CRICKET
Warriors beat Punjab
The Pune Warriors and the Rajasthan Royals recorded their second successive victories in the IPL on Sunday. The Warriors defeated Kings XI Punjab by 22 runs in front of about 40,000 boisterous home fans at the newly built Subrata Roy Sahara Stadium in Pune. West Indies batsman Marlon Samuels hit a brisk 46 in the Warriors’ total of 166-6 against the Adam Gilchrist-led Punjab, who managed 144-8 in reply. In Jaipur, Australia batsman Brad Hodge smashed 44 off 29 balls as the Royals posted 164-5 before fast bowler Amit Singh grabbed two early wickets in as many balls in a comfortable 22-run victory over the Kolkata Knight Riders.
CRICKET
Yuvraj Singh returns to India
India’s World Cup cricket hero Yuvraj Singh returned home yesterday after receiving treatment for a cancerous tumor in the US. Sporting a black jacket and red baseball cap, the 30-year-old all-rounder gave thumbs up signs to well-wishers who had gathered at New Delhi airport to welcome him back. “He is absolutely fine and will rest at home for another 10 to 15 days,” his mother, Shabnam Singh, told reporters at the airport. Left-handed Yuvraj, named man of the tournament after India’s World Cup triumph at home in April last year, was diagnosed with a rare condition, mediastinal seminoma — a malignant tumor between his lungs — soon after the event. After completing three sessions of chemotherapy in Boston in March, he moved to London, before returning to India.
SOCCER
Innsbruck fans go wild
Wacker Innsbruck fans injured a policeman by letting off firecrackers and vandalized toilets during their game in Salzburg, Austria. Salzburg police said in a statement on Sunday that a group of 98 fans arrived late for Saturday’s game after their buses were stopped for checks on a motorway. This took longer than usual “because they were not very cooperative,” police said. The supporters arrived at the stadium as the second half was getting under way and forced their way in. “This ended up with a massive misuse of fireworks against the officers in which one officer was injured,” the statement said, adding that he suffered burns to the shoulder. “Four people suffered minor self-inflicted injuries. The toilets in the visiting fans’ sector were totally demolished.” Police said they were examining video footage to identify the perpetrators. Salzburg won 2-0 to stay on the top of the Austrian Bundesliga.
OLYMPICS
Qatari woman joins team
Teenage shooter Bahia al-Hamad on Sunday became the third Qatari woman to qualify for the Olympics, the first time the conservative Gulf state has sent female competitors to the Games. The 19-year-old al-Hamad claimed her place in the Air Rifle 10m event after an agreement between the Qatar Olympic Committee, the International Shooting Sport Federation and the International Olympic Committee. With a number of recent positive performances at international sporting events, al-Hamad will now be able to take up one of the places at the Games to fulfill the competition quota. In March, al-Hamad competed at the 10th Arab Championships and won a silver medal. Al-Hamad will now join fellow Qatari female competitors, swimmer Nada Mohammed Wafa Arakji and Noor al-Malki, a 100m and 200m sprinter, at the London Games this summer. Qatar’s announcement came just days after Saudi Arabia said that they would not sanction women competitors in an official capacity in London.
Four-time NBA all-star DeMarcus Cousins arrived in Taiwan with his family early yesterday to finish his renewed contract with the Taiwan Beer Leopards in the T1 League. Cousins initially played a four-game contract with the Leopards in January. On March 18, the Taoyuan-based team announced that Cousins had renewed his contract. “Hi what’s up Leopard fans, I’m back. I’m excited to be back and can’t wait to join the team,” Cousins said in a video posted on the Leopard’s Facebook page. “Most of all, can’t wait to see you guys, the fans, next weekend. So make sure you come out and support the Beer
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
Rafael Nadal on Wednesday said the upcoming French Open would be the moment to “give everything and die” on the court after his comeback from injury in Barcelona was curtailed by Alex de Minaur. The 22-time Grand Slam title winner, back playing this week after three months on the sidelines, battled well, but eventually crumbled 7-5, 6-1 against the world No. 11 from Australia in the second round. Nadal, 37, who missed virtually all of last season, is hoping to compete at the French Open next month where he is the record 14-time champion. The Spaniard said the clash with De Minaur was