Digest

NATIONAL GAMES

Xi'an preparations ahead of schedule

The construction of the venues for the 14th National Games in Xi'an has gone smoothly, with eight projects completed ahead of schedule to date.

All 78 high-rise buildings at the Games Village will be completed by the end of the year, according to the Xi'an executive committee for the Games, which will open in September next year.

Xi'an Olympic Sports Center, the swimming and diving arenas and six other venues have all been completed ahead of schedule, according to the committee.

The route of the marathon course has been determined and is being submitted for review. Environmental improvement work along the route is also underway.

Wang Xuechao, deputy head of the urban construction group of the Xi'an committee, said that the impact of the coronavirus epidemic had slowed down construction early this year, but thanks to the efforts of the municipal government work is now back on track.

BASKETBALL

Rockets raid Mavs to hire Silas as coach

The Houston Rockets and Stephen Silas have an agreement for the Dallas assistant to replace Mike D'Antoni as coach, multiple people with knowledge of the deal said Wednesday.

The hiring of the son of former NBA player and coach Paul Silas completes a significant change in the leadership of the team with the league's longest active playoff streak after Daryl Morey decided not to return as general manager following D'Antoni's departure.

The new combination of coach and general manager comes after eight straight trips to the playoffs for the Rockets, all since acquiring James Harden in an offseason trade with Oklahoma City in 2012.

This year, the Rockets lost to eventual champion the Los Angeles Lakers in the second round of the playoffs and D'Antoni decided not to return when his contract expired. The 46-year-old Silas is the first significant hire for Rafael Stone, who was promoted to GM when Morey stepped down.

China fallout blamed for NBA revenue dip

The coronavirus pandemic combined with lost business in China saw NBA revenue fall 10 percent in the 2019-20 season, ESPN reported Wednesday.

The intake dipped to $8.3 billion, with the league saying it lost $800 million in ticket sales and $400 million in sponsorship and merchandise, according to ESPN.

In addition, the controversy sparked by then-Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey tweeting support for Hong Kong rioters cost the NBA$200 million in "net negative impact", per the report.

ESPN reported that it obtained the figures that the league shared with its teams. The NBA's balance sheet carries great importance to the league because the annual player salary cap is tied to league revenue.

According to ESPN, if the latest figures were treated in the standard fashion, the salary cap for the 2020-21 season would drop from the expected $109 million per team to approximately $90 million. However, talks are reportedly underway regarding a new formula.

BASEBALL

Probe into World Series coronavirus violations

Justin Turner violated coronavirus protocols when he celebrated on the Globe Life field with his Los Angeles Dodgers teammates and he refused instructions from security to leave the field, behavior that Major League Baseball said risked the safety of others.

The commissioner's office said Wednesday that it is starting a full investigation of the 35-year-old third baseman.

The Dodgers won their first World Series championship since 1988 with a 3-1 victory over Tampa Bay in Game 6 on Tuesday night.

Turner was pulled from the game following the seventh inning after MLB was notified that he had tested positive for COVID-19. He was quarantined in a doctor's office off to the side, Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman said.

Turner later returned to the field with a mask to celebrate. He then took down his mask and posed for a team photo. He became a free agent when his $64-million, four-year contract expired following the victory.

TV ratings drops for Dodgers' historic win

The Los Angeles Dodgers' six-game win over the Tampa Bay Rays received an average television rating 32 percent below the previous World Series low.

The six games, which saw the Dodgers get their hands on the trophy for the first time since 1988, on Fox averaged a 5.2 rating, 12 share and 9.7 million viewers, Nielsen Media Research said Wednesday. The previous low was a 7.6 rating, 12 share and 12.6 million viewers for the San Francisco Giants' four-game sweep of the Detroit Tigers in 2012.

This year's rating was down 36 percent from the 8.1 rating, 16 share and average of 14 million viewers for the Washington Nationals' seven-game win over the Houston Astros last year.

This year's Series averaged a 21.2 rating and 40 share in Los Angeles, and a 15.2 rating and 29 share in Tampa. The rating is the percentage of television households tuned in to a broadcast. The share is the percentage viewing a telecast among those households with TVs on at the time.

TENNIS

Hewitt is fans' choice to enter Hall of Fame

Two-time Grand Slam winner Lleyton Hewitt led the fan voting for the International Tennis Hall of Fame's Class of 2021 and will get a bonus of 3 percent added to his tally from the official voting group.

The Hall announced the results of four weeks of fan voting Wednesday. Lisa Raymond finished second and gets a 2 percent boost to her official vote, and Jonas Bjorkman was third and so gets a bonus of 1 percent.

Juan Carlos Ferrero and Sergi Bruguera are also on the ballot in the player category.

Players need 75 percent support from the official voting group－which includes tennis media and historians－to be elected to the Hall, and the fan vote can help push someone over that threshold.

The inductees will be announced early next year and the enshrinement ceremony is scheduled for July. Australian Hewitt won the 2001 US Open before reigning at Wimbledon the following year.

Xinhua - Agencies