OLYMPICS
N Korean flag draws fine
International sport’s anti-doping watchdog on Friday said that it has fined the Olympic Council of Asia US$500,000 for allowing North Korea to fly its flag at the Asian Games, despite a ban for non-compliance. The Montreal-based World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) banned North Korea from hosting major international events or flying its flag at such events, excluding the Olympics and Paralympics, in 2021 because it had not implemented an effective drug-testing program. However, WADA said the North Korean flag was displayed throughout the Asian Games in Hangzhou in September and last month. “Despite reminders from WADA before and during the Games, the OCA refused to comply,” WADA said in a statement. There was no immediate comment from the OCA, which has three weeks to contest WADA’s decision.
RUGBY UNION
Australian boss criticized
Six state unions have demanded the immediate resignation of Rugby Australia (RA) chairman Hamish McLennan in the wake of the failed tenure of former Wallabies coach Eddie Jones. An open letter signed by six of the eight union chairs called for an extraordinary general meeting of the RA board to oust McLennan if he ignores their call to stand down, saying they have lost “trust or faith in his leadership.” The ultimatum comes in the wake of a miserable year for the Wallabies under Jones in which they won just two of nine Tests and failed to reach the World Cup quarter-finals for the first time. McLennan was a key driver in the January decision to replace former coach Dave Rennie with Jones, whose tumultuous tenure ended last month. McLennan was “acting outside his role as a director,” it said. “During the past 12 months, Mr McLennan has made a series of calls that have harmed the standing and reputation of our game and led us to question his judgement and his understanding of high-performance sport.”
FOOTBALL
Thompson defends work
Fox Sports and Amazon host Charissa Thompson took to social media on Friday to clarify her comments on a podcast earlier this week that she “would make up” sideline reports during NFL games. Thompson, who hosts Fox’s NFL Kickoff show and Amazon Prime Video’s Thursday Night Football coverage, said in a post on Instagram that she did not fabricate quotes from players or coaches, and that she would report her observations on the sidelines. “Working in the media I understand how important words are and I chose wrong words to describe the situation. I’m sorry. I have never lied about anything or been unethical during my time as a sports broadcaster,” Thompson wrote. “In the absence of a coach providing any information that could further my report I would use information that I learned and saw during the first half to create my report. For example if a team was none for seven on third down, that would clearly be an area they need to improve on in the second half. In these instances I never attributed anything said to a player or coach.” Tennessee Titans coach Mike Vrabel said that he had not heard a reporter fabricate any quotes by him. “I’m sure it’d be boring if they fabricated what I had to say. Don’t all laugh at one time, guys,” he said.
The former interpreter for baseball star Shohei Ohtani on Thursday was sentenced to nearly five years in prison for bank and tax fraud after he stole nearly US$17 million from the Los Angeles Dodgers player’s bank account. Ippei Mizuhara, who was supposed to bridge the gap between the Japanese athlete and his English-speaking teammates and fans, was sentenced in federal court in Santa Ana to four years and nine months after pleading guilty last year. He was ordered to pay US$18 million in restitution, with nearly US$17 million going to Ohtani and the remainder to the US Internal Revenue Service. He was
SPEEDSKATER: Her bronze medal ended Taiwan’s run at the Asian Winter Games without a medal since the nation first participated in the second iteration in 1990 Speedskater Chen Ying-chu yesterday made history as the first athlete representing Taiwan to secure a medal at the Asian Winter Games. Competing at the HIC Speedskating Oval in Harbin, China, Chen clocked 10.510 seconds in the women’s 100m event, finishing third behind South Koreans Lee Na-hyum and Kim Min-sun, who posted times of 10.501 and 10.505 seconds respectively. Her bronze medal ended Taiwan’s drought at the Asian Winter Games since the nation first participated in the second iteration in 1990. This year’s Games mark Chen’s debut at the event. Previously excelling in roller speedskating, she won six medals at world championships before transitioning
The 40-year-old LeBron James on Thursday became the oldest player to score 40 points in an NBA game, putting up a season-high 42 in the Los Angeles Lakers’ 120-112 victory over the Golden State Warriors. James passed the record held by Michael Jordan, his idol and the only other NBA player to score 40 after his 40th birthday. “I’m old, that’s my take,” James said when asked about his latest achievement. “I need a glass of wine and some sleep, that’s what I think.” Jordan did it for the Washington Wizards just three days after turning 40 in February 2003. James is 38
Taiwan’s Lin Yun-ju and Kao Cheng-jui were defeated by their Chinese counterparts 3-0 on Saturday in the men’s doubles final at the World Table Tennis (WTT) Singapore Smash. Lin and Kao received their silver medals after being defeated by third-seeded duo Lin Shidong and Wang Chuqin of China 2-11, 4-11, 11-13. The Taiwan pair were left playing catch-up early in the match after the Chinese duo proved unstoppable in the first and second game. Although Lin and Kao picked up their pace in the third game and at one point took a 10-8 lead, they were crucially unable to take