OLYMPICS
No ‘plan B’ for sailing
A spokesman for Rio de Janeiro’s Olympic organizers says there’s “no plan B” for the 2016 Games’ sailing competitions, although the state’s top environmental official has said that pledges to clean up the waters of the sailing venue will not be met. Spokesman Mario Andrade says Olympic organizing officials are assuming the goal of treating 80 percent of sewage generated around the Guanabara Bay will be reached. His comment on Tuesday came just days after Rio de Janeiro State Secretary of State for the Environment Andre Correa acknowledged at a news conference that the cleanup pledges are unattainable. With vast amounts of sewage and household garbage flowing into the bay and just a year-and-a-half to go before the Games, Olympic sailors’ health and safety has become a hot-button issue.
RUGBY UNION
No Fiji Super rugby match
The Canterbury Crusaders have rejected taking their Super rugby match against the Wellington Hurricanes to Fiji and confirmed yesterday they will instead play in New Zealand. Pacific island nations have been pressing for a taste of Super rugby for several years, but Crusaders chief executive Hamish Riach said the May 29 game will be played in Nelson, which is in the Crusaders catchment area. Reports from Fiji two months ago said an undisclosed backer had been found to underwrite moving the game to the Pacific because the Crusaders home venue at AMI stadium is being used for a FIFA Under-20 World Cup game. However, the players were opposed to the idea, saying the additional travel could compromise their hopes for an eighth Super title as it was their only designated home game in the last month of the regular season. “The travel does take it out of you,” All Blacks and Crusaders flyhalf Dan Carter said. “Playing in Fiji does provide its challenges, especially at such a critical stage of the season ... when it is a pretty important game we want to win.”
CRICKET
Broad apologizes for tweet
England fast bowler Stuart Broad on Tuesday said he had not meant to insult low-paid workers following an angry response to a tweet about Britain’s minimum wage. “I’ve heard if you earn minimum wage in England you’re in the top 10 percent earners in the world. #stay #humble,” the 28-year-old posted in a now deleted tweet. Given Broad, a senior England player for several years, earns considerably more than the minimum wage, there were many who took issue with his comments. However, Broad subsequently insisted the hashtag was meant as a reminder to himself rather than a general instruction to the public. “Clarifying my earlier tweet, I merely wanted to emphasize my amazement at just how big the world is,” he said. “No offense meant and sorry if any taken. The hashtag was aimed at myself.”
BASKETBALL
Oladipo in Slam Dunk
The Orlando Magic’s Victor Oladipo, last year’s NBA Rookie of the Year runner-up, and Brooklyn Nets standout Mason Plumlee are among four rising stars named on Tuesday to the 30th NBA Slam Dunk Contest. Greek 20-year-old forward Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks and Minnesota rookie guard Zach LaVine will also compete in the annual showdown of acrobatic leaps and spectacular ball-jamming staged on the eve of the annual NBA All-Star Game. The Feb. 14 event will highlight All-Star Saturday festivities at the Barclays center in New York.
SEESAW CONTEST: The Pistons remain top of the Eastern Conference after battling to a win over the Hawks in a game that saw the lead change 27 times The Phoenix Suns on Monday shrugged off an injury to Devin Booker to end the Los Angeles Lakers’ seven-game winning streak with an emphatic 125-108 victory on the road. Booker exited in the first quarter, but the loss of the star point guard did little to halt the flow of Phoenix points over the remainder of the game. Dillon Brooks led the Phoenix scoring with 33 points, while Collin Gillespie added 28 — including eight three-pointers — as the Suns romped to victory. The Lakers were left ruing a colossal 22 turnovers — at a cost of 32 Suns points — on a
New Zealand yesterday reached 231-9 at stumps on a first day of the first Test against the West Indies shortened by rain after Justin Greaves triggered a middle-order collapse with the wicket of Kane Williamson. New Zealand tumbled from 94-1 to 148-6 on a bowler-friendly wicket after Williamson was dismissed for 52, his 38th Test half-century. Michael Bracewell and Nathan Smith arrested the slide with a 52-run stand for the seventh wicket. Smith eventually fell for 23 and Bracewell for 47. After Matt Henry went for 8, Zak Foulkes and Jacob Duffy were both on 4 when bad light stopped play after 70
Robin Smith, the batter who shone for England in a period when it was beaten regularly in Test cricket, has died. He was 62. Smith’s family said in a statement from the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) that he died unexpectedly at his home in Perth, Australia, on Monday. No cause was given. He played 62 Tests for England from 1988 to 1996, scoring 4,236 runs at an average of 43.67 with nine centuries. His signature shot was the square cut. Smith also played in 71 one-day internationals and was part of England’s squad who reached the 1992 ICC World Cup final. His unbeaten
SSC Napoli on Sunday joined AC Milan at the top of Serie A after winning 1-0 at title rivals AS Roma, as Inter kept pace with the leading pair by beating Pisa SC 2-0. David Neres stroked home the only goal of a feisty game in the 36th minute at the Stadio Olimpico, ending a blistering counterattack with a calm finish which put Napoli on 28 points. Napoli are behind Milan on goal-difference, and just one point ahead of both Roma and Inter in a tight scudetto battle in which Antonio Conte’s team are to host Juventus at the weekend. “To come to
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