Former Olympic basketball player Sui Feifei caused an internet storm at the weekend by wearing a trendy Ed Hardy tracksuit top featuring the Japanese flag when collecting her Chinese Coach of the Year award.
Sui, coach to the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) team and technically a serving officer in China’s military, provoked the ire of nationalists after being pictured in the designer top at the Women’s Chinese Basketball Association awards in Jiangsu. “Fire Sui Feifei! A PLA wearing a Japanese sweater!” one poster wrote on sports.cn.yahoo.com.
“She has to realize that she is a PLA officer. It is unacceptable for her to wear such a sweater in a public place. This is a very sensitive issue for many people,” the poster wrote.
Japan invaded and occupied much of China between 1931 and 1945. Rancor over wartime atrocities has subsided somewhat as a diplomatic flashpoint, but it continues to shape public attitudes in towards Japan.
Last month, the head of the country’s top sports university said China must urgently address the physical fitness of the nation’s youth or run the risk of raising a generation incapable of fighting the Japanese in a future war.
What athletes wear on national duty is also sensitive, as curler Wang Fengchun discovered when he was wore a US team cap with his Chinese uniform on the way home from the Winter Olympics.
His sacking was compounded by the offense, officials said.
Taiwan’s top women’s badminton doubles duo, Hsieh Pei-shan (謝沛珊) and Hung En-tzu (洪恩慈), achieved a straight-sets victory over Japan’s Kaho Osawa and Mayui Tanabe at the Badminton World Federation (BWF) Super 300 Macau Open on Sunday. The Taiwanese pair won the final 21-18, 21-12, marking the duo’s second title this year after their win at the BWF Super 300 Taipei Open in May. The match on Sunday was their first encounter with the Japanese duo, ranked No. 63 in the world. Hsieh and Hung, ranked No. 12, began the opening game well. Hung, who plays left-handed, performed strongly at both the net and the
Canadian teenager Victoria Mboko upset top-seeded Coco Gauff 6-1, 6-4 on Saturday night to reach the National Bank Open quarter-finals. “Your support was incredible,” Mboko told the crowd in French after a chorus of “Ole, Ole, Ole” chants echoed around the venue. “I’m really happy to win today ... It’s incredible. I’m so happy to beat such a great champion.” Gauff dropped to 2-3 since winning the French Open. She followed the major victory with opening losses in Berlin and Wimbledon, then overcame double-fault problems to win two three-set matches in Montreal. Gauff had five double-faults on Saturday after having 23 in
Jobe Bellingham on Tuesday admitted to having “anxieties” on following in brother Jude’s footsteps after joining Borussia Dortmund in the summer. Jobe Bellingham, 19, is two years younger than Jude Bellingham, who joined Real Madrid in 2023 after three years at Dortmund. A centerpiece of the England national team, Jude Bellingham has emerged as one of the best players in the world in recent seasons. The younger Jobe Bellingham joined Dortmund in June from Sunderland after their promotion to the English Premier League. He admitted he understood what the perception would be ahead of the move to Germany. “It’s something you do think about.
Before Tuesday’s 7-2 win at the Atlanta Braves, Milwaukee Brewers manager Pat Murphy suggested “most people couldn’t tell you five players on our team.” A look at the standings would indicate more Brewers players soon will be recognized by more fans. After all, it is difficult to overlook a team that not only continues to extend their lead in the National League Central, but also boasts the best record in the majors. “What we’re doing in here right now is special,” right-handed pitcher Freddy Peralta said after allowing only four hits and one run in five innings, while setting a career high with
RSS