Cycling
Canola wins Giro’s Stage 13; Uran retains overall lead
RIVAROLO CANAVESE, Italy – Marco Canola of Italy won the 13th stage of the Giro d’Italia on Friday for his first victory in a Grand Tour, while Colombian Rigoberto Uran retained the overall lead.
Canola edged out Jackson Rodriguez and Angelo Tulik in a sprint at the end of the mainly flat, 98-mile leg from Fossano to Rivarolo Canavese.
Uran finished in the main group, 11 seconds behind Canola, to maintain his 37-second lead over Cadel Evans.
Hockey
Denmark will host the 2018 hockey world championship
MINSK, Belarus – The International Ice Hockey Federation chose Denmark to host the 2018 world championship.
It is the first time Denmark will organize the annual tournament.
The Danish bid to host the worlds in Copenhagen, which defeated a bid by Latvia 95-12 in a vote Friday.
The Czech Republic will host the worlds in Prague and Ostrava in 2015, and then the championship will move to Moscow and St. Petersburg in Russia in 2016.
Paris and the German city of Cologne will co-host the worlds in 2017.
Horse Racing
California Chrome unfazed by an opossum encounter
NEW YORK – California Chrome was unfazed by a chance encounter with an opossum that crossed the track at Belmont Park as the Triple Crown hopeful was ending his gallop.
The chestnut colt didn’t flinch when he passed the cat-sized opossum as he completed his 1-3/4-mile run Friday.
Assistant trainer Alan Sherman said coyotes have appeared at California Chrome’s home track in Los Alamitos, California, so the opossum wasn’t a big deal. He said California Chrome will visit the Belmont paddock and starting gate once or twice next week as part of his preparations for the Belmont Stakes on June 7.
The colt is trying to become the first horse to sweep the Belmont, Kentucky Derby and Preakness in 36 years.
NBA
Sterling surrenders controls to his estranged wife
LOS ANGELES – Donald Sterling is turning his ownership stake in the Los Angeles Clippers over to his estranged wife, and Shelly Sterling is in talks with the NBA to sell the team, a person with knowledge of the negotiations told The Associated Press on Friday.
The individual, who wasn’t authorized to speak publicly about, said the couple reached the agreement after weeks of discussion.
Donald Sterling was banned for life and fined $2.5 million by NBA Commissioner Adam Silver after the release of a recording last month in which Sterling made racist remarks involving blacks, which comprise the majority of players in the league.
Sterling told female friend V. Stiviano not to bring blacks to Clippers’ games during a recorded conversation. Sterling specifically mentioned Magic Johnson, and then criticized the NBA Hall of Famer again as a poor role model during a TV interview.
Earlier this week, the NBA charged Sterling with damaging the league and its teams with his comments, and said he has engaged in other conduct that has impaired its relationship with fans and merchandising partners.
Sterling has until next Tuesday to respond to the charge. He has the right to appear at a New York hearing June 3 in front of the other owners and make a presentation before the league’s board of governors vote on terminating his ownership. He is entitled to a lawyer at the hearing, but strict courtroom rules of evidence would not apply.
It will take three-quarters of the owners to terminate Sterling’s ownership, and the league also said that of Shelly Sterling. If three-fourths of the other 29 owners vote to sustain the charge, Sterling will be forced to sell the team he has owned since 1981. Silver has said he is confident he has the 23 votes that are necessary.
Associated Press
