World Fitness Blog : Leading Global Bloggers

February 9, 2022

There’s more to meet the eye when it comes to the Twitter fame of the Winter Olympics mascot Bing Dwen Dwen This photo taken on February 8, 2022 shows employees working on stuffed toys of 2022 Beijing Winter Olympic Games mascot Bing Dwen Dwen at a factory in Jinjiang in China’s eastern Fujian province. (Photo by AFP) / China OUT

Filed under: Outdoors — Tags: — admin @ 9:23 am

The adorable mascot for the Winter Olympics has amassed viral recognition on Twitter, but there’s more to its “fame” than meets the eye.

Roaring online popularity of China’s official Winter Olympics mascot seems legitimate when observing from afar, but closer inspections have revealed something far more sinister.

The cute panda on ice skates, named Bing Dwen Dwen, amassed Twitter hype that surpassed not only Beijing’s Opening Ceremony, but the entire Games itself — as well as the accusations surrounding the country’s human rights violations against Xinjiang and Uighurs.

While a seemingly impressive feat, the panda’s Twitter “fame” was particularly curious given the social media site is not accessible in China.

With locals and genuine fans physically incapable of tweeting their love for the cuddly bear themselves, its trajectory to instant viral fame has raised a major question.

Who is out there ferociously tweeting about Bing Dwen Dwen?

The wholesome panda sadly has a not-so-wholesome backstory, with its online popularity actually being manufactured by fake Twitter accounts created by the Chinese government.

Nearly 20 per cent of the accounts behind the 30,000 tweets about Bing Dwen Dwen have been created in the last month, while a further 15 per cent emerged last year.

The panda stunt may have been part of a broader project, with Chinese government documents showing agencies had been on a recruitment drive to manage their social media accounts and create new online narratives, according to the Sydney Morning Herald.

Accounts by names of Jessica77025679, bot47305224 and Dianna50973442 were among those tweeting their love for the panda, with some even beginning work before the Games started.

Bing Dwen Dwen has been famed by such accounts for its stance on coming “together for a shared future”.

Albert Zhang, a researcher at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute’s International Cyber Policy Centre, told the publication China’s Bing Dwen Dwen stunt was far from the first.

“It’s consistent with their previous propaganda and information operations,” he said.

“These operations are typically ineffective in the sense they get very little engagement but are spammy and can scale to thousands of accounts very quickly,”

He said it was common for China to promote positive images of the country in a ploy to protect its reputation from external forces.

“Promoting positive images of China such as the Olympics then creates a more favourable patriotic narrative,” Mr Zhang said.

With spectators largely banned from the Games due to coronavirus restrictions, Bing Dwen Dwen souvenirs were reportedly in hot demand.

Surging demand however has been outstripping supply, with Chinese media reporting long queues at a main souvenir shop in Beijing and disappointed fans being turned away.

Many social media users in China complained the toys had sold out on popular e-commerce platforms like Taobao, Tmall and JD.

A hashtag calling for “One (Bing Dwen) Dwen per household” generated 210 million views on China’s Twitter-like Weibo platform on Sunday.

– With AFP

Read related topics:China

Source

February 8, 2022

Chinese star’s Olympics stunt exposed by question she won’t answer BEIJING, CHINA – FEBRUARY 08: Gold medalist Ailing Eileen Gu of Team China reacts during the Women’s Freestyle Skiing Freeski Big Air Final on Day 4 of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games at Big Air Shougang on February 08, 2022 in Beijing, China. (Photo by Lintao Zhang/Getty Images)

Filed under: Outdoors — Tags: — admin @ 9:23 am

An American deserter and Olympics superstar has given China a dream political win, but it couldn’t cover up an act of propaganda.

Californian-born Eileen Gu won gold for China at the Beijing Winter Olympics — and then repeatedly refused to answer the burning question surrounding her defection from the United States to the host country.

Gu, already arguably the biggest star at the entire 2022 Games, secured a thunderous political win for China when she claimed gold in the inaugural women’s freeski Big Air with a stunning jump she had never tried before.

She shed tears of joy after only picking up the gold medal with her final run.

“The tears were mostly of joy, that I had pushed myself to the absolute limit,” Gu said.

“That was the best moment of my life. The happiest moment, day of my life. I just cannot believe what just happened.”

The 18-year-old has been the headline story of the Games after she left Team USA officials baffled by her decision to represent China while the country remains accused of abusing human rights and engaging in unfair trade policies.

Her face has been everywhere, flooding TV ads, promotions and billboards.

It’s why she is a powerful weapon for China at the Games — and it was on full display during her event when former tennis doubles world number one Peng Shuai also popped up cheering her on from a VIP section of the crowd.

Peng alleged in a social media post in November that former Chinese vice-premier Zhang Gaoli forced her into sex and she was not heard from for nearly three weeks, prompting concern around the world about her safety.

Now the stunt is being called out as an act of propaganda from the Chinese government, attempting to smooth over a saga that has heaped international pressure on the country.

