MANILA: Southeast Asian Games host the Philippines apologized on Sunday after some arriving athletes were left stranded for hours at the airport or were driven to the wrong hotel, a logistical snafu that drew criticism just days before competition starts.
Athletes have begun flying into Manila ahead of Saturday’s opening, but for Cambodia and East Timor’s football squads the arrival was not what they were expecting.
“We had to wait maybe like eight, nine hours to get our hotel,” Coach Felix Dalmas of Cambodia told a press conference Sunday, adding that they had also waited hours for the shuttle service.
East Timor’s team was driven to the wrong hotel, complicating their arrival and training schedules.
“All nations deserve respect and what happened yesterday was not so beautiful,” East Timor’s coach Fabiano Flora told reporters.
The Philippines SEA Games organizing committee offered an explanation of the hiccups, putting blame on a last-minute change in travel plans and the afternoon check-in time of the hotel.
“We sincerely apologize to our athlete guests ... for the inconvenience caused to them by the confusion,” the committee said in a statement. “We ... vow to do better.”
The games, the first hosted by the Philippines since 2005, are expected to draw thousands of athletes, journalists and dignitaries over their nearly two-week run.
Smooth functioning logistics will be key to the success of the 56 sports spread across dozens of venues in and around Manila.
The hotel and pick up problems came as organizers were already under fire over a nearly $1-million cauldron that will hold the games’ flame.
Critics said the money it cost to build the 50-meter (160 feet) cauldron at the main stadium in Clark, north of Manila, would have been better spent helping the nation’s children and poor.
Philippines apologizes over SEA Games mess
Philippines apologizes over SEA Games mess
- Athletes have begun flying into Manila ahead of Saturday’s opening
- East Timor’s football team was driven to the wrong hotel, complicating their arrival and training schedules
Disappointing year ends with dismal defeat for Saudi Arabia
- Oman go on to face either Bahrain or Kuwait in the final
RIYADH: New Year’s Eve 2024 saw Saudi Arabia lose 2-1 to Oman to crash out of the Arabian Gulf Cup at the semifinal stage and end a below-par 2024 on a low note.
With just one win in six 2026 World Cup qualifiers that resume in March, coach Herve Renard hoped to kick-start the national team’s fortunes with success in the Gulf Cup, currently being held in Kuwait.
The Frenchman’s desire was dashed despite Oman playing the majority of the game with ten men as Rabia Al-Alawi was shown a straight red in the 34th minute for a wild lunge on Salem Al-Dawsari. As the Al-Nahda star left the pitch in the Kuwait City stadium, Saudi Arabian fans were expecting a comfortable win but despite the possession and chances, the Green Falcons were unable to take advantage of their one-man advantage.
Oman redoubled their efforts to deny their opponents time and space but Saudi Arabia, seeking a first Gulf Cup win since 2004, had the ball in the net midway through the second half. Abdullah Al-Hamdan had scored twice against Iraq three days earlier, but his close-range effort was ruled out for offside.
It was Oman who took the lead in the 74th minute as Arshad Al-Alawi fired home a free-kick from outside the area, squeezing his shot under the Saudi wall.
Herve Renard’s men pushed forward in search of an equalizer but found themselves two goals down with five minutes remaining after Ali Al-Busaidi scored again for Oman.
It looked to be game over but Mohamed Kanno pulled a goal back in the 87th minute to cut short the Omani celebrations and give Saudi Arabian fans hope. The Al-Hilal midfielder curled home a beauty from outside the area.
It was too little too late, however. In the 10th minute of added time, Abdulelah Hawsawi was sent off to level the number of players on both sides but despite the pressure, the men from Riyadh were unable to level the scores and now have to return home with much to ponder.
Oman, meanwhile, go on to face either Bahrain or Kuwait in the final.
Djokovic, Sabalenka win season-openers but Kyrgios loses on return
- Former world number one Novak Djokovic is chasing a record 25th Grand Slam crown in January in Melbourne
- Australian firebrand Nick Kyrgios loses in three tight sets in his first singles match since June 2023
BRISBANE, Australia: Novak Djokovic and Aryna Sabalenka launched their Australian Open preparations with straight-sets wins on Tuesday at the Brisbane International but Nick Kyrgios lost on his return from injury.
Former world number one Djokovic, who is chasing a record 25th Grand Slam crown in January in Melbourne, eased to a 6-3, 6-3 victory over wildcard Rinky Hijikata.
