BASKETBALL
Hawks’ Bufkin out injured
Injuries have sidelined the Atlanta Hawks’ Kobe Bufkin for the remainder of the NBA season and center Onyeka Okongwu for at least a week, the team said on Wednesday. Bufkin is to undergo right shoulder surgery on Jan. 7, while Okongwu is to sit out with an inflamed left knee for a week before being re-evaluated, missing four games, the team said. Both play key reserve roles for the Hawks, who stand seventh in the Eastern Conference at 14-13.
Photo: Reuters
TENNIS
ATP touts payments
The ATP this year distributed US$1.3 million to 26 players as part of its on-trial financial security program and is to step up its commitment by boosting minimum wage figures for next year, the governing body said. Launched earlier this year as part of a three-year trial, the Baseline program guarantees minimum income for the top 250-ranked singles players each season. ATP chairman Andrea Gaudenzi called it a “game-changer” for them. “We’re giving players the financial support they need to overcome challenges and build a sustainable career — whether they’re navigating injuries, setbacks in performance or entering the tour for the first time,” Gaudenzi said. “With [US]$1.3 million distributed to players in year one of Baseline, the impact is already clear. With expansions set for 2025, this is just the beginning.”
Photo: AP
RUGBY UNION
RFU probes payments
The Rugby Football Union (RFU) Council has set up an immediate review into the circumstances surrounding the huge bonuses received by RFU chief executive officer Bill Sweeney and other executives after “recognizing the reputational damage done to the sport.” Sweeney and RFU chairman Tom Ilube also look set to face a vote of no-confidence early next year after a “grassroots revolt.” Sweeney was paid ￡1.1 million (US$1.38 million) in the last accounting year, despite the RFU posting a record operating loss of ￡37.9 million and making more than 40 staff redundant in September. Five other executives shared ￡1 million as part of a long-term incentive plan (LTIP) agreed after they took pay cuts during the COVID-19 pandemic. The “council has confirmed there will be an immediate independent review of the circumstances that led to the LTIP being introduced and executed,” the RFU said in a statement. “Council recognizes the reputational damage that has been done to the sport over the past month and is committed to rebuilding trust with our member clubs.”
MOTORSPORTS
Fred Lorenzen dies
NASCAR Hall of Famer and 1965 Daytona 500 champion Fred Lorenzen has died, NASCAR said on Wednesday. He was 89. Lorenzen, who won 26 career Cup races, was named in NASCAR’s list of its 50 greatest drivers of all time in 1998. He also became the first NASCAR driver to earn more than US$100,000 in a single season in 1963. “Fred Lorenzen was one of NASCAR’s first true superstars. A fan favorite, he helped NASCAR expand from its original roots,” NASCAR chairman and CEO Jim France said in a statement. “For many years, NASCAR’s ‘Golden Boy’ was also its gold standard, a fact that eventually led him to the sport’s pinnacle, a rightful place in the NASCAR Hall of Fame.”
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
India’s chess star Gukesh Dommaraju returned to a hero’s welcome in his home city yesterday after becoming the youngest world champion aged only 18. Hundreds of fans crowded the arrivals area of Chennai International Airport, cheering alongside banks of television cameras as Gukesh made his way out of the airport after victory in taking the World Chess Championship title. “It means a lot to bring back the trophy to India,” Gukesh told reporters, with garlands of flowers draped around his neck, brandishing the glittering trophy in his hand. “I can see the support and what it means to India, I
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
BOOT TO FACE: Wilfried Singo said that his actions were not intentional, ‘but I was able to see afterwards that’ the ’keeper had a significant face injury Paris Saint-Germain on Wednesday came from behind to extend their unbeaten start to the Ligue 1 season with a 4-2 win away against AS Monaco, but lost goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma to a gruesome facial injury. The bloodied Italy international was left requiring 10 staples after sustaining lacerations to the right side of his face when he was caught by the studs of Monaco defender Wilfried Singo. “I don’t know if the referee was badly positioned, but VAR [video assistant referee] needed to intervene, you have to protect the players,” PSG captain Marquinhos said. “To not give a red in a situation like
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