THURSDAY, APRIL 21, 2016 SPORTS Australia’s Scott opts out of Olympics to focus on PGA Tour SYDNEY: Australian world number seven Baker-Finch had hoped Scott would put Adam Scott has confirmed he will skip the his indifference to competing at the Games Rio Olympics in August, the 2013 Masters to one side and form a powerful team with champion citing scheduling conflicts as the world number one Jason Day, who is main reason for opting out of golf’s return expected to compete. to the Games after a 112-year absence. Marc Leishman is next in line to take “My decision has been taken as a result Scott’s spot but the world number 34 said of an extremely busy playing schedule he would consider any potential threat around the time of the Olympics and other posed by the Zika virus to the health of his commitments, both personal and profes- wife Audrey, who has immune system sional,” Scott said in a statement on issues, before deciding whether to compete. Tuesday. Golf’s return at the Aug. 5-21 Olympics has “I have informed the Australian team been met with varying degrees of enthusi- captain (Ian Baker-Finch) and relevant asm from its players and Fiji’s Vijay Singh, a authorities, who are understanding of my three-time major winner, announced last position and I wish the Australian Olympic week that Zika virus fears would prevent team the very best of luck in Rio.” him from going to Brazil. — Reuters LAS VEGAS: In this Saturday, March 5, 2016 file photo, Conor McGregor, right, trades punches with Nate Diaz during their UFC 196 welterweight mixed martial arts match in Las Vegas. Conor McGregor has packed a punch on social media rather than inside a UFC cage. One of the UFC’s top draws, McGregor created a stir Tuesday when he tweeted that retirement was on the horizon. — AP McGregor pulled from UFC 200, tweets retirement talk WASHINGTON: Conor McGregor is officially out UFC 196, ending one of the most lucrative pay- the first shot at a unification fight against of UFC 200. His fighting future remained unclear. per-view shows in mixed martial arts history McGregor. All of those dream bouts are sudden- McGregor, one of the biggest draws in UFC, cre- with a remarkable upset. ly uncertain. Diaz playfully replied to McGregor’s ated a stir Tuesday when he tweeted that retire- McGregor’s 15-fight winning streak ended in tweet with his own “retirement” announcement. ment was on the horizon and the UFC later the bout, which was fought 25 pounds above his He tweeted, “I guess my work here is done I’m tweeted that McGregor had been pulled from its usual 145-pound fighting weight. The rematch retiring too.” marquee show on July 9. was set to be contested at 170 pounds, the UFC McGregor’s coach, John Kavanagh, added The 27-year-old McGregor tweeted, “I have said. The loss punctured the intimidating aura fuel to the retirement speculation with his own decided to retire young. Thanks for the cheese. gathered by McGregor, the loquacious Irish star tweet that said, “Well was fun while it lasted.” Catch ya’s later.” But is it truly exit cage left for who sits alongside Ronda Rousey as the UFC’s Kavanagh later posted an Instagram photo of the Irish star? McGregor was scheduled for a biggest pay-per-view stars. McGregor had WWE Hall of Fame manager Jimmy Hart with the rematch against Nate Diaz in the main event of stopped his previous five opponents, and he caption, “New job uniform.” It could be a playful UFC 200. UFC President Dana White told ESPN landed numerous big shots on Diaz before tiring photo - or a cryptic hint - that McGregor could that he pulled McGregor from the card after he and losing the fight on the ground to Diaz’s follow former UFC star Brock Lesnar from the decided not to attend pre-fight promotional superior jiu-jitsu. octagon to the WWE squared circle. appearances in Las Vegas. Other UFC fighters later joked on Twitter that “Is Conor McGregor retiring? Only he can INTERIM BELT they also would retire. McGregor would stun the answer that question,” White told ESPN. “I don’t Although McGregor said immediately after MMA world if he retired in the prime of his know. But he will not be a part of UFC 200.” the loss that he would probably return to feath- career - and surrendered a seven-figure payday Maria Sharapova White added he was working on a new main erweight, he decided instead to take a rematch for what’s sure to be the biggest box office card event and could keep Diaz on the card. The with Diaz, the entertaining veteran. Diaz accept- in UFC history. Odds are, McGregor could just stacked card already included an interim feath- ed the first fight less than two weeks beforehand want more money and stir retirement specula- ITF president says erweight championship bout