CRICKET
PCB buys bulletproof buses
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has bought four bulletproof buses as it tries to convince other teams to shed their security apprehensions and visit the country. Pakistan has largely been shunned by teams since 2009, when gunmen attacked a bus carrying Sri Lankan cricketers, injuring six players and killing six security personnel and two civilians. The incident has forced Pakistan to play their “home” matches in the United Arab Emirates and the country has since remained starved of international cricket at home, barring Zimbabwe’s limited-overs tour last year. “We have bought these four Coaster buses as part of our efforts to revive international cricket in the country,” a PCB spokesman said. “There will be high expectations from teams willing to visit Pakistan and we want to ensure that we provide them with the best possible arrangements.”
OLYMPICS
Venue contracts investigated
Brazilian prosecutors on Thursday said they were investigating the process by which companies were selected to complete work on the Rio de Janeiro Olympic velodrome and equestrian venues. State prosecutors in Rio de Janeiro said in an e-mailed statement the probe was sparked by press reports that private construction companies Zadar and Engetecnica were contracted without a public bidding process. Zadar and Engetecnica could not immediately be reached for comment. Rio’s city government said in a statement it lacked time for a public bidding process. “The city could not stop the works to comply with time requirements,” the statement said. It said Zadar and Engetecnica were hired under emergency contracts.
COLLEGE SPORTS
Twitter to stream matches
Twitter on Thursday announced a deal to stream US college sports matches, boosting its live television offerings as it tries to lure more users and revenue. Twitter will be the top streaming partner for PAC-12 Plus, a broadband network of live events produced by the dozen universities in the conference, according to the organization. At least 150 games are to be streamed on Twitter during the coming academic year. “Twitter is the fastest way to find out what is happening in live sports,” Twitter chief financial officer Anthony Noto said in a joint release. “Our partnership with the Pac-12 Networks will give sports fans a great way to view live sporting events along with the live Twitter conversation they are already accustomed to.”
BASKETBALL
Bryant gets golden sliming
Retired Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant was given the traditional golden sliming at the Kids Choice Sport awards on Thursday after picking up the “Legend” prize. The 37-year-old was presented with the award, an orange blimp with a bushy mohawk, by US actress and singer Zendaya in Los Angeles before four jets emerged from the stage to douse the 18-time All Star in slime. Bryant brought down the curtain on his standout 20-year career with a 60-point showing in his final game against the Utah Jazz in April. He won five NBA Championships with the Lakers, two NBA Finals MVP awards and two Olympic gold medals for the US.
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
RALLY: It was only the second time the Taiwanese has partnered with Kudermetova, and the match seemed tight until they won seven points in a row to take the last set 10-2 Taiwan’s Chan Hao-ching and Russia’s Veronika Kudermetova on Sunday won the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix women’s doubles final in Stuttgart, Germany. The pair defeated Norway’s Ulrikke Eikeri and Estonia’s Ingrid Neel 4-6, 6-3, 10-2 in a tightly contested match at the WTA 500 tournament. Chan and Kudermetova fell 4-6 in the first set after having their serve broken three times, although they played increasingly well. They fought back in the second set and managed to break their opponents’ serve in the eighth game to triumph 6-3. In the tiebreaker, Chan and Kudermetova took a 3-0 lead before their opponents clawed back two points, but