Digest

SNOOKER

O'Sullivan ridicules 'amateurish' next gen

Ronnie O'Sullivan has slammed the poor quality of snooker's next generation after beating China's Ding Junhui to reach the world championship quarterfinals. O'Sullivan, a five-time world champion is playing fellow veteran Mark Williams, for a place in the semifinals at Sheffield's Crucible Theatre. But after his 13-10 win against Ding, former world No 1 O'Sullivan said the current standard is so bad he would have to "lose an arm and a leg" to slip down the rankings.

O'Sullivan, 44, told the BBC: "If you look at the younger players coming through, they're not that good really.

"Most of them would do well as half-decent amateurs, or not even amateurs they're so bad a lot of them. A lot of them you see now, you think, cor, I've probably got to lose an arm and a leg to fall outside the top 50. So that's why we're hovering around, because of how poor it is down that end." O'Sullivan, 45-year-old Williams and Scottish veteran John Higgins all turned professional 28 years ago and have gone on to dominate the sport.

CYCLING

Brittany selected as new start for 2021 Tour

The 2021 Tour de France will start in Brittany after Copenhagen's staging of the 'Grand Depart' was pushed back by a year due to a potential clash with soccer's postponed European Championship, race organizers said on Monday.

Brittany will also host the first four full stages of the race.

"Delighted to announce with Christian Prudhomme that we will start in Brest, pass through Finistere, Cotes d'Armor, Morbihan and Ille-et-Vilaine. It will be a great celebration and a boost for the economy," said the region's president, Loig Chesnais-Girard.

The start of next year's Tour was brought forward by six days to avoid clashing with the men's road race at the rescheduled Tokyo Olympics.

The June 26 start date, however, created a clash for Denmark with the UEFA European Championship, which runs from June 11-July 11.

BASKETBALL

Booker's brilliance keeps Suns soaring

Devin Booker scored 35 points, and the Phoenix Suns rolled past the short-handed Oklahoma City Thunder 128-101 on Monday to improve to 6-0 in the restart and improve their playoff chances.

The Suns have surged in the Western Conference standings. They entered the day just 1 1/2 games behind eighth-place Memphis and a game behind ninth-place Portland in the race to qualify for a spot in the play-in series.

"We haven't accomplished anything," Phoenix coach Monty Williams said. "That may sound like coach-speak, but we dug ourselves a hole with our record. We scrapped all year long and won some games, but it's been an uphill battle."

Williams appreciates the position the Suns are in.

"We've done a good job of getting to this point," he said. "No one knew we were going to be here, but we're here and we're thankful for that."

PANDEMIC

Asian Beach Games in Sanya postponed

The Olympic Council of Asia has postponed the sixth Asian Beach Games in China to April 2-10 next year because of the coronavirus pandemic.

The Games were initially scheduled to be staged in Sanya, Hainan province, from Nov 28-Dec 6. The OCA says the decision to push the dates back was taken in collaboration with the Chinese Olympic Committee and local organizers. As was the case for the Tokyo Olympics, which were pushed back to the middle of 2021 by the IOC, the name-Asian Beach Games Sanya 2020-and the logo will remain unchanged.

An OCA general assembly to decide between Doha, Qatar and Saudi capital Riyadh as host for the 2030 Asian Games had been scheduled to be held on the sidelines of the Games in Sanya.

SOCCER

Ronaldinho nearing release in plea deal

Brazil great Ronaldinho could be freed on Aug 24 following five months detention in Paraguay over a forged passport, judicial sources told AFP on Monday.

The former Barcelona, AC Milan and Paris Saint-Germain star was detained alongside his brother Roberto de Assis Moreira on March 6, accused of entering Paraguay in possession of false passports.

They spent a month behind bars before paying a $1.6 million bail and being released to house arrest at the plush Palmaroga Hotel in the historic center of the Paraguayan capital Asuncion. Judge Gustavo Amarilla has set a date of Aug 24 to hear the case against the brothers.

Prosecutors have submitted a plea deal to the judge that would see Ronaldinho, 40, pay a $90,000 fine but be allowed to return home to Brazil where he would have to appear before a judge every three months for a year.

GOLF

Presidents Cup returns to Royal Montreal

The Presidents Cup will return to Royal Montreal Golf Club in 2024, the PGA Tour said on Monday.

Royal Montreal, the oldest golf club in North America, held the Canadian Open on 10 occasions, most recently in 2014, and was home of the 2007 Presidents Cup.

The announcement means Royal Montreal will join Royal Melbourne Golf Club in Australia as the only courses outside the United States to host multiple Presidents Cups.

"The people of Canada are some of the most loyal and passionate sports fans in the world, and given the overwhelming success of the Presidents Cup in 2007, it was a natural next step for the event to return to Royal Montreal in 2024," PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan said in a news release.

The Presidents Cup is a biennial match-play competition which pits a 12-man team from the US against international players from outside Europe.

The United States has won the last eight editions.

Xinhua - Agencies