CRICKET
Security woes trump play
Intercontinental Cup matches between Kenya and Namibia in Nairobi were postponed by cricket’s governing body on Wednesday because of security concerns. The International Cricket Council said “the ongoing and changing” security situation in Kenya had led to delays in making a security assessment, and the four-day and 50-over games were put back until September. There have been attacks in Nairobi and the coastal town of Mombasa in recent months, with hit-and-run grenade blasts in the capital blamed on Somali militant group al-Shabab. Attackers fired shots and detonated grenades outside a nightclub in Mombasa on Tuesday, killing a security guard in the latest in a series of attacks in the East African country linked to al-Shabaab. In March, grenade explosions at one of the main bus stations in Nairobi killed nine people and wounded 40. New Zealander Mike Hesson resigned as Kenya coach this month after less than a year in charge because of worries over the safety of his family.
BOXING
Ochigava beats Dos Santos
Two-time boxing world champion Sofya Ochigava of Russia defeated Adriana dos Santos of Brazil 15-6 in Qinhuangdao, China, on Wednesday to reach the semi-finals of the 60kg class at the Women’s World Championships. Natasha Jonas of England also qualified for the last four after beating Ingrid Egner of Norway 23-9. The worlds are being held in 10 divisions, but the focus is on three: 51kg flyweight, 60kg lightweight and 75kg middleweight. They are the only three classes when women’s boxing makes its debut at the Olympics this summer. All eight quarter--finalists in the three categories qualify for London.
SOCCER
Barca open soccer camp
Spanish giants Barcelona are setting up a soccer school in India as they expand their coaching network worldwide with the aim of training 10,000 youngsters in the next three years. The school in New Delhi, the first of its kind in India, will be managed by the club’s training arm FCBEscola and welcome 300 children aged between six and 14, club officials said. The Delhi school is set to be operational by the end of the year and plans are afoot to expand operations to other cities such as Mumbai, Bangalore, Kolkata, Goa, Pune and Ahmedabad. Club official Antonio Claveria, who will be the technical director of the school, had organized a camp for budding soccer players in New Delhi in December last year. “It was a great experience for me to start the Barca India project,” Claveria said.
SOCCER
Barton accepts one charge
Joey Barton has accepted an FA charge against him for violent conduct against Manchester City’s Sergio Aguero in Sunday’s clash, which clinched the Premier League title for City. However, the Queens Park Rangers midfielder has denied a second charge of alleged violent conduct against City’s Vincent Kompany, the English FA said in a statement. Barton was sent off for elbowing Carlos Tevez and then kicked Sergio Aguero and appeared to try to head-butt Kompany before being escorted off the pitch. He has requested a personal hearing, the date of which has yet to be set. “As Barton had already been dismissed, both of these incidents fell outside of the jurisdiction of the referee,” the statement said. Queens Park Rangers said “a full investigation in relation to Joey Barton’s dismissal and subsequent events against Manchester City on Sunday will be carried out following the conclusion of his FA hearing.”
Bayer 04 Leverkusen go into today’s match at TSG 1899 Hoffenheim stung from their first league defeat in 16 months. Leverkusen were beaten 3-2 at home by RB Leipzig before the international break, the first loss since May last year for the reigning league and cup champions. While any defeat, particularly against a likely title rival, would have disappointed coach Xabi Alonso, the way in which it happened would be most concerning. Just as they did in the Supercup against VfB Stuttgart and in the league opener to Borussia Moenchengladbach, Leverkusen scored first, but were pegged back. However, while Leverkusen rallied late to
Taiwanese badminton superstar Lee Yang broke down in tears after publicly retiring from the sport on Sunday. The two-time Olympic gold medalist held a retirement ceremony at the Taipei Arena after the final matches of the Taipei Open. Accompanied by friends, family and former badminton partners, Lee burst into tears while watching a video celebrating key moments in his professional sporting career that also featured messages from international players such as Malaysia’s Teo Ee Yi, Hong Kong’s Tang Chun-man, and Indonesia’s Mohammad Ahsan and Hendra Setiawan. “I hope that in the future when the world thinks about me, they will
If all goes well when the biggest marathon field ever gathered in Australia races 42km through the streets of Sydney on Sunday, World Marathon Majors (WMM) will soon add a seventh race to the elite series. The Sydney Marathon is to become the first race since Tokyo in 2013 to join long-established majors in New York, London, Boston, Berlin and Chicago if it passes the WMM assessment criteria for the second straight year. “We’re really excited for Sunday to arrive,” race director Wayne Larden told a news conference in Sydney yesterday. “We’re prepared, we’re ready. All of our plans look good on
The lights dimmed and the crowd hushed as Karoline Kristensen entered for her performance. However, this was no ordinary Dutch theater: The temperature was 80°C and the audience naked apart from a towel. Dressed in a swimsuit and to the tune of emotional music, the 21-year-old Kristensen started her routine, performed inside a large sauna, with a bed of hot rocks in the middle. For a week this month, a group of wellness practitioners, called “sauna masters,” are gathering at a picturesque health resort in the Netherlands to compete in this year’s Aufguss world sauna championships. The practice takes its name from a
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