SOCCER
Cologne returns to top tier
Cologne will be back in the top tier of the Bundesliga next season after wrapping up the second-division title on Monday evening. Peter Stoeger’s side came from behind to beat Bochum 3-1 in front of a near-capacity crowd at their 50,000-seat Rheinenergiestadion to open up an unassailable 10-point lead over second-placed Greuther Fuerth with just three games remaining, and fans invaded the pitch at full-time in celebration. The Billy Goats are historically one of Germany’s biggest clubs, but have flitted between the top two divisions in recent years and were last among the elite in 2011-2012. Cologne have been German champions three times, including in the inaugural season of the Bundesliga in 1963-1964, but their last major trophy success came in the German Cup in 1983.
TENNIS
Wozniacki out of Stuttgart
Kaia Kanepi of Estonia defeated lucky loser Johanna Konta of Britain 7-6 (7/4), 6-4 to book her place in the second round of the Porsche Grand Prix in Stuttgart, Germany, on Monday. Konta lost her qualifier to Italy’s Giola Barbieri, but was given a place in the first round when former world No. 1 Caroline Wozniacki pulled out of the tournament with a left wrist injury. Dominika Cibulkova of Slovakia also withdrew, with an Achilles injury, a day after losing the Malaysian Open final.
SOCCER
Unions want Cup sleep-ins
Two German labor unions yesterday asked that workers in the soccer-mad country be granted a sleep-in during Brazil World Cup matches that will be screened overnight in Europe. “Employers and works councils should discuss amending working hours, if possible, so that employees can watch the World Cup games,” Mining, Chemicals and Energy Union IG BCE chairman Michael Vassiliadis said. Construction union IG BAU chairman Robert Feiger told the Bild that when matches start later than 10pm local time in Germany, shifts should start later the following day “where possible.” Young Entrepreneurs chairman Lencke Wischhusen agreed that companies, where possible, should delay the start of working shifts during the sporting event. A politician in German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s conservative party also voiced understanding.
SOCCER
Orban opens village stadium
Soccer-mad Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban will not have far to go to catch a game in luxurious surroundings after a new stadium, slammed by critics as an unnecessary extravagance, was inaugurated in his home village on Monday. From a plush VIP box, Orban watched the opening ceremony of the 3,500-seat Pancho Arena next to his home in Felcsut, a village of 1,750 about 45km west of Budapest. Named after celebrated Hungarian soccer player Ferenc “Pancho” Puskas, who died in 2006, the stadium will be the permanent home of Puskas Academy FC, who play in Hungary’s top division. The 13 million euro (US$18 million) bill was partly footed by the state and partly by companies with close ties to Orban’s governing right-wing Fidesz party. The 50-year-old prime minister has granted millions of euros to soccer clubs to improve stadiums or build new ones since coming to power in 2010. However, only a few hundred fans per week attend Puskas Academy FC games, leading to criticism of the stadium as unnecessary, especially at a time when Hungary’s economy struggles to recover from a recession in 2012.
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