■ Tennis
WTA to return to Israel
Top class professional tennis will return to Israel next year for the first time since 1994 following the announcement of a new WTA Tour event. "We will do all we can to attract the world's best players. My intention is to raise the standard of women's tennis in Israel," tournament sponsor Henri Zimand told reporters on Wednesday. The US$140,000 WTA Tour Tier IV event will be held during the week of Oct. 24 parallel with two other WTA tournaments, a US$585,000 Tier II competition in Linz, Austria, and a US$170,000 Tier III event in Hasselt, Belgium. Israel has three women ranked in the world's top 130, Anna Smashnova (61), Shahar Peer (67) and Tzipora Obziler (123).
■ Soccer
FIFA bans Barbados games
The Barbados Football Association officially halted all local soccer tournaments on Wednesday after the federation received an indefinite ban by FIFA. BFA president Ronald Jones said all soccer activities sanctioned in Barbados will be suspended until the FIFA suspension is lifted. "The executive has decided that as a result of the suspension all football being sanctioned or organized under the auspices of the BFA is temporarily halted pending clarification of some issues by FIFA," Jones said. The decision stalls the local premier league, the cup and several lower-level leagues. Among the first to feel the impact of the FIFA suspension is the under-15 boys' side, which was withdrawn from a Caribbean Football Union tournament in Trinidad in August. FIFA suspended the BFA because of a power struggle between Jones and former general secretary Randy Harris, who challenged Jones' September presidential election victory by contesting it in the local court system.
Japan’s Shohei Ohtani is the record-breaking baseball “superhuman” following in the footsteps of the legendary Babe Ruth who has also earned comparisons to US sporting greats Michael Jordan and Tom Brady. Not since Ruth a century ago has there been a baseball player capable of both pitching and hitting at the top level. The 30-year-old’s performances with the Los Angeles Dodgers have consolidated his position as a baseball legend in the making, and a national icon in his native Japan. He continues to find new ways to amaze, this year becoming the first player to hit 50 home runs and steal 50 bases
Zhang Shuai yesterday said that she nearly quit after losing 24 matches in a row — now the world No. 595 is into the quarter-finals of her home China Open. The 35-year-old is to face Spain’s Paula Badosa as the lowest-ranked player to reach this stage in the history of the tournament after Badosa reeled off 11 of the last 12 games in a 6-4, 6-0 victory over US Open finalist Jessica Pegula. Zhang went into Beijing on a barren run lasting more than 600 days and her string of singles defeats was the second-longest on the WTA Tour Open era, which
More than 180 years of horse racing came to an end in Singapore on Saturday, as the Singapore Turf Club hosted its final race day before its track is handed back to the Singaporean government to provide land for new homes. Under an overcast sky, the air-conditioned VIP boxes were full of enthusiasts, socialites and expats, while the grounds and betting halls below hosted mostly older-generation punters. The sun broke through for the last race, the last-ever Grand Singapore Gold Cup. The winner, South African jockey Muzi Yeni, echoed a feeling of loss shared by many on the day. “I’d
Francesco Bagnaia yesterday profited from a mistake by rookie Pedro Acosta to win the Japan MotoGP sprint and close the gap on overall championship leader, Jorge Martin. Spaniard Acosta crashed with four laps to go while leading the field at Motegi, allowing defending world champion Bagnaia to take first ahead of Enea Bastianini and Marc Marquez. Spain’s Martin finished fourth and saw his overall lead over Italian Bagnaia in the championship standings cut to 15 points. “I am very happy because with these conditions, it’s not very easy to win and gain points,” Bagnaia said after a sprint race that took place under
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