ASIAN GAMES
Koreas’ anthems confused
South Korean field hockey players were perplexed yesterday when the national anthem of North Korea was played — instead of their own — before a men’s field hockey match against Bangladesh at the Asian Games. South Korean players looked on, unsure of how to respond. Many South Korean players stood at attention, some ran their hands through their hair, and some left their right hand over their heart as the music played. Organizers quickly corrected the problem and played the correct anthem. South Korea won the match 5-0.
Photo: AP
SOCCER
Kane touts ‘best season’
Harry Kane described the 2025-26 campaign as the best season of his life after scoring 73 goals for Bayern Munich and England, and while his performances have made him a leading candidate for the Ballon d’Or he says he is not focused on individual awards. No English player has won the Ballon d’Or since Michael Owen in 2001 and Kane is up against tough competition with Lamine Yamal and Kylian Mbappe also in the running. “I’ve never liked talking too much about myself. The only thing I’d say is that last season was incredible, both personally and for the team,” Kane said yesterday. “It was, by far, the best season of my life,” he added. Kane said he was proud of his tally of 73 goals, which was the highest since Lionel Messi netted a record 82 times in 2011-12, but that it might not be enough to claim the mantle as the world’s best player. The winner is to be announced at the official awards ceremony on Oct. 26.
BASEBALL
Nicks ticket sale paused
The New York Knicks are pausing ticket sales after an error caused them to be listed for amounts that were too high, it said on Thursday. The NBA champions put individual game tickets for the 2026-27 season on sale this week. The price for the Oct. 20 season opener against Philadelphia was more than US$1,000. “We are pausing Knicks individual ticket sales due to a mistake in our pricing. We are rolling back to last year’s prices plus an average increase of 12 percent. We will restart sales with new prices shortly, and anyone who already purchased individual tickets will be refunded the difference,” Madison Square Garden Sports said. There is generally a ticket increase after seasons when the Knicks made the playoffs. Owner James Dolan has not raised them when the team does not.
HYROX
Athlete issues apology
An Australian athlete who sparked an outcry when she kept competing despite soiling herself midway through an event in Beijing apologized yesterday and forfeited her points from winning. “I want to offer my sincere apology to the people of China, my fellow competitors, the spectators and the Hyrox organizers for what happened during the race in Beijing,” Joanna Wietrzyk said on Instagram. “Looking back, I regret the decision to not have stepped off the track,” she said. “I am learning from this experience and will carry those lessons with me, including remembering that there is more to life than racing,” she added. Hyrox has since updated its rules to state that if a “racer’s blood, vomit, urine or feces poses a welfare or contamination risk to the racer or to other racers, a race director may withdraw the racer from the race on medical grounds.”
Taiwan’s men’s basketball team yesterday drained 17 three-pointers in a 91-69 rout of Qatar, advancing to the quarter-finals of the Asian Games in Japan. The lopsided victory was largely powered by the team’s precision long-range shooting. Of the 17 three-pointers, seven came in the opening quarter, giving Taiwan an early 26-12 lead. Boosted by 40 percent shooting from long range, Taiwan also held an edge over Qatar in assists (26-13), committed fewer turnovers (6-14) and steals (9-3). Taiwan shooting guard Lin Ting-chien scored a game-high 21 points, including five three-pointers. Naturalized center Brandon Gilbeck added 12 points, nine rebounds and two steals. With a 2-1
The Hyrox athletics franchise has apologized for allowing an athlete to complete an event in Beijing despite soiling herself midway through, causing an outcry on social media. Posts showed Australian athlete Joanna Wietrzyk with soiled legs and shoes, continuing to use the mats and equipment at the competition held on Saturday in the Chinese capital. She completed the event without the organizing committee intervening, and went on to win the competition, according to the Hyrox Web site. Users pointed out on social media that other participants had to touch the contaminated mats, handles and running tracks after she had used them, raising concerns
Taiwan’s Chen Zhi-ray and Lin Yu-chieh yesterday won the men's doubles final at the Yonex-Sunrise Vietnam Open badminton tournament, quickly dispatching their Singaporean opponents in straight games. Chen and Lin defeated Singapore's Terry Hee and Howin Wong 21-14, 21-12 in 27 minutes at the Badminton World Federation Super 100 event held at the Nguyen Du Club in Ho Chi Minh City. It was the first time the duo had won a BWF Tour event since they paired up in 2024. Previously, 24-year-old Chen and 26-year-old Lin had claimed top spots in three lower-level tourneys, before notching a breakthrough second-place finish at the
UNDER INVESTIGATION: Taiwan has replaced the damaged banner and more cameras have been installed to protect athletes and staff, the sports ministry said The Ministry of Sports yesterday called for mutual respect after a banner at a training facility used by Taiwanese athletes at the Asian Games was defaced to cover up the Chinese characters for “national” and the English word “Taiwan” in Nagoya, Japan. The banner, displayed at Misono Elementary School in Nagoya, was defaced with ink, the Chunichi Shimbun reported on Wednesday. The orange banner, measuring about 5m long by 1.5m wide, hung near the entrance to the former elementary school. In white lettering it read “National Sports Training Center” (國家運動訓練中心) in Mandarin with the English name “Taiwan Sports Training Center.” The Taiwan delegation
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