Shenzhen, China | AFP | Former world number one Maria Sharapova abandoned her quarter-final tie in the Shenzhen Open on Friday after struggling with a thigh injury. Just 10 days before the start of the Australian Open, Sharapova received treatment for a painful left thigh after losing the first set …
Read More »Facial recognition deployed at China marathon to stop cheats
Shanghai, China | AFP | Facial recognition will be deployed at a marathon on Sunday in China to crack down on cheating, state media said, after a half-marathon was blighted by widescale flouting of the rules. Running and marathons are fast becoming popular in China, with participants sporting the latest …
Read More »War on football? Chinese players get army drills, ‘thought education’
Shanghai, China | AFP | Chinese national squads and a top league team have packed young footballers off to military camps for drills and Marxist-style “thought education” as a campaign to promote Communist Party values spreads even into the sporting world. Chinese fans have watched the militarisation of football with a …
Read More »Bale nets hat-trick as Wales smash sorry China 6-0
Nanning, China | AFP | Ryan Giggs’ first game as Wales coach got off to a flying start Thursday with a 6-0 demolition of China as Gareth Bale scored a hat-trick. The Real Madrid forward scored his 29th international goal for his country to become the highest scoring Welsh player …
Read More »Aubameyang deal dead as China champions vow to focus on youth
Shanghai, China | AFP | Chinese champions Guangzhou Evergrande appear to have ended any interest in Borussia Dortmund striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang after a public dressing-down by football authorities in the country. The club coached by Italian legend Fabio Cannavaro had reportedly won a 72-million-euro tug-of-war with Chinese Super League (CSL) …
Read More »Video game warriors do battle before 40,000 fans in China
Beijing, China | AFP | More than 40,000 spectators, giant screens, players glued to their keyboards and more than $1 million prize money for the winners: welcome to the world of eSports in China, a country that has become a leader in competitive video game playing. The final of the …
Read More »Sharapova fights to first title since drugs ban
Tianjin, China | AFP | Five-time Grand Slam winner Maria Sharapova was made to fight by 102nd-ranked teenager Aryna Sabalenka at the Tianjin Open on Sunday before winning her first title since her 15-month doping ban. The former world number one, who returned to action in April, came from behind …
Read More »Federer beats great rival Nadal to win Shanghai Masters
Shanghai, China | AFP | Roger Federer got one over his old rival Rafael Nadal to win the Shanghai Masters 6-4, 6-3 on Sunday in a showdown between the two best players on the planet. It was a 94th title for the Swiss legend, drawing him level with the great …
Read More »Football: Arsenal seeking fresh blood but Sanchez stays – Wenger
Shanghai, China | AFP | Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger said Tuesday he wants to make more new signings before the season begins next month and batted away fresh doubts about the future of Alexis Sanchez. Wenger is under pressure after the Premier League side failed to qualify for the Champions League …
Read More »Xi meets FIFA boss as China eyes World Cup
Beijing, China | AFP | Chinese President Xi Jinping met with FIFA chief Gianni Infantino on Wednesday as the football world watches for signs that the Asian giant will make a bid to host a World Cup. Xi greeted Infantino in the capital’s palatial Great Hall of the People but …
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