■ Soccer
Hiddink in tax trouble
Russia coach Guus Hiddink has been summoned to appear before a Dutch court for tax evasion, judicial sources revealed yesterday. Hiddink, who led Australia at this summer's World Cup, and his financial advisor must appear in court on Sept. 15. The fraud was allegedly committed in 2002 when he returned from leading South Korea to the World Cup semi-finals, when Hiddink claimed he was paying his taxes in Belgium. Dutch authorities doubt that he had really lived in Belgium. Hiddink denied the allegations. "I am completely honest. I will show there was no fraud and this is purely an administrative matter," he said.
■ Olympics
Two athletes' medals stolen
Former field hockey captain Katrina Powell had Olympic gold medals stolen from her home, joining pole vaulter Tatiana Grigorieva as the second top Australian athlete to have medals taken in robberies. Powell, a three-time Olympian, had the medals taken during a robbery on Tuesday at her home in Perth while she was at work. The theft came after 2000 Sydney Olympics silver medal winning pole vaulter Tatiana Grigorieva had her sporting mementoes stolen at a Brisbane office, police reported on Monday. Like Grigorieva, all of Powell's medals were stored in a safe, which was taken in the robbery. Australian Olympic Committee president John Coates yesterday offered to replace both women's Olympic medals. The International Olympic Committee has molds of the medals from past Games. "I was driving to work yesterday and heard about Tatiana's medal on the radio and thought `Oh no, that's terrible,' only to come home a couple of hours later and have all of my medals gone too," Powell said.
■ Cricket
Village team out for five
An English village cricket team narrowly missed out on one of the worst scores ever recorded after they were bowled out for five, with all the runs coming from extras, British newspapers reported yesterday. No batsman from bottom-of-the-table Goldsborough Second XI managed to muster a run to their name in the match against league leaders Dishforth, who sent their opponents back to the pavilion in 12 overs. The visiting side's only runs came from four byes and a leg bye in what is thought to be the lowest score in the 112-year history of the Nidderdale and District Amateur Cricket League in North Yorkshire, northern England. The Daily Telegraph said that Goldsborough's effort was not as bad as English Midlands side Shepstone's XI, who were all out for four extras in 1931.
■ Auto Racing
Radical BMW wings banned
Formula One's governing body has banned on safety grounds the radical-looking "Twin Tower" vertical front wings used by BMW Sauber at this month's French Grand Prix. The International Automobile Federation (FIA) wrote to all 11 teams after the race at Magny-Cours expressing concern that such devices "may impair the forward and/or lateral vision of the driver." The controversial wings passed pre-race inspections in France, but BMW team boss Mario Theissen accepted on Tuesday that the team would not be allowed to use them at this weekend's German Grand Prix. "The vertical wings obviously presented a new aero solution within the rules. We, however, respect the FIA's decision to ban such elements," he said in a statement.
SS Lazio on Monday fired the far-right sympathizer who handles their eagle mascot after he posted online a series of videos and pictures of his erect penis. Falconer Juan Bernabe, who has been present at Lazio home matches with Olimpia the eagle since the 2010-2011 season, posted the footage on social media after having surgery on Saturday to implant a penile prosthesis to improve his sexual performance. Lazio said that they had “terminated, with immediate effect” their relationship with Bernabe “due to the seriousness of his conduct,” adding that they were “shocked” by the images. The Serie A club added that Bernabe’s dismissal
Hong Kong-based cricket team Hung See this weekend found success in their matches in Taiwan, even if none of the results went their way. Hung See played the Chairman’s XI on Saturday morning, the Daredevils that afternoon and PCCT yesterday, with all three home teams winning. The team for Chinese players at the Happy Valley-based Craigengower Cricket Club sends teams on tour to “spread the game of cricket.” This weekend was Hung See’s second trip to Taiwan after visiting Tainan in 2016. “The club has been traveling to all parts of the world since 1982 and the annual tradition continues [with the Taiwan
‘TOUGH TO BREATHE’: Tunisian three-time Grand Slam finalist Ons Jabeur suffered an asthma attack in her 7-5, 6-3 victory over Colombia’s Camila Osorio Taiwan’s Hsieh Su-wei yesterday cruised into the second round of the women’s doubles at the Australian Open, while Iga Swiatek romped into a third-round women’s singles showdown with Emma Raducanu and Taylor Fritz was just as emphatic in his pursuit of a maiden Grand Slam title. Hsieh and Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia, the third seeds, defeated Slovakia’s Tereza Mihalikova and Olivia Nicholls of Britain 7-5, 6-2 in 90 minutes in Melbourne. Ostapenko and Hsieh — who won the women’s doubles and mixed doubles at the Australian Open last year — hit 25 winners and converted five of nine break points to set
HARD TO SAY GOODBYE: After Coco Gauff dispatched Belinda Bencic in the fourth round, she wrote ‘RIP TikTok USA’ and drew a broken heart on a television camera lens Defending champion Hsieh Su-wei of Taiwan yesterday advanced to the quarter-finals of the women’s doubles at the Australian Open, while compatriot Chan Hao-ching on Saturday dominated her opponents in the second round, as world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka swept into the quarter-finals. Third seeds Hsieh and Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia toppled Hungary’s Timea Babos and Nicole Melichar-Martinez of the US 6-4, 6-3, hitting 24 winners and converting three of seven break points in 1 hour, 18 minutes at 1573 Arena. Although rivals at last year’s Australian Open — where Hsieh and Belgium’s Elise Mertens beat Ostapenko and Ukraine’s Lyudmyla Kichenok 6-1, 7-5
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