It didn’t take long for the dark side of Gu’s Olympics fairytale to emerge after the victory as she repeatedly refused to directly address questions surrounding her American citizenship.

China does not allow its citizens to carry dual citizenship.

USA Today’s Dan Wolken posted on Twitter she showed impressive athleticism in dodging the questions.

“I definitely feel as though I’m just as American as I am Chinese,” she said.

“I’m American when I’m in the US and Chinese when I’m in China. Both continue to be supportive of me because they understand my mission is to use sport as a force for unity.

When asked how she is juggling trying to keep her fans in both countries, her answer surprised reporters at the post-even press conference.

“I think that here’s the thing I’m not trying to keep everyone happy,” she said.

“I’m an 18 year old girl out here living my best life. I’m out here having a great time.

“It doesn’t matter if other people are happy or not. I’m doing my best. I’m enjoying the entire process and using my voice to create as much positive change as I can in an area that is personal and relevant to myself.”

She went on to say she is not going to try to “placate people who are uneducated”.

Gu is competing in two more events in Beijing — the freestyle halfpipe and slopestyle — so could become the first freestyle skier to win Winter Games medals in three different disciplines.

“I don’t want to think about the next two events, I am a very fast-pace person, so I just want to soak it all in,” she said.

Gu, whose father is American, will see her already huge popularity in China increase further after winning Olympic gold.

She is a model and ambassador for several luxury brands, but she says the work she put in to win the gold medal happened far away from any spotlight.

“There were no cameras in the gym when I worked out after eight hours of modelling or at 4:00 pm when I hiked up to get the last ski lift so I could try one more jump,” she said.

The level-headed teen is grateful for all the support she has received from her Chinese and American fans.

With striking eyes that led her to modelling deals with Victoria’s Secret and Vogue and more than 400,000 Instagram followers — and now the first of what she hopes will be three golds — Gu will have a large platform to influence. She will enter the slopestyle and halfpipe events as the favourite to win.

After her final run, with tears in her eyes and the shouting done, she could be heard telling herself, “Definitely not crying, definitely not crying.”

— with AFP, New York Post

Read related topics:China

Source

February 7, 2022

Beijing Winter Olympics, day 3 live blog: China’s fury after golden boy ‘robbed’ ZHANGJIAKOU, CHINA – FEBRUARY 07: Silver medallist Yiming Su of Team China reacts during the Men’s Snowboard Slopestyle flower ceremony at Genting Snow Park on February 07, 2022 in Zhangjiakou, China. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)

Filed under: Outdoors — Tags: — admin @ 9:23 am

China is calling for action with claims the country’s teen superstar was deliberately sabotaged at his home Winter Olympics.

Day three of the Beijing Winter Olympics looks to be relatively quiet for the Australian team, with only one athlete in action.

Brendan Corey will take part in the men’s 1000m short track speed skating competition tonight, looking to potentially replicate the legendary Steven Bradbury.

Australia had its most successful day in Winter Olympic history on Sunday, with Jakara Anthony winning a gold medal in the women’s freestyle moguls competition.

It was Australia’s sixth ever Winter Olympics gold medal and the first since Torah Bright and Lydia Lassila in 2010.

Elsewhere, the action has been crazy. There was huge drama in the women’s ice hockey with Team Canada protesting against Russia after the ROC team refused to provide Covid testing data.

There has also been a furore behind the scenes with Olympians slamming the awful conditions for athletes forced into isolation.

China’s fury after golden boy ‘robbed’

Hundreds of Chinese fans have flooded social media platform Weibo with angry messages after national golden boy Su Yiming missed out on the gold medal in the men’s slopestyle final on Monday.

The 17-year-old Chinese home favourite picked up the silver medal behind Canada’s Max Parrot in a thrilling final.

According to international news agencies, including Reuters, Su Yiming was the No. 1 trending topic on the social media site during and after the event.

Reuters reports fans believe Su was “robbed” and reacted with furious messages claiming the judging panel did not score him correctly.

As early as Su’s first run, Chinese fans were unhappy.

“It’s such a smooth ride. Why didn’t Su get an 80 plus? I don’t understand,” one of the top comments on the site read.

Another user wrote: “I am speechless. It was just a perfect run”.

The South China Morning Post reported fans believe the international judges deliberately sabotaged him.

“One user wrote “Congratulations to Su Yiming. You are the champion. You are the best. We did it fairly. No regrets!”

Su, meanwhile, was all class in reacting to his silver medal-finish.

“To be able to take part in the Winter Olympics in my home country, to be able to compete with my childhood idol and stand with them on the podium, this is a very precious moment in my life,” Su told Chinese state broadcaster CCTV.

“To me, this is very special.”

‘Stomach churning’ crash leaves star in distress

The men’s downhill course ws shut for more than 10 minutes following a scary crash by Germany’s Dominik Schwainger.

