■ SOCCER
Gladbach grab a point
Borussia Munchengladbach avoided another defeat in the Bundesliga by drawing 2-2 with Bochum in the first game under interim coach Christian Ziege on Friday. Munchengladbach earned their first point since beating Werder Bremen 3-2 at home on Aug. 30 to climb out of the cellar for at least one night with four points after eight matches. Steve Gohouri’s header opened the scoring for the guests on the half-hour mark. Bochum found their rhythm in the second half and Christoph Dabrowski equalized in the 55th minute. The hosts grabbed the lead in the 77th minutes after Sinan Kaloglu’s header. But Ziege’s team did not drop their heads and evened things just two minutes later when Bochum goalkeeper Daniel Fernandes could not hold Thomas Kleine’s shot off a corner and allowed the ball to cross the goal line. Gladbach sporting director Ziege took over head coach duties on a temporary basis after coach Jos Luhukay was sacked two weeks ago.
■ MOTOGP
Pedrosa claims pole position
Dani Pedrosa seized pole position ahead of today’s Malaysian MotoGP after a fierce duel with newly crowned world champion Valentino Rossi in wet track conditions. The Spaniard rocketed his Honda around the 5.5km Sepang track in 2 minutes, 1.548 seconds yesterday to finish 0.409 seconds ahead of his Italian rival Rossi on a Yamaha. Spain’s Jorge Lorenzo on a Yamaha finished third, while Australian Ducati rider Casey Stoner could only manage seventh. Pedrosa also snatched pole in Sepang last year and went on to secure third place.
■ SOCCER
Heskey wants return to Reds
Wigan Athletic striker Emile Heskey hopes his impressive England form has opened up a route back to Liverpool. The 30-year-old Heskey, who can leave on a free transfer at the end of the season when his contract expires, left Liverpool in 2004 after more than 100 appearances and moved to Birmingham City. After three years out of the England team, his international career was revived last year under Steve McClaren and has been maintained by Fabio Capello. Heskey made his 50th appearance for England in Wednesday’s 4-1 win against Belarus. “A move to Liverpool would be lovely. Who knows what will happen. Let’s see how it goes,” Heskey said on Friday.
■ CRICKET
West Indies to host Twenty20
The West Indies will host the World Twenty20 Championship in 2010, the International Cricket Council (ICC) announced yesterday. The event will be held in place of the Champions Trophy that was to be hosted by West Indies in 2010, ICC chief executive Haroon Lorgat said at a press conference. “With the Champions Trophy set to be hosted by Pakistan in 2009 after its cancellation this year, we decided to have a Twenty20 World Championship instead in April-May 2010 in West Indies,” he said.
■ SOCCER
Palestine to return home
Palestine are set to play their first international match on home soil. Palestine will host Jordan in a friendly on Oct. 26 at the Ram Stadium in Gaza City after 10 years of playing home games in Jordan and Qatar, FIFA said on Friday. The renovated stadium will be opened by FIFA president Sepp Blatter, after the world governing body paid to have it upgraded to international standard. “It is very important to FIFA that countries are able to play their home matches in their own stadium,” FIFA spokesman Pekka Odriozola said.
■ FOOTBALL
Boise State beats Hawaii
Kellen Moore threw three touchdown passes and cornerback Brandyn Thompson had three interceptions to lead No. 15 Boise State to a 27-7 victory over Hawaii on Friday night. The Broncos (6-0, 2-0 Western Athletic Conference) intercepted Hawaii’s Inoke Funaki five times, turning three of them into 17 second-half points that put the game away. The Broncos’ smothering defense pressured Funaki all night, sacking him five times and holding the Warriors (3-4, 2-2) to just 288 total yards. Moore finished 25-of-34 for 256 yards. The left-hander’s three touchdown passes gave him 16 on the season and 11 over the last four games. The victory was Boise State’s 17th straight at home and avenged a bitter loss to the Warriors last year that cost them the WAC title.
■ FOOTBALL
Porter, Bly fined US$20,000
Miami Dolphins linebacker Joey Porter and Denver Broncos cornerback Dre’ Bly were each fined US$20,000 by the NFL on Friday for inappropriate comments about officials. Porter was critical of beleaguered referee Ed Hochuli and his crew in last Sunday’s loss against the Houston Texans. On the first play of the Texans’ drive for the winning touchdown late in the game, Porter stripped quarterback Matt Schaub. Hochuli ruled the play an incomplete pass rather than a fumble, saying Schaub’s arm was moving forward when hit. “I know for sure that I had both his arms when the ball came out,” Porter said after the game. “I’m looking for an apology or something on Tuesday or Wednesday on NFL Network, but it will be too late by then. The game’s over ... I thought we won the game, actually, but they kept getting calls.”
