BASKETBALL
Portland star gets drug ban
Portland Trail Blazers guard Terrel Harris was suspended without pay for five games for a violation of the NBA’s anti-drug program, the league announced on Monday. Harris, who turns 26 on Saturday, will begin the ban with the first game of the upcoming 2013-2014 season, provided he is healthy and physically able to perform. The league did not announce what substance was involved in the violation of the anti-drug program agreed upon in conjunction with the players union. US medical privacy laws often prevent such disclosures. Harris has averaged 2.3 points and 1.8 rebounds in 42 career regular-season NBA games with Miami and New Orleans.
GOLF
Prodigy set for tournament
Twelve-year-old Ye Wocheng of China is set to play at the European Masters next month. Tournament organizers say Ye has been accepted for the Sept. 5 to Sept. 8 event in the Swiss Alps, which is jointly sanctioned by the European and Asian tours. Ye became the youngest-ever player in a European Tour event after qualifying for the China Open in May. He missed the cut after shooting two rounds of 79. Ye’s record-setting appearance followed weeks after fellow Chinese golfer Guan Tianlang made history at The Masters by playing at the age of 14.
RUGBY UNION
Weepu says ‘I’ll be back’
Piri Weepu admitted yesterday his axing from the All Blacks came as a shock, but vowed to knuckle down and reclaim his New Zealand jersey. The 71-Test veteran was a surprise omission from coach Steve Hansen’s 28-man squad named on Sunday for the Rugby Championship, with his place taken by 21-year-old T.J. Perenara. Weepu, who will turn 30 next month, said he was disappointed, feeling he had played well with Super 15 outfit the Auckland Blues after facing criticism for a lack of fitness last season. “I feel like I probably played one of the best campaigns I’ve had in a long, long time,” he told the Dominion Post newspaper. “I’m pretty happy about that because I worked really hard in the off-season ... it is a bit disappointing I didn’t make the Championship,” Weepu said. “It’s just about working with the right people, having the right team around me. I have to have a plan in place to get to that goal,” he said. “I can only do so much. If I work my ass off and give myself a fighting chance... then hopefully that gives me a good shot.”
SOCCER
Slapper says sorry
Ecuadoran side Barcelona’s goalkeeper Maximo Banguera has publicly apologized for slapping an opponent in the face which left his victim needing hospital treatment following a fiery local derby at the weekend. Television pictures showed that immediately after Sunday’s match in Guayaquil, Banguera slapped Emelec captain and fellow Ecuador international Pedro Quinonez violently in the face. Emelec officials said that Quinonez was knocked to the ground by the force of the impact, suffered convulsions and nearly lost consciousness. He spent the night in hospital complaining of dizziness and was released on Monday. “I want to apologize sincerely to Pedro Quinonez, his family, the supporters, everyone,” Banguera told a news conference late on Monday. “I was a bad loser. I am aware if there is a sanction, I will have to face it.” The two players had also been involved in an angry exchange during the Shipyard
Badminton world No. 3 Anders Antonsen clinched his first Indonesia Open title yesterday after beating Taiwan’s Chou Tien-chen, while South Korea’s An Se-young won her second championship in Jakarta. The 28-year-old Dane sank world No. 7 Chou at the Indonesian capital’s Istora Senayan arena, winning 22-20, 21-14 in a 60-minute match to secure the prestigious Super 1000 event. Antonsen came out on top in a tightly contested first game before cruising to victory in the second. In a more closely fought women’s singles final, South Korean ace and world No. 1 An fought back from one game down to beat China’s
Italy crashed to a 3-0 loss away to Norway, as the four-time FIFA World Cup champions made a disastrous start to their 2026 World Cup qualifying campaign on Friday, while Belgium had to settle for a draw in North Macedonia. Alexander Sorloth, Antonio Nusa and Erling Haaland all scored in the first half in pouring rain in Oslo as Norway made it a night to forget for Italy, who missed out on the past two World Cups. “I have no explanation. Our supporters don’t deserve this kind of match. We need to do some soul-searching. It’s unacceptable,” Italy captain and goalkeeper Gianluigi
‘STILL’: In front of a packed New Jersey arena attended by Donald Trump and Mike Tyson, UFC 316 delivered high drama as Merab Dvalishvili retained his title Georgia’s Merab Dvalishvili scored a second-round submission win over Sean O’Malley to retain his bantamweight title at Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) 316 on Saturday, with Kayla Harrison also winning by submission in the co-main event, tapping out Juliana Pena to claim the women’s bantamweight crown. In front of a packed crowd at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, which included US President Donald Trump and retired heavyweight great Mike Tyson, Dvalishvili, a 34-year-old from the country of Georgia, won the belt in a convincing, although not aesthetically pleasing, unanimous decision. Dvalishvili (19-4) sat on top of the cage and shouted
Manchester City on Monday completed the signing of left-back Rayan Ait-Nouri from Wolverhampton Wanderers for a reported ￡31 million (US$41.8 million). The 24-year-old Algeria international has signed a five-year contract and will be available for the FIFA Club World Cup, which begins later this week. Ait-Nouri is expected to be just one of a trio of new City faces for that tournament with deals close to completion for AC Milan midfielder Tijjani Reijnders and Olympique Lyonnais playmaker Rayan Cherki. After missing out on a major trophy in the recently completed season for the first time since 2016-2017, City are hoping
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