Captain Fantastic McGinley shines in Abu Dhabi
(Reuters) – Paul McGinley marked the anniversary of his appointment as Europe’s Ryder Cup captain by surging to within one stroke of the lead in the first round of the $2.7 million Abu Dhabi Championship on Thursday.
Weir caught in crossfire for stand on Games
LONDON (Reuters) – As an openly gay American athlete who is a self-confessed Russophile, Johnny Weir feels he has been caught up “in a crossfire” for not backing a boycott of the Sochi Olympics in the wake of the country’s anti-gay policies.
Putin promises no discrimination at Games
MOSCOW (Reuters) – President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday no athlete would face discrimination at next month’s Winter Olympics, hoping to ease international concern over a Russian law banning gay “propaganda”.
Nadal thrives, Del Potro beaten in scorching Melbourne
MELBOURNE (Reuters) – Rafa Nadal swept into the Australian Open third round under the Rod Laver Arena roof on Thursday but Juan Martin Del Potro was sent packing as sweltering temperatures, lightning and rain caused chaos on the outside courts.
F1’s Ecclestone faces German bribery trial
MUNICH (Reuters) – Formula One boss Bernie Ecclestone will stand trial on bribery charges in Munich over the sale of a stake in his multi-billion dollar sport, a German court said on Thursday.
Soccer: Real coach lauds defensive pair Pepe and Ramos
BARCELONA (Reuters) – Coach Carlo Ancelotti has singled out center halves Sergio Ramos and Pepe for special praise after lauding Real Madrid’s improved defensive performances since the turn of the year.
Feisty Federer embraces heat in Hisense sprint
MELBOURNE (Reuters) – Roger Federer spent as little time as he needed and gave Blaz Kavcic a tennis lesson in recording a 6-2 6-1 7-6 victory to advance to the third round of the Australian Open on Thursday.
NBA expects more foreign investors to buy into teams
LONDON (Reuters) – More international investors will follow the example of Brooklyn Nets’ Russian owner Mikhail Prokhorov and buy into U.S. basketball, NBA boss David Stern said on Thursday.
Frazzled Sharapova fumes over murky heat policy
MELBOURNE (Reuters) – Maria Sharapova criticized Australian Open organizers for a lack of transparency over their ‘extreme heat policy’ when the Russian was left toiling on court for nearly an hour after organizers had invoked an official halt on Thurs…
Soccer: Back to dogfight for Sassuolo after Milan win
(Reuters) – After causing the downfall of AC Milan coach Massimiliano Allegri with an astonishing 4-3 win, struggling Sassuolo return to the harsh reality of the fight against relegation when they host Torino on Sunday (1400 GMT).
