Sports & Entertainment

SYDNEY - The Australian Olympic Committee (AOC) has called on the government to make up an A$2 billion ($1.33 billion) shortfall in sports funding over the next 10 years or risk failure at the 2032 Olympics in Brisbane. In a speech to the National Press Club in Canberra on Monday, AOC Chief Executive Matt Carroll also called on the government to give sport its own ministry rather than remaining as "the forgotten poor cousin" in the Health Department. "Successive sports plans over many years have not achieved their ambitions, because they have been funded to fail," Carroll said. "On the forward projections based on the work we have done with our 44 member sports, Australian sport will fall over a financial cliff. Sports are fighting each other for a share of a cake that keeps getting smaller. "Our analysis shows that ... there's a $2 billion shortfall in direct funding to sports across the 10 years leading to Brisbane 2032....

- Former Formula One world champion Jenson Button said that he suffered heat exhaustion and nearly retired from the race before finishing 18th at his NASCAR debut in Texas on Sunday. The 43-year-old Briton, who won the F1 world championship in 2009, said he feared fainting while driving his Ford Mustang during the 68-lap race at the Circuit of the Americas. "Finished 18th after almost stopping because I had heat exhaustion. It was so hot. I don't have a fan in my seat, which really didn't help me too much," Button said. "I stopped twice for a minute. They put ice on me, gave me loads of water, and I went back out. "I was so close to getting out of the car because I thought I was going to faint. I must have drank eight-nine bottles of water during the race. The team kept me calm, and it's the reason why we got a good result in the end. So, I was happy." Button will next compete in the inaugural Chicago Street...

Celine Boutier of France fired a 4-under 68 and prevailed in a one-hole playoff against England's Georgia Hall on Sunday to win the LPGA Drive On Championship in Gold Canyon, Ariz. Boutier, who held the lead after three rounds of action, sank a clutch birdie putt at the par-5 18th hole to force the playoff after Hall had jumped ahead courtesy of a 7-under-par 65. Hall carded seven birdies and an eagle against two bogeys on Sunday, sharing low-round honors with Japan's Ayaka Furue and Daniela Darquea of Ecuador. After both tallied 72-hole scores of 20-under 268, Boutier and Hall proceeded to replay the 18th hole, where Boutier sank her birdie putt to pick up her third victory on the LPGA Tour. "It was not easy by any means," Boutier told Sports Illustrated. "I definitely feel like this course is very scorable, so I knew I had to make some birdies. The one on 13 was definitely a relief, I feel like I...

SYDNEY - Tom Latham will captain an inexperienced New Zealand team in next month's home Twenty20 series against Sri Lanka and the five-match series in Pakistan that follows, returning to the shortest format for the first time in nearly two years.With Kane Williamson and Tim Southee playing in the Indian Premier League and unavailable, the wicketkeeper-batsman will return to the leadership role he held in Bangladesh in 2021. "We saw against India earlier this season the power and range of shots that Tom possess. His adaptability also means he can feature in a range of batting positions," coach Mike Stead.   "He led an inexperienced T20 squad to Bangladesh in 2021 and we were really impressed with his leadership of that group during a COVID bubble tour." Former South Africa under-19 skipper and top order batsman Chad Bowes and seamer Henry Shipley, who made his one-day international debut in January, are in line to win their first T2...

NEW YORK - Top prospect Anthony Volpe was named to the New York Yankees' Opening Day roster, manager Aaron Boone said on Sunday, a dream come true for the 21-year-old homegrown shortstop who grew up idolizing the team. Local sports writers have said Volpe will be the first player under 22 years old to start Opening Day for the Bronx Bombers in 27 years, after Hall of Famer and fellow shortstop Derek Jeter, whom he admired since he was a kid growing up in New Jersey. Boone told reporters Volpe "absolutely kicked the door in" in spring training where he had three home runs, five RBIs, five stolen bases and a .314 batting average. "He earned the respect of the veterans in the room. His work is excellent, there's an energy he plays the game with and an instinct that he has that's evident," said Boone. "I think when we take a step back and evaluate, he really checked every box that we could have had for him." With...

