GYMNASTICS
Indonesia blocks Israel
Indonesia will block Israeli athletes from competing at this month’s World Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Jakarta, a government official said on Thursday. Israel is among 86 countries registered to compete at the tournament, which is scheduled to start in Jakarta on Sunday next week, but participation of Israeli athletes is in doubt, even though the Israeli Gymnastics Federation in July said that it had been assured by Indonesian officials that it would be welcome. On Thursday, Yusril Ihza Mahendra, Indonesia’s senior minister of law, made it clear that the Israeli team would not be allowed into the country. “The government will not grant visas to Israeli gymnasts who intend to attend the World Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Jakarta,” Mahendra said. He added in a video statement that the decision was in line with Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto’s previous condemnations of Israel for its attacks on the Gaza Strip.
Photo: EPA
SOCCER
Coach defends Netherlands
The Netherlands on Thursday anticipated criticism after an uninspired 4-0 away win over Malta in FIFA World Cup qualification, but coach Ronald Koeman was having none of it after his side took a step closer to next year’s finals. Television pundits, immediately after the away game, and yesterday’s newspapers bemoaned an uninspired performance from the Netherlands, who went three points clear of Poland and Finland in the Group G standings with three matches to play. However, Koeman said there was nothing to be critical about. “We won 0-4, so that’s good. I didn’t find it frustrating, but we could have done things better. I thought we started well, even though we gave away a chance to Malta in the opening minutes,” he said, referring to captain Virgil van Dijk’s sloppy back-pass. “Jurrien Timber played very well in the build-up. He freed himself a few times towards midfield and then we were able to find our people there. After that, I thought, because they also started to put a lot of pressure, that we should have found solutions faster. Then the pace went down, but we gave maximum throttle until the end. There were a lot of good things, so I pay less attention to what you think,” he said. In other qualifying in the UEFA region, in Group C Scotland beat Greece 3-1, while Belarus lost to Denmark 6-0; in Group G Finland beat Lithuania 2-1; in Group H Austria beat San Marino 10-0, while Cyprus and Bosnia-Herzegovina drew 2-2; and in Group L the Czech Republic and Croatia drew 0-0, while the Faroe Islands defeated Montenegro 4-0.
SOCCER
Haiti secures first win
Haiti on Thursday got their first win in the final round of regional qualifying with a 3-0 victory over Nicaragua, moving closer to securing their first FIFA World Cup appearance in more than 50 years. Duckens Nazon opened their account in the 11th minute, Danley Jean Jaques added a goal in the 35th minute and Louicius Don Deedson capped the scoring off in stoppage-time to extend Haiti’s unbeaten run to three matches in the CONCACAF tournament. Haiti, coming off back-to-back draws, moved to five points to lead Group C on goal-difference over Honduras, who were held to a scoreless draw against Costa Rica. Twelve teams are competing for three direct spots in next year’s World Cup from the confederation.
Taiwan’s men’s table tennis team won bronze on Saturday at this year’s International Table Tennis Federation World Team Table Tennis Championships in London, matching the country’s best-ever finish at the regular tournament. Consisting of Lin Yun-ju, Taiwan’s top-ranked player at world No. 7, Feng Yi-hsin, Kuo Guan-hong, Hong Jing-kai and Hsu Hsien-chia, the team won bronze after losing 0-3 to Japan in the semifinals. In the opening match, 24-year-old Lin played the first game against world No. 3 Tomokazu Harimoto 11-5, but ultimately lost the next three closely contested games 9-11, 10-12 and 10-12. Feng then faced world No. 8 Sora Matsushima in
Taiwanese fire dancer Yang Li-wei advanced to the final of Britain’s Got Talent this weekend after receiving a Golden Buzzer during her live semi-final performance. Yang, a member of Taiwan’s Coming True Fire Group, awed judges and audiences with a high-intensity fire performance featuring flaming umbrellas, fire swallowing and spinning metal structures balanced with her legs. Judge Simon Cowell praised Yang as a star, while guest judge KSI reacted with amazement before pressing the Golden Buzzer, sending her to the finals. The dance group wrote on social media that the Golden Buzzer was “the highest honor” on the talent show, adding: “Twenty-three years
Memphis Grizzlies forward Brandon Clarke, 29, has died, the NBA team said in a statement on Tuesday, while the family of Jason Collins, the first openly gay man to play in a major US pro sports league, announced the former Grizzlies and Brooklyn Nets player had died after a battle with brain cancer. “We are heartbroken by the tragic loss of Brandon Clarke,” the Grizzlies said in a statement posted on social media. “Brandon was an outstanding teammate and an even better person whose impact on the organization and the greater Memphis community will not be forgotten.” The statement did not provide
As Super Rugby fast approaches its playoff season it finds itself racing toward a reckoning with many issues that threaten the southern hemisphere tournament. A group of stakeholders met in the New Zealand city of Christchurch late last month to address problems that are making the future of the 31-year-old competition increasingly tenuous. The discussion was made more urgent by the decision by the owners of Moana Pasifika to fold the Auckland-based club for financial reasons. That followed the closure of the Melbourne Rebels at the end of the 2024 season, likewise because of financial difficulties. Problems addressed included player retention as more
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