BASKETBALL
NBA signs Indo-Canadian
Sim Bhullar and the Sacramento Kings are about to make NBA history. The Kings are signing Indo-Canadian Bhullar to a 10-day contract that will make him the league’s first player of Indian descent, a person with knowledge of the deal said on Wednesday. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the Kings were not expected to announce Bhullar’s deal until yesterday, when David Wear’s 10-day contract expires and a roster spot opens up. The 2.26m, 163.3kg Bhullar is being called up from the team’s NBA Development League affiliate, the Reno Bighorns. The 22-year-old center is to be on the roster tomorrow, when the Kings host the New Orleans Pelicans.
BASEBALL
Vazquez to undergo surgery
Boston Red Sox catcher Christian Vazquez will have Tommy John surgery on his right elbow. The Red Sox said James Andrews would operate yesterday in Gulf Breeze, Florida. Vazquez had been expected to do much of the catching for the Red Sox this season. He was placed on the 60-day disabled list on Monday, when the Red Sox acquired Sandy Leon from the Washington Nationals. Vazquez hit .240 with nine doubles, one homer and 20 RBIs in 55 games for Boston last season.
SOCCER
Brazilian stops, rants at fans
A player from Brazilian top-flight club Internacional confronted his own team’s fans during the middle of a match after being upset by their jeering. Angry with the constant derision, leftback Fabricio gave the ball away to a teammate and then walked toward the fans midway through the second half of Internacional’s match against Ypiranga in a regional tournament on Wednesday. He made several obscene gestures to fans, prompting the referee to immediately send him off. The crowd loudly chanted when the red card was shown. Fabricio then took off his jersey and threw it to the ground as several teammates came over to try to calm him down. As he left the field, Fabricio could be seen telling fans he will never play for the team again.
GOLF
Ko takes aim at record
The rough is a little longer at Mission Hills, giving Lydia Ko an added challenge in her bid to break Annika Sorenstam’s record for consecutive rounds under par. A year after Lexi Thompson blasted her way to victory in the LPGA Tour’s first major of the season, the thick primary rough is about 8cm at the event now called the ANA Inspiration. Thompson is paired with the top-ranked Ko, the 17-year-old New Zealander who will try to match Sorenstam’s 2004 record of 29 straight rounds under par yesterday. Ko started the streak in the first round of her victory last year in the season-ending CME Group Tour Championship. Add in her win in the Ladies European Tour’s New Zealand Women’s Open, and her worldwide streak is 31 rounds.
OLYMPICS
LG boosts S Korean skeleton
South Korean appliances maker LG Electronics has signed a three-year deal to sponsor the country’s skeleton team ahead of the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang. A powerhouse in short-track speed skating, South Korea is hoping to medal in a number of sports when it hosts Asia’s first Winter Games outside Japan, and has been investing time and coaching resources to improve standards. South Korea’s Yun Sung-bin finished eighth at the world championships in Germany last month and is considered a skeleton medal prospect.
RUGBY UNION
Gibson to coach Waratahs
Former New Zealand center Daryl Gibson is set to take over as head coach of the New South Wales Waratahs next year when current coach Michael Cheika focuses solely on Australia’s national team. The Waratahs yesterday said that Gibson, the team’s first foreign-born coach, has a three-year contract beginning in the 2015-2016 season. Cheika is coaching both the Wallabies and Waratahs this season. Gibson, who played 19 Tests for the All Blacks, began his coaching career at the Glasgow Warriors in 2007 before spending three seasons as an assistant coach at the Christchurch, New Zealand-based Crusaders. He has been an assistant coach with New South Wales since 2012.
RUGBY UNION
Muliaina to join Zebre
Former All Black Mils Muliaina is set to leave Irish club Connacht for Italian side Zebre at the end of this season. Zebre said the 34-year-old fullback is joining the Parma-based club on a one-year deal. Operated by the Italian rugby federation, Zebre play in the Guinness Pro12. With 100 caps between 2003 and 2011, the Samoa-born Muliaina stands fifth all-time on the All Blacks appearances list. Zebre team manager Andrea de Rossi said: “In a World Cup year it’s important to try and build a squad that can guarantee an adequate standard even with the absences of many Italian national team players.” Fifteen Zebre players appeared in this year’s Six Nations tournament.
GOLF
Clark to miss US Masters
Tim Clark of South Africa is set to miss the US Masters at Augusta National Golf Club in Georgia next week as he continues to recover from an elbow injury. Thomas Parker, his agent at Professional Advisory Group, said in a text message on Wednesday that Clark’s elbow is feeling better, but that he has not had enough time to adequately prepare for the first major of the year. The 39-year-old Clark finished as runner-up to Phil Mickelson at the 2006 Masters. Clark was eligible for the tournament having won the Canadian Open last year. He has not played since the Sony Open in Honolulu in January. As entrance to the Masters is by invitation only, there is no alternate list. With Clark not playing, the Masters is assured of having less than 100 competitors at Augusta National for the 49th consecutive year.
CYCLING
Kristoff builds De Panne lead
Norwegian rider Alexander Kristoff extended his lead in the Three Days of De Panne race after claiming victory in the second stage on Tuesday. The 27-year-old — recording his second successive stage win in the race and seventh success of the season — beat Italian Elia Viviani and Shane Archbold of New Zealand in a sprint finish. Kristoff, who came second in the Milano-Sanremo one day classic last month, extended his lead in the overall standings to 16 seconds over Belgian Stijn Devolder. Devolder, though, might have fancied his chances of overhauling Kristoff because he is known as a time-trial specialist, and the third and final day of the race yesterday featured a split stage, a 111km road race and a 14km time trial. Kristoff, who has also won stages on the Tour of Oman and the Paris-Nice this term, has his eyes fixed on an even bigger prize, Sunday’s one-day classic Tour des Flandres. “I can win it, but I am not the only one who can,” Kristoff said.
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