■RUGBY UNION
Minister wants SA apology
South Africa’s sports minister said the country’s rugby union federation should apologize to Maoris in New Zealand for excluding them from tours during the apartheid era for being non-white. Makhenkesi Stofile wrote a letter, published on Sunday in New Zealand’s media, saying the South African and New Zealand rugby governing bodies should say sorry “for the folly of those who came before them.” Maoris were not allowed to tour with All Blacks teams in 1928, 1949 and 1960 because South Africa wouldn’t allow non-whites to play against the Springboks. Stofile said an apology could not harm anyone who accepted that racial prejudice was an injustice. The federation said it had “taken careful note” of Stofile’s comments and would make a statement today.
■JUDO
Doping blamed on pork
The coach of Chinese Olympic judo champion Tong Wen has blamed a surfeit of pork chops for her positive test for a banned substance. Tong, the women’s 78kg gold medalist at the 2008 Olympics, has been banned for two years and stripped of last year’s world title after testing positive for clenbuterol. Coach Wu Weifeng, however, said China’s well-documented food safety problems were responsible for the first positive test by a Chinese Olympic champion. “She trained in Europe for a while and was sick of European food so we gave her a lot of pork chops when she returned home to prepare for the 2009 world championships in Rotterdam,” she told the Beijing Youth Daily. Wu said clenbuterol, which is used to treat breathing disorders, rising blood pressure and for oxygen transportation, was a cheap chemical often illegally used as an additive to feed pigs in China. China’s leading backstroke swimmer, Ouyang Kunpeng, who was banned for life ahead of the Beijing Olympics after a positive test for clenbuterol, also said he had eaten too much roast pork while at a barbecue with friends before the test.
■SOCCER
Australia completes FIFA bid
Australia has finalized its bids for the 2018 and 2022 FIFA World Cups after winning support from the country’s other major sports, officials said yesterday. The bids, which will be handed to soccer’s world governing body on Friday, were completed after haggling over stadium use and disruption affecting both rugby codes and Australian Rules football. The National Rugby League, Australian Football League and rugby union signed a memorandum of agreement over the weekend entitling them to continue their seasons during any World Cup and to compensation for vacating stadiums. Thirty kangaroo leather-bound “bid books” detail in 760 pages technical information and argue Australia’s case for hosting one of the tournaments, along with annexe sections totaling some 84,000 pages.
■OLYMPICS
Diving champion dies at 81
Mexico’s top Olympic-medal recipient has died at the age of 81. His wife said Olympic diver Joaquin Capilla died of natural causes on Saturday and was buried on Sunday. Carmen Capilla said she was by her husband’s side at the time of his death. In the 1948 Games in London, Capilla, then 19, won a bronze medal for platform diving. Four years later in Helsinki, he won a silver medal, again for platform diving. In 1956 in Melbourne, Australia, he took home a bronze medal for springboard diving and a gold for platform diving. He later taught diving in Mexico City, inspiring a new generation of competitors.
Inter on Sunday were given a letoff when they snatched a late 1-1 derby draw with AC Milan, while league leaders SSC Napoli were held by a late goal at AS Roma. Reigning champions Inter remain three points behind Napoli, who looked to be heading five clear as they led in Rome until Angelino volleyed in a stunning leveler in the first minute of stoppage-time. Angelino’s strike gave even more significance to Stefan de Vrij’s last-gasp equalizer at the San Siro. The defender forced home Nicola Zalewski’s knockdown just as it looked like Tijjani Reijnders’ opener would be enough for Milan. “I can
The Washington Capitals and Winnipeg Jets on Saturday did not disappoint in a thrilling midseason matchup in front of a fired-up sellout crowd of more than 18,500 fans. The top two teams in the NHL delivered with a combined nine goals, including the 877th of Alex Ovechkin’s career to put him 18 back of breaking Wayne Gretzky’s record. That tied the score, the Jets pulled it out in overtime and just about everyone involved got their money’s worth out of the 5-4 game. “We knew how we were both sitting in the standings and both having real good years,” Winnipeg coach Scott
Santiago Castro on Tuesday had an immediate impact off the bench as he scored the goal to send Bologna into the Coppa Italia semi-finals for the first time in 26 years. Bologna won 1-0 against last year’s runners-up, Atalanta BC, and are to play either holders Juventus or Empoli in the final four. Juventus are to host Empoli in their quarter-final on Feb. 26. The last time Bologna reached the semi-finals was in 1999, when they lost 4-2 to ACF Fiorentina. There were chances for both sides in a high-tempo match in Bergamo, but it was Bologna who broke the deadlock 10 minutes from
After nearly six years away from the NBA, New Taipei Kings player Jeremy Lin (林書豪) is set to participate in the 2025 NBA All-Star Weekend’s Rising Stars mini-tournament as the coach of Team G League. The NBA announced Monday (U.S. time) that the Taiwanese-American player will join a trio of Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famers – Tim Hardaway Sr., Chris Mullin, and Mitch Richmond – as honorary coaches for four teams featuring 28 rising talents. "See you soon in the Bay," Lin wrote in an Instagram story sharing the news. As the All-Star Weekend will take place at