The 37-year-old Serb broke Hijikata once in the first set and twice in the second for a comfortable 74-minute win.
Djokovic, now ranked seven in the world, was all business against the young Australian and always looked in control as he set up a second-round clash against fellow veteran Gael Monfils.
“To start the new season with a win is obviously very important,” said Djokovic, who is pursuing an unprecedented 11th Australian Open title.
“But Hijikata was really good tonight and he made me work for it.”
Australian firebrand Kyrgios lost in three tight sets in his first singles match since June 2023.
Kyrgios went down 7-6 (7/2), 6-7 (4/7), 7-6 (7/3) to Frenchman Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard in almost two and a half hours as serve dominated.
The 2022 Wimbledon finalist Kyrgios, 29, is making his comeback following wrist reconstruction and other injuries over the past couple of years.
Ahead of the Australian Open starting on January 12, big-serving Mpetshi Perricard said Kyrgios had shown enough to suggest that his comeback would be a success.
Kyrgios played and won in the doubles with Djokovic on Monday.
“Playing Nick here wasn’t a good match-up for me,” the 21-year-old Mpetshi Perricard said, asked about playing Kyrgios in front of his home crowd.
“He did some good things, he played with confidence.”
The Frenchman, who has risen from 205 in the world at the start of 2024 to his current ranking of 31, fired down 36 aces.
Women’s world number one Sabalenka kickstarted her bid to win the Australian Open for a third consecutive time with a straight-forward win after a sluggish start.
The Belarusian appeared bothered by the high humidity on Pat Rafter Arena in Brisbane, particularly during an error-strewn first set against Renata Zarazua.
But after breaking Mexico’s Zarazua at 5-4, the 26-year-old surged through the second set to wrap up the match 6-4, 6-0 in 65 minutes.
“The first match is always a tricky one,” Sabalenka said.
“It was a tricky start for me but I’m glad that I closed it out in the first set, and in the second set I felt like whatever I tried to do it would work for me.
“So I’m really happy for the first win of the season.”
Sabalenka is bidding to be the first woman since Martina Hingis in 1997-99 to win three Australian Opens in succession.
She will play Yulia Putintseva next after the Kazakh’s 6-2, 7-5 win over American Mccartney Kessler.
Pakistan’s Azan Ali Khan clinches Junior Under-17 Scottish Open squash title
- Khan defeats Swiss opponent to win tournament that featured players from 22 nations
- Khan will now compete in the British Open World Junior Squash Championship next year
ISLAMABAD: Pakistani squash player Azan Ali Khan clinched the Junior Under-17 Scottish Junior Open Championship 2024 in Edinburgh this week, defeating Switzerland’s Landro Wagle in the final while remaining undefeated throughout the tournament, a non-government organization sponsoring him said on Tuesday.
The Scottish Junior Open 2024 was held from Dec. 28 to 30, featuring players from 22 countries such as Canada, the United Kingdom, Italy, Egypt and the United States.
“Azlan Ali Khan has emerged as the champion of the 2024 Scottish Junior Open Championship,” Muslim Hands Pakistan, Khan’s sponsor, said in a statement. “Azan Ali Khan defeated Switzerland’s Landro Wagle in the final to win the title.”
Muslim Hands Pakistan, a branch of the UK-based charity, works to alleviate poverty, sickness and lack of education in the country. It operates over 335 schools, serving more than 25,000 students and runs projects in health care, water, sanitation and vocational training.
Khan dedicated his victory to Pakistan’s out-of-school children. The South Asian country has a population 22.8 million out-of-school children aged 5-16 years, making Pakistan the country with the second-highest number of out-of-school children.
Rana Mashood Ahmed Khan, chairman of the Pakistan Prime Minister’s Youth Program, congratulated Khan, his coach and team manager on the achievement.
“Azan Ali Khan is now preparing for the next stage and will compete in the British Open World Junior Squash Championship,” Muslim Hands said. “The British Open World Junior Squash Championship will be held from January 2 to January 6 in Birmingham.”
Hart triple-double sparks Knicks to eighth straight NBA win
- At Salt Lake City the Denver Nuggets got triple-doubles from Nikola Jokic and Russell Westbrook in beating the Utah Jazz 132-121
- The NBA-best Cleveland Cavaliers, led by 25 points from Darius Garland and 23 by Donovan Mitchell, rolled over host Golden State 113-95 to improve their win streak to seven
WASHINGTON: Josh Hart delivered his third triple-double of the season on Monday to spark the New York Knicks to a 126-106 victory at Washington that stretched their win streak to eight games.
