■BASKETBALL
Bryant outsells Yao in China
Los Angeles Lakers Kobe Bryant has the most popular jersey in China even outselling Chinese superstar Yao Ming, the NBA said on Thursday. Bryant also had the top selling jerseys in Europe and the US, the league said, citing statistics from its official retail stores, league spokesman Rick Pendrick said in a news release. The second best selling jersey was Cleveland’s LeBron James. Houston Rockets center Yao came in sixth place. This is the third consecutive year Bryant’s jersey has been No. 1 in China.
■BASKETBALL
Fight leads to suspensions
Detroit Pistons forward Jonas Jerebko and Miami Heat center Jamaal Magloire have been suspended for their roles in a fight during a pre-season game on Monday, the NBA said. Magloire received a two-game ban for instigating the fight and hitting Jerebko in the face, while Jerebko was suspended for one game after retaliating and striking Magloire, the league said in a statement on Thursday. Their suspensions will begin with the first game of the regular season.
■BOXING
Trial set for Mayweather
A preliminary hearing has been set for boxing trainer Roger Mayweather, who is accused of attacking a female boxer he once trained. The woman told police that 48-year-old Mayweather attacked her on Aug. 2 at an apartment he owned and was renting out. He is charged with felony coercion and battery-strangulation. Mayweather coached his nephew Floyd Mayweather Jr to victory in a comeback fight against Juan Manuel Marquez last month. The preliminary hearing is scheduled for Jan. 15. Justice of the Peace Joseph Sciscento on Thursday quashed a bench warrant that was issued after Roger Mayweather failed to appear in court for arraignment last Friday. Roger Mayweather’s attorney, Bucky Buchanan, says his client will plead not guilty to the charges because the incident is a misunderstanding.
■CRICKET
Trescothick honored
Somerset opener Marcus Trescothick was named English cricket’s player of the year by his fellow professionals on Thursday after another prolific batting season. The former England batsman scored 2,934 runs in all cricket, including 1,817 first-class runs at an average of 75.70. Trescothick, who will take over the Somerset captaincy next season, had already won the Most Valuable Player award, which was given automatically on a points tally secured by his runs, but Thursday’s honor was the result of a vote by his fellow professionals in the Professional Cricketer’s Association. Leicestershire’s 19-year-old batsman James Taylor was named the young player of the year.
■RUGBY
Elsom replaces Mortlock
Stirling Mortlock has been dumped as Australia captain and replaced by Rocky Elsom in a 35-man squad named by coach Robbie Deans on Friday for the Wallabies’ season-ending Grand Slam tour. Media speculation surrounding Mortlock’s captaincy had grown since the 80-cap veteran sustained a serious knee injury during a Test against South Africa in August. He was still named for the tour. “Stirling has done a good job as Australian skipper, both before I became involved, and over the last 16 months,” Deans said in a statement. “He also understands that this initiative has no meaning in terms of his playing future. He has indicated a desire to continue not only to play but also to lead and we respect that.”
■SOCCER
FIFA send Serbia warning
FIFA has warned Serbia they could have points deducted in their World Cup qualifying campaign if their fans keep causing trouble, the Serbian FA said on its Web site on Thursday. It said Serbia had been fined for fan misbehavior during the team’s qualifiers in Austria and Romania, as well as last month’s home game against France. “We have received a very worrying note from the FIFA disciplinary committee saying that we could have points deducted if our fans keep repeating these forbidden acts,” the Serbian FA said. Serbian fans lit dozens of flares and threw them on the pitch in matches with Austria and Romania, having also clashed with security in the latter game. They also lit flares and set off firecrackers during the game with France. The Serbian FA and players have appealed to fans to behave during today’s Group 7 home qualifier with Romania.
■OLYMPICS
Rogge re-elected president
He has presided over four Olympics, led a determined fight against doping and steadied the ship after the worst ethics crisis in the movement’s history. After an eight-year term in office, Jacques Rogge is about to embark on a second — and final — four-year mandate as president of the International Olympic Committee. He goes forward with the Olympic brand in remarkably sound shape despite the economic downturn and other challenges. The 67-year-old Belgian and former orthopedic surgeon is up for re-election on the final day of the IOC session in Copenhagen. The election is a formality as Rogge is the only candidate.
