BASKETBALL
NBA postpones camps
The NBA on Friday said it had postponed training camps and canceled the first week of preseason games as it struggles to reach a new collective bargaining agreement with players. The NBA, in the midst of its first work stoppage in 13 years, said training camps scheduled to open Oct. 3 have been postponed indefinitely and 43 preseason games from Oct. 9 to Oct. 15 have been canceled. “We have regretfully reached the point on the calendar where we are not able to open training camps on time and need to cancel the first week of preseason games,” NBA deputy commissioner Adam Silver said in a statement. “We will make further decisions as warranted.”
FOOTBALL
Ravens’ Brown dies at 40
Orlando Brown, a former Baltimore Ravens offensive tackle best known for shoving an NFL official in a 1999 game, was found dead at his Baltimore home on Friday. Brown was 40. Police said no cause of death has been determined for Brown, who was dead when firefighters arrived at his home after attempts to contact him proved in vain. Police said there were no signs of trauma or suspicious circumstances. Brown began his NFL career with the Cleveland Browns in 1993 and also played for the Ravens before retiring in 2005. The most notable moment of Brown’s career as an NFL blocker came in 1999 when he was playing for the Browns against Jacksonville and was accidentally struck in the right eye by a penalty flag thrown by official Jeff Triplette. Brown, whose father was blind due to glaucoma, said concern over possible eyesight damage prompted him to push Triplette. Brown was suspended for two weeks, but also spent six days in a hospital with bleeding behind his eye. The injury would cause Brown, who was nicknamed “Zeus,” to miss the next three seasons before he made a comeback with the Ravens in 2003.
BADMINTON
Injured Lin Dan withdraws
World champion Lin Dan withdrew from the Japan Open yesterday with an injured left foot, giving his teammate Chen Long a free ticket to the men’s singles final where he will face defending champion Lee Chong Wei of Malaysia. The Chinese second seed, the sport’s biggest name and the winner in Tokyo in 2004 and 2005, said the skin on his left foot came off after a tough match against another teammate, Chen Jin, in the quarter-finals on Friday. In the women’s singles, Juliane Schenk defeated Indian star Saina Nehwal to set up a final against world champion Wang Yihan of China. The German eighth seed, who eliminated All England champion Wang Shixian of China in the quarter-finals, gained another major scalp with a 21-19, 21-10 victory over the fourth seed. Wang Yihan was given a walkover into the final as fellow Chinese Liu Xin withdrew with a left leg injury.
SOCCER
Colin Klass banned
Guyana Football Association president Colin Klass became the second high-ranking official, and the fourth in all, to be banned for their part in a bribery scandal when world soccer’s ruling body FIFA suspended him on Friday for 26 months. Klass, who was also fined 5,000 Swiss francs (US$5,537), was provisionally suspended on Aug. 11 after the Ethics Committee ruled he had breached their Code of Ethics for his part in the scandal that also led to the lifetime ban for Qatari Mohammed Bin Hammam following a meeting of the Caribbean Football Union in May.
SIBLING RIVALRY: Marc Marquez was locked in a duel with his little brother, falling behind at one point before recovering for his first season-opening victory since 2014 Six-time world champion Marc Marquez yesterday won the MotoGP season-opening Thailand Grand Prix to complete a dominant debut weekend at his new Ducati Lenovo Team, having also romped to Saturday’s sprint. The Spanish great took the 26-lap grand prix by 1.732 seconds for his 63rd MotoGP victory from younger brother Alex Marquez, who is still seeking a first checkered flag, with Francesco Bagnaia third to complete an all-Ducati podium. It completed a perfect weekend for Marc Marquez, who took pole position, the sprint victory and the grand prix win for a maximum 37 points to open the 22-leg 2025 campaign. He led from
AC Milan’s slender hopes of reaching next season’s UEFA Champions League took another hit on Thursday with a 2-1 defeat at Bologna which left them eight points from Serie A’s top four. Sergio Conceicao’s team sit eighth, some way behind fourth-placed Juventus after losing an entertaining contest at the Stadio Renato Dall’Ara, a match which was rescheduled from October last year due to torrential rain and flooding. Swathes of the Emilia-Romagna region in northern Italy, much of which is fertile agricultural land, had been left under water following a massive autumn downpour. Dan Ndoye prodded home the decisive goal in the 82nd minute
VALUABLE POINT: Relegation-threatened Valencia snatched a thrilling 3-3 draw at CA Osasuna thanks to a remarkable backheel volley by Umar Sadiq Barcelona on Sunday secured a comfortable 4-0 win over Real Sociedad to move back top of La Liga. Aritz Elustondo’s early red card gave Hansi Flick’s side a comfortable afternoon, with Gerard Martin, Marc Casado, Ronald Araujo and Robert Lewandowski on the score sheet. Atletico Madrid beat Athletic Bilbao on Saturday to temporarily knock the Catalans from their perch, while Real Madrid, third, lost at Real Betis Balompie. Flick was able to rotate his side a little ahead of the UEFA Champions League round-of-16 visit to face SL Benfica tomorrow and still move one point above Atletico. “There were a lot of things that
Former Australian motorcycle gang member-turned-golfer Ryan Peake, who served a lengthy jail term for assault, yesterday produced a “life-changing” maiden win to qualify for The Open Championship. Peake held his nerve for a one-stroke victory at the New Zealand Open, earning him a berth at the major in Portrush, Northern Ireland, in July, pending clearance to travel as a convicted criminal. The 31-year-old from Perth celebrated animatedly and was showered with champagne by friends on the 18th green of the Millbrook Resort course near Queenstown after a redemption story rarely seen in the refined sport of golf. Peake held back tears as he