■ SOCCER
FIFA officials visit US
FIFA World Cup inspectors visited New York on Tuesday as part of a three-day, five-city US tour that includes breakfast at the White House. The six-man delegation is touring potential stadiums and facilities as part of the process in determining if the US is a suitable host for the FIFA World Cup in 2018 or 2022. The highlight of the tour for the group, which is led by Chile Football Federation president Harold Mayne-Nicholls, was to be breakfast at the White House yesterday morning. Former US president Bill Clinton attended World Cup matches in South Africa and is chairman of the US bid. The US is one of eight of nine stops on the FIFA world tour. FIFA’s executive committee votes on both event hosts Dec. 2.
■ BASEBALL
S Korea to target drug tests
South Korean baseball officials could introduce drastic anti-doping protocols next year with a plan to target specific players for drug tests. The Korean Baseball Organization (KBO) said players who showed marked statistical improvement would be targeted in a clampdown on drug cheats, South Korea’s Yonhap news agency reported yesterday. The KBO currently tests five local players randomly selected from each of the eight ballclubs, plus all foreign players. League officials said they would begin examining the new testing procedures at the end of the season, with players exceeding their career averages set to be selected for testing.
■ FIGURE SKATING
Kim Yu-na to train in LA
Olympic figure skating champion Kim Yu-na is set to train in Los Angeles, although for how long and under whose tutelage remain to be seen. Since splitting from her longtime coach Brian Orser in a public spat last month, Kim had remained coy on her future plans. Kim eliminated some of the mystery on Tuesday, confirming she would be moving her training base from Canada to Artesia on the outskirts of Los Angeles.
■ SWIMMING
Stephanie Rice sorry for slur
Triple Olympic swimming gold medalist Stephanie Rice made a tearful apology yesterday for a homophobic slur she posted on Saturday on Twitter. Rice twice broke down in tears at a news conference she called in Sydney where she asked for forgiveness for her “thoughtless and careless” comment. Rice, 22, tweeted the derogatory remark after Australia’s last-minute win over South Africa in a Rugby Union test match at Bloemfontein. Rice, who reportedly is dating Australia flyhalf Quade Cooper, later deleted the tweet and apologized, saying she didn’t mean to cause offense. She said she called Wednesday’s news conference because she felt a public apology was also necessary. “I owe it to those who I have offended to publicly say, I am sorry,” Rice said. Saturday’s tweet cost Rice an endorsement contract with luxury carmaker Jaguar.
■ FOOTBALL
Parcells gives up control
Miami Dolphins vice president Bill Parcells is handing over control of the team to general manager Jeff Ireland and will remain a daily consultant, the Dolphins said on Tuesday. “Effective immediately, Jeff Ireland will assume full control over all aspects and decisions in regard to the Miami Dolphins football team and support staff,” the team said in a statement. Parcells had named Ireland the Dolphins’ general manager in 2008. Prior to joining the Dolphins in December 2007, Parcells spent 19 years as an NFL head coach with the New York Giants, New England Patriots, New York Jets and Dallas Cowboys.
More than 180 years of horse racing came to an end in Singapore on Saturday, as the Singapore Turf Club hosted its final race day before its track is handed back to the Singaporean government to provide land for new homes. Under an overcast sky, the air-conditioned VIP boxes were full of enthusiasts, socialites and expats, while the grounds and betting halls below hosted mostly older-generation punters. The sun broke through for the last race, the last-ever Grand Singapore Gold Cup. The winner, South African jockey Muzi Yeni, echoed a feeling of loss shared by many on the day. “I’d
Former world No. 2 Paula Badosa has withdrawn from this week’s Wuhan Open, organizers said on Tuesday, amid a racism row over an online photograph. Tournament organizers said the Spaniard had pulled out of the WTA 1000 tournament, citing a gastrointestinal illness, hours before her first-round match against Australian Ajla Tomljanovic. News outlets including Britain’s the Telegraph earlier reported that Badosa had posted a photo on Instagram in which she appeared to imitate a Chinese face by placing chopsticks on the corners of her eyes. The photo was taken last week in a restaurant in Beijing, where she reached the semi-finals of the
PREDICTION: Last week, when Yu’s father made a wrong turn to the former champions’ parking lot, he said that his son could park there after this year With back-to-back birdies on the 18th hole, Kevin Yu fulfilled his driving range-owning dad’s prediction that he would win the Sanderson Farms Championship and become Taiwan’s third golfer to claim a US PGA Tour title. The Taoyuan-born 26-year-old, who represented Taiwan in the Olympic golf at Paris, saw off Californian Beau Hossler in a playoff at the Country Club of Jackson, Mississippi, on Sunday. Having drained a 15-foot putt to claw his way into the playoff, Yu rolled in from five feet on the first extra hole, ensuring he joined Chen Tze-chung (LA Open in 1987) and Pan Cheng-tsung (RBC
LeBron James and eldest son Bronny James claimed a piece of NBA history on Sunday after making their long-awaited first appearance alongside each other for the Los Angeles Lakers. The duo appeared together at the start of the second quarter in the Lakers’ 118-114 preseason defeat to the Phoenix Suns in Palm Desert, east of Los Angeles. While LeBron James impressed with 19 points in just 16 minutes and 20 seconds on court before sitting out the second half, Bronny found the going harder with zero points in just over 13 minutes on court. The younger James attempted just one
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