■ OLYMPICS
Gebrselassie to skip Beijing
World record holder Haile Gebrselassie will aim for an Olympic marathon title at the 2012 London Games after deciding the pollution in Beijing this year represents an unacceptable health threat. The twice Olympic 10,000m champion, who will be 39 in 2012, suffers from exercise-induced asthma and will not compete in Beijing unless he qualifies for the Ethiopian 10,000m team. "The pollution in China is a threat to my health and it would be difficult for me to run 42km in my current condition," he told reporters. Chinese officials yesterday issued assurances that Beijing's air would be safe to breathe during the Olympics.
■ BASKETBALL
Wade to miss rest of season
Dwyane Wade will miss the remainder of Miami's miserable National Basketball Association season to have more treatment on his surgically repaired left knee, coach Pat Riley said after a Monday workout. Wade, who played for only a few minutes Saturday against Atlanta and missing Friday's game against Golden State, will miss the final month for the Heat, who are an NBA-worst 11-50 and have lost nine of 10 games this season without Wade. "I think it's time," Riley said. "We've been walking around on eggshells with this thing." The Heat superstar guard was to have a follow-up shockwave stimulation treatment yesterday that requires a month of rehabilitation therapy.
■ CYCLING
Shortened Paris-Nice starts
Belgian rider Gert Steegmans won the first stage of the Paris-Nice race on Monday, shortened by more than half because of stormy weather. The Quick Step rider completed the 93.5km stage in two hours, 21 minutes, 29 seconds, two seconds ahead of four other riders, including overall leader Thor Hushovd of Norway. The stage from Amilly to Nevers was slated to take the pack on a 184.5km route, but was cut short due to blustery weather. "It was quite odd because we were ready to race and then we had to get back in the bus," Steegmans said. "It was quite cold, but in Belgium it's often cold and rainy and we're used to that." Steegmans' victory put him in second place overall, six seconds behind Hushovd. International Cycling Union president Pat McQuaid has urged riders to boycott Paris-Nice because of a dispute with race owners Amaury Sport Organization. McQuaid has threatened teams with six-month suspensions, fines and bans from the track world championships later this month, which would affect cyclists trying to qualify for the Beijing Olympics.
■ FORMULA ONE
UK firm taking over Aguri
Japan's Super Aguri Formula One racing team has agreed to a takeover by a UK-based auto industry consultant and solutions company, the team said on Monday. London-based Magma Group has also reached an agreement with Honda Motor Co for the Japanese automaker to continue providing engines and technical support to the team, Super Aguri said in a statement. The team also confirmed that Takuma Sato and Anthony Davidson will continue as its racing drivers for the 2008 Formula One season. Speculation about Super Aguri's future has been rife, and the small team was able to conduct only a limited testing program over the winter amid the uncertainties, according to the Formula 1 organization's official website. Its 2008 car, the SA08, is expected to get its first outing in Friday's opening practice session for the Australian Grand Prix.
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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