OLYMPICS
Wrestler stripped of gold
Nearly three months after the closing ceremony, another Olympic athlete has been stripped of a medal for a doping violation at the London Games. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has disqualified Soslan Tigiev, a freestyle wrestler from Uzbekistan who won bronze in the 74kg class, two officials familiar with the case said. Tigiev tested positive for the banned stimulant methylhexaneamine and the result was not confirmed until after the games finished on Aug. 12, the officials said. The case has remained confidential while going through the IOC’s disciplinary process. Hungary’s Gabor Hatos is to be upgraded to bronze. Tigiev becomes the second athlete from the London Olympics stripped of a medal because of a doping violation. Nadzeya Ostapchuk of Belarus had her gold in the women’s shot put revoked by the IOC after testing positive for the steroid metenolone.
SOCCER
FIFA scraps Thai stadium
Soccer’s governing body FIFA has forced Thailand to move the knockout stages of the Futsal World Cup from a purpose-built US$40 million stadium after the venue failed safety tests. A FIFA inspection team found the Bangkok Futsal Arena “will not be ready” to host the main games of the indoor football competition, including the Nov. 18 final, the body said in a statement. Despite spending of a reported US$40 million, the venue has been dogged by construction problems, including a delay until late last week of the delivery of the wooden flooring that makes up the pitch. Although “significant progress has been made, including the installation of a pitch,” the stadium fell short of key safety criteria, FIFA said on Tuesday. “The safety of spectators, teams and all other visitors to the stadium are of paramount importance. FIFA … therefore concluded that such a fundamental issue … cannot be compromised.” The quarter-final, semi-final and final matches will be played at an another indoor stadium in Bangkok that is hosting group games.
CYCLING
Olympians in new team
Olympic champions Laura Trott, Dani King and Joanna Rowsell have signed for a new women’s team supported by fellow British London 2012 cycling gold medalist and Tour de France winner Bradley Wiggins. The DTPC (Dream Team Pro Cycling) Honda Pro Cycling Team are to be registered in Britain and will be led by Australia’s Rochelle Gilmore. A statement issued on Tuesday said Commonwealth Games champion Gilmore was “presently in deep negotiations [over the naming rights] with a global company based in the United Kingdom. The team is also privileged to have the personal backing of British cycling legend Bradley Wiggins CBE through the Wiggo Foundation.”
SOCCER
Evans loses rape appeal
Wales soccer international Ched Evans on Tuesday lost his Court of Appeal challenge against his conviction for rape. The 23-year-old, who played for Sheffield United as a striker, was jailed for five years in April after being found guilty of raping a woman who prosecutors said was “too drunk to consent.” Evans was accused of raping the 19-year-old woman at a north Wales hotel in May last year while two friends attempted to film the incident using a mobile phone. He applied for leave to appeal against his conviction, but three judges rejected his case. The three judges also threw out a bid by Evans to have his sentence reduced.
Bayer 04 Leverkusen go into today’s match at TSG 1899 Hoffenheim stung from their first league defeat in 16 months. Leverkusen were beaten 3-2 at home by RB Leipzig before the international break, the first loss since May last year for the reigning league and cup champions. While any defeat, particularly against a likely title rival, would have disappointed coach Xabi Alonso, the way in which it happened would be most concerning. Just as they did in the Supercup against VfB Stuttgart and in the league opener to Borussia Moenchengladbach, Leverkusen scored first, but were pegged back. However, while Leverkusen rallied late to
The lights dimmed and the crowd hushed as Karoline Kristensen entered for her performance. However, this was no ordinary Dutch theater: The temperature was 80°C and the audience naked apart from a towel. Dressed in a swimsuit and to the tune of emotional music, the 21-year-old Kristensen started her routine, performed inside a large sauna, with a bed of hot rocks in the middle. For a week this month, a group of wellness practitioners, called “sauna masters,” are gathering at a picturesque health resort in the Netherlands to compete in this year’s Aufguss world sauna championships. The practice takes its name from a
Japanese players are moving to English soccer in record numbers and more look set to follow with clubs attracted by their quality, strong work ethic and value for money. Kaoru Mitoma is the standout talent of five Japanese players in the English Premier League, with eight more in the Championship and two in League One. Liverpool midfielder Wataru Endo, the captain of Japan, believes his compatriots are “being held in higher esteem” by English clubs compared with the past. “The staff at Liverpool ask me about lots of Japanese players, not necessarily with a view to a transfer, but just saying this or
Taiwan yesterday survived Bosnia and Herzegovina to win their Davis Cup World Group I tie at the Taipei Tennis Center. The tight series started on Saturday with world No. 123 Jason Tseng losing 3-6, 7-5, 6-4 to Mirza Basic in the opening singles matchup. However, teammate Tony Wu kept the tie even, dominating world No. 86 Damir Dzumhur 6-2, 6-1. Yesterday, 24-year-old Ray Ho and partner 25-year-old Hsu Yu-hsiou kept up the momentum, making short work of Basic and Nerman Fatic, winning 6-3, 6-4. Tseng then suffered another defeat, losing 6-4, 2-6, 6-2 to Dzumhur in a brutal match that lasted more than two