FORMULA ONE
Schumacher still in coma
Michael Schumacher remained in an induced coma yesterday after spending a third night in hospital with severe brain injuries sustained during a skiing accident in the French Alps. The German racing great entered the New Year in a critical condition with his family at his bedside and doctors unsure of his future after a second operation to remove a blood clot in his brain. The seven-time world champion fell and slammed his head on a rock while skiing off-piste on Sunday at the upmarket Meribel ski resort. On Tuesday, doctors were surprised by a slight improvement in his condition which allowed them to perform the second nearly two-hour long procedure, but said he was “not out of danger” yet. Jean-Francois Payen, head of the intensive care unit at the hospital in the French Alpine city of Grenoble, warned that Schumacher was not out of the woods. “We cannot speculate on the future,” Payen said. “We cannot say he is out of danger, but we have gained some time.”
GOLF / TENNIS
McIlroy, Wozniacki engaged
Two-time major golf champion Rory McIlroy and former women’s tennis world No. 1 Caroline Wozniacki announced their engagement yesterday in postings on Twitter. McIlroy, the 24-year-old former world No. 1 from Northern Ireland, posted pictures of himself and Wozniacki, and a diamond ring on a woman’s left ring finger. “Happy New Year everyone! I have a feeling it’s going to be a great year!! My first victory of 2014 #shesaidyes!!” he posted. On her Twitter page, Wozniacki posted the same pictures with the caption “Happy New Year everyone! Rory and I started 2014 with a bang! ... I said YES!!!!” Wozniacki, 23, withdrew from a WTA event in Brisbane last weekend due to a shoulder injury, but the Dane is looking forward to playing in Sydney next week in a tune-up event for the Australian Open. McIlroy captured his first major title at the 2011 US Open and added another at the 2012 PGA Championship. Wozniacki is still seeking her first Grand Slam title.
SOCCER
Chelsea post annual loss
Chelsea have posted annual losses of more than US$80 million, but the club remains confident of complying with UEFA’s Financial Fair Play rules. The club slipped back into the red a year after making a profit for the first time since Russian billionaire owner Roman Abramovich’s takeover in 2003. Chelsea lost £49.4 million (US$81.7 million) in the year to June 30 last year, after making a profit of £1.4 million in 2011-2012, but UEFA allows unlimited investment on infrastructure and youth development, which Chelsea believes accounted for about £15 million in spending in 2012-2013. UEFA is allowing losses of up to 45 million euros (US$62 million) in the first monitoring period — 2011 to last year — without the risk of being barred from European competition.
ICE HOCKEY
Phaneuf signs new deal
The Toronto Maple Leafs locked up a key member of their defense by signing captain Dion Phaneuf to a seven-year contract extension, the team said on Tuesday. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed by the team, but local reports said the contract is worth US$49 million. “Dion is our team leader and has been a pillar in our building process,” Maple Leafs general manger Dave Nonis said. “He has proven to be a very durable and reliable defenseman in all facets of the game.” Phaneuf, 28, began his career with the Calgary Flames, but was traded to Toronto in 2010. Phaneuf has 110 goals and 245 assists in 630 career games.
A sumo star was born in Japan on Sunday when 24-year-old Takerufuji became the first wrestler in 110 years to win a top-division tournament on his debut, triumphing at the 15-day Spring Grand Sumo Tournament in Osaka despite injuring his ankle on the penultimate day. Takerufuji, whose injury had left him in a wheelchair outside the ring, shoved out the higher-ranked Gonoyama at the Edion Arena Osaka to the delight of the crowd, giving him an unassailable record of 13 wins and two losses to claim the Emperor’s Cup. “I did it just through willpower. I didn’t really know what was going
The US’ Ilia Malinin on Saturday produced six scintillating quadruple jumps, including a quadruple Axel, in the men’s free skate to capture his first figure skating world title. The 19-year-old nicknamed the “Quad god,” who is the only skater to land a quadruple Axel in competition, dazzled with an array of breathtakingly executed jumps starting with his quad Axel and including a quadruple Lutz in combination with a triple flip and a quadruple toe loop in combination with a triple toe. He added an unexpected triple-triple combination at the end to earn a world-record 227.79 in the free program for a championship
Shohei Ohtani’s interpreter is being criminally investigated by the IRS, and the attorney for his alleged bookmaker said Thursday that the ex-Los Angeles Dodgers employee placed bets on international soccer — but not baseball. The IRS confirmed Thursday that interpreter Ippei Mizuhara and Mathew Bowyer, the alleged illegal bookmaker, are under criminal investigation through the agency’s Los Angeles Field Office. IRS Criminal Investigation spokesperson Scott Villiard said he could not provide additional details. Mizuhara, 39, was fired by the Dodgers on Wednesday following reports from the Los Angeles Times and ESPN about his alleged ties to an illegal bookmaker and debts well
MLB on Friday announced a formal investigation into the scandal swirling around Shohei Ohtani and his former interpreter amid charges that the Los Angeles Dodgers superstar was the victim of “massive theft.” The Dodgers on Wednesday fired Ippei Mizuhara, Ohtani’s long-time interpreter and close friend, after Ohtani’s representatives alleged that the Japanese two-way star had been the victim of theft, which was reported to involve millions of dollars and link Mizuhara to a suspected illegal bookmaker in California. “Major League Baseball has been gathering information since we learned about the allegations involving Shohei Ohtani and Ippei Mizuhara from the news media,” MLB