BOXING
Foreman challenges Seagal
Former heavyweight champion George Foreman has challenged big-screen tough guy Steven Seagal to a real-life fight. Foreman, 68, posted a picture of 65-year-old Seagal on Twitter on Monday, writing: “I challenge you One on one, I use boxing you can use whatever. 10 rounds in Vegas.” When fans asked Foreman on Twitter why he wanted to fight Seagal, Foreman replied that the martial artist “really can fight” and is big enough to defend himself. Foreman first won the heavyweight title in 1973 and again in 1994. Seagal made headlines last week for saying that NFL players kneeling during the national anthem were a “joke” and an “outrage.” A representative for Seagal on Tuesday told reporters that the star did not want to comment on Foreman’s offer.
FOOTBALL
Anheuser-Busch backs NFL
One of the NFL’s largest advertisers is taking feedback from consumers about national anthem protests, but stands by its sponsorship of the league. More than 200 players kneeled or sat during the anthem after US President Donald Trump’s criticism last month regarding such protests. The move by the players prompted a backlash from some fans. Anheuser-Busch on Monday started giving callers to its consumer hotline the automated option of leaving feedback about its NFL corporate sponsorship. The company signed a six-year deal with the NFL in 2015. Anheuser-Busch spokesman Matt Kohan said the company supports the military and employs 1,100 veterans, but also believes “in the power of sport to bring people together and overcome their differences.” He said the company has no plans to end its NFL sponsorship.
ICE HOCKEY
Sabres, Eichel sign contract
The Buffalo Sabres have reached an agreement to sign their franchise player, Jack Eichel, to an NHL-maximum eight-year, US$80 million contract. The team on Tuesday night announced the signing on Twitter in a deal reached two days before Buffalo host the Montreal Canadiens in the season opener. Eichel is entering the final year of his three-year entry-level contract and is only eligible to become a restricted free agent next summer. The deal was reached after talks had cooled for much of the past six weeks. In averaging US$10 million per season, Eichel ties Los Angeles Kings star Anze Kopitar on the NHL list of annual average salaries.
SOCCER
FIFA punishes African teams
FIFA has punished numerous African nations for offenses during qualifiers last month for next year’s World Cup, the world soccer body said on Tuesday. Among the penalties, Gabon forfeited by a mandatory 3-0 score a match against Ivory Coast in Libreville for fielding suspended midfielder Merlin Tandjigora. However, Gabon lost the match 3-0, so the punishment effectively amounted to a US$6,200 fine. Nigeria were fined US$30,000 after spectators invaded the pitch in Uyo, Nigeria, during a 4-0 triumph over Cameroon. The Democratic Republic of the Congo must pay US$20,000 after the crowd hurled bottles and set off incendiary devices during a 2-2 draw with Tunisia in Kinshasa. The fines are a serious blow, as most African national associations struggle financially, with many relying on government bailouts for survival.
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
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
Taiwanese gymnast Lee Chih-kai failed to secure an Olympic berth in the pommel horse following a second-place finish at the last qualifier in Doha on Friday, a performance that Lee and his coach called “unconvincing.” The Tokyo Olympics silver medalist finished runner-up in the final after scoring 6.6 for degree of difficulty and 8.800 for execution for a combined score of 15.400. That was just 0.100 short of Jordan’s Ahmad Abu Al Soud, who had qualified for the event in Paris before the Apparatus World Cup series in Qatar’s capital. After missing the final rounds in the first two of four qualifier