Giro d’Italia: Italy’s Giovanni Visconti took his second stage win of the Giro d’Italia in Stage 17 yesterday. The winner of the summit finish on the Galibier climb on Sunday’s stage 15, Visconti broke away on a minor climb with 17 kilometres to secure a fourth win for his team Movistar in the this year’s race. Lithuanian Ramunas Navardauskas finished second in the lead group of about 20 riders around 20 seconds back with Slovenian Luka Mezgec third. Astana rider Vincenzo Nibali remained the overall leader.
American Football: San Francisco has been awarded the honour of hosting the 50th Super Bowl in 2016. NFL owners this week voted to stage Super Bowl L at the 49ers’ new Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, which is due to open soon. Houston’s Reliant Stadium, home to the Texans, will host Super Bowl LI in 2017, a second Super Bowl for a stadium that hosted Super Bowl XXXVIII in 2004. South Florida bid for both games but was defeated on each vote.
Cricket: Indian cricketer Shanthakumaran Sreesanth has insisted he is innocent of any wrongdoing in the ongoing spot-fixing. The 30-year-old bowler was one of three players, along with 11 bookmakers, arrested last week on suspicion of spot-fixing in the Indian Premier League, the allegations also earning him an immediate suspension from the cricket board. “I am innocent and have done no wrong. I have never indulged in any spot-fixing and I have always played cricket in the spirit of the game,” the paceman said in a statement.
Tennis: Bernard Tomic will play at next week’s French Open despite his off-court troubles, Tennis Australia’s Todd Woodbridge said. Tomic’s father John faced a charge of causing criminal injury in a Madrid court earlier this month after allegedly assaulting his son’s hitting partner Thomas Drouet. Tomic senior says he acted in self defence and the court hearing has been suspended until October.
Basket, NBA: Cleveland Cavaliers won the NBA Draft Lottery and the top overall pick for the second time in three years on Tuesday. The Cavaliers were able to edge out Orlando Magic, who had the highest probability of winning the top selection, as they continue to rebuild a franchise reeling from the loss of LeBron James following the 2009-10 campaign. Cleveland selected Kyrie Irving with the number one selection in 2011 and the guard has blossomed from a Rookie of the Year into an All Star.
Golf: Spaniard Sergio Garcia has apologised after a “fried chicken” jibe aimed at Tiger Woods this week. Garcia, who has a frosty relationship with Woods, was on stage with his Ryder Cup team-mates when he was asked in jest whether he would be inviting Woods for dinner during next month’s US Open. “We will have him round every night. We will serve fried chicken,” Garcia was heard to say. Fried chicken has become a racial stereotype in the US when referring to African-Americans – a reference to the days before the abolition of slavery when chicken was believed to be a staple part of the diet.