BASEBALL
‘Classic’ games scheduled
Taiwan are to play World Baseball Classic games in South Korea after the Tokyo Dome was named to host first and second-round games at next year’s competition and Seoul was also listed as a first-round site. Games in Group A of the first round and Group E of the second round are to be played at the Tokyo Dome from March 7 to March 16, Major League Baseball and the Major League Baseball Players Association said on Tuesday. Group A includes Australia, China, Cuba and Japan. Seoul is to host Group B from March 7 to March 11, which includes Taiwan, the Netherlands, South Korea and the winner of a qualifying group that includes Brazil, Britain, Israel and Pakistan, who play in New York at the Brooklyn Cyclones’ ballpark from Sept. 22 to Sept. 25.
FORMULA ONE
Chris Amon dies
Former Ferrari driver Chris Amon, often described as one of the best in Formula One never to have won a race, has died at the age of 73 after a battle with cancer, the family of the New Zealand motorsport great said yesterday. Amon was part of a well-known trio of New Zealand drivers competing in Formula One in the 1960s and early 1970s alongside Bruce McLaren and Denny Hulme, who both enjoyed more successful careers in the sport’s premier series. Bad luck was often cited as the key reason for Amon’s lack of Formula One success, with former world champion Mario Andretti once famously saying: “If he became an undertaker, people would stop dying.” Like McLaren, with whom he won the Le Mans 24-hour endurance race in a Ford GT40 50 years ago, he founded his own team, but Chris Amon Racing failed to achieve much success. Amon finished on the podium 11 times, also driving for March and Matra among 13 teams in a career that spanned 14 seasons.
RUGBY LEAGUE
Hayne signs with Titans
Jarryd Hayne has returned to Australia to play rugby league for the Gold Coast Titans, almost two years after he left Sydney for an unprecedented career swap to football. Hayne left a lucrative National Rugby League (NRL) contract with the Parramatta Eels to pursue a new career in the NFL in 2014, but experienced only fleeting success during a tough first season with the San Francisco 49ers. The 28-year-old ditched the Californian National Football League club in May to train with the Fiji sevens squad in the hope of playing in the Olympics, but failed to make the cut for Rio de Janeiro. In a two-year deal tipped to be one of the richest in NRL history, Hayne is set to take home at least A$1.2 million (US$910,000) per season with the Titans, the Sydney Morning Herald reported yesterday. “It wasn’t the easiest decision for me to make, it’s been very emotional to make this decision,” Hayne, who could line up for the Titans as soon as Sunday, told reporters in the Gold Coast. “I never though I’d join another club and not in my wildest dreams did I think I would end up on the Gold Coast.” Titans coach Neil Henry described the deal as a great day for the 10-year-old club and said the other players in the squad were excited about Hayne’s arrival. “We all know what a talent he is,” he said. Haynes played 176 games for Parramatta in the NRL, scoring 103 tries. He also played 20 State of Origin matches for New South Wales and won 12 caps with the Kangaroos.
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