He went down hard and skidded into the safety netting after he lost his balance at a corner while travelling at speeds around 130km/h.

Schwainger was dragged several hundred metres as he fell down the course. He did the final 100m of his slide lying almost motionless.

He was seen lifting his head as he came to a halt, but then leaned backwards and did not move for several minutes.

He was seen clutching his left arm.

There has been criticism over the medical officials at the course after medical staff took several minutes before they were able to reach the motionless athlete.

English journalist Olive Brown wrote on Twitter: “Awful crash in the Olympic downhill. Germany’s Dominik Schwaiger, second man down, wipes out at almost 80mph on treacherous Yangqing course and is in evident distress. It seemed to take far too long for medical help to reach him.”

English Olympic rowing champion Matthew Pinsent also wrote on Twitter: “Horrendous fall for Schwaiger. Medics looked a little slow getting to him. Stomach churning to see an athlete down.”

Schwainger was eventually loaded onto a stretcher ski and was transported down the hill.

The event eventually continued.

US champ crashes out in ‘big shock’

Mikaela Shiffrin’s first run at the Beijing Games ended in disaster.

For the American skiing star’s first action of the 2022 Winter Olympics, the giant slalom, Shiffrin crashed off course and was eliminated from the competition. She was the reigning champion, claiming the giant slalom gold medal at in PyeongChang in 2018.

She fell coming around a left turn and missed an early gate.

It was the first time Shiffrin has “skied out” since January 23, 2018 – 30 giant slalom races ago. NBC flashed footage of Shiffrin’s family in disbelief watching at home after her shocking result.

Day 3 schedule, Aussies in action

From 10.44pm – short track speed skating, men’s 100m quarterfinal 2 (Brendan Corey)

From 11.20pm – short track speed skating, men’s 100m semi-finals

11.58pm – short track speed skating, men’s 100m final

*All times AEDT

US criticises China’s choice of Olympic torchbearer

The United States has criticised China’s choice of an ethnic Uyghur to carry the Olympic torch, calling it an effort by Beijing to “distract us” from the mistreatment of the minority group.

The appearance of Dinigeer Yilamujiang, a 20-year-old cross-country skier, as the final torch bearer thrust her – and the Uyghur question – squarely onto the world stage.

“This is an effort by the Chinese to distract us from the real issue here at hand,” US ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield said Sunday on CNN. “That Uyghurs are being tortured, and Uyghurs are the victims of human rights violations by the Chinese.”

“We know that a genocide has been committed there. We’ve called them out on it. The president has called them out on it.”

China’s ruling Communist Party has been accused of widespread human rights abuses against the mostly Muslim minority from the far-northwestern region of Xinjiang.

At least one million Uyghurs have been incarcerated in “re-education camps” in Xinjiang, rights campaigners say, and Chinese authorities have been accused of forcibly sterilising women and imposing forced labour in the area.

Beijing, which hopes to use the Winter Olympics to draw attention to China’s dynamic growth and increasingly prominent global role, has denied all allegations of abuse or genocide, and exhorted its critics to stop “politicising” the Games.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has played down the controversial pick of torchbearer.

Yilamujiang had “every right” to participate, said IOC spokesman Mark Adams.

“We don’t discriminate against people on where they’re from, what their background is.”

The United States, Australia, Britain and Canada were among countries that did not send diplomatic representatives to the Winter Games because of rights concerns, especially over the Uyghurs.

Yilamujiang, whose smiling face was seen by millions around the world, was not considered one of China’s most accomplished athletes. She finished 43rd in the skiathlon race on Saturday.

Censors step in after Chinese star’s blunder

China appeared to censor an outpouring of social media vitriol against a naturalised US-born figure skater who took a tumble at the Winter Olympics and nearly cost the hosts dearly.

Nineteen-year-old Beverly Zhu, who was born and raised in the United States but now competes for China under the name Zhu Yi, came last in the women’s singles short program in the team event.

It was a nervous performance from Zhu, who fell early on and crashed into the wall after failing to land a jump. She missed another jump later in her routine and looked to be holding back tears as she awaited her score.

Zhu finished with the lowest score in the event as China fell from third to fifth and only narrowly squeezed through to the next round of the free program.

On China’s Twitter-like social media platform Weibo, the hashtag #ZhuYiFellOver racked up over 230 million views before being deactivated, with searches late Sunday afternoon returning no results.

Another hashtag — #ZhuYiMessedUp — remained accessible, clocking over 80 million views.

“I guess because I missed the first jump I was just kind of frazzled and felt a lot of pressure on landing that last jump, and unfortunately I popped it,” said Zhu, who chose in 2018 to skate for China.

“I’m upset and a little embarrassed. I guess I felt a lot of pressure because I know everybody in China was pretty surprised with the selection for ladies’ singles and I just really wanted to show them what I was able to do but unfortunately I didn’t.”

