Shi beats Lanier to win Japan Open badminton title
South Korea's An Se-young downed China's Wang Zhiyi 21-12, 21-10 in the women's final to capture an incredible sixth title in seven tournaments so far this year.
Shi was replaced at the top of the men's world rankings by Thailand's Kunlavut Vitidsarn in June, but he was too good for rising star Lanier in Tokyo.
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Japan Times
2 days ago
- Japan Times
Activists protest Gaza war during Tour de France and call for Israeli team ban
Dozens of pro-Palestinian activists waved flags and unfurled banners on Wednesday as the Tour de France peloton rode through Dieulefit, a southeastern French town honored as a "Town of the Just" for sheltering Jewish people during World War II. A house was draped with Palestinian flags and protesters waved dozens more by the roadside. Cries of "Free Palestine" echoed through the town, as the riders cycled through. One banner read "Affamer c'est tuer," meaning "Starving is killing." Vanessa Huguenin, who runs a family-owned department store in Dieulefit, a town of about 3,000 people, said the action had been planned for nearly two months to take advantage of the Tour's visibility. "We can't change Israel or Hamas, but we want our government to act, not just say 'it's not good,'" she said. Such protests about international politics are relatively rare in the three-week annual race, in which fans line the route as the riders tackle daily stages. A small protest over the war in Gaza occurred during the first stage of last year's edition. A man was also arrested on July 16 in Toulouse after running onto the final straight of the stage wearing a T-shirt reading "Israel out of the Tour" and waving a black and white keffiyeh headdress. Through a loudspeaker on Wednesday, a protester shouted: "Mr. Adams, spokesperson for a genocidal army," referring to Sylvan Adams, co-owner of the Israel-Premier Tech cycling team competing in the race. The protester called for the team to be kicked out. Israel has repeatedly rejected that its military operation in Gaza amounts to genocide. "Israel-Premier Tech respects everyone's right to free speech which includes the right to protest," said a statement from Israel-Premier Tech, which is Israel's first elite cycling team, founded in 2014. "Our focus is on racing and we continue to work closely with race organizers and relevant parties to ensure that any protests do not jeopardize team members' safety, nor impact races, or our right to participate." The team has been granted extra security on the Tour, with police officers stationed by the team bus. They were escorted by plain-clothed officers at the team's presentation in Lille. Huguenin, 45, said the town's history inspired residents to act and said the protest had been peaceful. "Here we say no one is a stranger. My grandparents hid people during the war. For us, being 'just' means protecting everyone, regardless of race or religion,' she said. The war between Israel and Hamas has been raging for nearly two years since the Palestinian militant group killed some 1,200 Israelis and took 251 hostages in the deadliest attack in Israel's history, Israeli tallies show. Israel has since killed nearly 60,000 Palestinians in Gaza, Gaza's health ministry says. It has decimated Hamas as a military force, reduced most of the territory to ruins and forced nearly the entire population to flee their homes multiple times. The man arrested last week said he was due to stand trial for endangering the riders and refusing to give his fingerprints. He says the security officer who tackled him threw his walkie-talkie at him. Race organizer, the Amaury Sports Organisation, declined to comment about either protest.
Japan Times
2 days ago
- Japan Times
Jonas Valanciunas sets record straight: he will play for Nuggets
Jonas Valanciunas appears to be all-in for his 14th NBA season. After initially balking about joining the Denver Nuggets, the 6-foot-11 Valanciunas said this week that he will play for the franchise. Denver acquired him from the Sacramento Kings earlier this month but the 33-year-old Lithuanian was more interested in playing overseas for Greek team Panathinaikos. "I want to clear the air about my playing situation next season now that Denver has made their decision to keep me," Valanciunas told BasketNews. "The idea of playing for Panathinaikos, closer to home, was very exciting to me, but that will have to wait. I am fully committed to honoring my contract with the Nuggets this season and will give it my all to compete for a championship." Valanciunas is entering the second season of a three-year, $30.3 million deal. The Nuggets acquired Valanciunas to give backup support to center Nikola Jokic, a three-time league MVP. Jokic averaged a career-high 36.7 minutes per game last season, his eighth straight campaign of averaging more than 30 minutes per outing. Valanciunas has played as a reserve just 89 times in his 937-game career and 60 of them came last season when he split the campaign between the Washington Wizards (49 games) and Kings (32). He averaged 10.4 points and 7.7 rebounds while averaging a career-low 18.8 minutes. Overall, Valanciunas has career averages of 13.1 points and 9.3 rebounds while playing for the Toronto Raptors (2012-19), Memphis Grizzlies (2019-21), New Orleans Pelicans (2021-24), Wizards and Kings. He has a career field-goal percentage of 56%.
Japan Times
3 days ago
- Japan Times
China's top football body to form esports team after World Cup flop
China's top soccer body said on Tuesday it planned to form a national esports team, a surprise foray into virtual gaming after a dismal performance saw the country fail to qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The new national esports soccer team will compete in "events organized by FIFA, the Asian Football Confederation and other organizations," the Chinese Football Association (CFA) said. The CFA last month sacked national coach Branko Ivankovic after a 1-0 defeat to Indonesia, a result that effectively dashed China's hopes of qualifying for the World Cup. But while China languishes at 94th in FIFA's world rankings, two places below tiny Luxembourg to the dismay of its vast fanbase, the country's esports sector is booming. In 2024, the industry boasted approximately 490 million users, generated $38.5 billion in annual revenue and hosted 124 esports competitions. At the 2023 Asian Games, China's esports team secured four out of five gold medals. The CFA's foray into esports sparked mixed reactions among Chinese football fans. "I think this might actually work," one Weibo user said. "We have quite a considerable esports player base in our country, and the talent selection is relatively fair," he said. Others were less optimistic. "They have messed up soccer in real life and now they want to mess up soccer in esports," wrote another.
