■ Basketball
Kung fu fighters get fined
Fourteen Chinese basketball players have been fined a total of more than US$21,700 (17,600 euros) for attacking players from Puerto Rico in an incident that sports authorities called a national disgrace, the country's basketball association said Friday. State media called the on-court violence on July 29 during the six-nation Stankovic Cup in Beijing a "night of shame" and said it damaged China's reputation in advance of the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Fighting erupted when two Chinese players rushed onto the court after a Puerto Rican player fouled a Chinese forward. Fans threw cups and other objects, forcing Puerto Rican players to shield their heads with upturned chairs as they left the court. Referees cut short the game.
■ Boxing
Ali knocks out dealers
Muhammad Ali settled a lawsuit against several sports collectibles dealers to block the sale of artwork and other memorabilia relating to the former heavyweight champion, including a Koran given to him by a former president of Egypt. An injunction issued after the lawsuit was filed in 2003 prevented the sale of hundreds of lithographs which bore forged Ali signatures, along with other items, Ali's attorney, Ron DiNicola, said on Thursday in a statement. Among the items were the Koran Ali received from former Egypt President Gamal Abdul Nasser, and a walking stick from Mobutu Sese Seko, the former president of Zaire. The lithographs were copies of an artist's rendering of Ali's knockout of Sonny Liston in 1965. Handwriting and memorabilia experts determined that the signatures on the lithographs were forged, the statement said. Named in the suit, and included in the settlement, were Grey Flannel Auctions, Inc and B&E Collectibles, Inc, of New York; and Broadway Ricks Strike Zone, Inc, of Florida.
■ Hockey
Niedermayer now a Duck
MVP defenceman Scott Niedermayer signed with Anaheim Mighty Ducks on Thursday, in another wild day of business on the NHL free agent market. A three-time Stanley Cup winner with the New Jersey Devils, Niedermayer, rated as one of the biggest prizes in a deep free agent market, agreed to a four-year contract worth US$27 million and a chance to play on the same team as his brother Rob. It was reported the Devils had offered him US$1 million more a season but the 31-year-old all-star rejected the contract. "Scott Niedermayer is one of the top defencemen in the game today, whose skating, puck-moving ability and leadership qualities make him a great addition to our team," Ducks GM Brian Burke said in a statement.
■ Horse racing
Pat decides to call it a day
With tears in his eyes, Pat Day brought an end to one of horse racing's most successful careers. "Since I made the decision to retire, there's been a joy and a peace that flooded my soul," the Hall of Fame jockey said Thursday during a news conference at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky. Day, with his wife Sheila and daughter Irene at his side, said he won't ride, but will continue to be a presence at race tracks around the country with the Race Track Chaplaincy program, working with chaplains behind the scenes. Day said he spent time in recent days at a friend's cabin on the Kentucky River, pondering his decision.
Shohei Ohtani and Clayton Kershaw on Friday joined their Los Angeles Dodgers teammates in sticking their fists out to show off their glittering World Series rings at a ceremony. “There’s just a lot of excitement, probably more than I can ever recall with the Dodger fan base and our players,” manager Dave Roberts said before Los Angeles rallied to beat the Detroit Tigers 8-5 in 10 innings. “What a way to cap off the first two days of celebrations,” Roberts said afterward. “By far the best opening week I’ve ever experienced. I just couldn’t have scripted it any better.” A choir in the
The famously raucous Hong Kong Sevens are to start today in a big test for a shiny new stadium at the heart of a major US$3.85 billion sports park in the territory. Officials are keeping their fingers crossed that the premier event in Hong Kong’s sporting and social calendar goes off without a hitch at the 50,000-seat Kai Tak Stadium. They hope to entice major European soccer teams to visit in the next few months, with reports in December last year saying that Liverpool were in talks about a pre-season tour. Coldplay are to perform there next month, all part of Hong Kong’s
Shohei Ohtani, Teoscar Hernandez and Tommy Edman on Thursday smashed home runs to give the reigning World Series champions the Los Angeles Dodgers a 5-4 victory over Detroit on the MLB’s opening day in the US. The Dodgers, who won two season-opening games in Tokyo last week, raised their championship banner on a day when 28 clubs launched the season in the US. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts shuffled his batting lineup with all four leadoff hitters finally healthy as Ohtani was followed by Mookie Betts, then Hernandez and Freddie Freeman in the cleanup spot, switching places with Hernandez. “There’s a Teoscar tax to
Matvei Michkov did not score on Monday, but the Philadelphia rookie had a hand in both goals as hosts the Flyers earned a 2-1 victory over the Nashville Predators. Ryan Poehling and Jamie Drysdale got the goals for the Flyers (31-36-9, 71 points), who won their third straight. Michkov and Travis Konecny assisted on both. Ivan Fedotov stopped 28 shots to earn his first win since March 1, ending a personal six-game losing streak. Zachary L’Heureux got the lone goal for Nashville. Michael McCarron and Brady Skjei got the assists for the Predators (27-39-8, 62 points), who have just four goals in their
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