■ 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.
RECORD DEFEAT: The Shanghai-based ‘Oriental Sports Daily’ said the drubbing was so disastrous, and taste so bitter, that all that is left is ‘numbness’ Chinese soccer fans and media rounded on the national team yesterday after they experienced fresh humiliation in a 7-0 thrashing to rivals Japan in their opening Group C match in the third phase of Asian qualifying for the 2026 World Cup. The humiliation in Saitama on Thursday against Asia’s top-ranked team was China’s worst defeat in World Cup qualifying and only a goal short of their record 8-0 loss to Brazil in 2012. Chinese President Xi Jinping once said he wanted China to host and even win the World Cup one day, but that ambition looked further away than ever after a
Taiwanese badminton superstar Lee Yang broke down in tears after publicly retiring from the sport on Sunday. The two-time Olympic gold medalist held a retirement ceremony at the Taipei Arena after the final matches of the Taipei Open. Accompanied by friends, family and former badminton partners, Lee burst into tears while watching a video celebrating key moments in his professional sporting career that also featured messages from international players such as Malaysia’s Teo Ee Yi, Hong Kong’s Tang Chun-man, and Indonesia’s Mohammad Ahsan and Hendra Setiawan. “I hope that in the future when the world thinks about me, they will
Former Formosa Dreamers player Ilkan Karaman was killed in a traffic accident in Datca, Turkey, Turkish media reported yesterday. He was 34. The former Turkish national team player was reportedly hit by a car, the driver of which was allegedly drunk, while he was standing on a sidewalk, Turkish newspaper Sozcu reported. Karaman and his friends were on their way to the beach town of Dalaman to go scuba diving when they stopped at a gas station to buy gasoline, it reported. Karaman was hit by the car while waiting on a sidewalk as his friends were buying gasoline, it
ANKLE PROBLEM: Taiwan’s Ye Hong-wei and Lee Chia-hsin had a disappointing end to their tournament after an injury forced them out of their mixed doubles semi-final Taiwanese badminton ace Tai Tzu-ying on Friday was knocked out in the women’s singles quarter-finals at her last Taipei Open. The world No. 3 lost 21-18, 16-21, 22-24 to Putri Kusuma Wardani of Indonesia in a match that stretched 68 minutes at the Taipei Arena. Despite her higher ranking, Tai said she was not too sad about the loss, given her struggle with a lingering knee injury. “Wins and losses are just part of the game. Actually, I think I’m going to lose every single match considering my condition now,” said the five-time champion of the Super 300 event, who has announced plans
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