– with AFP and the New York Post

Read related topics:China

Source

February 6, 2022

Aussie Covid curlers create feelgood story of Olympics Australia’s Tahli Gill (R) curls the stone next to Australia’s Dean Hewitt during the mixed doubles round robin session 5 game of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games curling competition between Sweden and Australia, at the National Aquatics Centre in Beijing on February 4, 2022. (Photo by LILLIAN SUWANRUMPHA / AFP)

Filed under: Outdoors — Tags: — admin @ 9:15 am

Australia’s unluckiest Winter Olympians finally caught a break — and turned it into curling’s version of the miracle on ice.

Australia’s unluckiest Winter Olympians finally caught a break — and turned it into curling’s version of the miracle on ice.

Tahli Gill and Dean Hewitt — Australia’s first curlers to qualify for the Olympics — may not have won a medal in China but they still manufactured the feelgood story of the Games.

From the depths of despair, they beat Switzerland 9-6 in their penultimate round robin match to claim their first win of the tournament after having nothing but rotten luck from the moment they got to China.

They were threatened with being kicked out of the mixed doubles competition even before it began when Gill tested positive to Covid on arrival at Beijing airport, through no fault of her own.

The result came from an old infection which China’s ultra sensitive testing system picked up but the Aussies were cleared to play in the nick of time when her next two daily samples both came back negative.

But that wasn’t the end of their cursed run, it was just the beginning.

They lost each of their first seven round-robin matches — four of them by a solitary point — ending their hopes of making the semi-finals.

Then just before their final matches on Sunday — their last shot of chalking up a consolation win before heading home — they got another kick in the guts.

Gill was notified she had tested positive again but there was not enough time left for her to produce the required two negative tests to play.

That meant they had to forfeit their last two games, against Switzerland and Canada, and Gill would have to relocate to a Covid isolation facility.

The Australian Olympic Committee (AOC) requested they be allowed to return home immediately, triggering an urgent meeting of Chinese officials which resulted in a spectacular backflip that worked in the Australians’ favour.

With no time to spare, the Medical Expert Panel reversed the ruling and told the Aussies to get themselves ready to play the Swiss.

Trailing 6-3 after five of the eight ends, it looked like being another lost cause. Then suddenly the Aussies went on a roll, scoring six unanswered points to pinch the win.

“We are thrilled for Tahli and Dean,” the Australian team chef de mission Geoff Lipshut said.

“I am delighted that our headquarters team continued pressing her case, after earlier advice that the pair could no longer compete.”

Wild story of Canuck-turned-Aussie’s bid to do a Bradbury

Not for the first time, Canada’s loss is Australia’s gain in winter sports.

If things had gone the way he planned, Brendan Corey might have been skating for Canada at the Beijing Olympics.

Instead, he’s competing for Australia, in the same short track event that Steven Bradbury famously won gold in two decades ago.

And Bradbury’s heir apparent is already through to Monday’s quarter-finals after breaking the Australian record in Saturday’s heats.

How he ended up representing Australia is as wild as the sport of track itself.

It wasn’t that long ago that Corey represented Canada at the junior world championships but he switched his allegiances to Australia after he was unfairly left off the national team and was offered a spot on the Australian team.

Currently ranked 11th in the world, he isn’t the first disgruntled Canadian to come to Australia looking for brighter things.

Dale Begg-Smith left the Great White North when he was a teenager and moved to the Snowy Mountains, then won gold in moguls at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin.

While Corey’s own family found some of the precious metal in Australia too, literally.

“My mother’s father is a gold miner,” Corey told News Corp. “He helped develop the Plutonic mine, which is one of the largest mines in Western Australia.

“He’s a dual citizen. And my mother grew up in Australia too. So to get the chance to wear the green and gold at the Olympics means so much to my family. I’m so excited.”

Ranked 11th in the world for the 1,000m race, Corey is Australia’s lone representative in short track speed skating.

When Bradbury won his first Olympic medal, a bronze at Lillehammer in 1994, Australia had an entire relay team, but those days have long gone.

For Corey, part of the lure of switching allegiances to Australia was to rebuild the program.

“I was too young at the time to remember it but I’ve watched Steven’s race multiple times,” he said.

“I don’t think that a moment like that will ever happen again in short track but it reminds me that even on your lowest days when you think the world is against you, you just dig deeper and come back even stronger.”

Coincidentally, Corey did most of his training for Beijing in Salt Lake City, the Utah capital where Bradbury won Australia’s first Winter Olympic gold in 2002 after all his opponents in the final fell over.

When Corey made the team, Bradbury was one of the first people to congratulate him.

“He just wanted to reach out to personally congratulate me and say that he’s very proud of all the hard work and commitment I’ve shown,’ Corey said.

“He gave me some hints about what things I am doing well and some of the strengths that he saw in me that I will be able to use at the upcoming Games.”

The often forgotten part of Bradbury’s incredible victory is that years before his Olympic victory, he almost died after he collided with another skater at a World Cup meet in Montreal and was sliced open by his blade.

