Canoeing: David Cal, Spain’s most decorated Olympian with one gold medal and four silver, has called time on his canoeing career at the age of 32, the Spanish Olympic Committee (COE) said yesterday. Sprinter Cal, who carried the Spanish flag at the opening ceremony for the 2008 Beijing Olympics, competed in the C1 class where the competitor kneels in his craft and uses a single paddle. He won silver and gold in Athens in 2004, two silvers in Beijing and another silver in London in 2012.
Snooker: Neil Robertson suffered a scare before fighting back to book his place in the second round of the Players Championship in Bangkok. Robertson, runner-up in the tournament in 2012 and 2013, trailed Marco Fu 3-1 in their best-of-seven showdown before winning the last three frames to advance. Mark Allen was also pushed to the final frame in his match against Welshman Ryan Day before reeling off a break of 94 to reach the last 16.
Horse Racing: California Chrome’s trainers say the Kentucky Derby and Preakness champion has been working well since his 25-hour flight to the Middle East where he will compete in the world’s richest race on Saturday. The four-year-old is set to take on Godolphin’s African Story, the 2014 winner, in the $10 million Dubai World Cup. “I was really happy with the way he shipped, with the way he trained here. I could not ask for him to do any better,” said assistant trainer Alan Sherman.
Rio Games 2016: Online home-rental marketplace Airbnb Inc has won a bid to provide rooms for the 2016 Summer Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, as the city scrambles to accommodate visiting fans and athletes, a source with direct knowledge of the situation told Reuters. The company beat off competition from two other accommodation providers Hotel Urbano and Alugue Temporada. As part of the deal Airbnb will provide 20,000 rooms for the event. Under the deal Airbnb will likely become a sponsor and partner for the Games.
Doping: All Malaysian athletes taking part in Southeast Asian Games in June will have undergone a doping test before arriving in Singapore, the country’s sports minister said. Malaysia has been rocked by high-profile doping cases in recent months with the country’s most famous athlete, former badminton number one Lee Chong Wei, provisionally suspended after he failed a test at the world championships in August. Malaysia sent more than 500 athletes to the last Southeast Asian Games in Myanmar in 2013.