ATHLETICS
Marathon to punish cheaters
Shenzhen Half-Marathon organizers have vowed that 258 participants caught cheating during last weekend’s race would not be able to run away from punishment for their actions. As many as 18 runners found to wearing fake bibs, as well as three impostors, face lifetime bans from the event, Xinhua news agency reported yesterday. The 237 others, most of whom had taken shortcuts during the race and were caught out by traffic cameras and local photographers, could be banned for two years. “We deeply regret the violations that occurred during the event. Marathon running is not simply exercise, it is a metaphor for life, and every runner is responsible for him or herself,” Xinhua quoted organizers as saying. News of the cheating has caused outrage in China, prompting the People’s Daily to urge runners to “respect the marathon and respect sporting spirit” in an editorial. A sharp rise in the number of events in the past few years and mass participation has also been blamed for the problem. China has held 1,072 marathons and road races this year, up from 22 in 2011, Xinhua said, quoting figures from the Chinese Athletic Association.
BASEBALL
London games to be pricey
Major League Baseball is charging princely prices for its first games in Britain. Premium seats at London’s Olympic Stadium are to cost £385 (US$492) for next year’s games between the New York Yankees and World Series champions the Boston Red Sox on June 29 and June 30. The top non-premium seats near the infield are to cost £320 and seats in the outfield corners are to go for £270 and £220, a chart on Ticketmaster’s Web site showed. Seats behind the outfield fences are to go for £120, while those in the second deck range from £30 to £270. A presale for Yankees and Red Sox season ticket holders starts today and a presale for those who have preregistered begins on Monday. The general sale date is Thursday next week. Site of the 2012 Olympics, the stadium in East London was extensively remodeled for soccer club West Ham United, who starting playing there in the 2016-2017 season. West Ham charge £55 to £80 for category A Premier League matches this season, with discounts for club members and lower prices for category B and C matches.
SOCCER
Thailand detains refugee
A former Bahrain national team player who was given refugee status in Australia after fleeing political repression has been detained in Bangkok, rights groups said yesterday. Hakeem Alaraibi was arrested in 2012 and convicted two years later in absentia as part of a government crackdown on Arab Spring-inspired protests. Alaraibi, who said he was playing in a match during the alleged crime, was last year granted refugee status in Australia, where he has played for semi-professional club Pascoe Vale, the Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy said. However, he was detained at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport on Tuesday during a personal trip, said rights groups, which feared he would be sent back to Bahrain. Human Rights Watch senior Thailand researcher Sunai Phasuk said that “under no circumstances” should Alaraibi be handed over to Bahrain. “Hakeem is a refugee accepted by Australia, so Thailand should do the right thing by sending him back to Australia on the next flight,” he said.
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
Roger Federer on Wednesday said that staying involved with tennis in retirement helped him avoid feeling “like an alien” ahead of this week’s Laver Cup in Berlin. Federer, who helped create the tournament, retired at the Laver Cup in London two years ago and has since stayed involved with the competition as an ambassador. “I’m happy I went back right away to some tournaments,” the 43-year-old told reporters. “I feel I ripped the Band-Aid off quite quickly and when I walk around the tennis sites I still feel I belong there,” he said. “I don’t feel like an alien, which is 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