BASEBALL
Tokyo beat Taipei
Kengo Tomita hit two home runs and Tokyo beat Taipei 7-5 on Friday night in the Little League World Series opener for both teams in South Williamsport, Pennsylvania. Shingo Tomita led off the game with a home run to right-center for Japan, and Kengo Tomita made it 2-0 with his first homer. Kengo Tomita’s second home run, a solo shot in fifth, gave Japan a four-run lead. Kengo Tomita also singled in Japan’s four-run second inning.Yen Cheng-yu hit a two-run home run for Taiwan in the sixth. Japan are to play Mexico in a winners’ bracket game today. Taiwan were to face Canada yesterday.
BASKETBALL
Jordan awarded US$8.9m
NBA legend Michael Jordan was awarded US$8.9 million by a Chicago jury on Friday in a case against a supermarket chain which included his name in a promotion without his permission. “I’m pleased with today’s verdict,” Jordan said in a statement. “No one — whether or not they’re a public figure — should have to worry about their identity being used without their permission.” Dominick’s in 2009 used Jordan’s name in a commemorative ad in Sports Illustrated when the former Chicago Bulls superstar was inducted into the Hall of Fame. Lawyers for the now-closed grocery store chain — which was taken over by Safeway — had said Jordan should receive US$126,900 for the unauthorized use of his name. Jordan argued that he would not have accepted such a deal based on his endorsement history and his legal team determined with the help of a sports economist that using his name in the ad was worth US$10 million.
FOOTBALL
Griffin out with concussion
Washington Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin III faces a spell on the sidelines after being concussed in a pre-season victory over the Detroit Lions, it was confirmed on Friday. Griffin left the game in the second quarter of the Redskins’ 21-17 win on Thursday after suffering a torrid time at the hands of Detroit’s defense. Redskins head coach Jay Gruden said it was unclear how long Griffin would be out of action, or whether he would recover in time for next Saturday’s pre-season game against the Baltimore Ravens. “We’ll have to see,” Gruden said. “I would imagine, depending on how long he is out, he is still going to be our starter. We have to wait and go through the whole process and see how he recovers; see how fast he recovers. I have no idea as far as the third pre-season game, fourth one, right now.” A Redskins executive official told ESPN on Friday Griffin was “fine” and could be fit to face the Ravens next week. “But [we] still need to make sure he is right,” the official added.
OLYMPICS
Los Angeles grants powers
The president of the Los Angeles City Council has introduced a motion to give Mayor Eric Garcetti broad authority to negotiate a deal to host the 2024 Olympics. The Los Angeles Times reported that the motion would give Garcetti and council president Herb Wesson the authority to sign a legally binding agreement with the US Olympic Committee. The agreement would allow the city to enter into a contract with the International Olympic Committee in two years. The newspaper reports that the council could vote on the motion as soon as next week. If Los Angeles becomes the US candidate for the 2024 Olympics after Boston’s recent drop from contention, a mayor’s adviser says the organizers’ proposed budget for the Summer Games would be US$4.1 billion.
The New Taipei Kings claimed the inaugural Taiwan Professional Basketball League (TPBL) championship on Sunday, defeating the Kaohsiung FamilyMart Aquas 108-89 in the final. Playing at home, the Kings pulled ahead with Jeremy Lin’s (林書豪) clutch three-pointers, securing their victory over the Aquas in the TPBL final. The Kings came out strong in the first quarter, dominating to build a 35-18 lead. By halftime, they had stretched their advantage to 61-38. In the third quarter, the Aquas narrowed the deficit to 12 points, but Lin stepped up, sinking several tough three- pointers to extend the lead. In the final quarter, the Kings pushed the
In an unlikely Ethiopian outpost of one the most French of pastimes, four men are leaning over their petanque balls, arguing over who is winning. Petanque, the bowling game also known as boules, is more readily associated with French village squares where locals launch metal balls at a jack while enjoying an afternoon drink, but for decades, it has also been a beloved pastime for members of a club near the iconic Meskel Square in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa. It was founded in the early 20th century to cater to French railway workers, who built a line connecting Addis Ababa
SEMI-FINAL SWEEP: Taiwanese are to take up all four berths in the men’s doubles semi-finals, while three Taiwanese women’s doubles pairings secured spots Taiwan’s badminton ace Chou Tien-chen stayed hot as he secured a semi-final berth in the men’s singles at the US Open at Council Bluffs, Iowa, on Friday. Chou entered the Super 300 tournament as the top seed and breezed past Victor Lai of Canada 21-19, 21-8 in 37 minutes, advancing to the semi-finals for the second straight tournament. Earlier this month, the 35-year-old veteran finished runner-up at the Indonesia Open, becoming the oldest male shuttler to reach a Super 1000-level final. He was set to face Ayush Shetty of India last night after press time for a spot in the final. Meanwhile, 22-year-old Taiwanese
Spain are the favorites to win the UEFA Women’s Euro 2025, but star player Aitana Bonmati’s illness ahead of the tournament raises another question mark around a side which, despite their obvious quality, are not unstoppable. Having claimed the last two Ballon d’Or awards, Barcelona midfielder Bonmati is the game’s biggest star at present, so her absence in the final days before the start of Euro 2025 is a major setback. The 27-year-old came down with a fever in training last week, and was subsequently hospitalized and diagnosed with viral meningitis. Bonmati was discharged on Sunday and joined up with
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