On cue: China's passion for snooker draws attention away from UK
Big in Asia On cue: China's passion for snooker draws attention away from UK
Embrace brings bigger prizes and audiences, bolstering Olympic bid
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Japan Today
18 hours ago
- Japan Today
Wallabies upset Springboks at Ellis Park from 22-0 down in Rugby Championship
Australia's Dylan Pietsch, centre, being tackled by South Africa's Andre Esterhuizen, left, during a rugby championship test match between South Africa and Australia, at Ellis Park stadium in Johannesburg, South Africa, Saturday, Aug. 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Frans Lombard) rugby union Australia toppled South Africa at Ellis Park for the first time in 62 years with a sensational 38-22 comeback win from 22-0 down in the Rugby Championship opener on Saturday. The Wallabies scored a remarkable six straight tries against the double world champion and Rugby Championship titleholder to earn the signature win of Joe Schmidt's 18-month coaching reign. Australia came to the high veld battle-hardened from the narrow home series loss to the British and Irish Lions, but its record in South Africa made it an obvious underdog. It hadn't won in South Africa since 2011 or at Ellis Park since 1963. The Springboks underlined their credentials by sprinting to 22-0 in 17 minutes with three well-made tries. But they never scored again. Australia didn't panic, absorbed the blows, tightened its defense and watched a Springboks side packed with 18 World Cup winners surprisingly wobble as the pressure was returned. The Wallabies were 22-5 down at halftime, and went ahead for the first time in the 64th minute through captain Harry Wilson's second try and last act of the match. They added two more tries to finish the stronger team at an altitude in which they have traditionally struggled for decades. This was only their second ever win over the Boks at their spiritual home in 92 years. Wilson opened the second half scoring a soft try from replacement prop Angus Bell's pass into a gap 25 meters out. Len Ikitau limped off and Australia patched the midfield with Andrew Kellaway, and put flyhalf backup Tane Edmed on the wing for the injured Dylan Pietsch. Australia blew two consecutive attacking lineouts to narrow the 22-12 gap, and managed it only when rugby league convert Joseph-Aukuso Sua'ali'i intercepted scrumhalf Grant Williams from 55 meters out for his first test try. They finally hit the front when fullback Tom Wright stepped Canan Moodie and set up Wilson, who appeared to be cramping as he crossed the try-line for a second time. Wilson left. Two minutes later, a giant double miss-out pass by James O'Connor released right wing Max Jorgensen to score another long-range try. The fourth goalkick by O'Connor, the fourth-choice flyhalf playing his first test in three years at age 35, sent Australia 33-22 ahead with 14 minutes left. South Africa and its renowned 'bomb squad' of replacements couldn't break an inspired Wallabies side. The coup was completed with five to go. Just outside the Australia 22, Jesse Kriel's overhead inside pass to Andre Esterhuizen was knocked on straight to Wright, who cantered to the other end. © Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Yomiuri Shimbun
2 days ago
- Yomiuri Shimbun
Can Japan's Once-Strong Olympic Spirit Be Restored?; New JOC President Hashimoto Faces a Challenge
In June, the Japan Olympic Committee selected Seiko Hashimoto, 60, as its new president. Hashimoto is a member of the House of Councillors and a former president of the Tokyo Organizing Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games. She became the first female president of the JOC not long after the International Olympic Committee elected its own first female president, Kirsty Coventry, in March of this year. How Hashimoto will revitalize the Olympic movement in Japan is a topic of great interest. The JOC presidential election was held on June 26, following the resignation of President Yasuhiro Yamashita. Since the JOC became independent from the Japan Sports Association (now the Japan Sport Association) in 1989, it has been customary for candidates to be narrowed down to a single choice behind the scenes. But this time, the selection was made by a vote for the first time in history. The three candidates were Hashimoto plus former Japan Football Association President Kozo Tashima, 67, and Japan Basketball Association President Yuko Mitsuya, 66. During a closed-door board meeting, each candidate stated their goals. Hashimoto won a majority of the votes in a secret