■ Pool
Singaporean left cueless
Singaporean pool player Charlene Chai has found herself very much behind the eight ball days before the Asian Games begins after losing her cue. Chai, a South-east Asia Games bronze medalist, is one of Singapore's brightest medal prospects for the Dec. 1-15 games in Doha, but her preparations have been rocked by the loss. The pool player left the tools of her trade in the car park of Singapore's Changi airport on Monday after returning from a competition in Japan. Chai is desperately trying to get used to her new cue before leaving for Qatar, her coach said, but had not given up hope that someone may return her trusty favorite.
■ Soccer
Club cracks down on diving
English fourth division club Torquay United said on Tuesday they will start taking disciplinary action against any of their players who dive or feign injury. Torquay, who believe they are the first professional club in the world to begin such an initiative, will operate a "three strikes and out" policy and use video technology to prove cases. First-time offenders will be warned, players who dive again will be fined and third-time offenders sacked or placed on the transfer list. "British football has the opportunity to take a lead in resolving this major issue which is tarnishing our sport and marred the World Cup finals in Germany 2006," Torquay chairman Chris Roberts said in a statement.
■ Cycling
Wyper convicted over drugs
A former Australian team cyclist has been convicted of illegally importing performance enhancing drugs from Indonesia. Andrew Wyper, 21, was convicted and fined on Tuesday in Sydney's Downing Center Local Court for illegally importing the drugs, the Australian Customs Service said yesterday. The court was told the customs service intercepted a parcel from Indonesia in November last year containing four vials of anabolic steroids, seven vials of human growth hormone and a syringe marked as containing the hormone EPO, or erythropoietin, sometimes used as a blood doping agent. Wyper was part of the Australian team that competed at the 2003 world road championships in Canada and part of the Australian team that went to the 2003 world junior track championships in Russia.
■ Soccer
Blackburn duo lose claims
Blackburn's Tugay and Tottenham's Hossam Ghaly have both had their claims for wrongful dismissal rejected by an independent disciplinary commission, the Football Association (FA) announced on Tuesday. Both midfielders were sent off during Sunday's 1-1 Premiership draw at Ewood Park. Turkish international Tugay, 36, opened the scoring for Rovers before his foul on Ghaly led to the visitors' equalizer with Jermain Defoe scoring from the penalty spot. Tugay will now serve a one-match suspension as a result. Egypt's Ghaly, 24, was sent off after he appeared to elbow Michael Gray late in the game. He will serve a three-match suspension.
Bologna on Thursday advanced past Empoli to reach their first Coppa Italia final in more than half a century. Thijs Dallinga’s 87th-minute header earned Bologna a 2-1 win and his side advanced 5-1 on aggregate. Giovanni Fabbian opened the scoring for Bologna with a header seven minutes in. Then Viktor Kovalenko equalized for Empoli in the 30th minute by turning in a rebound to finish off a counterattack. Bologna won the first leg 3-0. In the May 14 final in Rome, Bologna are to face AC Milan, who eliminated city rivals Inter 4-1 on aggregate following a 3-0 win on Wednesday. Bologna last reached the
If the Wild finally break through and win their first playoff series in a decade, Minnesota’s top line likely will be the reason. They were all over the Golden Knights through the first two games of their NHL Western Conference quarter-finals series, which was 1-1 going back to Minnesota for Game 3 today. The Wild tied the series with a 5-2 win on Tuesday. Matt Boldy had three goals and an assist in the first two games, while Kirill Kaprizov produced two goals and three assists. Joel Eriksson Ek, who centers the line, has yet to get on the scoresheet. “I think the biggest
From a commemorative jersey to a stadium in his name, Argentine soccer organizers are planning a slew of tributes to their late “Captain” Pope Francis, eulogized as the ultimate team player. Tributes to the Argentine pontiff, a lifelong lover of the game, who died on Monday at the age of 88, have been peppered with soccer metaphors in his homeland. “Francisco. What a player,” the Argentine Football Federation (AFA) said, describing the first pope from Latin America and the southern hemisphere as a generational talent who “never hogged the ball” and who showed the world “the importance of having an Argentine captain,
Noelvi Marte on Sunday had seven RBIs and hit his first career grand slam with a drive off infielder Jorge Mateo, while Austin Wynn had a career-high six RBIs as the Cincinnati Reds scored their most runs in 26 years in a 24-2 rout of the Baltimore Orioles. Marte finished with five hits, including his eighth-inning homer off Mateo. Wynn hit a three-run homer in the ninth off catcher Gary Sanchez. Cincinnati scored its most runs since a 24-12 win against the Colorado Rockies on May 19, 1999, and finished with 25 hits. Baltimore allowed its most runs since a 30-3 loss to
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