■BADMINTON
Nigeria dropped for no-show
Nigeria’s hopes of progress in the badminton world team championships were delivered a fatal blow yesterday when they were effectively kicked out for missing their opening match. The Africans failed to show for their first Thomas Cup tie against Malaysia on Sunday when a canceled flight meant the players landed in Malaysia three hours after the scheduled start and the host nation were handed a 5-0 walkover. The Badminton World Federation (BWF) announced that Nigeria would be allowed to play their final group game for the sake of world ranking points, but the tie would again be handed automatically to the Japanese regardless of the result. Thomas Lund, chief operating officer of the BWF, told a press conference the decision was “fully in accordance” with how similar cases had been dealt with in the past. The Nigerians now have no hope of coming through group Group B and will finish bottom.
■SOCCER
N Zealand announces squad
Midfielder Aaron Clapham was the main surprise when New Zealand yesterday named their 23-man squad for next month’s World Cup in South Africa. Coach Ricki Herbert said there were some tough choices made ahead of the All Whites’ first appearance in the World Cup finals since 1982. “I’m not one to usually have sleepless nights but this has been a very difficult job settling on the final pieces of the jigsaw,” said Herbert, who played in the 1982 World Cup for New Zealand. Clapham had an outstanding season for semi-professional Canterbury United in the New Zealand Football Championship, where he was named player of the year. “Aaron has come in to this group and looked very comfortable. He is the type of player that should be around the international scene for many years and he has a big future in the professional game,” Herbert said. Blackburn Rovers central defender Ryan Nelsen will captain the side. The core of the team includes six other Europe-based professionals in Rory Fallon of Plymouth, Chris Killen (Middlesbrough), Michael McGlinchey (Motherwell), Winston Reid (FC Midtjylland), Tommy Smith (Ipswich Town) and Chris Wood (West Bromwich Albion).
■SOCCER
Rooney limps out of game
Wayne Rooney limped out of Manchester United’s final Premier League match of the season in Manchester, England, on Sunday, two days before Fabio Capello is due to announce his provisional England squad for the World Cup. The striker came off 13 minutes from the end of a 4-0 win over Stoke after suffering a recurrence of a groin injury he first incurred last month. United boss Sir Alex Ferguson said he did not think the injury would threaten Rooney’s participation in the World Cup. “He has aggravated his groin again,” Ferguson said. “I don’t think it is serious. I think he will be okay for England.” Capello is due to name a 30-man squad today that will be whittled down to a final 23 in early June following warm-up matches against Mexico and Japan and a training camp at altitude in Austria.
■CHESS
World title match drawn
India’s defending champion Viswanathan Anand and his Bulgarian challenger Veselin Topalov drew in the 11th round of their 12-game match for the world chess title on Sunday. The draw was agreed on the 65th move, allowing the two to keep even with a total result of 5.5-5.5 points.
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
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
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
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
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