OLYMPICS
Audit expands Tokyo costs
Last year’s Tokyo Olympics cost 20 percent more than the final figure reported by the Tokyo 2020 organizing committee, an analysis by Japan’s audit board showed. A report issued late on Wednesday found that the Games cost ￥1.7 trillion (US$12.9 billion), up from the ￥1.42 trillion reported by Tokyo 2020 earlier this year. The audit board said that organizers had incorrectly failed to include some Olympic-linked government spending on items including anti-doping measures, athlete training, food at the athletes village and the Olympic stadium. The report urged the government in the future to “reveal the total costs in a timely manner when it is substantially involved in a major event.” The 2013 bid for the Games estimated that the event would cost ￥734 billion, but costs gradually ballooned, with a postponement due to the COVID-19 pandemic adding to the bill.
SOCCER
Parade cancelation defended
The Argentine government on Wednesday defended the mammoth parade held to welcome home the FIFA World Cup winners even though the event was abruptly cut short amid organizational chaos. After days of high-profile activity, team captain Lionel Messi and most of the other members of the national soccer squad were largely staying out of sight and spending time with family and friends. There had been speculation that Rosario, Argentina’s third-largest city, would put on its own celebration for hometown hero Messi, but after Tuesday’s chaos in Buenos Aires, where millions swamped the streets, officials were emphasizing that the players preferred to rest. In talking about the early end to Tuesday’s parade, Argentine Minister of Security Anibal Fernandez said: “The objective was to protect the players — not because they were going to be harmed, but rather because anything could help when so many people were trying to get close to them.” Soccer officials had said on Tuesday that the team would travel in an open-top bus from the Argentine Football Association headquarters outside the capital to the Obelisk in downtown Buenos Aires. Fernandez said he warned early on that was a mistake. “Look at the photos. Put a bus in the middle of there and you realize that they would have stayed living there for six days,” Fernandez said.
SOCCER
Pele’s health worsens
Pele’s health has worsened during his hospital stay to regulate his cancer medication, doctors said on Wednesday. The Albert Einstein hospital in Sao Paulo, Brazil, said in a statement that Pele’s cancer has advanced and that the 82-year-old is under “elevated care” related to “kidney and cardiac dysfunctions.” Pele is undergoing chemotherapy in his fight against cancer since he had a colon tumor removed in September last year. Neither his family nor the hospital have said whether it had spread to other organs. Kely Nascimento, one of his daughters, said that Pele would stay in the hospital during Christmas. “We decided with doctors that, for many reasons, it will be best for us to stay here, with all the care that this new family at Einstein gives us,” she wrote on Instagram. “We will even make some caipirinhas (no kidding). We love you and we will give up an update next week.” A caipirinha is Brazil’s national cocktail.
‘AWFUL PERFORMANCE’: Golden State were always chasing the game after failing to threaten from long range, making just eight of 33 three-point attempts Aaron Gordon on Monday scored 38 points as the Denver Nuggets shrugged off the absence of Nikola Jokic to halt the Golden State Warriors’ seven-game winning streak with a 114-105 victory over their Western Conference rivals. A dazzling display from Gordon inspired what was ultimately a comfortable win for Denver, who were missing regular starters Jokic and Jamal Murray from their lineup. The absentees were barely felt by Denver, who startled the Warriors early at San Francisco’s Chase Center and led for most of the game. The Warriors threatened to stage a late rally after slashing the Nuggets’ fourth-quarter lead from 15 points
The US’ bid for a fourth consecutive CONCACAF Nations League title came to a stunning end as they fell 1-0 to Panama after a stoppage-time goal from Cecilio Waterman on Thursday in Inglewood, California. Despite dominating possession, the US struggled to break down a resilient Panama side for long periods. Panama spent the bulk of the match defending, but pounced on a giveaway by the US before substitute forward Waterman sent a shot from the right side of the area to the bottom left corner late in stoppage time. Up next for Panama in tomorrow’s final is to be Mexico, who beat
DOMINATION: McLaren drivers Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris took the first two spots as Mercedes’ George Russell and Red Bull’s Max Verstappen followed them Australian Oscar Piastri yesterday roared back from season-opening disappointment in his home race by winning the Formula One Chinese Grand Prix from pole position in a McLaren one-two with championship-leading teammate Lando Norris. George Russell finished third for Mercedes, ahead of Red Bull’s reigning champion Max Verstappen with Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and Saturday’s sprint winner Lewis Hamilton fifth and sixth respectively. Piastri’s win denied Norris a third victory in a row, including last year’s Abu Dhabi season-ender, but left champions McLaren unbeaten in two races so far this year. “Mega job guys. The car was very, very lovely,” Piastri said
Armand Duplantis will be among the reigning Olympic champions adding star power to the world indoor championships this weekend when the Chinese city of Nanjing hosts the first major global athletics meet since the Paris Games last year. The three-day event was originally slated for 2020 and faced multiple postponements due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but Nanjing’s Sports Training Center would finally welcome more than 570 athletes for the start of the showpiece today. One of the main attractions would be pole vaulter “Mondo” Duplantis, who soared 6.27m to break the world record for a staggering 11th time in Clermont-Ferrand last
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