■OLYMPICS
Madrid reveals price tag
Madrid’s candidature for the 2016 Olympics cost 37.8 million euros (US$55.6 million), said the city’s mayor, who confirmed that any decision on whether to launch a third successive bid would be taken in 2011. Madrid was beaten by Rio de Janeiro last week in the final round of voting by the International Olympic Committee to decide the hosts of the 2016 Games. Four years ago, it lost to London for the 2012 Olympics. Of the 37.8 million euros invested, 16.8 million euros came from the city budget and the rest from private businessman, Madrid Mayor Alberto Ruiz-Gallardon told a news conference on Thursday.
■HORSE RACING
Mine That Bird stars on Web
Kentucky Derby winner Mine That Bird will be available for fans to see around the clock via security Web cam installed above his stall at Santa Anita. Track officials said on Wednesday that trainer Chip Woolley Jr agreed to have his star horse appear on video while eating, sleeping and standing around his stall. Mine That Bird is set to run in today’s Goodwood Stakes in preparation for the Breeders’ Cup Classic on Nov. 7 at Santa Anita. Fans can view live video streaming of Mine That Bird at www.oaktreeracing.com.
■GOLF
Jordan breaks smoking ban
Michael Jordan, pal of Tiger Woods and an honorary assistant to the US Presidents Cup team for this week’s match play clash against the Internationals, has already provided a spark — an unwelcome one. The San Francisco Chronicle published a photograph of Jordan puffing a cigar during a practice round at Harding Park golf course — a violation of San Francisco’s smoking ban on public courses. Recreation and Park General Manager Phil Ginsburg told the newspaper that he had asked US PGA Tour officials to remind Jordan of the no-smoking rule.
Revelations of positive doping tests for nearly two dozen Chinese swimmers that went unpunished sparked an intense flurry of accusations and legal threats between the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and the head of the US drug-fighting organization, who has long been one of WADA’s fiercest critics. WADA on Saturday said it was turning to legal counsel to address a statement released by US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) CEO Travis Tygart, who said WADA and anti-doping authorities in China swept positive tests “under the carpet by failing to fairly and evenly follow the global rules that apply to everyone else in the world.” The
Taiwanese judoka Yang Yung-wei on Saturday won silver in the men’s under-60kg category at the Asian Judo Championships in Hong Kong. Nicknamed the “judo heartthrob” in Taiwan, the Olympic silver-medalist missed out on his first Asian Championships gold when he lost to Japanese judoka Taiki Nakamura in the finals. Yang defeated three opponents on Saturday to reach the final after receiving a bye through the round of 32. He first topped Laotian Soukphaxay Sithisane in the round of 16 with two seoi nage (over-the-shoulder throws), then ousted Indian Vijay Kumar Yadav in the quarter-finals with his signature ude hishigi sankaku gatame (triangular armlock). He
RALLY: It was only the second time the Taiwanese has partnered with Kudermetova, and the match seemed tight until they won seven points in a row to take the last set 10-2 Taiwan’s Chan Hao-ching and Russia’s Veronika Kudermetova on Sunday won the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix women’s doubles final in Stuttgart, Germany. The pair defeated Norway’s Ulrikke Eikeri and Estonia’s Ingrid Neel 4-6, 6-3, 10-2 in a tightly contested match at the WTA 500 tournament. Chan and Kudermetova fell 4-6 in the first set after having their serve broken three times, although they played increasingly well. They fought back in the second set and managed to break their opponents’ serve in the eighth game to triumph 6-3. In the tiebreaker, Chan and Kudermetova took a 3-0 lead before their opponents clawed back two points, but
Taiwanese gymnast Lee Chih-kai failed to secure an Olympic berth in the pommel horse following a second-place finish at the last qualifier in Doha on Friday, a performance that Lee and his coach called “unconvincing.” The Tokyo Olympics silver medalist finished runner-up in the final after scoring 6.6 for degree of difficulty and 8.800 for execution for a combined score of 15.400. That was just 0.100 short of Jordan’s Ahmad Abu Al Soud, who had qualified for the event in Paris before the Apparatus World Cup series in Qatar’s capital. After missing the final rounds in the first two of four qualifier