BASKETBALL
Teams pull out of merger
The P.League+’s (PLG) Taipei Fubon Braves, Taoyuan Pilots and Kaohsiung Steelers on Monday withdrew from a proposed merger with the rival T1 League. The decision not to participate in the new professional basketball league was tough, but necessary, the three teams said in a joint statement. They said that their bottom line was that the PLG was to be the main body under the merger, which was the consensus reached at the six-team internal PLG meeting on June 26 and was verbally agreed on by the preparation committee. “We negotiated in good faith to communicate a way to integrate by maintaining the autonomy of the PLG, or to retain the two-league structure with exchanges during match season, but could not reach an agreement,” they said. The three teams are to remain in the PLG and prepare for the new season, striving to protect the people, players, passion, professionalism and principles of the league, they said. The three teams also announced they would be holding an independent draft on Friday. Meanwhile, Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Chuang Jui-hsiung has been appointed president of the newly merged league, the merger preparation committee said. Chuang said that he was honored and would do his best to lead the league to the next level.
BASKETBALL
Taiwan face-off at Jones Cup
Taiwan’s national women’s A team beat Taiwan’s B team 73-53 on the penultimate day of the five-day William Jones Cup in Taipei yesterday. The A team were up 23-9 in the first quarter, and although the B team were close on their heels during the remaining three quarters, they could not erase the deficit. In yesterday’s other games, the Philippines beat Thailand 68-58, despite Thailand’s Sasiporn Wongtapha putting up a leading 18 points, and Japan thrashed Malaysia 84-34, maintaining their spot on top of the table after having won all four of their games.
RUGBY UNION
France players arrested
Two members of the France national rugby team touring South America were on Monday arrested in Argentina following an allegation of sexual assault, a justice official in Mendoza Province said. Hugo Auradou and Oscar Jegou, who featured in France’s 28-13 Test victory over Argentina on Saturday, were detained in Buenos Aires and are to be taken to Mendoza where the crime allegedly took place. “Today a commission from the province of Mendoza is traveling to Buenos Aires to bring them and proceed with doing the relevant examinations,” said Martin Ahumada, a spokesman for the Mendoza prosecutor’s office. “If the examinations align with the testimony of the victim, the related charge will be made,” he said. The alleged attack took place at the Diplomatic Hotel in Mendoza, where France’s players and staff were staying for last weekend’s Test match, local media reports said. “If the facts are proven, they are incredibly serious. You must spare a thought for the young woman,” French Rugby Federation president Florian Grill said. “It’s the opposite of everything that rugby is, of everything that rugby does, of everything that rugby builds... But you must let the investigation, which is necessary, take place.”
Shohei Ohtani and Clayton Kershaw on Friday joined their Los Angeles Dodgers teammates in sticking their fists out to show off their glittering World Series rings at a ceremony. “There’s just a lot of excitement, probably more than I can ever recall with the Dodger fan base and our players,” manager Dave Roberts said before Los Angeles rallied to beat the Detroit Tigers 8-5 in 10 innings. “What a way to cap off the first two days of celebrations,” Roberts said afterward. “By far the best opening week I’ve ever experienced. I just couldn’t have scripted it any better.” A choir in the
After fleeing Sudan when civil war erupted, Al-Hilal captain Mohamed Abdelrahman and his teammates have defied the odds to reach the CAF Champions League quarter-finals. They are today to face title-holders Al-Ahly of Egypt in Cairo, with the return match in the Mauritanian capital, Nouakchott, on Tuesday next week. Al-Hilal and biggest domestic rivals Al-Merrikh relocated to Mauritania after a power struggle broke out in April 2023 between the Sudanese army and a paramilitary force. The civil war has claimed tens of thousands of lives and displaced more than 12 million people, according to the UN. The Democratic Republic of the Congo-born Al-Hilal
Shohei Ohtani, Teoscar Hernandez and Tommy Edman on Thursday smashed home runs to give the reigning World Series champions the Los Angeles Dodgers a 5-4 victory over Detroit on the MLB’s opening day in the US. The Dodgers, who won two season-opening games in Tokyo last week, raised their championship banner on a day when 28 clubs launched the season in the US. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts shuffled his batting lineup with all four leadoff hitters finally healthy as Ohtani was followed by Mookie Betts, then Hernandez and Freddie Freeman in the cleanup spot, switching places with Hernandez. “There’s a Teoscar tax to
Matvei Michkov did not score on Monday, but the Philadelphia rookie had a hand in both goals as hosts the Flyers earned a 2-1 victory over the Nashville Predators. Ryan Poehling and Jamie Drysdale got the goals for the Flyers (31-36-9, 71 points), who won their third straight. Michkov and Travis Konecny assisted on both. Ivan Fedotov stopped 28 shots to earn his first win since March 1, ending a personal six-game losing streak. Zachary L’Heureux got the lone goal for Nashville. Michael McCarron and Brady Skjei got the assists for the Predators (27-39-8, 62 points), who have just four goals in their
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