BADMINTON
Four players suspended
The Badminton World Federation suspended four Chinese players for two years for failing to try their best to win a doubles match in the Fuzhou Open quarter-finals in November 2018, it said on Friday. A panel found that the players did not make their best efforts, giving each of them three-month bans and a two-year suspension from Jan. 25. They also had to forfeit their prize money, US$12,250 for He Jiting and Tan Qiang, and US$2,187.50 for Li Junhui and Liu Yuchen. Then world-ranked No. 2 pair Li and Liu were playing No. 17-ranked He and Tan in a match that a referee and tournament manager said was not being played fairly. They were charged, but a disciplinary hearing was not held until November and December last year.
FIGURE SKATING
Sakamoto skates to gold
Japan’s Kaori Sakamoto on Friday added the world figure skating title to her Olympic bronze medal, capitalizing on the absence of Russian rivals banned following the invasion of Ukraine. The 21-year-old Sakamoto totaled 236.09 points with Belgium’s Loena Hendrickx (217.70) taking silver and Alysa Liu of the US claiming bronze (211.9). Sakamoto is the first Japanese world champion since Mao Asada in 2014, while Hendrickx became the first Belgian skater to make a world podium. At 16, Liu is also a first-time world medalist. For Russian skating, Friday represented the end of an era of dominance in the sport. Since 2015 — with the exception of 2018 and the cancellation of the 2020 event because of the COVID-19 pandemic — Russia had won gold in the women’s competition every year.
CYCLING
Van Aert wins E3
Belgian ace Wout van Aert on Friday won the E3 one-day cycling classic, as his Team Jumbo-Visma once again proved too powerful for their rivals. Jumbo attacked after 80km, splitting the peloton. Then, with 42km to go, Van Aert and his new French teammate Christophe Laporte dropped what was left. The duo were part of a Jumbo effort that put a stranglehold on the recent Paris-Nice stage race, where the team twice swept the stage podium places.
FOOTBALL
Browns defend Watson deal
The Cleveland Browns on Friday defended its decision to invest significant draft capital and US$230 million in guaranteed money in Deshaun Watson, a quarterback facing 22 civil lawsuits amid allegations of sexual misconduct. Watson, dressed in a pinstripe suit with a crisp white shirt and orange tie, looked uncomfortable on the dais as general manager Andrew Berry and head coach Kevin Stefanski answered questions about what Berry called the “five-month odyssey” of background checks the Browns did before acquiring the quarterback during an introductory news conference. A grand jury in Harris County, Texas, two weeks ago failed to indict Watson on criminal charges, as did a second grand jury that heard the case of one woman in Brazoria County, Texas, on Thursday. Watson, 26, still could face punishment from the NFL. Since acquiring Watson on March 18 from the Houston Texans, the Browns have faced outrage from women’s groups and fans who say they would no longer support the team.
One of Malaysia’s top soccer clubs has pulled out of today’s season-opening Charity Shield after a spate of assaults, including an acid attack, on players in the country. It leaves the kickoff of Malaysia’s season this weekend under a cloud following the unprecedented acts of violence against players, which have left the country shocked and angry. Authorities said they have imposed tighter security, but Selangor said that they would not play in the showpiece curtain-raiser against Malaysian Super League champions Johor Darul Ta’zim (JDT) citing “a series of criminal incidents and recent threats.” Selangor and Malaysia winger Faisal Halim is in intensive care
Novak Djokovic on Sunday described his shock third-round elimination from the Internazionali BNL d’Italia by Alejandro Tabilo as “concerning,” two days after he was hit on the head by a bottle, which he said has caused nausea and dizzy spells. Djokovic’s bid for a record-extending 41st Masters 1000 title was ended in just more than an hour by Chilean Tabilo, who is ranked 32nd in the world and claimed his first win over a top-10 opponent, 6-2, 6-3. The 24-time Grand Slam winner said that his subdued performance on a court where he has won six titles might have been due to
Caitlin Clark on Thursday walked into her new home arena with No. 22 shirts and jerseys peppered from floor to ceiling. She left as a first-time WNBA winner. A late-arriving, but louder-than-usual crowd roared during her official introduction to Fever fans and again when Clark made her first basket, a layup with 7 minutes left in the first quarter. The cheers grew when she completed a three-point play a few minutes later and hit a crescendo when she finally made a long three-pointer from the edge of the fieldhouse logo late in the third quarter. Clark successfully navigated the city’s most anticipated rookie
TO REAL MADRID? Kylian Mbappe informed PSG privately in February of his intention to depart when his contract expires, but this was the first time he acknowledged it publicly French soccer player Kylian Mbappe on Friday confirmed that he is to leave French champions Paris Saint-Germain at the end of the season, with Real Madrid widely expected to be his next destination. The announcement brings an end to a prolific association with his hometown team, which began when he signed from AS Monaco in 2017 in a deal worth 180 million euros (US$194 million). “I wanted to announce to you all that it’s my last year at Paris Saint-Germain. I will not extend and the adventure will come to an end in a few weeks,” Mbappe, 25, said in a video