TOKYO OLYMPICS
Daylight savings mulled
The chief organizer yesterday appealed for Japan to introduce daylight saving time to reduce the effect of the extreme summer heat on athletes and spectators. “I want them to use the Olympics as a way to give a maximum push for the project,” former Japanese prime minister Yoshiro Mori said. However, critics say extending daylight hours risks people staying in the office longer. Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said it was just one proposal among many to mitigate the effects of the heat. “However, the measure would have a significant impact on the everyday lives of the Japanese people,” he said.
SOCCER
El Hadary retires at 45
Veteran Egyptian goalkeeper Essam El Hadary, 45, has retired from international duty, after breaking the record for oldest player to appear at a World Cup in Russia. “After reflecting at length and asking God, I have decided to retire from international football,” he wrote on Facebook late on Monday. El Hadary smashed Colombian stopper Faryd Mondragon’s record for oldest player at a World Cup when he took to the field against Saudi Arabia in Volgograd this summer. He managed to pull off an impressive penalty save in the final game against a player nearly half his age.
CYCLING
Bernal out of hospital
Team Sky rider Egan Bernal has been discharged from hospital after suffering a small bleed on the brain after a crash in the Clasica San Sebastian on Saturday, his team has said. Bernal, 21, was one of several riders from the peloton to collide with 20km left in the one-day stage race in Spain. “Egan will rest completely for at least three weeks after also suffering a small bleed on the brain during the crash,” Team Sky said. Dimension Data rider Ben King later apologized on Twitter for causing the accident. “It’s terrible when something like this affects yourself, but worse when it affects others,” King said. “I hope everybody is OK.”
SOCCER
Russia’s striker narrates app
Russia’s international striker Artem Dzyuba, who last month became a national hero for his World Cup performance in the country, is now the voice of a popular Yandex navigation service. Dzyuba recorded more than 120 phrases for the service that is used by 16 million motorists a month, Russian company Yandex said in a statement on Monday. “Wherever you travel to, I will be with you. I mean, my voice,” Dzyuba said.
FOOTBALL
Trainer kills linebacker’s dog
A five-year-old English bulldog that belonged to New England Patriots linebacker Jerod Mayo and has been missing since June was found dead inside the home of its trainer. The dog named Knox died in the custody of a trainer, the Rhode Island Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals said. Trainers hid the dog in a trash bag for two months while making it look like he ran away, was stolen or drowned, sending the family “on a wild goose hunt and our kids on an emotional roller coaster,” Mayo wrote on Instagram on Monday. The animal welfare group says the trainer is being charged by the Cranston Police Department.
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
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
Japanese players are moving to English soccer in record numbers and more look set to follow with clubs attracted by their quality, strong work ethic and value for money. Kaoru Mitoma is the standout talent of five Japanese players in the English Premier League, with eight more in the Championship and two in League One. Liverpool midfielder Wataru Endo, the captain of Japan, believes his compatriots are “being held in higher esteem” by English clubs compared with the past. “The staff at Liverpool ask me about lots of Japanese players, not necessarily with a view to a transfer, but just saying this or
Taiwan yesterday survived Bosnia and Herzegovina to win their Davis Cup World Group I tie at the Taipei Tennis Center. The tight series started on Saturday with world No. 123 Jason Tseng losing 3-6, 7-5, 6-4 to Mirza Basic in the opening singles matchup. However, teammate Tony Wu kept the tie even, dominating world No. 86 Damir Dzumhur 6-2, 6-1. Yesterday, 24-year-old Ray Ho and partner 25-year-old Hsu Yu-hsiou kept up the momentum, making short work of Basic and Nerman Fatic, winning 6-3, 6-4. Tseng then suffered another defeat, losing 6-4, 2-6, 6-2 to Dzumhur in a brutal match that lasted more than two