Vince Carter — The Crazy Boy at Games

VINCE Carter has become the man basketball fans at the Sydney Olympics love to hate. Even as Carter led the United States' Dream Team col...

VINCE Carter has become the man basketball fans at the Sydney Olympics love to hate. Even as Carter led the United States’ Dream Team collection of National Basketball Association stars past pesky Italy 93-61 here Tuesday, fans let the Toronto Raptors guard know their ill feelings. Fans took exception to Carter planting a forearm to the throat of Italy’s Alessandro Abbio midway through the second half, launching into a chorus of boos that was reprised when he attempted free throws. Carter was greeted with boos for the second game in a row, a dislike rooted in an incident which took place 10 days ago when the US team played Australia in a final pre-Olympic exhibition game at Melbourne. A breakaway chance for Carter was foiled on a foul by eventual Aussie flag bearer Andrew Gaze, who fell to the floor on the play. Carter stood above him, glaring at the Aussie veteran, until Aussie guard Shane Heal came to Gaze’s aid and nearly came to blows with Carter. Boos came again in a 119-72 victory over China onSunday at every mention of his name.

Embarrassing embrace

An Australian Olympic judo coach was suspended here on Tuesday for hugging his wife on the mat after she clinched a bronze medal, officials said. Overjoyed coach Gabor Szabo let his emotions get the better of him on Monday when wife Maria Pekli won Australia’s first judo medal for 38 years. He jumped onto the judo mat to hug and congratulate her – but has now been slapped with a 24-hour suspension for violating judo’s strict rules. The martial art’s governing body, the International Judo Federation, has rules forbidding any coach from setting foot on the competition mat. He was one of several coaches hit with a one-day ban for violating strict IJF rules. Szabo was one of several coaches who were suspended for 24 hours for the offence, including coaches from Georgia and Cuba.

I told you so

FRANCE’S outgoing -52kg Olympic judo champion Marie-Claire Restoux, not selected for the Sydney Olympics, did not shed any tears at the early exit in the 2000 Games of Laetitia Tignola, who was a controversial choice in her place. Restoux was furious at the French selectors decision not to allow her to defend her title and lost no time in crowing at Tignola’s demise. "The Olympic Games is a wholly different competition," Restoux told AFP from Paris. "You don’t send inexperienced competitors there who have never been to a World Championship or to the Games."

A-Hoy there!

Great Britain may have had to settle for second place behind Australia in the team three-day event but one corner of England would be forgiven for raising a glass to their former colony. Andrew Hoy, who has featured in the team that won gold for Australia in the 1992, 1996 and 2000 Games, lives in Gatcombe in the English county of Gloucestershire. Hoy, whose sporting idol is late Brazilian Grand Prix driver Ayrton Senna, carried Australia’s flag at the Opening Ceremony of the Atlanta Games and his victory in Sydney means he becomes the second Australian after swim legend Dawn Fraser to win three consecutive Olympic golds in the same event.

‘Why weren’t TVK leaders told it wasn’t right day for a big event’: Cong MP Jothimani

Political Pulse4 hr ago

A stampede at TVK founder Vijay's rally in Karur led to the death of 40 people and injuries to many. Congress's Karur MP Jothimani identifies overcrowding, poor planning, and the timing of the event as possible causes. She recommends setting clear guidelines for political gatherings and consulting all parties to prevent similar tragedies.

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