■ SOCCER
Real Madrid fan stabbed
A Real Madrid fan was stabbed before the Champions League last 16 first-leg match with AS Roma on Tuesday, Italian media said. The young fan was taken to hospital suffering from cuts to his backside after the incident in a square, the ambulance service was quoted as saying. Italy has a soccer hooligan problem and a series of knife attacks have been reported before matches in the Italian capital in recent months.
■ AWARDS
Casey Stoner tops the list
MotoGP world champion Casey Stoner won the top honor at the 28th Australian Sport Awards yesterday. Stoner won the Dawn Fraser Award for his breakthrough victory in last season's MotoGP in recognition of his international achievements. Tour de France runner-up Cadel Evans was named male athlete of the year and the female award went to swimmer Libby Lenton, who won five gold medals at the world championships in Melbourne. Australia's cricketers were named team of the year after winning their third successive World Cup.
■ CRICKET
Dhoni attracts highest bid
Mahendra Singh Dhoni attracted the highest price of US$1.5 million in the first round of bidding yesterday for players in the lucrative new Indian Premier League (IPL). Chennai acquired the services of Indian limited-overs captain Dhoni, a 26-year-old wicketkeeper batsman from the eastern city of Ranchi, for the first three years of the Twenty20 IPL competition. Australia's retiring vice captain Adam Gilchrist attracted the next highest bid -- US$700,000 from Hyderabad, while Sri Lankan spinner Muttiah Muralitharan went to Chennai for US$600,000. The three players were among the six "A" list cricketers or "marquee players" who were pegged as the biggest drawcards and started the bidding session for the eight team franchises at a seafront Mumbai hotel. The Mohali team picked up Sri Lanka captain Mahela Jayawardena for US$475,000, while retired Australia legspinner Shane Warne went to Jaipur for US$450,000. The Calcutta squad acquired the services of Pakistan paceman Shoaib Akhtar for US$425,000.
■ RUGBY UNION
Fiji rugby president resigns
Fiji Rugby Union president Sakiusa Tuisolia resigned yesterday following charges laid against him by the Fiji Independent Commission Against Corruption, installed by the Pacific nation's military regime. Tuisolia faces 44 charges relating to his tenure as Airports Fiji Limited chief executive officer. He said his resignation was "one of principle and necessity to protect and uphold the dignity of the position of president of the FRU. I have offered my resignation as president of the Fiji Rugby Union to the board of the FRU," Tuisolia said. "I take this action with much reluctance and regret but I feel it is the right and proper thing to do."
■ CRICKET
Windies record big win
Steven Jacobs hit a quick-fire century to lead the West Indies to a 176-run victory over Papua New Guinea, while Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Malaysia all posted conclusive victories in the Under-19 World Cup's first round matches yesterday. Put into bat, West Indies were 310-all-out in the last over after Jacobs hit 101 in 86 balls, including 11 fours and two sixes. Half centuries by opener Kieran Powell (60) and Darren Bravo (59) helped post a big target.
■ BASEBALL
Ortiz has nearly recovered
David Ortiz has nearly fully recovered from knee surgery he had shortly after the Boston Red Sox won the World Series last year. The star designated hitter arrived at spring training in Fort Myers, Florida, on Tuesday and took some swings in the batting cage. The first official team workout for all players is scheduled for tomorrow. Ortiz said he felt good after leaving the cage. In the postseason last year, he batted .370 with three home runs. The only regulars who haven't shown up in camp are Manny Ramirez, Mike Lowell, Julio Lugo and Coco Crisp. Position players must have reported by yesterday.
■ BASEBALL
Tournament to repeat roster
Next year's World Classic will have the same 16-team field that competed in the initial baseball tournament in 2006. The tournament organization, which is controlled by Major League Baseball and the players' association, on Tuesday invited the eight teams that failed to advance past the first round two years ago: Australia, Canada, China, Italy, the Netherlands, Panama, South Africa and Taiwan. Last April, organizers invited the eight teams that made it to the second round: Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Japan, Mexico, Puerto Rico, South Korea, the US and Venezuela. Organizers said they plan to establish qualifying rounds for the 2013 tournament. Japan won the initial tournament two years ago.
■ ICE HOCKEY
Death still unexplained
Medical officials in Windsor, Ontario, may need months to determine what caused the sudden death of junior hockey player Mickey Renaud. The 19-year-old captain of the Ontario Hockey League's Windsor Spitfires died on Monday after collapsing at his home in Tecumseh, Ontario. An autopsy was conducted on Tuesday, with the results released to Renaud's family, but regional supervising coroner David Eden said details will not be released to the public. He said the autopsy is the first in a series of tests to determine the cause of death. "The autopsy is really the beginning of a process that will take several months," Eden told Windsor radio station CKLW. "We have a lot of testing to do and we'll be keeping the family updated as the investigation proceeds." Renaud's funeral is scheduled for Friday in Tecumseh. The center was the fourth pick -- 143rd overall -- by the Calgary Flames in last year's NHL entry draft.
■ SUPER BOWL
Man indicted for threats
A man accused of planning to shoot people at this year's Super Bowl was indicted on six counts of sending threatening communications, according to court documents filed in federal court in Phoenix, Arizona, on Tuesday. Kurt William Havelock, 35, turned himself in to authorities on Feb. 3 after driving within sight of University of Phoenix Stadium during the Super Bowl with a rifle and 200 rounds of ammunition. He said he changed his mind. Havelock told authorities he was upset that the city of Tempe denied him a liquor license application for a Halloween-themed bar. Before the planned attack, the indictment said, Havelock sent several letters to Web sites and news organizations. Havelock's writings included an eight-page manifesto in which he warned of an "econopolitical confrontation," according to the FBI.
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
Francesco Bagnaia yesterday profited from a mistake by rookie Pedro Acosta to win the Japan MotoGP sprint and close the gap on overall championship leader, Jorge Martin. Spaniard Acosta crashed with four laps to go while leading the field at Motegi, allowing defending world champion Bagnaia to take first ahead of Enea Bastianini and Marc Marquez. Spain’s Martin finished fourth and saw his overall lead over Italian Bagnaia in the championship standings cut to 15 points. “I am very happy because with these conditions, it’s not very easy to win and gain points,” Bagnaia said after a sprint race that took place under
Naomi Osaka is braced for a “battle” after yesterday setting up a clash with Coco Gauff in the round-of-16 of the China Open, while top seed Aryna Sabalenka also marched on. Osaka defeated 60th-ranked American Katie Volynets 6-3, 6-2 and next faces Gauff in a showdown of former US Open champions in Beijing. World No. 2 Sabalenka swatted aside Ashlyn Krueger 6-2, 6-2 for her 14th consecutive victory and plays another American in 24th-ranked Madison Keys. Looking ahead to the Gauff meeting, four-time Grand Slam champion Osaka said: “She’s very athletic, obviously.” “For me, my strongest traits are being aggressive and also my serve,
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