■BOXING
Hungarian dies in training
Hungarian boxer Andras Nagy died on Thursday during a training stint in Melbourne, Australia, ahead of a light heavyweight bout he was preparing for later this month, the president of his country’s boxing federation said. Nagy suffered a brain hemorrhage on May 1, Sandor Csotonyia told reporters. Nagy, 23, died after twice unergoing emergency surgery, Csotonyia added. The fighter, who had won his first three pro bouts, arrived in Australia in January in a bid to earn some money and study English and had scheduled a first contest Down Under on May 22.
■ATHLETICS
Bolt back on track
Olympic sprint king Usain Bolt returned to training on Thursday for the first time since he crashed his car in a ditch along a Jamaican highway last month. The treble Beijing gold medalist showed no ill effects when he trained for the first time in more than a week. “He came out today just to feel himself out,” Bolt’s coach Glen Mills said. “He did some strides just to feel how his foot feels. He still has a slight discomfort, but nothing major.” Bolt crashed his car in a ditch along a rain-slick road on April 29. He later had a procedure on his left foot to remove thorns that he stepped in as he exited the car. Bolt had the stitches removed on Tuesday. Bolt is slated to race a 150m at the Manchester Street race on May 17, but Mills said it was still too early to say if Bolt would run.
■OLYMPICS
Canadians tout seal skin
Canadian parliamentarians want their Olympic team to wear seal skin on their uniforms at the 2010 Vancouver Winter Games in protest of a EU import ban on seal products. Local news reports said on Thursday that an according — non-binding — motion from the Bloc Quebocois was supported by all parteies and that the Games from Feb. 12 to Feb. 28 are to promote seal products. Opposing seal hunting carried out by Canada and ther countries, the EU on Tuesday decided on an import ban for all seal products. However, Canadian Olympic Committee president Mike Chambers was quoted as saying that seal products on the uniforms would politicize the Games.
■INDY RACING
Andretti sets the pace
Marco Andretti is the fastest driver after the first full day of practice for the Indianapolis 500. Thirty-two drivers were on the track on Thursday, with Andretti’s top lap at 225.478mph (362.85kph). Penske teammates Helio Castroneves and Ryan Briscoe were next, followed by defending champion Scott Dixon and his Ganassi teammate Dario Franchitti. Robert Doornbos was the fastest rookie and seventh overall. The slowest was Stanton Barrett, who finished his rookie test.
■BEACH VOLLEYBALL
Tournaments postponed
Three international beach volleyball tournaments scheduled for Mexico this month were postponed because of concerns over the swine flu outbreak. Events in Manzanillo and Puerto Vallarta will be pushed back to June, and the one in Baja California will be played in September, Roosevelt Comarazamy, a spokesman for the North, Central America and Caribbean Volleyball Federation, said on Thursday. The primary international circuit, FIVB Swatch Tour, does not have any events scheduled in Mexico, but the women’s junior world championships are scheduled for Tijuana and Mexicali from July 16 to July 25. A contingency plan was in place if Mexico was deemed unsafe, the FIVB said.
■BASEBALL
Diamondbacks sack Melvin
The Arizona Diamondbacks sacked manager Bob Melvin on Thursday, hoping a new hand at the helm can turn around a disappointing season for the young team. “This is a difficult decision, but I feel that our organization needs to move forward with a new voice,” general manager Josh Byrnes said in a statement. Hitting coach Rick Schu was also sent packing, and pitching coach Bryan Price resigned. The club said Melvin’s replacement would be announced at a press conference prior to their home game against Washington yesterday.
■ICE HOCKEY
Police investigate threats
Police are investigating a death threat directed at Washington Capitals star Alex Ovechkin that was posted on a NHL Internet message board. The Capitals said they were alarmed by the threat and notified police. “We became aware of an inappropriate comment on a message board and referred it to the appropriate authorities,” a statement issued on Thursday by the Capitals said. The message talked about killing Ovechkin and the writer said he didn’t care if he went to jail. Pittsburgh TV station WPXI reported that the author is a 17-year-old who lives in the Pittsburgh, Pennslyvania, area. olice searched a home and seized a laptop computer in connection with the incident, the report said.
■DIVING
Chinese win in Florida
Olympic champions Guo Jingjing and Wu Minxia of China won the women’s synchronized 3m springboard at the USA Diving Grand Prix in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, on Thursday. Guo and Wu scored 335.10 points to easily head off Kelci Bryant and Ariel Rittenhouse of the US. Tania Cagnotto and Francesca Dallape of Italy got the bronze medal. David Boudia and Thomas Finchum of the US won the men’s synchronized platform in a field of five teams without Olympic champions. Britain’s Max Brick and Thomas Daley took the silver medal and Canada’s Reuben Ross and Riley McCormick placed third.
■ATHLETICS
Wariner ready for Osaka
Three-time Olympic track gold medalist Jeremy Wariner has every reason to be confident heading into today’s Osaka Grand Prix given his past form at the stadium. Wariner, who took silver in the 400m at last year’s Beijing Olympics, will contest his specialist event, facing Beijing bronze medalist and fellow American David Neville. Wariner has had good results over the years at Nagai Stadium, running a personal-best 43.45 in winning the 400 last year. He clocked a time of 45.06 last month at the Drake Relays. It was also at Nagai where Wariner won gold in the men’s 400 at the 2007 world championships, leading an American sweep of the podium.
■TENNIS
Transsexual competes
Chilean Andrea Parades von Roth has become the first transsexual to compete in professional women’s tennis since American Renee Richards, who played in the late 1970s and early 1980s. The 37-year-old, who was born as Ernesto Paredes, made her debut at a low-level tournament in Buenos Aires where she failed to win a single game against a British qualifier, Nicola Slater. “This is already a dream come true for me,” she said before going on to lose 0-6, 0-6. Parades was given the go-ahead by the International Tennis Federation in November last year after she submitted documentation detailing her hormone treatment and a sex-change operation carried out in 2000.
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
Four-time NBA all-star DeMarcus Cousins arrived in Taiwan with his family early yesterday to finish his renewed contract with the Taiwan Beer Leopards in the T1 League. Cousins initially played a four-game contract with the Leopards in January. On March 18, the Taoyuan-based team announced that Cousins had renewed his contract. “Hi what’s up Leopard fans, I’m back. I’m excited to be back and can’t wait to join the team,” Cousins said in a video posted on the Leopard’s Facebook page. “Most of all, can’t wait to see you guys, the fans, next weekend. So make sure you come out and support the Beer
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