Corey also suffered a life-changing injury just after being selected on the Canadian national senior team when a teammate slipped over and collided with him.

He had suffered a concussion which ruled him out of selection but was never picked again.

“I was very upset at the time, I’m not going to lie,” he said.

“I did go through an appeal process, because I was really unhappy with the decision and felt like it was not a fair one.”

A chance meeting with Australian coach Richard Nizielski, who teamed up with Bradbury to win Olympic bronze in 1994, convinced Corey that his future was in green and gold so he jumped at the chance.

“Words can’t explain how I feel,” he said. “But this is just the start.

“This year was my first year on the World Cup so I went in with an underdog mentality and no pressure, and I think that helped me to achieve what I have this season.

“To be 11th in the world in my first year, I still can’t believe it and now I’ve been selected on the Olympic team. It’s just an incredible bonus.”

Is Australia’s long wait for Winter Olympic gold about to end?

It’s been 12 years since an Australian woman has claimed the biggest prize on snow and ice but there’s now renewed hope the drought could be over as early as Sunday night.

No-one’s counting their chickens yet because there’s absolutely no guarantees in extreme winter sports, where the tiniest slip can spell disaster but don’t anyone go to bed early because if Australia’s rising moguls star Jakara Anthony can stay on her skis she has a real shot at the podium.

Fourth on her Olympic debut four years ago when she was just a teenager, the Victorian is now entrenched among the best and most consistent performers and has already laid the challenge to her rivals since arriving in Beijing.

Showing no signs of nerves, she easily finished top of Thursday’s qualifiers after a breathtaking run down the bumpy course then declared she can do even better in Sunday’s three-stage final series.

“There has been a four-year build-up to this, so to finally get the chance to ski at the Olympic stadium was a phenomenal feeling,” she said.

“It was a really good run but there were some things I was happy with and things I definitely did better in training, so I definitely have a lot of room to improve on that.”

That’s a frightening prospect for her closest competitors, particularly France’s Perrine Laffont and Japan’s Anri Kawamura, but that counts for nothing because moguls is one of the most unforgiving of all the skiing disciplines as there are so many dangers.

Competitors not only have to navigate their way down the steep, bumpy slope as fast as they can but they also have to impress the judges with their technical ability on the turns, and wow them with their jumps.

That’s where the 23-year-old Anthony has an advantage over her rivals because she’s the only woman in the world who can nail a Cork 720 mute, one of the hardest tricks in moguls that involves a full flip with two rotations and a grab of the skis in mid-air.

But the Olympics creates more pressure than any event in the world so she’ll also have to do it when the heat is on, if she makes the final six where the medals will be decided by a single run.

It promises to be a white-knuckle ride because to be the very best, competitors need to take risks and push themselves to the absolute limit, both physically and mentally.

“We do all sorts of training, and strength is a really big one for us,” Anthony said.

“You’re taking a lot of impact in the moguls and on the jumps so you need to be as strong as you can, particularly in your legs.

“We do some aerobic training and we do anaerobic training.

“A run is about 30 seconds, so we really need to be working that lactate which is not fun.

“There’s a lot of other bits in between, some speedwork, tricks, everything really.”

Source

February 5, 2022

‘Big shock’: Cricket great Chris Cairns’ health nightmare gets worse Chris Cairns has been diagnosed with bowel cancer.

Filed under: Outdoors — Tags: — admin @ 9:13 am

New Zealand cricket great Chris Cairns barely survived a stroke last year and now he has revealed he has been diagnosed with cancer.

Former Black Caps star Chris Cairns has suffered another serious health blow, revealing he is now battling bowel cancer.

Cairns was only last week discharged from hospital almost five months after suffering a life-threatening heart attack and paralysis in August last year.

And now the former cricketer has been told he has bowel cancer, receiving the diagnosis during a routine check up.

Watch the CommBank Women’s Ashes Series on Kayo. Every Test, T20 & ODI Live & On-Demand. New to Kayo? Start your free trial now >

“I was told yesterday I have bowel cancer … big shock and not what I was expecting,” Cairns posted on social media.

“So, as I prepare for another round of conversations with surgeons and specialists, I keep remembering how lucky I am to be here in the first place … and how blessed I am to have all that I do in my life.

“Wasn’t all bad this week either, managed to get in some kids sport and celebrate Noah’s birthday at home.

“Another fight ahead but here’s hoping this one is a swift upper cut and over in the first round.”

Cairns’ heart attack last year resulted in an aortic dissection, or a tear in the inner layer of the body’s main artery and the 51-year-old had to undergo emergency surgery as a result.

However, during the lifesaving operation, Cairns suffered a stroke in his spine, resulting in paralysis in both his legs.

Cairns had been recovering at a special rehabilitation facility at the University of Canberra in Australia and sharing his recovery journey via his social media channels. And on Friday night Cairns revealed that he finally got to go home.

“A bittersweet farewell. After 141 days as an inpatient at UniCanberra Hospital, I am finally heading home for good,” Cairns wrote.

