RUGBY UNION
Tokyo celebrates World Cup
Sports fans yesterday gathered in Tokyo’s Shibuya entertainment district to mark two years until Japan hosts the 2019 Rugby World Cup, the first time the tournament will be held outside the traditional rugby-playing countries. Rugby World Cup tournament director Alan Gilpin unveiled the Webb Ellis Cup, saying “this vibrant and special nation will be the center of the sporting universe for an amazing six weeks.” To promote the tournament, the trophy, which is awarded to the winning team, will make a 46-day tour of the host nation. On Sunday, Gilpin told local organizers that their preparations are not progressing as smoothly as they should.
SOCCER
Giggs, Scholes no-show
Manchester United legends Ryan Giggs and Paul Scholes have angered Indian fans by failing to turn out for a futsal tournament in which they were billed as the star attractions. The Hindu newspaper said the pair were “understood to be ‘tired’” on their arrival in Bangalore for the event on Tuesday. Scholes, 42, is meant to be captain of the Bangalore team and Giggs, 43, for Mumbai in the Premier Futsal tournament. Scholes did participate in the Mumbai leg of the tournament on Saturday, but the pair were not even on the bench for the first game in Bangalore and fans were not impressed. With the tickets costing as much as US$156, including a “meet and greet session with the legends,” disgruntled fans were quick to dismiss the event as a money-making exercise.
SOCCER
Brazil snub Matildas
The Australian women’s soccer team have taken a dim view of the handshake snub they received from Brazil players after beating the South Americans 3-2 in a home match on Tuesday. At the end of a heated contest in Newcastle, Australia, some Matildas players were ignored as they approached their opponents to shake hands, triggering a storm of criticism on social media. “Not shaking hands, it’s not an Australian thing, but I’m not really going to comment on it because it’s not something I think is very... I don’t really like it, but whatever,” Australia striker Sam Kerr told local media. Matildas coach Alen Stajcic agreed the Australians had rattled Brazil. The sixth-ranked Matildas have won their last five international matches and clinched the inaugural four-team Tournament of Nations in the US last month.
BASEBALL
Gordon hits season record
The Kansas City Royal’s Alex Gordon hit MBL’s record 5,694th home run of the year on Tuesday night, breaking a season record set in 2000 at the height of the steroids-era. Gordon’s home run off the Toronto Blue Jay’s Ryan Tepera, which cut the Royals’ deficit to 5-2, was his eighth this season and the 159th of his 11-year big league career. It was the 17th of the night and came just after the Detroit Tiger’s Alex Presley tied the record when he connected at home against the Oakland Athletic’s Daniel Gossett. There were 5,610 homers last year, an average of 2.31 per game, and this year’s average of 2.53 entering Tuesday’s action projects to 6,139. That would be up 47 percent from 4,186 in 2014. Power subsided after the start of drug testing with penalties in 2004. The home run average dropped in 2014 to its lowest level since 1992.
Shohei Ohtani and Clayton Kershaw on Friday joined their Los Angeles Dodgers teammates in sticking their fists out to show off their glittering World Series rings at a ceremony. “There’s just a lot of excitement, probably more than I can ever recall with the Dodger fan base and our players,” manager Dave Roberts said before Los Angeles rallied to beat the Detroit Tigers 8-5 in 10 innings. “What a way to cap off the first two days of celebrations,” Roberts said afterward. “By far the best opening week I’ve ever experienced. I just couldn’t have scripted it any better.” A choir in the
The famously raucous Hong Kong Sevens are to start today in a big test for a shiny new stadium at the heart of a major US$3.85 billion sports park in the territory. Officials are keeping their fingers crossed that the premier event in Hong Kong’s sporting and social calendar goes off without a hitch at the 50,000-seat Kai Tak Stadium. They hope to entice major European soccer teams to visit in the next few months, with reports in December last year saying that Liverpool were in talks about a pre-season tour. Coldplay are to perform there next month, all part of Hong Kong’s
Shohei Ohtani, Teoscar Hernandez and Tommy Edman on Thursday smashed home runs to give the reigning World Series champions the Los Angeles Dodgers a 5-4 victory over Detroit on the MLB’s opening day in the US. The Dodgers, who won two season-opening games in Tokyo last week, raised their championship banner on a day when 28 clubs launched the season in the US. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts shuffled his batting lineup with all four leadoff hitters finally healthy as Ohtani was followed by Mookie Betts, then Hernandez and Freddie Freeman in the cleanup spot, switching places with Hernandez. “There’s a Teoscar tax to
Matvei Michkov did not score on Monday, but the Philadelphia rookie had a hand in both goals as hosts the Flyers earned a 2-1 victory over the Nashville Predators. Ryan Poehling and Jamie Drysdale got the goals for the Flyers (31-36-9, 71 points), who won their third straight. Michkov and Travis Konecny assisted on both. Ivan Fedotov stopped 28 shots to earn his first win since March 1, ending a personal six-game losing streak. Zachary L’Heureux got the lone goal for Nashville. Michael McCarron and Brady Skjei got the assists for the Predators (27-39-8, 62 points), who have just four goals in their
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