Sports World: Young returns to his old club Villa

LONDON • Inter Milan's English winger Ashley Young on Thursday signed a one-year deal with former club Aston Villa.

Young, 35, completed a free move to Villa, where he played for four years before leaving to join Manchester United a decade ago.

He signed with Inter in January last year and won a Serie A title under Antonio Conte in 2020-21. His contract expires at the end of this month.

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE

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Hataoka in 4-way tie for lead after a 65

LOS ANGELES • Japan's Nasa Hataoka fired a 65 in the opening round of the Meijer LPGA Classic to finish in a four-way tie for the lead on Thursday.

Hataoka, the 2021 US Women's Open runner-up, is level with Lauren Stephenson, Leona Maguire of Ireland and England's Charley Hull at seven under on the Blythefield Country Club course. Ariya Jutanugarn of Thailand and Taiwanese star Min Lee were one stroke behind at six under.

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE

Romanian lifting body banned one year

BUCHAREST • Romania cannot participate in the weightlifting event at the Tokyo Olympics after the country's governing body (FRH) was given a one-year ban by the International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) for past doping cases on Thursday.

The ban was issued for five anti-doping violations made by Romanian athletes in 2012.

REUTERS

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S. Africa to face Georgia in rugby Tests

JOHANNESBURG • South Africa will play Georgia in Pretoria on July 2, in their first Test since winning the Rugby World Cup final against England in Japan 19 months ago.

The second and final international is set for Johannesburg on July 9, as the Springboks warm up for a three-Test series against the British and Irish Lions from July 24.

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE