OLYMPICS
IOC head coy about staying
International Olympic Committee (IOC) president Thomas Bach yesterday refused to rule out standing again as several members called for a change of rules that would let him extend his time in office. The 69-year-old German was first elected for an eight-year term in 2013 and re-elected for a four-year spell in 2021. Several countries called for Bach to continue past 2025 during the opening day of the 141st IOC Session in Mumbai, in which he announced plans to look at creating an eSports Games. Bach responded by saying he was “loyal to the Olympic Charter,” but did not rule out agreeing to an amendment that would allow him to run again.
SOCCER
Sheikh withdraws United bid
Qatari banker Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad Al Thani has withdrawn a bid to buy Manchester United, a source close to the deal said on Saturday. United announced nearly a year ago that they were exploring “strategic alternatives to enhance the club’s growth,” with a full sale one of the options. Sheikh Jassim and British billionaire Jim Ratcliffe were the front-runners after several rounds of bidding earlier this year, but the process has stalled in the past few months despite the anger of supporters towards current owners, the Glazer family. The Daily Mail reported that Ratcliffe is set to secure a 25 percent stake in the club for about £1.5 billion (US$1.82 billion).
ICE HOCKEY
Pens win in late surge
Evgeni Malkin on Saturday had a goal and an assist during a five-goal third-period surge, with the Pittsburgh Penguins beating the Calgary Flames 5-2. Malkin tied Alexander Mogilny for third-most goals in NHL history among Russian-born players. Malkin, who scored his 473rd career goal, trails only Sergei Fedorov (483) and Alex Ovechkin (822). Malkin and the Penguins admittedly are not happy after their run of 16 consecutive playoff appearances ended last spring. “I want to win. I want to play hard,” Malkin said. “We don’t like to miss the playoffs. These points are the same two points in March or February.”
FOOTBALL
Kittle fined for T-shirt
San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle has been fined more than US$13,000 by the NFL for wearing a profane T-shirt about the Dallas Cowboys. Kittle wore a T-shirt under his uniform last Sunday night that presumably read “Fuck Dallas,” but most of the first word was hidden by white tape. He exposed it to the national television audience after a touchdown run in the fourth quarter by Jordan Mason. The league on Saturday announced that Kittle was fined US$13,659 for the infraction. Kittle said earlier in the week that he expected to be fined, but said it would be worth the penalty. “One-hundred percent,” he said. “I’d do it again.”
SOCCER
Fireworks halt PSG match
A French women’s league match between Paris Saint-Germain and Reims was abandoned on Saturday after a torrent of fireworks were launched onto the pitch. Players hurried toward the dressing rooms at the start of the second half as tens of fireworks rained down from outside the stadium. The referee called the game off with the score 0-0.
‘SOURCE OF PRIDE’: Newspapers rushed out special editions and the government sent their congratulations as Shohei Ohtani became the first player to enter the 50-50 club Japan reacted with incredulity and pride yesterday after Shohei Ohtani became the first player in Major League Baseball to record 50 home runs and 50 stolen bases in a single season. The Los Angeles Dodgers star from Japan made history with a seventh-inning homer in a 20-4 victory over the Marlins in Miami. “We would like to congratulate him from the bottom of our heart,” top government spokesman Yoshimasa Hayashi told reporters in Tokyo. “We sincerely hope Mr Ohtani, who has already accomplished feat after feat and carved out a new era, will thrive further,” he added. The landmark achievement dominated Japanese morning news
When Wang Tao ran away from home aged 17 to become a professional wrestler, he knew it would be a hard slog to succeed in China’s passionate but underdeveloped scene. Years later, he has endured family disapproval, countless side gigs and thousands of hours of brutal training to become China’s “Belt and Road Champion” — but the struggle is far from over. Despite a promising potential domestic market, the Chinese pro wrestling community has been battling for recognition and financial stability for decades. “I have done all kinds of jobs [on the side]... Because in the end, it is very
No team in the CPBL can surpass the Taipei Dome attendance record set by the CTBC Brothers, except when the Brothers team up with Taiwanese rock band Mayday. A record-high 40,000 fans turned out at the indoor baseball venue on Saturday for Brothers veteran Chou Szu-chi’s first farewell game, which was followed by a mini post-game concert featuring Mayday. This broke the previous CPBL record of 34,506 set by the Brothers in early last month, when K-pop singer Hyuna performed after the game, and the dome’s overall record of 37,890 set in early March, which featured the Brothers and the
Olympic bronze medalist Lee Meng-yuan has become the first Taiwanese athlete to top the International Shooting Sport Federation’s (ISSF) men’s skeet world rankings, while top Taiwanese shooters won golds in each of yesterday’s finals in Taoyuan. Lee’s 6,610 points put him ahead of fellow men’s skeet medalists from the Paris Olympics Americans Vincent Hancock and Conner Prince. Lee on Monday said that he was surprised by the result, although he had expected his ranking to rise after the Games, which was also the first time a Taiwanese athlete had competed in men’s skeet. Despite topping the rankings, Lee said he believed Hancock, who