■RUGBY
Brett Stewart to face trial
Australia rugby league star Brett Stewart will face trial in September over claims he sexually assaulted a 17-year-old girl after his Manly club’s season launch last year. The 24-year-old fullback faced the Downing Center Local Court last month, where he was committed to stand trial in a higher court over the alleged assault. Yesterday, the judge set a trial date of Sept. 13. Stewart has already entered not guilty pleas to the charges of sexual intercourse without consent and assault with an act of indecency. Stewart, who represented Australia at the rugby league World Cup in 2008, was suspended for the first four matches of last year’s season by National Rugby League chief executive David Gallop for a code of conduct breach.
■SOCCER
Abete focuses on gambling
Italian soccer federation president Giancarlo Abete has guaranteed “equal treatment for all” following new revelations in the four-year-old match-fixing scandal. Abete addressed the issue at a federation meeting on Thursday, a day after Juventus — the club hardest hit by the scandal — issued a statement seeking fair treatment for all parties involved. Italian media have for several days printed alleged phone-tap conversations linking Inter and other clubs to the scandal. Inter was awarded the 2006 Serie A title after Juventus was stripped of the honor and relegated to Serie B because of its involvement in the scandal.
■RUGBY
Palu stays in Australia
Bullocking No. 8 Wycliff Palu has rejected lucrative overseas offers to try to win next year’s rugby World Cup with the Wallabies, the Australian Rugby Union (ARU) said yesterday. The 27-year-old has re-signed with the ARU and his Super rugby franchise the New South Wales Waratahs through 2012. “I like the way this Wallabies team is moving forward under [coach] Robbie Deans,” Palu said in a statement. “It had a big influence on my decision to stay in Australia. The Super 14-leading Waratahs play the Canterbury Crusaders in Christchurch, New Zealand, today.
■FORMULA ONE
Durango interested in slot
Former GP2 competitors Durango have formally registered an interest with Formula One’s governing body in becoming the sport’s 13th team next year, the Italian-based team said. Durango boss Ivone Pinto told the company Web site that his team, who dropped out of GP2 last year because of financial problems, could now count on the backing of “two very big international groups.” The governing FIA has asked those interested in taking the vacant slot to register their interest by Thursday next week. The deadline for applications is expected to be set for June with a decision in July.
■MOTORCYCLING
Stoner leads young guns
Australian Casey Stoner will lead the charge of the young guns pursuing world champion Valentino Rossi as the MotoGP season begins under floodlights at the Grand Prix of Qatar this weekend. Stoner, 24, the 2007 world champion, had a strong finish last season after missing three races because of illness, finishing second in Portugal and winning in Australia and Malaysia. His confidence is high at the Losail circuit where he has won for the past three seasons, and was the fastest rider in the final winter testing session last month. Yamaha have a hard act to follow last season when Rossi led a 1-2 ahead of teammate Jorge Lorenzo, and they also won the constructors title.
■BASEBALL
Brewers sign ace pitcher
The Milwaukee Brewers signed right-handed ace pitcher Yovani Gallardo to a five-year deal for US$30.1 million, the team said on Thursday. Gallardo’s contract covers at least his three arbitration seasons and one year of free agency, and could be worth US$42.5 million over six seasons, the National League team said on its Web site. “It’s a great feeling knowing I’m going to be here for the next five years,” Gallardo said. “Growing up, me and my parents never dreamed of this amount. It hasn’t really settled in yet. I try not to show too much emotion, but it’s great.” Gallardo, one of 12 Mexican players who appeared on opening day major leage baseball rosters, gave up four runs in seven innings during the Brewers’ opening day 5-3 loss on Monday to Colorado.
■BOXING
Berto career back on track
Andre Berto, who put his career on hold after the earthquake in Haiti in January, returns to the ring today to defend his World Boxing Council welterweight title against Puerto Rico’s Carlos Quintana. Florida-based Berto, whose parents are Haitian and who represented Haiti in the Athens Olympics, had pulled out of a scheduled title defense against Shane Mosley on Jan. 30 because concern over the quake and family members in the ravaged Caribbean nation was too big a distraction. Although he learned that his sister in Haiti was safe, Berto lost an uncle and other relatives in the disaster. A portion of ticket sales for today’s fight will go to ongoing Haitian relief efforts, and Berto, unbeaten in 25 professional fights, said he was eager to return to action and support the cause. “I had a tremendous training camp and it’s going to be a terrific night of boxing on Saturday night,” Berto said. Berto had been slated to take on Shane Mosley in Las Vegas on Jan. 30. After Berto withdrew, Mosley opted to take on Floyd Mayweather on May 1.
■ATHLETICS
Bolt to compete in relay
Jamaican sprint king Usain Bolt will compete on April 24 at the USA v The World Penn Relays in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA Track and Field said on Thursday. Bolt is slated to race for Jamaica in the 4x100m relay. Bolt, the world and Olympic 100m and 200m champion as well as world record-holder in each event, teamed with Jamaican compatriots Steve Mullings, Michael Frater and Asafa Powell in winning the men’s 4x100m relay gold medal at last year’s World Outdoor Championships in the meet record time of 37.31 seconds. He was part of the Jamaican world-record setting 4x100m relay at the 2008 Olympics as well.
■BOXING
Judge rejects Gamache suit
A judge said the New York State Athletic Commission failed to properly weigh boxer Arturo Gatti before a Madison Square Garden bout in 2000, but rejected ex-fighter Joey Gamache’s claim it caused his career-ending knockout loss. Court of Claims Judge Melvin Schweitzer said evidence showed commission official Anthony Russo let Gatti off the scale before it could be reasonably determined he made the 64kg limit, but didn’t show Gatti was “substantially” heavier. HBO unofficially weighed Gatti at 72.5 and Gamache at 65.7kg. Gamache said he suffered brain damage in the fight. Russo said in a deposition that he couldn’t recall if he or the commission’s chairman conducted the weigh-in. Russo has since died. The commission said on Thursday it was pleased with the judge’s ruling. Gatti was found dead under mysterious circumstances at a Brazilian resort last July.
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
Hong Kong-based cricket team Hung See this weekend found success in their matches in Taiwan, even if none of the results went their way. Hung See played the Chairman’s XI on Saturday morning, the Daredevils that afternoon and PCCT yesterday, with all three home teams winning. The team for Chinese players at the Happy Valley-based Craigengower Cricket Club sends teams on tour to “spread the game of cricket.” This weekend was Hung See’s second trip to Taiwan after visiting Tainan in 2016. “The club has been traveling to all parts of the world since 1982 and the annual tradition continues [with the Taiwan
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
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