■ OLYMPICS
Beijing fish dies in HK
Chinese officials berated Hong Kong yesterday after one of five “Olympic” fish presented to the city by China ended up dead within days. The rare Chinese sturgeon, one of China’s five Olympic symbols, died on Monday, just four days after being publicly released into an aquarium at Hong Kong’s Ocean Park. Vets believe the 1.1m sturgeon, the smallest of five presented by China, was fatally injured when a barracuda sharing the its giant tank bit it on Saturday. Officials from China’s National Aquatic Wildlife Conservation Association quoted by Hong Kong’s government-run radio station yesterday questioned whether the fish had been “adequately handled.”
■ CRICKET
S Africa cuts Zimbabwe ties
Cricket South Africa (CSA) has suspended its bilateral agreements with Zimbabwe because of the worsening political crisis in the country, the body said on Monday. The agreements, including development and administrative programs, as well as the participation of Zimbabwe teams in CSA’s domestic competitions, have been suspended until further notice. “In the past, CSA has defended Zimbabwe cricket against heavy odds, but the general situation in Zimbabwe has now made this untenable,” CSA president Norman Arendse said.
■ BASKETBALL
Shaq skewers Kobe Bryant
Just in case anybody had forgotten that Kobe Bryant has never won an NBA title without Shaquille O’Neal, the big man sent out a reminder. The Phoenix Suns center can be seen rapping that “Kobe couldn’t do without me” in a video posted online at celebrity news site TMZ.com. During the two-minute video, a grinning O’Neal lurches through an improvised rap in which he skewers the Lakers star, with whom he won three straight NBA titles from 2000-2002 while with Los Angeles. “I was freestyling. That’s all. It was all done in fun. Nothing serious whatsoever,” O’Neal told ESPN.com on Monday. “That is what MCs do. They freestyle when called upon. I’m totally cool with Kobe. No issue at all.”
■ BASKETBALL
Carmelo Anthony suspended
The Denver Nuggets suspended NBA All-Star Carmelo Anthony for the first two games of the next season as punishment for his April arrest on suspicion of drunken driving. The announcement by the team on Monday comes a day before he is scheduled to enter a plea in the case. Nuggets vice president of basketball operations Mark Warkentien said in a written statement the team would continue to support Anthony as he “strives to live up to the high expectations” set by the Nuggets and by Anthony. Anthony was arrested on April 14 on Interstate 25.
■ SOCCER
Angola face elimination
Angola are in danger of being eliminated from the 2010 World Cup qualifying race after Uganda exceeded expectations by forcing a 0-0 Group 3 draw in Luanda on Monday. The shock 2006 World Cup qualifiers visit leaders Benin in the penultimate series of second round fixtures during September and a loss coupled with a win for Uganda in Niger would rule Angola out of contention for a top-two finish. The 12 group winners and best eight runners-up advance to the third round, where the countries will be split into five pools with the winners joining hosts South Africa at the first World Cup to be staged in Africa. All World Cup fixtures in Africa double as qualifiers for the 2010 Nations Cup and Angola are guaranteed a place among the 16 participants as hosts of the biennial tournament.
Tallon Griekspoor on Friday stunned top seed Alexander Zverev 4-6, 7-6 (7/5), 7-6 (7/4) in the second round at Indian Wells, avenging a devastating loss to the German at Roland Garros last year. Zverev, the world No. 2 who is heading the field of the prestigious ATP Masters event with No. 1 Jannik Sinner serving a three-month drugs ban, is the first Indian Wells men’s top seed to lose his opening match since Andy Murray in 2017. It was a cherished win for Griekspoor, who had lost five straight matches — including four last year — to the German. That included a five-setter
Donovan Mitchell on Wednesday scored 26 points as the Cleveland Cavaliers punched their ticket to the NBA playoffs with a hard-fought 112-107 victory over the Miami Heat. A seesaw battle in Cleveland saw the Heat threaten to end the Cavs’ 11-game unbeaten streak after opening up a seven-point lead late in the fourth quarter, but the Cavs clawed back the deficit in the closing minutes to seal their 12th straight victory and a place in the post-season. The Cavaliers improved to 52-10, maintaining their stranglehold on the Eastern Conference with 20 games of the regular season remaining. Mitchell was one of six Cleveland
Five-time champion Novak Djokovic on Saturday tumbled out of the Indian Wells ATP Masters, falling in his first match to lucky loser Botic van de Zandschulp as two-time defending champion Carlos Alcaraz advanced. “No excuses for a poor performance,” 24-time Grand Slam champion Djokovic said after 37 unforced errors in a 6-2, 3-6, 6-1 defeat. “It doesn’t feel great when you play this way on the court,” he said. “But congratulations to my opponent — just a bad day in the office, I guess, for me.” Djokovic is just the latest in Van de Zandschulp’s string of superstar victims. He
Manchester United on Thursday settled for a 1-1 draw with Real Sociedad in the first leg of their Europa League round-of-16 tie. United led on Joshua Zirkzee’s goal in the 58th minute, but the hosts equalized 12 minutes later after Bruno Fernandes’ hand ball and Mikel Oyarzabal sent Andre Onana the wrong way from the penalty spot. The Europa League could be a way for United to finish the season with a trophy after crashing out of the FA Cup on Sunday. A spot in the quarter-finals is to be on the line at Old Trafford in the second leg on Thursday next
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