■Soccer
England fans praised
England's much criticized soccer fans gained some rare praise after the team's 2-1 defeat of Serbia-Montenegro on Tuesday for responding to an appeal by captain David Beckham and behaving impeccably. UEFA has threatened England with suspension from next summer's European Championship if the fans repeat the racist abuse and violent conduct that marred a 2-0 qualifying victory over Turkey at Sunderland in April. Beckham, unable to face Serbia because of a broken wrist, made a televised plea for them not to put the team's title chances at risk. Instead of jeering the national anthem of a visiting team and hurling racist abuse at their players, the 31,000 fans inside the Walkers Stadium did little wrong.
■ Olympics
US$2bn TV revenues sought
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) hopes to earn almost US$2 billion when four networks submit their bid for the US television rights of the 2010 Winter and 2012 Summer Olympics today and tomorrow. NBC, ABC, CBS and Fox will each hold two-hour presentations at the IOC headquarters in Switzerland before simultaneously handing over their bid in an envelope. "We want a transparent process in which not necessarily the highest bidder gets the rights. The whole package is important," said IOC President Jacques Rogge, who is also head of the Olympic TV commission. The decision is expected for Saturday via a conference call of the IOC executive board. "We will make a deal in June if we can get a good price," said IOC Vice President Thomas Bach.
■ Soccer
Ronaldo agents arrested
Two Brazilian business representatives of Ronaldo have been linked to an alleged extortion of US$33 million deposited in Swiss bank accounts, Brazilian newspapers reported Tuesday. Alexandre Martins and Reinaldo Pitta were arrested and jailed Monday on suspicion of money laundering and accounting fraud in connection with the case involving eight Brazilian federal and state tax inspectors. Martins, Ronaldo's agent, and Pitta were among the lead dealmakers for Ronaldo during last year's lengthy round of negotiations that moved the striker to Real Madrid from Italy's Internazionale for US$44 million. A lawyer for Martins and Pitta denied accusations they helped transfer the money to Switzerland for the tax inspectors. "This is a lynching," attorney Alexandre Dumans told the Folha de Sao Paulo newspaper after his clients were arrested.
■ Cricket
Woman to keep score
A woman will keep official score of an international match in England for the first time next month, further eroding the male domination of cricket's establishment. Cathy Rawson, 55, is to score the final of the one-day triangular tournament involving England, South Africa and Zimbabwe at Lord's, the home of cricket, on July 12, The Times newspaper reported yesterday. "It is a wonderful privilege," Rawson was quoted as saying. "It all had to go before the MCC (Marylebone Cricket Club) board first but I am absolutely delighted." Rawson, a nurse, taught herself scoring 33 years ago when she became bored watching her husband play local cricket, the newspaper reported. The MCC, the prestigious cricket club still responsible for the laws of the game, broke with 212 years of tradition in 1999 when it announced its first women members.
Agencies
College basketballer Kaitlyn Chen has become the first female player of Taiwanese descent to be drafted by a WNBA team, after the Golden State Valkyries selected her in the third and final round of the league’s draft on Monday. Chen, a point guard who played her first three seasons in college for Princeton University, transferred to the University of Connecticut (UConn) for her final season, which culminated in a national championship earlier this month. While at Princeton, Chen was named the Ivy League tournament’s most outstanding player three times from 2022 to last year. Prior to the draft, ESPN described Chen as
College basketballer Kaitlyn Chen (陳凱玲) has become the first player of Taiwanese descent to be drafted by a WNBA team, after being selected by the Golden State Valkyries in the third and final round of the league's draft yesterday. Chen, a point guard who played her first three seasons in college for Princeton University, transferred to the University of Connecticut (UConn) for her final season, which culminated in a national championship on April 6. While at Princeton, Chen was named the Ivy League tournament's most outstanding player three times from 2022 to last year. Prior to the draft, ESPN described Chen as a
Robinson Cano spent 17 seasons playing in the MLB in front of all kinds of baseball fans, but he said there is something special about his stint with the Mexican Baseball League’s Diablos Rojos. He is not alone. The league last week opened its 100th season, aiming to keep an impressive growth in attendance that began after the national team’s surprise run at the 2023 World Baseball Classic, and is already surpassing some first-division soccer clubs. After finishing third in the 2023 tournament, many casual fans, some of them soccer enthusiasts disappointed after Mexico were eliminated in the first round in the 2022
In-form teenager Mirra Andreeva on Thursday crashed out of the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart, Germany, after going down in straight sets to fellow Russian Ekaterina Alexandrova in the last 16. World No. 7 Andreeva, who already has two titles under her belt this season, lost 6-3, 6-2 against the 22nd-ranked Alexandrova in just over an hour. The 17-year-old Andreeva had defeated her elder sister Erika in the previous round on Wednesday, but Alexandrova quickly took control as she claimed her fourth win over a top-10 player this season. The 17-year-old Mirra Andreeva in February became the youngest winner of a WTA
RSS