“Thank you again to the incredible staff. The next phase starts Monday as an outpatient at Brindabella. I look forward to working with the team.”

This story first appeared in the New Zealand Herald and was repurposed with permission.

Source

February 4, 2022

Justin Langer’s coaching future still unclear after marathon board meeting HOBART, AUSTRALIA – JANUARY 12: Justin Langer Head Coach of Australia watches on during an Australian Ashes squad nets session at Blundstone Arena on January 12, 2022 in Hobart, Australia. (Photo by Steve Bell/Getty Images)

Filed under: Outdoors — Tags: — admin @ 9:04 am

Justin Langer’s future as Australia’s men’s cricket coach is still in limbo after a marathon board meeting failed to reach a decision.

Justin Langer is still in the dark over his future as coach of the Australian men’s cricket team after Cricket Australia (CA) failed to reach a decision during a marathon boarding meeting on Friday.

CA’s board met for eight hours in Melbourne but were still unable to make a call whether or not to renew Langer’s contract, which expires following Australia’s historic tour of Pakistan in March.

Watch the CommBank Women’s Ashes Series on Kayo. Every Test, T20 & ODI Live & On-Demand. New to Kayo? Start your free trial now >

CEO Nick Hockley made a very brief and noncommittal statement regarding the matter after the meeting concluded on Friday evening.

“CA can confirm that the CA board met today and part of that meeting involved significant discussions about men’s head coach Justin Langer’s contract,” Hockley said.

“We will now enter into confidential discussions with Justin and the outcome will be announced as soon as possible.”

Earlier on Friday, Australian Test captain Pat Cummins once again refused to endorse Langer during a grilling on live TV.

When asked by Sunrise host David Koch if he would like Langer to stay on as coach, Cummins replied: “In this case, it isn’t my call, so I’m going to leave the speculation to one side. He has done fantastic.”

Cummins has refused to publicly endorse Langer as the Aussie legend waits to see whether Cricket Australia will extend his contract.

The 51-year-old faced a player mutiny in mid-2021 as dressing room leaks revealed unhappiness over his mood swings and intense management style.

Despite leading Australia to a recent T20 World Cup win and 4-0 Ashes sweep during Cummins’ first Test series as captain, there is speculation Langer will be ousted.

Source

February 3, 2022

Champion jockey Damien Oliver taken to hospital after barrier incident Damien Oliver was taken to hospital after an incident in Warrnambool.

Filed under: Outdoors — Tags: — admin @ 8:54 am

Legendary Australian jockey Damien Oliver has been taken to hospital after an incident at a regional race meeting.

Champion jockey Damien Oliver has been taken to hospital for precautionary scans after an incident at a race meeting at Warranambool on Thursday.

The horse Oliver was riding in his final race of the day, the Danny O’Brien-trained Ethewini, got down in the barriers and had to be backed out of the gates, resulting in her being a late scratching in the race.

Watch every racing meeting from around Australia via Racing.com on Kayo. New to Kayo? Start your free trial now. >

The Victorian Jockeys’ Association (VJA) confirmed Oliver was heading to hospital to have a precautionary X-ray on his neck.

“After an incident in the barriers at Warrnambool, Damien Oliver is off to hospital for precautionary scans on his neck,” the VJA said.

Oliver was seen strapped to a stretcher and being wheeled into an ambulance on the side of the track. The exact nature of his injury is unclear.

Well wishes poured in for the veteran jockey. Racing presenter Michael Felgate tweeted: “Fingers crossed for Damien Oliver.

“After making a rare trip to the Bool he’s being loaded into ambulance headed to hospital for X-rays on his neck after a barrier incident.”

The 49-year-old made a rare midweek appearance at a regional meeting, but it was an unsuccessful one for Oliver, who flew to the track by helicopter. He was unable to get the win in any of his four rides on Thursday.

Oliver is regarded as one of Australia’s greatest ever jockeys and has won the Melbourne Cup three times, riding Doriemus (1995), Media Puzzle (2002) and Fiorente (2013).

He has won the Scobie Breasley Medal, which recognises excellence riding on Melbourne race tracks, 14 times.

Oliver was one of two jockeys suspended for careless riding in last year’s Melbourne Cup, ruling him out of three metro and eight provincial meetings.

Source

February 2, 2022

Photo shows how Ash Barty went from $16.50 coach to tennis champion in four years Australian Open champion Ash Barty.

Filed under: Outdoors — Tags: — admin @ 8:53 am

Six years ago, school students in Brisbane could book a private tennis lesson with Ash Barty for just $16.50 a session.

Six years ago, Ash Barty wasn’t even playing tennis.

The Queenslander had taken an indefinite break from the sport and signed with the Brisbane Heat for the inaugural season of the Women’s Big Bash League.

Barty was the first Heat player to clear the boundary rope in the WBBL, smacking a six against the Melbourne Stars on her way to a quick-fire 39 off 27 balls in the season opener.

