South Korea make winning start to Sudirman Cup campaign
XIAMEN, China - Four-times champions South Korea made a blazing start to their Sudirman Cup campaign by thumping Czech Republic 4-1 while group rivals Taiwan were equally dominant, beating Canada by a similar score line in the biennial mixed team competition on Sunday.
Thailand were also impressive in Group A as they crushed Hong Kong 5-0 and gave themselves a good chance to finish inside the top two and qualify for the quarter-finals of the April 27-May 4 tournament in China's southeast coast.
Defending champions China will begin their quest for a 14th title when they take on Algeria in Xiamen later in the day, while former winners Indonesia meet England and India take on Denmark on the opening day of action.
In Group B, Sim Yu-jin put South Korea ahead after winning her singles match 21-15 21-10 against Tereza Svabikova, and while Jan Louda beat Cho Geon-yeop 21-16 21-16 in the men's singles match to bring the Czech on level terms, the South Koreans won their next three matches to seal the tie.
Taiwan won thanks to strong displays from their doubles teams, ensuring Chiu Pin-Chian's 21-10 21-16 loss to Michelle Li in the women's singles was the only blip. REUTERS
Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Straits Times
an hour ago
- Straits Times
Canada's Summer McIntosh breaks 400m medley world record
Summer McIntosh bagged her third world record in days on June 11, clocking 4min 23.65sec to better her own 400m medley record at the Canadian Swimming Trials in Victoria. REUTERS MONTREAL – World records 'are made to be broken' – those were the wise words from a young but thoroughly exciting Canadian swimmer this week. Summer McIntosh bagged her third world record in days on June 11, clocking 4min 23.65sec to better her own 400m medley record at the Canadian Swimming Trials in Victoria. The 18-year-old prodigy, who is already a three-time Olympic gold medallist, laid down another impressive marker ahead of the World Championships in Singapore in July with a dominant performance. McIntosh's blistering time beat her old mark of 4:24.38 set in Toronto in May last year at the Canadian Olympic trials. Her assault on her own world record got off to a smooth start, with the teenager completing the opening butterfly leg in world record pace. She was more than a second ahead of the world record at the halfway stage, and although that margin dropped to one-tenth of a second after the breaststroke, she produced an electrifying freestyle down the stretch to complete a scintillating performance. 'Going into tonight, I knew I could do something really special because this has probably been the best meet of my career,' McIntosh said afterwards in a pool deck interview. 'World records are made to be broken. So by the time I leave this sport, I want to make sure that that record is as fast as possible. 'That really keeps me going, because I know there's always going to be the next generation of kids growing up, and they're going to be chasing the record. So I've gotta give them my best effort to see how long it can stand.' Her June 11 record-breaking display was the latest entry to an impressive catalogue of performances she has produced this week in British Columbia. On June 7, she smashed the women's 400m freestyle record, slicing more than a second off Australian star Ariarne Titmus's world best from 2023. She then clocked the third fastest 800m freestyle in history on June 8, before diving back into the pool on June 9 to obliterate Hungarian great Katinka Hosszu's decade-old 200m medley world record. McIntosh, who gold medals in the 200m butterfly, 200m medley and 400m medley at last year's Paris Olympics, will now head to July's worlds aiming to add to her collection of four world championship gold medals. AFP Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Straits Times
3 hours ago
- Straits Times
‘Ref Cam' footage won't show controversial incidents: Fifa
The match referees in the Fifa Club World Cup (not shown in this picture) will wear a small camera protruding from their earpiece which will be able to generate video from the referees point of view. AFP MIAMI – Referees at the Fifa Club World Cup will wear 'body cams' with the footage used in broadcasts of the game – but only if the images are of non-controversial incidents, Fifa refereeing officials said on June 11. The match referees in the tournament will wear a small camera protruding from their earpiece which will be able to generate video from the referees point of view. But while broadcasters will be able to offer unique angles on goals and saves – as well as close-up live video and sound from the pre-match coin toss – viewers will not get to see penalty decisions or other disputable moments from the new camera angle. 