COMMONWEALTH
Athletes face deportation
A group of African athletes who went missing during the Games must give themselves up or face deportation, Australian Minister for Home Affairs Peter Dutton said yesterday. Eight athletes from Cameroon, two from Uganda and a Rwandan para-powerlifting coach went missing after the Games, local media reported. The athletes will be in Australia illegally from midnight yesterday, when their visas expired, unless they have taken legal steps to stay. Some of the athletes had contacted a refugee advice center in Sydney, the Daily Telegraph reported. “Some have been to us for advice,” Refugee Advice and Casework Service solicitor Ben Lumsdaine told the paper.
FORMULA TWO
Driver says halo saved him
Japanese driver Tadasuke Makino said the new “halo” head protection device might have saved his life in the Spanish Grand Prix on Sunday. The driver escaped uninjured after the car driven by compatriot Nirei Fukuzumi was launched into the air during the sprint race. The car came down on top of Makino’s cockpit, with the left-rear wheel hitting the halo, a titanium ring that shields the driver’s head, but has been criticized by some on aesthetic grounds. Makino told motorsport.com he thought the tire would have hit his helmet without the halo. International Automobile Federation race director Charlie Whiting agreed that Makino could have been the first beneficiary of the device. “We will do an incident investigation on that one because judging by the photos we’ve seen, and the accident itself, it looks very much as if it could have been a lot worse without the halo,” he said.
CYCLING
Allergy forces retirement
France’s double Olympic mountain bike champion Julien Absalon on Monday announced his retirement from the sport citing his allergy to pollen. “I’ve been suffering from allergies to pollen in the south of France for the past three years, mostly at the start of the season,” Absalon told the L’Equipe.fr Web site. Absalon is also allergic to pollen in the north of Europe, a condition that leaves him “struggling to breathe” and “with a taste of blood in my windpipe.” Although a therapeutic use exemption certificate would allow him to relieve the symptoms, he said: “I don’t like to take too many medicines... My main aim is now to focus 100 percent on my team Absolute Absalon and dedicate myself to managing it full time.”
FOOTBALL
Manning, Giants settle suit
Eli Manning, the New York Giants and Steiner Sports, a memorabilia company, on Monday reached a settlement that ended a civil lawsuit accusing the quarterback of fraudulently passing off helmets as “game-used.” No financial terms were announced. “The compromise agreement, entered into by all parties, should not be viewed as supporting any allegations, claims or defenses. All parties are grateful to have the matter, which began in 2014, concluded and are now focused on football, the fans and the future,” the Giants said in a statement. Plaintiffs Eric Inselberg, Michael Jakab and Sean Godown alleged that in 2010, Manning sent an e-mail asking a Giants equipment manager for two helmets that “can pass as game-used.” Manning has a deal with Steiner Sports to provide memorabilia.
Bayer 04 Leverkusen go into today’s match at TSG 1899 Hoffenheim stung from their first league defeat in 16 months. Leverkusen were beaten 3-2 at home by RB Leipzig before the international break, the first loss since May last year for the reigning league and cup champions. While any defeat, particularly against a likely title rival, would have disappointed coach Xabi Alonso, the way in which it happened would be most concerning. Just as they did in the Supercup against VfB Stuttgart and in the league opener to Borussia Moenchengladbach, Leverkusen scored first, but were pegged back. However, while Leverkusen rallied late to
The lights dimmed and the crowd hushed as Karoline Kristensen entered for her performance. However, this was no ordinary Dutch theater: The temperature was 80°C and the audience naked apart from a towel. Dressed in a swimsuit and to the tune of emotional music, the 21-year-old Kristensen started her routine, performed inside a large sauna, with a bed of hot rocks in the middle. For a week this month, a group of wellness practitioners, called “sauna masters,” are gathering at a picturesque health resort in the Netherlands to compete in this year’s Aufguss world sauna championships. The practice takes its name from a
Roger Federer on Wednesday said that staying involved with tennis in retirement helped him avoid feeling “like an alien” ahead of this week’s Laver Cup in Berlin. Federer, who helped create the tournament, retired at the Laver Cup in London two years ago and has since stayed involved with the competition as an ambassador. “I’m happy I went back right away to some tournaments,” the 43-year-old told reporters. “I feel I ripped the Band-Aid off quite quickly and when I walk around the tennis sites I still feel I belong there,” he said. “I don’t feel like an alien, which is a
Japanese players are moving to English soccer in record numbers and more look set to follow with clubs attracted by their quality, strong work ethic and value for money. Kaoru Mitoma is the standout talent of five Japanese players in the English Premier League, with eight more in the Championship and two in League One. Liverpool midfielder Wataru Endo, the captain of Japan, believes his compatriots are “being held in higher esteem” by English clubs compared with the past. “The staff at Liverpool ask me about lots of Japanese players, not necessarily with a view to a transfer, but just saying this or