BASKETBALL
Brickman sets assist record
Kaohsiung Aquas point guard Jason Brickman on Friday set another T1 League assist record, after he dished out 21 dimes in a 124-107 away victory over the Taipei-based Taiwan Beer Herobears on the last day of the league’s regular season. The 30-year-old Filipino American broke his own previous mark of 19 assists set on March 27. Also on Friday, the Taichung Wagor Suns edged the Taoyuan Leopards 127-125 in an overtime game at Taoyuan Arena. The Suns are to enter the semi-finals as the second seeds behind the Aquas and ahead of the New Taipei CTBC DEA. The Herobears and the Leopards are to compete in a play-in series, which starts today, for the last spot in the semi-finals, which start on Tuesday.
CHESS
Indian teen stuns Carlsen
Indian teenager Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa on Friday stunned world champion Magnus Carlsen for the second time this year as he claimed victory over the Norwegian at the Chessable Masters online rapid chess tournament. The 16-year-old, who also won their duel at the Airthings Masters in February, took advantage of a one-move blunder by Carlsen in the closing stages to stay in the hunt for a place in the knockout stages. Praggnanandhaa this week said he was in the middle of his school exams, but did not want to miss the opportunity of testing himself against a stellar field. The prodigy from Chennai is having a strong season after winning the Reykjavik Open last month and finishing third at the La Roda Open.
ATHLETICS
Ban protects athletes: Bach
Russian athletes and officials who have been banned from international sports because of the war in Ukraine are being protected rather than punished, International Olympic Committee (IOC) president Thomas Bach said on Friday. Most sports bodies have followed the IOC guidance given on Feb. 28 — four days after Russia began its invasion — by taking teams and athletes out of their international competitions. “Let me emphasize again that these are protective measures, not sanctions. Measures to protect the integrity of competitions,” Bach told IOC members in an online meeting. “The safety of the Russian and Belarusian athletes and officials could not be guaranteed because of the deep anti-Russian and anti-Belarusian feelings in so many countries following the invasion.” Sanctions should apply only to “those responsible for something,” Bach added.
GOLF
Wise hit by errant tee shot
American Aaron Wise on Friday escaped serious injury after he was struck by a wayward tee shot from Cameron Smith during the second round of the PGA Championships at the Southern Hills Country Club in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Wise, ranked world No. 91, was examining his ball on the fairway of the seventh hole when he was hit in the head by a shot from Australian Smith, who was playing the adjoining par-four second. “I was walking down seven, surprised my ball was in the fairway, and then next thing you know, I mean there’s a little bit of ringing in my head,” Wise said. ESPN anchor Sage Steele was on Thursday struck in the face by Jon Rahm’s tee shot and needed medical attention during the opening round of the tournament.
Japan is the home of judo, but a brutal win-at-all-costs mentality, corporal punishment and pressure to lose weight are driving large numbers of children to quit, raising fears for the sport’s future in its traditional powerhouse. Underlining the scale of the problem, the All Japan Judo Federation canceled a prestigious nationwide tournament for children as young as 10, saying that they were being pushed too hard. A group dedicated to those injured or killed while practicing the martial art says 121 judo-related deaths were reported in Japanese schools between 1983 and 2016. Japan dominates the Olympics judo medal table, but federation president Yasuhiro
Representative to the US Hsiao Bi-khim on Tuesday praised US professional basketball player Enes Kanter Freedom for his advocacy of human rights. “An honor to meet @EnesFreedom, with admiration for his courage and commitment in advocating human rights,” Hsiao wrote in a post on Twitter that included a photograph of her posing with Freedom. “Looking forward to welcoming him to Taiwan in the future.” Hsiao did not give any information about her meeting with Freedom, who is currently a free agent. However, Legislator Hung Sun-han wrote on Facebook that Hsiao had invited Freedom to dinner at Twin Oaks, the former residence of Taiwan’s
RE-EVALUATION: ‘I hope that everyone is able to compete and as long as they are finding a way to do that then I am happy,’ US swimmer Alex Walsh said of the policy Swimming is to establish an “open category” to allow transgender athletes to compete as part of a new policy that would effectively ban them from women’s races. “I do not want any athlete to be told they cannot compete at the highest level,” Husain al-Musallam, president of governing body FINA, told an extraordinary congress of his organization. “I understand why transgender athletes want to compete in the gender of their choice ... but we should not favor one athlete over another,” he said. “I will set up a working group that will establish an open category at some of our biggest events.” He
World No. 1 Daniil Medvedev on Thursday lost to Roberto Bautista Agut in the quarter-finals of the Mallorca Open, while second seed Stefanos Tsitsipas advanced to the last four. Medvedev was beaten 6-3, 6-2 by Bautista Agut, who avenged his defeat by the Russian in last week’s quarter-finals in Halle, Germany. “I had to play very good to beat Daniil. He’s the number one, the last champion here in Mallorca. He just beat me a few days ago. I played a really complete match,” Bautista Agut said. Bautista Agut broke Medvedev once in the first set and twice in the second as he
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