■BASEBALL
Yankees’ scandal grows
In another shock steroid distraction for an already-reeling New York Yankees squad, the son of team vice president Felipe Lopez Jr was arrested in 2002 for having steroids, reports said on Saturday. The news comes four days after Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez opened the team’s pre-season training camp by answering questions about his doping from 2001 through 2003. On top of that comes the report that Felipe Lopez III served 19 months of probation after pleading guilty to reduced charges in 2003 following his arrest for trafficking in a banned date-rape drug used by athletes for muscle recovery and for possession of anabolic steroids. Lopez III was arrested at his Tampa home in 2002 as part of a US Drug Enforcement Administration operation for trafficking in GBL — a chemical related to the date rape drug GHB. Also in that raid, police found vials of anabolic steroids, a shotgun and papers referring to chemicals used to make the drug Ecstasy. Lopez III was also arrested in 2005 on a battery charge for allegedly punching his former girlfriend, a case that was later dropped.
■BASEBALL
MLB probes Nats staffer
Washington Nationals special assistant Jose Rijo is taking a leave of absence after a MLB investigation revealed a prospect he discovered was older than originally believed. Rijo, a former top pitcher in the majors, now works under Nats general manager Jim Bowden. On Wednesday, it was announced that prospect Esmailyn “Smiley” Gonzalez of the Dominican Republic lied about his age and name. Rijo has been credited with spotting Gonzalez about two years before the Nationals signed him. Gonzalez received a US$1.4 million signing bonus in 2006 when the Nationals signed what they thought was a 16-year-old shortstop. The Nationals had been listing his date of birth as Sept. 21, 1989. But Kasten said an MLB investigation determined Gonzalez is actually Carlos David Alvarez Lugo, born in November 1985 — meaning he is really 23.
■ATHLETICS
Bolt wins another
Olympic sprint sensation Usain Bolt continued his early season preparation with another comfortable 400m victory on Saturday at Jamaica’s National Stadium. Running out of lane five in the timed-final 400m at the University of West Indies Invitational, Bolt won in 45.54 seconds, an improvement on the 46.35 seconds he ran last weekend.
■BIATHLON
Russia win championships
Russia won the women’s relay at the biathlon world championships in Pyeongchang, South Korea, on Saturday, with defending champions Germany in second and France in third. Russia prevailed despite missing Ekaterina Iourieva and Albina Akhatova, who were kicked out of this year’s world championships for doping. The quartet of Svetlana Sleptsova, Anna Boulygina, Olga Medvedtseva and Olga Zaitseva stayed clear of the penalty loop to win in a time of 1 hour, 13 minutes and 12.9 seconds.
■BOBSLED
Britons win in New York
Nicola Minichiello and Gillian Cooke of Britain won the women’s bobsled competition in the world championships at Mount Van Hoevenberg, New York, on Saturday. The duo edged Shauna Rohbock and Elana Meyers of the US by 0.38 seconds. Germany took the bronze, having captured six of seven golds since women began competing at world championships in 2000. The British champions finished the four runs in 3 minutes, 48.22 seconds.
■SOCCER
Man United bans autographs
Manchester United has banned its players from signing autographs for fans at the team’s training ground.
The decision was communicated to fans in the matchday program for Saturday’s 2-1 win over Blackburn. “I offer apologies to fans who come to the Carrington training ground looking for autographs, because we have had to ask players not to stop and sign your books,” United manager Alex Ferguson wrote. “The problem is that we have had too many opportunists selling on signed merchandise. They are not fans at all, and we have taken this action in order to stop the practice. We hope that you understand our decision.” Five years ago, United imposed a similar ban, which was primarily aimed at sports memorabilia dealers.
■SOCCER
Gunmen kill fans in Nigeria
Gunmen ambushed a busload of soccer fans travelling to a match in southern Nigeria on Saturday and killed at least six in an apparent revenge attack, police and local officials said. The supporters were travelling from Yenegoa in Bayelsa state to neighboring Delta state. Local officials said the execution-style killings appeared to be in retaliation for a nightclub shooting in Yenegoa on Friday. “The fans coming to Delta were ambushed and shot. Eight were killed and seven were injured and are in hospital,” Delta state police spokesman Charles Muka said. A senior Bayelsa state government official who visited the scene said he had seen six bodies being taken to the mortuary in the nearby town of Ughelli. Another local official put the death toll among the “Ocean Boys” soccer supporters at 13. Bayelsa and Delta are two of the main states in Nigeria’s restive Niger Delta, where criminal gangs and militant groups regularly ambush vehicles and carry out kidnappings. The government official said the killings appeared to be part of a feud between rival “cults,” a word often used in Nigeria to refer to university campus gangs originally sponsored by politicians to commit abuses at election time.
■CRICKET
Helicopter halts play
A helicopter stopped play in a domestic cricket game in India after the pilot mistook the pitch for a landing pad, local media reported yesterday. Players were forced to abort Saturday’s one-day game and scurry for cover when the hapless pilot set the chopper down on the letter ‘H’ painted in the corner of the cricket ground. The ‘H’ stands for the name of the Himachal Pradesh team in the north-west Indian state. A fire near the stadium also added to the confusion of the pilot, who misinterpreted it for smoke signals, the Hindustan Times said. The unscheduled arrival of the helicopter, owned by a private airline, halted play for almost half an hour before the red-faced pilot buzzed off again. “It landed suddenly. No one knew what was happening,” the competing Punjab team manager told the paper after his side won the interrupted game. “There was chaos. Everyone ran for cover.”
■CRICKET
Contract blow for cursing Nel
Controversial pace bowler Andre Nel has missed out on a national contract by Cricket South Africa, the national governing body said on Saturday. Nel, 31, is currently suspended after two separate swearing incidents. During 2003 he was sent home from a South Africa A tour of Australia after a drunk driving incident. Later in the year during a tour of the West Indies he was found guilty of smoking marijuana. He has played 36 Tests and 70 one-day internationals.
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
LIVERPOOL WIN: The 50th Champions League goal by Mohamed Salah helped the leaders of the Premier League to keep their perfect record intact Real Madrid’s big stars on Tuesday turned on the style to revive the Spanish giant’s faltering UEFA Champions League title defense. Galacticos Kylian Mbappe, Vinicius Junior and Jude Bellingham all scored in a thrilling 3-2 win against Serie A leaders Atalanta BC. However, Madrid still had to ride their luck as Mateo Retegui fired over from in front of goal in stoppage-time when handed a golden chance to level the game. It was only Madrid’s third win in the competition’s revamped league phase and leaves the 15-time champions in the unseeded playoff positions in 18th place. “It’s a very important win. Not everyone wins
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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