ASIAN PARA GAMES
Taiwanese strikes gold
A visually impaired Taiwanese swimmer snatched two gold medals yesterday at the Asian Para Games in Guangzhou, China, after breaking two Asian records earlier this week. Eighteen-year-old Lin Shin-wei won the men’s 100m breaststroke SB13 event yesterday in a time of 1 minute 22.81 seconds before setting a new Asian record of 26.80 seconds in the men’s 50m freestyle S13 event. The swimmer, who cannot see out of his left eye and is legally blind, also broke Asian records in the men’s 100m freestyle-S13 and 200m medley-SM13 on Monday and Tuesday. S13 is one of three designations, along with S11 and S12, for swimmers with a visual impairment. S11 represents those with the least amount of vision. As of yesterday afternoon, Taiwan ranked sixth among 45 teams with eight gold medals, and had also won five silvers and seven bronzes at the games. Also yesterday, Luo Hsiao-hung won gold in the women’s 100m breaststroke-SB5 and powerlifter Lin Tzi-hui claimed gold in the women’s under 75kg division with a winning lift of 135kg. There are 77 athletes from Taiwan competing in 12 sports at the eight-day event.
SKIING
Organizers cancel Super-G
The women’s World Cup super-G that was to take place yesterday in Val d’Isere, France, was called off because of heavy overnight snowfall that continued into yesterday morning. Organizers had hoped to hold the race in the afternoon but conditions were not set to improve enough, with extremely poor visibility. Yesterday was the first of three scheduled days of racing. Strong winds had forced the cancellation of last weekend’s super-G in St Moritz, Switzerland, and the race was moved to Val d’Isere. Weather conditions were expected to improve in the French resort for today’s downhill and tomorrow’s super combined.
SOCCER
Birmingham give Buddle trial
Los Angeles Galaxy and US striker Edson Buddle is on trial at Premier League club Birmingham during the Major League Soccer (MLS) offseason. Birmingham manager Alex McLeish is searching for a new forward with his side two points above the three-team relegation zone after scoring just 17 goals in 17 matches. The 29-year-old Buddle was the leading scorer in the MLS for most of last season despite missing more than a month for the World Cup. Buddle ended the regular season as the second-highest scorer with 17 goals in 25 matches. “He’s trained with us this week and he’s done fine,” McLeish said on the club web site. “I’m not sure when he goes back. I think he’s here for next week as well because we’d like a longer look at him. He’s been scoring goals in the MLS and had a good season and he’s available.” Named after Pele — whose full name was Edson Arantes do Nascimento — Buddle has played for the Galaxy since 2007.
RUGBY UNION
Attoub set to return after ban
Stade Francais prop David Attoub, suspended for 52 weeks for eye-gouging in a European Cup match in December last year, will be able to return to action on Dec. 29 after his ban ends today. The 29-year-old was banned for gouging Stephen Ferris during Stade’s 13-23 European Cup loss to Ulster in Belfast. He was initially banned for 70 weeks by competition organizers European Club Rugby, before France’s National Olympic Committee intervened and had the suspension reduced to 52 weeks. The ban was among the heaviest ever imposed on a player by rugby union authorities.
NEW ZEALAND
Red Sox ink reliever Jenks
Bobby Jenks, the closer who won a World Series title with the White Sox in 2005, agreed to a two-year, US$12 million contract with the Boston Red Sox, according to a baseball official with knowledge of the contract. The official spoke on condition of anonymity. The agreement was first reported by ESPN.com. The acquisition of Jenks raised questions about the future of Jonathan Papelbon, Boston’s current closer, who will be a free agent after this season. Papelbon struggled this season, posting a career-high 3.90 earned run average and going 5-7 with 37 saves. For now, Jenks, who will be 30 in March, is expected to be Boston’s setup man, but he could compete with the 25-year-old Daniel Bard for the closer’s role should the Red Sox try to trade Papelbon this season or not re-sign him for next season. Jenks had an uneven season last year; his ERA ballooned to 4.44 as he struggled with injuries in the second half of the season.
