■ Australia
Reveler falls off street sign
A South Korean soccer fan was in critical condition yesterday after falling off a street sign while celebrating his country's victory over Togo in the World Cup, police said. The case prompted police to warn revelers to tone it down. The 25-year-old man, whose identity was not released, was among around 5,000 fans who flooded downtown Sydney early yesterday after watching South Korea bring home a 2-1 victory over Togo. The man climbed on top of a street sign, but fell heavily to the pavement, police said. Police administered first aid to the man until an ambulance arrived and to took him to Sydney's Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, where he was placed on life support.
■ Scotland
England followers at risk: fan
Scottish First Minister Jack McConnell has stoked anti-English racism by refusing to support the England team playing at the World Cup in Germany, an England fan charged in remarks published yesterday. Allan Robinson, 44, accused McConnell of putting English people living in Scotland at risk, after Robinson's windows were smashed because he was displaying the St. George's flag, the Times reported. Police said that they were investigating an "act of vandalism" on Robinson's home in Coatbridge in which three windows were smashed during the opening game of the tournament last Friday. Asked last month whether he would be supporting England, McConnell said: "No, I will not. Scotland is not there and that's disappointing. And there are people who think that as First Minister I should automatically support England instead. But football is not about politics, so I will not be."
■ Thailand
Boisterous fans shot dead
Thai police are searching for a gunman who shot and killed two soccer fans at a beach resort after complaining they were cheering too loudly during a broadcast of Italy's World Cup opener against Ghana, officials said yesterday. The two men, both Thais, were watching Italy's 2-0 win over Ghana at a restaurant on Monday at the Thai beach resort town of Pattaya, and erupted in roars when Italy scored its first goal, said Panipha Wattakul, a girlfriend of one of the victims. A man seated at a nearby table asked them to quiet down, prompting a heated argument during which the man pulled out a handgun and shot the soccer fans at point blank range, said colonel Somnuek Chanket, the Pattaya police chief. The victims were identified as Chamlong Rongsaeng, 30, and Somnuek Sonkun, 41. Police know the identity of the gunman, who fled after the shooting, Somnuek said.
■ Brunei
All bets are off, police insist
Police are boosting patrols in public meeting places to prevent soccer fans from gambling, drinking alcohol or disturbing the peace during World Cup broadcasts, a news report said yesterday. People caught placing bets on World Cup matches face a maximum one-year prison sentence and a fine under laws that make gambling illegal, Peng Ang Lee, director of the police criminal investigation department, was quoted as saying by the Borneo Bulletin newspaper. Authorities will also fan out across coffee shops and outdoor restaurants to arrest "undesirable elements that turn wild, creating noise or bringing alcoholic drinks to watch the matches," the daily reported.
Transgender athletes are to have an ally in the White House next week, as they seek to participate as their identified gender in high school and college sports — although state legislatures, the US Congress and the courts are all expected to have their say this year, too. Attorneys on both sides say they expect US president-elect Joe Biden’s Department of Education to switch sides in two key legal battles — one in Connecticut, the other in Idaho — that could go a long way in determining whether transgender athletes are treated by the sex on their birth certificates or by
Fickle winds produced farcical scenes yesterday on day two of the America’s Cup challenger series in Auckland, as the so-called “flying” yachts spent almost as much time in the water as above it. “I’m not sure today is a really accurate read because it’s so puffy, it’s shifty,” British sailing legend Ben Ainslie said after his Ineos Team UK maintained their perfect start to the Prada Cup series with a third straight win. The series would determine which of the 23m yachts — which fly above the water balanced on hi-tech foil arms — would challenge defending champion Team New Zealand for
DOUBLE VISION: The men’s duo of Lee Yang and Wang Chi-lin downed the South Korean pairing of Choi Sol-gyu and Seo Seung-jae to secure their place in the final Taiwan’s Tai Tzu-ying yesterday easily defeated Mia Blichfeldt in her women’s singles match to advance to the finals of the Yonex Thailand Open in Bangkok, while Chou Tien-chen crashed out of the tournament. Tai quickly ousted world No. 18 Blicheldt, of Denmark, in 34 minutes, winning 21-8, 23-21. The world No. 1 today must overcome Olympic champion Carolina Marin of Spain, who took down An Se-young of South Korea yesterday 21-18, 21-16. In men’s singles, Taiwan’s Chou fell to Hong Kong’s Angus Ng Ka Long after a tough 66 minutes of play. While Chou, the world No. 2, bested Ng in the first set,
DOUBLES VICTORY: The men’s doubles pairing of Taiwanese Lee Yang and Wang Chi-lin downed Malaysians Ong Yew Sin and Teo Ee Yi, and face South Koreans today Men’s badminton world No. 2 Chou Tien-chen yesterday marched into the semi-finals of the Thailand Open, defeating younger opponent Lee Zii-jia 21-17, 21-15 after a rally, while Tai Tzu-ying had no trouble getting past her Canadian opponent in the women’s singles. The top male Taiwanese credited calm and focus in securing his win after briefly falling behind against his 22-year-old Malaysian opponent. “I think I had more patience against him and I won most of the long rallies,” the 31-year-old Chou said of Lee. “He wanted to attack [too much] and maybe he lost some focus,” Chou said. In today’s semi-finals, second-seeded Chou faces
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