OLYMPICS
Illegal ticket seller arrested
British police said they arrested a man suspected of illegally offering to sell London Games tickets. The Metropolitan Police Service arrested the 23-year-old man at his home on Monday in Brent, England, after it was tipped off about activity on social networking sites luring people to a fraudulent Web site offering tickets to next year’s Games. Police said on Tuesday it was the first arrest of its kind. The man has been bailed to return in early August. Police are warning people to be wary of buying tickets from unauthorized sources.
HOCKEY
Belfour heads Fame list
Former All-Star goalie Ed Belfour has been elected to the Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility, joining Doug Gilmour, Mark Howe and Joe Nieuwendyk as the newest class of inductees. The four former NHL stars were chosen by the hall’s 18-member selection committee on Tuesday. Belfour, a two-time Vezina Trophy winner as the league’s top goalie, posted 484 wins — third on the NHL career list — and 76 shutouts during a 17-year career during which he played for Chicago, San Jose, Dallas, Toronto and Florida.
RUGBY UNION
McCaw could be fit to play
Canterbury Crusaders assistant coach Daryl Gibson is confident All Blacks captain Richie McCaw will be fit for the Super 15 semi-final against South Africa’s Stormers on Saturday. Gibson said All Blacks backrower Keiran Read was also likely to be fit for the match in Cape Town, South Africa. McCaw has been sidelined for the past month with a foot injury and Read was in doubt after injuring an ankle during last weekend’s elimination qualifier against the Durban-based Sharks. Gibson said “we anticipate Richie will be back and he will lead the team. Kieran, too, is expected to be fit.” He said it was “a pure luxury” for the Crusaders to be able to name a full strength team at this stage of the season.
HOCKEY
Canucks’ Bieksa extended
The Vancouver Canucks signed defenseman Kevin Bieksa to a five-year contract extension, the NHL team said on Tuesday. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed, but local media reports have suggested the deal is worth US$23 million. Bieksa, Vancouver’s fifth-round selection in the 2001 NHL Entry Draft, has 34 goals and 147 points in 347 games with the only team he has played for. A cornerstone of the Vancouver blueline, Bieksa had five goals and five assists the Stanley Cup playoffs. The Stanley Cup finalists still have two key defensemen unsigned with Christian Ehrhoff and Sami Salo set to hit the free agent market tomorrow.
CRICKET
‘Big Bash’ salary cap set
Cricket Australia say eight city-based teams in Australia’s revamped Twenty20 “Big Bash” competition will have a salary cap of A$1 million (US$1.05 million). The teams, including two each from Melbourne and Sydney, can sign up to 18 players, including up to two from overseas, within the cap, Cricket Australia said yesterday. Players will be paid retainers, not match fees. Retired Sri Lankan spinner Muttiah Muralitharan and attacking West Indies allrounder Chris Gayle are the highest-profile international players figuring in contract speculation. The Indian Premier League, which spawned a number of domestic Twenty20 competitions around the world, imposed a US$9 million salary cap on its clubs for this year’s competition.
MOTHER KNOWS BEST: Warriors’ coach Kerr said his 91-year-old mother criticized him for his attitude toward officials that led to his ejection from Monday’s game Shai Gilgeous-Alexander on Wednesday rescued the Oklahoma City Thunder with a game-tying buzzer-beater before finishing with 46 points in a 129-125 overtime victory against the Utah Jazz. The reigning NBA champions looked to be heading for a third straight loss after the Jazz inched into a 114-112 lead following Lauri Markkanen’s layup with just three seconds remaining in the fourth quarter. However, NBA Most Valuable Player Gilgeous-Alexander drained a superb 13-foot jump shot to tie it up at 114-114 as the buzzer sounded to send the game into overtime. Gilgeous-Alexander then took over in the extra period with nine points as the Western
Mohamed Salah’s Egypt knocked reigning champions Ivory Coast out of the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) with a 3-2 win in the quarter-finals on Saturday, while Victor Osimhen starred as Nigeria beat Algeria 2-0 to set up a clash with hosts Morocco. In Agadir, Morocco, a thrilling last-eight tie saw Omar Marmoush and Ramy Rabia net in the first half for the Pharaohs before an own goal by Ahmed Aboul-Fetouh brought the Ivorians back into it. Salah then got Egypt’s third early in the second half and they held on after Guela Doue again reduced the deficit. Egypt is to face Senegal
AUSTRALIAN ADVENTURE: Sabalenka aims to follow up with a third Australian Open win, while Taiwanese Joanna Garland claimed a WTA 125 title in Canberra Aryna Sabalenka beat Karolina Muchova in straight sets to reach her third Brisbane International final in a row yesterday, a week ahead of the Australian Open. Sabalenka looked in great touch against the tricky Czech, who had won their last three meetings and went into the match as one of the few players with a winning record over the world No. 1. However, Sabalenka showed her class and power as she broke Muchova once in each set to take the semi-final 6-3, 6-4 in 89 minutes to face Ukraine’s Marta Kostyuk in the final. “I struggled against her a couple of times [in
Brandon Miller scored 18 points, LaMelo Ball had 17 and the Charlotte Hornets built a 47-point lead in the first half of a 150-95 rout against the Utah Jazz on Saturday night. It was the second-biggest win in franchise history for the Hornets and their largest on the road. The Hornets bounced back from a pair of frustrating losses in a big way, having fallen to Toronto by one point and Indiana by two in their last two games. Charlotte pounded the NBA champion Thunder by 27 in Oklahoma City before those defeats, previously the Hornets’ most lopsided victory of the season. Tre
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