ballot by the board members. Hashimoto participated in a total of seven Summer and Winter Olympics in speed skating and cycling. At the 1992 Albertville Winter Olympics, she won a bronze medal in the women's 1,500-meter speed skating event. She has also served as a member of the House of Councillors since 1995 and is currently in her sixth term. During that time, she has served as minister for the Olympics and Paralympics, as well as president of the Tokyo Organizing Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games. Within domestic sports organizations, she has served as president of the Japan Skating Federation, and vice president of the JOC. She is currently also president of the Japan Rifle Shooting Association and the Japan Cycling Federation. At a press conference after her election, Hashimoto said: 'As the first female president of the JOC, I feel a great sense of responsibility. The JOC is in crisis. I want to propose reform plans. It is our mission to demonstrate Japan's ability to host the Olympics again and prepare for it.' The Olympic movement in Japan certainly is in crisis. Following the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics in 2021, corruption and collusion scandals surrounding the Games were exposed, tarnishing the Olympic brand. In the aftermath of this, Sapporo, which had been bidding to host the 2030 Winter Olympics and Paralympics, announced in October 2023 that it was withdrawing its bid. In December of the same year, the city also announced the 'suspension' of future bid activities. Considering this situation, three Japanese companies — Toyota Motor Corp., Panasonic Holdings Corp. and Bridgestone Corp. — withdrew from the IOC's top-tier sponsorship program, allowing their contracts to expire last year. This marks the first time that there are no Japanese companies as top-tier sponsors. Japan's presence in the international Olympic movement has never been weaker. Traditionally, Japan has been the non-Western country that best understands, participates in, and supports the Olympic movement. Jigoro Kano, the founding father of judo, was elected the first Asian member of the IOC in May 1909. Japan made its Olympic debut at the fifth edition of the Games, the 1912 Stockholm Olympics. Furthermore, Japan hosted the first Olympics ever held in Asia in Tokyo in 1964, followed by a second Tokyo Olympics in 2021. It also hosted the Winter Olympics in Sapporo in 1972 and in Nagano in 1998. With a total of four Summer and Winter Olympics, Japan ranks third in the world in terms of the number of times it has hosted the Games. Only the United States, with eight Games, and France, with six, have been Olympic hosts more often. The latest Tokyo Olympics were particularly challenging, as they were postponed for a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic and were held mostly without spectators. In May of this year, Thomas Bach, the former president of the IOC, visited Japan to attend a ceremony at which he received the Grand Cordon of the Order of the Rising Sun. He praised the Tokyo Olympics, saying: 'The fact that the Games could be held was largely due to Japan's values of strength in the face of adversity and a sense of responsibility. In that time of crisis, we delivered the most precious gift of hope to the world.' He also expressed his gratitude in Japanese, saying, 'Thank you very much, everyone.' However, even though the Tokyo Games were highly praised around the world, they became a catalyst for dampening the Olympic movement in Japan due to corruption scandals. Bach was among the people who encouraged Hashimoto to run for JOC president. During his May visit, he told her: 'The president of the JOC should be an Olympian. Seiko must run for the presidency.' One reason Sapporo's bid for the 2030 Winter Olympics failed was a lack of coordination between the JOC and the IOC. This strong encouragement from the IOC leadership must have motivated Hashimoto to run for president. Upon taking office, Hashimoto wasted no time in taking action. On Aug. 6, she and other JOC executives attended the Peace Memorial Ceremony at Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park, held on the 80th anniversary of the atomic bombing of that city. The purpose was to reflect on the Olympics' role in promoting a peaceful society through sports. It was the first time the JOC had participated in such an event. Hashimoto took part in a moment of silence at 8:15 a.m., the time the atomic bomb was dropped, and offered a prayer at the memorial cenotaph. She stated: 'The IOC is committed to promoting lasting world peace. As an