■FOOTBALL
NFL suspends Bills’ Lynch
Buffalo Bills running back Marshawn Lynch received a three-game suspension from the National Football League on Thursday for a violation of the league’s personal conduct policy. The banishment without pay for the Bills’ opening games in September came a month after Lynch pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor gun charge in Los Angeles. He was also involved in a hit-and-run accident last May. Lynch was arrested in February after police found a semi-automatic handgun inside a backpack of a parked car in which Lynch was seated. He pleaded guilty to carrying a concealed firearm and was sentenced to community service and three years on probation.
■SNOOKER
Game to receive facelift
The reputation of snooker as one of sport’s more traditional games is set to be turned on its head by plans to introduce a radical new condensed format of the game. Impressed by the success of Cricket’s Twenty20, World Snooker chairman Sir Rodney Walker is anxious to lure new fans to the green baize. Outlining his plans in Thursday’s Guardian, he said the new format would feature the same number of colors but only six reds, with games intended to last an average of six or seven minutes. The game has a working title of ‘Super6s’ and is to be trialed at this month’s World Championships in Sheffield with a legends versus rising stars tournament.
■SOCCER
Loyalists behind attacks
Local units of the two main loyalist terror organizations in Northern Ireland were behind events that have seen 40 Polish migrant workers flee in recent weeks. Members of the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) and the Ulster Defense Association (UDA) in south Belfast organized the intimidation of the Poles over the past fortnight, security sources in the city said. The attacks on Polish homes in south Belfast were believed to be in response to an outbreak of hooliganism by soccer fans from Poland during last month’s World Cup qualifier at Windsor Park. Before the crucial Northern Ireland versus Poland match in Belfast on March 28, a group of Polish hooligans smashed up pubs and attacked local fans. One senior security source said last night that a series of revenge attacks had been coordinated by local UDA and UVF units.
■CYCLING
Albasini wins fourth stage
Michael Albasini won the fourth stage of the Tour of Basque Country on Thursday and defending champion Alberto Contador maintained the overall lead. Albasini crossed the line just ahead of Jurgen Van den Broeck and Christian Vandevelde after the three cyclists had pulled away from the peloton toward the end of the 161km stage. Albasini finished with a winning time of 3 hours, 59 minutes, 42 seconds.
■SOCCER
Empress praises Samurais
Japanese Empress Michiko has compared the nation’s baseball team the Samurais to their namesake. Michiko’s comments were prompted by the team’s victory in retaining the World Baseball Classic title last month. The empress was speaking at a press conference on Wednesday, the transcript of which was embargoed until yesterday, the 50th anniversary of her wedding to Emporer Akihito. “Although the Japanese players who distinguished themselves in the World Baseball Classic did not wear traditional armour, commit ritual suicide or speak in archaic Japanese, each one fought with beauty and strength, with something of the samurai spirit in them.”
Bayer 04 Leverkusen go into today’s match at TSG 1899 Hoffenheim stung from their first league defeat in 16 months. Leverkusen were beaten 3-2 at home by RB Leipzig before the international break, the first loss since May last year for the reigning league and cup champions. While any defeat, particularly against a likely title rival, would have disappointed coach Xabi Alonso, the way in which it happened would be most concerning. Just as they did in the Supercup against VfB Stuttgart and in the league opener to Borussia Moenchengladbach, Leverkusen scored first, but were pegged back. However, while Leverkusen rallied late to
The lights dimmed and the crowd hushed as Karoline Kristensen entered for her performance. However, this was no ordinary Dutch theater: The temperature was 80°C and the audience naked apart from a towel. Dressed in a swimsuit and to the tune of emotional music, the 21-year-old Kristensen started her routine, performed inside a large sauna, with a bed of hot rocks in the middle. For a week this month, a group of wellness practitioners, called “sauna masters,” are gathering at a picturesque health resort in the Netherlands to compete in this year’s Aufguss world sauna championships. The practice takes its name from a
Japanese players are moving to English soccer in record numbers and more look set to follow with clubs attracted by their quality, strong work ethic and value for money. Kaoru Mitoma is the standout talent of five Japanese players in the English Premier League, with eight more in the Championship and two in League One. Liverpool midfielder Wataru Endo, the captain of Japan, believes his compatriots are “being held in higher esteem” by English clubs compared with the past. “The staff at Liverpool ask me about lots of Japanese players, not necessarily with a view to a transfer, but just saying this or
Taiwan yesterday survived Bosnia and Herzegovina to win their Davis Cup World Group I tie at the Taipei Tennis Center. The tight series started on Saturday with world No. 123 Jason Tseng losing 3-6, 7-5, 6-4 to Mirza Basic in the opening singles matchup. However, teammate Tony Wu kept the tie even, dominating world No. 86 Damir Dzumhur 6-2, 6-1. Yesterday, 24-year-old Ray Ho and partner 25-year-old Hsu Yu-hsiou kept up the momentum, making short work of Basic and Nerman Fatic, winning 6-3, 6-4. Tseng then suffered another defeat, losing 6-4, 2-6, 6-2 to Dzumhur in a brutal match that lasted more than two
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