By Amy Tennery - Carlos Alcaraz swatted aside Serbian Dusan Lajovic 6-0 7-6(5)to keep his title defense on track at the Miami Open on Sunday, as Canadian Bianca Andreescu cruised past American Sofia Kenin in straight sets. Spain's teen phenom won Indian Wells to retake the top ranking last week and kept the momentum going at Hard Rock Stadium as he fired off 26 winners to set up a fourth-round meeting with Australian Open semi-finalist Tommy Paul. "I always think that you have to go for it," he told the Tennis Channel after the match. "That's what I told myself in (those) tough moments." Lajovic stunned three-times Grand Slam winner Andy Murray in the first round but never hit his stride on Sunday, letting his only break point chance slip through his fingers in the first set as the U.S. Open winner put on a near-flawless performance. Alcaraz converted on a break point in the third game of the second set with a...

By Martyn Herman LONDON - Tottenham Hotspur have parted ways with manager Antonio Conte, the Premier League club said on Sunday, eight days after the Italian's furious outburst following a draw at Southampton in the Premier League when his side threw away a two-goal lead. The result meant Spurs stayed fourth in the table but they are only two points above Newcastle United who have two games in hand of the London club. After the 3-3 draw Conte, whose contract was due to expire in June, delivered a scathing verbal attack on his players, accusing them of being selfish. While still in contention for a top-four finish, Tottenham bowed out of the Champions League last 16 to AC Milan this month and went out of the FA Cup to second-tier Sheffield United. Conte was appointed in November 2021 following the sacking of Nuno Espirito-Santo. "We can announce that head coach Antonio Conte has left the club by mu...

LUXEMBOURG - Cristiano Ronaldo continued his record-breaking form for Portugal as he grabbed two more goals in his country's 6-0 thrashing of Luxembourg in a Euro 2024 qualifier on Sunday, giving them a second win in four days. The 38-year-old grabbed a double against Liechtenstein on Thursday and scored twice more in Luxembourg to extend his record tally of international goals to 122 in 198 appearances. Joao Felix, Bernando Silva, Otavio and Rafael Leao added the other goals to put Portugal top of Group J after an easy start to their qualifying campaign. New coach Roberto Martinez restored Ronaldo to the starting line-up last week and kept faith with him for the match in Luxembourg, where it took only nine minutes for the veteran superstar to open the scoring as he touched home Nuno Mendes’s soaring header. Joao Felix doubled the lead in the 15th minute, rising high to get onto the end of Silva’s cross. Silva then himself h...

MALTA - Goals by forward Mateo Retegui and midfielder Matteo Pessina steered Italy to a 2-0 win over Malta in their Euro 2024 qualification Group C clash at Sunday. Defending champions Italy were looking to get back on track after starting the campaign with a 2-1 loss against England on Thursday. It took 15 minutes before Italy got their first goal when Retegui broke free from his marker to power in a header from a corner with Pessina doubling the lead after 27 minutes when he tapped Emerson's cross in from a short distance. Vincenzo Grifo was close to make it three for the visitors shortly after but Malta goalkeeper Henry Bonello skilfully blocked his attempt. England comfortably beat Ukraine 2-0 to put Gareth Southgate's team in control of Group C earlier on Sunday. (Reporting by Tommy Lund in Gdansk)...

By Martyn Herman LONDON - Bukayo Saka is one of the first names on England manager Gareth Southgate's team sheet and his weekly performances for Arsenal are driving them towards the Premier League title so it's no wonder the 21-year-old cannot stop smiling. The winger created England's opener for Harry Kane in the comfortable 2-0 victory over Ukraine in Euro 2024 qualifying Group C at Wembley on Sunday, then scored an absolute beauty himself to seal the man-of-the-match award. His curled effort was his eighth goal for his country and in his last 16 national appearances has been involved in 10 goals. Saka has 12 goals and 10 assists in the Premier League too and currently appears to be able to do nothing wrong. "Football is fun and it's always fun. I just hope the happiness can continue to the end of the season," Saka, who has rebounded magnificently from missing a decisive penalty in the shootout in the Euro 20...

