GOLF
Yani Tseng to get top award
The world’s No. 1 female golfer, Yani Tseng (曾雅妮), was unanimously selected as one of 10 Taiwanese to receive the country’s Outstanding Young Persons award this year, Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng (王金平), who heads the selection committee, announced yesterday. The 22-year-old golfer’s hard work, diligence and emotional control have contributed to her success, Wang said. He added that she projects elegance and good posture on the golf course. Tseng’s father, Tseng Mao-hsin (曾茂炘), said at the news conference where the announcement was made that his daughter was very happy to be selected for the award, but would not be able to attend the award ceremony because she was busy with her training in the US. However, she is expected to give an acceptance speech via teleconferencing.
RUGBY WORLD CUP
Jesus painted as All Black
A New Zealand cathedral has taken the country’s devotion to its national rugby team to a new level, exhibiting a painting depicting Jesus as an All Black. The work by artist Don Little, painted in the style of a Russian Orthodox icon, shows a haloed Jesus wearing an All Blacks jersey as he dispenses blessings while clutching a white rugby ball. The painting went on display this week at St Paul’s Anglican Cathedral in Wellington and sold within a few days to an Australian collector. Cathedral dean the Very Reverend Frank Nelson, said: “Central to Christian belief is that God became a human being in this world ... he happened to do that 2,000 years ago in Palestine. What intrigues me about this, and what I want people to think about, is that if it were to happen today, why should he not be an All Black?”
RUGBY WORLD CUP
Aussie, Kiwi rivalry sours
Rugby World Cup chief Martin Snedden yesterday described New Zealanders’ treatment of Australian fans as “disappointing,” after fierce trans-Tasman rivalries took on a spiteful edge. Australian fans complained of being spat on and abused when the Wallabies slumped to a shock defeat against Ireland in Auckland last weekend, identifying New Zealanders, not traveling Irish fans, as the culprits. Snedden told the Sydney Morning Herald: “The overwhelming response [in New Zealand] has been one of welcoming and supporting the visiting teams and their fans. If some visiting Wallaby fans have not been welcomed this way, we would be very disappointed.”
RUGBY WORLD CUP
Tindall’s royal wife surprises
Zara Phillips has made a surprise arrival in New Zealand, but has yet to see her husband, England center Mike Tindall, the New Zealand Herald reported yesterday. The granddaughter of Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II was pictured at an evening charity event for the CatWalk Spinal Cord Injury Trust in Auckland. The newspaper said that Phillips made no mention of the headlines that followed her husband’s boozy night out in Queenstown after the game against Argentina. She told the audience: “Hopefully there will be an All Blacks-England Final.” Phillips, 30, who married Tindall less than two months ago in Edinburgh, had not been due in New Zealand for two more weeks, but brought forward her trip, the newspaper reported. Tindall has not spoken publicly since he and other members of the England team were caught on security cameras in a bar during their night out, celebrating the win over Argentina in their opening World Cup match.
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
Taiwanese badminton superstar Lee Yang broke down in tears after publicly retiring from the sport on Sunday. The two-time Olympic gold medalist held a retirement ceremony at the Taipei Arena after the final matches of the Taipei Open. Accompanied by friends, family and former badminton partners, Lee burst into tears while watching a video celebrating key moments in his professional sporting career that also featured messages from international players such as Malaysia’s Teo Ee Yi, Hong Kong’s Tang Chun-man, and Indonesia’s Mohammad Ahsan and Hendra Setiawan. “I hope that in the future when the world thinks about me, they will
If all goes well when the biggest marathon field ever gathered in Australia races 42km through the streets of Sydney on Sunday, World Marathon Majors (WMM) will soon add a seventh race to the elite series. The Sydney Marathon is to become the first race since Tokyo in 2013 to join long-established majors in New York, London, Boston, Berlin and Chicago if it passes the WMM assessment criteria for the second straight year. “We’re really excited for Sunday to arrive,” race director Wayne Larden told a news conference in Sydney yesterday. “We’re prepared, we’re ready. All of our plans look good on
When details from a scientific experiment that could have helped clear Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva landed at the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), the leader of the organization’s reaction was unequivocal: “We have to stop that urgently,” he wrote. No mention of the test ever became public and Valieva’s defense at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) went on without it. What effect the information could have had on Valieva’s case is unclear, but without it, the skater, then 15 years old, was eventually disqualified from the 2022 Winter Olympics after testing positive for a banned heart medication that would later
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