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.”
Shohei Ohtani and Clayton Kershaw on Friday joined their Los Angeles Dodgers teammates in sticking their fists out to show off their glittering World Series rings at a ceremony. “There’s just a lot of excitement, probably more than I can ever recall with the Dodger fan base and our players,” manager Dave Roberts said before Los Angeles rallied to beat the Detroit Tigers 8-5 in 10 innings. “What a way to cap off the first two days of celebrations,” Roberts said afterward. “By far the best opening week I’ve ever experienced. I just couldn’t have scripted it any better.” A choir in the
The famously raucous Hong Kong Sevens are to start today in a big test for a shiny new stadium at the heart of a major US$3.85 billion sports park in the territory. Officials are keeping their fingers crossed that the premier event in Hong Kong’s sporting and social calendar goes off without a hitch at the 50,000-seat Kai Tak Stadium. They hope to entice major European soccer teams to visit in the next few months, with reports in December last year saying that Liverpool were in talks about a pre-season tour. Coldplay are to perform there next month, all part of Hong Kong’s
After fleeing Sudan when civil war erupted, Al-Hilal captain Mohamed Abdelrahman and his teammates have defied the odds to reach the CAF Champions League quarter-finals. They are today to face title-holders Al-Ahly of Egypt in Cairo, with the return match in the Mauritanian capital, Nouakchott, on Tuesday next week. Al-Hilal and biggest domestic rivals Al-Merrikh relocated to Mauritania after a power struggle broke out in April 2023 between the Sudanese army and a paramilitary force. The civil war has claimed tens of thousands of lives and displaced more than 12 million people, according to the UN. The Democratic Republic of the Congo-born Al-Hilal
Shohei Ohtani, Teoscar Hernandez and Tommy Edman on Thursday smashed home runs to give the reigning World Series champions the Los Angeles Dodgers a 5-4 victory over Detroit on the MLB’s opening day in the US. The Dodgers, who won two season-opening games in Tokyo last week, raised their championship banner on a day when 28 clubs launched the season in the US. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts shuffled his batting lineup with all four leadoff hitters finally healthy as Ohtani was followed by Mookie Betts, then Hernandez and Freddie Freeman in the cleanup spot, switching places with Hernandez. “There’s a Teoscar tax to
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