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.
Jesper Boqvist on Tuesday scored the go-ahead goal midway through the third period as the Florida Panthers, after raising their second straight NHL Stanley Cup banner, opened the defense of the title by beating the Chicago Blackhawks 3-2. Mackie Samoskevich — getting his second assist, the fifth two-point game of his career — chipped the puck toward the goal and Boqvist knocked it out of the air for the lead with 10 minutes, 20 seconds left. A.J. Greer and Carter Verhaeghe also had goals for Florida, who got 17 saves from Sergei Bobrovsky. Frank Nazar had a goal and an assist and Teuvo
HISTORIC CHANCE: Indonesia would qualify for their first FIFA World Cup since 1938 if they defeat Saudi Arabia and Iraq on Wednesday and Saturday respectively Almost 90 years after their first and only appearance at the FIFA World Cup, Indonesia are just two victories away from returning to the tournament. It would mark a major turnaround in fortunes in just more than three years since 135 spectators died at the Kanjuruhan stadium disaster in East Java on Oct. 1, 2022, as security forces fired tear gas at spectators, causing a stampede for the exits in a domestic match. If Indonesia can defeat Saudi Arabia and Iraq on Wednesday and Saturday respectively, in a qualifying tournament, then they would advance to the 2026 World Cup to be cohosted
Unlike his fellow American basketball player, Brittney Griner, Jarred Shaw has received scant attention after being arrested for a drug offence abroad. When Jarred Shaw, an American basketball player in Indonesia, stepped down to the lobby in his apartment complex in May to collect a package containing illegally imported cannabis gummies, he thought that the medicine to ease his Crohn’s disease had arrived. It had, but so too had 10 undercover police officers. A video on social media showed Shaw, wearing a black T-shirt and shorts, shouting for help as the swarm of officers moved to apprehend him. The 35-year-old from Dallas, Texas,
World No. 3 Alexander Zverev on Monday said that he was playing “terrible tennis” after he was knocked out of the Shanghai Masters by France’s Arthur Rinderknech 4-6, 6-3, 6-2. His exit leaves Novak Djokovic as the tournament’s top-ranked player, increasing the 38-year-old Serb’s chances of winning a record-extending fifth title in the Chinese financial hub. In stifling conditions, world No. 54 Rinderknech came back from a set down to stun an increasingly rattled Zverev into submission. It is the second time the Frenchman has beaten him, after bundling him out of Wimbledon earlier this year. A despondent Zverev told reporters the match had
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