BASKETBALL
Jackson fined for tweet
The National Basketball Association (NBA) fined San Antonio’s Stephen Jackson US$25,000 on Sunday for a “hostile statement” directed toward Oklahoma City’s Serge Ibaka on Twitter. The fine came after Jackson posted a message on the social networking site that said of Ibaka: “Next time he run up on me im goin in his mouth. That’s a promise. He doin 2 much.” Jackson later apologized and deleted the message, which was widely interpreted as a defense of his friend and former teammate Metta World Peace, who had a brief tussle with Ibaka in a game on Friday. “I apologize to Serge Ibaka, the NBA and to all my fans for the comments I made,” Jackson tweeted. The Spurs have been quick to respond, with general manager RC Buford calling Jackson’s original comments “absolutely unacceptable” and vowing to coordinate with the league on a suitable punishment.
ICE HOCKEY
Player-owner spat continues
National Hockey League (NHL) owners and players are hoping to get negotiations on how to divide the league’s US$3.3 billion in annual revenue back on track this week after talks broke down on Thursday, deputy NHL commissioner Bill Daly said on Sunday. The dispute is costing the league between US$18 million and $20 million a day, the NHL has said. Players have been locked out since mid-September and more than 400 regular season games, plus the All-Star Game, have been canceled. The work stoppage is the league’s fourth in 20 years. While both sides have agreed in principle to a 50-50 revenue split, they are still at odds over how to reach the target, with owners demanding an immediate reduction from the 57 percent players receive under the previous agreement, while the player’s union sought to see cuts brought in gradually.
SOCCER
Cech to test goal technology
Chelsea goalkeeper Petr Cech yesterday said he was delighted to be featuring in a FIFA trial of goal-line technology. Cech was between the posts during Luis Garcia’s infamous “ghost goal” for Liverpool against the London club in the Champions League 2004 and 2005 semi-final. “I’m very happy with the decision and the trial,” Cech said, referring to FIFA’s use of two technologies at the Club World Cup in Japan. “I’ve been saying for the last 10 years that the game needed it. You can see with history that results in certain competitions could have been different.” FIFA are testing two goal-line technologies at the Japan showpiece: the camera-based Hawk-Eye and GoalRef, a system that uses magnetic fields and a ball with a special chip to determine its trajectory and position. GoalRef will be available to the referee when Chelsea take on Mexican side Monterrey in the semi-finals at Yokohama International Stadium on Thursday.
GOlF
Thailand gets new tour event
Thailand’s reputation as a hub for golf was burnished yesterday after Asian Tour organizers said they will add the new Chiang Mai Golf Classic to the schedule next year, a fourth event for the kingdom. The inaugural tournament will star some of Asia’s best players, including Thai heroes Thongchai Jaidee and Thaworn Wiratchant — the tour’s current Order of Merit leader — the Asian Tour said. Thongchai hailed the Chiang Mai event as “a wonderful development for the game” showing “the growing strength of the Asian Tour.” The event will have a US$750,000 purse and will be held between March 28 and March 31 at the Alpine Golf Resort-Chiang Mai.
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