GYMNASTICS
USOC to pursue disbanding
The US Olympic Committee (USOC) on Wednesday said it would press ahead with plans to disband USA Gymnastics after the organization refused to give up its status as the sport’s governing body. USOC earlier this month announced that Olympic chiefs had begun proceedings to decertify USA Gymnastics, accusing it of failing to grapple with reforms after the Larry Nassar sexual abuse scandal. USOC said in a statement that USA Gymnastics had responded to the decision in a letter. “In that letter they did not choose to relinquish recognition as a national governing body and instead asked a series of questions that relate to the matter and the Section 8 hearing process,” USOC chief executive Sarah Hirshland said. Section 8 is the USOC bylaw that sets out the rules regarding a national governing body being decertified. USOC said there was no fixed time frame for the process. “At minimum, we expect it will take several weeks, perhaps a few months,” Hirshland said.
SOCCER
FIFA gets 0.4% of request
A US judge has awarded FIFA just 0.4 percent of the US$28 million it requested in restitution after a New York corruption trial ended in guilty verdicts for two defendants. District Judge Pamela Chen, who presided over the six-week trial last year, on Tuesday issued a 32-page ruling that took FIFA to task for its “wildly excessive” and “patently frivolous” requests for legal fees. Of the approximately US$28 million that FIFA requested in the form of attorneys’ fees and investigative expenses, she awarded FIFA US$108,267.80.
SOCCER
Ireland manager resigns
Martin O’Neill on Wednesday stepped down as Republic of Ireland manager with a “heavy heart” after five years at the helm following a dismal run of results that resulted in relegation in the UEFA Nations League. The former Celtic and Leicester City boss, who replaced Giovanni Trapattoni in November 2013, left his post by mutual consent, with assistant manager Roy Keane also parting company with the Football Association of Ireland. O’Neill guided his team to the last 16 at Euro 2016 and oversaw famous victories over Germany and Italy during his 55 games in charge. He also led the side to the playoffs for this year’s World Cup in Russia. Despite his achievements, O’Neill has endured a miserable run — Ireland have won just one of their nine games this year, a victory against the US in June. The poor run of results culminated in a 0-0 draw against Denmark on Monday in Aarhus. The side have not found the net since Sept. 11.
MMA
Berdon arrested for assault
Honolulu police arrested mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter Arnold Berdon on charges of attempted murder after he allegedly punched his wife and fellow fighter in the head, face and ribs, fracturing her eye socket. Rachael Ostovich Berdon filed a request for a temporary restraining order, alleging he punched her on Sunday after a night out with family. She said she fell to the ground, gasped for air and escaped through a balcony. Her representative, Brian Butler-Au, said on social media that Ostovich Berdon would not compete in a Ultimate Fighting Championship bout against Paige VanZant on Jan. 19 because of her injuries. Arnold Berdon was in custody on Wednesday after turning himself in.
RECORD DEFEAT: The Shanghai-based ‘Oriental Sports Daily’ said the drubbing was so disastrous, and taste so bitter, that all that is left is ‘numbness’ Chinese soccer fans and media rounded on the national team yesterday after they experienced fresh humiliation in a 7-0 thrashing to rivals Japan in their opening Group C match in the third phase of Asian qualifying for the 2026 World Cup. The humiliation in Saitama on Thursday against Asia’s top-ranked team was China’s worst defeat in World Cup qualifying and only a goal short of their record 8-0 loss to Brazil in 2012. Chinese President Xi Jinping once said he wanted China to host and even win the World Cup one day, but that ambition looked further away than ever after a
Crowds descended on the home of 17-year-old Chinese diver Quan Hongchan after she won two golds at the Paris Olympics while gymnast Zhang Boheng hid in a Beijing airport toilet to escape overzealous throngs of fans. They are just two recent examples of what state media are calling “toxic fandom” and Chinese authorities have vowed to crack down on it. Some of the adulation toward China’s sports stars has been more sinister — fans obsessing over athletes’ personal lives, cyberbullying opponents or slamming supposedly crooked judges. Experts say it mirrors the kind of behavior once reserved for entertainment celebrities before
‘KHELIFMANIA’: In the weeks since the Algerian boxer won gold in Paris, national enthusiasm is inspiring newfound interest in the sport, particularly among women In the weeks since Algeria’s Imane Khelif won an Olympic gold medal in women’s boxing, athletes and coaches in the North African nation say national enthusiasm is inspiring newfound interest in the sport, particularly among women. Khelif’s image is practically everywhere, featured in advertisements at airports, on highway billboards and in boxing gyms. The 25-year-old welterweight’s success in Paris has vaulted her to national hero status, especially after Algerians rallied behind her in the face of uninformed speculation about her gender and eligibility to compete. Amateur boxer Zougar Amina, a medical student who has been practicing for a year, called Khelif an
GOING GLOBAL: The regular season fixture is part of the football league’s increasingly ambitious plans to spread the sport to international destinations The US National Football League (NFL) breaks new ground in its global expansion strategy tomorrow when the Philadelphia Eagles and Green Bay Packers face off in the first-ever grid-iron game staged in Brazil. For one night only, the land of Pele and ‘The Beautiful Game’ will get a rare glimpse into the bone-crunching world of American football as the Packers and Eagles collide at Sao Paulo’s Neo Quimica Arena, the 46,000-seat home of soccer club Corinthians. The regular season fixture is part of the NFL’s increasingly ambitious plans to spread the US’ most popular sport to new territories following previous international fixtures
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