FOOTBALL
Broncos sack head coach
The Denver Broncos sacked head coach Josh McDaniels on Monday, ending his stint at the helm after less than two years. “Broncos owner Pat Bowlen has relieved Josh McDaniels of his head coaching duties,” the Broncos said in a statement. Running backs coach Eric Studesville will serve as interim coach for the last month of the season, the team said. After winning his first six games in his rookie coaching season last year, McDaniels lost 17 of his last 22 games with Denver. In addition to Denver’s disappointing results, McDaniels’ tenure was marred by an embarrassing videotaping scandal as well as a series of poor personnel decisions. McDaniels traded away Peyton Hillis, who has become a power running back in Cleveland. He was fined US$50,000 by the NFL for failing to report a subordinate who violated league rules by videotaping a San Francisco 49ers training in London in October. The team was also rocked this year by linebacker D.J. Williams’ drunken driving charge, which caused him to be stripped of his captaincy.
BOXING
Klitschko taunts Chisora
Ukrainian boxer Vladimir Klitschko on Monday dismissed Dereck Chisora, his challenger for his three heavyweight world titles on Saturday, declaring that he did not beat up women, unlike his British opponent. Klitschko, who holds the WBO IBF belts as well as the lightly regarded IBO title, was referring to the fact that 26-year-old Chisora received a three-month suspended sentence last month for assaulting his ex-girlfriend after discovering messages on her answerphone from another man. “Me, I do not beat up women like you do,” taunted Klitschko at a joint pre-fight press conference. “Those who beat up women are losers. You do not know where one practices boxing. It is in a ring! As you are such a horrible person, I am going to show you the road to redemption without a title,” Klitschko said. Chisora turned professional in 2007 and has won all his 14 bouts, seven within the distance.
SOCCER
Cleanliness hurt Aussie bid
A consultant employed in Australia’s bid for the 2022 World Cup says the bid failed because it had “played it clean.” Australia spent US$45 million on its bid but won only one of 22 votes from FIFA’s executive committee before the 2022 tournament was awarded to Qatar. Peter Hargitay, a former aide to FIFA president Sepp Blatter, said in an interview on Monday with SBS television “the fundamental mistake we made ... is that we played it clean.”
SOCCER
Jol quits as Ajax coach
Former Spurs boss Martin Jol on Monday quit as coach of Dutch fallen giants Ajax, who said they had accepted his resignation. As Frank de Boer, assistant to national coach Bert van Marwijk, prepared to take over on a temporary basis, news of Jol’s decision fueled rumors in England that he was in line to take over English Premier League side Newcastle. The Magpies had earlier on Monday sacked Chris Hughton, despite the promoted side being in midtable. Jol’s departure comes just days before four-times European champions Ajax are scheduled to take on AC Milan as they bid to sign off with at least a draw to secure passage to the Europa League at the expense of French side Auxerre. Jol, 54, leaves Ajax in fourth place in the Dutch league following a weekend draw with Nijmegen. Last year they finished second and also won the Dutch Cup. Hughton was formerly assistant to Jol at Tottenham.
Taiwan’s men’s table tennis team won bronze on Saturday at this year’s International Table Tennis Federation World Team Table Tennis Championships in London, matching the country’s best-ever finish at the regular tournament. Consisting of Lin Yun-ju, Taiwan’s top-ranked player at world No. 7, Feng Yi-hsin, Kuo Guan-hong, Hong Jing-kai and Hsu Hsien-chia, the team won bronze after losing 0-3 to Japan in the semifinals. In the opening match, 24-year-old Lin played the first game against world No. 3 Tomokazu Harimoto 11-5, but ultimately lost the next three closely contested games 9-11, 10-12 and 10-12. Feng then faced world No. 8 Sora Matsushima in
Lin Yun-ju on Thursday handed Taiwan two key victories as they advanced to the semi-finals of the ITTF World Team Table Tennis Championships Finals in London. The Taiwan men’s table tennis team beat Sweden 3-2 in five singles matches. The 24-year-old Lin, Taiwan’s top-ranked player at world No. 7 and nicknamed the “Silent Assassin,” opened the tie by defeating world No. 2 Truls Moregard 3-0 (11-8, 11-9, 13-11) before clinching the deciding fifth match with a 3-0 (11-8, 11-9, 11-5) win over Anton Kallberg to hand his team the overall victory. Kuo Guan-hong put Taiwan up 2-0 with a 3-2 (4-11, 11-8, 8-11,
Taiwanese fire dancer Yang Li-wei advanced to the final of Britain’s Got Talent this weekend after receiving a Golden Buzzer during her live semi-final performance. Yang, a member of Taiwan’s Coming True Fire Group, awed judges and audiences with a high-intensity fire performance featuring flaming umbrellas, fire swallowing and spinning metal structures balanced with her legs. Judge Simon Cowell praised Yang as a star, while guest judge KSI reacted with amazement before pressing the Golden Buzzer, sending her to the finals. The dance group wrote on social media that the Golden Buzzer was “the highest honor” on the talent show, adding: “Twenty-three years
As Super Rugby fast approaches its playoff season it finds itself racing toward a reckoning with many issues that threaten the southern hemisphere tournament. A group of stakeholders met in the New Zealand city of Christchurch late last month to address problems that are making the future of the 31-year-old competition increasingly tenuous. The discussion was made more urgent by the decision by the owners of Moana Pasifika to fold the Auckland-based club for financial reasons. That followed the closure of the Melbourne Rebels at the end of the 2024 season, likewise because of financial difficulties. Problems addressed included player retention as more
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