FOOTBALL
Gleason awarded medal
The US House of Representatives on Thursday passed legislation to award former New Orleans Saints defensive back Steve Gleason the Congressional Gold Medal, the highest honor the US Congress can bestow on a civilian. The award is to recognize Gleason’s efforts in raising money and awareness for research into amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Gleason was diagnosed with ALS in 2011. Should he receive the medal, he would be the first NFL player to be given the honor. With the US Senate unanimously endorsing Gleason for the honor in June, all that remains is for US President Donald Trump to sign the bill. Gleason played seven seasons in New Orleans and became a legend with a blocked punt in 2006 that came to symbolize the city’s resiliency in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.
SOCCER
Greek referees go on strike
This weekend’s Greek Super League fixtures have been called off after referees opted to go on strike to protest a “cowardly attack” on one of their colleagues. Thanasis Tzilos was set upon by masked men near his home in Larissa on Wednesday, with the FIFA-level referee needing treatment at a hospital for head and leg injuries before he was released a day later. “We express our indignation of the cowardly attack against our colleague Thanasis Tzilos and the repeated attacks on referees,” the association of referees said in a statement. “We will not allow those people to continue trying to terrorize us.” The attackers remained unidentified. No top-flight games are scheduled from Monday to Jan. 1, with the competition set to resume after the protest concludes on Jan. 4, league organizers said.
BOXING
Stevenson still in a coma
The promoter for Adonis Stevenson on Thursday said that the boxer remains unconscious and has not improved since doctors sedated him and placed him on a ventilator after a Dec. 1 knockout loss. “Doctors do not venture an opinion on what lies ahead” for the 41-year-old fighter, Yvon Michel said. Stevenson is in intensive care at Quebec City’s Hopital de l’Enfant-Jesusstill and “needs mechanical assistance to breathe.” Stevenson’s condition deteriorated after he was helped to the dressing room following a fight against Oleksandr Gvozdyk of Ukraine at the Videotron Centre. He was taken to the hospital by ambulance and was admitted with a traumatic brain injury that required immediate neurosurgery. Intensive care specialist Alexis Turgeon on Dec. 5 said that most patients have lasting effects from such injuries.
FOOTBALL
Gordon suspended again
The NFL on Thursday suspended New England Patriots wide receiver Josh Gordon, hours after Gordon announced that he planned to step away from football to address his mental health. Gordon has been returned to the suspended list indefinitely for breaching the terms of his reinstatement from a year-long ban for substance abuse. The 27-year-old was suspended the entire 2015 season and has been banned a total of 56 games in his career, all for drug offenses. “We support Josh Gordon in his continued efforts to focus on his health. His attempt to do so is a private matter, which we intend to respect,” the Patriots said in a statement.
Japan’s Shohei Ohtani is the record-breaking baseball “superhuman” following in the footsteps of the legendary Babe Ruth who has also earned comparisons to US sporting greats Michael Jordan and Tom Brady. Not since Ruth a century ago has there been a baseball player capable of both pitching and hitting at the top level. The 30-year-old’s performances with the Los Angeles Dodgers have consolidated his position as a baseball legend in the making, and a national icon in his native Japan. He continues to find new ways to amaze, this year becoming the first player to hit 50 home runs and steal 50 bases
Zhang Shuai yesterday said that she nearly quit after losing 24 matches in a row — now the world No. 595 is into the quarter-finals of her home China Open. The 35-year-old is to face Spain’s Paula Badosa as the lowest-ranked player to reach this stage in the history of the tournament after Badosa reeled off 11 of the last 12 games in a 6-4, 6-0 victory over US Open finalist Jessica Pegula. Zhang went into Beijing on a barren run lasting more than 600 days and her string of singles defeats was the second-longest on the WTA Tour Open era, which
Francesco Bagnaia yesterday profited from a mistake by rookie Pedro Acosta to win the Japan MotoGP sprint and close the gap on overall championship leader, Jorge Martin. Spaniard Acosta crashed with four laps to go while leading the field at Motegi, allowing defending world champion Bagnaia to take first ahead of Enea Bastianini and Marc Marquez. Spain’s Martin finished fourth and saw his overall lead over Italian Bagnaia in the championship standings cut to 15 points. “I am very happy because with these conditions, it’s not very easy to win and gain points,” Bagnaia said after a sprint race that took place under
Naomi Osaka is braced for a “battle” after yesterday setting up a clash with Coco Gauff in the round-of-16 of the China Open, while top seed Aryna Sabalenka also marched on. Osaka defeated 60th-ranked American Katie Volynets 6-3, 6-2 and next faces Gauff in a showdown of former US Open champions in Beijing. World No. 2 Sabalenka swatted aside Ashlyn Krueger 6-2, 6-2 for her 14th consecutive victory and plays another American in 24th-ranked Madison Keys. Looking ahead to the Gauff meeting, four-time Grand Slam champion Osaka said: “She’s very athletic, obviously.” “For me, my strongest traits are being aggressive and also my serve,
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