■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.
Although Shohei Ohtani’s first trip to the Major League Baseball (MLB) World Series is a global sports event, it is particularly big in Japan. Fans from Ohtani’s home nation bought more World Series tickets for the first two games than from anywhere outside North America, ticket broker StubHub said. Dodger Stadium was packed to the rafters on Friday night for the start of the Los Angeles Dodgers’ showdown with the New York Yankees. “Ohtani’s first season with the Dodgers drew big international appeal, especially from his home country of Japan,” StubHub spokesperson Adam Budelli said. “At the beginning of the season, buyers from
The Major League Baseball World Series trophy is headed to Los Angeles, but the party is extending all the way to Japan. People milled around local train stations yesterday morning in Tokyo as newspaper extras were ready to roll off the presses, proclaiming Japanese stars Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto as world champions along with their Dodgers teammates after a stirring Game 5 victory over the New York Yankees. The 30-year-old is a national hero in Japan whose face adorns billboards and TV adverts all over the country. Ohtani this year became the first player in history to hit 50 home runs and
STAR IN DOUBT: After partially dislocating his shoulder in a feetfirst slide into second base, the status of Japanese slugger Ohtani is uncertain for Game 3 as he undergoes tests Yoshinobu Yamamoto on Saturday walked back to his dugout and made the slightest tip of his cap to cheering fans. He left Japan for moments like this, an opportunity to put the Los Angeles Dodgers in control of the World Series. Yamamoto allowed one hit over 6-1/3 innings and Freddie Freeman homered for the second straight night as Los Angeles beat the New York Yankees 4-2 for a 2-0 Series lead. However, the Dodgers head to New York uncertain whether Shohei Ohtani can play after their biggest star partially dislocated his left shoulder on a slide at second base. “We’re going to get
Three-time reigning world champion Kaori Sakamoto on Saturday led a Japanese podium sweep at Skate Canada, locking up a second straight Canadian women’s title despite two falls in her free skate. Sakamoto, who led 19-year-old American Alysa Liu after the short program, looked a little tight during her jazzy free skate, falling on a Salchow jump and again on a triple flip while fighting to hang on to a few other moves. Her second-best free skate score of 126.24 was enough for gold in the second Grand Prix event of the season in Halifax, Nova Scotia. She finished with 201.21 points, well ahead
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