BASKETBALL
Jeremy Lin signs with Volvo
Emerging NBA star Jeremy Lin has signed a two-year contract with automaker Volvo to promote the company’s cars around the world, but especially in Asia. The Chinese-owned company said in a statement yesterday that Lin would participate in Volvo’s worldwide corporate and marketing activities as a brand ambassador. The contract will focus on China, the US and other Chinese-language markets in Asia. Lin was undrafted and cut by two NBA teams before he shot to stardom with the New York Knicks this season. He’s the NBA’s first American-born player of Chinese or Taiwanese descent. China is a major market for the NBA. Earlier this month, NBA superstar LeBron James agreed to promote Dunkin’ Donuts and Baskin-Robbins ice cream in Asia. The popularity of basketball in Asia has grown during the last decade, in part because of former Houston Rockets center Yao Ming of China, who retired last year. Volvo made the announcement in New York. It says the first commercials with Lin may appear as early as June.
BASEBALL
Mariners release Kuo
Less than two years after making the NL All-Star team, Taiwanese left-hander Kuo Hong-chih has been released by the Seattle Mariners. Signed to a US$500,000 contract last month, Kuo had a 17.55 ERA in six spring training appearances over 6-2/3 innings. He allowed 13 earned runs and gave up five home runs. Kuo was an All-Star in 2010 with the Los Angeles Dodgers, but struggled last season with a back problem early in the season and missed a month with anxiety disorder. During his standout 2010 season, Kuo was 3-2 with 12 saves in 13 chances and a 1.20 ERA.
CYCLING
Albasini wins first stage
Switzerland’s Michael Albasini of the GreenEdge team won the first stage of the Tour of Catalonia on Monday. The 31-year-old finished ahead of French riders Anthony Delaplace (Saur-Sojasun) and Nicolas Edet (Cofidis) after the 138.9km race at Calella, Spain. Britain’s Bradley Wiggins of Team Sky came home toward the back of the pack along with Andy Schleck and Alejandro Valverde, all 1 minute, 32 seconds behind Albasini.
CYCLING
Taiwanese cyclist wins
Taiwanese female cyclist Hsiao Mei-yu won the fifth stage of a road race in El Salvador on Monday, according to a statement released by Taiwan’s embassy in the Central American nation. The 125.2km Stage 5 of the Vuelta El Salvador was particularly difficult because of steep climbs that caused several cyclists from the US and Italy to crash. Taiwan’s four cyclists encountered tire damage on the grueling stage, but Hsiao still managed to cross the line first. A total of 126 cyclists from countries including the US, Italy, Finland, Mexico, Canada, Ukraine, Costa Rica, Guatemala and Brazil took part in the women’s tour, one of the races cyclists can compete in for a berth at this year’s Olympic Games in London.
ATHLETICS
Nepal to hold gay Games
Nepal is to stage Asia’s first ever multi-sport games for the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community, organisers announced on Monday. The two-week event at the national soccer stadium and other venues around Kathmandu will feature track and field, volleyball, soccer, martial arts and tennis, said The Blue Diamond Society, Nepal’s leading gay rights group.
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
RALLY: It was only the second time the Taiwanese has partnered with Kudermetova, and the match seemed tight until they won seven points in a row to take the last set 10-2 Taiwan’s Chan Hao-ching and Russia’s Veronika Kudermetova on Sunday won the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix women’s doubles final in Stuttgart, Germany. The pair defeated Norway’s Ulrikke Eikeri and Estonia’s Ingrid Neel 4-6, 6-3, 10-2 in a tightly contested match at the WTA 500 tournament. Chan and Kudermetova fell 4-6 in the first set after having their serve broken three times, although they played increasingly well. They fought back in the second set and managed to break their opponents’ serve in the eighth game to triumph 6-3. In the tiebreaker, Chan and Kudermetova took a 3-0 lead before their opponents clawed back two points, but