ATHLETICS
Taiwanese qualify for Rio
Two Taiwanese athletes, Chen Jie and Hsiang Chun-hsien, on Wednesday qualified for next year’s Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games. Chen, who represented Taiwan at the 2012 London Olympics, added to his many accomplishments by breaking the national record for the men’s 400m hurdles at this year’s National Games in Kaohsiung. Chen clocked a time of 49.05 seconds, beating the Olympic-qualifying standard of 49.40 seconds. Hsiang broke the national high-jump record for the fourth time this year by clearing 2.29m, shattering his own record of 2.28m, qualifying him for an Olympic berth.
SOCCER
Referee alleges fix
A Spanish assistant referee has made a formal complaint to anti-corruption authorities, claiming he was pressured into favoring Real Madrid in next month’s El Clasico against Barcelona by Spanish top flight La Liga’s refereeing committee. In a court filing published by Spanish radio station COPE on Wednesday, the official, who did not want to reveal his identity, claims pressure was put on a senior referee who is expected to take charge of the match on Nov. 21 to handle the game in a manner that would “prejudice the interests of one of the clubs involved, Barcelona.” It is alleged that the referee in question then contacted the complainant to request he make the more difficult decisions in the match, as the referee’s performance is subject to more scrutiny by the media. Moreover, the complainant alleges he also received a telephone call from a senior member of the referees’ committee advising him it would be “intelligent” to follow the instructions for the progression of his career.
SOCCER
Beckenbauer added to probe
FIFA on Wednesday lifted a new corner of its veil of secrecy by revealing that German great Franz Beckenbauer and FIFA vice president Maria Villar Llona have been investigated. It said inquiries against the two are in the hands of the FIFA ethics committee. The two were on a list of 11 names — including suspended FIFA president Sepp Blatter and UEFA president Michel Platini — who the ethics committee said have been or are the target of inquiries.
TENNIS
Lucic-Baroni advances
Mirjana Lucic-Baroni of Croatia defeated third seed Sara Errani of Italy 6-3, 6-4 on Wednesday to reach the quarter-finals of the Luxembourg Open. In an all-German battle, Mona Barthel edged Tatjana Maria 6-3, 2-6, 6-2 to join Lucic-Baroni in the quarters. In first-round action, two more Germans faced each other, with Anna-Lena Friedsam beating eighth seed Annika Beck 4-6, 6-3, 6-4. Anna Tatishvili of the US beat Oceane Dodin of France 7-6 (7/5), 6-3, while Kirsten Flipkens of Belgium beat Madison Brengle of the US 6-4, 6-3.
TENNIS
Baghdatis ousts Tomic
Marcos Baghdatis of Cyprus upset fourth seed Bernard Tomic of Australia 7-6 (9/7), 6-3 on Wednesday to advance to the Stockholm Open quarter-finals. Baghdatis, who won the tournament in 2009, said he had used his “brain a lot” against Tomic. “You need to be smart on court and not hurry too much,” Baghdatis said. “I think I did it very well.” Baghdatis next faces eighth seed Gilles Muller of Luxembourg, who defeated John Millman of Australia 7-5, 6-3. Seventh seed Jack Sock served 10 aces on his way to the quarters with a 7-6 (7/5), 6-7 (5/7), 6-4 win over Spain’s Fernando Verdasco.
Bayer 04 Leverkusen go into today’s match at TSG 1899 Hoffenheim stung from their first league defeat in 16 months. Leverkusen were beaten 3-2 at home by RB Leipzig before the international break, the first loss since May last year for the reigning league and cup champions. While any defeat, particularly against a likely title rival, would have disappointed coach Xabi Alonso, the way in which it happened would be most concerning. Just as they did in the Supercup against VfB Stuttgart and in the league opener to Borussia Moenchengladbach, Leverkusen scored first, but were pegged back. However, while Leverkusen rallied late to
If all goes well when the biggest marathon field ever gathered in Australia races 42km through the streets of Sydney on Sunday, World Marathon Majors (WMM) will soon add a seventh race to the elite series. The Sydney Marathon is to become the first race since Tokyo in 2013 to join long-established majors in New York, London, Boston, Berlin and Chicago if it passes the WMM assessment criteria for the second straight year. “We’re really excited for Sunday to arrive,” race director Wayne Larden told a news conference in Sydney yesterday. “We’re prepared, we’re ready. All of our plans look good on
The lights dimmed and the crowd hushed as Karoline Kristensen entered for her performance. However, this was no ordinary Dutch theater: The temperature was 80°C and the audience naked apart from a towel. Dressed in a swimsuit and to the tune of emotional music, the 21-year-old Kristensen started her routine, performed inside a large sauna, with a bed of hot rocks in the middle. For a week this month, a group of wellness practitioners, called “sauna masters,” are gathering at a picturesque health resort in the Netherlands to compete in this year’s Aufguss world sauna championships. The practice takes its name from a
When details from a scientific experiment that could have helped clear Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva landed at the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), the leader of the organization’s reaction was unequivocal: “We have to stop that urgently,” he wrote. No mention of the test ever became public and Valieva’s defense at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) went on without it. What effect the information could have had on Valieva’s case is unclear, but without it, the skater, then 15 years old, was eventually disqualified from the 2022 Winter Olympics after testing positive for a banned heart medication that would later