OLYMPICS
Olson hopes to compete
US bobsled pilot Justin Olsen hopes to compete at the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics in South Korea despite having had a successful appendectomy on the eve of the Games. US bobsled officials yesterday said that Olsen, who is from San Antonio, Texas, went to a hospital in the coastal city of Gangneung on Monday and is trying to recover so he can compete in events starting Feb. 18. USA Bobsled and Skeleton chief executive officer Darrin Steele said officials are “heartbroken for Justin, but he’s shown us over the years that he’s capable of overcoming adversity.” Officials said they are discussing options if Olsen cannot race.
OLYMPICS
Russians appeal to CAS
Six-time Olympic gold medalist Viktor Ahn and three former NHL players are among 32 Russian athletes who yesterday filed appeals seeking spots at the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics in South Korea. The 32 athletes all failed to pass the mandatory International Olympic Committee (IOC) vetting — imposed as a result of Russian doping at the 2014 Sochi Olympics in Russia — and were not invited to the games. The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) said it would likely hear the case in Pyeongchang today. If the Russian athletes force the IOC to invite them, it would mean the medal contenders in some sports change dramatically only days before the games open on Friday. CAS added that as well as short-track speed skating great Ahn, the 32 include world cross-country skiing champion Sergei Ustyugov and world biathlon champion Anton Shipulin. Also on the list are former NHL players Sergei Plotnikov, Anton Belov and Valeri Nichushkin.
SOCCER
Matuidi to miss Spurs tie
Juventus midfielder Blaise Matuidi has sustained a thigh injury, the Serie A champions said, making him doubtful for their Champions League tie against Tottenham Hotspur next week. The hard-tackling Frenchman, who has impressed since joining the Turin side from Paris Saint-Germain in August last year, was taken off during the first half of Sunday’s 7-0 demolition of US Sassuolo. “Blaise Matuidi underwent tests which revealed a mild-medium tear to the flexor muscles in his left thigh,” Juventus said in a statement. “Further tests will be necessary to better ascertain the extent of his injury.” Juventus are to host Tottenham on Tuesday next week.
BASEBALL
Little League to use optic ball
A US federal prosecutor in Michigan on Monday said that he had reached an agreement with Little League Baseball that would allow a player with a vision-related disability to use an optic yellow baseball, settling an Americans with Disabilities Act complaint. “Children should not miss out on sports and other community activities just because they have a disability,” Matthew Schneider, the interim US attorney for the Eastern District of Michigan, said in a statement announcing the deal. A Little League Baseball spokesman declined to comment, saying he would need to consult with senior management officials first. According to Schneider, the agreement calls for Little League Baseball to allow the player, who was not identified, to ask for optic yellow baseballs while at bat or in the field.
College basketballer Kaitlyn Chen has become the first female player of Taiwanese descent to be drafted by a WNBA team, after the Golden State Valkyries selected her in the third and final round of the league’s draft on Monday. Chen, a point guard who played her first three seasons in college for Princeton University, transferred to the University of Connecticut (UConn) for her final season, which culminated in a national championship earlier this month. While at Princeton, Chen was named the Ivy League tournament’s most outstanding player three times from 2022 to last year. Prior to the draft, ESPN described Chen as
College basketballer Kaitlyn Chen (陳凱玲) has become the first player of Taiwanese descent to be drafted by a WNBA team, after being selected by the Golden State Valkyries in the third and final round of the league's draft yesterday. Chen, a point guard who played her first three seasons in college for Princeton University, transferred to the University of Connecticut (UConn) for her final season, which culminated in a national championship on April 6. While at Princeton, Chen was named the Ivy League tournament's most outstanding player three times from 2022 to last year. Prior to the draft, ESPN described Chen as a
Robinson Cano spent 17 seasons playing in the MLB in front of all kinds of baseball fans, but he said there is something special about his stint with the Mexican Baseball League’s Diablos Rojos. He is not alone. The league last week opened its 100th season, aiming to keep an impressive growth in attendance that began after the national team’s surprise run at the 2023 World Baseball Classic, and is already surpassing some first-division soccer clubs. After finishing third in the 2023 tournament, many casual fans, some of them soccer enthusiasts disappointed after Mexico were eliminated in the first round in the 2022
Arne Slot has denied that Darwin Nunez was dropped from Liverpool’s win against West Ham because of a training-ground row with a member of his coaching staff. The Liverpool head coach on Sunday last week said that Nunez was absent from the 2-1 victory at Anfield, having felt unwell during training the day before, although the striker sat behind the substitutes throughout the game. Speculation has been rife that the Uruguay international, whom Slot criticized for his work rate against Wolves and Aston Villa in February, was left out for disciplinary reasons. Asked on Friday to clarify the situation, Slot said: “He
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