SOCCER
Grieving Diarra to play
France coach Didier Deschamps on Monday said that his players had been moved by their grieving teammate Lassana Diarra’s decision to remain with the squad following the Paris terror attacks. Diarra’s cousin, Asta Diakite, who the Marseille midfielder described as “a big sister,” was one of the 129 people killed during the rolling attacks that struck Paris on Friday. However, he elected to remain with the squad preparing for yesterday’s friendly against England, along with teammate Antoine Griezmann, whose sister escaped the massacre at the Bataclan concert hall that left 89 people dead.
SOCCER
Draw behind closed doors
The draw for the next round of the French Cup is to be held behind closed doors following Friday’s deadly attacks in Paris. The seventh round of matches were called off last weekend as sport stopped following the horrific loss of life on Friday — 129 people are confirmed to have died. The French Football Federation (FFF) on Monday said that the postponed seventh round would now be played this weekend from Nov. 20 to Nov. 22. The aborted eighth round draw, which had been due to take place yesterday at the Vincennes hippodrome in the south east of Paris, will now be held today at the FFF headquarters, but will no longer be open to the public. The eighth-round matches will be played over the weekend of Dec. 5-6, after which the country’s Ligue 1 top-flight clubs will join the following round.
OLYMPICS
Oldest Olympian dies at 103
Guo Jie, a former Chinese discus thrower who was the world’s oldest surviving Olympian, has died. He was 103. The Xian Institute of Physical Education, where he had served as a coach and instructor, said Guo died on Sunday. Guo represented China in the discus at the 1936 Olympics in Berlin after setting a national record the year before. At the Berlin Games, he produced a personal best throw of 41.13m, but failed to make the final. Born in Dalian in 1912, Guo studied agricultural science and technology at Tokyo University. In the 1950s, he served as a coach and instructor at the physical education institute in Xian. Chinese Business View, a Xian newspaper, said that Guo had studied the health of the elderly after he retired. He also wrote a book about the role of aerobic exercise in preventing cardiovascular disease. Guo carried the Olympic torch during the relay through Xian ahead of the 2008 Beijing Games.
BOXING
Vitali Klitschko re-elected
Former world heavyweight boxing champion Vitali Klitschko has been re-elected mayor of Ukraine’s capital, Kiev, final results of a runoff vote showed on Monday. The 44-year-old — who is an ally of pro-Western Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko — won 66.5 percent of the vote in a second-round election on Sunday after failing to secure half the ballots cast in the first round. Klitschko — who was one of the most prominent leaders of the pro-Europe rallies that transformed Ukraine last year — beat Boryslav Bereza, a former member of the paramilitary ultra-nationalist group Pravy Sector, into second place. Klitschko was first elected mayor of the city of 3 million on a wave of hope in May last year following the ouster of Russian-backed Ukrainian president Viktor Yanukovych. While he still enjoys support as a sporting legend and pro-European, critics say he has failed to deliver on plans to redevelop the city’s aging Soviet infrastructure.
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