TENNIS
Taiwanese win doubles title
Taiwan’s Chang Kai-chen and Hsu Ching-wen yesterday won the women’s doubles title at the Launceston Tennis International in Australia. The pair beat Australian top seeds Alexandra Bozovic and Isabelle Wallace in straight sets to take the title. Chang and Hsu got off to a good start at the Launceston Regional Tennis Centre, winning the first set 6-2, and managed to lock down the Australians 6-4 in the second set despite a strong comeback effort. The Taiwanese breezed through the game in 55 minutes, six minutes quicker than their semi-final match on Friday, which they won 6-2, 6-3 against Australians Ellen Perez and Arina Rodionova. The competition is part of the International Tennis Federations Women’s Circuit.
E-SPORTS
Bayern take interest U-turn
Bayern Munich chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge said that the German giants are looking into branching into e-sports, despite previously having dismissed the idea. “We have taken a more proactive stance now and conducted an analysis that will soon be discussed within the board to see if we can approach this issue,” Rummenigge said at a sports business congress in Duesseldorf. “We were not originally into the idea, because we did not like these shooting games.” Bayern seem to have done a complete U-turn on the topic after president Uli Hoeness dismissed the idea in August last year. “Young people should take part in sports on the training ground,” the 67-year-old said at the time. Bayern are lagging behind in e-sports on the soccer side, but the club’s basketball team supports the “Bayern Ballers Gaming” outfit. Schalke 04 are leading the way in Germany and late last year invested 8 million euros (US$9.17 million) in a franchise license for the League of Legends European Championships.
AMERICA’S CUP
Team to build coed crew
Stars & Stripes Team USA said they would have a coed crew when they compete for the oldest trophy in international sports in New Zealand in 2021. The team are also seeking athletes from a cross-section of sports who can fill out the crew aboard their physically demanding 23m foiling monohull. “There are incredible female athletes and I want to see them sailing our AC75,” team cofounder and skipper Mike Buckley said. The team are to hold foiling camps at their base in Long Beach, California, with their GC32 catamaran from Feb. 19 to 28 and from March 10 to 22, as well as a combine tour to test athletes who might not normally apply for a job as a professional sailor.
BASKETBALL
All-Stars adds two more
Dallas’ Dirk Nowitzki and Miami’s Dwyane Wade are NBA champions, NBA Finals MVPs and longtime ambassadors for the game. Now, one more time, they are All-Stars. By special order of NBA commissioner Adam Silver, Wade and Nowitzki were on Friday added to the pool of players for the All-Star Game on Feb. 17. Each team are to now have 13 players instead of the customary 12, and LeBron James — one of the captains — is to be the one who decides which side they are to join. Silver also announced that Brooklyn’s D’Angelo Russell is to make his All-Star debut to replace injured Indiana star Victor Oladipo. Wade, who is retiring after 16 seasons, is to be an All-Star for the 13th time. Nowitzki is heading to the All-Star Game for the 14th time and has yet to officially say if his 21st season with the Mavericks would be his last. James and fellow captain Giannis Antetokounmpo are to choose their teams on Thursday.
Inter on Sunday were given a letoff when they snatched a late 1-1 derby draw with AC Milan, while league leaders SSC Napoli were held by a late goal at AS Roma. Reigning champions Inter remain three points behind Napoli, who looked to be heading five clear as they led in Rome until Angelino volleyed in a stunning leveler in the first minute of stoppage-time. Angelino’s strike gave even more significance to Stefan de Vrij’s last-gasp equalizer at the San Siro. The defender forced home Nicola Zalewski’s knockdown just as it looked like Tijjani Reijnders’ opener would be enough for Milan. “I can
Santiago Castro on Tuesday had an immediate impact off the bench as he scored the goal to send Bologna into the Coppa Italia semi-finals for the first time in 26 years. Bologna won 1-0 against last year’s runners-up, Atalanta BC, and are to play either holders Juventus or Empoli in the final four. Juventus are to host Empoli in their quarter-final on Feb. 26. The last time Bologna reached the semi-finals was in 1999, when they lost 4-2 to ACF Fiorentina. There were chances for both sides in a high-tempo match in Bergamo, but it was Bologna who broke the deadlock 10 minutes from
The Washington Capitals and Winnipeg Jets on Saturday did not disappoint in a thrilling midseason matchup in front of a fired-up sellout crowd of more than 18,500 fans. The top two teams in the NHL delivered with a combined nine goals, including the 877th of Alex Ovechkin’s career to put him 18 back of breaking Wayne Gretzky’s record. That tied the score, the Jets pulled it out in overtime and just about everyone involved got their money’s worth out of the 5-4 game. “We knew how we were both sitting in the standings and both having real good years,” Winnipeg coach Scott
After nearly six years away from the NBA, New Taipei Kings player Jeremy Lin (林書豪) is set to participate in the 2025 NBA All-Star Weekend’s Rising Stars mini-tournament as the coach of Team G League. The NBA announced Monday (U.S. time) that the Taiwanese-American player will join a trio of Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famers – Tim Hardaway Sr., Chris Mullin, and Mitch Richmond – as honorary coaches for four teams featuring 28 rising talents. "See you soon in the Bay," Lin wrote in an Instagram story sharing the news. As the All-Star Weekend will take place at