■FORMULA ONE
Senna voted greatest ever
Three-time world champion Ayrton Senna has been voted the greatest Formula One driver of all time. In an Autosport magazine survey taken by 217 drivers, seven-time world champion Michael Schumacher — one of those polled — had to settle for second place. Juan Manuel Fangio, who won five titles between 1951 and 1957, was third. Senna died in a crash at the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix. He won 41 races. Each voter, including the earliest surviving Grand Prix winner, Jose Froilan Gonzalez, and the oldest living F1 driver, 98-year-old Paul Pietsch, was asked to name their top 10.
■TENNIS
Sanchez-Vicario must pay
The Spanish Supreme Court has ordered former top-ranked women’s player Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario to pay back approximately 3.5 million euros (US$5.1 million) in unpaid income tax. The Madrid court rejected Sanchez-Vicario’s assertion that she was a resident of Andorra and not Spain from 1989 to 1993. The court said in its ruling on Thursday that the three-time French Open champion “never effectively lived in Andorra and never had the intention of doing it in any moment, either.” The 37-year-old Barcelona native, who also won the US Open in 1994, was appealing the decision from a high court ruling in July 2003.
■BOXING
Johnson pardon bid denied
The US Justice Department is refusing to grant a posthumous pardon to Jack Johnson, the black heavyweight boxing champion who was imprisoned nearly a century ago because of his romantic ties with a white woman. In a letter obtained on Thursday by The Associated Press, the department’s pardon attorney, Ronald Rodgers, told Representative Peter King that the Justice Department’s general policy is not to process posthumous pardon requests. In cases like Johnson’s, given the time that has passed and the historical record that would need to be scoured, the department’s resources for pardon requests are best used on behalf of people “who can truly benefit” from them, Rodgers wrote. The letter was in response to one that King, a Republican, and Republican Senator John McCain had sent to US President Barack Obama in October urging a pardon. Rodgers wrote that notwithstanding the department policy, Obama still had the authority to pardon whomever he wishes, “guided when he sees fit by the advice of the pardon attorney.” The White House had no immediate comment whether Obama would consider the request.
■FORMULA ONE
New scoring system mulled
Formula One’s governing body was to decide yesterday whether to change next year’s scoring system so that the top 10 drivers can take points, with race winners collecting 25. The International Automobile Federation (FIA) said in a statement on Thursday the proposal, made by the Formula One commission, would be put to its World Motor Sport Council for final approval. It said the recommendation was because of the expansion of the starting grid to 13 teams next year from 10 at present. Under the new system, the race winner would get 25 points with 20 for second and 15 for third. The remaining points would be allocated 10-8-6-5-3-2-1. The current format awards points to the top eight in a 10-8-6-5-4-3-2-1 sequence. Formula One will have four new teams next year after the withdrawal of Toyota and BMW, whose team will continue as Sauber.
■RUGBY UNION
Cooper to plead not guilty
Australian Test star Quade Cooper is to fight his burglary charge, his lawyer said yesterday, as the case was adjourned for seven months. Cooper, 21, made a brief appearance at Southport Magistrates Court charged with burgling a Surfers Paradise residence last Sunday. The case was adjourned until July. Lawyer Angelo Venardos said Cooper would plead not guilty and urged the public not to “pre-judge.” “There is a lot more to the story,” Venardos told reporters. “It’s not as if Quade and someone else has jumped in a car, packed their balaclavas and house-breaking implements, and come down to the Gold Coast, but I am restricted in what I can say.” The center, who has 11 international appearances and plays for Queensland Reds, said he hoped the case would not interrupt his career.
■RUGBY UNION
Plan to cut teams dropped
New Zealand has backed down on plans to cut four teams from the country’s premier domestic competition next year after threats of legal action from teams facing the ax. Rugby union chairman Jock Hobbs said yesterday the union was reversing its decision made in July to cut the top provincial competition next year from 14 teams to 10. He said, however, that the union still favored cutting four teams from the following season, depending on negotiations with the provincial teams. The decision to cut the teams was made because of the poor financial performance of some teams. The July announcement raised a howl of protest from many fans and the four teams likely to be cut — Northland, Counties-Manukau, Manawatu and Tasman.
