TABLE TENNIS
Taiwan men’s team ousted
Taiwan crashed out of the quarter-finals of the men’s world team table tennis championships in Dortmund, Germany, losing to South Korea 3-1 on Friday. Top seeds China and hosts Germany booked their places in the semi-finals by recording commanding last eight victories. China’s Zhang Jike (pictured), Ma Lin and Ma Long showed Austria no mercy as the defending champions romped to a 3-0 victory, while Germany also blasted past Sweden with a clean-sweep. For a place in the finals, the Germans will now play Japan, who beat Singapore 3-1 in their quarter-final, while China take on South Korea.
Photo: EPA
SOCCER
Fans point way to goal
Cheeky fans of German minnows FC Magdeburg decided to help their team end a five-match goalless streak with huge fluorescent arrows to show their players the way to the goal. With their team bottom of the northern regional league, Germany’s fourth division, a group of fans gathered behind their opponents’ net, each armed with a giant arrow. The trick worked, as Magdeburg finally found the back of the net after 558 minutes without a goal when US striker Chris Wright equalized in the 78th minute of their 2-1 defeat at home to Berliner AK 07 last Sunday. Footage of the humorous prank has already proved a hit on the Internet with more than a quarter of a million people watching the video “Pfeile [Arrows]” on YouTube.
BASKETBALL
Japan drops dope charges
Former Indiana basketball player Lynn Washington has been released from a jail in Osaka, Japan, after charges he attempted to smuggle marijuana into the country were dropped. The 33-year-old Osaka Evessa forward spent 18 days in jail after being arrested on March 13 over allegations he violated Japan’s Cannabis Control Law. Japan’s professional basketball league issued a statement late on Friday saying all charges against Washington had been dropped. Washington had been alleged to have conspired with his wife to smuggle more than 1.36kg of marijuana, with a street value of about US$110,000, through the international mail in November last year.
FOOTBALL
Payton to appeal suspension
New Orleans Saints coach Sean Payton will appeal his one-year suspension for his role in the team’s “bounty” scandal, the NFL Network said on Friday. The network, citing an unnamed source, said Payton was expected to “seek guidance on the amount of time he will have to prepare his appeal, and will attempt to obtain the full reports from NFL security regarding the bounty evidence against him.” The report said former Saints defensive coach Gregg Willliams, now with the St Louis Rams, would not appeal his penalty. He was suspended indefinitely in the wake of the pay-for-pain scandal. Payton had until tomorrow to file the appeal. He was suspended after the NFL took a dim view of the revelations that the Saints had been rewarding their players for deliberately injuring their opponents. The NFL also said it was investigating several players, raising the possibility that more penalties could be handed out.
OUT AGAINST INDONESIA: Taiwan reached the semi-finals at the tournament for the first time by defeating Denmark, with Chou Tien-chen beating Viktor Axelsen Taiwan yesterday crashed out of the Thomas Cup team competition in Chengdu, China, but achieved their best result at the top-tier badminton event by reaching the semi-finals. Indonesia were too good in the semis, winning 3-0 to advance to today’s final against China, who eliminated Malaysia 3-1. In the opening singles of the men’s team clash at the Hi-Tech Zone Sports Center Gymnasium 2, Anthony Ginting defeated Taiwan’s Chou Tien-chen 21-18, 21-19 in 51 minutes, which put a huge hole in Taiwan’s aspirations to perhaps even make the final. In the men’s doubles, Fajar Alfian and Muhammad Ardianto downed Lee Yang and Wang
Rafael Nadal on Tuesday lost in straight sets to 31st-ranked Jiri Lehecka in the fourth round at the Madrid Open, while Taiwan’s Hsieh Su-wei advanced to the semi-finals in the women’s doubles. Nadal said that he was feeling good about his progress following his latest injury layoff. Nadal called it a “positive week” in every way and said his body held up well. “I was able to play four matches, a couple of tough matches,” Nadal said. “So very positive, winning three matches, playing four matches at the high level of tennis. I enjoyed a lot playing at home. I leave here with
A soccer jersey carrying a national map including disputed Western Sahara has become a hot commodity in Morocco after a diplomatic dispute with Algeria. Retailers said RS Berkane jerseys have been flying off the shelves after a Confederation of African Football (CAF) Cup match against Algerian club USM Alger was canceled last month over the jerseys. “We are overwhelmed by the influx of messages and requests,” said Brahim Rabii, representative of the official RS Berkane jersey distributor. Algeria broke off diplomatic relations with Morocco in 2021, partly over the issue of Western Sahara. The former Spanish colony is largely controlled by Morocco, but claimed
When 42-1 underdog James ‘Buster’ Douglas shocked ‘Iron’ Mike Tyson 34 years ago at the Tokyo Dome, the result reverberated worldwide. Spectators at the 45,000-plus seater venue witnessed one of boxing’s biggest upsets as unbeaten heavyweight champion Tyson was knocked out in the 10th round by the unheralded Douglas in February 1990. Boxing returns to the famous venue on Monday for the first time since that unforgettable encounter when Japan’s undisputed super-bantamweight world champion Naoya ‘Monster’ Inoue puts his belts on the line against Mexican Luis Nery. The 31-year-old Inoue (26-0, 23 KOs) is a huge star in Japan and is just