SOCCER
‘Player tip-off’ on fixing
La Liga president Javier Tebas on Thursday testified in a match-fixing trial, saying it was a former player who told him a result had been fixed. The case involves a top-tier game between Levante UD and Real Zaragoza at the end of the 2010-2011 season. Prosecutors say there is evidence that 965,000 euros (US$1.07 million at the current exchange rate) was paid to Levante’s players to lose the match in the final round of the season. Zaragoza won 2-1 to secure their spot in the first division. Tebas did not reveal which player made the allegation, but said he played for Zaragoza and did not want to be linked to the investigation out of fear of retaliation from other players.
TENNIS
Osaka fires second coach
Naomi Osaka has sacked her second coach in seven months, splitting with Jermaine Jenkins in the wake of her disappointing US Open title defense. Jenkins, a long-time hitting partner of Venus Williams, replaced Sascha Bajin in February, weeks after Osaka’s Australian Open triumph. “I’m super grateful for the time we spent together and the things I learned on and off the court, but I feel like now is an appropriate time for change,” the Japanese 21-year-old wrote on Twitter. Her early exit from New York has seen her ranking slide to fourth.
FOOTBALL
US$3m for safer helmets
In a quest for a safer helmet, the NFL is starting a US$3 million program aimed at the development of new headgear. Manufacturers, engineers and entrepreneurs are welcome to submit prototypes in the NFL Helmet Challenge, with the goal of reducing head trauma. The league is to provide US$2 million in grant funding to support development, with as much as US$1 million awarded for a prototype that would be used to help reduce concussions. “Helmet technology is advancing at an impressive rate, yet we believe that even more is possible,” NFL executive vice president for health and safety Jeff Miller said in a news release. The challenge is to culminate in May 2021. Participants would have access to the NFL’s video review data on helmet safety, as well as models of modern football helmets.
COACHING
Panel talks women burnout
Female coaches play a key role in inspiring achievement in girls and young women, but their numbers are few and they often burn out and quit, sports leaders said on Thursday. Women coaches need better support to stay in their jobs, said participants at a Beyond Sport conference, held ahead of meetings at the UN this month on development goals. Fewer than one in 10 registered soccer coaches is female, according to FIFA. “We need more women in leadership positions in sport,” said Courtney Levinsohn, founder of Growth Through Sport, an organization that supports girls’ access to sports. Coaches play a formative role in building the confidence of young players and set an example of what leadership looks like, she said. A dearth of female coaches means they struggle with isolation and have to fight negative cultural stereotypes on their own, she added. “You could go months without seeing another female coach,” she said. “You burn out because there’s no collective.”
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