■TENNIS
Mario Ancic withdraws
Mario Ancic of Croatia withdrew from the Beijing Olympics yesterday, and Canadian players Frank Dancevic and Frederic Niemeyer were both added to the men’s draw. Niemeyer replaced the 25th-ranked Ancic, while Dancevic replaced Denis Gremelmayr of Germany. Rainer Schuettler of Germany, who got his spot in Beijing by winning an appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, replaced Dudi Sela of Israel in the draw. Marcos Baghdatis of Cyprus, who withdrew last week, was replaced by Jiri Vanek of the Czech Republic. The Olympic tennis tournament starts Sunday, two days after the opening ceremony, and will finish Aug. 17.
■WEIGHTLIFTING
India drops weightlifter
Monica Devi, India’s lone competitor for weightlifting in the Beijing Olympics, dismissed charges of doping against her and said she was innocent at a press briefing yesterday. Devi was withdrawn from the Indian squad hours before she was to board the flight to Beijing on Tuesday night after she tested positive for an anabolic steroid, the Indian Express newspaper reported, quoting unnamed sources. The test was conducted on June 28. In the pre-Olympic trial conducted by the Indian Weightlifting Federation last month, P Shailaja performed better than Devi, but Devi was chosen because she had won a silver and two bronze at the Asian Championships in Japan this year.
■SOCCER
Dunga: Brazil needs to win
Dunga knows there won’t be many excuses if Brazil fails to win the Olympic gold again. He admits anything but the title will be considered a disappointment, and that it’s time Brazil comes through to clinch the only significant tournament it is yet to win in soccer. “The pressure to win always exists in the national team,” Dunga said. “We have won the World Cup, the Copa America and other important tournaments, but we are missing the Olympic medal. Everyone here wants to leave their mark and win this tournament, which has eluded several generations of Brazilian players.”
■BASKETBALL
Nowitzki to carry flag
Basketball player Dirk Nowitzki will carry the German flag at the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympics on Friday. The 30-year-old Dallas Mavericks forward will lead Germany’s basketball team at Beijing, after the team missed out the past two Olympics. The German Olympic Sports Union said yesterday that it chose Nowitzki to be the flag bearer because “he embodies the Olympic idea like hardly anyone else.” “It has for years been a dream for Dirk Nowitzki to be at the Olympics,” senior German Olympic official Michael Vesper said in a statement, adding that Nowitzki offers “a great example for young sportspeople.”
■BOXING
Hopes high for boxing twins
Most 12-year-old boys in Puerto Rico play video games, watch movies or go to the beach for fun. The Arroyo twins were drawn to the boxing ring. McJoe and McWilliams Arroyo, 22, have become among the best fighters in Puerto Rico, and sporting officials expect them to return with medals from the Beijing Olympics starting Friday. Never mind that the twins grew up in the northern coastal towns of Luquillo and Fajardo, which boast of some of the island’s most popular beaches. The ring still held more attraction that the waves and sun. “When we started boxing at 12 years old, it was more like a hobby,” McJoe said.
Brazil has four teams, more than any other country, in the expanded Club World Cup that kicked off yesterday in the US, but for SE Palmeiras, the competition holds a special meaning: winning it would provide some redemption. Under coach Abel Ferreira since 2020, Palmeiras lifted two Copa Libertadores titles, plus Brazilian league, cup and state championships. Even before Ferreira, it boasted another South American crown and 11 league titles. The only major trophy missing is a world champions’ title. Other Brazilian clubs like Fluminense FC and Botafogo FR, also in the tournament, have never won it either, but the problem for Palmeiras
Lionel Messi drew vast crowds and showed flashes of his brilliance when his Inter Miami side were held to a goalless draw by African giants Al-Ahly as the revamped FIFA Club World Cup got off to a festive start on Saturday. Fans showed up en masse for the Group A clash at the Hard Rock Stadium, home to the NFL’s Miami Dolphins, but Messi could not fully deliver, his best chance coming through a last-second attempt that was deflected onto the crossbar. Inter Miami next face FC Porto on Thursday in Atlanta, while Al-Ahly, who benefited from raucous, massive support, are to
Sergio Ramos on Tuesday outfoxed two Inter players and artfully headed home the first goal for Monterrey at the FIFA Club World Cup. The 39-year-old Ramos slipped through the penalty area for the score just as he did for so many years in the shirts of Real Madrid and Spain’s national team, with whom he combined smarts, timing and physicality. Ramos’ clever goal and his overall defensive play at the Rose Bowl were major factors in Monterrey’s impressive 1-1 draw against the UEFA Champions League finalists in the clubs’ first match of the tournament. “There is always a joy to contribute to the
Los Angeles Dodgers two-way star Shohei Ohtani on Monday wobbled through a 28-pitch first inning at home against the San Diego Padres in his first appearance on the mound since August 2023. Scheduled to throw as many as two innings, Ohtani went a single frame while allowing one run on two hits. He did not issue a walk nor strike out a batter. “Not quite happy with the results overall, but the takeaway for me is that I feel good enough to be able to make the next outing,” Ohtani said of his pitching performance. Ohtani still wound up with a positive impact
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