Reuters Sports Schedule at 0600 GMT on Friday, Feb 21
Reuters sports schedule at 0600 GMT on Friday: - - - - WINTER OLYMPICS Thrills on Russian ice, Ukraine athlete leaves in protest SOCHI, Russia - The women's figure skaters provided a thrilling climax to Thursday's action when Russian Adelina Sotnikova claimed gold, but a skier's decision to pull out of the Games in protest was a reminder of the crisis in neighbouring Ukraine. (OLYMPICS/ (WRAPUP 4, PIX, TV, GRAPHICS), moved, by Mike Collett-White, 1100 words) - - The following medals are on offer on Friday: Alpine skiing (women's slalom), biathlon (women's relay), curling (men), freestyle skiing (women's ski cross), short track speed skating (women's 1,000m, men's 500m, men's relay). - - Please see SPORTS-NEWS-SCHEDULE-UNPLANNED for complete Winter Olympics schedule sent at 0600 GMT and 1400 GMT. To receive these schedules via email, please select Unplanned from My Accounts > Email Schedules > Sports. - - - - NBA King James reigns in Oklahoma City as Heat silences Thunder Forward LeBron James scored 33 points to lead the Miami Heat to an emphatic 103-81 road victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder. (NBA-HIGHLIGHTS/ (PIX), moved, by The Sports Xchange, 600 words) - - - - GOLF PGA Tour: WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship (to 23) Match Play exits for seeds Stenson, Rose and McIlroy The sheer lottery of the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship was again front and centre as top seeds Henrik Stenson, Rory McIlroy and Justin Rose were all eliminated in the second round. (GOLF-PGA/MATCHPLAY (UPDATE 2, PIX), moved, 650 words) - - - - NORTH AMERICAN SPORTS Roundups of off-field developments in the major North American professional sports leagues. (expect by 0101 GMT/8:01 PM ET, by The Sports Xchange, 400 words) - - - - RUGBY Super Rugby round two (to 23) Canterbury Crusaders v Waikato Chiefs, Christchurch (0635) Cheetahs v Bulls, Bloemfontein (1710) Defending champion Chiefs open campaign The double defending champion Chiefs open their Super Rugby campaign with a blockbuster clash against New Zealand rivals, the Crusaders, who they beat in last year's semi-finals. (RUGBY-SUPER/CRUSADERS, expect by 0830 GMT/3:30 AM ET, 200 words) We will also provide a match report on the Cheetahs v Bulls match in Bloemfontein. (RUGBY-SUPER/CHEETAHS, expect by 1900 GMT/2 PM ET, 200 words) - - Six Nations Wales v France, Cardiff (2000) Wales face tough battle against confident France Holders Wales, who are chasing a third straight Six Nations crown, must beat France at the Millennium Stadium after starting with an unconvincing win over Italy and a defeat by Ireland, but the visitors will be equally determined to maintain their 100 percent record. (RUGBY-NATIONS/ (PIX), expect by 2145 GMT/4:45 PM ET) - - - - CRICKET South Africa v Australia, second test, Port Elizabeth (to 24) De Villiers aims to build on half-century against Australia PORT ELIZABETH, South Africa - South Africa resume on 214 for five on the second day of the second test against Australia after bad light stopped play with AB de Villiers not out on 51 after passing 7,000 test runs and becoming the first player in history to score half-centuries in 12 tests in a row. (CRICKET/AUSTRALIA (PIX), by Nick Said 500 words) - - West Indies v Ireland, Kingston, second T20I Copy on merit - - - - SOCCER Ligue 1 AS Monaco v Stade de Reims (1930) Monaco host Reims aiming to cut gap on leaders PSG PARIS - Second-placed AS Monaco can move within two points of Ligue 1 leaders Paris St Germain with a home win over seventh-placed Stade Reims. (SOCCER-FRANCE/, expect by 2130 GMT/4:30 PM ET, 400 words) - - Bundesliga Schalke 04 v Mainz (1930) Schalke need win over Mainz to boost Champions League hopes BERLIN - Schalke can move up to provisional third spot with a home win over seventh-placed before their main rivals for Champions League berths play at the weekend. (SOCCER-GERMANY/, expect by 2130 GMT/4:45 PM ET, 300 words) - - La Liga Real Valladolid v Levante (2000) Copy on merit - - Dutch Championship ADO Den Haag v Go Ahead Eagles (1900) Copy on merit - - - - TENNIS Delray Beach International, U.S. (to 23) Nishikori withdraws with hip injury at Delray Beach A hip injury forced third seed Kei Nishikori to retire from his second round match at the Delray Beach Open in Florida while second seed John Isner had to dig deep to beat Dudi Sela of Israel. (TENNIS-MEN/DELRAY, moved, 300 words) - - WTA: Dubai Championships, UAE (to 23) ATP: Marseille Open, France (to 24) ATP/WTA: Brazil Open, Rio De Janeiro (to 23) Copy on merit - - - - (Asia duty editor: John O'Brien)
