USOPC WEIGHS IN ON PENG AS BEIJING LOOMS
With seven weeks to go before the start of the Winter Olympics in Beijing, leaders of the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee criticized China’s handling of the recent allegations of sexual assault from one of its star athletes.
China’s treatment of three-time Olympian Peng Shuai, one of China’s top tennis players, has become a contentious issue since Nov. 2, when Peng accused a former top government official of sexually assaulting her.
“I think this is a sad situation,” Susanne Lyons, chair of the organization, said Friday during a conference call. “One of the most important lessons that we at the USOPC have learned through the past several years is not only to listen to survivors of abuse but also to believe them and protect them from retaliation. So this hits close to home.”
Peng, 35, disappeared from public view more than a month ago after she accused Zhang Gaoli, a former vice premier of China, of sexual assault. Her disappearance, China’s efforts to censor any mention of her allegations and its efforts to suggest that she had retracted her claims have intensified concerns about her safety among tennis officials, athletes and human rights groups.
Peng has not appeared publicly or spoken with outsiders without the presence of a Chinese official since she went public with her allegations.
College basketball
The San Diego State women’s basketball team edged out UC San Diego 65-57 on Friday at Viejas Arena. SDSU (6-4) was led by Sophia Ramos and Asia Avinger, who combined for 35 points and 17 rebounds. Ramos had 20 points, her 17th career game with at least 20, on 7for-14 shooting and collected eight rebounds. Avinger had 15 points and a career-high nine rebounds.
UC San Diego (3-6) had three players in double-digits, led by Sydney Brown’s 13 points and nine rebounds.
The NCAA will pay basketball officials for the women’s tournament the same amount it pays the officials for the men’s competition.
“The national office continues to prioritize gender equity and has taken steps to correct the disparity of pay for officials selected to work the Division I Men’s and Women’s Basketball Championships,” the NCAA said in a statement. “All basketball officials, regardless of the gender of sport participants, will be receiving equal pay for championship games officiated in 2022 and beyond.”
Lacrosse
Dane Dobbie scored seven goals to lead the San Diego Seals to a 17-12 victory over the host Calgary Roughnecks at Scotiabank Saddledome. Frank Scigliano had 34 saves in goal for the Seals, who are now 2-1 in National Lacrosse League play.
Baseball
The Padres are expected to announced Bob Melvin’s coaching staff next week, with East Carolina assistant coach David Macias joining the fold as the first base coach.
Tennis
A rusty Rafael Nadal played his first match in more than four months, losing in straight sets to Andy Murray at an exhibition tournament in Abu Dhabi.
The 20-time Grand Slam champion’s chronic foot injury forced him to sit out the final months of this season.
The sixth-ranked Nadal fell to Murray 6-3, 7-5 at the Mubadala World Championship. He’s scheduled to face Denis Shapovalov for third place.
College volleyball
No. 10 seed Nebraska (26-7) plays Wisconsin in today’s NCAA women’s volleyball championship match.
The fourth-seeded Badgers won both regular-season matchups between the teams, losing just one set. The Cornhuskers roster includes Santa Fe Christian’s Lexi Sun, a senior.