E-SPORTS
IOC to host forum
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) is next month to host a forum on e-sports as it explores the possibility of one day including video games in the Olympics. The IOC and Global Association of International Sports Federations are to host the event on July 21 in Lausanne, Switzerland. The forum, announced on Tuesday, is to bring together gaming executives, players, sponsors and event organizers with a goal of building relationships between Olympic leaders and the e-sports industry. The forum would be a “great opportunity for both the Olympic movement and representatives from the world of e-sports and gaming to begin a discussion, listen and learn from each other, and understand the potential opportunities for collaboration,” IOC sports director Kit McConnell said. Olympic leaders discussed e-sports at a summit last fall. They determined e-sports could be considered a sporting activity and that its growth and popularity with younger demographics would be attractive to the Olympics.
CRICKET
Official challenges probe
A Zimbabwean official who was suspended for obstructing an anti-corruption investigation by the International Cricket Council is claiming the world body acted improperly. Enock Ikope, a Zimbabwe Cricket director who was suspended this month, said through legal documents that the council “acted unlawfully” by trying to take his cellphone. Ikope said he refused to immediately hand over the phone to investigators, but later sent it to them after consulting with his lawyers. The council in a statement on Tuesday said that Ikope is bound by the anti-corruption code and should have handed over any possible evidence unless he had a “compelling” reason why he could not.
CYCLING
Vogel in intensive care
Germany’s Olympic and world sprint champion Kristina Vogel is in intensive care following a serious crash in training, the German Cycling Federation said on Tuesday. The 27-year-old, who won the individual sprint world title in Hong Kong last year, as well as a gold medal at the 2016 Rio Olympics, collided with another cyclist while training at Germany’s Cottbus velodrome. “We are shocked,” the federation said on Facebook. “Kristina is being flown to Berlin and will be operated on there in [the] coming hours.” The federation also posted a statement on its Web site saying that Vogel was in a serious condition. “She suffered serious spinal injuries and is in intensive care,” it said.
FOOTBALL
Spanier conviction upheld
An appeals court is upholding a misdemeanor child endangerment conviction against former Penn State president Graham Spanier over his handling of a 2001 complaint about Jerry Sandusky showering with a boy in the team locker room. A Superior Court majority on Tuesday rejected Spanier’s claims that too much time had passed to charge him, he did not owe the boy a duty of care and should not have been charged because he did not supervise children directly. Spanier’s lawyers said Spanier is deeply disappointed and “plans to pursue his appellate options” in hopes of vindication. Two of Spanier’s top deputies pleaded guilty to child endangerment and testified against him last year.
Former world No. 2 Paula Badosa has withdrawn from this week’s Wuhan Open, organizers said on Tuesday, amid a racism row over an online photograph. Tournament organizers said the Spaniard had pulled out of the WTA 1000 tournament, citing a gastrointestinal illness, hours before her first-round match against Australian Ajla Tomljanovic. News outlets including Britain’s the Telegraph earlier reported that Badosa had posted a photo on Instagram in which she appeared to imitate a Chinese face by placing chopsticks on the corners of her eyes. The photo was taken last week in a restaurant in Beijing, where she reached the semi-finals of the
PREDICTION: Last week, when Yu’s father made a wrong turn to the former champions’ parking lot, he said that his son could park there after this year With back-to-back birdies on the 18th hole, Kevin Yu fulfilled his driving range-owning dad’s prediction that he would win the Sanderson Farms Championship and become Taiwan’s third golfer to claim a US PGA Tour title. The Taoyuan-born 26-year-old, who represented Taiwan in the Olympic golf at Paris, saw off Californian Beau Hossler in a playoff at the Country Club of Jackson, Mississippi, on Sunday. Having drained a 15-foot putt to claw his way into the playoff, Yu rolled in from five feet on the first extra hole, ensuring he joined Chen Tze-chung (LA Open in 1987) and Pan Cheng-tsung (RBC
LeBron James and eldest son Bronny James claimed a piece of NBA history on Sunday after making their long-awaited first appearance alongside each other for the Los Angeles Lakers. The duo appeared together at the start of the second quarter in the Lakers’ 118-114 preseason defeat to the Phoenix Suns in Palm Desert, east of Los Angeles. While LeBron James impressed with 19 points in just 16 minutes and 20 seconds on court before sitting out the second half, Bronny found the going harder with zero points in just over 13 minutes on court. The younger James attempted just one
Italian defender Marco Curto has been banned for 10 matches for racially abusing South Korean forward Hwang Hee-chan while playing for Como 1907 against Wolverhampton Wanderers in a pre-season friendly in July. Curto, who is on loan from Como to Serie B club Cesena, would serve half of the punishment immediately with the other half suspended for two years. “The player Marco Curto was found responsible for discriminatory behavior and sanctioned with a 10-match suspension,” a FIFA spokesperson said. “The player is ordered to render community services and undergo training and education with an organization approved by FIFA.” Wolves said the club would
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