Hart had 23 points, 15 rebounds and 10 assists for his ninth triple-double with the Knicks while Karl-Anthony Towns had a game-high 32 points and 13 rebounds.
Jalen Brunson and O.G. Anunoby each scored 18 points for New York, which improved to 23-10.
The Knicks led 59-57 at half time over the Eastern Conference doormats and pulled away in the third quarter before dominating the fourth to win.
“We executed, we got stops, we played fast,” Hart said. “We played to our strengths. Sometimes it takes us a little while to wake up. We always do.”
At Salt Lake City the Denver Nuggets got triple-doubles from Nikola Jokic and Russell Westbrook in beating the Utah Jazz 132-121.
Jokic had 36 points, 23 rebounds and 10 assists while Westbrook contributed 16 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists to ignite the Nuggets.
Michael Porter added 21 points for Denver while Jamal Murray and Christian Braun each scored 20 for the Nuggets (18-13).
The NBA-best Cleveland Cavaliers, led by 25 points from Darius Garland and 23 by Donovan Mitchell, rolled over host Golden State 113-95 to improve their win streak to seven.
Reserve Moses Moody led the Warriors with 19 points while Stephen Curry managed only 11 points on 4-of-14 shooting, 3-of-11 from three-point range.
Philadelphia’s Joel Embiid scored 37 points and grabbed nine rebounds to power the 76ers to their fourth victory in a row, a 125-103 triumph at Portland.
Tyrese Maxey added 23 points for the Sixers.
At New Orleans, James Harden sank four free throws in the final 17 seconds to give the Los Angeles Clippers a 116-113 victory over the host Pelicans, the NBA’s worst club dropping a 10th consecutive game to sink to 5-28.
Norman Powell scored a game-high 35 points while Harden added 27 as the Clippers improved to 19-13.
De’Aaron Fox scored a game-high 33 points and the Sacramento Kings, who trailed by as many as 18 points, beat visiting Dallas 110-100 to snap a six-game losing streak.
The Kings closed the third quarter with a 17-2 run for an 83-77 lead entering the fourth, which began with an 11-4 Sacramento run for a 94-81 edge as the hosts pulled away to stay.
The Mavericks were without Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving.
Elsewhere, Coby White had 23 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists to spark the Chicago Bulls’ 115-108 overtime victory at Charlotte.
Miles Bridges, who had a game-high 31 points for the Hornets, hit a three-pointer with 1.1 seconds remaining in regulation to force overtime at 98-98.
Emma Raducanu pulls out of Australian Open warm-up with back injury
- Former US Open champion will now fly to Melbourne to begin rehabilitation ahead of the year’s first major
- The 22-year-old has suffered a series of injuries since bursting onto the scene with her New York triumph in 2021
AUCKLAND: Former US Open champion Emma Raducanu pulled out of the Auckland Classic on Tuesday with a “back niggle” in a blow to her Australian Open preparations.
Britain’s Raducanu will now fly to Melbourne to begin rehabilitation ahead of the year’s first major starting on January 12.
The 22-year-old has suffered a series of injuries since bursting onto the scene with her New York triumph in 2021.
“I’ve tried my best to be ready. I love Auckland and the fans here,” the 56th-ranked Raducanu said.
“But unfortunately I’ve picked up a back niggle and I won’t be ready in time.”
Raducanu is traveling with renowned fitness coach Yutaka Nakamura in an attempt to better withstand the rigors of professional tennis.
Raducanu missed a chunk of 2023 following wrist and ankle surgery, and was recently sidelined for two months by a foot injury.
Former Australian Open semifinalist Elize Mertens also withdrew Tuesday hours before the second seed’s first-round match in Auckland.
Top seed Madison Keys defied blustery conditions to win her first-round match in straight sets over Lucia Bronzetti.
American world number 21 Keys was relieved to start her season with a solid 6-4, 6-4 outing against the Italian.
“I feel like we all come out, we’re a little bit nervous, but it’s obviously so much fun to be back out here,” she said.
“Lucia is one of those players who’s just going to make you keep on having to play shots. So it’s great for the confidence this early in the season.”
The 29-year-old will next play unseeded Romanian Jaqueline Cristian after her Ukrainian opponent Yuliia Starodubtseva retired during their second set.
Former Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin beat China’s Wang Xiyu 7-6 (7/5), 6-1, the American setting up a second-round match against fifth-seeded Dane Clara Tauson.