'The objective is to offer the TV viewers a new experience,' said Pierluigi Collina, the chairman of the Fifa Referees Committee. Collina said that IFAB, which sets the laws of the game, had allowed a trial of the technology and suggested that footage of controversies might be part of a later phase in the future. 'Let's do things step by step. At the moment... this is a trial. We need to do something new and the simpler the better. So we fixed some rules within a protocol. We will offer these images in the future? Maybe when we learn to run, maybe not, maybe we will do,' he said. The live images will be broadcast via a private 5G network from the ref to the match production team, said Fifa Director of Innovation, Johannes Holzmuller, who said the live aspect would only be available in the six NFL stadiums being used for the tournament. What Club World Cup fans will be able to see are the VAR reviews, as seen by referees on the pitchside monitor, which will be broadcast on giant screens in the stadium. That video will then be followed by the referee announcing the final decision over the public address system and the television broadcast. The tournament will also see the use of 'enhanced semi-automatic offside' technology which will use 16 cameras linked to AI technology and algorithms which will send an audio message to the assistant referee when an offside player touches the ball. The system will likely see the flag raised earlier for offside and reduce cases of play continuing after a clear offside until a later VAR review. The tournament will also be an early introduction of the new law that goalkeepers have eight seconds to release the ball after picking it up – or be punished with a corner. It replaces the previous law that keepers had six seconds to release the ball or give up an indirect free-kick. The goalkeepers will be shown a five-second warning by the referee who will count down showing the fingers of one hand. AFP Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Straits Times
5 hours ago
- Straits Times
Austrian association urges FIA members to reject statute changes
Formula One F1 - Bahrain Grand Prix - Bahrain International Circuit, Sakhir, Bahrain - April 13, 2025 FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem with third placed McLaren's Lando Norris after the Bahrain Grand Prix REUTERS/Rula Rouhana/File Photo MONTREAL - The Austrian Automobile Association (OAMTC) has urged FIA members to reject proposed statute changes it fears will damage motorsport's world governing body and limit opposition to the re-election of president Mohammed Ben Sulayem. In an unsigned June 10 letter emailed to the mobility section of the FIA's world council, and seen by Reuters, the OAMTC set out its opposition to a vote on the agenda of the FIA General Assembly in Macau on Thursday. "We appeal to all members to support our motion to remove the voting on the proposed FIA statute changes from the General Assembly's agenda," the letter said, suggesting a postponement to a later meeting. "There is no urgency regarding these proposed changes ... they risk further contributing to the erosion of the FIA's reputation for competent and transparent governance. "It cannot be - and is not - a coincidence that changes relevant to the FIA's elections have been promoted by the FIA's leadership at the same time as the FIA's incumbent president has announced an intention to run in those elections. "Where there is even a risk of these changes appearing to benefit the current FIA administration, and not the FIA itself, the changes should not be adopted." An International Automobile Federation spokesperson in London was not immediately aware of the letter but confirmed the vote was scheduled for Thursday. Those attending the gathering in Macau could not be reached immediately for comment. The OAMTC said the eight proposed statute changes raised issues of fairness and consistency, and that they would discourage opposition to Ben Sulayem. Ben Sulayem is standing for re-election in December, with no rival candidate so far coming forward. He told Reuters last month when he confirmed he was standing that he welcomed competition. Ben Sulayem recognised he had enemies but said he was confident he had the support of a majority of FIA members. "I only have to answer to my members. And they are happy. Actually, they are very happy. They are extremely happy," he said. The Emirati has been involved in several controversies since he took over in 2021 and has been at loggerheads with drivers as well as drawing criticism from FIA insiders, while some senior employees have left. Briton Robert Reid, a former close ally who quit as an FIA deputy president in April, wrote in his resignation statement of a "fundamental breakdown in governance standards" at the governing body. Reid and Motorsport UK head David Richards had opposed other statute changes approved by the General Assembly last December that they said limited the powers of audit and ethics committees. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
