RUGBY UNION
Taiwan lose opener
Taiwan yesterday lost against Thailand 18-12 in their first game of two at the Unions Cup in Singapore. Taiwan led 12-7 at halftime, but could not add to their lead after scoring two tries in the first 40 minutes to prop Yeh Tai-ting, with flyhalf Yao Chih-yao converting, and wing Wang Chia-hsien. Wang crossed after Taiwan were held up over the line and Thailand dropped out from under their posts. The kick was gathered about 30m out by fullback Shih Chia-jung, who jinked his way inside the 22. From the ruck, the ball went right and Wang dived over after two clever offloads. Thailand had a converted try in the first half and a score from a maul to add to their two penalties. Taiwan on Friday face hosts Singapore, who beat Thailand on Saturday last week.
CRICKET
Afghan women seek support
A group of Afghan women’s cricketers has again approached the International Cricket Council (ICC) asking for backing to reform as a refugee team based in Australia. The women sent a letter to the ICC in the wake of the Afghanistan men’s historic run to the semi-finals of the Twenty20 World Cup in the Caribbean last week. More than two dozen women who had been in the Afghanistan Cricket Board system sought refuge in Australia in 2021 after the Taliban took over and enforced bans on women’s sports. The group first approached the ICC last year, but did not get the outcome they needed. Many have continued playing in domestic competitions in Australia, but have not had access to international cricket, despite ICC regulations requiring all test-playing members to support men’s and women’s national teams. “A profound sadness remains that we, as women, cannot represent our country like the male cricketers,” the women wrote in a letter to ICC chairman Greg Barclay, the Australian Associated Press reported yesterday.
SOCCER
US crashes out of Copa
The US on Monday crashed out of the Copa America after a 1-0 defeat to Uruguay, as Panama sealed their place in the quarter-finals with a 3-1 win over Bolivia. The tournament hosts suffered an upset 2-1 defeat to Panama last week and went into Monday’s final Group C game at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri, needing to match or better Panama’s result against Bolivia to advance. However, US coach Gregg Berhalter’s side never looked like doing enough to seriously threaten a well-drilled Uruguay who advance to the last eight as group winners. The embarrassing exit was the first time in Copa America history that the host nation has failed to advance from the group stage and reignited debate about Berhalter’s future, with the US due to host the World Cup with Canada and Mexico in two years’ time.
BASKETBALL
Tatum joins US$300m club
Jayson Tatum has become the newest member of the NBA’s US$300 million club, after the Boston Celtics star agreed to a five-year, US$314 million contract extension to remain with the reigning NBA champions, a person with knowledge of the situation said on Monday. The new pact would begin with the 2025-2026 season and keep the five-time All-Star in Boston through the 2029-2030 season.
Taiwan won a back-and-forth match at the Unions Cup in Singapore yesterday, but the hosts claimed the trophy due to a better points differential over the tournament. Singapore’s players celebrated with the cup, despite losing a match in which they seized the lead three times, but ultimately fell to a 19-16 defeat. Their points advantage was due to their strong opening game against the other team in the competition, Thailand, who they beat 30-8 on Saturday last week. Taiwan narrowly lost to Thailand on Tuesday and went into yesterday’s match facing a steep challenge. They responded well, opening the game with sustained pressure
An “outstanding” 17-year-old Chinese badminton player died of cardiac arrest after collapsing on court during a tournament in Indonesia, officials said yesterday. Zhang Zhijie was playing a match late Sunday against Japan’s Kazuma Kawano at the Badminton Asia Junior Championships in Yogyakarta, Indonesia. The score was 11-11 in the first game when Zhang fell to the floor between points. The teenager received treatment at the venue and was rushed to hospital in an ambulance, but passed away later that night after repeated efforts to resuscitate him failed. “Medical conclusions ... indicated that the victim experienced sudden cardiac arrest,” Broto Happy, spokesman for
A buzz of excitement crackled through the hushed arena as the rider gripped the reins of her stuffed steed. Welcome to the strangely exacting world of hobby-horsing, the Finnish sport guaranteed to put a smile on your face. Immaculately coiffed equestrians leap athletically over fences just like in horse jumping, going as fast as they can against the clock straddling their stick steeds. Things are more stately in the dressage, with riders trotting their stick horses with intricately decorated stuffed heads before the discerning eyes of the judges. About 260 riders from 22 countries — most women and girls aged 10 to 20 —
Taiwan’s men’s national basketball team is set to upgrade its depth in the paint after signing Brandon Gilbeck of the P.League+’s Formosa Dreamers to a naturalized player’s contract. The 27-year-old big man from the US landed in Taoyuan early on Monday, where he was welcomed by Chinese Taipei Basketball Association deputy secretary-general Chang Cheng-chung. The two signed the deal, which still has to be approved by the Sports Administration and the Ministry of the Interior. Chang said he is confident that “the proceedings would go smoothly.” If approved, Gilbeck would become the third naturalized basketball player in Taiwan, following the New Taipei Kings’ Quincy