FORMULA ONE
Webber expects equality
Red Bull driver Mark Webber says he is confident he will receive equal treatment from the team next season despite teammate Sebastian Vettel having won this year’s Formula One drivers’ title. The re-legalization of team orders and Vettel’s world title had led to speculation that Webber will be forced into a supporting role next season, but said yesterday that “the team know the best was to defend our championship is to put both feet forward.” Webber had every intention of taking on Vettel next season, saying: “I will need to beat everyone and one of those drivers is going to be Seb.”
BOXING
Mayweather warrant issued
A Las Vegas, Nevada, judge has issued an outstanding arrest warrant for boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr on a misdemeanor battery complaint alleging he poked a security guard in the face several times. The warrant issued on Dec. 8 requires Mayweather to turn himself in or face arrest at any time, Las Vegas police officer Bill Cassel said. Prosecutors said that Mayweather has a history of dangerous behavior and should be arrested. A court hearing to review the warrant was scheduled for Tuesday. Mayweather, 33, faces a a six-month jail sentence and a US$1,000 fine if convicted. The battery allegation stems from a Nov. 15 confrontation over parking tickets between the undefeated champion and a security guard outside Mayweather’s home.
RUBGY UNION
Coach promises to behave
Saracens director of rugby Brendan Venter has promised to behave after a bizarre post-match interview became a YouTube hit and landed him in trouble with the authorities. The South African, who is standing down in January, kept a straight face in an interview with Sky television when he agreed with and repeated every question after his side’s 24-21 Heineken Cup defeat to Racing-Metro on Dec. 11. With Saracens to play the French side in Paris again yesterday, European Rugby Cup officials warned him not to repeat the stunt. Venter told Sky Sports on Thursday that he had modeled his behavior on the soccer-inspired satirical film Mike Bassett: England Manager, which had been shown on the Saracens’ team bus on a trip to Gloucester earlier in the season. “Everybody’s seen it for what it was, which was a joke,” Venter said. “Look, I agree I’ve got a mischievous streak in me, but that’s because life is a privilege to live,” Venter said.
Japan captain Wataru Endo on Thursday was ruled out of the FIFA World Cup with injury and announced his international retirement, three days before his team’s opener against the Netherlands. The Liverpool midfielder pulled out of the tournament after failing to recover from a foot injury and was replaced in Japan’s squad by Shuto Machino. The 33-year-old Endo said on social media that he was “frustrated” at not being able to play, but backed his team to impress in Group F, where they face the Netherlands, Tunisia and Sweden. “There will definitely come a time in the future when Japan win the World
FIFA on Friday blamed the empty seats during the FIFA World Cup match between South Korea and the Czech Republic in Guadalajara, Mexico, on fans who watched from the concourses. There were many visible empty spots at the 45,664-capacity Guadalajara Stadium, with sections in the middle of the stands showing many unoccupied spaces and with other empty seats scattered around the venue. The announced attendance was 44,985 — including FIFA president Gianni Infantino. “Official attendance figures reflect the number of tickets scanned and spectators present within the stadium footprint, rather than visual assessments of seating occupancy at any given moment
About 100 people gathered at a bar in Taipei to watch the FIFA World Cup kick off in Mexico, despite the early hour of 3am last night. All seats had been reserved before the game started, said a clerk at Brass Monkey, a bar in Taipei where customers can watch live sports broadcasts. The Group A clash between Mexico and South Africa drew supporters from multiple continents to the venue. For Misael Alanis, a Mexican student who has lived in Taiwan for two-and-a-half years, the atmosphere was just as important as the game itself. "There are a lot of Mexicans here and you can
A rotting body was found on Friday in the trunk of a car parked near the stadium where Iran’s FIFA World Cup team is training in Mexico. The gruesome discovery came with games under way in the tournament, which is being jointly hosted by Mexico, the US and Canada. Reporters watched as police in Tijuana opened the trunk of the gray Toyota SUV, which had California plates, in the parking lot of a supermarket directly across from the Caliente Stadium, where Team Melli are training as they prepare for three games in the US. Specialists in white protective suits worked
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