Digest

SOCCER

Eriksen to be fitted with heart-starter

Christian Eriksen will be fitted with a heart-starter device after his collapse due to a cardiac arrest during Denmark's Euro 2020 opener, the team's doctor said on Thursday.

Eriksen's life was saved when CPR was administered to him on the pitch and his heart was restarted with a defibrillator before he was taken to hospital.

He will receive an Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator (ICD), a type of pacemaker, which can prevent fatal cardiac arrests by discharging a jolt to restore a regular heart rhythm.

"After Christian has been through different heart examinations it has been decided that he should have an ICD," doctor Morten Boesen said in a statement. "This device is necessary after a cardiac attack due to rhythm disturbances.

"Christian has accepted the solution and the plan has moreover been confirmed by specialists nationally and internationally who all recommend the same treatment."

Pogba follows Ronaldo's lead with sponsor snub

Cristiano Ronaldo

France star Paul Pogba removed a Heineken bottle in front of him at a Euro 2020 news conference, a day after Portugal captain Cristiano Ronaldo removed two Coca-Cola bottles.

Pogba, a Muslim, moved away the beer bottle when he sat down to speak to the media on Tuesday after he was named man of the match in France's 1-0 win over Germany.

Heineken, one of the official sponsors of Euro 2020, was not immediately available to comment.

Ronaldo, known for his peak levels of fitness, moved the cola bottles aside as he sat down to speak to the media ahead of Tuesday's Group F opener against Hungary.

The 36-year-old then held up a bottle of water and said "Agua" in Portuguese, making headlines.

The beverage giant's shares dipped 1.6 percent on Monday, wiping off about $4 billion from the company's market capitalization, following Ronaldo's snub.

Doctors 'killed' Diego, nurse's lawyer claims

A lawyer for a nurse under investigation in the death of Argentine soccer great Diego Maradona said Wednesday that doctors killed him through negligence.

"They killed Diego," attorney Rodolfo Baque told reporters after his client, nurse Dahiana Gisela Madrid, was quizzed by prosecutors.

Maradona died of a heart attack last November at the age of 60, weeks after undergoing brain surgery for a blood clot.

Baque insisted it was the doctors treating Maradona while he recovered from the brain operation, not his client, who were to blame for the soccer legend's death.

He said Maradona was being treated for heart trouble but at the same time was on psychiatric medication that sped up his heart rate.

Also, Maradona fell while in the hospital, and when Madrid asked that a CAT scan be carried out, an aide to Maradona refused, arguing that if media found out it would look bad, Baque said. "There were many warning signs that Maradona was going to die, give or take a day. And none of the doctors did anything to prevent it," he added.

BASKETBALL

Lillard tells officials he's in for Olympics

Portland guard Damian Lillard has told USA Basketball officials that he will play for the national team in this summer's Tokyo Olympics, a person with knowledge of the decision said Wednesday.

The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the roster has not yet been publicly revealed. USA Basketball plans on selecting its team in the coming weeks, then bringing the group to Las Vegas for a training camp that begins July 6.

Lillard has not previously played in the Olympics.

He averaged 28.8 points this season, and is one of only two players-LeBron James is the other－to average at least 25 points per game in each of the last six seasons. James said when the Los Angeles Lakers' season ended that he was not playing in the Olympics this summer, partly because his film Space Jam: A New Legacy is coming out next month.

LaMelo selected NBA Rookie of the Year

Charlotte Hornets point guard LaMelo Ball's versatility as a passer, scorer and rebounder earned him NBA Rookie of the Year honors on Wednesday despite missing 21 games with a fractured wrist.

Ball beat Anthony Edwards of the Minnesota Timberwolves and Tyrese Haliburton of the Sacramento Kings to win the award, which was determined by a global panel of 100 writers and broadcasters.

The 6-foot-7 (2.04-meter) Ball was selected third overall in 2020 after playing professionally in Lithuania and Australia.

Ball led all rookies with averages of 6.1 assists and 1.6 steals per game and was third with 15.7 points and 5.9 rebounds.

He became the youngest player in NBA history to have a triple-double with 22 points, 12 rebounds and 11 assists in just his 10th game for the Hornets, on Jan 9 against the Atlanta Hawks.

TENNIS

Federer in shock loss at Wimbledon tuneup

Roger Federer

Roger Federer suffered a setback in his preparations for Wimbledon after crashing out of the second round of the ATP grass-court tournament in Halle, Germany on Wednesday.

Federer, who will bid to win a ninth title at Wimbledon which starts June 28, suffered a 4-6, 6-3,6-2 defeat to 20-year-old Canadian Felix Auger Aliassime.

"It's amazing, for sure I didn't expect this," Auger Aliassime told Eurosport.

"I wanted to win, but Roger Federer is my idol and it was a huge honor to play him."

Federer is exactly 19 years older than Auger Aliassime as the pair share the same birthday on Aug 8, when the Swiss turns 40 this year.

Xinhua - Agencies