| The owner of the English football club Chelsea, Roman Abramovich, has arrived in Milan, where he is going to negotiate the acquisition of the top scorer of the Italian championship, Andrei Shevchenko. According to some reports, Abramovich is ready to offer Milan management up to 20 million pounds sterling (about 30 million euros) for the Ukrainian forward. In the summer of 1999, Shevchenko’s transfer from Dynamo Kyiv to Milan cost the Italians $24 million. Reports have already appeared about Abramovich’s desire to purchase Liverpool captain, England midfielder Steven Gerard for £30 million. If this transaction is completed for the specified amount, it will become a record for Foggy Albion. Vladimir ILYIN
Garnett works wonders in Minneapolis
Basketball. NBA. Playoffs. Quarterfinals . “Minnesota” – “Sacramento” – 83:80 (series score – 4:3).
Minnesota's highest-paid player, Kevin Garnett, worked his magic at the Target Center in Minneapolis on his 28th birthday. 20 thousand spectators witnessed the excellent performance of Garnett, who almost single-handedly decided the outcome of the seventh match of a tense series. During the entire match, Kevin only rested for two minutes on the bench; the rest of the time he terrorized the visiting defense and was the best in the fight on the “second floor”. The Wolves leader has 32 points, 21 rebounds and five blocked opponents' shots. The most necessary was the last blocked shot of the tireless powerful forward - 4 seconds before the end of regulation time, he finally buried the hopes of the “kings”, not allowing Brad Miller to direct the ball into the hoop. Minnesota will play Los Angeles in the Western Conference finals. The series of up to four wins will begin today. Ilya TRISVIATSKY
Calgary is the first Stanley Cup finalist
Hockey. NHL. Stanley Cup. Semi-final . “Calgary” – “San Jose” – 3:1 (series score – 4:2).
Calgary made it to the Stanley Cup final for the first time since 1989. The scoring in the match on the power play was opened by one of the three best snipers of the regular season, Jerome Iginla, who continues to lead the list of playoff scorers with ten goals. In the second period, the hosts doubled their lead, but three minutes later they conceded the only goal from the “sharks”. Changing goalkeeper Evgeniy Nabokov to the sixth field player at the end of the match did not help San Jose - at the last second, Regehr hit the empty net. “Calgary” is waiting for its opponent in the final, it will be “Tampa Bay” or “Philadelphia”. Vladimir ILYIN
Plushenko was hospitalized
The famous Russian figure skater Evgeni Plushenko was admitted to the intensive care unit of a Moscow hospital with double pneumonia and inflammation of the auricle. Perhaps the athlete’s health was affected by his stay at demonstration performances in Siberia or the unstable Moscow weather. Doctors have already determined treatment methods, and it is now assumed that Plushenko will remain in hospital for at least a week. Vladimir ILYIN
St. Petersburg Spartak has a new coach
38-year-old Andrei Maltsev, who appeared on the court as a player last season, was appointed the new head coach of the St. Petersburg Spartak basketball players. Known for his sniper qualities and cheerful character, the 207 cm tall striker will replace 53-year-old Vyacheslav Borodin as mentor. “Spartak”, under the leadership of the latter, finished in penultimate place in the super league and, according to the regulations, must leave the elite. If Spartak, which has had financial problems in recent years, is able to provide the Russian Basketball Federation with financial guarantees, then it is possible that it will be left in the top division. Then Maltsev will be the tallest head coach in the Super League. Ilya TRISVIATSKY
The Greek team was not allowed to participate in the Olympics
The International Court of Sports in Lausanne rejected Greece's appeal to the International Field Hockey Federation (FIH), which did not allow the country's men's team to participate in the Olympic tournament as a host, without preliminary selection.
Since field hockey in Greece is very poorly developed, in the Olympic qualification regulations promulgated back in 2001, the FIH made a link that by July 31, 2002 it will be determined how the Hellenes will be able to qualify for the Athens tournament. At the preliminary stage of the European Cup of Nations the summer before last, the Greek men's team even managed to lose to Gibraltar - 1:8, and the women's team lost to two opponents with the same crushing score of 0:10, taking a place at the bottom of the standings. Naturally, automatic admission of Greece to the Olympics after such results would mean a complete profanation of the competition. The Greeks were offered to get into the 2004 world qualifying tournaments on preferential terms by playing play-offs with the weakest participants admitted there.
The women's team abandoned the March meetings with the Russians in New Zealand, and the men twice failed to cope with Canada at the Madrid stadium in February. The protest was filed with the International Court of Arbitration the day before the start of this play-off series, however, after examining the situation in detail, the FIH was recognized as right in Lausanne. Payment of legal costs was distributed as follows: 50% will be paid by the Greeks as the losing party in the case, 25% each by the FIH and South Africa, whose men's team would suffer if a positive decision in favor of the Olympic hosts. Thus, field hockey remained the only sport at the Games in Athens where the hosts of the competition will not participate. Ilya TRISVIATSKY
White suspended for two years
The Anti-Doping Committee of the International Athletics Federation suspended American runner Kelly White for two years, who showed the best results in the 100 and 200 m distances during the 2003 World Championships in Paris. Traces of the weak stimulant modafinil were found in White's body. According to the athlete, with the help of this drug she treated a hereditary disease. Both of Kelly's world championship gold medals were previously taken away from him and are now deprived of the opportunity to participate in the Olympics. Mikhail TRYUGAN
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