OLYMPICS
No ‘plan B’ for sailing
A spokesman for Rio de Janeiro’s Olympic organizers says there’s “no plan B” for the 2016 Games’ sailing competitions, although the state’s top environmental official has said that pledges to clean up the waters of the sailing venue will not be met. Spokesman Mario Andrade says Olympic organizing officials are assuming the goal of treating 80 percent of sewage generated around the Guanabara Bay will be reached. His comment on Tuesday came just days after Rio de Janeiro State Secretary of State for the Environment Andre Correa acknowledged at a news conference that the cleanup pledges are unattainable. With vast amounts of sewage and household garbage flowing into the bay and just a year-and-a-half to go before the Games, Olympic sailors’ health and safety has become a hot-button issue.
RUGBY UNION
No Fiji Super rugby match
The Canterbury Crusaders have rejected taking their Super rugby match against the Wellington Hurricanes to Fiji and confirmed yesterday they will instead play in New Zealand. Pacific island nations have been pressing for a taste of Super rugby for several years, but Crusaders chief executive Hamish Riach said the May 29 game will be played in Nelson, which is in the Crusaders catchment area. Reports from Fiji two months ago said an undisclosed backer had been found to underwrite moving the game to the Pacific because the Crusaders home venue at AMI stadium is being used for a FIFA Under-20 World Cup game. However, the players were opposed to the idea, saying the additional travel could compromise their hopes for an eighth Super title as it was their only designated home game in the last month of the regular season. “The travel does take it out of you,” All Blacks and Crusaders flyhalf Dan Carter said. “Playing in Fiji does provide its challenges, especially at such a critical stage of the season ... when it is a pretty important game we want to win.”
CRICKET
Broad apologizes for tweet
England fast bowler Stuart Broad on Tuesday said he had not meant to insult low-paid workers following an angry response to a tweet about Britain’s minimum wage. “I’ve heard if you earn minimum wage in England you’re in the top 10 percent earners in the world. #stay #humble,” the 28-year-old posted in a now deleted tweet. Given Broad, a senior England player for several years, earns considerably more than the minimum wage, there were many who took issue with his comments. However, Broad subsequently insisted the hashtag was meant as a reminder to himself rather than a general instruction to the public. “Clarifying my earlier tweet, I merely wanted to emphasize my amazement at just how big the world is,” he said. “No offense meant and sorry if any taken. The hashtag was aimed at myself.”
BASKETBALL
Oladipo in Slam Dunk
The Orlando Magic’s Victor Oladipo, last year’s NBA Rookie of the Year runner-up, and Brooklyn Nets standout Mason Plumlee are among four rising stars named on Tuesday to the 30th NBA Slam Dunk Contest. Greek 20-year-old forward Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks and Minnesota rookie guard Zach LaVine will also compete in the annual showdown of acrobatic leaps and spectacular ball-jamming staged on the eve of the annual NBA All-Star Game. The Feb. 14 event will highlight All-Star Saturday festivities at the Barclays center in New York.
Four-time NBA all-star DeMarcus Cousins arrived in Taiwan with his family early yesterday to finish his renewed contract with the Taiwan Beer Leopards in the T1 League. Cousins initially played a four-game contract with the Leopards in January. On March 18, the Taoyuan-based team announced that Cousins had renewed his contract. “Hi what’s up Leopard fans, I’m back. I’m excited to be back and can’t wait to join the team,” Cousins said in a video posted on the Leopard’s Facebook page. “Most of all, can’t wait to see you guys, the fans, next weekend. So make sure you come out and support the Beer
Revelations of positive doping tests for nearly two dozen Chinese swimmers that went unpunished sparked an intense flurry of accusations and legal threats between the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and the head of the US drug-fighting organization, who has long been one of WADA’s fiercest critics. WADA on Saturday said it was turning to legal counsel to address a statement released by US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) CEO Travis Tygart, who said WADA and anti-doping authorities in China swept positive tests “under the carpet by failing to fairly and evenly follow the global rules that apply to everyone else in the world.” The
Taiwanese judoka Yang Yung-wei on Saturday won silver in the men’s under-60kg category at the Asian Judo Championships in Hong Kong. Nicknamed the “judo heartthrob” in Taiwan, the Olympic silver-medalist missed out on his first Asian Championships gold when he lost to Japanese judoka Taiki Nakamura in the finals. Yang defeated three opponents on Saturday to reach the final after receiving a bye through the round of 32. He first topped Laotian Soukphaxay Sithisane in the round of 16 with two seoi nage (over-the-shoulder throws), then ousted Indian Vijay Kumar Yadav in the quarter-finals with his signature ude hishigi sankaku gatame (triangular armlock). He
Rafael Nadal on Wednesday said the upcoming French Open would be the moment to “give everything and die” on the court after his comeback from injury in Barcelona was curtailed by Alex de Minaur. The 22-time Grand Slam title winner, back playing this week after three months on the sidelines, battled well, but eventually crumbled 7-5, 6-1 against the world No. 11 from Australia in the second round. Nadal, 37, who missed virtually all of last season, is hoping to compete at the French Open next month where he is the record 14-time champion. The Spaniard said the clash with De Minaur was