ASIAN GAMES
Star reveals marriage rules
Chinese superstar Liu Xiang has offered hope to his millions of female fans, announcing his eligibility as a bachelor, but laying down a series of marriage rules. Any potential wife must be respectful to his parents, be willing to live with them, and want to have at least two children before 2015, Liu said in an interview with Internet portal Tencent on Thursday. “No I don’t [have a girlfriend], I really don’t, if I had one I would have one, there is nothing to hide,” Liu said. “It depends on fate. My girlfriend should be kind-hearted, decent and respectful to her parents and my parents.” Winning Wednesday’s Asiad 110m hurdles has added to the multi-millionaire former Olympic champion’s status as one of China’s most eligible bachelors. “I would like to have two children,” Liu said. “I will live with my mother and father, they can help care for the children because I am very busy.” Liu said he would not break laws relating to China’s “one child” family planning policy, pointing out recent rule changes that allow a couple to have two children if both parents are single children.
ASIAN GAMES
Champ hits back at jibe
India’s new lightweight boxing champion has hit back at claims from his vanquished Chinese opponent that he only won gold because he was “a good actor.” Krishan Vikas beat Hu Qing 5-4 on points with Hu angrily pointing a finger at Kyrgyz referee Bedaly Alymkulov after he penalized the Chinese for dangerous punches, leaving Vikas on the canvas apparently in pain. “I’m a boxer, not an actor. When he throws under-the-belt punches, he knows that he threw under-the-belt punches — and so did the referee,” Vikas said. Hu, who won gold at the Asian Games in 2006, had accused Vikas of feigning injury. “I hit my opponent below the belt but not the crotch,” said Hu after the bout late on Thursday. “The referee gave my opponent two points after this because my opponent was a good actor but it was not my opponent who defeated me, it was the referee.”
SOCCER
Spurs plans get green light
Premier League side Tottenham’s plans to redevelop their current stadium were approved by the mayor of London on Thursday, although the club remains in the bidding process to move into the city’s Olympic Stadium. Boris Johnson backed a decision by a local council to grant Spurs planning permission for a 56,000-seat venue on the site of White Hart Lane. However, Spurs chairman Daniel Levy remains aggrieved about the lack of public funding, with £50 million (US$81 million) having to be added to the expected £400 million cost of the project due to the need to preserve nearby historic buildings. The cheaper option for the north London club would be to move into the Olympic Stadium after the 2012 Games, despite it being situated in the east of the capital. The plan to possibly move 9km east of White Hart Lane has angered many Spurs fans, and a protest is planned before tomorrow’s home match against Liverpool.
Hockey
Oilers halt Avalanche
Taylor Hall scored with 29 seconds left to give the Edmonton Oilers a 3-2 victory over the Colorado Avalanche in the NHL on Thursday. The top overall pick in the June draft, Hall has five goals this season. He also had an assist. Gilbert Brule and Andrew Cogliano scored in the first 3:51 to give the Oilers a 2-0 lead, but Colorado rallied to tie it on goals by Kevin Shattenkirk in the first and Matt Duchene in the second. The Avalanche remain tied with Vancouver for the Northwest Division lead.
Four-time NBA all-star DeMarcus Cousins arrived in Taiwan with his family early yesterday to finish his renewed contract with the Taiwan Beer Leopards in the T1 League. Cousins initially played a four-game contract with the Leopards in January. On March 18, the Taoyuan-based team announced that Cousins had renewed his contract. “Hi what’s up Leopard fans, I’m back. I’m excited to be back and can’t wait to join the team,” Cousins said in a video posted on the Leopard’s Facebook page. “Most of all, can’t wait to see you guys, the fans, next weekend. So make sure you come out and support the Beer
Revelations of positive doping tests for nearly two dozen Chinese swimmers that went unpunished sparked an intense flurry of accusations and legal threats between the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and the head of the US drug-fighting organization, who has long been one of WADA’s fiercest critics. WADA on Saturday said it was turning to legal counsel to address a statement released by US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) CEO Travis Tygart, who said WADA and anti-doping authorities in China swept positive tests “under the carpet by failing to fairly and evenly follow the global rules that apply to everyone else in the world.” The
Taiwanese judoka Yang Yung-wei on Saturday won silver in the men’s under-60kg category at the Asian Judo Championships in Hong Kong. Nicknamed the “judo heartthrob” in Taiwan, the Olympic silver-medalist missed out on his first Asian Championships gold when he lost to Japanese judoka Taiki Nakamura in the finals. Yang defeated three opponents on Saturday to reach the final after receiving a bye through the round of 32. He first topped Laotian Soukphaxay Sithisane in the round of 16 with two seoi nage (over-the-shoulder throws), then ousted Indian Vijay Kumar Yadav in the quarter-finals with his signature ude hishigi sankaku gatame (triangular armlock). He
Rafael Nadal on Wednesday said the upcoming French Open would be the moment to “give everything and die” on the court after his comeback from injury in Barcelona was curtailed by Alex de Minaur. The 22-time Grand Slam title winner, back playing this week after three months on the sidelines, battled well, but eventually crumbled 7-5, 6-1 against the world No. 11 from Australia in the second round. Nadal, 37, who missed virtually all of last season, is hoping to compete at the French Open next month where he is the record 14-time champion. The Spaniard said the clash with De Minaur was