Watch Tennis Live with beIN SPORTS on Kayo. Live Coverage of ATP + WTA Tour Tournaments including Every Finals Match. New to Kayo? Start Your Free Trial >

“I needed to take that time away,” Barty said in 2019.

“I feel like I came back a better person on and off the court, a better tennis player.

“For me, having that 18 months off was vital.”

Less than four years later, she was the No. 1 ranked tennis player in the world with a French Open title under her belt.

Barty’s rapid rise is perhaps epitomised best by a pamphlet from 2015, uploaded to Twitter following last week’s Australian Open final triumph over America’s Danielle Collins.

Just under seven years ago, school students in Graceville could book a private tennis lesson with Barty at the West Brisbane Tennis Centre for just $16.50 a session.

“Kids were pretty spoiled … I think it might cost a bit more than that now,” Barty’s childhood coach Jim Joyce told 4BC.

“She was coaching ladies, older women as well and was just loving it. I was going, ‘I’ve got to get her back (into playing pro tennis),’ but you couldn’t force her into it, it had to come from her.”

Barty gave Joyce a shout-out following her round three victory over Italy’s Camila Giorgi at Melbourne Park.

“The big fella’s actually surprised me today,” she said on Rod Laver Arena.

“Jim, my first coach, he flew down, and I saw him about an hour before my match. I said, ‘Mate, what are you doing here?’

“It was nice of him to be here.

“He challenged me to be the most complete player I could be.”

Barty returned from her tennis hiatus in 2016 with Craig Tyzzer serving as her coach. She has since won three grand slam singles titles and cemented her place among the modern greats of Australian sport.

“It would have been the biggest tragedy in tennis in Australia, if not sport, if she hadn‘t come back and played – and just never played again,” Joyce said.

“It would have been the biggest waste. I knew she had the ability … what a tragedy that would have been if she never played again.”

Read related topics:Ash BartyBrisbane

Source

February 1, 2022

‘Still going through that process’: Tom Brady addresses retirement rumours TAMPA, FLORIDA – JANUARY 23: Tom Brady #12 of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers reacts in the second quarter of the game against the Los Angeles Rams in the NFC Divisional Playoff game at Raymond James Stadium on January 23, 2022 in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

Filed under: Outdoors — Tags: — admin @ 8:43 am

Seven-time Super Bowl champion Tom Brady has addressed the reports that emerged over the weekend about his retirement.

It was a “nice quiet weekend” for Tom Brady, Jim Gray joked.

On his SiriusXM show Let’s Go with co-host Gray, Brady disputed Saturday’s report from ESPN that he’s decided to retire.

Last week, the Buccaneers quarterback said he wasn’t sure either way. Gray asked if anything had changed in light of the rumoured retirement.

Watch all the action from the NFL Playoffs. Every game LIVE with ESPN on Kayo. New to Kayo? Try 14-days free now >

“No, it was a good week for me and I’m still going through the process that I said I was going through,” Brady said.

“Sometimes it takes some time to really evaluate how you feel, what you want to do. I think when the time’s right, I’ll be ready to make a decision one way or another just like I said last week.”

Gray asked the 44-year-old if he was surprised to see all the reports start flying, a week after the Buccaneers were eliminated from the playoffs by the Rams in the NFC divisional round and his pursuit of an eighth Super Bowl championship ended.

“It’s a good line that I’m responsible for what I say and do, and not responsible for what others say or do,” Brady said.

“So, again I think one thing I’ve learned about sports is you control what you can control. What you can’t, you leave to others.”

For Brady, that means taking his time to figure things out.

“We’re in such an era of information and people want to be in front of the news often, and I totally understand that. I understand that’s the environment we’re in. I think for me it’s literally day-to-day with me,” he said.

“Trying to do the best I can every day, and evaluate things as they come. And, trying to make a great decision for me and my family.”

Last week on Let’s Go, Brady was noncommittal about whether he would retire, insisting he had not made a decision.

On Saturday, ESPN and NFL Network reported Brady’s retirement from the NFL after 22 seasons. Conflicting reports soon followed.

ESPN, which is in business with Brady on his Man in the Arena docuseries, has steadfastly stood by its report and operated all of its news and opinion programming as though Brady’s retirement is a forgone conclusion.

Regardless of when he decides to officially call it a career, Brady is Canton-bound with a Hall of Fame career that includes seven championships, five Super Bowl MVPs, three NFL MVPs and multiple league records.

This article originally appeared on the New York Post and was reproduced with permission

Source

January 31, 2022

Mitchell Starc’s sneaky swipe at Shane Warne after Allan Border Medal accolade Shane Warner and Mitchell Starc.

Filed under: Outdoors — Tags: — admin @ 8:34 am

Ashes hero and T20 World Cup champion Mitchell Starc still hasn’t forgotten what Shane Warne said at the start of the summer.

