ICE HOCKEY
Fans backing Girgensons
Latvia-born forward Zemgus Girgensons is the unlikely runaway leader in the NHL’s All-Star fan voting thanks to massive support from his hockey-crazed nation, results released on Tuesday showed. Girgensons is far from a household name in North America, but his supporters at home are determined to see the 20-year-old Riga native play in the annual exhibition alongside the game’s biggest stars. The Buffalo Sabres forward has received nearly 82 percent of his 803,805 votes from Latvia. The total is more than double the next player on the list and more than 450,000 more than Pittsburgh captain Sidney Crosby, who has long been the face of the NHL. Girgensons, a first-round draft pick by Buffalo in 2012 playing in his second NHL campaign, has 14 points in 27 games this season and is ranked 142nd overall in scoring. All-Star voting concludes Jan. 1 and the All-Star Game will be played on Jan. 25 in Ohio.
SOCCER
AS Roma to play ICC
Serie A giants AS Roma will join Manchester City and Real Madrid in next year’s International Champions Cup (ICC) in Melbourne, Australia, organizers said yesterday. The three-time Serie A champions round out the three teams taking part in the tournament at the 100,000-capacity Melbourne Cricket Ground from July 18 to July 24. “We had an excellent experience in last year’s ICC in the United States and are confident this tournament will also be a great success with top-notch competition,” Roma chief executive Italo Zanzi said. Organizers are looking to build on the local appetite for top European teams after a crowd of 95,000 watched Liverpool’s 2-0 win over Melbourne Victory at the same venue last year. The tournament is to kick off with Real facing Roma on July 18, followed by City playing the Italian side three days later and then City playing Real on July 24.
SOCCER
FIFA fines Indonesian sides
FIFA said it has fined three Indonesian clubs for publishing secret transfer information on Twitter, the first time soccer’s world governing body has handed out sanctions for such social media offences. Persebaya Surabaya and Persires Bali Devata were each fined SF25,000 (US$25,800) for publishing confidential data on club-linked Twitter accounts, FIFA said in a statement. PSIS Semarang was ordered to pay 15,000 Swiss francs for republishing the other team’s tweets and publishing a confidential letter sent to them by FIFA, the governing body said. The clubs were sanctioned “for breaching their obligation to keep data contained within the FIFA Transfer Matching System strictly confidential,” it said. The Transfer Matching System is a form of online monitoring requires both clubs involved in a deal to input a string of data before FIFA approves it.
SOCCER
Platini wants new FIFA face
Michel Platini is refusing to back incumbent Sepp Blatter or challenger Jerome Champagne in next year’s FIFA presidential election, with the UEFA boss saying he hopes a third candidate will emerge. Speaking to French radio Europe 1 on Tuesday, Platini said it was time for Blatter, who is running for a fifth consecutive term, to leave the stage. “I supported him in 1998 because I think he was the right person at the time, but after five [sic] terms it is time to let some fresh air in and leave the place to someone else,” the Frenchman said. “The image of FIFA is very, very, very bad so that’s why I think it would be good that he [Blatter] stops, but I don’t think he wants to.”
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