■OLYMPICS
Jamaica to miss bobsled
Jamaica’s bid to have its bobsled team compete in this month’s Vancouver Winter Olympics has come up short. The list of nations who qualified and entered bobsled events at Vancouver, obtained by reporters on Wednesday, failed to include Jamaica — which had spent the last few weeks hoping that a slot opened in the field. Those hopes were dashed, and on Wednesday the Jamaicans acknowledged that all chance for this year was gone. “We’ve been in battles for many, many years,” Chris Stokes, a founding member of the Jamaican bobsled team more than 20 years ago, told AP in a phone interview. “This is one more. But it’s disappointing, no question about that. The guys worked really hard and did well. Not qualifying, it’s by no means a failure. It’s a step going forward.” Officials from the Vancouver organizing committee are in the process of certifying those entries. There remains a chance more nations could be added, but for that to happen a sled that has entered must drop out. The Jamaicans say they’re no longer waiting for that to happen. “I am told there are no other options at this point,” team spokesman Stephen Samuels said.
■SOCCER
Rangers make it five straight
Rangers strolled into the League Cup final with a comprehensive 2-0 semi-final win over St Johnstone at Hampden in Glasgow on Wednesday to reach their fifth successive final since Walter Smith returned as manager in 2007. Rangers will meet St Mirren in the final next month. Nacho Novo and Steven Davis had come close before the latter gave the Old Firm side the lead. Lee McCulloch fired a second from range in the first-half before substitute Steven Naismith had a penalty saved with 20 minutes left.
■SOCCER
US winger’s car blown up
US midfielder DaMarcus Beasley’s BMW car was set on fire outside his home in Glasgow on Monday night. Police in the Scottish city are continuing to investigate the incident, which it described as “willful fireraising.” Beasley wrote on Twitter on Wednesday: “Someone blew up my car ... I’m doin ok, just glad no one got hurt.” Beasley, who moved to Glasgow in 2007, added: “In the market for a new car! LOL. Gotta try to find some humor.” Rangers have described it as a “disturbing and deplorable incident.”
■RUGBY LEAGUE
Tuqiri going to Australia
Fiji-born Australia wing Lote Tuqiri yesterday announced he would switch codes and countries, leaving England’s Leicester for a three-year contract with Australian rugby league club Wests Tigers. Tuqiri, who signed with Leicester just three months ago, said he would return to Australia in March to begin his National Rugby League (NRL) contract with Sydney’s Wests. “There is no question the NRL is one of the toughest sporting competitions in the world and I am confident Wests Tigers will enjoy great success in the coming years,” Tuqiri said in a statement. “The opportunity to play under the most experienced coach in the game in Tim Sheens was a major factor in my decision. Wests Tigers is a club with a great culture and a terrific roster of players. I am thrilled to be joining them.” Tuqiri, 30, has played both league and union for Australia but has not been involved with the Wallabies since his central contract was canceled in July over an alleged code of conduct breach.
A sumo star was born in Japan on Sunday when 24-year-old Takerufuji became the first wrestler in 110 years to win a top-division tournament on his debut, triumphing at the 15-day Spring Grand Sumo Tournament in Osaka despite injuring his ankle on the penultimate day. Takerufuji, whose injury had left him in a wheelchair outside the ring, shoved out the higher-ranked Gonoyama at the Edion Arena Osaka to the delight of the crowd, giving him an unassailable record of 13 wins and two losses to claim the Emperor’s Cup. “I did it just through willpower. I didn’t really know what was going
The US’ Ilia Malinin on Saturday produced six scintillating quadruple jumps, including a quadruple Axel, in the men’s free skate to capture his first figure skating world title. The 19-year-old nicknamed the “Quad god,” who is the only skater to land a quadruple Axel in competition, dazzled with an array of breathtakingly executed jumps starting with his quad Axel and including a quadruple Lutz in combination with a triple flip and a quadruple toe loop in combination with a triple toe. He added an unexpected triple-triple combination at the end to earn a world-record 227.79 in the free program for a championship
Shohei Ohtani’s interpreter is being criminally investigated by the IRS, and the attorney for his alleged bookmaker said Thursday that the ex-Los Angeles Dodgers employee placed bets on international soccer — but not baseball. The IRS confirmed Thursday that interpreter Ippei Mizuhara and Mathew Bowyer, the alleged illegal bookmaker, are under criminal investigation through the agency’s Los Angeles Field Office. IRS Criminal Investigation spokesperson Scott Villiard said he could not provide additional details. Mizuhara, 39, was fired by the Dodgers on Wednesday following reports from the Los Angeles Times and ESPN about his alleged ties to an illegal bookmaker and debts well
HSIEH MAKES QUARTERS: Taiwan’s Hsieh Su-wei and Elise Mertens of Belgium won in the women’s doubles and face Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Sofia Kenin of the US Top-ranked Iga Swiatek and US Open champion Coco Gauff were knocked out of the women’s singles at the Miami Open on Monday, while Taiwan’s Hsieh Su-wei advanced in the women’s doubles. Swiatek lost to Ekaterina Alexandrova 6-4, 6-2, hours after third seed Gauff fell in three sets to No. 23 Caroline Garcia 6-3, 1-6, 6-2. Alexandrova beat a top-ranked player for the first time and advanced to face Jessica Pegula, a 7-6 (7/1), 6-3 winner over Emma Navarro, in the quarter-finals. Alexandrova recorded her second win over Swiatek, following a 2021 victory in Melbourne. Swiatek had won their three matches since. “We played quite