ICE HOCKEY
Stars fined for practicing
The NHL on Monday fined the Dallas Stars US$100,000 for an optional practice session during the mandatory Christmas break that was attended by several young players. That session, the day after Christmas, contravened a collective bargaining agreement. Any sort of on-ice activity or travel for games is prohibited on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and the 26th. Stars coach Pete DeBoer on Saturday said he might have made a mistake by providing ice for players to skate during the break, adding that it was “voluntary ice.”
ATHLETICS
Soccer’s Southgate knighted
Former England soccer manager Gareth Southgate has been knighted in the New Year Honours, while Olympic gold medalist Keely Hodgkinson became a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE). Southgate, who quit shortly after the UEFA Euro 2024 final in July, becomes the fourth former England manager to receive a knighthood, following in the footsteps of 1966 FIFA World Cup winning handler Alf Ramsey, Walter Winterbottom and Bobby Robson. Meanwhile Gerald Davies, the former Wales and British and Irish Lions wing who subsequently served as president of the Welsh Rugby Union, has also been knighted. Hodgkinson, 22, became an MBE after her triumph in Paris last year made her just the third British woman to claim the Olympic 800m title after Ann Packer in 1964 and Kelly Holmes in 2004. Katarina Johnson-Thompson, who won her first Olympic medal with heptathlon silver in Paris, and three-time medalist Dina Asher-Smith were also made MBEs. Nine-time Paralympic champion Hannah Cockroft has been made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire.
YACHTING
Bestaven’s Vendee hopes die
Yannick Bestaven’s defense of his Vendee Globe title ended on Monday because of a catalogue of problems on his boat in what is his final solo race, the visibly emotional French sailor announced. The 52-year-old who won the race in 2021 said in a video he would have liked to have gone round Cape Horn in the best possible conditions, “but the boat and the sea decided otherwise.” Bestaven succeeded in navigating Cape Horn, but at less than 13 knots (24kph) and was lying 11th and about 2,000 nautical miles (3,704km) off race leaders Yoann Richomme and Charlie Dalin. Despite damage to his vessel, Bestaven said he was determined to resume the race and finish it in his own time. “One has to be positive and look to what comes after, to see if Maitre CoQ V is seaworthy after the refitting to resume my journey,” he said.
ATHLETICS
Criminals targeting pros: FBI
The FBI is warning sports leagues about crime organizations targeting professional athletes following a string of burglaries at the homes of prominent NFL and NBA players. The athletes’ homes are targeted due to the perception they might contain high-end goods such as designer handbags, jewelry, watches and cash, the FBI said in a Liaison Information Report obtained by ABC News. The NFL and NBA already have issued security alerts to their players after the break-ins, some of which have come when players were away with their teams for road games. The home of the Dallas Mavericks’ Luka Doncic was burglarized on Friday, his business manager said.
SS Lazio on Monday fired the far-right sympathizer who handles their eagle mascot after he posted online a series of videos and pictures of his erect penis. Falconer Juan Bernabe, who has been present at Lazio home matches with Olimpia the eagle since the 2010-2011 season, posted the footage on social media after having surgery on Saturday to implant a penile prosthesis to improve his sexual performance. Lazio said that they had “terminated, with immediate effect” their relationship with Bernabe “due to the seriousness of his conduct,” adding that they were “shocked” by the images. The Serie A club added that Bernabe’s dismissal
Hong Kong-based cricket team Hung See this weekend found success in their matches in Taiwan, even if none of the results went their way. Hung See played the Chairman’s XI on Saturday morning, the Daredevils that afternoon and PCCT yesterday, with all three home teams winning. The team for Chinese players at the Happy Valley-based Craigengower Cricket Club sends teams on tour to “spread the game of cricket.” This weekend was Hung See’s second trip to Taiwan after visiting Tainan in 2016. “The club has been traveling to all parts of the world since 1982 and the annual tradition continues [with the Taiwan
‘TOUGH TO BREATHE’: Tunisian three-time Grand Slam finalist Ons Jabeur suffered an asthma attack in her 7-5, 6-3 victory over Colombia’s Camila Osorio Taiwan’s Hsieh Su-wei yesterday cruised into the second round of the women’s doubles at the Australian Open, while Iga Swiatek romped into a third-round women’s singles showdown with Emma Raducanu and Taylor Fritz was just as emphatic in his pursuit of a maiden Grand Slam title. Hsieh and Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia, the third seeds, defeated Slovakia’s Tereza Mihalikova and Olivia Nicholls of Britain 7-5, 6-2 in 90 minutes in Melbourne. Ostapenko and Hsieh — who won the women’s doubles and mixed doubles at the Australian Open last year — hit 25 winners and converted five of nine break points to set
HARD TO SAY GOODBYE: After Coco Gauff dispatched Belinda Bencic in the fourth round, she wrote ‘RIP TikTok USA’ and drew a broken heart on a television camera lens Defending champion Hsieh Su-wei of Taiwan yesterday advanced to the quarter-finals of the women’s doubles at the Australian Open, while compatriot Chan Hao-ching on Saturday dominated her opponents in the second round, as world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka swept into the quarter-finals. Third seeds Hsieh and Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia toppled Hungary’s Timea Babos and Nicole Melichar-Martinez of the US 6-4, 6-3, hitting 24 winners and converting three of seven break points in 1 hour, 18 minutes at 1573 Arena. Although rivals at last year’s Australian Open — where Hsieh and Belgium’s Elise Mertens beat Ostapenko and Ukraine’s Lyudmyla Kichenok 6-1, 7-5
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