Disgraced former New Zealand cricketer Lou Vincent has admitted match-fixing and is ready to accept any punishment he receives.
The 35-year-old Vincent had previously said he was cooperating with anti-corruption officials from both the International Cricket Council (ICC) and the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) relating to allegations of his involvement in the spot-fixing of dozens of matches.
He was charged by the ECB under its anti-corruption code last month and is expected to receive a lifetime ban from the sport. He was also banned by the Bangladesh Cricket Board for three years for failing to report an approach from match fixers.
“My name is Lou Vincent and I am a cheat,” the former top-order batsman said in a statement issued to local media on Tuesday. “I have abused my position as a professional sportsman on a number of occasions by choosing to accept money through fixing.”
“I have lived with this dark secret for many years, but just months ago I reached the point where I decided I had to come forward and tell the truth,” he said.
“It’s a truth that has rightly caused uproar and controversy in New Zealand and around the world,” he added, before going on to describe the distress he felt for his behavior.
“I have shamed my country. I have shamed my sport. I have shamed those close to me. For that I am not proud. I lost faith in myself and the game. I abused the game I love. I had to put things right,” he said. “Speaking out. Exposing the truth. Laying bare the things I have done wrong is the only way I can find to begin to put things right. The time has come for me to now face them like a man and accept the consequences, whatever they may be. I accept my punishment.”
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
HSIEH MAKES QUARTERS: Taiwan’s Hsieh Su-wei and Elise Mertens of Belgium won in the women’s doubles and face Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Sofia Kenin of the US Top-ranked Iga Swiatek and US Open champion Coco Gauff were knocked out of the women’s singles at the Miami Open on Monday, while Taiwan’s Hsieh Su-wei advanced in the women’s doubles. Swiatek lost to Ekaterina Alexandrova 6-4, 6-2, hours after third seed Gauff fell in three sets to No. 23 Caroline Garcia 6-3, 1-6, 6-2. Alexandrova beat a top-ranked player for the first time and advanced to face Jessica Pegula, a 7-6 (7/1), 6-3 winner over Emma Navarro, in the quarter-finals. Alexandrova recorded her second win over Swiatek, following a 2021 victory in Melbourne. Swiatek had won their three matches since. “We played quite