FOOTBALL
Ray Rice appeal starts
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell testified for more than two hours to start Ray Rice’s appeal hearing on Wednesday, a person familiar with the case said. Rice and his wife, Janay, were to testify yesterday at the offices of former US District Judge Barbara Jones in New York, according to the person, who spoke on condition of anonymity because Jones has told both sides not to discuss details of the private hearing. The source said Goodell spent much of his testimony under cross examination by Rice’s attorneys. Rice spent nearly 10 hours at the hearing, which took place nearly two months after the former Pro Bowl running back was suspended indefinitely by the NFL and released by the Baltimore Ravens. Rice was suspended indefinitely Sept. 8 for violating the NFL’s personal conduct policy after a video of him hitting his then-fiancee was released publicly.
TENNIS
Oudin to have heart surgery
US tennis star Melanie Oudin, who was diagnosed last month with a heart condition, was to undergo surgery for the problem yesterday. The 23-year-old Oudin said she was recently diagnosed with a type of arrhythmia, or irregular heartbeat. Oudin, who reached the quarter-finals of the 2009 US Open, hopes to be able to continue her tennis career in a few weeks.
RUGBY UNION
Williams named at center
Sonny Bill Williams has been named at inside center in the New Zealand team to play England in Twickenham tomorrow in what may be the toughest test of his stop-start rugby union career. Williams was chosen ahead of Malakai Fekitoa and Ryan Crotty to partner Conrad Smith in midfield in only his second Test since returning to rugby after two years in rugby league. Williams marked his return to rugby by scoring two tries against the US last weekend and now has the chance to establish himself at inside center in the absence of the injured Ma’a Nonu.
SOCCER
FA defends Ferdinand ban
Former England captain Rio Ferdinand “should have known better” than to become involved in a Twitter row, the Football Association (FA) said on Wednesday as it explained why it had controversially banned the Queens Park Rangers defender for three matches. Last month the FA also fined Ferdinand £25,000 (US$40,000) for referring to the mother of another Twitter user as a “sket,” a derogatory slang term for a promiscuous woman. “With nearly 6 million followers, Mr Ferdinand is clearly an experienced Twitter user and he should know better than to respond in the way that he did,” a statement issued on behalf of the FA’s independent regulatory commission said. “It is said on his behalf that he is one of the most high profile sportsmen on Twitter and he is, without doubt, a role model for many young people, no doubt throughout the world. His responsibility is therefore that much greater than many others.
SOCCER
James auctions mementos
Former England goalkeeper David James is to auction more than 150 shirts, shorts and soccer balls from his career later this month after being declared bankrupt. The 44-year-old was declared bankrupt earlier this year despite being estimated to have earned about £20 million (US$32 million) from soccer. Several British newspapers cited an expensive divorce from his wife Tanya in 2005, reported to have cost £3 million, as one source of James’ money troubles.
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
If all goes well when the biggest marathon field ever gathered in Australia races 42km through the streets of Sydney on Sunday, World Marathon Majors (WMM) will soon add a seventh race to the elite series. The Sydney Marathon is to become the first race since Tokyo in 2013 to join long-established majors in New York, London, Boston, Berlin and Chicago if it passes the WMM assessment criteria for the second straight year. “We’re really excited for Sunday to arrive,” race director Wayne Larden told a news conference in Sydney yesterday. “We’re prepared, we’re ready. All of our plans look good on
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
When details from a scientific experiment that could have helped clear Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva landed at the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), the leader of the organization’s reaction was unequivocal: “We have to stop that urgently,” he wrote. No mention of the test ever became public and Valieva’s defense at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) went on without it. What effect the information could have had on Valieva’s case is unclear, but without it, the skater, then 15 years old, was eventually disqualified from the 2022 Winter Olympics after testing positive for a banned heart medication that would later