SOCCER
Costa told to choose
Spain coach Vicente del Bosque says it’s up to Diego Costa to decide if he wants to play for his adopted country or his native Brazil. Del Bosque says “we have done everything we need to, now it’s the player’s personal decision,” while adding that even though the Spanish federation had “reached an agreement” with Diego Costa “it wasn’t decisive.” Diego Costa has helped Atletico Madrid to a club record start of eight straight victories with his league-leading 10 goals. He has said that if called up he would be willing to play for Spain, who will seek to defend their world title next year in Brazil at the World Cup. Diego Costa holds a Spanish passport and has never played for Brazil, so he is eligible to play for Spain.
RUGBY UNION
Japan coach to miss game
Japan head coach Eddie Jones will miss the upcoming game against the All Blacks following a stroke which has left him with mobility difficulties, the Japan Rugby Football Union said yesterday. The 53-year-old Australian has developed minor difficulties moving his left limbs after suffering a stroke earlier this week. Although he can talk and has left intensive care, he will nonetheless miss out on his squad’s Test against the All Blacks in Tokyo on Nov. 2, the national rugby body said in a statement. He was hospitalized on Tuesday night after complaining of a headache following a flight back to Tokyo from an inspection of the Brave Blossoms’ domestic training camp. Jones was released from the intensive care unit of the hospital, but will require further check-ups, the union said. “I feel sorry for causing such worries at an important time as we prepare for a game against All Blacks and a tour,” he said in a Japanese-language statement released by the union. While he focuses on his health, the Japanese squad will be coached by Scott Wisemantel, a former Wallabies skills coach who serves as a technical adviser for the Japan squad, the union said.
GOLF
Hedblom leads in Perth
Sweden’s Peter Hedblom was the halfway leader of the Perth International yesterday as he sought to win the final tournament on the European Tour to retain his tour card for next season. Hedblom, who shared in a four-way lead after the opening 18 holes, fired a three-under 69 to claim the outright lead at seven-under 137. The Swede was two shots clear of Englishman Ross Fisher, who carded the lowest round of the day shooting five-under 67. While England’s Paul Casey missed the cut, Hedblom was dreaming of a fairy-tale win in the US$2 million Perth tournament at Lake Karrinyup. Casey, a 12-time winner on the European Tour, missed the cut by one stroke after finishing his second round at three-over. The next two days will be make-or-break for Hedblom, who needs to win the tournament to retain his European Tour card for next year. “I don’t really have anything to lose. If I want to play another full year on Tour, I need to win,” Hedblom said. “So I just have to go for it and have fun. I think I’m better when I’m up in the lead rather than trying to shoot a low score to try to get into the lead,” he said. Denmark’s Soren Hansen (71-69) was among five players at four-under 140, while world No. 21 Dustin Johnson of the US was six shots off the pace after a two-over 74. US defending champion Bo van Pelt was at three-under for the tournament. Fisher’s highlight of the round was a 20m chip-in from the bunker on the par-three eighth.
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
RALLY: It was only the second time the Taiwanese has partnered with Kudermetova, and the match seemed tight until they won seven points in a row to take the last set 10-2 Taiwan’s Chan Hao-ching and Russia’s Veronika Kudermetova on Sunday won the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix women’s doubles final in Stuttgart, Germany. The pair defeated Norway’s Ulrikke Eikeri and Estonia’s Ingrid Neel 4-6, 6-3, 10-2 in a tightly contested match at the WTA 500 tournament. Chan and Kudermetova fell 4-6 in the first set after having their serve broken three times, although they played increasingly well. They fought back in the second set and managed to break their opponents’ serve in the eighth game to triumph 6-3. In the tiebreaker, Chan and Kudermetova took a 3-0 lead before their opponents clawed back two points, but