■ ICE HOCKEY
Yzerman to serve as director
Steve Yzerman, who sparked the Detroit Red Wings to three NHL titles, was set to be named executive director of Canada’s 2010 Winter Olympic hockey team yesterday. Yzerman will replace NHL icon Wayne Gretzky, who had the post for the past two Olympics, masterminding Canada’s 2002 Winter Olympic gold medal in Salt Lake City that snapped a half-century Olympic title drought. Gretzky was not interested in returning to the executive director role but the all-time leading scorer in NHL history, now a coach and part-owner for the NHL Phoenix Coyotes, did say he would be interested in an advisory role. “The Great One” also did not rule out taking the coaching post for the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics as the Canadians try to bounce back from 2006 disappointment at Turin with gold on home ice. Yzerman, in his third season as a vice-president with the Red Wings, finished sixth on the all-time scoring list when he hung up his skates.
■ SAILING
Puma leads Ocean Race
US outsiders Puma Ocean Racing were leading the Volvo Ocean Race around the world on Friday as the eight yachts approached the Cape Verde Islands in the Atlantic, despite pressure from Swedish favorite Ericsson 4. Spain’s two Telefonica yachts were trailing in seventh and eighth position, more than 200 nautical miles behind the leaders, on the seventh day of the race that started in the Spanish Mediterranean port of Alicante. “There are minefields everywhere and there is nothing traditional’ about this leg so far at all,” said Puma skipper Ken Read. The boats are expected in Cape Town, South Africa on November 3 at the end of the first of the 10 legs of the race. After 68,524km, the finish line is in St Petersburg, Russia, where the teams are expected next June.
Taiwan’s Chou Tien-chen yesterday exited at the BWF World Tour Finals in China, losing in the semi-finals to China’s world No. 1 Shi Yuqi. Shi, who was named the BWF Men’s Singles Player of the Year, had a 9-4 record against Chou going into the match. He extended that record to 9-5 with a 21-14, 21-18 victory. Chou advanced to the men’s singles semi-finals on Friday by upsetting top-seeded Anders Antonsen of Denmark in a must-win match at the Hangzhou Olympic Sports Center Gymnasium. The 16-21, 21-18, 21-15 victory saw Chou secure his second semi-finals appearance at the tournament, despite his relatively older
‘REMARKABLE’: Gaelic football is a traditional Irish sport that blends the skills of soccer and rugby, and hurling is an ancient sport played with a wooden stick and ‘sliotar’ The Taiwan Celts Gaelic Football Club marked a milestone achievement at the Asian Gaelic Games in Bangkok on Nov. 23 and 24, with two sides advancing to the knockout stages and competing at hurling for the first time. The event brought together 68 teams from 16 clubs across Asia, with more than 800 players in men’s and women’s tournaments. Gaelic football is a traditional Irish team sport that blends the skills of soccer, rugby union and basketball. Hurling is an ancient Irish sport played with a wooden stick, called a hurley, and a small ball, or sliotar. The Taiwan Celts’ women’s team reached
India’s chess star Gukesh Dommaraju returned to a hero’s welcome in his home city yesterday after becoming the youngest world champion aged only 18. Hundreds of fans crowded the arrivals area of Chennai International Airport, cheering alongside banks of television cameras as Gukesh made his way out of the airport after victory in taking the World Chess Championship title. “It means a lot to bring back the trophy to India,” Gukesh told reporters, with garlands of flowers draped around his neck, brandishing the glittering trophy in his hand. “I can see the support and what it means to India, I
Indian teenager Gukesh Dommaraju became the youngest chess world champion on Thursday after beating the defending champion Ding Liren of China in the final match of their series in Singapore. Dommaraju, 18, secured 7.5 points against 6.5 of his Chinese rival in the contest, surpassing the achievement of Russia’s Garry Kasparov, who won the title at the age of 22. The Indian teen prodigy has long been considered a rising star in the chess world after he became a chess grandmaster at 12. He had entered the match as the youngest-ever challenger to the world crown after winning the Candidates tournament earlier
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