Fri, Sep 23, 2011 page19

• SPORTS BRIEFS

  • Agencies
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  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.
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