FOOTBALL
Demaryius Thomas dies
Former NFL wide receiver Demaryius Thomas, who won a Super Bowl with the Denver Broncos, died on Thursday at the age of 33 after an apparent “medical issue,” US police said. “Preliminary information is that his death stems from a medical issue and our investigators currently have no reason to believe otherwise,” a spokesperson for the police department in Roswell, Georgia, told US media. Thomas, a four-time pro-bowler, spent most of his NFL career with the Broncos, where he was part of the team who beat the Carolina Panthers in Super Bowl 50 in February 2016. He went on to play for the Houston Texans and New York Jets before retiring in June. “We are devastated and completely heartbroken,” the Broncos wrote on Twitter. “Demaryius’ humility, warmth, kindness and infectious smile will always be remembered by those who knew him and loved him.” To honor him, the Broncos players are to wear a decal on their helmets during their game against the Detroit Lions today. There is also to be a video tribute at the stadium and a moment of silence for the charismatic receiver.
SOCCER
Wood bemoans schedule
New Zealand striker Chris Wood said that a nine-team tournament next year to decide which Oceania Football Confederation (OFC) side will reach the intercontinental playoff for a spot at the FIFA World Cup could affect player welfare due to its tight schedule. Oceania does not have an automatic place at the World Cup. The winner of the March 14 to 30 competition in Qatar is to face the fourth-placed team from the CONCACAF region, which features sides from North and Central America, and the Caribbean. Wood, who plays for Premier League side Burnley, said some players could also face a club-against-country battle because of the format of the competition, with group games taking place before the international window. “I think it’s ridiculous, because as a squad we won’t be able to get some of our best players there,” Wood told the LancsLive Web site. “I don’t think FIFA should have ever allowed us to be in this situation. It could take away a lot of our players, which in theory takes away from the competition and who is the best from OFC going to the World Cup.”
CURLING
Sex toy advert pulled
Ads for a sex toy Web site that led to a blackout of a livestream of an Olympic curling qualifying tournament are to be removed from the ice and replaced with the statement “#equalityforall.” Erotic Web site EasyToys and the World Curling Federation on Friday said that they have reached a deal to return the livestream to the US and Japan, where broadcasters decided that references to the company were too racy for the curling audience. The event in the Netherlands is to determine the last remaining spots in the Beijing Winter Olympics curling fields. “During an Olympic qualifying tournament, it must of course be about the sport and not about the sponsor,” Eric Idema, CEO of EasyToys’ parent company, EDC, said in the statement, which was translated from Dutch. “Curling also deserves that, as a sport that is one of the few mixed sports that is way ahead of its time. In fact, just like us.”
SSC Napoli’s Italian Serie A title hopes suffered a late setback on Sunday when they were held to a 2-2 draw at home against Genoa, setting up a thrilling season finale with closest rivals Inter just one point behind. The hosts remain top with 78 points, holding a slim lead over Inter, who won 2-0 at Torino earlier on Sunday, with two rounds remaining. To make matters worse for Napoli, midfielder Stanislav Lobotka, struggling with an ankle injury, was forced off just minutes after the match began. Scott McTominay delivered a perfect pass into the box where Romelu Lukaku got
Harry Kane opened the scoring ahead of lifting his first career silverware as Bayern Munich beat Borussia Moenchengladbach 2-0, with veteran Thomas Mueller playing his last home game for the club. Bayern officially won the title on May 4 when defending champions Bayer Leverkusen were held to a 2-2 draw at Freiburg, but were presented with the Bundesliga shield in front of their home fans at full-time. Dripping wet after being showered with beer by teammates, Kane said the title win was “an incredible feeling,” and hoped it would be “the first of many.” “It’s been lot of hard work, a lot of
Taiwanese e-sports veteran Lin “ET” Chia-hung yesterday successfully defended his King of Fighters XV title at this year’s Evolution Championship Series: Japan (EVO Japan), securing his second consecutive championship. Lin claimed victory with a 3-1 win over Japanese pro gamer “mok” in the grand final, repeating his earlier 3-1 win against the same opponent in the winners’ final. The 40-year-old earned a ￥1 million (US$6,897) cash prize at the two-day tournament, which drew 294 competitors. Mok, Lin’s toughest rival in the bracket, took home ￥400,000 as runner-up. Lin remains undefeated in match sets against mok in King of Fighters XV, holding a 10-0 record,
Batting great Virat Kohli yesterday announced his immediate retirement from Test cricket, just days before India name their squad for a tour to England. Kohli, who scored 9,230 runs in 123 matches at an average of 46.85, posted his decision on Instagram five days after India captain Rohit Sharma called time on his own Test career. Since making his debut in 2011, Kohli struck 30 hundreds and 31 fifties with a highest score of 254 not out, mainly batting at number four in the order. “It’s been 14 years since I first wore the baggy blue in Test cricket,” the
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