BASKETBALL
Taiwan A stay unbeaten
Taiwan A yesterday beat Malaysia Harimau 86-66 to maintain their unbeaten run at the William Jones Cup. Taiwan A led 21-8 after the first quarter at the Sinjhuang Gymnasium in New Taipei City and 45-31 at halftime on their way to making their record 5-0, the same record as Strong Group Athletics. Taiwan A won the third quarter 21-15 and drew the fourth 20-20. In other games yesterday, Strong Group Athletics pulled away in the third quarter to beat US-based Future Sports 112-90. Chris McCullough had 24 points, 18 rebounds and seven assists for Strong Group Athletics, while Demetrius Thomas led the way for Future Sports, who had a 56-60 lead at halftime. In the second game, the United Arab Emirates beat the Australia-based BSBL Guardians 100-93. In the third game, Taiwan B lost to Ukraine 77-50.
Photo: CNA
MOTORSPORTS
Magnussen to leave seat
Danish Formula One driver Kevin Magnussen is to leave his Haas race seat at the end of the season and could then take an unspecified role with the US-owned team, they said yesterday. Esteban Ocon is strongly tipped to come in next year, with the Frenchman’s departure from Renault-owned Alpine already announced, alongside British rookie Oliver Bearman. “I’d like to thank Kevin for everything he’s given us as a team, both on and off the track. He’s truly been a bedrock of our driver line up over the years,” Haas team boss Ayao Komatsu said in a statement. “Nobody’s driven more races for us and we’ve had some memorable highlights together... With Kevin’s special relationship with the team, I’m hoping we can find a way to keep working together in some capacity.”
VOLLEYBALL
Australian body apologizes
Volleyball Australia yesterday issued a public apology for creating an “environment of fear” between 1997 and 2005 that saw some players self-harm and others turn to substance abuse. Former athletes with the Australian indoor women’s team, some as young as 14, were subjected to punitive training methods and body-shaming, it said. The incidents occurred while they were based at the Australian Institute of Sport in the lead-up to and after the 2000 Sydney Olympics. “We are deeply sorry for the ongoing effects these experiences have had on your life, and on your relationship with the sport of volleyball and with Volleyball Australia,” it said, adding that it had “an environment of fear.”
SOCCER
Sullivan sets age record
Cavan Sullivan on Wednesday became the youngest player to appear in an Major League Soccer match as Philadelphia Union beat New England Revolution 5-1. Sullivan — at 14 years, 293 days — came on as a replacement in the 85th minute to top the record by 13 days. Freddy Adu set the previous mark at 14 years, 306 days when he debuted for DC United in 2004.
The qualifying round of the World Baseball Classic (WBC) is to be held at the Taipei Dome between Feb. 21 and 25, Major League Baseball (MLB) announced today. Taiwan’s group also includes Spain, Nicaragua and South Africa, with two of the four teams advancing onto the 2026 WBC. Taiwan, currently ranked second in the world in the World Baseball Softball Confederation rankings, are favorites to come out of the group, the MLB said in an article announcing the matchups. Last year, Taiwan finished in a five-way tie in their group with two wins and two losses, but finished last on tiebreakers after giving
North Korea’s FIFA Under-17 Women’s World Cup-winning team on Saturday received a heroes’ welcome back in the capital, Pyongyang, with hundreds of people on the streets to celebrate their success. They had defeated Spain on penalties after a 1-1 draw in the U17 World Cup final in the Dominican Republic on Nov. 3. It was the second global title in two months for secretive North Korea — largely closed off to the outside world; they also lifted the FIFA U20 Women’s World Cup in September. Officials and players’ families gathered at Pyongyang International Airport to wave flowers and North Korea flags as the
For King Faisal, a 20-year-old winger from Ghana, the invitation to move to Brazil to play soccer “was a dream.” “I believed when I came here, it would help me change the life of my family and many other people,” he said in Sao Paulo. For the past year and a half, he has been playing on the under-20s squad for Sao Paulo FC, one of South America’s most prominent clubs. He and a small number of other Africans are tearing across pitches in a country known as the biggest producer and exporter of soccer stars in the world, from Pele to Neymar. For
Coco Gauff of the US on Friday defeated top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka 7-6 (7/4), 6-3 to set up a showdown with Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen in the final of the WTA Finals, while in the doubles, Taiwan’s Chan Hao-ching was eliminated. Gauff generated six break points to Belarusian Sabalenka’s four and built on early momentum in the opening set’s tiebreak that she carried through to the second set. She is the youngest player at 20 to make the final at the WTA Finals since Denmark’s Caroline Wozniacki in 2010. Zheng earlier defeated Wimbledon champion Barbora Krejcikova of the Czech Republic 6-3, 7-5 to book
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