■ SOCCER
Wrong anthem spoils party
A celebration thrown by the ruler of Dubai for the Iraqi national team after its Asian Cup win was marred when Iraq's Saddam Hussein-era anthem was played, angering many players and prompting some to walk away. Confetti rained down as the players arrived late on Tuesday at the Dubai airport where thousands of cheering fans gathered to welcome the team and celebrate its victory. But some players and members of the Iraqi delegation walked out in protest when the organizers put on the old anthem, said Bassam al-Husseini, a representative of Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, who flew with the team. An Emirati royal family jet had whisked the Iraqis from Jakarta, where they beat Saudi Arabia 1-0, to Dubai instead of their wartorn country, in a grand gesture by Dubai's leader Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum. After Saddam's overthrow, new Iraqi authorities selected Mawtini, a folk tune popular throughout the Arab world, to replace the old anthem, which glorified Saddam's Baath party.
■ SOCCER
Pope rejoices with Iraq
Pope Benedict XVI shared Iraq's joy at their spectacular victory in the Asian Cup soccer championship and saw in the celebrations Iraqis' desire for normality, he told several thousand pilgrims and tourists at the end of his weekly general audience on Wednesday. "Just as so many times I have cried with the Iraqi people, on this occasion I rejoiced with them," said the pope, who has just returned from a nearly three-week vacation in the northern Italian Alps. The pope called Iraq's weekend 1-0 victory over three-time champions Saudi Arabia an "historic success" and said he was impressed by the celebrations that spilled over onto Iraq's streets. "It is my hope that this event, with everyone's support, may contribute to a future in Iraq of real peace in liberty and mutual respect," he said.
■ BOXING
Morales primed to face Diaz
No one needed to remind Erik Morales that he has a three-bout losing streak or that his last victory was more than two years ago. For those who are ready to dismiss him, he has a message: He won't go away without a fight. And he has a big one tomorrow night. Morales (48-5, 34 knockouts) will try to become the first Mexican to win boxing world championships in four weight classes when he challenges Chicago's David Diaz (32-1 with one draw and 17 knockouts) for the WBC lightweight title at Allstate Arena in suburban Rosemont, Illinois. If he wins, the 30-year-old Morales said he will fight one more time in Tijuana, Mexico, where his career began. If he loses? "Finito," he said on Wednesday.
■ GOLF
Pissilli banned over drugs
Italian golfer Alessandro Pissilli has been suspended after failing a drug test, the Italian Olympic Committee said on Wednesday. Pissilli, who plays on the Italian pro tour, tested positive for the banned diuretic Finasteride at the Omnium National Championship on June 29. Pissilli has been suspended by the Italian Golf Federation and could face a two-year ban if found guilty of a doping violation. His local golf club in Florence released a statement later on Wednesday, defending him and saying that he had informed authorities at the time of the test that he had taken the drug for almost two years to treat a prostate problem. Finasteride is also used to treat hair loss but can mask steroid use, and has been at the center of several recent doping cases.
■ MOTORSPORT
No. 42 Busch to retire
Juan Pablo Montoya will race in his final event in US stock-car racing's second-tier Busch Series next week at Watkins Glen, then the team will stop competing. Chip Ganassi Racing officials said on Wednesday the No. 42 Busch program was formed only to help Montoya adjust to US stock-car racing after six seasons in Formula One. He drove the car to a win in March on the road course in Mexico City, and will try for another one in Watkins Glen, New York, next Saturday. After that, Ganassi will stop operating the team because the remainder of the schedule isn't a good fit with Montoya's schedule in the Nextel Cup, the top level of the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing.
■ CRICKET
Malinga to play for Kent
Star Sri Lanka fast bowler Lasith Malinga is to join English county Kent for just under a month, governing body Sri Lanka Cricket said yesterday. Malinga becomes the fourth Sri Lankan to play for an English county in the current season -- Muttiah Muralitharan is at Lancashire, Kumar Sangakkara at Warwickshire and Chaminda Vaas at Middlesex. "I am delighted with this opportunity to play county cricket after a short international career," Malinga said. He was approached earlier in the season, but had rejected the offer at the time. The right-arm fast bowler, who is known for his fierce yorker, will be the third Sri Lankan to play at Canterbury following Aravinda De Silva and Muttiah Muralitharan.
■ RUGBY UNION
Jones under consideration
South Africa is still considering a possible role for former Australia coach Eddie Jones at the World Cup. "Jones will continue to work with the Springboks until the end of the Durban leg of the pre-World Cup training camp next week," Andy Marinos, South Africa's manager of national teams, said in a statement. The World Cup, hosted by France, runs Sept. 7 to Oct. 20. Jones has recently been part of the coaching roster under South Africa coach Jake White. "Despite much speculation around the issue, Eddie has not yet been offered a contract with the Springboks," Marinos said. "We are exploring the possibility of Eddie's involvement with the Springboks up to the end of our campaign in France." Jones, who was coach of Australia when it lost to England in the 2003 World Cup final, was fired in December 2005 after losing eight of nine matches in a row.
■ SOCCER
Teixeira criticizes team
Brazil players had all night drinking sessions at last year's World Cup finals and Ronaldo was vastly overweight, Brazilian federation president Ricardo Teixeira was quoted as saying in daily newspaper Estado de Sao Paulo on Wednesday. The paper reported extracts from a conversation in Zurich between Teixeira and a representative of the company which is promoting Brazil's bid to host the 2014 World Cup finals for which they are the sole candidates. Brazil were favorites to win last year's World Cup but lost 1-0 to France in the quarter-finals. Teixeira criticized AC Milan striker Ronaldo, who weighed 98kg at the start of the competition. "How can an athlete weigh 98kg during a major finals," Texeira said. "I am not a sportsman and I don't weigh as much as that. Certain [unnamed] players returned to their hotel drunk between 4am and 6am."
“I don’t remember the moment, but ever since I was a kid, that’s the first thing I loved,” two-time NBA All-Star Isaiah Thomas said of his lifelong romance with basketball. However, that journey unfolded against the limitations of his size in a game where height often dictates opportunity — a reality he confronted throughout his career. At 175cm, Thomas is less than 2cm taller than the average Taiwanese adult male, while NBA players during his career stood at about 200cm on average. Compared with the NBA’s average career length of less than five years, Thomas’ 13-season career stands out as
Hans Niemann declares he would become a “stone cold killer” in a Netflix documentary released on Tuesday about his feud with five-time classical world champion Magnus Carlsen, a pledge that injects new edge into the lingering fallout from the cheating scandal that shook elite chess. “I’m gonna be a stone cold killer the rest of my life,” the US’ Niemann says in the film. “I’m going to become the best player in the world, and no one is going to believe that now, but this clip will play over and over again in 10 years — just wait.” “I just
Dakar and Rabat have longstanding ties, but relations have been strained since the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) final, which Senegal won in mid-January before being stripped of the title, which was transferred to Morocco. Now, the AFCON trophy is something of a thorn in the two countries’ sides. On Rue Mohamed V, the street where Moroccan vendors are based in the Senegalese capital, a police van is parked. “The police have been on high alert since the Confederation of African Football [CAF] decided to award the title to Morocco, but there have been no incidents,” a local resident said.
Taiwanese “boxing queen” Chen Nien-chin today won the women’s 65kg division final at the Asian Boxing Elite Championships in Ulaanbaatar, securing Taiwan’s first gold medal in that weight class at the tournament. Chen defeated North Korea’s Hwang Hyo Sun 4-1, after the two were tied through the first two rounds. Chen won bronze in the 66kg division at the Paris Olympics in 2024.
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