Sports World: Corberi quits karting in disgrace after clash

LONDON • An Italian who threw part of his go-kart at a rival during a world championship final, prompting 2009 Formula One champion Jenson Button to call for a life ban, apologised on Monday and said he was leaving the sport.

Coverage of the KZ final on YouTube showed 23-year-old Luca Corberi crashing out and waiting by the side of the track for rival Paolo Ippolito before hurling his kart's bumper at him.

The Gazzetta dello Sport website said Corberi had posted an apology on Facebook, quoting him as saying: "I have decided not to take part in any other motorsport competition for the rest of my life." The governing FIA said it had launched an immediate investigation.

REUTERS

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Reds' Covid-19 cluster grows with Shaqiri

BERN • Switzerland winger Xherdan Shaqiri has tested positive for Covid-19, the country's football federation said yesterday, one day after the 28-year-old rejoined the national team for the first time in over a year.

The Liverpool player had arrived at the team hotel on Monday ahead of a friendly with Croatia today. Shaqiri, who went into isolation, is the third Reds player to get Covid-19 in over a week after Sadio Mane and Thiago Alcantara.

REUTERS

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Auckland Classic falls victim to coronavirus

WELLINGTON • The Auckland Classic tennis tournament next year has been scrapped because of difficulties hosting during the coronavirus pandemic, organisers said yesterday.

The New Zealand hard-court tournament in early January is a warm-up event for the Australian Open, and has attracted top names in recent years, including this year's women's champion Serena Williams. Tournament director Karl Budge said the Covid-19 crisis had created an uncertain environment that made it unfeasible to stage such a complex event.

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE

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Fractured hip rules Thomas out of Giro

LONDON • Ineos-Grenadiers team leader Geraint Thomas has pulled out of cycling's Giro d'Italia after suffering a fractured pelvis in a crash early on the third stage on Monday, his team said.

The Welshman tumbled to the ground in the neutral zone before competitive racing began, when his front wheel hit a feeding bottle while he was riding at full speed. Ineos-Grenadiers doctor Phil Riley said yesterday that scans revealed Thomas had suffered "a small... fracture in the lower part of the pelvis".

REUTERS