■TENNIS
Venus Williams pulls out
Seven-time Grand Slam winner Venus Williams pulled out of next week’s Cincinnati Open with a knee injury, the tournament’s organizers said on Friday. Williams, disappointed to miss out after making her debut in the event last year, said she experienced pain in her knee last week after returning to her normal practice schedule. “My medical advisors and physio have recommended that I refrain from competition until I am pain free,” Williams, whose sister and world No. 1 Serena will also not be competing, said in a statement released by the organizers. “Unfortunately, I am not at a point where I can commit to competing next week.” Despite losing Venus Williams, the event still boasts eight top 10 players on the WTA Tour, and 26 of the top 30, including defending champion and top seed Jelena Jankovic, defending US Open champion Kim Clijsters and three-time Grand Slam champion Maria Sharapova.
■DIVING
Guo to skip Asian Games
The world’s most successful female diver, Guo Jingjing, will skip this year’s Asian Games in southern China, state media said yesterday, fueling speculation about her future in the sport. “We have selected a 20-member provisional squad for the diving events of the Guangzhou Asian Games and Guo Jingjing is not included,” Zhou Jihong, head of the Chinese diving team, was quoted as saying by Xinhua news agency. China’s most famous female athlete, Guo won six Olympic medals — four of them gold — at the 2004 and 2008 Games. The 29-year-old has not competed since the East Asian Games in December last year, the report said, fueling speculation that reports saying she would retire could be true. “Whether she will resume training or retire, we have to wait and see,” Zhou said.
■FOOTBALL
Okung agrees six-year deal
Offensive tackle Russell Okung, the sixth player selected in this year’s NFL Draft, has agreed to a six-year US$46.5 million contract with the Seattle Seahawks, the NFL said on its Web site on Friday. The deal included a guaranteed US$30 million, but could net Okung up to US$58 million with performance-based bonuses. Okung was the last first-round pick to sign. Running back C.J. Spiller agreed to terms with the Buffalo Bills earlier in the day. “It feels great, I always say this is the best job in the world,” Okung said.
■GOLF
Westwood out with injury
Lee Westwood pulled out of the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational and next week’s USPGA Championship on Friday because of a badly swollen right calf and ankle. The British world No. 3 has been hampered by the injury since before the start of last month’s French Open, but he battled through that tournament and The Open at St Andrews. “I will be out for as long as it takes to get better,” Westwood said in a statement after carding a six-over 76 in the second round at Firestone Country Club. “I am just hoping that it will be in time for me to play in the (Oct. 1 to Oct. 3) Ryder Cup.”
■CYCLING
Armstrong to defend title
Seven-time Tour de France champion Lance Armstrong will defend his title at the Leadville 100 mountain bike race next Saturday and fellow American Levi Leipheimer will race alongside him. Organizers announced the two Radio Shack teammates will be among a field of 1,500 riders who are set to start the top US cycling high-altitude endurance challenge.
■NORWAY
Taiwanese girls triumph
Kaohsiung Municipal Ruei-siang High School’s girls’ team won their age category tournament at the 2010 Norway Cup on Friday, the first time in 23 years that a Taiwanese team has tasted victory at the world’s largest youth soccer tournament. Ruei-siang High School were level at 1-1 in the final with Bergen Nord from Norway after normal time, but the team from southern Taiwan broke the deadlock in the last minute of extra time to triumph. It was the first time that the Ruei-siang High School team had participated in the tournament. Ruei-siang won their five games on the way to the final 6-0, 7-1, 5-0, 7-0 and 5-0. The Norway Cup, held in Oslo, attracted the participation of up to 30,000 youngsters from 51 nations.
■FRANCE
‘Mutineers’ attend hearing
France captain Patrice Evra and Nicolas Anelka were among five players summoned on Friday for a disciplinary hearing for their part in Les Bleus’ mutiny during the World Cup, the French Football Federation (FFF) said. Eric Abidal, Franck Ribery and Jeremy Toulalan were the other three players ordered to appear for the hearing along with Evra and Anelka, who was sent home from South Africa during the tournament for insulting coach Raymond Domenech. France’s Word Cup ended in shame with the players boycotting a training session in support of Anelka and the team were subsequently eliminated in the first round. The five have been branded by French media as “the ring leaders of the mutiny of Knysna” — the South African town were the squad refused to train two days before their last group game.
■ITALY
Prandelli rings changes
National coach Cesare Prandelli called up newcomers Mario Balotelli and Brazilian-born Amauri on Friday for a friendly against Ivory Coast, the team’s first match since their disastrous World Cup campaign. Sampdoria striker Antonio Cassano also returns to the squad for the first time since Euro 2008. Prandelli’s predecessor Marcello Lippi snubbed Inter’s Balotelli as well as Cassano for the World Cup in South Africa and many blamed the dismal showing on his decision to stick with experienced but ageing players. Juventus striker Amauri — who only recently obtained an Italian passport — is one of seven new names for the friendly against Ivory Coast next Monday in London.
■RUSSIA
Smog causes postponements
Two league matches were postponed on Friday as heavy smog caused by wildfires cloaked Moscow, sparking health fears for players and fans. Spartak Moscow’s home clash with Zenit-St Petersburg and the Moscow derby between Dynamo and CSKA were called off as high levels of toxic particles were detected. Earlier on Friday, the Russian Football Union (RFU) moved Wednesday’s friendly match with Bulgaria to Saint Petersburg also because of the heavy smog in Moscow. “It’s impossible to play in Moscow under existing conditions. It can be dangerous for the players’ health,” RFU chief Sergei Fursenko said.
■NETHERLANDS
Champs held by Roda
Champions Twente Enschede were held to a goalless draw at Roda JC Kerkrade on the opening day of the league season on Friday. Despite dominating the match Twente, now coached by Belgian Michel Preud’homme after predecessor Steve McClaren joined Bundesliga side Wolfsburg, failed to capitalize on their supremacy.
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