SOCCER
Olympiakos entry cleared
UEFA said Olympiakos will enter the Champions League groups draw tomorrow, despite match-fixing allegations after sport’s highest court rejected an appeal by Panathinaikos. UEFA said the “provisional admission” of Greek champion Olympiakos was confirmed on Monday by the Court of Arbitration for Sport. Panathinaikos, league runners-up last season, challenged a UEFA appeals body decision in June to admit Olympiakos, whose president Vangelis Marinakis is implicated in an alleged criminal conspiracy to fix domestic matches. UEFA rules bar clubs from its competitions and can disqualify them mid-season if any match-fixing allegation since 2007 is proven. UEFA says neither the Greek federation “nor the criminal courts in Athens have rendered any final decision against Mr Marinakis or the club.” Panathinaikos were eliminated from the Champions League qualifying rounds this month.
SOCCER
Balotelli to sign Milan deal
Liverpool misfit Mario Balotelli will return to AC Milan on a season-long loan deal thrashed out by the clubs on Monday, reports in Italy said.Italy international Balotelli’s career has hit the skids since he joined the English Premier League club following last year’s World Cup and he has not played for Italy since. However, with the European Championships in France next summer, the 25-year-old striker is now set for a dramatic return to the club he left just over a year ago. A report on Gazzetta dello Sport’s Web site said Balotelli was to undergo a medical at Milan’s Milanello training ground yesterday. If all goes well, he could be available for Milan’s opening home game of the season against Empoli. The report added there was no clause in the deal that would allow Milan to buy Balotelli outright at the end of the season.
RUGBY UNION
Kevin Mealamu to retire
Hooker Keven Mealamu has announced he will retire after this year’s Rugby World Cup, joining a number of senior All Blacks who are to make the tournament their international swansong. The 36-year-old Mealamu has played 126 Tests for New Zealand since his debut is 2002 — a record for an All Blacks hooker — and a franchise-record 135 Super Rugby matches for the Auckland-based Blues. Mealamu announced his retirement at a news conference yesterday, saying he will take up a role as a rugby ambassador for the New Zealand Rugby Union. “I have loved my time as a rugby player here in New Zealand and loved being part of all the teams I have represented, particularly the All Blacks,” Mealamu said.
FOOTBALL
Hayne puts hand up for spot
Former Australian rugby league star Jarryd Hayne has taken a giant stride toward securing a place on the San Francisco 49ers roster after another dazzling performance in a pre-season game for the NFL giants. Few observers had expected Hayne to force his way onto the 49ers 53-man final roster in his first year, but after a series of impressive pre-season displays, he is now looking increasingly likely to make the cut. On Sunday against the Dallas Cowboys the speedster caught the eye with a 27-yard punt return before notching a 34-yard return. He then contributed another 23-yard run in the first quarter alone. “Obviously the guy’s doing really well. He’s making a great case for himself absolutely,” San Francisco coach Jim Tomsula 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
Playing soccer and competing for trophies is the best way that many transplanted Hong Kongers and Macanese have found to stay in touch, and to interact with Taiwanese society, said officials at the Taiwan-Hong Kong-Macau Football Friendship Cup, which was held on April 13. Twelve clubs, mostly of players and coaches originally from Hong Kong and Macau, took part in the tournament in New Taipei City. The event is sponsored by the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) and the Taiwan-Hong Kong Economic and Cultural Co-operation Council. Participating teams were from the wider Taipei area, Hsinchu, Taichung, Kaohsiung and other areas. They divided into two