RUGBY UNION
FFR mulls action on racism
The French Rugby Federation (FFR) said it is considering action after a player from Montpellier claimed he was racially abused by a fan during a league match. Fijian wing Timoci Nagusa said he was repeatedly insulted and subjected to monkey chants by a fan from rival Top 14 club Pau on Saturday. The FFR offered its support to the player on Monday, “condemning in the strongest terms this act, which is offending rugby as a whole.” The federation added it might take over the case if necessary. In a joint statement, Pau and Montpellier pressed for sanctions against an “act that does not reflect the spirit and values” of the clubs or rugby.
RUGBY UNION
Kolo’ofai joins Tonga squad
Tonga yesterday named Newcastle Falcons lock Uili Kolo’ofai as the final member of their 31-man Rugby World Cup squad. The Tonga Rugby Union said Kolo’ofai had joined his teammates in Romania, where the Pacific islanders are holding a pre-tournament training camp. The New Zealand-born 32-year-old has played five Tests for Tonga and will be attending his first World Cup. The rest of the squad was named on Aug. 18. Tonga, ranked 11th in the world, are in a tough pool in the September-October tournament in England, which includes favorites New Zealand and a rapidly improving Argentina.
HORSE RACING
Pendleton second in debut
Britain’s former Olympic cycling champion Victoria Pendleton finished second in her first ride as an amateur jockey in Ripon, England, on Monday. The 34-year-old, who won two Olympic gold medals, steered Royal Etiquette to second place after being awarded her Category A license having made her debut in a charity event at Newbury in July. Royal Etiquette, a 14-1 shot, started slowly, but made up ground to move level with the leader Chocolate Diamond. The pair rounded the home turn well clear and Pendleton took her mount to the front before being beaten by Jordaura at the finish. “It’s given me confidence and I feel blessed to have been given this chance, I feel like a real jockey. I am absolutely delighted to be placed and Ripon will always hold a special place in my heart. It’s been a fantastic experience so far,” Pendleton told reporters. Pendleton received a ringing endorsement from 20-time British champion jump jockey Tony McCoy. “I thought @v_pendleton did very well in her 1st race in public, great achievement in such a short time,” McCoy said on Twitter.
OLYMPICS
Tokyo to scrap logo: NHK
Tokyo Olympics organizers are expected to scrap the logo for the 2020 Games following another allegation its Japanese designer might have used copied materials in presentations of the design. Organizers have supported designer Kenjiro Sano against allegations of plagiarizing the design, but Japan’s national broadcaster NHK yesterday said that the support would be withdrawn as a result of new accusations that Sano allegedly used an image from someone else’s Web site without authorization. There was no immediate comment from Olympic officials on reports that the logo will be withdrawn. Sano has faced allegations of plagiarism since the logo’s July debut. A Belgian designer sued the International Olympic Committee over similarities with his logo for a theater. Sano denied the allegation, but has faced other plagiarism questions over his past designs.
SSC Napoli’s Italian Serie A title hopes suffered a late setback on Sunday when they were held to a 2-2 draw at home against Genoa, setting up a thrilling season finale with closest rivals Inter just one point behind. The hosts remain top with 78 points, holding a slim lead over Inter, who won 2-0 at Torino earlier on Sunday, with two rounds remaining. To make matters worse for Napoli, midfielder Stanislav Lobotka, struggling with an ankle injury, was forced off just minutes after the match began. Scott McTominay delivered a perfect pass into the box where Romelu Lukaku got
Harry Kane opened the scoring ahead of lifting his first career silverware as Bayern Munich beat Borussia Moenchengladbach 2-0, with veteran Thomas Mueller playing his last home game for the club. Bayern officially won the title on May 4 when defending champions Bayer Leverkusen were held to a 2-2 draw at Freiburg, but were presented with the Bundesliga shield in front of their home fans at full-time. Dripping wet after being showered with beer by teammates, Kane said the title win was “an incredible feeling,” and hoped it would be “the first of many.” “It’s been lot of hard work, a lot of
INTER AWAIT: Superb saves by PSG ’keeper Gianluigi Donnarumma inspired the victory, as Arsenal were punished for misses, including one by Bukayo Saka Arsenal on Wednesday fell short on the big stage again as their painful UEFA Champions League semi-final exit against Paris Saint-Germain left Mikel Arteta to rue his club’s failure to provide him with enough attacking options. Arteta’s side were unable to reach the Champions League final for the first time in 19 years as PSG clinched a tense 2-1 win at Parc des Princes. Trailing 1-0 from last week’s first leg in London, the Gunners made a blistering start to the second leg, but could not convert their chances as Gianluigi Donnarumma’s superb saves inspired PSG’s 3-1 aggregate victory. Arsenal were punished for
Taiwanese e-sports veteran Lin “ET” Chia-hung yesterday successfully defended his King of Fighters XV title at this year’s Evolution Championship Series: Japan (EVO Japan), securing his second consecutive championship. Lin claimed victory with a 3-1 win over Japanese pro gamer “mok” in the grand final, repeating his earlier 3-1 win against the same opponent in the winners’ final. The 40-year-old earned a ￥1 million (US$6,897) cash prize at the two-day tournament, which drew 294 competitors. Mok, Lin’s toughest rival in the bracket, took home ￥400,000 as runner-up. Lin remains undefeated in match sets against mok in King of Fighters XV, holding a 10-0 record,
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