BASEBALL
All-Star Game canned
MLB on Friday officially canceled this year’s All-Star Game, the first time since World War II that the mid-season showcase has been scrapped. The exhibition was scheduled for July 14 at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles and the MLB said that the Dodgers would now host instead in 2022. The 2021 edition has already been awarded to the Atlanta Braves. “Based on the health circumstances created by the COVID-19 pandemic that are beyond MLB’s control along with governmental directives prohibiting large gatherings, the league determined it is unable to conduct the All-Star Game and its week of surrounding fan activities this year,” MLB commissioner Rob Manfred said in a statement.
BADMINTON
Lin Dan retires
China’s two-time Olympic champion Lin Dan yesterday announced his retirement aged 36. It means that Lin, who won gold at the Beijing 2008 and London 2012 Games, will not compete at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, which have been pushed back to next summer because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Lin, who had something of a “bad boy” reputation during his younger days and has several tattoos — unusual for a Chinese athlete — ends with 666 singles wins. “My family, coaches, teammates and fans have accompanied me through many peaks and difficult troughs,” he said on social media. “Every forceful jump was a desire for victory. I have dedicated everything to this sport I love.”
CRICKET
Players, board reach deal
Australia’s top players have reached agreement with Cricket Australia that it should postpone its assessment of future revenue during the uncertainty of the COVID-19 pandemic. The agreement announced yesterday ended a one-month impasse that followed the national body’s projection last month of an almost 50 percent drop in revenue in the 2020-2021 financial year. Cricket Australia has now removed the forecast and the Australian Cricketers’ Association has withdrawn its dispute over the Australian Cricket Revenue forecast.
CYCLING
Quintana hit by car
Former Giro d’Italia winner Nairo Quintana said he had not sustained any serious injuries after being hit by a car during training in Colombia on Friday. The 30-year-old Colombian, who won the Giro in 2014, the Vuelta a Espana in 2016 and twice finished runner-up on the Tour de France, was knocked down by a car that overtook him and his support team. His Arkea-Samsic team feared a possible knee injury, but Quintana said he had grazed his left arm and hurt his right knee and left leg. “I want to let you know that I am good,” a smiling Quintana said in a video posted on Twitter.
RUGBY UNION
Carter plays club match
Former All Blacks flyhalf Dan Carter gave himself a pass mark after his first game in New Zealand since 2015, but was not expecting to make a debut for the Auckland Blues next week against the Canterbury Crusaders. Carter joined the Blues last month for Super Rugby Aotearoa, but said he would need a few weeks to get up to speed and took his first tentative steps back yesterday, playing for boyhood club Southbridge in Canterbury. “If anyone saw that game today, I’d say myself that I’m a bit rusty,” Carter told reporters after he kicked six conversions and had a hand in two tries in Southbridge’s 54-14 victory over West Melton. “It’s good to make the first step in to potentially playing again.”
US national team star Folarin Balogun was among the scorers as AS Monaco on Friday won 3-1 at Paris Saint-Germain, dealing a blow to the side from the French capital before they face Chelsea in a crunch UEFA Champions League round-of-16 tie. Maghnes Akliouche gave Monaco a first-half lead at the Parc des Princes, and Aleksandr Golovin doubled their advantage early in the second half of the French Ligue 1 clash. Bradley Barcola pulled one back for the reigning European champions, but Balogun struck shortly after with a fifth goal in his last five games as Monaco claimed a precious
Teenage star Lamine Yamal’s superbly-taken goal on Saturday earned Barcelona a 1-0 win at Athletic Bilbao in Spanish La Liga. The champions restored their four-point lead over second-placed Real Madrid, who had on Friday temporarily closed the gap by beating Celta Vigo. Atletico Madrid tightened their grip on third with an entertaining 3-2 win over Real Sociedad. Yamal, 18, curled into the top corner after 68 minutes to split the sides at Athletic’s San Mames stadium. “We’re already seeing what Lamine can do — he puts it right in the top corner, and there’s nothing the keeper can do,” Barca
West Ham United on Monday advanced to the FA Cup quarter-finals with a 5-3 penalty shoot-out win against Brentford, who paid the price for Dango Ouattara’s spot-kick blunder. Nuno Espirito Santo’s side twice blew the lead as Jarrod Bowen’s double was canceled out by an Igor Thiago brace to force extra-time in the 2-2 draw at the London Stadium, but in the shoot-out, Brentford winger Ouattara attempted a chipped Panenka penalty, but his woeful effort was straight at West Ham goalkeeper Alphonse Areola. It was an awful mistake by the Burkina Faso international and West Ham took full advantage. Bowen, Valentin Castellanos, Callum
CHANCE TO QUALIFY: Both teams now have three points from two games, and Taiwan sit ahead of Vietnam and behind Japan, who last night beat India 11-0 Taiwan yesterday defeated Vietnam 1-0 to move into second place in Group C at the AFC Women’s Asian Cup with one match remaining. Su Yu-hsuan scored the decisive goal in the 26th minute after Taiwan midfielder Saki Matsunaga’s shot hit the crossbar, leaving Su to nod the rebound into an empty net for the team which won the last of their three Asian Cup titles in 1981. It was a deserved victory for Taiwan, 2-0 losers to Japan on Wednesday, who created several chances to extend their lead. Vietnam, the 2022 quarter-finalist, beat India in their opener, but struggled to
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