the hole at the Le Petaw Golf Club. Officials believed she may have lost consciousness in the fall and then drowned in a puddle of water at the bottom of the cavern. A Hokkaido Golf Association official said that “normally golf clubs conduct visual check-ups every day” but that “nobody could have noticed that a hollow space was quietly forming underground.”



■RALLY CAR RACING

Solberg leads in Portugal

Henning Solberg of Norway led the Portugal Rally after the first special stage in Portugal’s Algarve Stadium on Thursday. He clocked 2 minutes, 9.6 seconds around the 2.1km track. Dani Sordo of Spain was a close second at 2:09.7, while Mikko Hirvonen of Finland was third at 2:09.8.



■CRICKET

Woman wins ‘Wisden’ honor

England’s Claire Taylor has become the first woman to be named as one of the Five Cricketers of the Year by Wisden, the sport’s annual of record. Taylor’s award comes after her starring role in England’s recent World Cup triumph and her success in helping the team to an Ashes series win in Australia last year. The 33-year-old, who has played 109 one-day internationals, was selected as the player of the World Cup after scoring a hundred and two half-centuries in England’s victorious campaign in Australia last month. South Africa dominate the remainder of the 2009 Five Cricketers of the Year. Wicket-keeper Mark Boucher and opening batsman Neil McKenzie are honored for their roles in the Proteas’ Test series win in England last year, while their compatriot Dale Benkenstein is recognized for his role in captaining Durham to their first English County Championship title. The list is completed by England fast bowler James Anderson.



■SOCCER

El Hadji Diouf quits again

Senegal striker El Hadji Diouf quit international soccer for the second time on Thursday, the country’s national federation said. He will continue to play club soccer in England, the federation said. El Hadji Diouf, who plays for Blackburn in the English Premier League, said in October 2007 that he was calling time on his international career after falling out with the management of the national team. The 28-year-old later changed his mind.



■SOCCER

Drunken fan found in toilet

An Ireland fan was found in the toilet of a bar in Bari, Italy, the morning after the Italy-Ireland World Cup qualifier in the city, having spent the entire night there. The 34-year-old was discovered on Thursday morning, still sleeping off the previous day’s drinking marathon, by the bar owner, who called emergency services. Italian news agency Ansa reported that no one had noticed the Irishman’s presence in the bar’s toilet when it closed up for the night.



■SOCCER

Saints’ future in jeopardy

Southampton’s parent company went into administration on Thursday, leaving the Saints in danger of not even lasting until the end of the League Championship season. Although the Saints should avoid the automatic 10-point penalty to hit other cash-strapped clubs in the Football League, joint administrator Mark Fry said they needed to find a new owner soon or possibly go out of business. “If we don’t find a buyer for the club, there is a very, very high probability that it will not last until the end of the season,” Fry said. “Realistically, it will mean the end of the football club.” A Premier League club only four seasons ago, the Saints are next-to-last in the League Championship and in danger of dropping into the third tier of English soccer for the first time since 1960.



■SUPER 14

Mackay wakes from coma

ACT Brumbies lock Shawn Mackay has woken up from a medically induced coma in Durban, South Africa, after suffering spinal injuries and a broken leg when he was struck by a car last weekend. Mackay, who has started communicating with doctors and family through blinking, had undergone surgery to his spine and was making good progress, but it was too early to determine any long-term damage, the Super 14 said in a statement.

Mackay was struck by a car while returning to the hotel with team mates in the early hours of last Sunday morning.


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