HOCKEY
Tallon named for award
Dale Tallon’s overhaul of the Florida Panthers’ roster, which led to the team’s first division title, earned him a nomination for the General Manager of the Year Award, the National Hockey League (NHL) said on Tuesday. Doug Armstrong of the St Louis Blues and David Poile of the Nashville Predators were the other two finalists for the award, which will be presented on June 20 at the NHL Awards in Las Vegas. Tallon added six forwards, two defensemen and a new starting goalie ahead of the 2011-2012 season and Florida enjoyed results sooner than most pundits had expected by earning 22 points more than the prior season, winning the Southeast Division title and snapping a 12-year playoff drought. Montreal Canadiens left winger Max Pacioretty, who missed his club’s final 15 games last year after a devastating hit, was named a finalist for the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy awarded to the player who exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to hockey.
OLYMPICS
LeRoy Walker dies at 93
LeRoy Walker, the first black US Olympic team coach and president of the US Olympic Committee (USOC), has died at the age of 93, the USOC said on Monday. Walker was a member of both the US National Track and Field Hall of Fame and the US Olympic Hall of Fame. “We join the entire Olympic family in remembering and appreciating the vast contributions he made to the worldwide Olympic Movement throughout his 93 years of life,” Walker coached the US men’s athletics team at the 1976 Montreal Olympics and also worked with Olympic teams from Ethiopia, Israel, Jamaica, Kenya and Trinidad and Tobago. A coach and chancellor at North Carolina Central University in Durham, he served as USOC president from 1992 to 1996.
OLYMPICS
Boat race protester barred
The protester who halted Britain’s annual boat race this month by swimming into the crews’ path has been banned by a court from going near the route of the Olympic torch for fear he could try to make a political point. Australian Trenton Oldfield, 35, appeared in a London court on Monday on charges of causing a public nuisance when he dived into the River Thames and swam into the path of the boats from Oxford and Cambridge, forcing the race to be temporarily stopped. Oldfield wrote in Twitter messages following his stunt that his aim was to protest about the inequality in the UK that in his view is perpetuated by elite institutions like Oxford and Cambridge. Prosecutor Edmund Hall asked for specific bail conditions, arguing that Oldfield represented a threat to several high-profile London events, including the 2012 Olympics torch relay set to begin in the middle of next month. “[Oldfield] seeks to entice other persons to commit similar acts to the one he is now charged with,” Hall said.
OLYMPICS
US to face North Korea
The US will face old political foes North Korea on the soccer field once again at the London Olympics after the draw for the women’s tournament threw the two sides together on Tuesday. The US women, who will be chasing their fourth Olympic title in five tournaments since the first at the Atlanta Games in 1996, have played North Korea in the last four World Cups, but never before in an Olympic tournament. North Korea lost 2-0 to the top-ranked US, twice world champions, in a group-stage match at the women’s World Cup in Germany in June last year.
SOCCER
China conducts bribery trial
Two former heads of China’s soccer association are among eight officials and players on trial for bribery, in a major push to punish the wrongdoings that had long tarnished the sport. Courts in the northeastern province of Liaoning are hearing the cases of Xie Yalong and his successor, Nan Yong. Xie is accused of taking US$273,000 in bribes from sports equipment manufacturers, professional clubs and a former national team coach. Nan is accused of taking at least US$160,000 yuan in bribes. Others on trial include former national team manager Wei Shaohui, former head of referees Li Dongsheng and four former national team players.
CRICKET
S Africa declines invitation
Cricket South Africa (CSA) has declined an invitation to play limited-overs and Twenty20 internationals in Bangladesh next month. “Unfortunately there are too many practical obstacles that prevent us from accepting this commitment,” CSA chief executive Jacques Faul said. “At the moment most of our senior Proteas are spread around the world ... and those who are at home are undergoing rehabilitation from injuries picked up during the past season. We also have to bear in mind that the Proteas squad has a hectic schedule ahead.” South Africa tours England and Australia either side of the World Twenty20 in Sri Lanka in September.
SOCCER
‘Kiss’ cannot be punished
Players pretending to kiss each other might be frowned upon in Mexico, but it is not a punishable offense. The Mexican Football Federation said on Tuesday it would not take any action against two male players who feigned a smooch following a goal. America player Christian Benitez and his Argentine teammate Matias Vuoso pantomimed a kiss after Benitez scored the final goal that gave their team a 3-2 victory over Puebla. Benitez, an Ecuador forward, covered Vuoso’s mouth with his hand before pretending to kiss him during Sunday’s match. “This kind of image cannot be allowed before the public, fans, children. It cannot be seen as a good example,” said Alfonso Sabater, the head of the federation’s disciplinary commission.
SOCCER
No Twitter for Denmark
Denmark’s players will be banned from using Twitter at Euro 2012 in Poland and Ukraine in June. “There is so much communication during the championships that we want to limit it to meetings with the media,” the Danish Football Association’s communications chief Lars Berendt told the TV2 program Sporten. Several squad players, including Stoke City goalkeeper Thomas Sorensen and Ajax Amsterdam playmaker Christian Eriksen, are active on Twitter. “There was a time when we lived without Twitter and we’ll be able to do it during the Euros,” tweeted Sorensen, who has more than 20,000 followers on the social media tool.
OLYMPICS
Coach to watch Beckham
Britain’s Olympic team coach Stuart Pearce will fly to the US next week to watch David Beckham play for the Los Angeles Galaxy before deciding whether to select the veteran midfielder. The 36-year-old Beckham has been included in an 80-man shortlist which must be whittled down to 18 players as Britain prepare to compete at the Olympics for the first time since 1960. “David Beckham will be treated exactly the same as any other individual,” Pearce said on Tuesday. “I have a duty of care to the Great Britain squad to try and win a gold medal. I will pick the strongest possible squad I can.”
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
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
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
The sacred flame for the Paris Olympics was lit yesterday in Olympia, Greece, the birthplace of the ancient Games, in a ceremony inspired by antiquity and marked by messages of hope amid multiple global crises. “In ancient times, the Olympic Games brought together the Greek city states, even — and in particular — during times of war and conflict,” International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach said. “Today, the Olympic Games are the only event that brings the entire world together in peaceful competition. Then as now, the Olympic athletes are sending this powerful message — yes, it is possible to compete fiercely