BADMINTON
Taiwan’s Chou eliminated
Taiwan’s Chou Tien-chen yesterday exited in the men’s singles semi-finals at the Madrid Spain Masters after losing to France’s Toma Junior Popov 21-15, 20-22, 21-18. Chou on Friday advanced to the semis by defeating Malaysia’s Leong Jun Hao 21-16, 21-12 in 33 minutes in their first head-to-head. Wang Tzu-wei’s men’s singles semi against Loh Kean Yew of Singapore was just beginning at press time last night, as were Taiwan’s Chang Ching-hui and Yang Ching-tun in the women’s doubles against Japanese pair Rin Iwanaga and Kie Nakaishi. They defeated Keng Shuliang and Zhang Chi 21-14, 21-16 on Friday. Also in the women’s doubles, Lee Chia-hsin and Teng Chun-hsun were soundly beaten 21-12, 21-7 by Febriana Dwipuji Kusuma and Amallia Cahaya Pratiwi of Indonesia.
RUGBY UNION
Savea endorses change
World Rugby Player of the Year Ardie Savea has tentatively endorsed a suggested policy change that would allow players based outside New Zealand to be considered for All Blacks selection. New Zealand has opposed such a policy, despite several leading rivals allowing overseas-based players to be chosen for national teams. Savea is playing in Japan on a short-term basis with the Kobelco Kobe Steelers. He is to return to New Zealand later this year for a Test series against England and the latter stages of the Super Rugby Pacific season. “Times are changing,” he said in an interview from Kobe. “Things are moving fast. What worked five, 10, 15 years ago maybe can’t work now. We’ve just got to be innovative and smart around what we’re doing.”
SOCCER
Give Irankunda time: coach
Adelaide United coach Carl Veart on Friday urged Australian fans to be patient with emerging talent Nestory Irankunda after the Bayern Munich-bound striker became the youngest player ever to score a hat-trick in the A-League. The 18-year-old fired Veart’s side to a 4-1 win over Western United at Hindmarsh Stadium with his first three-goal haul in the professional game. “A lot of people think all he is is power and speed, but they don’t actually see or work with him every day,” Veart said. “He is technically very, very good and his understanding of the game is at a high level. He knows when to slow things down and go fast. It takes time for these young players.”
CRICKET
David Willey leaves IPL
English left-arm seamer David Willey has withdrawn from the Indian Premier League (IPL) due to personal reasons and is to be replaced by New Zealander Matt Henry at Lucknow Super Giants, organizers said yesterday. Willey quit international cricket after the ODI World Cup in India last year and missed Lucknow’s IPL opener against Rajasthan Royals last week.
FOOTBALL
Chiefs sign Rees-Zammit
Former Wales rugby union international Louis Rees-Zammit has been signed by Super Bowl champions the Kansas City Chiefs, the NFL franchise said on Friday. The 23-year-old wing announced his decision to leave rugby in January. “Hi Chiefs Kingdom, Louis Rees-Zammit here. Just signed, can’t wait to go and see you all at Arrowhead,” he said in a video posted by the Chiefs on X.
Taiwan’s participation in the Olympic Games has been a story of politics as much as sports, with the name it has competed under since 1984 — Chinese Taipei — drawing as much attention as its athletes. However, with the Games of the XXXIII Olympiad set to begin in Paris on Friday, the exploits of Taiwan’s athletes past and present who have won 36 medals since the country’s debut in Melbourne in 1956 deserve a nod. Many of Taiwan’s medal winners have gained considerable name recognition, but only two have achieved legendary status — Maysang Kalimud and Chi Cheng, the only medal winners
Shohei Ohtani on Sunday hit a 473-foot (144m) home run as the Los Angeles Dodgers went deep six times in a 9-6 victory over the Boston Red Sox. Freddie Freeman, Teoscar Hernandez, Gavin Lux, Austin Barnes and Jason Heyward also connected as Los Angeles swept the three-game series. “Going into the break, we weren’t playing good baseball, and then to come out fresh against a really good ball club and to play the way we did — the offense came to life,” Los Angeles manager Dave Roberts said. It was the 25th time the Dodgers launched at least six homers in a game
Canada women’s soccer coach Bev Priestman on Wednesday said she would step away from the team’s opening game against New Zealand at the Paris Olympics in the wake of a drone scandal. New Zealand complained to the International Olympic Committee’s integrity unit after it said drones were flown over closed practice sessions earlier in the week. As of press time last night, Canada, the defending Olympic champions, were set to open the Paris Games against New Zealand in Saint-Etienne. In the fallout of the complaint, two staff members — assistant coach Jasmine Mander and analyst Joseph Lombardi — were sent home, the
Conventional wisdom dictates that the average retirement age for elite female players in the intense and physically demanding sport of badminton is well under 30 years old. Five female shuttlers are set to turn that on its head when they make their fourth Olympic appearances at the Paris Games, a feat never accomplished before. Taiwan’s Tai Tzu-ying, 30, Thailand’s Ratchanok Intanon, 29, Belgium’s Lianne Tan, 33, and Hong Kong’s Tse Ying Suet and Canada’s Michelle Li, both 32, are to compete for Olympic glory at Porte de La Chapelle Arena from Saturday to Aug. 5. “These achievements get missed because they’re women,” said