OLYMPICS
Flame departs Greece
The Olympic flame yesterday began its journey to France on board the Belem leaving the Greek port of Piraeus. “The feelings are so exceptional. It’s such an emotion for me,” Tony Estanguet, Paris Olympics chief organizer, told reporters before the departure of the ship. The 19th-century three-masted barque is set to reach Marseille — where a Greek colony was founded in about 600 BC — on May 8.
Photo: AP
OLYMPICS
Thomas Bach backs equity
International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach distanced himself from a taboo-busting move from World Athletics’ governing body to offer prize money to gold medalists at this year’s Paris Olympics. World Athletics president Sebastian Coe’s announcement earlier this month that track and field winners at the Paris Games are to receive US$50,000 has sparked mixed reactions. No other sports federation pays prize money at the Olympics. During an interview, Bach said that he thought international sports federations should be focused on reducing inequalities between countries. “The international federations have to treat all their member federations and their athletes on an equal basis and to try to balance this gap between the privileged and the less or under-privileged,” he said.
SOCCER
Leicester City to move up
Leicester City on Friday booked a place in the Premier League after rivals Leeds United crashed to a shock 4-0 defeat against Queens Park Rangers. The result left Leicester City at top of the Championship with 94 points with two games to play, while Leeds remained second on 90, but with just one match left. Third-place Ipswich Town can pip Leeds for the second automatic promotion place as they have 89 points with three matches still to play. They were to play Hull City after press time last night. “It’s not in our hands anymore (automatic promotion), we need to be honest,” Leeds United manager Daniel Farke told the BBC. “The race is not over, if Ipswich win the next two games, then I will say congratulations, but if they don’t win them, then we will have a lot to play for” against Southampton on the final day of the season. “As long as we have a chance, I’m far away from giving up,” he said. “Congratulations to QPR and congratulations to Leicester,” Farke added. “In the first 20 minutes we didn’t do the basics and QPR used this in an effective way to be 2-0 up.” Enzo Maresca’s Foxes achieved promotion at the first time of asking having been relegated from the Premier League last season. Their final two games begin with a trip to Preston North End on Monday, before they round off the season with a home finale against Blackburn Rovers on May 4.
OUT AGAINST INDONESIA: Taiwan reached the semi-finals at the tournament for the first time by defeating Denmark, with Chou Tien-chen beating Viktor Axelsen Taiwan yesterday crashed out of the Thomas Cup team competition in Chengdu, China, but achieved their best result at the top-tier badminton event by reaching the semi-finals. Indonesia were too good in the semis, winning 3-0 to advance to today’s final against China, who eliminated Malaysia 3-1. In the opening singles of the men’s team clash at the Hi-Tech Zone Sports Center Gymnasium 2, Anthony Ginting defeated Taiwan’s Chou Tien-chen 21-18, 21-19 in 51 minutes, which put a huge hole in Taiwan’s aspirations to perhaps even make the final. In the men’s doubles, Fajar Alfian and Muhammad Ardianto downed Lee Yang and Wang
NO DOUBT: Spurs star Wembanyama was unanimously selected as NBA Rookie of the Year, winning all 99 votes to become the first Frenchman to capture the honor The Minnesota Timberwolves on Monday night produced a dominant defensive display to seize a commanding 2-0 lead in their best-of-seven playoff series against the Denver Nuggets with a 106-80 road victory. The third-seeded Timberwolves harassed Denver relentlessly to claim a second straight win over the NBA champions as the series heads back to Minneapolis for Game 3 on Friday. Karl-Anthony Towns and Anthony Edwards scored 27 points apiece, but the star of the show was Minnesota’s suffocating defensive effort, which knocked Denver out of their stride almost from the tip-off. The Timberwolves finished with 11 steals and 12 blocks, in sharp contrast to
Top-ranked Iga Swiatek on Saturday came through “the most intense and crazy final” she has ever contested to avenge her loss to Aryna Sabalenka in last year’s Madrid Open final with a grueling three hour, 11 minute victory in the Spanish capital. Coming back from 1-3 down in the decider and saving three match points in total, Swiatek claimed a 7-5, 4-6, 7-6 (9/7) victory to secure the Madrid Open trophy for the first time. “Well, who is going to say now that women’s tennis is boring, right?” Swiatek said. Swiatek, who picked up the 20th title of her career, and ninth at
Playing soccer and competing for trophies is the best way that many transplanted Hong Kongers and Macanese have found to stay in touch, and to interact with Taiwanese society, said officials at the Taiwan-Hong Kong-Macau Football Friendship Cup, which was held on April 13. Twelve clubs, mostly of players and coaches originally from Hong Kong and Macau, took part in the tournament in New Taipei City. The event is sponsored by the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) and the Taiwan-Hong Kong Economic and Cultural Co-operation Council. Participating teams were from the wider Taipei area, Hsinchu, Taichung, Kaohsiung and other areas. They divided into two