■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.
SS Lazio on Monday fired the far-right sympathizer who handles their eagle mascot after he posted online a series of videos and pictures of his erect penis. Falconer Juan Bernabe, who has been present at Lazio home matches with Olimpia the eagle since the 2010-2011 season, posted the footage on social media after having surgery on Saturday to implant a penile prosthesis to improve his sexual performance. Lazio said that they had “terminated, with immediate effect” their relationship with Bernabe “due to the seriousness of his conduct,” adding that they were “shocked” by the images. The Serie A club added that Bernabe’s dismissal
‘TOUGH TO BREATHE’: Tunisian three-time Grand Slam finalist Ons Jabeur suffered an asthma attack in her 7-5, 6-3 victory over Colombia’s Camila Osorio Taiwan’s Hsieh Su-wei yesterday cruised into the second round of the women’s doubles at the Australian Open, while Iga Swiatek romped into a third-round women’s singles showdown with Emma Raducanu and Taylor Fritz was just as emphatic in his pursuit of a maiden Grand Slam title. Hsieh and Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia, the third seeds, defeated Slovakia’s Tereza Mihalikova and Olivia Nicholls of Britain 7-5, 6-2 in 90 minutes in Melbourne. Ostapenko and Hsieh — who won the women’s doubles and mixed doubles at the Australian Open last year — hit 25 winners and converted five of nine break points to set
Dubbed a “motorway for cyclists” where avid amateurs can chase Tadej Pogacar up mountains teeming with the highest concentration of professional cyclists per square kilometer in the world, Spain’s Costa Blanca has forged a new reputation for itself in the past few years. Long known as the ideal summer destination for those in search of sun, sea and sand, the stretch of coast between Valencia and Alicante now has a winter vocation too. During the season break in December and January, the region experiences an invasion of cyclists. Star names such as three-time Tour de France winner Pogacar, Remco Evenepoel and Julian Alaphilippe
AGING WELL: Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen, 22, was sent packing after being dispatched by world No. 97, Laura Siegemund, the second-oldest player in the draw at 36 Novak Djokovic yesterday created a slice of Grand Slam history on his way into the Australian Open third round, but last year’s women’s finalist Zheng Qinwen was knocked out in the biggest shock so far. Defending champion Aryna Sabalenka, in-form Coco Gauff, two-time Melbourne winner Naomi Osaka and a rampant Carlos Alcaraz were all victors on a rainy day four. Play was suspended on the outside courts for a couple of hours in the early evening because of the wet weather. That led to the rescheduling of a women’s doubles match between wild-cards Tsao Chia-yi of Taiwan and Thailand’s Peangtarn Plipuech and 11th
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