■EQUESTRIAN
British relegation overturned
Britain’s equestrian team will compete in this year’s elite Nations Cup series after their relegation was overturned by an international tribunal. The British team had been relegated, leaving just nine teams in this year’s Nations Cup, after the sport’s global governing body the International Equestrian Federation (FEI) applied seemingly contradictory competition rules. Having finished eighth in the 10-nation series last year, Britain was still relegated along with the ninth-placed Belgium and 10th-placed Italy on the basis the British were level on 22 points with Belgium. Nations Cup rules state that if teams are level on points, the nation with the most first place classifications should go above, leaving the British eighth in the end-of-series rankings. However, Nations Cup Rule 16 dictates that: “Teams tying on points for either of the last two places in the final classification of the Top League are separated by relegating the two teams with the greatest number of last places in the Top League competitions.” Applying Rule 16 in isolation would have left Britain relegated along with Italy. Following a number of hearings, the FEI relegated all three bottom nations. However, the Court of Arbitration for Sport allowed the British appeal on Tuesday, meaning the British will remain in the top flight for this year.
■RUBGY UNION
Rebels hire new manager
Super rugby’s new franchise, the Melbourne Rebels, have appointed Athletics Australia chief executive Danny Corcoran as general manager of rugby operations, the team said in a statement yesterday. “[Corcoran] currently holds the most senior athletics role in the country and has expertise in high performance. Put simply, Danny is a wonderful addition to the team,” Rebels chief executive Brian Waldron said. Corcoran’s appointment follows the signing of New South Wales Waratahs hooker and former Wallaby Adam Freier on Tuesday. Freier joins former Wallaby captain Stirling Mortlock and England flyhalf Danny Cipriani on the Rebels’ player roster for the inaugural Super 15 season next year.
■BASEBALL
Non-US players dip
The percentage of Major League Baseball (MLB) players born outside the US has dipped slightly from last year. It was 27.7 percent at the start of this season, down from 28 percent on opening day last year. The MLB commissioner’s office said on Tuesday that of the 833 players on rosters at the end of Monday, 231 were born outside the US. That was down from a high of 29.2 percent in 2005. The Dominican Republic leads with 86 players in the majors. That’s five more than last year but two fewer than in 2008 and down 12 from 2007. Venezuela was next with 58 at the start of the season, an increase of six from last year.
■CYCLING
Armstrong drops from race
Lance Armstrong has pulled out of the Circuit de la Sarthe race in western France before the second day due to illness, according to a Team Radio Shack spokesman. Philippe Maertens said yesterday the seven-time Tour de France champion was suffering from diarrhea, vomiting and a fever, and described the American’s conditions as really bad. Armstrong was 24th after the opening day of the race, and had said that six members of his team were suffering from a stomach bug.
Doping fears prevented former US Open champion Emma Raducanu from treating insect bites on the eve of the Australian Open, she said, with players increasingly wary about ingesting contaminated substances. The British player was speaking in the wake of high-profile doping cases involving Iga Swiatak and Jannik Sinner. “I would say all of us are probably quite sensitive to what we take on board, what we use,” the 22-year-old said, recalling an incident on Friday. “I got really badly bitten by, I don’t know what, like ants, mosquitoes, something. I’m allergic, I guess,” she added. The bites “flared up and swelled up really a
The NHL postponed the Los Angeles Kings’ home game against the Calgary Flames on Wednesday with several massive wildfires burning across the greater Los Angeles area. The Kings and Flames were scheduled to play on Wednesday night at the Kings’ downtown arena. The NBA’s Los Angeles Lakers were scheduled to host the Charlotte Hornets in the same arena last night. “Our hearts are with our entire Los Angeles community,” the Kings said in a statement. “We appreciate the hard working first responders who are diligently working to contain the fire and protect our community. We appreciate the league’s support in keeping our
TWO IN A WEEK: Despite an undefeated start to the year playing alongside Jiang Xinyu of China, Wu Fang-hsien is to play the Australian Open with a Russian partner Taiwan’s Wu Fang-hsien yesterday triumphed at the Hobart International, winning the women’s doubles title at the US$275,094 outdoor hard-court tournament, while McCartney Kessler lifted the trophy in the women’s singles. Fourth-ranked Wu and partner Jiang Xinyu of China took 1 hour, 15 minutes to defeat Romania’s Monica Niculescu and Fanny Stollar of Hungary, 6-1, 7-6 (8/6) at the Hobart International Tennis Centre, their second title in a week. Wu and Jiang on Sunday won the women’s doubles title at the ASB Classic in Auckland, beating Serbia’s Aleksandra Krunic and Sabrina Santamaria of the US. Their winning ways continued in Australia as they stretched
EL CLASSICO: La Liga champions Real Madrid would face Barcelona in the Super Cup final tomorrow. Barca secured their final spot after a 2-0 win over Bilbao on Wednesday Real Madrid would chase a record-equaling 14th Spanish Super Cup title in the final against Barcelona after second-half goals by Jude Bellingham and Rodrygo helped them to a 3-0 win over Mallorca in the semi-finals on Thursday. England midfielder Bellingham broke the deadlock after the hour mark with a low shot into the middle of the goal before Mallorca defender Martin Valjent’s own goal doubled the lead in stoppage time followed by a Rodrygo strike from close range. Spanish champions Real are to play Barcelona for the trophy tomorrow after goals by Gavi and Lamine Yamal earned Barca a 2-0 win over
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