BOXING
Indian reprieve unlikely
The Indian Boxing Federation’s (IBF) suspension is not likely to be lifted, as it has failed to call fresh elections needed for it to return to the international fold. The International Boxing Association, the sport’s world body, told The Associated Press by e-mail it has “worked to try and find a way forward for boxing in India,” but the process has become difficult due to problems among various factions of the IBF. The IBF was suspended in December last year for not following proper election procedures when it elevated previous president Abhay Singh Chautala to chairman of the body. It is also no longer recognized by India’s sports ministry.
CYCLING
Russian Tinkov buys team
The cycling team run by Bjarne Riis and containing two-time Tour de France champion Alberto Contador has been bought by Russian businessman Oleg Tinkov and will be known as Tinkoff-Saxo for the next three years. Tinkov’s purchase of Riis Cycling was confirmed on Monday at a news conference in London. Riis will stay on as general manager of the team, with Danish investment specialist Saxo Bank becoming the secondary sponsor. Riis says the deal secures “the long-term stability of the team,” which “now has the funding and foundation to continue to be a major player on the world tour and to further raise our ambitions.”
FIGURE SKATING
Olympic spots debated
The naming of Australia’s women’s Olympic figure-skating team has been delayed after Sochi hopeful Chantelle Kerry took a dispute over the selection of fellow prospect Brooklee Han to the Court of Arbitration for Sport. The Australian Olympic Committee was expected to announce all of its figure skating positions today. Chantelle Kerry claims that US-born Han is ineligible for Sochi because she entered an event without the approval of the national federation. The CAS hearing is scheduled for next week. Han, who is based in Connecticut, was born and raised in the US, but can qualify for the Australian team through her father’s nationality.
BOXING
Fighters swap microphones
British boxer Amir Khan will be in the arena when Devon Alexander defends his world welterweight title on Saturday, just not in the ring as the US champion had originally intended. Khan will serve as a ringside commentator for Showtime for the telecast of the card at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center, replacing Paulie Malignaggi, the regular commentator, who will instead be in the ring against Zab Judah in a main-event showdown of hometown heroes. With a deal almost set, Khan decided against fighting US southpaw Alexander for the International Boxing Federation welterweight crown amid speculation that the Briton will be the next opponent for unbeaten Floyd Mayweather Jr in May.
RUGBY UNION
First Test faces clash
England have released the dates and venues for their tour of New Zealand next year, confirming that they will take on the world champions in the first match without players involved in the Premiership final. The three Tests are in Auckland on June 7, Dunedin on June 14 and Hamilton on June 21 with a midweek game against the Crusaders on June 17 in Christchurch. The squad will depart on May 27 and, due to restricted training time and jet-lag recovery protocol, anyone involved in the May 31 Premiership final will not be considered for the first Test.
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