Sports — International

Former US President Obama joins NBA Africa as partner

Former US President Barack Obama has joined NBA Africa as a strategic partner, advancing social responsibility efforts across the continent, the NBA announced on Tuesday. Obama will support programs and partnerships that provide greater gender equality and economic inclusion. Obama will have a small equity stake in the new venture, which over time he intends to use to fund Obama Foundation youth and leadership programs across Africa, according to the league. NBA Africa conducts league […]

NBA will keep play-in tournament for playoff spots next season

NBA team owners approved a proposal on Tuesday to continue the play-in tournament for the 2021-22 season, keeping the expanded competition for the last playoff spots in each conference. The plan, agreed upon by the league and the NBA Players Association, follows the same format as the play-in event used in the 2020-21 campaign. Teams that finish the regular season with the seventh-highest through 10th-highest winning percentages in each conference will compete for the seventh […]

Moroccan boxer tries to bite opponent in Tokyo Olympics defeat

TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — Moroccan heavyweight boxer Youness Baalla attempted to bite David Nyika’s ear during his defeat to the New Zealander at the Tokyo Olympics on Tuesday. The 22-year-old was subsequently disqualified for unsportsmanlike behaviour, although he was already out of the Games anyway following his unanimous-points loss in the round-of-16 bout. A Tokyo 2020 statement called Baalla’s actions “intolerable”, saying that he “very clearly intended to bite the ear/face of his opponent in […]

Sacrifice, exile: how Filipina Hidilyn Diaz made Olympic history

by Daniel HICKS Agence France Presse TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — Triumphant weightlifter Hidilyn Diaz will now forget the years of exile, sacrifice, training and nutrition that took her to the Philippines’ first Olympic gold by tucking into her favourite sweet passions, cheesecake and bubble tea. “Yes I will eat a lot tonight,” she smiled as she told AFP of her plans after her final massive 127kg lift eclipsed China’s world record holder Liao Qiuyun in […]

‘So proud’: Hidilyn Diaz hailed for historic Olympic gold

MANILA, Philippines (AFP) — With their eyes glued to a television in the southern Philippines, the family of weightlifter Hidilyn Diaz yelled “push, push, push!” as she hoisted the bar to win the country’s first Olympic gold medal. “Then we erupted in joy — we were shouting, some shed tears of joy,” Emelita Diaz told AFP Tuesday, a day after watching her daughter’s historic performance in Tokyo — far from her hometown of Zamboanga. “We […]

Olympic fencing champ says Hong Kong ‘insane’ after first gold for 25 years

TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — Fencing gold medallist Edgar Cheung Ka-long said Hong Kong had gone “insane” after he won the Chinese territory’s first Olympic gold in 25 years and only its second ever. The 24-year-old stunned Italy’s reigning Olympic champion Daniele Garozzo 15-11 in the final of the men’s foil at the pandemic-delayed Tokyo Games. Hong Kong’s only previous Olympic gold came at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, when Lee Lai-shan won a gold medal in […]

Doncic hits 48 points in Olympic basketball debut to remember

TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — NBA star Luka Doncic scored a sensational 48 points as Slovenia routed Argentina 118-100 in their first game of the Tokyo Olympics men’s basketball tournament on Monday. On his Olympic debut, the 22-year-old Dallas Mavericks guard had 31 points in the first half and at one stage was on track to break the Olympic scoring record of 55 points set by Brazil’s Oscar Schmidt in 1988. His final total still tied […]

Tropical storm approaches Japan, affecting Olympic events

TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — A tropical storm was barrelling towards northeastern Japan on Monday, forcing Tokyo Olympics organizers to reschedule rowing and archery that could be affected by high winds. Tropical Storm Nepartak, packing gusts up to 108 kilometers (67 miles) per hour, was expected to make landfall Tuesday, Japan’s meteorological agency said. The storm is shifting its course from the Tokyo area to northeastern regions, including Fukushima. But the agency warned of heavy rain, […]

Weightlifter Diaz wins first ever Olympic gold for Philippines

by Daniel HICKS Agence France Presse TOKYO, Japan (AFP) – Weightlifter Hidilyn Diaz made history on Monday when she became the first athlete from the Philippines to win an Olympic gold medal. The 30-year-old Rio 2016 silver medallist from the southern city of Zamboanga realised her dream in the women’s 55kg class at the Tokyo International Forum, smashing her personal best to see off world record holder Liao Qiuyun of China who had to settle […]

Japan’s Nishiya, 13, first women’s Olympic skateboard champion

Japan’s Momiji Nishiya became one of the youngest individual Olympic champions in history when she won the inaugural women’s skateboarding gold at the age of 13 years and 330 days on Monday. Nishiya finished ahead of Brazil’s Rayssa Leal — who at 13 years and 203 days could have become the youngest ever individual Olympic champion — and Japan’s Funa Nakayama, 16. Nishiya starred in the tricks section to score 15.26 and give the hosts […]

Tokyo Olympics: Carlo Paalam takes down Irish foe

Filipino boxer Carlo Paalam opened his bid for the Tokyo Olympic gold on a good note after beating Irish opponent Brendan Irvine in the first phase of the men’s flyweight event at the Kokugikan Arena in the Japanese capital on Monday. Paalam dominated Irvine in the first round, gaining the nod of all five judges. Irvine somehow got his bearing in the second round, impressing Judges Wulfren Olivares and Bakytzhan Bekpenbetov enough to give him […]

Australia’s Titmus upsets Ledecky to win Olympic 400m freestyle gold

Ariarne Titmus upset Katie Ledecky to claim the Olympic 400m freestyle gold medal Monday in the second-fastest time ever swum, with the American great having to settle for second. The Australian inched clear over the final 50m to touch in 3min 56.69sec. Only world record holder Ledecky has ever gone quicker. Ledecky hit the wall for silver in 3:57.36, with China’s Li Bingjie a distant third in 4:01.08. “At the 200, I was a little […]