By Mark Gleeson CAPE TOWN - Patson Daka scored a double on Sunday to guide Zambia to a 2-0 away win over Lesotho in Africa Cup of Nations qualification and strengthen their chances of qualifying for next year’s finals. The Leicester City attacker played a centre forward role for his country and tucked away opportunities in the 14th and 69th minute, both set up by Scottish-based Fashion Sakala. It was a second successive win since Avram Grant took over as coach and puts Zambia top of Group H, from which only one team qualifies. The group also includes the Ivory Coast, who are participating in the qualifiers but already in the 24-team field as hosts of next January’s finals. The best placed team beside the Ivorians qualifies and 2012 winners Zambia are now close to booking a place in their first finals since 2015 after missing out on the last three editions. Lesotho, who were forced to host Sunday’...

- Welsh rugby clubs voted overwhelmingly in favour of including more women on the Welsh Rugby Union (WRU) board during an extraordinary general meeting on Sunday, which was held after the body faced allegations of sexism and misogyny. Members voted 97.2% in favour of major governance reforms to the WRU board. WRU will now double the total number of independent representatives to six on its board and have a composition that should include at least five women out of 12 members in total. In a BBC Wales documentary aired in January, several former female WRU employees made allegations about comments and behaviour that they said were sexist and discriminatory. "We hope to complete the process for change by December this year, but the first steps will be taken immediately,” interim CEO Nigel Walker said. "This is just the beginning of a journey which will see the trust and faith of a nation in Welsh rugby restored a...

PORTIMAO, Portugal - Honda's Marc Marquez apologised for his mistake and accepted a penalty after a collision with local favourite Miguel Oliveira saw both riders crash out of season-opening Portuguese Grand Prix on Sunday. Pole sitter Marquez lost position in the opening laps of the race to drop to fourth when he clipped Pramac Racing's Jorge Martin before the Honda rider barged straight into RNF Racing's Oliveira who was in second place. While Martin managed to regain his balance and rejoin the race, Marquez and Oliveira were not so lucky, with the latter visibly in pain after the Honda machine wiped him out while he was taking the turn. "First of all I'm very sorry to Oli, his team, to his fans at the Portuguese GP. I did a big mistake," Marquez told MotoGP. "It was not my intention obviously, my intention was not even to overtake Martin at that point. I had a massive lock on the front (tyre), maybe the hard front (tyre)...

By Martyn Herman LONDON - Harry Kane underlined his status as England's greatest international goalscorer and Bukayo Saka dazzled again in a comfortable 2-0 win over Ukraine to put Gareth Southgate's team in control of Euro 2024 qualifying Group C on Sunday. Fresh from scoring his 54th goal in the 2-1 victory over Italy on Thursday, Kane made up for a couple of missed chances to break the stalemate in the 37th minute. Arsenal youngster Saka, again England's brightest spark, then doubled the lead before halftime with a sensational curler that left the visitors and their 4,000 fans deflated. Ukraine had their moments and enjoyed some pressure after the interval but never really looked capable of claiming only a second victory over England in 10 attempts. The second half was tepid although it was noteworthy for an international debut for Brentford forward Ivan Toney who came on 10 minutes from the end as a substit...

MUMBAI - Mumbai Indians were crowned champions at the inaugural Women's Premier League (WPL) after Nat Sciver-Brunt's unbeaten 60 secured their seven-wicket victory against Delhi Capitals in the final at the Wankhede Stadium on Sunday. Delhi captain Meg Lanning elected to bat after winning the toss and the Australia skipper top-scored for her side with 35 as the Capitals managed a modest 131-9. Even that score had looked improbable after they slumped to 79-9 but Shikha Pandey and Radha Yadav smashed unbeaten breezy 27s to give Delhi bowlers something to defend. Mumbai lost both the openers early but skipper Harmanpreet Kaur (37) and England all-rounder Sciver-Brunt combined in a 72-run stand to put their team on course for victory. Sciver-Brunt, the league's most expensive foreign recruit along with Australia's Ashleigh Gardner, sealed victory in the final over with a paddle shot that raced to the boundary. "Ov...

