WOODBALL
Friendship tourney planned
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is organizing a game of woodball later this month that will be attended by foreign diplomats, in an effort to promote the Taiwanese-invented game, derived from golf and croquet. The Diplomatic Woodball Friendship Tournament, scheduled for Oct. 31 in Taipei, is aimed at facilitating sports exchanges and promoting the sport, Department of NGO International Affairs Deputy Director-General Shen Wen-chiang said at a news briefing. “We’ve invited foreign diplomats based in Taiwan, members of international chambers of commerce, local politicians and woodball players,” Shen said. The sport, which requires players to hit balls through narrow gates with wooden mallets, was invented by Weng Ming-hui in 1990 when he attempted to reinvent the game of golf in his garden.
SOCCER
Eritrea players seek asylum
Ten players from the Eritrea are seeking asylum in Botswana, the latest in a series of defections by athletes from a nation under investigation by the UN for human-rights violations. The Eritrea national team was in Botswana to play a FIFA 2018 World Cup qualifyier. The players on Wednesday refused to board their plane home and were detained by police. Similar mass defections occurred in Kenya in 2009, Tanzania in 2011 and Uganda in 2012. They were fleeing a nation where slavery-like practices are routine and torture widespread.
SOCCER
Five arrested for fixing
Nepalese police arrested five former and current national team players, including the captain, on Wednesday on charges of match fixing, in another blow to the nation’s embattled soccer association. Captain Sagar Thapa, Sandip Rai, Ritesh Thapa, Bikash Singh Chhetri and Anjan K.C. were arrested on charges of alleged match fixing from 2008, S.S.P. Sarbendra Khanal of the Metropolitan Police Crime Division said. “From preliminary examinations of the players’ accounts, we found connections to known match-fixers in Malaysia and Singapore,” Khanal said. “It seems that these players were involved in a deep network of brokers and fixers in other countries.”
BOXING
Lee Selby retains crown
Welsh fighter Lee Selby retained his International Boxing Federation featherweight crown in Phoenix, Arizona, on Wednesday with a unanimous decision over former three-division champion Fernando Montiel in a 12-round fight. Selby, who improved to 22-1 with eight knockouts, won on all three judges’ scorecards — 119-109, 118-110 and 116-112 — at the Gila River Arena. Montiel, who dropped to 54-4-2 with 39 knockouts, cut Selby over the right eye in the sixth round, but the bigger Selby was able to outbox and outsmart Mexico’s Montiel throughout much of the fight.
TENNIS
Bouchard files lawsuit
Eugenie Bouchard filed a lawsuit on Wednesday against the US Tennis Association that alleges the sport’s national governing body was negligent, leaving her to slip and fall in a locker room during the US Open. Bouchard has suffered severe pain and economic loss after the Sept. 4 incident, she said in the federal lawsuit filed in the US District Court in Brooklyn that seeks unspecified monetary damages. The 21-year-old had just played in a mixed doubles match when she returned to the locker room shortly after 10pm. Minutes later, she slipped and fell on the tile floor, slamming her head against the ground.
US track and field athletes have about four dozen pieces to choose from when assembling their uniforms at the Olympics. The one grabbing the most attention is a high-cut leotard that barely covers the bikini line and has triggered debate between those who think it is sexist and others who say they do not need the Internet to make sure they have good uniforms. Among those critical or laughing at the uniforms included Paralympian Femita Ayanbeku, sprinter Britton Wilson and even athletes from other countries such as Britain’s Abigail Irozuru, who wrote on social media: “Was ANY female athlete consulted in
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
Former US Masters champion Zach Johnson was left embarrassed after a foul-mouthed response to ironic cheers from spectators after a triple bogey at Augusta National on Friday. Johnson, the 2007 Masters winner, missed the cut after his three-over-par round of 75 left him on seven-over 151 for 36 holes, his six on the par-three 12th playing a big role in his downfall. Television footage showed Johnson reacting to sarcastic cheers and applause when he tapped in for the triple bogey by yelling: “Oh fuck off.” Such a response would be considered bad form in any golf tournament, but is particularly out of keeping
The sacred flame for the Paris Olympics was lit yesterday in Olympia, Greece, the birthplace of the ancient Games, in a ceremony inspired by antiquity and marked by messages of hope amid multiple global crises. “In ancient times, the Olympic Games brought together the Greek city states, even — and in particular — during times of war and conflict,” International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach said. “Today, the Olympic Games are the only event that brings the entire world together in peaceful competition. Then as now, the Olympic athletes are sending this powerful message — yes, it is possible to compete fiercely