Digest

VOLLEYBALL

China loses to Serbia in fourth straight defeat

China's national women's team lost its fourth match in a row at the 2021 Women's Volleyball Nations League, going down to Serbia in Rimini, Italy on Monday.

Serbia captain Katerina Lazovic scored a game-high 26 points to lead her team to a 3-1 win over Lang Ping's youthful squad, with neither side playing its first-choice starters.

Three players scored double figures for China, with Li Yao notching 13 points and Yang Hanyu and Liu Xiaotong adding 12 points apiece.

With seven rounds of the Nations League's preliminary stage to go, China only has three victories from eight matches to rank 10th among the 16 teams, on 10 points.

The United States remain the sole unbeaten team after Turkey lost to the Dominican Republic 3-1 earlier on Monday.

China next plays longtime rival Brazil before taking on the Netherlands, the Dominican Republic, Italy, Russia, Poland and the US.

OLYMPICS

India's athletes to get second dose of vaccine

India's federal health ministry has set the gap between the required two doses of the COVID-19 vaccine for Olympics-bound athletes and officials to four weeks, local media quoting the Indian Olympic Association head said on Monday.

"Letter has been issued by the ministry of health, the government of India, that in the case of Tokyobound athletes and officials, the second dose of vaccination will be done after four weeks of the first dose of vaccination," the Press Trust of India quoted Indian Olympic Association (IOA) president Narinder Batra as having said in a statement.

Last month, an Indian government panel recommended that the dosage gap between two doses of COVID-19 vaccine Covishield be increased to 12-16 weeks. Previously, the interval between two doses of Covishield had been four to eight weeks. However, the gap between the two doses of Bharat Biotech's Covaxin is four weeks.

Reports said there are 62 fully vaccinated athletes, including four para-athletes. So far, 120 athletes and 27 para-athletes have received at least one dose of the vaccine. Of coaches and support staff members, 114 have received their first shots while 37 are fully vaccinated.

BASKETBALL

Thibodeau named NBA coach of the year

New York Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau was named the NBA's coach of the year on Monday following a successful season which saw the franchise return to the playoffs for the first time since 2013.

Thibodeau, who was appointed to the Knicks coaching role last July, oversaw a transformation in fortunes in his first season in charge, helping the team finish 41-31.

It marked the Knicks' first winning season since their last playoff appearance eight years ago.

The Knicks lost in the first round of this year's Eastern Conference playoffs to the Atlanta Hawks.

Thibodeau, a winner of the coach-of-the-year accolade in 2010-2011 with the Chicago Bulls, beat out fierce competition from Phoenix Suns coach Monty Williams.

Thibodeau received 43 first-place votes to amass 351 total points, just ahead of Williams, who was second in the polling with 340 points after amassing 45 first-place votes.

WATER POLO

Players awarded $14m in sex abuse settlement

A dozen female water polo players who accused their coach of sexual abuse will split nearly $14 million after settling a lawsuit against USA Water Polo and a California club.

The athletes alleged that International Water Polo Club and the national governing body for the sport failed to protect them from abuse by coach Bahram Hojreh from 2012 to 2017.

The $13.85 settlement with USA Water Polo and International Water Polo Club was filed Friday in Orange County Superior Court in California. It is being paid by the insurer for both organizations.

"We have heard the plaintiffs' testimony, and their allegations are heartbreaking," Christopher Ramsey, CEO of USA Water Polo, said in a statement. "We hope that this allows them to begin a new chapter in their lives."

The California Supreme Court ruled in April in a case involving aspiring taekwondo Olympians that sports governing organizations have a duty to protect athletes.

SOCCER

South Korea World Cup hero Yoo dies aged 49

Yoo Sang-chul, one of the stars of South Korea's surprising run to the semifinals at the 2002 World Cup, has died following a long battle with pancreatic cancer. He was 49.

Yoo played 124 times for South Korea from 1994 to 2005. The most famous of Yoo's 18 goals was the one that sealed his country's first-ever win in a World Cup match－2-0 triumph over Poland during the World Cup tournament the Asian nation co-hosted with Japan.

"We will forever remember the shouts and glory of that day with you. Rest in peace," the Korea Football Association said in a message posted Monday on its social media channels.

A versatile midfielder who also played at the back and in attack during his long career, Yoo was included by FIFA in its 2002 World Cup All-Star team after appearing in all seven games for the South Koreans.

After retiring in 2005, Yoo, who won league titles as a player in Japan with Yokohama F. Marinos and in South Korea with Ulsan Horangi, worked as a pundit on national television.

Agencies - Xinhua