organization that walks alongside the IOC, the JOC is dedicated to contributing to peace, and it is with this mindset that we attended the ceremony.' Hashimoto was born on Oct. 5, 1964, five days before the opening ceremony of the Tokyo Olympics that year. Her given name, Seiko, is said to have been chosen in reference to the Olympic flame, called 'seika' in Japanese. Having participated in seven Summer and Winter Olympics, Hashimoto has been called the 'child of the Olympics.' In a sense, she is poised to be a key figure in the revival of the Olympic movement in Japan. As the first female president of the JOC, and someone who is deeply connected to the Olympics, will she be able to spark a movement to bring the Olympics and Paralympics back to Japan? We look forward to seeing what she will accomplish. Political Pulse appears every Saturday. Yuji Kondo Yuji Kondo is a senior writer in the Sports Department of The Yomiuri Shimbun
Japan Today
2 days ago
- Japan Today
Liverpool strikes late to beat Bournemouth as Jota remembered in Premier League opener
soccer By Kieran CANNING Liverpool struck twice in the final minutes through Federico Chiesa and Mohamed Salah to overcome a battling Bournemouth 4-2 in a thrilling start to the Premier League season on Friday. Antoine Semenyo looked to have rescued a point for the Cherries by scoring twice, after he had reported an incident of racial abuse from a fan, to cancel out Hugo Ekitike and Cody Gakpo's strikes for the defending champions. But on an emotive night as Anfield remembered Diogo Jota, Chiesa was the unlikely hero as the injury-hit Italian fired the home side back in front before Salah rounded off the scoring. Liverpool's joy at celebrating a record-equalling 19th English top-flight title turned to tragedy during the off-season as forward Jota was killed alongside his brother Andre Silva in a car accident last month at the age of 28. Just 11 days prior to the accident, the Portuguese international had married Rute Cardoso, the mother of his three children. A large banner at the front of The Kop stand read: "Rute, Dinis, Duarte, Mafalda - Anfield will always be your home. You'll Never Walk Alone." During a minute's silence, fans held up a giant mosaic with the initials of Jota and Silva, who was also a footballer, and their shirt numbers in the Portuguese flag. Despite romping to the title with four games to spare last season, Liverpool have undergone a major transformation in the transfer market, spending close to £300 million ($407 million). Ekitike, Florian Wirtz, Milos Kerkez and Jeremie Frimpong made their first competitive starts for the Reds. More could be yet to come with Liverpool linked with a British transfer record move for Newcastle's Alexander Isak and interested in Crystal Palace captain Marc Guehi. The visitors were fortunate not to be reduced to 10 men less than 15 minutes in when Marcos Senesi clearly directed the ball out of Ekitike's path with his hand when the French striker had a clear run at goal, but VAR surprisingly did not intervene. The game was briefly halted on the half hour mark as Semenyo reported to referee Anthony Taylor he had been the subject of racist abuse from a Liverpool supporter, who was seen to be removed from the stands by police at half-time. Shortly after the resumption, Ekitike settled Liverpool's nerves as he got the break of the ball and slotted past Dorde Petrovic. Ekitike then got the assist for Liverpool's second just after the break as Gakpo coolly left two Bournemouth defenders on the ground and rolled into the bottom corner. Arne Slot's men have struggled to find the right balance in pre-season and in losing the Community Shield to Palace last weekend as a new-look slick attack could not compensate for wide open defensive gaps on the counter-attack and so it proved again. David Brooks broke the offside trap and squared for Semenyo to pull a goal back. The Ghanaian then rounded off his eventful evening for good and bad with an incredible equaliser. Semenyo collected possession just outside his own box and sprinted through a vacant Liverpool midfield before firing into the bottom corner 13 minutes from time. Chiesa was barely used by Slot in his debut season in England but became the unlikely hero when he pounced on a loose ball inside the Bournemouth box on 89 minutes. Salah then broke clear in stoppage time to score his customary goal in the opening game of the season and paid his own homage to Jota by mimicking one of his goal celebrations. The Egyptian then broke down in tears after full-time as a chant in Jota's name was belted out from the stands. © 2025 AFP