AMSTERDAM - The Netherlands squad had some harsh words for one another after Friday's 4-0 loss to France in their opening Euro 2024 qualifier in Paris, defender Nathan Ake said on Sunday. The Dutch were handed a heavy defeat at the Stade de France, going three goals down inside the opening 23 minutes in the first match back as coach for Ronald Koeman. "There were tough words right after the game, and that was also the case during the analysis the day after. But we have to be clear. I think it's good that we tell each other the truth," Ake told a news conference on the eve of their second Group B match, which is against Gibraltar in Rotterdam on Monday. "We discussed what we should do better for the next match and the future," he added, but said that was now a closed subject. "It's done. We must learn from this as a team, but also individually. The most important thing is how you come back from this." The Dutch...

- Russia eased to a 2-0 win over Iraq in a friendly on Sunday as they played their first international match on home soil since November 2021 after being barred from global competitions over Moscow's invasion of Ukraine. Substitute Anton Miranchuk fired Russia ahead shortly after halftime, pouncing on a rebound after Iraq goalkeeper Jalal Hassan Hachim parried Alexander Sobolev's low shot to his right. Sergei Pinyaev then grabbed a stylish second, becoming Russia's youngest ever goalscorer in the process at 18 years, four months and 24 days. The Lokomotiv Moscow winger exploited Iraq's high defensive line, before cutting in from the left and squeezing a low shot to the goalkeeper's right. The hosts dominated possession but struggled to make it pay in the first half, with Ayman Hussein and Ibrahim Bayesh squandering good opportunities for the visitors. Official attendance at the 68,000-seater Gazprom Arena was 23,818. The s...

LONDON - Cambridge's male and female rowers claimed a double over Oxford in the university boat race on the River Thames on Sunday. The Cambridge male crew held off a late Oxford surge to reclaim the title and make it four wins in the last five races. Earlier the women's crew were dominant as they beat Oxford for a sixth successive time. "The rush of emotions when we crossed the line, there's nothing like it," Cambridge men's cox Jasper Parish, whose brother Ollie was also part of the team, said. Cambridge's women's crew won by four and a half lengths although Oxford complained of encroachment. Cambridge lead the rivalry 47-30 in the women's event, while Cambridge men have won 86 times to Oxford's 81. (Reporting by Martyn Herman; Editing by Christian Radnedge)...

ASTANA - Kazakhstan scored three times in the final 17 minutes to complete a remarkable 3-2 win over Denmark in Group H of their Euro 2024 qualifying campaign on Sunday. Atalanta striker Rasmus Hojlund, who netted a hat-trick as Denmark beat Finland 3-1 on Thursday, was again the driving force in attack, scoring twice in the first half to send the visitors into the break with a comfortable lead. Baktiyor Zainutdinov scored a penalty after a foul by Denmark's Jonas Wind in the 73rd minute to give the hosts hope, but it looked like Denmark would hold on. Askhat Tagybergen then equalised in the 86th minute with a shot from outside the box before striker Abat Aimbetov headed in one minute before time to complete the comeback for the 115th ranked side in the world. Six minutes into stoppage time, Aimbetov received his second yellow card and was sent off after elbowing a Danish player. (Reporting by T...

DUBLIN - Kylian Mbappe's rise continued as France started their Euro 2024 qualifying campaign with a 4-0 win against the Netherlands and the forward will be looking to reach new heights as Les Bleus face Ireland away in Group B on Monday. Mbappe has scored 38 goals for France and sits in fifth place overall in the list of the country's top scorers, three shy of former great Michel Platini and 15 behind all-time leader Olivier Giroud. "It's an honour to be right here behind him but he's the next target to shoot down as I continue my way towards the top," Mbappe, who is France's new captain since Hugo Lloris's international retirement in January, told a news conference on Sunday. "Michel, however, is a legend and will always be a legend. Whether I beat him tomorrow or another day, he will remain Michel Platini." Mbappe netted a double at the Stade de France last Friday as France crushed the Netherlands in seemingly casual, yet...