SOCCER
Del Bosque stays with Spain
Vicente del Bosque on Thursday confirmed his intention to stay on as coach of Spain, despite their disappointing performance at the World Cup in Brazil. “I have been in contact with federation president [Angel Maria Villar], as well as the secretary-general [Jorge Perez], and I think we are a stable federation and the last six years as a whole have counted for more than the last two games that eliminated us from the World Cup,” Del Bosque said. “They valued my work and we are going to carry on as always.” Del Bosque’s contract runs through to the end of Euro 2016 and his announcement will end speculation that had been mounting since Spain were knocked out of the World Cup following back-to-back defeats against the Netherlands and Chile. After Spain bowed out of the tournament in Brazil by beating Australia 3-0, he said: “We will look for the best decision for our football, with sense and without drama.”
BASEBALL
US All-Stars to play Japan
Hiroshima Carp pitcher Kenta Maeda will take the mound for Japan against a team of All-Stars from Major League Baseball in a six-game series in November. Maeda, who is 9-4 this season with a 2.08 ERA, was one of six players listed for the series on the national team Web site yesterday. The remainder of the squad is to be named later. The All-Stars will be visiting Japan for the first time since 2006. With the start of the World Baseball Classic that year, Japan’s players’ association decided to skip the series and the All-Stars have not returned since. The series is set to begin on Nov. 12 at the Osaka Dome and will be followed by three games at the Tokyo Dome, before wrapping up with games in Sapporo and Okinawa.
MOTOR RACING
Nico Rosberg bows to FIFA
Formula One leader Nico Rosberg ditched plans to put an image of the World Cup trophy on his helmet for the upcoming German Grand Prix following a complaint from FIFA. The German driver wanted to commemorate his country’s World Cup win with a specially designed helmet that also featured the German colors, but FIFA complained that featuring the trophy on the helmet would breach its intellectual property rights. “We appreciate Nico Rosberg’s desire to congratulate the German team and have therefore been in discussions with the Rosberg team, who have now found a solution whereby he will still be able to show his support for Germany without using FIFA’s intellectual property in a commercial context,” FIFA said in a statement on Thursday. “FIFA brands cannot be allowed to be shown on a commercially branded helmet.” Rosberg is to race instead with a modified helmet featuring four golden stars, one for each of Germany’s World Cup wins.
ATHLETICS
Cameroon wrestler found
A Cameroon Commonwealth Games athlete reported missing earlier this week has been found safe and well. Two Cameroonian wrestlers, aged 26 and 31, vanished from their country’s pre-Games training camp in Aberdeen, Scotland, earlier this week. They were reported missing on Tuesday after being last seen at the Hillhead Halls of Residence on Sunday, but Police Scotland confirmed on Thursday that one of the unnamed male athletes had been found in London. It is not yet known whether he is the 26-year-old or the 31-year-old. In a statement, the force said: “Police Scotland can confirm that one of the athletes reported missing from Aberdeen has been traced safe and well in London. Inquiries are continuing to locate the other athlete.”
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
One of Malaysia’s top soccer clubs has pulled out of today’s season-opening Charity Shield after a spate of assaults, including an acid attack, on players in the country. It leaves the kickoff of Malaysia’s season this weekend under a cloud following the unprecedented acts of violence against players, which have left the country shocked and angry. Authorities said they have imposed tighter security, but Selangor said that they would not play in the showpiece curtain-raiser against Malaysian Super League champions Johor Darul Ta’zim (JDT) citing “a series of criminal incidents and recent threats.” Selangor and Malaysia winger Faisal Halim is in intensive care