DRESSAGE
Dujardin ‘deeply ashamed’
Three-time Olympic gold medalist Charlotte Dujardin of Britain repeatedly whipped a horse while coaching another rider in a video that was published by multiple media outlets on Wednesday. The video is part of an official complaint filed against Dujardin with the International Federation for Equestrian Sports. It shows Dujardin repeatedly striking the horse, walking closer and swinging the whip again after it moves away. Dujardin was set to compete in the Paris Games, but withdrew after word of the video emerged. She said on Tuesday in a statement that the video is from four years ago, and it “shows me making an error of judgment during a coaching session.” She said it “was completely out of character” and she was “deeply ashamed.”
RUGBY
France struggle
Antoine Dupont scored a brilliant individual try as France kept alive their medal hopes despite a stuttering start to the Rugby Sevens tournament in front of a passionate home crowd at the Paris Olympics on Wednesday. Reigning champions Fiji, Australia, Argentina, New Zealand and Ireland secured spots in the quarter-finals with two wins out of two at the Stade de France in Paris. France, who have looked like genuine title contenders since Dupont made the switch to Sevens after last year’s Rugby World Cup, had been expected to make light work of Pool C, but were held 12-12 by the US in their opener. They were trailing 7-5 to Uruguay at halftime of their second match, but Dupont broke through a series of tackles to touch down under the posts and set the hosts on their way to a 19-12 victory. As of press time last night, France were to play against Fiji.
BMX
Olympian’s items stolen
Reigning Olympic BMX freestyle champion Logan Martin had some of his equipment stolen by thieves who broke into a team van in a “crazy start” to the Australian’s title defense. Martin posted video on Instagram on Wednesday showing the passenger side window of the vehicle smashed. “Our van got broken into last night,” he said. “Luckily my bikes weren’t in there, although my bike bags were in there with some things in it. What a crazy start to the trip.” Martin, who won gold in Tokyo ahead of Venezuela’s Daniel Dhers, also lost his wallet. The incident occurred in Brussels, where the Australian team was at a training camp before leaving for Paris on Wednesday.
TENNIS
Sinner withdraws
Top-ranked tennis player Jannik Sinner pulled out of the Paris Olympics on Wednesday because of tonsillitis, meaning Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz will be the top-seeded men, setting up a potential gold medal rematch of the Wimbledon final. Sinner, a 22-year-old from Italy, posted on social media that a doctor advised him that he should sit out the Games. Sinner won the Australian Open in January for his first Grand Slam title and moved up to No. 1 in the ATP rankings last month after reaching the French Open semi-finals. Tennis matches in the Olympics are to begin tomorrow. “Missing the Olympics is a big disappointment, given that it was one of my main goals this season,” Sinner wrote in Italian. “I couldn’t wait to have the honor of representing my country in this extremely important event.”
Taiwan’s participation in the Olympic Games has been a story of politics as much as sports, with the name it has competed under since 1984 — Chinese Taipei — drawing as much attention as its athletes. However, with the Games of the XXXIII Olympiad set to begin in Paris on Friday, the exploits of Taiwan’s athletes past and present who have won 36 medals since the country’s debut in Melbourne in 1956 deserve a nod. Many of Taiwan’s medal winners have gained considerable name recognition, but only two have achieved legendary status — Maysang Kalimud and Chi Cheng, the only medal winners
Teenage gymnast Shoko Miyata has been pulled from Japan’s team for the Paris Olympics after being caught smoking and drinking, officials said yesterday. The 19-year-old, a world bronze medalist and captain of Japan’s women’s gymnastics team for the Games, was sent home from their training camp in Monaco and admitted she had violated the squad’s code of conduct. “With her confirmation and after discussions on all sides, it has been decided that she will withdraw from the Olympics,” Japan Gymnastics Association (JGA) secretary-general Kenji Nishimura told reporters in Tokyo. Nishimura said the association had been told that Miyata was seen smoking in a
Shohei Ohtani on Sunday hit a 473-foot (144m) home run as the Los Angeles Dodgers went deep six times in a 9-6 victory over the Boston Red Sox. Freddie Freeman, Teoscar Hernandez, Gavin Lux, Austin Barnes and Jason Heyward also connected as Los Angeles swept the three-game series. “Going into the break, we weren’t playing good baseball, and then to come out fresh against a really good ball club and to play the way we did — the offense came to life,” Los Angeles manager Dave Roberts said. It was the 25th time the Dodgers launched at least six homers in a game
Conventional wisdom dictates that the average retirement age for elite female players in the intense and physically demanding sport of badminton is well under 30 years old. Five female shuttlers are set to turn that on its head when they make their fourth Olympic appearances at the Paris Games, a feat never accomplished before. Taiwan’s Tai Tzu-ying, 30, Thailand’s Ratchanok Intanon, 29, Belgium’s Lianne Tan, 33, and Hong Kong’s Tse Ying Suet and Canada’s Michelle Li, both 32, are to compete for Olympic glory at Porte de La Chapelle Arena from Saturday to Aug. 5. “These achievements get missed because they’re women,” said