Latest news with #Paris2024Olympics
Straits Times
08-07-2025
- Sport
- Straits Times
Tottenham sign Japan defender Takai from Kawasaki Frontale
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox Paris 2024 Olympics - Football - Men's Group D - Japan vs Mali - Bordeaux Stadium, Bordeaux, France - July 27, 2024. Kota Takai of Japan in action with Boubacar Traore of Mali. REUTERS/Susana Vera Tottenham Hotspur have signed Japan defender Kota Takai on a five-year contract from J-League side Kawasaki Frontale, the Premier League club said on Tuesday. Financial details were not disclosed but British media reports said Europa League champions Tottenham paid a fee of five million pounds ($6.82 million) for the 20-year-old. Takai, a product of Frontale's youth academy, was part of the side that missed out on the Asian Champions League Elite title after suffering a 2-0 defeat to Saudi Arabia's Al-Ahli in the final in May. He has also made four appearances for Japan's national team. Takai is the third centre back to join the north London club this summer, further bolstering their defence after the arrivals of Luka Vuskovic from Hajduk Split and Kevin Danso, whose loan move from RC Lens was made permanent. Tottenham ended their 17-year trophy drought with their Europa League victory last season, but also endured their worst domestic campaign for nearly half a century and finished 17th in the Premier League. REUTERS
Straits Times
07-07-2025
- Sport
- Straits Times
Fencing-French Olympic fencer cleared as CAS accepts positive test linked to kissing partner
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox Paris 2024 Olympics - Fencing - Women's Foil Team Classifications 5-8 - Grand Palais, Paris, France - August 01, 2024. Ysaora Thibus of France is seen during the bout against China. REUTERS/Albert Gea The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has overturned French Olympic fencer Ysaora Thibus's four-year suspension for doping, ruling that her positive test for a banned substance was caused by kissing her then-boyfriend, American fencer Race Imboden. Thibus, silver medallist in team foil at the Tokyo Games, had tested positive for ostarine, a prohibited muscle-building substance, during a competition in Paris in January 2024. However, CAS concluded there was no intentional wrongdoing, finding it scientifically plausible that repeated kissing over several days with Olympic medallist Imboden — who was taking ostarine at the time — led to accidental contamination. The court dismissed an appeal from the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), which had sought a four-year suspension. The sport's top court instead upheld a previous ruling from the International Fencing Federation's doping disciplinary tribunal (DDT) that had already cleared Thibus of any fault. "The CAS Panel ruled that the antidoping rule violation for the presence of ostarine was not intentional, and that it is not questionable that Ms Thibus bears no fault or negligence," the court said in a statement. "The DDT decision is upheld and the appeal is dismissed." The case has drawn comparisons to an incident in 2009 involving French tennis player Richard Gasquet, who was exonerated after arguing that he had tested positive for cocaine after kissing someone at a nightclub. Thibus was able to compete at the 2024 Paris Olympics following the initial DDT ruling, finishing fifth in the team foil event on home soil. REUTERS
Straits Times
17-06-2025
- Sport
- Straits Times
Olympic gold in LA is Djokovic's new obsession
FILE PHOTO: Paris 2024 Olympics - Champions Park medallists celebrations - Champions Park, Paris, France - August 05, 2024. Tennis Men's Singles gold medallist Novak Djokovic of Serbia poses with his medal during the Champions Park medallists celebrations. REUTERS/Stephanie Lecocq/File Photo Novak Djokovic says that defending his Olympic title at LA 2028 - when he would be 41 years old - has become his primary motivation to continue competing, marking a significant shift in priorities for the 24-times Grand Slam champion. "The only thing that at this moment, professionally speaking, I have in my vision is the Olympics of 2028 in Los Angeles," Djokovic told former Croatia football international and manager Slaven Bilic in an interview published on "And playing for the national team and Grand Slams... but not even the Grand Slams, not as much as the Olympics." The 38-year-old Serbian's Paris 2024 victory over Carlos Alcaraz in the final completed his collection of every major accolade in tennis, including all four Grand Slam titles, the Davis Cup, ATP Finals and every Masters event -- a career "Golden Slam" that had eluded him until that point. If successful in Los Angeles, Djokovic -- currently ranked fifth in the world -- would join Britain's Andy Murray as the only players to defend an Olympic singles title. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
