OLYMPIC GAMES
Two athletes disqualified
Austrian cross-country skier Johannes Duerr and Polish bobsledder Daniel Zalewski were on Wednesday sanctioned by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) for failing drug controls at the Sochi Winter Olympics. Duerr, 27, has been disqualified from the men’s skiathlon, in which he finished eighth, after testing positive on Feb. 22 for the banned substance recombinant erythropoietin (EPO). Zalewski tested positive for the stimulant phenethylamine on Feb. 23 and has also been disqualified. The Polish four-man team placed 27th. Austria’s ski federation confirmed that Duerr would be barred from the federation for life. The Polish federation has yet to decide on an eventual suspension for Zalewski. Seven athletes tested positive in Sochi, but Swedish ice hockey star Nicklas Backstrom was later cleared of wrongdoing by the IOC and allowed to keep his silver medal.
RUGBY LEAGUE
Aussies to tackle Kiwis first
Australia are to open their Four Nations rugby league tournament defense against New Zealand in a double-header at Brisbane on Oct. 25. Tournament officials said yesterday that England would play either Fiji or Samoa in the second game. The two Pacific Island countries are to play off on May 2 at Penrith in western Sydney for a place in the tournament. New Zealand are to play Fiji or Samoa in Whangarei, New Zealand, on Nov. 1, with Australia scheduled to take on England in Melbourne the following day. New Zealand are to host England in Dunedin, New Zealand, on Nov. 8 and Australia are to play Fiji or Samoa in Wollongong, Australia, on Nov. 9. The final is to be played in Wellington, New Zealand, on Nov. 15.
CYCLING
Cyclocross ‘ideal for winter’
International Cycling Union (UCI) president Brian Cookson said on Wednesday that cyclocross could make the transition from the Summer Olympics to the Winter Games. The 62-year-old Englishman said in a speech at the SportAccord Convention in Belek, Turkey, that cyclocross was ideal for the switch as it was a sport that took place over the winter. “In my own sport’s case, I have publicly advocated that a discipline like cyclocross would be an ideal addition to the Winter Games,” Cookson said.” It takes place during the northern hemisphere winter, it offers equal medal opportunities for men and women, infrastructure costs to install a circuit are minimal and the first across the line principle is clear. And above all, it is a sport that reaches out to an incredibly wide cross-section of the population.” Cookson, whose remark that judo could also move to the Winter Games was ridiculed by that sport’s federation head last week, said it would be a provocative debate, but that sports heads needed to be more imaginative.
SOCCER
Symphony for Hillsborough
British composer Michael Nyman has created a symphony in memory of the 96 soccer fans killed in the Hillsborough Stadium disaster, the city of Liverpool announced on Wednesday. Nyman, who wrote the soundtrack to the 1993 film The Piano, hopes that Symphony No. 11: “Hillsborough Memorial” will help the families of the bereaved with the healing process. The symphony is to be performed at Liverpool Cathedral on July 5. On April 15, 1989, at the start of an FA Cup semi-final between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest at the Hillsborough Stadium in Sheffield, northern England, Liverpool fans were crushed to death on an overcrowded terrace.
Japan’s Shohei Ohtani is the record-breaking baseball “superhuman” following in the footsteps of the legendary Babe Ruth who has also earned comparisons to US sporting greats Michael Jordan and Tom Brady. Not since Ruth a century ago has there been a baseball player capable of both pitching and hitting at the top level. The 30-year-old’s performances with the Los Angeles Dodgers have consolidated his position as a baseball legend in the making, and a national icon in his native Japan. He continues to find new ways to amaze, this year becoming the first player to hit 50 home runs and steal 50 bases
Zhang Shuai yesterday said that she nearly quit after losing 24 matches in a row — now the world No. 595 is into the quarter-finals of her home China Open. The 35-year-old is to face Spain’s Paula Badosa as the lowest-ranked player to reach this stage in the history of the tournament after Badosa reeled off 11 of the last 12 games in a 6-4, 6-0 victory over US Open finalist Jessica Pegula. Zhang went into Beijing on a barren run lasting more than 600 days and her string of singles defeats was the second-longest on the WTA Tour Open era, which
Taiwan’s Tony Wu yesterday beat Mackenzie McDonald of the US to win the Nonthaburi Challenger IV in Thailand, his first challenger victory since 2022. The 26-year-old world No. 315, who won both his qualifiers to advance to the main draw, has been on a hot streak this month, winning his past nine matches, including two that ensured Taiwan’s victory in their Davis Cup World Group I tie. Wu took just more than two hours to top world No. 172 McDonald 6-3, 7-6 (7/4) to win his second challenger tournament since the Tallahassee Tennis Challenger in 2022. Wu’s Tallahassee win followed two years of
UP IN SMOKE: More than half a dozen riders crashed out of the race, with Marquez’s title chances in doubt after driving off the track with flames flickering from his bike Jorge Martin yesterday won a crash-filled Indonesia MotoGP to extend his championship lead, while closest rival Francesco Bagnaia limited the damage by claiming the final podium place. The win leaves the Pramac Racing rider 21 points ahead of his Italian Ducati rival, who finished third behind Spaniard Pedro Acosta in sweltering conditions at the Mandalika International Street Circuit on Lombok island. In front of a crowd of 60,000 in motorbike-mad Indonesia, the 26-year-old put his tumble in Saturday’s sprint behind him, canceling out the gains his title rival Bagnaia made after securing victory in that race. “Thank you Indonesia. I am very happy.
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