■SOCCER
England’s Ashton retires
West Ham United and England striker Dean Ashton announced his retirement from professional soccer yesterday. Ashton has suffered from a long-term ankle problem that he initially sustained when training with England in August 2006. The 26-year-old underwent several operations, but concerns for his mobility later in life prompted his decision. West Ham chief executive Scott Duxbury told the club’s official Web site: “This is a sad day and our thoughts are with Dean.”
■SOCCER
Romario convicted again
Former Brazilian international Romario has been convicted of tax evasion for the second time by a court on Thursday. The 42-year-old was sentenced to two-and-a-half years community service and ordered to pay a fine of 391,000 reales (US$222,000). The case relates to Romario’s tax returns in 1996 when he played for Brazilian club Flamengo. Romario could still appeal the decision. Romario was also convicted and sentenced on June 9 to three years in prison and fined US$569,000 after accusations he evaded about US$500,000 in taxes when he played for Flamengo in 1996 and 1997.
■SOCCER
Stadium to get facelift
Sydney’s Olympic Stadium will be given a A$150 million (US$137 million) facelift if Australia succeeds in winning the right to host soccer’s World Cup in 2018 or 2022, local media reported on Thursday. The renovations would include the installation of a retractable glass roof over the entire stadium and the addition of another 7,000 seats, lifting capacity to 90,000. Newspapers quoted an unnamed source as saying that if the rebuilding went ahead it would ensure Sydney was chosen to stage the final ahead of the 100,000-seat Melbourne Cricket Ground.
Taiwan’s top women’s badminton doubles duo, Hsieh Pei-shan (謝沛珊) and Hung En-tzu (洪恩慈), achieved a straight-sets victory over Japan’s Kaho Osawa and Mayui Tanabe at the Badminton World Federation (BWF) Super 300 Macau Open on Sunday. The Taiwanese pair won the final 21-18, 21-12, marking the duo’s second title this year after their win at the BWF Super 300 Taipei Open in May. The match on Sunday was their first encounter with the Japanese duo, ranked No. 63 in the world. Hsieh and Hung, ranked No. 12, began the opening game well. Hung, who plays left-handed, performed strongly at both the net and the
Canadian teenager Victoria Mboko upset top-seeded Coco Gauff 6-1, 6-4 on Saturday night to reach the National Bank Open quarter-finals. “Your support was incredible,” Mboko told the crowd in French after a chorus of “Ole, Ole, Ole” chants echoed around the venue. “I’m really happy to win today ... It’s incredible. I’m so happy to beat such a great champion.” Gauff dropped to 2-3 since winning the French Open. She followed the major victory with opening losses in Berlin and Wimbledon, then overcame double-fault problems to win two three-set matches in Montreal. Gauff had five double-faults on Saturday after having 23 in
Formula 1 champion Max Verstappen on Thursday said that he is staying with the Red Bull team next year, ending months of speculation over his future. “Some people just like to stir the pot, some people just like to create drama, but, for me, it’s always been quite clear, and also for next year,” the four-time champion said ahead of the Hungarian Grand Prix. “I’m discussing with the team already the plans — the things that we want to change for next year, so that means that I’m also staying with the team for next year,” he said. Verstappen has a contract with
Alex Michelsen on Thursday rallied for a 3-6, 7-6 (7/4), 6-4 upset victory over third-seeded Lorenzo Musetti in the men’s singles, converting his seventh match point to reach the fourth round of the Canadian Open. Michelsen reached the last 16 of a Masters 1000 for the first time with his second win over a top-10 player in eight attempts. The 20-year-old American survived nearly 50 unforced errors and converted just two of nine break chances, but it was enough to vanquish Italy’s Musetti, a two-time Grand Slam semi-finalist ranked 10th in the world. “It feels really good,” the 26th-ranked Michelsen said. “I’ve put