FOOTBALL
Doug Atkins dies at 85
Hall of Famer Doug Atkins, an imposing pass rusher who inspired fear in opposing offenses for 17 NFL seasons, most notably with the Chicago Bears, died on Wednesday at the age of 85. “Doug Atkins is an all-time great who will be remembered as one of the pillars of the 1963 championship Bears,” Bears chairman George McCaskey said in a statement after the Hall of Fame confirmed that Atkins died in Knoxville, Tennessee. At 2.03m, Atkins was a towering figure among his contemporaries on the field from the early 1950s to the late 1960s. When he played, quarterback sacks were not yet an official statistic, but Atkins once reckoned that in a few of his 12 seasons with the Bears he might have had as many as 25 — which would be an NFL record today. He won an NFL championship with the Cleveland Browns in 1954 and in 1963 with Chicago, where he starred for 12 seasons before ending his career with the expansion New Orleans Saints. Former Minnesota Vikings quarterback Fran Tarkenton called Atkins a “physical marvel of our era,” while he was once described in an NFL Films production as “a storm blowing over a Kansas farm house... All you could do was tie down what you could and hope he didn’t take the roof.”
TENNIS
Monfils out with injury
Gael Monfils has withdrawn from the Hopman Cup mixed team event due to an unspecified leg injury and will be replaced by French compatriot Kenny De Schepper. It was not clear whether the injury would prevent the 24th-ranked Monfils from competing in the Australian Open beginning Jan. 18 in Melbourne. Hopman Cup tournament director Paul Kilderry yesterday said: “It’s unfortunate to hear Gael is unable to play in Perth... We wish him well over the next couple of weeks ahead of the Aussie Open.”
SOCCER
Ibrahimovic to stay at PSG
Paris Saint-Germain striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic said he has no intention of leaving the French champions, despite his contract being due to run out at the end of the season. The 34-year-old, who played in PSG’s 1-0 friendly win over his former club Inter in Doha on Wednesday, has been heavily linked with a move to Major League Soccer and the Premier League. However, Ibrahimovic said that “nothing was on the table” regarding future offers and he was happy in the French capital, with PSG riding high in their bid for a fourth straight Ligue 1 title. “I have a beautiful relationship with PSG. I have no intention of leaving,” the Swede said when asked about his future plans.
CRICKET
Hossain charged in torture
Bangladeshi police have charged national cricketer Shahadat Hossain with assaulting an 11-year-old girl he employed illegally as a maid. Police said Hossain, who has played 38 Tests for Bangladesh, and his wife, Nritto Shahadat, were charged on Tuesday with assault and torture. “The allegations against Shahadat and his wife were proved in our primary investigations,” police Inspector Shafiqur Rahman said. The 29-year-old cricketer, who denies any wrongdoing, was suspended from all forms of the game on Sept. 13 over the allegations. He and his wife went into hiding after police raided their house in September following a complaint from the young girl. Police said one of her hands had been burnt with a hot cooking paddle, while other injury marks were also found on her body. Television footage showed her looking frail and thin with swollen black eyes. Hossain handed himself in to police in October after his wife was arrested.
Bayer 04 Leverkusen go into today’s match at TSG 1899 Hoffenheim stung from their first league defeat in 16 months. Leverkusen were beaten 3-2 at home by RB Leipzig before the international break, the first loss since May last year for the reigning league and cup champions. While any defeat, particularly against a likely title rival, would have disappointed coach Xabi Alonso, the way in which it happened would be most concerning. Just as they did in the Supercup against VfB Stuttgart and in the league opener to Borussia Moenchengladbach, Leverkusen scored first, but were pegged back. However, while Leverkusen rallied late to
Taiwanese badminton superstar Lee Yang broke down in tears after publicly retiring from the sport on Sunday. The two-time Olympic gold medalist held a retirement ceremony at the Taipei Arena after the final matches of the Taipei Open. Accompanied by friends, family and former badminton partners, Lee burst into tears while watching a video celebrating key moments in his professional sporting career that also featured messages from international players such as Malaysia’s Teo Ee Yi, Hong Kong’s Tang Chun-man, and Indonesia’s Mohammad Ahsan and Hendra Setiawan. “I hope that in the future when the world thinks about me, they will
If all goes well when the biggest marathon field ever gathered in Australia races 42km through the streets of Sydney on Sunday, World Marathon Majors (WMM) will soon add a seventh race to the elite series. The Sydney Marathon is to become the first race since Tokyo in 2013 to join long-established majors in New York, London, Boston, Berlin and Chicago if it passes the WMM assessment criteria for the second straight year. “We’re really excited for Sunday to arrive,” race director Wayne Larden told a news conference in Sydney yesterday. “We’re prepared, we’re ready. All of our plans look good on
The lights dimmed and the crowd hushed as Karoline Kristensen entered for her performance. However, this was no ordinary Dutch theater: The temperature was 80°C and the audience naked apart from a towel. Dressed in a swimsuit and to the tune of emotional music, the 21-year-old Kristensen started her routine, performed inside a large sauna, with a bed of hot rocks in the middle. For a week this month, a group of wellness practitioners, called “sauna masters,” are gathering at a picturesque health resort in the Netherlands to compete in this year’s Aufguss world sauna championships. The practice takes its name from a
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