■ BASKETBALL
Fire breaks out at champs
An electrical fire broke out at the site of the medal round of the women’s world basketball championship in Karlovy Vary, Czech Republic. There were a few hundred people in the arena at the time of Monday’s fire. One person was taken to a hospital to be treated for smoke inhalation, according to a FIBA official. Black smoke billowed out of KV Arena, but the fire was quickly contained and there was no damage. Team practices in the afternoon were moved to another site, but an exhibition game was played without a problem on Monday night.
■ FOOTBALL
Hall of Famer Blanda dies
George Blanda, a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame following a 26-year career as a quarterback and kicker, has died, the Oakland Raiders said on Monday. He was 83. Though he played 10 years with the Chicago Bears and seven more with the Houston Oilers of the AFL, he was best-known for his nine seasons with the Raiders. He was the greatest clutch player the game of pro football had ever known, Raiders owner Al Davis said when Blanda was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1981. Blanda, who retired at the age of 48, was responsible for four dramatic victories and a last-second tie for the Raiders as either a quarterback or kicker, the team said on its Web site. No cause of death was immediately released.
■ SOCCER
Assaulted coach quits
AEK Athens coach Dusan Bajevic, who suffered a vicious assault by fans last month, has quit after they threw seats at him following Sunday’s shock 3-1 defeat by newly-promoted Olympiakos Volos. A group of fans kicked and punched Bajevic during a pre-season friendly on Aug. 8 and a section of the crowd threw seats towards him after Sunday’s defeat, although none hit him. It was the 61-year-old Serbian’s third stint in charge of the club, but a group of the fans are apparently enraged by his previous job coaching rivals Olympiakos. He told reporters at a post match news conference: “I will not be talking about the game, what I can say is that I have informed the president and the players that I have resigned.”
■ VOLLEYBALL
Cameroon beat Australia
Cameroon came back from a set down to beat Australia 3-1 on Monday and earn its first ever victory at the men’s volleyball world championships in Italy. The victory sent the African nation through to the second round and eliminated Australia. Cameroon’s German coach Peter Nonnenbraich said in tears, “You can’t imagine what this victory means for people in Africa.” Jean Patrice Ndaki Mboulet, who plays for the Sakai Blazers in Osaka, Japan, led Cameroon with 26 points for a total of 65 in three matches.
■ BASEBALL
Verdict in Adenhart case
A man was convicted on three counts of second-degree murder on Monday in Santa Ana, California, over the killing of Angels pitcher Nick Adenhart while drunk driving. A jury found Andrew Gallo, 23, guilty over the crash in April last year in which Adenhart and two others died. A judge had already found Gallo guilty on Friday of driving on a suspended license at the time of accident. Gallo had pleaded not guilty to three counts of second-degree murder in the deaths of 22-year-old Adenhart, his girlfriend 20-year-old Courtney Stewart and Henry Pearson, a 25-year-old friend. A fourth person in the car was also hurt. He is scheduled to be sentenced on December 10.
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
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
Taiwan’s Lee Jhe-huei and Yang Po-hsuan on Saturday won the men’s doubles bronze medal at the Badminton Asia Championships in Ningbo, China, after they were bested by the hosts in their semi-final. The Taiwanese shuttlers lost to China’s Liang Wei Keng and Wang Chang, who advanced to yesterday’s final against Malaysia’s Goh Sze Fei and Nur Izzudin. The Chinese pair outplayed Lee and Yang in straight games. Although the Taiwanese got off to a slow start in the first game, they eventually tied it 14-14, before Liang and Wang went on to blow past them to win 21-17. In the second game, Lee and