■ CRICKET
Vaughan new NZ chief exec
Former test opening batsman Justin Vaughan was named chief executive of New Zealand Cricket yesterday, succeeding Martin Snedden. Vaughan, who played six tests and 18 limited overs internationals for New Zealand between 1992 and 1997, was formerly a New Zealand Cricket board member. "As an NZC board member, a former Black Cap and a successful chief executive officer, Justin has all the attributes required to take over from Martin Snedden and to lead New Zealand Cricket," chairman Sir John Anderson said. Snedden stepped down recently to take a leading role in New Zealand's 2011 Rugby World Cup organization. New Zealand Cricket is the sport's governing body in the country.
■ SOCCER
Coach fined for match-fixing
The former coach of Malaysia's national soccer team was fined S$5,000 (US$3,300) yesterday for attempting to fix a Singapore match in 2005, a court spokesperson said. Chow Kwai Lam was handed the fine in lieu of a four-month jail term, the spokesperson said, speaking on condition of anonymity in accordance with court policy. He was convicted last week of attempting to bribe a goalkeeper in Singapore's S League to let in goals in a June 2005 match. Chow, 63, denied the charges, telling the court he was testing the goalkeeper, who he suspected of match-fixing. The former coach had faced a maximum S$100,000 fine and a five-year jail term. Chow represented Malaysia from 1965 to 1971 and became the national coach in 1978, leading Kuala Lumpur to victory in three Malaysia Cup finals in the country's M League from 1987 to 1989.
■ RUGBY UNION
Fortuin gets two-week ban
Cheetahs fullback Bevin Fortuin was banned for two weeks yesterday after being found guilty by a Super 14 rugby judiciary of dangerously playing an opponent without the ball. The charge arose from the South African team's match against the Auckland Blues at Auckland on Friday. Fortuin was charged with lifting a Blues player into a dangerous position and failing to ensure he was safely returned to the ground. He acknowledged the offense when he appeared at the hearing represented by Cheetahs' manager Naka Drotske. The two-week ban imposed by judicial officer Bruce Squire QC will prevent Fortuin playing in the Cheetahs' matches against the Wellington Hurricanes on Friday and Queensland Reds a week later.
■ SOCCER
Gesturing players warned
Soccer players accused of making obscene gestures to the crowd have been told to control their middle fingers by league officials, Chinese media reported yesterday. Officials were examining two incidents involving crowd violence this month in which the conduct of players was questioned. On April 1, fans of Henan Jiangye smashed windows of the visiting Shandong team bus after the home team were held to a 1-1 draw, according to the report. A week later Tianjin's Czech coach Josef Jarabinsky was reportedly forced to flee from rampaging home fans after his team beat Zhejiang 3-1. "We don't have concrete evidence to prove they gave the finger to fans but I can well believe it," Lang Xiaonong, secretary of China's Super League, was quoted as saying in the Beijing Morning Post. "The cultural level of some of our Chinese footballers is regrettably low, all we can do is to encourage them to improve their manners and behave calmly whatever fans may do," he added.
■ SWIMMING
Amazon man recovering
A 52-year-old man who swam the 5,265km length of the Amazon River was released from a hospital in Sao Paulo, Brazil, on Monday and recovering from health problems brought on by the 65-day swim, his son said. Slovenian Martin Strel was hospitalized with high blood pressure and dizziness on Sunday immediately after completing the swim. "He still hasn't completely recovered, of course. That's going to take some time. But he is better now," his son and project coordinator Borut Strel said. Martin Strel canceled an appearance at a news conference on Sunday because of illness. He reportedly lost about 12kg during the swim.
■ CYCLING
Argentine wins Cologne
Argentine rider Juan Jose Haedo won a mass sprint to the finish on Monday to become the first non-German to win the Cologne cycling race since 2003. The CSC rider completed the 203kmrace in 4 hours, 50 minutes, 9 seconds. Australia's Graeme Brown of Rabobank was second and Italy's Alessandro Petacchi of Milram took third, both in the same time.
■ BASKETBALL
Smith punished for tirade
Forward Josh Smith was suspended by the Atlanta Hawks for two NBA games on Monday, one day after an expletive-filled tirade at coach Mike Woodson late in a loss to the Philadelphia 76ers. Smith's suspension was announced by general manager Billy Knight in a release. Knight said Smith was suspended for the next two games "for conduct detrimental to the team." Smith cursed at Woodson on the bench late in regulation and early in overtime before Woodson finally sent the third-year player to the locker room. Smith missed the game against Boston yesterday and will miss the one against Washington on Friday. "I'm going to take my punishment like a man," Smith told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution on Monday. "I know I was wrong. I'll have some time to clear my head and be ready to go this weekend."
■ ICE HOCKEY
Canadian women to face US
Kim St. Pierre made 22 saves to help Canada beat Finland 5-0 in Winnipeg, Manitoba, on Monday, setting up a 10th straight Canada-US final in the women's world ice hockey championship on Monday. Hayley Wickenheiser, Gina Kingsbury, Danielle Goyette, Tessa Bonhomme and Kelly Bechard scored for the Canadians, 5-4 shootout winners over the United States on Saturday in the opening game of the group winners' round robin. "Canada-US, it's the best game you can watch in women's hockey," US captain Krissy Wendell said after practice. "There's not a hatred. When you play on a great team, you want to go and play another great team." The US ended Canada's title run at eight in the last championship, winning 1-0 in a shootout in 2005 in Linkoping, Sweden.
The next generation of running talent takes center stage at today’s Berlin Marathon, in the absence of stars including Kenyan Eliud Kipchoge and Ethiopian world record holder Tigist Assefa. With most of the major marathon stars skipping the event in the wake of the Paris Olympics just more than a month ago, the field is wide open in the men’s and women’s races. Since 2015, Kipchoge has won five times in Berlin, Kenenisa Bekele has won twice and Guye Adola once — with all three missing today. Kenyan Kibiwott Kandie and Ethiopian Tadese Takele are among the favourites for the men, while
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
Taiwan’s Tony Wu yesterday beat Mackenzie McDonald of the US to win the Nonthaburi Challenger IV in Thailand, his first challenger victory since 2022. The 26-year-old world No. 315, who won both his qualifiers to advance to the main draw, has been on a hot streak this month, winning his past nine matches, including two that ensured Taiwan’s victory in their Davis Cup World Group I tie. Wu took just more than two hours to top world No. 172 McDonald 6-3, 7-6 (7/4) to win his second challenger tournament since the Tallahassee Tennis Challenger in 2022. Wu’s Tallahassee win followed two years of
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