Australian cricketer Mitchell Starc still hasn’t forgotten what Shane Warne said at the start of the summer.

On Saturday, Starc was named the 2022 recipient of the coveted Allan Border Medal, awarded to Australia’s best men’s cricketer over the previous 12 months.

The left-arm quick was a more than deserving recipient – unlike several of his multi-format teammates, he opted to take part in white-ball winter tours to the West Indies and Bangladesh last year.

Watch the CommBank Women‘s Ashes Series on Kayo. Every Test, T20 & ODI Live & On-Demand. New to Kayo? Start your free trial now >

Starc was Australia’s highest wicket-taker in July’s ODI series against the West Indies, snaring 11 scalps at 10.63. His performance in the Caribbean ultimately proved crucial in deciding the Allan Border Medal, bettering short-format powerhouse Mitchell Marsh by just one vote on the final tally.

After helping Australia claim its maiden T20 World Cup title in November, Starc returned home with no red-ball match practice under his belt ahead of a home Ashes series.

Meanwhile, West Australian seamer Jhye Richardson was tearing batting attacks apart in the Sheffield Shield, taking 23 wickets in four matches at 13.43.

Warne, who has been Starc’s fiercest critic for several years, posted a series of tweets calling for the 31-year-old to be axed from the Test side ahead of the Ashes opener in Brisbane.

“(Starc) needs to find a bit of rhythm and some form,” he said.

“He had a really poor World Cup. He’s just not bowling well enough.

“It’s too important at the Gabba. I’m all for Jhye Richardson (replacing Starc in the team).”

It didn’t take long for Starc to prove his doubters wrong.

In a moment that has since cemented its place in Ashes folklore, Starc’s first delivery of the series bowled England opener Rory Burns around his legs, hooping the Kookaburra back into the pegs.

When asked about the delivery on Saturday, Starc responded: “You‘re running in just trying to hit the stumps, I guess. It was a straight half-volley on leg stump, I think someone said.”

That someone was Warne.

While calling the moment on Fox Cricket, the King of Spin bold claimed: “I don’t think there’s any swing is there? There’s no swing!”

However, Fox Cricket’s ball-tracking technology immediately proved Warne wrong.

Starc was the only paceman to feature in all five Ashes Tests, finishing the series with 19 wickets at 25.36 to help Australia secure a comprehensive 4-0 series victory.

The New South Welshman also averaged 27.55 with the bat across all formats in the 2021 calendar year.

Speaking to reporters on Saturday, Starc made it abundantly clear he has no interest in what Warne thinks about his bowling: “It doesn’t interest me at all. He’s entitled to his opinion.

“I’m just going to go about my cricket the way I’d like to, and I’ve got my family support networks and I get to play cricket with some of my best mates, so I’m pretty comfortable with where I’m at.”

Starc’s father battled cancer throughout the 2020/21 summer, and unfortunately succumbed to the illness weeks after the Border-Gavaskar Trophy concluded.

“The last two years, as life is at the moment, there’s a lot of ups and downs,” Starc reflected on Saturday.

“You find ways to adapt and what not, but it’s a reflection of the support base I have had throughout those two years as well.

“There’s certainly been times when I haven’t played my best cricket or certainly times over those two years where I didn’t want to play any cricket.

“I’m very thankful for my support networks and in particular (my wife) Alyssa, to play cricket at the highest level (and) be there to support me as well, I can’t thank her enough for that.”

Starc was also crowned Men’s ODI Player of the Year – surprisingly, for the first time in his career. His wife, Australian wicketkeeper Alyssa Healy, won the corresponding women’s award.

2021/22 Australian Cricket Awards

Belinda Clark Award

Winner: Ashleigh Gardner (54 votes)

Runners-up: Beth Mooney (47), Alyssa Healy (39)

Allan Border Medal

Winner: Mitchell Starc (107 votes)

Runners-up: Mitchell Marsh (106), Travis Head (72)

Men’s Test Player of the Year

Winner: Travis Head (12 votes)

Runners-up: Scott Boland (10), Mitchell Starc (7)

Women’s ODI Player of the Year

Winner: Alyssa Healy (13 votes)

Runners-up: Rachael Haynes (10), Megan Schutt (10)

Men’s ODI Player of the Year

Winner: Mitchell Starc (15 votes)

Runners-up: Matthew Wade (6), Adam Zampa & Alex Carey (4)

Women’s T20 Player of the Year

Winner: Beth Mooney (13 votes)

Runners-up: Tahlia McGrath (10), Ashleigh Gardner (6)

Men’s T20 Player of the Year

Winner: Mitchell Marsh (53 votes)

Runners-up: Josh Hazlewood (29), Ashton Agar (26)

Women’s Domestic Player of the Year

Elyse Villani

Men’s Domestic Player of the Year

Travis Head

Betty Wilson Young Cricketer

Darcie Brown

Bradman Young Cricketer

Tim Ward

Source

« Newer PostsOlder Posts »

Powered by WordPress