RUGBY UNION
Aussies banned for drinking
Australia coach Ewen Mc-Kenzie announced on Monday that six members of his tour squad in Europe would receive one-match bans for “inappropriate” drinking. McKenzie said wingers Adam Ashley Cooper and Nick Cummins; front-rowers Tatafu Polota-Nau, Benn Robinson and Paddy Ryan; and backrower Liam Gill had all drunk so much in the build-up to the Wallabies 32-15 win over Ireland on Saturday that they deserved a one-match ban. The suspensions will be served in next Saturday’s clash against Scotland at Murrayfield, with the exception of Ryan, who will serve his suspension in Australia’s final tour clash against Wales in Cardiff on Saturday next week. “Everyone in our squad is required to comply with and adhere to high standards of ethical conduct both on and off the field,” McKenzie said in an Australian Rugby Union statement. “Those standards were compromised in the lead-up to Saturday’s victory over Ireland, with a group of players making the decision to stay out late and consume inappropriate levels of alcohol during the early hours of Wednesday morning.” In addition, McKenzie also sanctioned a further nine players for “breaches of internal team protocols.”
SOCCER
Chinese youth to get balls
Jack Brewer, a former National Football League (NFL) player, will lead a delegation to Beijing this week aimed at bringing soccer balls to disadvantaged Chinese youth as part of the One World Futbol Project. Brewer, a 34-year-old Texan who spent five seasons as an NFL defensive back, hopes to introduce health and wellness products in China and seeks to use sport to promote social development as well as global cultural exchanges. On Friday, the China World Peace Foundation is to stage a reception at the Peace Garden Museum to kick off the soccer project, with a California-based group making the special balls, which never need pumping with air and will not go flat even when punctured. With plans to distribute at least 1.5 million soccer balls to youth worldwide, the project has enabled about 15 million children in 160 nations to play soccer.
SOCCER
Fabregas resumes training
Cesc Fabregas has returned to training as the Barcelona midfielder continues his recovery from a knee injury, the La Liga leaders said on Monday. Fabregas damaged ligaments in his right knee in their 4-1 win at Real Betis on Nov. 10 and had to withdraw from the Spain squad for friendlies against Equatorial Guinea and South Africa. “The FC Barcelona players returned to training this rainy Monday afternoon after enjoying the weekend off and Cesc participated in the session,” Barca said on their Web site. Barca’s Spain defenders Gerard Pique and Jordi Alba continued to work apart from their teammates as they continue their recovery from injury.
SOCCER
Colon fans riot
Police used rubber bullets to quell rioting fans after players from Argentine side Colon refused to take the field for Monday’s home match against Atletico Rafaela due to seven months unpaid wages. Colon fans tried to storm the club premises in Santa Fe city, while police attempted to break up the riot with rubber bullets, sports daily Ole reported on its Web site. The team could be fined or docked three points. They were docked six points on orders from world governing body FIFA earlier this month over a US$600,000 transfer debt dating back to 2007.
College basketballer Kaitlyn Chen has become the first female player of Taiwanese descent to be drafted by a WNBA team, after the Golden State Valkyries selected her in the third and final round of the league’s draft on Monday. Chen, a point guard who played her first three seasons in college for Princeton University, transferred to the University of Connecticut (UConn) for her final season, which culminated in a national championship earlier this month. While at Princeton, Chen was named the Ivy League tournament’s most outstanding player three times from 2022 to last year. Prior to the draft, ESPN described Chen as
College basketballer Kaitlyn Chen (陳凱玲) has become the first player of Taiwanese descent to be drafted by a WNBA team, after being selected by the Golden State Valkyries in the third and final round of the league's draft yesterday. Chen, a point guard who played her first three seasons in college for Princeton University, transferred to the University of Connecticut (UConn) for her final season, which culminated in a national championship on April 6. While at Princeton, Chen was named the Ivy League tournament's most outstanding player three times from 2022 to last year. Prior to the draft, ESPN described Chen as a
Robinson Cano spent 17 seasons playing in the MLB in front of all kinds of baseball fans, but he said there is something special about his stint with the Mexican Baseball League’s Diablos Rojos. He is not alone. The league last week opened its 100th season, aiming to keep an impressive growth in attendance that began after the national team’s surprise run at the 2023 World Baseball Classic, and is already surpassing some first-division soccer clubs. After finishing third in the 2023 tournament, many casual fans, some of them soccer enthusiasts disappointed after Mexico were eliminated in the first round in the 2022
In-form teenager Mirra Andreeva on Thursday crashed out of the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart, Germany, after going down in straight sets to fellow Russian Ekaterina Alexandrova in the last 16. World No. 7 Andreeva, who already has two titles under her belt this season, lost 6-3, 6-2 against the 22nd-ranked Alexandrova in just over an hour. The 17-year-old Andreeva had defeated her elder sister Erika in the previous round on Wednesday, but Alexandrova quickly took control as she claimed her fourth win over a top-10 player this season. The 17-year-old Mirra Andreeva in February became the youngest winner of a WTA
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