Fri, Jun 27, 2008 page23

• Sports Briefs

  • AGENCIES
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  ■ SPRINTING

  Gatlin files appeal over ban

  Sprinter Justin Gatlin filed another appeal on Wednesday following the decision a day earlier to uphold a ban preventing him from competing in the US Olympic track and field trials. Gatlin’s lawyer Joseph Zarzaur said he filed a “motion for injunction,” providing the courts with additional documents supporting the argument that Gatlin should be allowed to try to qualify for the Beijing Games while his four-year ban from competition is under appeal. “It is another effort to persuade the courts to allow Justin to participate in the upcoming Olympic trials pending resolution of his appeal,” Zarzaur said. “This is not an issue of eligibility but an issue of discrimination.”

  ■ FIELD HOCKEY

  Coach plays down report

  India’s field hockey coach Ajay Bansal yesterday played down reports that Malaysia deliberately lost a recent international, saying his team had won fair and square. Malaysian police are investigating allegations that India’s 2-1 win during the Azlan Shah tournament in Ipoh in May was fixed following online betting by some members of the Malaysian team. The Malay Mail newspaper said earlier this week that up to six Malaysian players wagered between 1,000 ringgit (US$313) and 10,000 ringgit on the outcome of match. Bansal, whose young Indian team went on to play the final, said he was surprised at the allegations and refused to believe hockey matches could be fixed.

  ■ BASEBALL

  European league announced

  Cuba’s yielding of the 2009 World Cup to Europe was appreciated by the International Baseball Federation, which announced a new professional European league on Wednesday. The World Cup in September 2009 was shifted from Cuba to seven European nations to try and bolster baseball’s bid to get back into the Olympics. The International Olympic Committee eliminated baseball and softball from the 2012 London Olympics during a vote in 2005. The committee will review baseball’s success during the Beijing Games in August and the World Baseball Classic next March. “Our tentative plans also include the launch of a professional baseball league in Europe in 2010 and beyond,” IBF president Harvey Schiller said.

  ■ OLYMPICS

  Malaysia offers bonus

  Malaysia, which has never won an Olympic gold medal, is offering a bonus of 1 million ringgit (US$307,000) to any athlete who can bring home the top prize from this year’s Beijing Games. Deputy prime minister Najib Razak said the offer, substantially higher than the 160,000 ringgit offered at previous Olympics, reflected rising standards in world sports. “To win a gold medal is not easy because the competition is getting tougher. We can see that from one Olympics to another, the standard is increasing,” he was quoted as saying.

  ■ FORMULA ONE

  US Grand Prix axed

  Indianapolis Motor Speedway officials still want to host the US Grand Prix. It might take at least another year to get it back. When Formula One released next year’s provisional schedule on Wednesday, a previous date for the US race was left blank on the new schedule, a strong indication F1 officials plan to skip the country for a second straight year. But race organizers haven’t lost hope about reaching a deal with F1 boss Bernie Ecclestone. “Discussions will continue,” speedway spokesman Ron Green said. “We believe a return of Formula One to our calendar ... would be appropriate. But it must be on terms reasonable to all the groups.”

  ■ EURO 2008

  Vandals attack kebab shops

  German police said yesterday vandals attacked two Turkish kebab shops in Dresden shortly after Germany’s Euro 2008 victory over Turkey, injuring several people. “I can confirm that two shops were attacked ... and that several people were injured,” police spokesman Thomas Herbst said. A press report said that members of a group of 30 to 50 people had smashed windows and caused other damage to the shops after the semi-final soccer match while a small crowd of people looked on. No other incidents were reported in the country with the game passing off peacefully between Turkey and Germany, home to almost 3 million Turks and people of Turkish descent, the country’s biggest minority.

  ■ GOLF

  Yani Tseng talks a lot

  Yani Tseng of Taiwan, the McDonald’s LPGA Championship winner this month, was asked at the Women’s Open in Edina, Minnesota, how she learned to speak English so well. “I talk a lot,” she said. Tseng, though, was speechless at the US Open at Torrey Pines two weeks ago while she helped out NBC analyst Dottie Pepper. She was in awe of the power of Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson and Adam Scott, but she really took an interest in Scott, a heart throb for so many teenagers. Tseng finally met the Australian after the round. “He was a great-looking guy,” she said. “And when I saw him, I almost passed out. I was so nervous talking to him. I couldn’t speak.”

  ■ RUGBY UNION

  RFU to probe England

  The Rugby Football Union (RFU) said on Wednesday it will probe allegations of player misconduct during England’s disastrous two-Test tour to New Zealand. The investigation will be conducted by the RFU’s disciplinary officer Jeff Blackett, who intends to reveal his findings as soon as possible. Blackett’s probe will run separately from the police investigations taking place in New Zealand involving allegations of serious sexual assault against four unnamed England players. The decision was made after the RFU management board’s regular monthly meeting, during which RFU elite rugby director Rob Andrew gave a detailed report on the tour. “The board were concerned at the damage to the game’s reputation as a result of the allegations made regarding the behavior of four of the 32-strong touring party after the first Test match in Auckland,” a RFU statement read. After England were beaten 37-20 in the opening Test by the All Blacks, a section of the squad embarked on a drinking session at a nightclub, which concluded with girls returning to the team hotel. “In the age of celebrity, England players must always be aware of their position and the dangers that may exist for them at all times,” the RFU said.

  ■ CRICKET

  Half of players eye IPL

  At least half of all world-class players say they would be prepared to quit mainstream international cricket to appear exclusively in the Indian Premier League (IPL), a survey showed. In the Federation of International Cricketers’ Associations (FICA) report released yesterday, 52 percent of those polled said they would be willing to quit the traditional forms to pursue IPL riches. The findings are in line with a recent poll by the Professional Cricketers’ Association that half of England’s leading players would consider quitting international cricket to play in the IPL. World cricket chiefs are meeting in Dubai this weekend hoping to safeguard the game’s future amid a lucrative Twenty20 revolution. The FICA survey targeted 105 international players and received 64 responses.
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