BADMINTON
Taiwan beat HK to advance
Taiwan on Tuesday advanced to the knockout stages of the Thomas Cup after defeating Hong Kong 4-1 in Group C, while top-seeded China defeated India 5-0 for a third straight Group A win. China’s star-studded team, which featured two former No. 1 players, Chen Long and Lin Dan, is to have a rest day before the quarter-finals today. France finished runners-up in Group A after a 5-0 win over Australia to join China in the last eight. In Group D, defending champions Denmark also booked a place in the quarter-finals after a 5-0 win over Russia. In Group C, Japan also advanced after a 4-1 win over Germany. In the Uber Cup, China beat Malaysia 4-1 and Indonesia defeated France 5-0 to secure quarter-final berths. Japan also advanced, despite having their last match against India in Group A yesterday.
FOOTBALL
Owners mull anthem penalty
NFL club owners are considering potential 15-yard penalties for kneeling during the US national anthem among ways of coping with a backlash over player protests, Sports Illustrated reported on Tuesday. According to a story on the magazine’s Web site, owners set aside three hours to talk about the anthem issue. Ideas to handle players kneeling during the anthem included allowing home teams to decide if players should be out of the locker room during the pregame rendition of The Star-Spangled Banner. If players are on the sideline, then 15-yard penalties could be imposed on teams with players who kneel during the anthem.
RUGBY UNION
Black Ferns get contracts
New Zealand Rugby (NZR) yesterday unveiled the first professional contracts for the world champion Black Ferns women’s team, calling them “a step forward” for the game. It said 28 female players received contracts and another two would be awarded later this year. It means team members would not only be paid for their efforts for the first time, but also receive elite-level training, as well as nutritional and career development support. The Black Ferns have been crowned world champions five times, twice more than their famed male equivalents, the All Blacks. There were calls for change after their most recent Women’s Rugby World Cup final win, 41-32 against England in Ireland last year. Not only were their opponents fully professional, but the Black Ferns had to make the long flight back to New Zealand in economy class, while male national and Super Rugby teams travel in business class.
SOCCER
Unai Emery to coach Arsenal
Arsenal yesterday named Spaniard Unai Emery as their first new manager in 22 years following Arsene Wenger’s departure. The club’s Web site said the 46-year-old would join as head coach, having spent the past two years at Paris Saint-Germain. Announcing the appointment, Arsenal chief executive Ivan Gazidis said: “Unai has an outstanding track record of success throughout his career, has developed some of the best young talent in Europe and plays an exciting, progressive style of football that fits Arsenal perfectly... His hard-working and passionate approach and his sense of values on and off the pitch make him the ideal person to take us forward.”
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
Rafael Nadal on Wednesday said the upcoming French Open would be the moment to “give everything and die” on the court after his comeback from injury in Barcelona was curtailed by Alex de Minaur. The 22-time Grand Slam title winner, back playing this week after three months on the sidelines, battled well, but eventually crumbled 7-5, 6-1 against the world No. 11 from Australia in the second round. Nadal, 37, who missed virtually all of last season, is hoping to compete at the French Open next month where he is the record 14-time champion. The Spaniard said the clash with De Minaur was
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