INVICTUS GAMES
Australia to host in 2018
Australia is to host the 2018 Invictus Games for wounded military personnel, Britain’s Prince Harry announced yesterday. More than 500 active and former military personnel from 17 nations are to compete in the multisports competition in Sydney. Harry, who launched the first Invictus Games in London in 2014, said Sydney was chosen because it was an iconic city with a proud military heritage and sports-mad fans. “It was an easy decision really — the 2018 Invictus Games are coming to Sydney,” he said in a video statement. Athletes, who have been wounded, injured or become ill in service, are to compete in both individual and team sports including swimming, archery, cycling, track and field and wheelchair rugby.
GOLF
Noren takes Nedbank lead
Swede Alex Noren on Friday moved two shots clear after the second round of the Nedbank Golf Challenge at the storm-hit Gary Player Country Club in Sun City, South Africa. The 34-year-old winner of seven European Tour events, including three this season, added a five-under-par 67 to his first-round 69 for a 136 halfway total. After one birdie on a first nine of 35, Noren clicked on the inward journey with five more birdies. His lone blemish was a four at the par-three 12th. South Africans George Coetzee (69), Louis Oosthuizen (66) and Jaco van Zyl (69), Chris Wood (69) of England and Fabrizio Zanotti (68) of Paraguay share second place. Former The Open champion Oosthuizen claimed the lowest round of the day — a six-birdie 66 — over the 7,831-yard, par-72 layout in northwest South Africa. Spaniard Alejandro Canizares (68) trails Noren by three shots on 139 in the penultimate tournament of the Road to Dubai series. Series leader and reigning The Open champion Henrik Stenson of Sweden could manage only a two-over 74 and is seven shots off the pace.
FOOTBALL
NFL fines Kelce over toss
Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce’s towel toss toward an NFL game official is to cost him a US$24,309 fine levied by the league on Friday. Kelce was ejected in the fourth quarter of the Chiefs’ 19-14 victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday last week after receiving two unsportsmanlike conduct penalties. After officials failed to call pass interference on one play, he argued with two officials and after one issued a first unsportsmanlike conduct penalty he threw the towel from the waistband of his uniform — mimicking the flag-throw used by game officials to signal penalties. That led to the second penalty and his removal from the game. As he departed, Kelce greeted fans and handed out some of his game equipment.
ICE HOCKEY
Bickell diagnosed with MS
Carolina Hurricanes forward Bryan Bickell has been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS), the team announced on Friday. “First and foremost, the most important thing is for Bryan to take care of himself and our thoughts are with him and his family,” general manager Ron Francis said in a statement. Bickell, 30, has scored one goal in seven games with the Hurricanes this season. He won Stanley Cups with the Chicago Blackhawks in 2010, 2013 and last year. “Since the 2015 playoffs, I’ve been struggling to understand what was going on with my body,” Bickell said in a statement. “Again, during the past few weeks, it felt like something wasn’t right. Obviously this is a bit of shock for my family and me, but I am hopeful I will be able to return to the ice and continue playing the game that I love.”
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