BADMINTON
Tai wins Hong Kong opener
World No. 4 Tai Tzu-ying yesterday launched her Li-Ning Hong Kong Open campaign with a swift victory over Isabelle Rusli. The top seed took just 24 minutes to beat Rusli 21-10, 21-12. If Tai wins a fourth title at this year’s tournament, she would become the most successful women’s singles player, BWF’s Web site said. She is the only former winner competing in this year’s edition. She next faces world No. 31 Putri Kusuma Wardani of Indonesia, who advanced after beating Taiwan’s Sung Shou-yun. In men’s singles, Taiwanese world No. 9 Chou Tien-chen was last night to play Canada’s Sheng Xiaodong after press time, while compatriot Chi Yu-jen defeated Japan’s Yushi Tanaka 21-18, 21-11. In men’s doubles, Taiwanese two-time Olympic champion Wang Chi-lin and new partner Chiu Hsiang-chieh beat Hong Kong’s Hung Kuei Chun and Lui Chun Wai 24-22, 21-8, while Taiwan’s Lee Jhe-huei and Yang Po-hsuan defeated compatriots Chiang Chien-wei and Wu Hsuan-yi 21-18, 21-16. In mixed doubles, Taiwan’s Lu Ming-che and Hung En-tzu beat India’s Ashith Surya and Amrutha Pramuthesh 21-16, 22-20.
FIELD HOCKEY
Player banned for cocaine
Australian player Tom Craig has been banned for 12 months following his arrest during the Paris Olympics last month on suspicion of buying cocaine, Hockey Australia said yesterday. Craig would serve at least half of the ban, which began on Monday, with the remaining six months to be suspended if he met conduct requirements, a Hockey Australia statement said. The 29-year-old was released without charge, but was given a warning by a judge after French police detained him for allegedly trying to buy cocaine in Paris days after Australia lost their hockey quarter-final at the Games. “Craig is required to complete mandatory training and education programs as part of his sanction,” the statement said. Craig admitted that he had “made a terrible mistake” following his release from custody and apologized to his family, friends, teammates and the Australia Olympic team. “I have embarrassed you all and am truly sorry,” he said.
CRICKET
NZ-Afghan Test called off
Play in Afghanistan’s one-off Test against New Zealand was yesterday called off without a ball being bowled for a third consecutive day due to rain in India’s Greater Noida region. The area has been deluged by steady rain over the past two weeks and fresh showers early yesterday prompted match officials to abandon play with the toss yet to take place. The match is the first Test to be played at the Shahid Vijay Singh Pathik Sport Complex, which has only basic drainage systems, although it has hosted 11 “home” limited-overs matches for the Afghans. Afghanistan play their “home” matches abroad due to security concerns for touring teams. In response to criticism about the choice of venue, an Afghanistan Cricket Board official told local media it chose Greater Noida ahead of two other options in India because of its proximity to Delhi, which made traveling from Kabul easier. It said in a statement that it had ruled out playing in the United Arab Emirates due to the extreme heat there. “It’s important to understand that the Future Tours Program is typically planned five years in advance, which makes it nearly impossible to predict future circumstances with complete certainty,” the board said.
Bayer 04 Leverkusen go into today’s match at TSG 1899 Hoffenheim stung from their first league defeat in 16 months. Leverkusen were beaten 3-2 at home by RB Leipzig before the international break, the first loss since May last year for the reigning league and cup champions. While any defeat, particularly against a likely title rival, would have disappointed coach Xabi Alonso, the way in which it happened would be most concerning. Just as they did in the Supercup against VfB Stuttgart and in the league opener to Borussia Moenchengladbach, Leverkusen scored first, but were pegged back. However, while Leverkusen rallied late to
If all goes well when the biggest marathon field ever gathered in Australia races 42km through the streets of Sydney on Sunday, World Marathon Majors (WMM) will soon add a seventh race to the elite series. The Sydney Marathon is to become the first race since Tokyo in 2013 to join long-established majors in New York, London, Boston, Berlin and Chicago if it passes the WMM assessment criteria for the second straight year. “We’re really excited for Sunday to arrive,” race director Wayne Larden told a news conference in Sydney yesterday. “We’re prepared, we’re ready. All of our plans look good on
The lights dimmed and the crowd hushed as Karoline Kristensen entered for her performance. However, this was no ordinary Dutch theater: The temperature was 80°C and the audience naked apart from a towel. Dressed in a swimsuit and to the tune of emotional music, the 21-year-old Kristensen started her routine, performed inside a large sauna, with a bed of hot rocks in the middle. For a week this month, a group of wellness practitioners, called “sauna masters,” are gathering at a picturesque health resort in the Netherlands to compete in this year’s Aufguss world sauna championships. The practice takes its name from a
When details from a scientific experiment that could have helped clear Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva landed at the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), the leader of the organization’s reaction was unequivocal: “We have to stop that urgently,” he wrote. No mention of the test ever became public and Valieva’s defense at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) went on without it. What effect the information could have had on Valieva’s case is unclear, but without it, the skater, then 15 years old, was eventually disqualified from the 2022 Winter Olympics after testing positive for a banned heart medication that would later