■ Athletics
IAAF praises Brisbane
A senior IAAF official said yesterday that Australian city Brisbane's bid to host the 2011 world athletics championships would be boosted by the "extraordinary quality" of its people-friendly Athletes Village. IAAF vice president Helmut Digel is heading an IAAF evaluation team that completed a two-day visit yesterday in Brisbane, its second-last stop on a tour of the four bidding cities. The team has visited Moscow and Barcelona and has Daegu, South Korea, to inspect before reporting their findings to the IAAF, which will decide the host city in Mombasa, Kenya, on March 27. Digel said the village appealed to the evaluation team because it was environmentally friendly, boasted its own four-lane 400m training track and its location ensured interaction between athletes and the public.
■ Rugby league
Wally Lewis recovering
Former Australian rugby league captain Wally Lewis was recovering in hospital yesterday after a three-and-a-half hour operation to help control his epilepsy, hospital officials said. Neurosurgeon Gavin Fabinyi said surgery on the 47-year-old Lewis television sportscaster went well at Melbourne's Austin Hospital. "I'm pleased to say Wally is looking good, he has come out of the operation and is still a bit sleepy," Fabinyi said. "The operation has gone well." Lewis will spend the next five days recovering in hospital and then another five days in Melbourne before returning home. It could be up to 12 months before doctors know if the operation has been a complete success. Lewis spent eight days at the hospital wired to monitors and having seizures induced to see whether the last-resort surgery was possible and if it would work. Lewis was the Brisbane Broncos' inaugural captain.
■ Soccer
Mascherano gets the nod
Argentina midfielder Javier Mascherano is free to play for Liverpool after the Premier League ratified his move to the Reds on Tuesday. The 22-year-old's career had been on hold as the Premier League debated whether to sanction the transfer, even though Mascherano had played for two clubs -- Corinthians and West Ham United -- already this season. Under FIFA rules, no player can represent three clubs in the same season but the sport's world governing body gave him an exemption as the South American and European seasons overlap. "The Premier League has confirmed that the application by Liverpool FC to register Javier Mascherano as a player has been accepted," a statement read.
■ Rugby Union
Candelon signs contract
France international back Julien Candelon signed a two season contract with French giants Perpignan from championship rivals Narbonne on Tuesday. The 26-year-old -- leading tryscorer in the French championship this season with 10 tries -- has been at Narbonne since 2003 but said it was time for him to join a club with real ambition. "It is time for me to try something a bit more challenging. Perpignan is a club with the means and ambition. I really want to seize this chance," added Candelon, who was capped twice in 2005 against Australia and South Africa. Perpignan are presently third in the Championship, 10 points off leaders Stade Francais, while Narbonne are fighting to avoid relegation as they lie fourth from bottom just three points off last placed Bayonne.
The former interpreter for baseball star Shohei Ohtani on Thursday was sentenced to nearly five years in prison for bank and tax fraud after he stole nearly US$17 million from the Los Angeles Dodgers player’s bank account. Ippei Mizuhara, who was supposed to bridge the gap between the Japanese athlete and his English-speaking teammates and fans, was sentenced in federal court in Santa Ana to four years and nine months after pleading guilty last year. He was ordered to pay US$18 million in restitution, with nearly US$17 million going to Ohtani and the remainder to the US Internal Revenue Service. He was
SPEEDSKATER: Her bronze medal ended Taiwan’s run at the Asian Winter Games without a medal since the nation first participated in the second iteration in 1990 Speedskater Chen Ying-chu yesterday made history as the first athlete representing Taiwan to secure a medal at the Asian Winter Games. Competing at the HIC Speedskating Oval in Harbin, China, Chen clocked 10.510 seconds in the women’s 100m event, finishing third behind South Koreans Lee Na-hyum and Kim Min-sun, who posted times of 10.501 and 10.505 seconds respectively. Her bronze medal ended Taiwan’s drought at the Asian Winter Games since the nation first participated in the second iteration in 1990. This year’s Games mark Chen’s debut at the event. Previously excelling in roller speedskating, she won six medals at world championships before transitioning
The 40-year-old LeBron James on Thursday became the oldest player to score 40 points in an NBA game, putting up a season-high 42 in the Los Angeles Lakers’ 120-112 victory over the Golden State Warriors. James passed the record held by Michael Jordan, his idol and the only other NBA player to score 40 after his 40th birthday. “I’m old, that’s my take,” James said when asked about his latest achievement. “I need a glass of wine and some sleep, that’s what I think.” Jordan did it for the Washington Wizards just three days after turning 40 in February 2003. James is 38
Taiwan’s Lin Yun-ju and Kao Cheng-jui were defeated by their Chinese counterparts 3-0 on Saturday in the men’s doubles final at the World Table Tennis (WTT) Singapore Smash. Lin and Kao received their silver medals after being defeated by third-seeded duo Lin Shidong and Wang Chuqin of China 2-11, 4-11, 11-13. The Taiwan pair were left playing catch-up early in the match after the Chinese duo proved unstoppable in the first and second game. Although Lin and Kao picked up their pace in the third game and at one point took a 10-8 lead, they were crucially unable to take