■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.
‘SOURCE OF PRIDE’: Newspapers rushed out special editions and the government sent their congratulations as Shohei Ohtani became the first player to enter the 50-50 club Japan reacted with incredulity and pride yesterday after Shohei Ohtani became the first player in Major League Baseball to record 50 home runs and 50 stolen bases in a single season. The Los Angeles Dodgers star from Japan made history with a seventh-inning homer in a 20-4 victory over the Marlins in Miami. “We would like to congratulate him from the bottom of our heart,” top government spokesman Yoshimasa Hayashi told reporters in Tokyo. “We sincerely hope Mr Ohtani, who has already accomplished feat after feat and carved out a new era, will thrive further,” he added. The landmark achievement dominated Japanese morning news
When Wang Tao ran away from home aged 17 to become a professional wrestler, he knew it would be a hard slog to succeed in China’s passionate but underdeveloped scene. Years later, he has endured family disapproval, countless side gigs and thousands of hours of brutal training to become China’s “Belt and Road Champion” — but the struggle is far from over. Despite a promising potential domestic market, the Chinese pro wrestling community has been battling for recognition and financial stability for decades. “I have done all kinds of jobs [on the side]... Because in the end, it is very
No team in the CPBL can surpass the Taipei Dome attendance record set by the CTBC Brothers, except when the Brothers team up with Taiwanese rock band Mayday. A record-high 40,000 fans turned out at the indoor baseball venue on Saturday for Brothers veteran Chou Szu-chi’s first farewell game, which was followed by a mini post-game concert featuring Mayday. This broke the previous CPBL record of 34,506 set by the Brothers in early last month, when K-pop singer Hyuna performed after the game, and the dome’s overall record of 37,890 set in early March, which featured the Brothers and the
With a quivering finger, England Subbuteo veteran Rudi Peterschinigg conceded the free-kick that sent his country’s World Cup quarter-final into extra-time before smashing his plastic goalkeeper on the floor in frustration. In the genteel southern English town of Tunbridge Wells, 300 elite players have gathered to play the game they love. “I won’t say this is the best weekend I’ve ever had in my life, but it’s certainly in the top two,” said Hughie Best, 58, who flew in from Perth, Australia, to compete and commentate at the event. Tunbridge Wells is the “spiritual home” of Subbuteo, which was invented there in 1946