GENDER
Trans athletes pan tennis ace
Trans sportswomen hit back at Martina Navratilova, after the tennis champion said “it’s insane and it’s cheating” for transgender women to be allowed to compete in women’s sport. “A man can decide to be female, take hormones if required by whatever sporting organisation is concerned, win everything in sight and perhaps earn a small fortune, and then reverse his decision and go back to making babies if he so desires,” Navratilova wrote in the Sunday Times. Navratilova’s comments are “disturbing, upsetting and deeply transphobic,” said Rachel McKinnon, who last year became the first transgender woman to win a world track cycling title.
FORMULA ONE
Wolff: Brexit ‘major concern’
Mercedes Formula 1 CEO Toto Wolff on Monday said why Brexit would do untold damage to the industry in the UK, calling it the “the mother of all messes.” “Brexit is a major concern for all of us that live in the UK and operate out of the UK,” Wolff said at Montmelo, Spain, where pre-season testing began. The Mercedes and Red Bull teams are based in England. Wolff was also concerned about customs for motor parts. “The way we get parts and services is just in time ... taxes would massively damage the Formula 1 industry in the UK,” he said. Visa and right-to-work concerns were also high on Wolff’s worry list, due to the “26 nationalities in our team.”
BOXING
Fury’s deal may mar rematch
Tyson Fury has signed a multi-year, multi-fight agreement with US broadcaster ESPN, which could threaten the British heavyweight’s prospects of a world title rematch with Deontay Wilder. Fury’s future fights would be broadcast live on BT Sport in the UK and ESPN in the US. His new deal would appear to make a hugely anticipated rematch with World Boxing Council heavyweight champion Wilder, against whom Fury was held to a controversial draw in Los Angeles in December, more difficult given that the American has been fighting on the Showtime channel.
OLYMPICS
Indonesia bids for 2032
Indonesia has submitted a bid to host the 2032 Olympics, officials said yesterday, after the nation’s widely lauded handling of the Asian Games last summer. Indonesian Ambassador to Switzerland Muliaman Hadad submitted a formal bid letter from Indonesian President Joko Widodo to the International Olympic Committee in Lausanne last week, the country’s foreign ministry confirmed yesterday. “This is the right moment to show Indonesia’s capability as a big country,” Hadad said in a statement. India has also expressed an interest in hosting the 2032 Games, while North and South Korea have said they might enter a joint bid.
SOCCER
AFC fights pirate channel
The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) is hiring experts to step up its fight against intellectual property theft by pirate channel beoutQ, which illegally broadcast last month’s Asian Cup, the confederation said yesterday. BeoutQ emerged in 2017 after Saudi Arabia and its allies launched a diplomatic and trade boycott of Qatar. “The AFC values its broadcast and commercial partners and wishes to do everything that it can to protect their rights,” AFC general-secretary Dato’ Windsor John said.
MARRED FINAL: As most of Senegalese players walked off the pitch after a controversial decision, some supporters threw objects and attempted to get onto the pitch Senegal on Sunday won the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) as Pape Gueye’s extra-time winner sunk hosts Morocco 1-0 after a chaotic final that saw the eventual champions storm off the pitch late in the game. Brahim Diaz could have won the trophy for Morocco with a controversial spot-kick in the 24th minute of added time at the end of normal time as ugly scenes broke out in the stands. However, Senegal goalkeeper Edouard Mendy easily saved the weak attempted “Panenka” chip by the Real Madrid winger, who was clearly distracted by the long delay that followed the penalty award.
James Harden on Friday scored 31 points and came up big in overtime to help the Los Angeles Clippers erase a double-digit deficit on the way to a 121-117 NBA victory over the Toronto Raptors. Harden scored 16 points in the fourth quarter and overtime as the Clippers pushed their wining steak to five games despite the absence of star Kawhi Leonard with a sprained right ankle. The Clippers trailed by 11 entering the fourth quarter, but Harden drilled a pair of free-throws with 1:24 left in regulation to tie it and after misses from both teams, they went to
Dallas Mavericks rookie Cooper Flagg on Wednesday was ruled out for the second half of their 118-109 loss to the Denver Nuggets after the No. 1 pick sprained his left ankle in the first half. Flagg was called for a foul while defending against Peyton Watson and turned the ankle as he fell to the floor with 6 minutes, 1 second left in the second quarter. Flagg limped to the bench and continued to the locker room, but returned for the final 2 minutes, 35 seconds before the break. The 19-year-old did not come out for the second half before the announcement that
Yassine Bounou on Wednesday saved two penalties, while Youssef en-Nesyri netted the decisive spot-kick as hosts Morocco secured a 4-2 shoot-out victory over Nigeria following a 0-0 draw in a tense Africa Cup of Nations semi-final in Rabat. Morocco, seeking their first continental title in 50 years, are to face 2021 winners Senegal in Sunday’s decider in Rabat, while Nigeria take on Egypt in the third-place playoff tomorrow. The 120 minutes before the shoot-out had few clear-cut chances for either side, but it was Morocco who created more opportunities, although they were denied by some fine saves from Nigeria goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali. Nigeria
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