■ PHILIPPINES
Winner set for windfall
The Philippine government and the private sector are offering 9.5 million pesos (US$220,000) to any athlete who brings home the country’s first-ever Olympic gold medal, an official said yesterday. The most recent medal of any color was silver in boxing in Atlanta in 1996. “This is an incentive. The first gold winner will get the money,” said Philippine Olympic Committee spokesman Joey Romasanta. The government pledged 5 million pesos and the rest came from donations from the private sector, Romasanta said.
■ UNITED STATES
Coach faces fight for life
US swimmer Dara Torres, set for her fifth Olympics next month in Beijing at age 41, is devastated as her coach for the past two years, Michael Lohberg, faces an unexpected fight for his life. The Miami Herald reported he had been diagnosed with aplastic anemia, a rare blood disorder. “It’s so awful — really, really terrible. I can’t even talk about it right now. I haven’t stopped crying,” Torres told the newspaper. “They told me I might last only weeks or maybe even days ... Without treatment, I might not make it to Monday,” Lohberg said. Treatment can include blood transfusion or a bone marrow transplant. “I have always had a good outlook on things, so I will fight this as hard as I can and see if I can make it,” Lohberg told the Herald.
■ AUSTRALIA
Viagra abuse a risk: scientist
Next month’s Olympics may be remembered for the abuse of Viagra and other legal drugs among athletes, a leading Australian sports scientist said yesterday. Robin Parisotto, principal scientist involved in the development of a test for the banned blood booster EPO (erythroipoietin), said legal drugs including Viagra and psychological medicines also enhance athletic performance. The World Anti-Doping Agency is considering including Viagra on its list of banned substances, but a decision will not be made until after this year’s Olympics. “Any physical activity that goes for longer than two minutes would be a beneficiary of something like Viagra, just like the normal blood-doping drugs.” Parisotto told ABC Radio. The former senior scientist with the Australian Institute of Sport said Viagra had the same benefits as blood doping because it opens up arteries and veins — “and not only in the private parts.” But the erectile dysfunction drug isn’t the only legal medicine that can boost an athlete’s performance. Drugs used for psychological purposes can help competitors gain a mental edge, Parisotto said. “With sport quite often it comes down to a battle of wills and as you become fatigued you become confused and your judgement is not so good,” he said. “So to take a drug which will keep your mind clear and focused certainly is another area of drug-taking that would be of benefit to athletes.”
■ GERMANY
Rights group fears for horses
An animal rights group has called for the country’s equestrian team to pull out of the Olympics because of fears over the extreme temperatures horses will endure. The equestrian events will be held in Hong Kong’s sweltering heat and the German Animal Defense Association fears for the animals’ lives. “We are afraid of collapses and injuries because of the high workload the animals face in high temperatures,” spokesman Thomas Schroeder told the Sport-Bild Web site. “There is a real danger in that heat of serious injury and in bad cases, animals may have to be put to sleep.”
Shohei Ohtani and Clayton Kershaw on Friday joined their Los Angeles Dodgers teammates in sticking their fists out to show off their glittering World Series rings at a ceremony. “There’s just a lot of excitement, probably more than I can ever recall with the Dodger fan base and our players,” manager Dave Roberts said before Los Angeles rallied to beat the Detroit Tigers 8-5 in 10 innings. “What a way to cap off the first two days of celebrations,” Roberts said afterward. “By far the best opening week I’ve ever experienced. I just couldn’t have scripted it any better.” A choir in the
After fleeing Sudan when civil war erupted, Al-Hilal captain Mohamed Abdelrahman and his teammates have defied the odds to reach the CAF Champions League quarter-finals. They are today to face title-holders Al-Ahly of Egypt in Cairo, with the return match in the Mauritanian capital, Nouakchott, on Tuesday next week. Al-Hilal and biggest domestic rivals Al-Merrikh relocated to Mauritania after a power struggle broke out in April 2023 between the Sudanese army and a paramilitary force. The civil war has claimed tens of thousands of lives and displaced more than 12 million people, according to the UN. The Democratic Republic of the Congo-born Al-Hilal
Shohei Ohtani, Teoscar Hernandez and Tommy Edman on Thursday smashed home runs to give the reigning World Series champions the Los Angeles Dodgers a 5-4 victory over Detroit on the MLB’s opening day in the US. The Dodgers, who won two season-opening games in Tokyo last week, raised their championship banner on a day when 28 clubs launched the season in the US. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts shuffled his batting lineup with all four leadoff hitters finally healthy as Ohtani was followed by Mookie Betts, then Hernandez and Freddie Freeman in the cleanup spot, switching places with Hernandez. “There’s a Teoscar tax to
Matvei Michkov did not score on Monday, but the Philadelphia rookie had a hand in both goals as hosts the Flyers earned a 2-1 victory over the Nashville Predators. Ryan Poehling and Jamie Drysdale got the goals for the Flyers (31-36-9, 71 points), who won their third straight. Michkov and Travis Konecny assisted on both. Ivan Fedotov stopped 28 shots to earn his first win since March 1, ending a personal six-game losing streak. Zachary L’Heureux got the lone goal for Nashville. Michael McCarron and Brady Skjei got the assists for the Predators (27-39-8, 62 points), who have just four goals in their
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