Soccer faces epic fixing fight

ZURICH (AP) ― Soccer is falling under a cloud of suspicion as never before, sullied by a multibillion-dollar web of match-fixing that is corrupting increasingly larger parts of the world’s most popular sport.Internet betting, emboldened criminal gangs and even the economic downturn have created conditions that make soccer a lucrative target.Known as “the beautiful game” for its grace, athleticism and traditions of fair play, soccer is under threat of becoming a dirty game.“Football is in a disas

SoccerFeb. 13, 2013

LeBron sets NBA record in Heat win

MIAMI (AP) ― LeBron James became the first player in NBA history to score 30 points and shoot at least 60 percent in six straight games, Chris Bosh scored 32 points and grabbed 11 rebounds, and the Miami Heat held off the Portland Trail Blazers 117-104 on Tuesday night.James scored 30 points on 11 for 15 shooting and Dwyane Wade added 24 points for Miami, which wasted a pair of 14-point leads ― then put the game away with a 14-0 run in the final minutes. Ray Allen added 14 for Miami.Damian Lilla

More SportsFeb. 13, 2013

Koreans grapple with wrestling’s exclusion

South Korean officials and athletes were shocked Wednesday by the International Olympic Committee’s decision to drop wrestling from the 2020 Summer Games.In a secret ballot, the IOC’s 15-member Executive Board voted wrestling off the Olympic program on Tuesday in Switzerland. The surprise result removed one of the oldest Olympic sports that dates back to the first modern Olympic Games in Athens in 1896.South Korea lost one of its strongest sports at the Summer Games. The country has grabbed 11 g

More SportsFeb. 13, 2013

Ronaldo tops soccer rankings; Son enters top 10

LONDON (AP) ― Real Madrid’s Cristiano Ronaldo emerged from the shadow of Lionel Messi to top this week’s Associated Press Global Soccer Rankings.The Portuguese forward’s hat trick against Sevilla was not enough to prevent Barcelona returning to the top of the AP’s team rankings, with the Spanish league leader scoring six.Soeren-Mikael Hansen of Denmark’s Politiken newspaper said the hat trick was a message to Ronaldo’s old team.“Even though Barcelona performed best as a team, Cristiano Ronaldo m

SoccerFeb. 13, 2013

Korean martial art taekwondo to remain Olympic sport

The traditional Korean marital art of taekwondo will remain an Olympic sport for the foreseeable future after surviving the latest scrutiny by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), officials here said Tuesday.At the IOC Executive Board meeting, taekwondo was kept on as one of 25 "core sports" in the Summer Olympic program. Out of 26 sports competed at the London Games, the IOC board decided to drop wrestling.Mark Adams, the IOC spokesman, told reporters that the decision was reached through

More SportsFeb. 13, 2013

Dutch family sues Facebook over ‘like’ button patent

THE HAGUE (AFP) ― The heirs of a Dutch Internet inventor are suing Facebook for allegedly infringing his patents with the U.S. social networking site’s “like” and “share” buttons, court documents seen on Monday said.The family of Jos Van Der Meer, a computer scientist, programer and inventor who died in 2004, is bring represented by patent-holding company Rembrandt in the suit brought before a U.S. court in Virginia on Feb. 4.The suit for unspecified damages claims Facebook’s infringement of two

More SportsFeb. 12, 2013

Australia sets tough legal criteria for selection

Australian athletes and officials will be forced to sign a legal document regarding their anti-doping history before they can be eligible for next year's Winter Games in Sochi.The Australian Olympic Committee unanimously approved the introduction of the ``statutory declarations,'' AOC president John Coates said in a statement on Tuesday.Under Australian law, anyone who willfully makes a false statutory declaration could face up to five years in prison. Athletes, coaches and officials must declar

More SportsFeb. 12, 2013

Soccer faces epic fight against match-fixing

Soccer is falling under a cloud of suspicion as never before, sullied by a multibillion-dollar web of match-fixing that is corrupting increasingly larger parts of the world's most popular sport. Internet betting, emboldened criminal gangs and even the economic downturn have created conditions that make soccer _ or football, as the sport is called around the world _ a lucrative target. Known as “the beautiful game” for its grace, athleticism and traditions of fair play, soccer is under threat of

SoccerFeb. 12, 2013

Footballer Park Jong-woo to receive long-awaited Olympic medal: IOC

South Korean footballer Park Jong-woo will be awarded his long-awaited Olympic bronze medal, following a ruling by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) over his controversial celebration at the London Summer Games, officials said Tuesday.After the Disciplinary Commission on Monday reviewed Park's action at the Olympics last year, the IOC decided to give the player the medal he had been barred from collecting for six months, a South Korean official explained."The IOC gave Park a stern warnin

SoccerFeb. 12, 2013

Wozniacki, Ivanovic win in Qatar

DOHA (AP) ― Former No. 1-ranked Caroline Wozniacki and Ana Ivanovic eased into the second round of the Qatar Open with straight-set victories Monday.The 10th-ranked Wozniacki beat qualifier Mervana Jugic-Salkic of Bosnia-Herzegovina 6-1, 6-2, while the 13th-ranked Ivanovic beat Tamira Paszek 6-1, 6-2.Wozniacki had a poor start, losing her serve in the first game. But the Dane broke right back and then cruised from there, wrapping up the win in just over an hour. Coming off a fourth-round loss at

More SportsFeb. 12, 2013

Wie revamps game after worst year of career

CANBERRA (AP) ― Michelle Wie is eager to put the worst year of her golfing career behind her when she tees off at the Women’s Australian Open, the season-opening tournament on the LPGA Tour.Wie, playing for the first time in Australia, said she’s done her best to revamp her game after missing the cut in 10 of the 23 LPGA tournaments she played last year as her ranking dropped into the 60s.“... 2012 was probably the worst year I’ve ever had in my entire career,” she said. “It was rough. One thing

More SportsFeb. 12, 2013

Blue Jackets go wild, wallop Sharks, 6-2

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) ― Brandon Dubinsky had a goal and an assist and the Columbus Blue Jackets had their biggest offensive assault of the season against the NHL’s stingiest defense in a 6-2 victory over the San Jose Sharks on Monday night.James Wisniewski and Nikita Nikitin added goals, Cody Goloubef picked up his first NHL goal and Vinny Prospal and Mark Letestu tied a franchise record by scoring 8 seconds apart in the third period. Nick Foligno and Matt Calvert each had two assists.Columbus sco

More SportsFeb. 12, 2013

Footballer Park Jong-woo awaiting result after IOC hearing on Olympic celebration

After attending an International Olympic Committee (IOC) disciplinary hearing over his Olympic celebration here Monday, South Korean football player Park Jong-woo said he will calmly await its outcome.The IOC's Disciplinary Commission held a meeting over Park's celebration after South Korea's 2-0 victory over Japan for the bronze medal in men's football at the London Olympics last year.Park hoisted a sign that read, in Korean, "Dokdo Is Our Territory," in support of South Korea's sovereignty ove

SoccerFeb. 12, 2013