CRICKET
Hurricanes sign Ponting
Former Australia captain Ricky Ponting has signed with new Tasmanian franchise Hobart Hurricanes for the Twenty20 Big Bash League, Cricket Tasmania said yesterday. Ponting, who began his first-class career with the island state but rarely plays because of his international playing commitments, said he was excited about representing the Hurricanes in the Dec. 30 to Feb. 5 tournament. “It’s always nice to represent your home state when you can and this is a great opportunity to play some exciting cricket in front of the passionate Hobart fans,” Ponting said.
SOCCER
FIFA evidence piles up
A FIFA-commissioned investigation into claims that Asian soccer chief Mohamed bin Hammam used bribes in his bid for the organization’s top job has found fresh evidence, the Guardian reported yesterday. Bin Hammam and then-vice president Jack Warner were suspended on May 29 when a leaked report revealed that four Caribbean Football Union associations had been offered money or had seen the offense occurring during a meeting on May 10 and May 11. A further five associations have now told former FBI director Louis Freeh, who is heading the investigation, that they were offered US$40,000 in brown paper envelopes in return for their vote in the presidential election. Bin Hammam, who was hoping to unseat Sepp Blatter from the leading role at FIFA, has said that many of those claiming to have received money were not able to vote.
CYCLING
Aussie cyclist hit, killed
Australian road cyclist Carly Hibberd has been hit and killed by a car while training in Italy, with the country’s top cycling stars expressing shock at her death. The 26-year-old moved to Italy in 2009 to pursue her career as a professional, initially with the Michela Fanini-Record-Rox team. She switched to the Cassina Rizzardi A Style Fionucci team, based near Como, at the start of the current season. Cycling Australia said Hibberd was on a training ride with fiance and fellow rider Cameron Rogers north of Milan on Wednesday when she was struck by a car. Emergency services flew to the scene by helicopter, but were unable to save her. Rogers was unhurt. News of her death sent shockwaves through Australia’s close-knit cycling community, with leading riders expressing their condolences on microblogging site Twitter. “I’m very, very sorry, I ride that road too,” wrote Australian star Cadel Evans from the Tour de France, where he held off a late charge from Alberto Contador to claim a prestigious victory on the fourth stage on Tuesday.
SOCCER
Liverpool sign Charlie Adam
Liverpool manager Kenny Dalglish has struck his second major blow in the transfer market this summer after agreeing a deal to sign fellow Scotsman Charlie Adam from relegated Blackpool. The Reds confirmed the news on their Web site on Wednesday, saying the 25-year-old would now travel to Merseyside to undergo a medical and discuss personal terms. Liverpool had previously had two bids rejected in the January transfer window for Adam, with the highest offer reported to be in the region of £6.5 million (US$10.4 million). This time, however, it is understood that Blackpool have accepted £7.5 million rising to £8 million depending on appearances. The Seasiders had wanted to keep Adam in January to aid their battle against the drop.
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
MLB on Friday announced a formal investigation into the scandal swirling around Shohei Ohtani and his former interpreter amid charges that the Los Angeles Dodgers superstar was the victim of “massive theft.” The Dodgers on Wednesday fired Ippei Mizuhara, Ohtani’s long-time interpreter and close friend, after Ohtani’s representatives alleged that the Japanese two-way star had been the victim of theft, which was reported to involve millions of dollars and link Mizuhara to a suspected illegal bookmaker in California. “Major League Baseball has been gathering information since we learned about the allegations involving Shohei Ohtani and Ippei Mizuhara from the news media,” MLB