Sports

PETALING JAYA: Malaysian track cyclists Azizulhasni Awang and Mohd Shah Firdaus Sahrom will focus on keirin after bowing out from the individual sprint event in the last 16. Azizul and Shah Firdaus lost to their rivals from Holland - Jeffrey Hoogland and Harrie Lavreysen - at the Izu Velodrome on thursday, and that saw them moving into their respective repechage heats to keep alive their hopes to the quarter-finals. But Asia's hopes of having a representative in the last eight of the men's sprint was dashed when Azizul and Japan's Yuta Wakimoto lost to defending Olympics champion Jason Kenny of Britain in the first repechage heat that comprised the three riders. Shah Firdaus also exited in the same manner as he failed to get the better of France's Sebastien Vigier and New Zealand's Sam Webster in the second repechage heat. Azizul and Shah Firdaus will only compete in the keirin event on Saturday. ... » Learn More about Azizul, Shah Firdaus lose in sprint, switch focus to keirin

5 August 2021: Sudaporn Seesondee had to settle for a bronze medal on Thursday as the Thai boxer lost narrowly to 2018 world champion Kellie Harrington of Ireland in the women’s boxing 60kg semi-finals at Kokugikan Arena. In a repeat of their World Championships final in New Delhi three years back, Harrington edged past the Thai 3-2 to qualify for the gold medal match against Beatriz Ferreira of Brazil, who beat Mira Marjut Johanna Potkonen of Finland 5-0. The defeat left Sudaporn with the bronze medal and Bt4.8 million in prize money from the National Sports Development Fund. Her bank account will be swelled further by several million from the private sector, including Bt2 million from Bangchak Corporation. The 2018 Asian Games silver medalist from Udon Thani had no regrets about her performance in Tokyo, insisting she had given everything against Harrington. “I’m satisfied with the result even though it didn’t go my way,” said Sudaporn, who becomes Thailand’s first female ... » Learn More about Press Release: Boxer Sudaporn takes bronze after narrow loss to old foe Harrington

Belarusian Olympic athlete Krystsina Tsimanouskaya laughs as she addresses a press conference on August 5, 2021 in Warsaw, one day after her arrival in Poland WARSAW - Belarusian Olympic sprinter Krystsina Tsimanouskaya said she was "happy to be in safety" in Warsaw on Thursday, a day after arriving in Poland where she took refuge after saying she feared for her life if forced to return home. The 24-year-old athlete has been at the centre of a diplomatic drama in the middle of the Games since seeking the protection of Tokyo 2020 staff on Sunday, saying her team was trying to bundle her onto a plane after she publicly criticised her coaches. "I am also happy to be here, happy to be in safety," she told reporters in the Polish capital where she arrived from Tokyo via Vienna. Tsimanouskaya said she was "surprised that the situation became such a political scandal because it started out as a sporting issue", and revealed that "she was "not thinking about political asylum" in EU ... » Learn More about Belarus Olympic athlete ‘happy to be in safety’ in Poland

TOKYO - Sharing videos from the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games on social media is not allowed, even for athletes, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) said on Thursday as it looked to protect broadcasters' rights. Jamaican double gold medallist sprinter Elaine Thompson-Herah was blocked briefly from Instagram on Wednesday after she had posted videos of her victorious 100 and 200 metres races to her 310,000 followers, violating broadcast rights for the Games. A Facebook spokesperson later said that while the content from Facebook-owned Instagram was removed, the suspension was wrongly applied. "We encourage people, we encourage everybody, to share still pictures of performances, but the video obviously belongs to the rights-holding broadcasters," IOC spokesman Mark Adams said. The IOC will receive more than $4 billion (S$5.4 billion) in broadcasting rights for the period, including the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics and the Tokyo Games, much of which goes back into the Games ... » Learn More about Sharing videos on social media from Tokyo Games is not allowed: IOC

Eumir Marcial had Arman Darchinyan figured out from the opening bell. So it was no surprise why the Filipino needed just two minutes to dispatch his Armenian foe as he punched his way to the Tokyo Olympics men's boxing middleweight semifinals with a first-round knockout win . Having faced Darchinyan in the past, Marcial and his coaches laid out a winning scheme: to lure the Armenian into going on the offensive and punish him with counter attacks. That was exactly what Marcial did. After forcing a standing count on Darchinyan earlier in the first round, Marcial sent his opponent to the canvas with a nasty right hook to the head as referee Wulfren Olivares Perez stopped the bout with 49 seconds left. "At first, I was still sizing him up, but during the last minute, I already figured his game out," Marcial said in Filipino. "My plan was to bait him by leaving my face open so that I can counter him when he attacks. That was also the ... » Learn More about Calculated counter: Eumir Marcial baits Armenian into KO win

Carlo Paalam relied on his poise to overcome home bet Ryomei Tanaka for a shot at the elusive Olympic boxing gold in the Tokyo 2020 Games on Thursday, August 5, at the Kokugikan Arena. Paalam earned a unanimous decision win over the Japanese Tanaka, 30-27, 30-27, 29-28, 30-27, 30-27, to advance to the men's flyweight final round. The semifinal victory assured Paalam of at least a silver medal, and also a second silver for the Philippines after boxer Nesthy Petecio secured one in the women's featherweight. A Cagayan de Oro native, Paalam will see action in the final match versus Great Britain’s Galal Yafai on Saturday, August 7, at 1 pm, Philippine time for a chance to win the country's first ever boxing gold medal, and also a second gold after weightlifter Hidilyn Diaz's historic feat. Paalam was calm and cool in the opening round as Tanaka aggressively closed in on him, but the Filipino capitalized on the opportunity to land body shots early that helped ... » Learn More about Carlo Paalam outclasses home bet, gets crack at Olympic gold

Banglamung/Pattaya – Rattanakorn Market reopens this week after one week’s temporary closure to control the spread of the Covid -19 virus, according to Banglamung officials. The Banglamung District Chief Wuttisak Sainghadachoe ordered the temporary closure of several markets in Banglamung for seven days last week. Banglamung orders temporary closure of two markets The Banglamung District Chief ordered the temporary closure of Rattanakorn Market specifically from July 26 th to August 1 st for a big cleaning, staff Covid-19 testing, and sanitation and training measures. The training included teaching vendors how to take additional precautions against Covid-19 and how to help socially distance potential customers. The market is now reopened as normal. However, sellers have increased Covid-19 measurements with plastic screens in front of their shops as well as more spacing. Most vendors are also wearing two layers of face masks for protection, according to Wuttisak. ... » Learn More about Rattanakorn Market in Pattaya reopens after temporary closure to control Covid -19

Bangkok – Atchariya Ruangrattanapong, Chairman of the Crime Victims’ Assistance Club, has filed a complaint against the President of Thonburi Healthcare Group (THG), Dr. Boon Vanasin, for allegedly sharing fake news of the THG’s Pfizer vaccine procurement. Atchariya reported to the CyberCrime Investigation Bureau (CCIB) that he personally believed that neither Dr. Boon nor the Thonburi Healthcare Group had contacted and negotiated with related Pfizer representatives to import 20 million doses of the mRNA vaccines. He told reporters: “I believed there was no negotiation because the Pfizer representatives would only make a trading agreement in the state-to-state condition and there were five government agencies that are allowed to do so. And many of these agencies have denied making any procurement contract of Pfizer Vaccines with Dr. Boon.” Additionally, the claimed price of 1,300 baht per dose of the vaccine was, according to his statement, a false incentive aimed to ... » Learn More about Thonburi Healthcare President accused of allegedly sharing fake news of Pfizer vaccine procurement