Sports short: Rugby league punishes Spain with exclusion from World Cup in 2023 | Sport

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Ice hockey players are relegated after World Cup defeat against Slovakia

10:01 PM: The Dutch ice hockey players were relegated to a lower division (1B) at the World Cup in division 1A. That was the result of four defeats at the tournament in Angers, France. After the defeat in the last game with Slovakia (1-4), a step back was inevitable for the team of national coach Marco Kronenburg. In that match, Julie Zwarthoed scored the only goal.

Previously, Austria (1-2), Norway (1-7) and France (1-4) were too strong. The Netherlands finished in fifth and last place. The relegation is a downer for the ice hockey players, as the team had been promoted from the fourth to the second global level in recent years.

Defending champion Sabalenka ready in Madrid after first round

7:57 PM: Defending champion Aryna Sabalenka has already been eliminated in the first round of the WTA tennis tournament in Madrid. The third-seeded Belarusian lost in three sets to the American number 33 in the world ranking Amanda Anisimova: 6-2 3-6 6-4.

It was the fourth time that the two players met, including three times on clay. Anisimova beat Sabalenka every time.

Sabalenka reached the final of the WTA tournament in Stuttgart last week. She had to acknowledge her superiority in the Polish number 1 in the world Iga Swiatek, who is missing in Madrid due to a shoulder injury.

Badminton couple Jille / Van der Lecq also to semi-finals European Championship

7:20 p.m.: After Robin Tafeling and Selena Piek in the mixed doubles, Ruben Jille and Ties van der Lecq have also reached the semi-finals of the European Badminton Championships in Madrid. The men were too strong for the Norwegians Torjus Flaatten and Vegard Rikheim in the quarterfinals of the men’s doubles in two games: 21-13 21-13.

Jille and Van der Lecq are placed eighth at the tournament in the Spanish capital. Their opponent in the battle for a place in the final will be announced later on Thursday.

For Debora Jille and Cheryl Seinen, the European Championship ended in the quarterfinals. That was in line with expectations with the first-placed couple Gabriela and Stefani Stoeva as opponents. The defending champions from Bulgaria won in two games: 21-16 21-13.

Piek and Tafeling to the semi-finals of the European Championship badminton

5:29 PM: Badminton players Robintabeling and Selena Piek reached the semifinals of the mixed doubles at the European championships in Madrid on Thursday. The Dutch duo defeated the Danish couple Mathias Christiansen/Alexandra Bøje, the numbers 3 of the placement list.

Piek andtabeling, themselves placed fifth, won in three games: 18-21 21-17 21-14.

In the semifinals, Piek andtabeling will meet the French Thom Gicquel and Delphine Delrue, the numbers 2 on the placement list.

Rugby league punishes Spain with exclusion from World Cup in 2023

5:07 p.m.: Spain will not be allowed to participate in the 2023 Rugby World Cup in France. The country fielded an ineligible player in two qualifying matches in 2020 and 2021. An independent disciplinary committee finds that violation of the rules so serious that participation in the global final round is excluded. Spain will receive a points deduction and a fine of 25,000 pounds (29,000 euros). Romania has been designated as a replacement.

The global rugby union did not name the player in question, but according to Spanish media it would be South African-born Gavin van den Berg, who has been playing for Spain since 2018 but not yet for the national team under World Rugby rules. should have come true. He played in two qualifying matches against the Netherlands.

The Rugby World Cup takes place every four years. South Africa won the world title in Japan in the last edition in 2019.

Time penalty for favorite Thomas in Tour de Romandie

4.05 pm: Geraint Thomas has been given a time penalty of 20 seconds and a fine of 200 Swiss francs (195 euros) in the Tour de Romandie. He has been penalized for taking a drinking bottle in the final phase of Tuesday’s stage in a place where that is not allowed.

The British rider of Ineos Grenadiers won last year’s Tour de Romandie and is again one of the contenders for the overall victory this year. He started the stage race through the French-speaking part of Switzerland on Tuesday with a fourth place in the prologue. He climbed into the standings on Wednesday because his compatriot and teammate Ethan Hayter, who had won the opening time trial, lost a lot of time after a crash.

Due to the time penalty, Thomas has dropped to 25th place in the general classification. His gap on the Australian classification leader Rohan Dennis of Jumbo-Visma has risen to 36 seconds.

Urán leaves Tour de Romandie due to shoulder injury

12.12 pm: Rigoberto Urán will not start on Thursday in the second stage of the Tour de Romandie. The Colombian suffered a shoulder injury on Wednesday after a fall at the end of the first leg, his team EF Education-EasyPost has announced.

“He will undergo further scans to determine the extent of his injury,” the team reports on Twitter.

At about 15 kilometers from the finish of the first stage in line, 35-year-old Urán crashed, just like Ethan Hayter, Steven Kruijswijk and Ion Izagirre, among others.

Urán finished 119th in the first stage on Wednesday, more than 10 minutes behind winner Dylan Teuns. On Thursday, the peloton will cover a 168.2 km ride with start and finish in Échallens.

Sailing Team Nextgen Dutch delegate Ocean Race

11.02 am: The Sailing Holland Foundation and DutchSail have announced that they will register a Dutch team for the fourteenth edition of the Ocean Race in 2023. The team will appear at the start under the name ‘Sailing Team Nextgen’.

It is the thirteenth time that a Dutch team appears at the start of the world’s most prestigious sailing competition around the world. The campaign focuses on future generations and is supported by various partners. The campaign can count on the support of Carolijn Brouwer, who made history in 2018 by becoming the first woman to win the race.

“Unfortunately, I have never sailed in a Dutch team, but with this campaign I hope to change that. Not so much for myself, but I would like to transfer my knowledge and experience to the current generation of young sailors and I also hope to be an example for the next generations. They have to see that dreams are achievable,” says Brouwer.

The fourteenth edition of the Ocean Race starts on January 15, 2023 in Alicante, Spain.

NAC receives Ukrainian refugees at a match against Top Oss

10.35 hours: NAC Breda will receive about fifty Ukrainian refugees next Friday at their match against TOP Oss. They are transported to the stadium by one of the sponsors.

The refugees are currently being accommodated in the Koepel, the old prison in Breda that serves as a semi-permanent shelter for people from Ukraine. There they will be picked up before the match, after which they will take place in section I in the Rat Verlegh Stadium.

The match between NAC Breda and TOP Oss in the Kitchen Champion Division starts on Friday evening at 8 p.m. NAC occupies 8th place in the standings after 36 matches played and has 55 points, TOP Oss is in 14th place with 41 points.

Golden State Warriors basketball players advance in NBA playoffs

8.36 am: The Golden State Warriors basketball players have qualified for the semifinals of the Western Conference in the NBA playoffs at the expense of Denver Nuggets. The Warriors won the fifth game at their own Chase Center, 102-98.

Halfway through the game it was tied (48-48) and after the third quarter the Nuggets even had a 78-70 lead. In the last quarter, however, the Warriors did not let it come to a sixth game in the best-of-seven series.

Stephen Curry was of great value to the home side, scoring 30 points, the same as Nikola Jokic on behalf of the visitors.

The Warriors will face the winner of the Memphis Grizzlies vs. Minnesota Timberwolves in the final four.

The Milwaukee Bucks reached the Eastern Conference semifinals with a win over the Chicago Bulls. The fifth game, in Milwaukee, ended in 116-100. Giannis Antetokounmpo took 33 points on behalf of the Bucks, who took the title last year.