RUGBY UNION
Cheika gets Wallabies job
Australia yesterday announced Michael Cheika as the new Wallabies coach ahead of a tough European tour. “Central to our decision was selecting a world-class coach who can lead us to victory in next year’s Rugby World Cup,” Australian Rugby Union chief executive Bill Pulver said. He described the 47-year-old as “the only coach in history to coach both a European Cup winning side and a Super Rugby winning side.” Cheika’s track record includes winning the European Cup with Irish side Leinster in 2009 and the Waratahs’ maiden Super XV title earlier this year. “I am going to have to work hard and learn quickly, but I am up for the challenge,” Cheika said. “I’ll be doing my best, that’s the only thing I can guarantee.” The Wallabies are due to fly to Europe tomorrow for a five-match tour, which includes Tests against Wales, France, Ireland and England. Cheika is still contracted to the Waratahs until the end of next year and he will retain that position while coaching the Wallabies.
FORMULA ONE
Caterham’s future in doubt
The future of the struggling Caterham team was thrown into further doubt on Tuesday when an administrator laid claim to their race cars and warned they could not leave the factory without his agreement. However, team sources disputed that and said they should not be affected by legal action involving a separate company to the one that holds the official entry rights to the championship and owns the cars. Finbarr O’Connell, appointed on Friday last week as a joint administrator of Caterham Sports Ltd, said he hoped the situation could be resolved in the next few days. The cars are due to leave the factory in central England at the weekend to be flown to Austin, Texas, for next week’s US Grand Prix. “My legal advice is that I own the cars and won’t be allowing the cars out of the factory until I reach an acceptable agreement,” O’Connell said. Caterham have been fighting for survival since July, when Malaysian entrepreneur Tony Fernandes sold the team to a secretive consortium of investors.
BADMINTON
Shock over dope test report
Malaysians expressed shock and disbelief yesterday after reports claimed national icon and badminton world No. 1 Lee Chong Wei had failed a drugs test. “Still hope this is not true... Whatever the outcome, we still with you!” one user posted on Twitter. Malaysian Sports Minister Khairy Jamaluddin confirmed late on Tuesday that an athlete had tested positive for a banned substance, but refused to name the athlete. However, the Star newspaper and other media reported that Lee, who turned 32 on Tuesday, had failed a random test at the World Badminton Championships in Denmark in late August. Khairy said in a statement on Tuesday that the athlete had applied for a further test to be conducted and was waiting to hear from authorities on the test date.
SOCCER
Levante hire Lucas Alcaraz
Spanish club Levante UD have named Lucas Alcaraz to replace Jose Mendilibar after firing their coach earlier on Tuesday. Mendilibar replaced Joaquin Caparros this season, but failed to maintain the same level of play, with the team scoring a league-low four goals through eight rounds and sitting next-to-last in the standings. Alcaraz, 48, coached Granada last season. The 48-year-old Spaniard has coached several other sides in a 20-year career. Mendilibar is the second coach to be fired from La Liga this week, just hours after Cordoba replaced Albert Ferrer with Miroslav Djukic on Monday.
Bayer 04 Leverkusen go into today’s match at TSG 1899 Hoffenheim stung from their first league defeat in 16 months. Leverkusen were beaten 3-2 at home by RB Leipzig before the international break, the first loss since May last year for the reigning league and cup champions. While any defeat, particularly against a likely title rival, would have disappointed coach Xabi Alonso, the way in which it happened would be most concerning. Just as they did in the Supercup against VfB Stuttgart and in the league opener to Borussia Moenchengladbach, Leverkusen scored first, but were pegged back. However, while Leverkusen rallied late to
The lights dimmed and the crowd hushed as Karoline Kristensen entered for her performance. However, this was no ordinary Dutch theater: The temperature was 80°C and the audience naked apart from a towel. Dressed in a swimsuit and to the tune of emotional music, the 21-year-old Kristensen started her routine, performed inside a large sauna, with a bed of hot rocks in the middle. For a week this month, a group of wellness practitioners, called “sauna masters,” are gathering at a picturesque health resort in the Netherlands to compete in this year’s Aufguss world sauna championships. The practice takes its name from a
Japanese players are moving to English soccer in record numbers and more look set to follow with clubs attracted by their quality, strong work ethic and value for money. Kaoru Mitoma is the standout talent of five Japanese players in the English Premier League, with eight more in the Championship and two in League One. Liverpool midfielder Wataru Endo, the captain of Japan, believes his compatriots are “being held in higher esteem” by English clubs compared with the past. “The staff at Liverpool ask me about lots of Japanese players, not necessarily with a view to a transfer, but just saying this or
Taiwan yesterday survived Bosnia and Herzegovina to win their Davis Cup World Group I tie at the Taipei Tennis Center. The tight series started on Saturday with world No. 123 Jason Tseng losing 3-6, 7-5, 6-4 to Mirza Basic in the opening singles matchup. However, teammate Tony Wu kept the tie even, dominating world No. 86 Damir Dzumhur 6-2, 6-1. Yesterday, 24-year-old Ray Ho and partner 25-year-old Hsu Yu-hsiou kept up the momentum, making short work of Basic and Nerman Fatic, winning 6-3, 6-4. Tseng then suffered another defeat, losing 6-4, 2-6, 6-2 to Dzumhur in a brutal match that lasted more than two