between Jose Aldo after lightweight champ Rafael Dos Anjos tion as an MMA version of a contract holdout. and Frankie Edgar and Miesha Tate defends her dropped out with an injury. McGregor’s showmanship has earned him bantamweight title against Amanda Nunes. McGregor is still the UFC’s featherweight both huge attention - he was a Sports Illustrated hearing scheduled Diaz beat McGregor by submission in the sec- champion, but Aldo and Edgar will meet for the cover boy - and revenue, and fans and cameras in Sharapova case ond round of a welterweight bout March 5 at interim belt. The winner was scheduled to get flock to the fighter. — AP LAUSANNE: A disciplinary hearing has en the drug this year. Haggerty said been scheduled in Maria Sharapova’s Sharapova’s case “will continue to he heard.” doping case, with a ruling possible before “For her, given her levels (of meldonium), Wimbledon starts. International Tennis it is not even a question,” incoming WADA Federation president David Haggerty said director general Olivier Niggli told The yesterday that the Tennis Integrity Unit Associated Press this week. Elected as ITF typically takes “two to three months” to president last year, Haggerty said the gov- process a case. That could deliver a ver- erning body and its integrity unit will be dict in June. more transparent in communicating about Haggerty said he has not been told cases. On Tuesday, the ITF announced a 10- details by the independent investigation year ban for a Croatian umpire who contin- unit, including when and where the hearing ued to work, including at the 2015 U.S. will be held. Open, while he was serving a one-year sus- Sharapova was provisionally suspended pension which was never publicly disclosed. after announcing on March 8 that she test- “We don’t always get things 100 percent ed positive for meldonium at the Australian but you learn through this,” Haggerty said in Open in January. The Russian said she had a briefing on the sidelines of the been prescribed the blood-flow boosting SportAccord conference. On potential drug since 2006, and had been unaware the match-fixing cases, the TIU received more World Anti-Doping Agency had prohibited than 40 alerts of suspicious betting patterns its use from Jan. 1. in matches played in the first three months Russian officials want Sharapova to play this year, Haggerty said. at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics in August. Haggerty is due in Rio on May 4 to assess Sharapova will not have her provisional ban Olympic preparations which are “in lifted pending the verdict, despite WADA progress, but not finished,” including court publishing new guidelines to sports bodies surfaces and lighting at the Olympic Park last week amid uncertainty over how long venue. “If you have a night session and you meldonium remains in an athlete’s body. don’t have lights, you have a problem,” the Some athletes among nearly 200 who American official said. “They are being BARCELONA: Rafael Nadal makes a return to Marcel Granollers during the Barcelona open tennis tournament in Barcelona, Spain, yesterday. — AP have tested positive claim they had not tak- installed.” — AFP Becker hits out at Murray Nadal, Nishikori ease over doping comments through in Barcelona LONDON: Boris Becker has criticised proven, they are 100 percent innocent. world number two Andy Murray after the “So to assume something because British tennis star voiced suspicions some somebody has won a Grand Slam or is fit- BARCELONA: Fresh from winning the ward.” Nadal will face another playing very well in Monte Carlo, but Defending champion Kei Nishikori is of his opponents may have been taking ter is totally out of order. “Andy is one of Monte Carlo Masters Rafael Nadal Spaniard in Albert Montanes in the this is a new tournament and every likely to be Nadal’s biggest threat and performance-enhancing drugs. Murray the fittest players on the tour-he often continued his fine form with a 6-3, 6- last 16 on Thursday. “I have been day there is a difficult opponent.” the Japanese extended his unbeaten has been vocal in condemning the use of outlasts players and nobody is question- 2 win over fellow Spaniard Marcel run in Barcelona to 11 matches with a drugs in sport and enthusiastically ing his ethics,” the German added. “I Granollers to reach the third round of comfortable 6-4, 6-2 win over the backed the suspension imposed on lead- believe 100 percent Andy is clean. Roger the Barcelona Open yesterday. Nadal Netherlands’ Thiemo de Bakker. ing female player Maria Sharapova fol- (Federer) is clean, Rafa is clean, all these is looking to equal Argentine legend Nishikori needed just over an hour lowing her failed test for the banned sub- guys are clean.