The two Koreas have agreed to play their World Cup qualifier in China later this month under the mediation of FIFA, soccer's world governing body, an official said yesterday.
The transfer of the match from the North Korean capital Pyongyang came after South Korea last month asked FIFA to mediate a dispute over North Korea's refusal to let the South play its national anthem and fly its flag before the match.
South Korea's Football Association spokesman Yoo Young-chol said FIFA notified the two Koreas earlier this week of its proposal that the match be relocated to Shanghai on March 26.
The countries accepted it and FIFA faxed an official notification of its decision to the South Koreans yesterday, Yoo said.
The divided Koreas will use their respective anthems and flags in Shanghai, he said.
"We earlier expected FIFA to succeed in persuading the North to allow us to use our anthem and flag. Still, we believe FIFA maintained a fundamental principle," Yoo said. "We feel sorry for those who hoped to watch a Pyongyang match."
In recent years, the two Koreas have displayed the blue and white "unification flag" and used the traditional song Arirang at exhibition sports events. Both sides marched together under the unification flag at several major international sports events following the 2000 Sydney Olympics.
The North had insisted the sides do the same in Pyongyang, while the South argued a FIFA rule stipulates national anthems and flags should be used at official international matches.
The Koreas are in the same group as Turkmenistan and Jordan in 2010 World Cup qualifying.
The next generation of running talent takes center stage at today’s Berlin Marathon, in the absence of stars including Kenyan Eliud Kipchoge and Ethiopian world record holder Tigist Assefa. With most of the major marathon stars skipping the event in the wake of the Paris Olympics just more than a month ago, the field is wide open in the men’s and women’s races. Since 2015, Kipchoge has won five times in Berlin, Kenenisa Bekele has won twice and Guye Adola once — with all three missing today. Kenyan Kibiwott Kandie and Ethiopian Tadese Takele are among the favourites for the men, while
Japan’s Shohei Ohtani is the record-breaking baseball “superhuman” following in the footsteps of the legendary Babe Ruth who has also earned comparisons to US sporting greats Michael Jordan and Tom Brady. Not since Ruth a century ago has there been a baseball player capable of both pitching and hitting at the top level. The 30-year-old’s performances with the Los Angeles Dodgers have consolidated his position as a baseball legend in the making, and a national icon in his native Japan. He continues to find new ways to amaze, this year becoming the first player to hit 50 home runs and steal 50 bases
Zhang Shuai yesterday said that she nearly quit after losing 24 matches in a row — now the world No. 595 is into the quarter-finals of her home China Open. The 35-year-old is to face Spain’s Paula Badosa as the lowest-ranked player to reach this stage in the history of the tournament after Badosa reeled off 11 of the last 12 games in a 6-4, 6-0 victory over US Open finalist Jessica Pegula. Zhang went into Beijing on a barren run lasting more than 600 days and her string of singles defeats was the second-longest on the WTA Tour Open era, which
Taiwan’s Tony Wu yesterday beat Mackenzie McDonald of the US to win the Nonthaburi Challenger IV in Thailand, his first challenger victory since 2022. The 26-year-old world No. 315, who won both his qualifiers to advance to the main draw, has been on a hot streak this month, winning his past nine matches, including two that ensured Taiwan’s victory in their Davis Cup World Group I tie. Wu took just more than two hours to top world No. 172 McDonald 6-3, 7-6 (7/4) to win his second challenger tournament since the Tallahassee Tennis Challenger in 2022. Wu’s Tallahassee win followed two years of