CRICKET
NZ taps Stokes for award
After ripping the heart out of New Zealand fans on Sunday with a man-of-the-match performance in the World Cup final, England all-rounder Ben Stokes has now been nominated for the New Zealander of the Year award. The 28-year-old was born in New Zealand, but grew up in England. His exploits in the final earned some early nominations for the awards, as did New Zealand captain Kane Williamson, local media reported yesterday. “The way he [Williamson] conducted himself, not only in the face of such devastating disappointment at Lord’s, but throughout the tournament, resonated powerfully with Kiwis from all walks of life,” the award’s chief judge Cameron Bennett told the New Zealand Herald.
CYCLING
Push for women’s Tour
The International Cycling Union is hopeful it can convince Tour de France organizers to hold a women’s equivalent, president David Lappartient said. Women participate in La Course, a one-day competition during the Tour. This year’s edition is a 121km circuit race around Pau in southwestern France before the men began Stage 13 yesterday. Lappartient said that he had held discussions with the Amaury Sport Organisation (ASO) to increase the event to 10 stages and match the Giro Rosa. “What’s missing in our sport is a big stage race for women that can be seen worldwide. The Tour de France can really help with this,” Lappartient told BBC Radio 5 Live. The 46-year-old said he would continue fighting for a women’s Tour and hoped ASO would overcome logistical hurdles that prevent a longer event during the men’s race.
SOCCER
Arsenal fans petition club
Arsenal fan Web sites in the US are playing a pivotal role in a protest campaign against the club’s owners as a petition demanding change surpassed 100,000 signatures on Thursday, three days after launching. Sixteen supporters’ groups, three from the US, came together to launch the “#WeCareDoYou” campaign in response to “poor leadership” from owner Stan Kroenke and Kroenke Sports & Entertainment, declaring the club to be in need of “meaningful action” to “reinvigorate” it. Supporters said they are unhappy with the fact that Arsenal face a third successive season in the Europa League, believe the atmosphere at Emirates Stadium to be “soulless” and feel “marginalized” by the club’s owners. Arsenal director Josh Kroenke responded with an open letter “respectfully disagreeing” with the fans’ view of where the club is at and insisting that he, his father and the club “want to win.”
CRICKET
Council suspends Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe was suspended on Thursday because of government interference. The International Cricket Council said it was also freezing all funding to the country, which is a Test-playing nation and full member of the council. The ban will be in place until at least October, when the council is to meet again to reconsider Zimbabwe’s status. Zimbabwe were suspended after its Sports and Recreation Commission removed the cricket board last month and installed temporary leadership. The commission acted after alleging corruption, but the council viewed it as government interference.
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
More than 180 years of horse racing came to an end in Singapore on Saturday, as the Singapore Turf Club hosted its final race day before its track is handed back to the Singaporean government to provide land for new homes. Under an overcast sky, the air-conditioned VIP boxes were full of enthusiasts, socialites and expats, while the grounds and betting halls below hosted mostly older-generation punters. The sun broke through for the last race, the last-ever Grand Singapore Gold Cup. The winner, South African jockey Muzi Yeni, echoed a feeling of loss shared by many on the day. “I’d
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
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