Wed, Feb 18, 2009 page19

• Sports Briefs

  • AGENCIES, WITH STAFF WRITER
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  ■SWIMMING

  No charges for Phelps

  A South Carolina sheriff said Monday he was not going to charge swimmer Michael Phelps after a photo of the 14-time gold medalist showed him smoking from a bong. Richland County Sheriff Leon Lott said he couldn’t ignore the photo but defended his investigation. “Michael Phelps is truly an American hero ... but even with his star status, he is still obligated to obey the laws of our state,” Lott said. The photo showed Phelps at a party in November when he visited the University of South Carolina. Phelps has called his judgment bad and said he would learn from his mistake. USA Swimming suspended Phelps for three months in the wake of the photo, and Kellogg Co said it would not renew its endorsement deal with him. The photo surfaced in a British tabloid, News of the World, on Feb. 1. The swimmer, who won a record eight gold medals at the Beijing Games, did not dispute its authenticity.

  ■DIVING

  China to launch pro league

  Powerhouse China will launch the sport’s first professional league before the end of the year as it seeks to capitalize on the success and celebrity of its near-invincible Olympic team, media said yesterday. The league is likely to kick off with a two-week stint in December and foreign divers would be invited to take part, China’s head diving coach, Zhou Jihong, told Xinhua news agency. “I am aware of the various challenges, such as sponsorship, venues and promotion ... But the new diving league will definitely debut at the end of this year,” Zhou said. Chinese mastery on the platform and the springboard saw the hosts snare seven out of eight titles in August’s Beijing Games and top-flight divers rank among the country’s best paid and most famous athletes.

  ■CRICKET

  Games to include cricket

  Cricket will be included in next year’s South Asian Games to be staged in Dhaka, a regional Olympic official said. “India, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Nepal have already agreed to participate in cricket,” Kutubuddin Ahmed, secretary-general of the Bangladesh Olympic Association, said after a meeting in Kathmandu on Monday. A Twenty20 competition at under-21 level would feature in the games for the eight-nation grouping, to be staged from Jan. 29 to Feb.9 next year, he said.

  ■BASKETBALL

  Suns guard arrested

  Phoenix Suns guard Jason Richardson was arrested on Sunday night on charges of reckless driving, extreme speeding and endangerment after being clocked at 90kph over the speed limit. The 27-year-old was taken into custody after driving 145kph in a 55kph zone with his three-year-old son in the back seat without a restraining child safety seat, a legal requirement in Arizona. Police said Richardson admitted speeding and police saw the child in the car without proper restraint, prompting them to book the eight-year NBA veteran, who was released several hours later.

  ■ICE HOCKEY

  Taipei Rhinos retake lead

  The Taipei Rhinos retook the league lead on Sunday with a 4-2 win over the Chiayi Sharks in Corry Comeau’s last game. Earlier the hapless Kaohsiung Mustangs remained dead last with a 3-6 loss to the Sababa Bears, while in Sunday’s final game the Taipei Tigers blanked a Taichung Lions squad plagued by injury and illness 5-0. In Saturday’s games, the Hsinchu Raptors skated past the Mustangs 5-3 and the Bears edged the Sharks 7-6.
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