TENNIS
Madrid organizers apologize
Madrid Open organizers yesterday apologized after not allowing the women’s doubles finalists to make speeches after the match at the tournament last week. Victoria Azarenka and Beatriz Haddad Maia beat Jessica Pegula and Coco Gauff in the women’s doubles final on Sunday, but were not given a microphone to let them address the crowd. “We sincerely apologise to all the players and fans who expect more of the Mutua Madrid Open tournament,” Madrid Open chief executive officer Gerard Tsobanian wrote in a statement on Twitter. “Not giving our women’s doubles finalists the chance to address their fans at the end of the match was unacceptable and we have apologised directly to Victoria, Beatriz, Coco and Jessica.” Tsobanian said that the tournament was working with the WTA to improve their process. “We made a mistake and this will not ever happen again,” he wrote.
ATHLETICS
Nijel Amos to sell medal
Nijel Amos on Tuesday said he is selling Botswana’s first Olympic medal, his 800m silver from the 2012 London Games, to help support his family after he received a three-year doping ban last week. The Athletics Integrity Unit said it banned Amos for three years on Wednesday last week after an out-of-competition test detected a banned metabolite in his urine sample. The ban was reduced from four years after Amos signed an admission. “At this time, my only investment or pension is the famous 2012 Olympic silver medal,” Amos told reporters in Botswana. “I am in touch with different stakeholders, including financial advisors, on how that can sustain me and my family.”
SOCCER
Rapids suspend player
The Colorado Rapids of Major League Soccer on Wednesday suspended midfielder Max Alves for an alleged connection to an illegal sports gambling plot, the Denver Post and ESPN reported. Alves, a 21-year-old native of Brazil, is under investigation by prosecutors in his home country for being associated with match-fixing, the reports said. One of those matches reportedly was a Rapids game, and Alves allegedly was paid by match-fixers who asked players to shift their performance to the benefit of sports bettors. No charges had been announced against Alves as the investigation — which is reportedly centered around 16 people, including seven players — is ongoing. “We are aware of the reports regarding a Colorado Rapids player in connection with unlawful sports gambling,” the team said in a statement.
OLYMPICS
Two Japanese sentenced
Two Japanese businessmen yesterday were handed suspended prison sentences in the latest convictions in a bribery scandal surrounding the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. Shigeharu Hisamatsu, a 64-year-old former executive at advertising firm ADK Holdings, received a sentence of 18 months, suspended for three years, a Tokyo District Court spokesman told reporters. His former assistant, 61-year-old Toshiaki Tada, was given a sentence of one year, also suspended for three years. The pair did not contest charges during their first hearing in March that they bribed a Tokyo Olympics committee member, Japanese-language media reported.
Taiwan kept their hopes of advancing to next year’s World Baseball Classic (WBC) alive with a 9-1 victory over South Africa in a qualifier at the Taipei Dome on Saturday, backed by solid pitching. Taiwan last night played against Nicaragua. As of press time, Nicaragua was leading 6-0. Bouncing back from Friday’s struggles on the mound, when Taiwanese pitchers surrendered 15 runs to Spain, Team Taiwan on Saturday kept the visiting team in check, allowing just one run in the bottom of the fourth inning. Starting pitcher Sha Tzu-chen struck out one and allowed no hits, except for a hit-by-pitch over
Taiwan kept its hopes of advancing to the 2026 World Baseball Classic (WBC) alive with a 9-1 victory over South Africa in a qualifier at the Taipei Dome last night, backed by solid pitching. Bouncing back from Friday’s struggles on the mound, when Taiwanese pitchers surrendered 15 runs to Spain, Team Taiwan kept the visiting team in check, allowing just one run in the bottom of the fourth inning. The win was crucial for Taiwan, as a loss would have eliminated the team from contention for the next WBC. Starting pitcher Sha Tzu-chen (沙子宸) struck out one and allowed no hits, except for
Team Taiwan are set to face Spain in a win-or-go-home match tonight for the final berth at the 2026 World Baseball Classic (WBC), despite losing to Nicaragua 6-0 in the WBC qualifier at the Taipei Dome on Sunday. The home team’s loss on Sunday means Nicaragua finish first in the qualifier round in Taipei with a perfect 3-0 record and advances to next year’s finals. After crushing South Africa 9-1 earlier on Sunday, Spain took second place in the four-team qualifier with a 2-1 record. With a 1-2 record, Taiwan finished third while South Africa placed at the bottom with
Team Taiwan avoided missing the World Baseball Classic (WBC) for the first time by defeating Spain 6-3 in a do-or-die game in Taipei last night. After narrowly escaping a mercy-rule loss to Spain in the WBC Qualifiers opener on Friday last week, the home team — winner of last year's WBSC Premier12 title three months ago — got their revenge against the 2023 European champions at Taipei Dome. "It felt quite different from when we won the Premier12," Taiwan captain Chen Chieh-hsien (陳傑憲) said after the game, recalling the ups and downs the team has experienced over the past few days. Unlike in
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