There was no mistaking the Middle East influence at the Asian Games yesterday, the final day of competition in the regional games.
Iran beat Jordan 84-78 in the men's basketball bronze medal final, one of only three events before the closing ceremonies later yesterday.
China, easily the most dominant country at the 15th Asian Games, beat host Qatar 59-44 in the basketball gold medal game yesterday, while Persian Gulf neighbors Iraq and Qatar were to meet in the men's soccer final.
PHOTO: AFP
Chinese NBA prospect Yi Jianlian was looking to make a big impression in what could be his last major international basketball game before the NBA draft in June.
After the game, Yi will return to China and continue playing with his domestic club, the Guangzhou Tigers, where he is a power forward or center.
Major high
Qatar came into the basketball final on a major high -- it had never finished better than ninth (2002) at the Asian Games. Former US collegiate coach Joey Stiebing, who stresses defense, became coach two years ago and led the team to a third-place finish in last year's Asian championships. The team qualified for this year's world championship, but failed to advance past the group stage.
China has an overwhelming lead in the medal standings, with 164 golds and 315 overall.
Second-place South Korea has 58 golds and 193 overall, followed by Japan in third (50 and 198).
Doha organizers reported yesterday that the event Web site had received 100 million hits since the games began officially on Dec. 1, while 750,000 spectators had attended the competitions.
The organizers will hold assessment meetings over the next month to analyze their hosting of these games as they prepare to fine-tune a plan to bid for the 2016 Olympics.
The closing ceremonies were scheduled to include a flag hand-over ceremony involving Guangzhou, China, which will host the 2010 Asian Games.
Focus
China's focus before then will firmly be on the Beijing Olympics in 2008, where it aims to supplant the US atop the medal standings.
Liu Peng, who led the Chinese delegation to Doha, said despite China's overwhelming domination in the Asian Games, it was not a true indication of where the country stood in terms of Olympic preparation.
"Although we've achieved excellent results in the Asian Games, it does not mean that we will have the same performance in the Olympics," Liu told a news conference. "We must redouble our efforts to meet the great coming challenges."
China came in second only to the US in the gold medal standings at the 2004 Athens Olympics. Russia came in third.
Taiwan’s Lee Hao-yu on Friday went 0-for-3 in his MLB debut for the Detroit Tigers against the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park, becoming the 19th Taiwan-born player to reach the big leagues. The Tigers ultimately lost 1-0 in 10 innings, ending their six-game winning streak. The 23-year-old started at third base and batted eighth for Detroit. He was promoted from Triple-A Toledo ahead of the four-game series against the Red Sox at the latter’s home stadium, replacing injured utility player Zach McKinstry. “Being right-handed, and given our schedule, I think six of the next 12 games are going to
Matheus Cunha on Saturday fired Manchester United toward the UEFA Champions League with a 1-0 win at Chelsea, while Tottenham Hotspur remain in the relegation zone after twice blowing the lead to draw with Brighton & Hove Albion. Chelsea failed to take advantage of a United defense ravaged by injury and suspension as a fourth straight league defeat for the Blues left their Champions League hopes in ruins. United have missed out on the riches of Europe’s elite competition for the past two seasons, but are closing in on a return thanks to an upturn in fortunes under interim manager
Italian soccer is at its lowest ebb in nearly 40 years after a wholesale European exodus at club level followed the nation’s failure for the third successive time to qualify for the FIFA World Cup, and compounded a leadership and structural crisis. The exits suffered by Bologna and ACF Fiorentina on Thursday in the UEFA Europa League and UEFA Conference League respectively meant no Italian teams are left in European competition this season. Italy’s last remaining UEFA Champions League contenders, Atalanta BC, went out in the round of 16 last month. It is the first time since the 1986-1987 campaign that Italian clubs
The Detroit Tigers’ Lee Hao-yu on Monday collected his first and second MLB hits in their 8-6 loss to the Boston Red Sox. The Tigers’ No. 6 prospect, who batted eighth, had an RBI single and a double in four at-bats at Fenway Park, raising his batting average to .182. “He was super thrilled to get his first hit,” Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said after the game. “There’s only one first, you know, and for him, it’s been a couple of games where he’s really been wanting to do it. I’m glad he did it here.” “Young guys settle in when they start
RSS