SOCCER
Cup kickoff venue unready
The stadium hosting the FIFA World Cup opening match on June 12 will not be finished in time for its final test event, its owners said on Friday. Sao Paulo’s Corinthians Arena had to schedule a last-minute test for today — 11 days from the Cup kickoff — after the first test on May 18 subjected 36,000 fans to broken elevators, exterior lighting problems, patchy cellphone connectivity and a drenching storm that forced some to move higher because part of the glass-paneled roof was unfinished. Stadium owners Corinthians say safety officials only authorized them to sell 40,000 tickets for their match against Botafogo today, still short of the 65,000 fans expected for the World Cup opener between Brazil and Croatia. Firefighters have concerns over two extra seating areas with a capacity of 10,000 each. The club said one was “in the process of being finished,” with the other only authorized to open at half capacity, according to Fast Engenharia, the company installing the structures.
SOCCER
Luiz happy to head to PSG
David Luiz on Friday said he is happy to start a new phase of his career at Paris Saint-Germain, after the Ligue 1 side reached a deal to buy the Brazilian defender from Premier League club Chelsea. “I made a point of wrapping everything up before coming to train with the national team,” he told journalists at Brazil’s base camp outside Rio de Janeiro, where they are preparing to launch their FIFA World Cup campaign on June 12. “It’s a new phase, a new project, a new country, a new language... I was very happy at Chelsea, I won titles, but I had arrived at the end of a cycle.” Cash-flush PSG are reportedly paying US$84 million for Luiz, a world-record fee for a defender. Asked about playing at PSG with Thiago Silva, he said his Brazil teammate and fellow defender is a “marvelous person who always makes me really happy,” adding: “We’ve never been rivals.”
GOLF
Trio lead Nordea Masters
Spain’s Alvaro Quiros shot a five-under 67 on Friday to move to the top of the Nordea Masters leaderboard, along with Frenchman Victor Dubuisson and Eddie Pepperell of England. All three are six-under after two rounds on the PGA Sweden National’s Lakes Course in the Swedish city of Bara. Even though Quiros had two eagles, he was disappointed with his putting, telling europeantour.com: “I’ve been hitting the ball very well from tee to green, but even with the scores, I’ve had I have not putted great.” Second-ranked Henrik Stenson birdied the last hole to move within a shot of the coleaders, while fellow Swede and Masters runner-up Jonas Blixt missed the cut after his second straight 74. Several players struggled in the strong winds, including Miguel Angel Jimenez, who shot a 73 for a two-under total.
BOBSLED
Olympian Zubkov attacked
Two-time Olympic bobsled champion Alexander Zubkov was injured on Thursday when unknown attackers smashed up the car he received from the government for winning golds at February’s Sochi Games in Russia. Local media said Zubkov was involved in a confrontation outside his home near Moscow when attackers smashed his Mercedes-Benz with bats. Zubkov told the ITAR-Tass news agency he sustained “small puncture wounds and a damaged wrist.” “Maybe the attack was the result of someone ordering it,” he said. Zubkov’s car bears large stickers identifying it as one of the vehicles presented to Sochi medalists. His grandfather and three-year-old son witnessed the attack.
OUT AGAINST INDONESIA: Taiwan reached the semi-finals at the tournament for the first time by defeating Denmark, with Chou Tien-chen beating Viktor Axelsen Taiwan yesterday crashed out of the Thomas Cup team competition in Chengdu, China, but achieved their best result at the top-tier badminton event by reaching the semi-finals. Indonesia were too good in the semis, winning 3-0 to advance to today’s final against China, who eliminated Malaysia 3-1. In the opening singles of the men’s team clash at the Hi-Tech Zone Sports Center Gymnasium 2, Anthony Ginting defeated Taiwan’s Chou Tien-chen 21-18, 21-19 in 51 minutes, which put a huge hole in Taiwan’s aspirations to perhaps even make the final. In the men’s doubles, Fajar Alfian and Muhammad Ardianto downed Lee Yang and Wang
NO DOUBT: Spurs star Wembanyama was unanimously selected as NBA Rookie of the Year, winning all 99 votes to become the first Frenchman to capture the honor The Minnesota Timberwolves on Monday night produced a dominant defensive display to seize a commanding 2-0 lead in their best-of-seven playoff series against the Denver Nuggets with a 106-80 road victory. The third-seeded Timberwolves harassed Denver relentlessly to claim a second straight win over the NBA champions as the series heads back to Minneapolis for Game 3 on Friday. Karl-Anthony Towns and Anthony Edwards scored 27 points apiece, but the star of the show was Minnesota’s suffocating defensive effort, which knocked Denver out of their stride almost from the tip-off. The Timberwolves finished with 11 steals and 12 blocks, in sharp contrast to
Top-ranked Iga Swiatek on Saturday came through “the most intense and crazy final” she has ever contested to avenge her loss to Aryna Sabalenka in last year’s Madrid Open final with a grueling three hour, 11 minute victory in the Spanish capital. Coming back from 1-3 down in the decider and saving three match points in total, Swiatek claimed a 7-5, 4-6, 7-6 (9/7) victory to secure the Madrid Open trophy for the first time. “Well, who is going to say now that women’s tennis is boring, right?” Swiatek said. Swiatek, who picked up the 20th title of her career, and ninth at
Playing soccer and competing for trophies is the best way that many transplanted Hong Kongers and Macanese have found to stay in touch, and to interact with Taiwanese society, said officials at the Taiwan-Hong Kong-Macau Football Friendship Cup, which was held on April 13. Twelve clubs, mostly of players and coaches originally from Hong Kong and Macau, took part in the tournament in New Taipei City. The event is sponsored by the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) and the Taiwan-Hong Kong Economic and Cultural Co-operation Council. Participating teams were from the wider Taipei area, Hsinchu, Taichung, Kaohsiung and other areas. They divided into two