CRICKET
Roof collapse delays Test
Rain and strong winds caused the roof of a stand to collapse at the Galle International Stadium, delaying yesterday’s start of day 2 of the Test between hosts Sri Lanka and Australia. Southwesterly winds battered the port city, upending broadcast equipment and one of the sightscreens at the ground. The makeshift roof of one of the ground’s smaller stands was also brought down by the storm. No injuries were reported. The weather kept the players off the ground until after lunch and only 44 overs were bowled before bad light stopped play. However, that was enough for Australia to power to a 101-run first-innings lead at stumps, with Usman Khawaja (71) and Cameron Green (77) providing the bulk of the scoring as the visitors reached 313-8 after dismissing Sri Lanka on day 1 for 212.
CRICKET
CA ‘astonished’ by suit
Cricket Australia (CA) is “astonished” by legal proceedings launched against it by broadcast partner the Seven Network and would “strenuously” defend itself in court, the governing body said yesterday. The broadcaster is seeking to terminate its A$450 million (US$309.69 million) six-year deal, alleging “multiple quality and standard breaches by CA” of the media rights agreement between the two. The CA denied the allegations and said it delivered two “very successful” cricket seasons, despite the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic.
SOCCER
Online hate to draw bans
People convicted of soccer-related online hate crimes can now be banned from attending matches, Britain’s Crown Prosecution Service said on Wednesday. British courts could previously only issue so-called banning orders for in-person offenses. However, prosecutors said that it would now be able to ask courts for tougher penalties for people “intent on hateful conduct.”
SOCCER
Ronaldo seeks damages
Cristiano Ronaldo is asking a US judge to order a woman’s lawyer to pay damages of more than US$626,000 after claiming in a failed lawsuit that Ronaldo raped the woman in Las Vegas nearly a decade earlier. Ronaldo’s attorney Peter Christiansen asked US District Court Judge Jennifer Dorsey in a filing to make the woman’s attorney Leslie Mark Stovall personally responsible for the amount. Dorsey on June 10 kicked the case out of court to punish Stovall for “bad-faith conduct,” and the improper use of leaked and stolen documents.
CYCLING
Victorious’ hotel searched
Danish police yesterday searched the hotel of Bahrain Victorious at the request of French authorities, Copenhagen police said in a statement on the eve of the Tour de France Grand Depart. Authorities searched the team’s vehicles, and the rooms of staff and riders at 5:30am in Brondby. The homes of riders and staff were also searched by police on Monday before their departure for the Tour. French prosecutors opened a preliminary investigation into doping allegations against Bahrain Victorious after police searched the team’s hotel late in last year’s race. The team said in a statement that it fully cooperated with the authorities and the search was completed within two hours. “No items were seized from the team,” it said.
Former world No. 2 Paula Badosa has withdrawn from this week’s Wuhan Open, organizers said on Tuesday, amid a racism row over an online photograph. Tournament organizers said the Spaniard had pulled out of the WTA 1000 tournament, citing a gastrointestinal illness, hours before her first-round match against Australian Ajla Tomljanovic. News outlets including Britain’s the Telegraph earlier reported that Badosa had posted a photo on Instagram in which she appeared to imitate a Chinese face by placing chopsticks on the corners of her eyes. The photo was taken last week in a restaurant in Beijing, where she reached the semi-finals of the
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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