Nothing more, nothing less, so said Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) President Rep. Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino of 2021, the year when a strongwoman from faraway Barangay Mampang in Zamboanga City lifted her way to victory and claim for the country it…
Asia keeps Omicron at bay, but surge may be inevitable
TAIPEI, Taiwan—Much of Asia has largely managed to keep Omicron at bay even as the variant rages in other parts of the world, but the region that is home to most of the globe’s population is bracing for what may be an inevitable surge. Strict quarantin…
Sports back, but teeters on tightrope
THE fans came back, and even if their money was no good at arenas and stadiums, their credit cards and payment apps certainly were. Though the sports we watch brought with them a façade of “back to normal” as the pandemic-altered 2021 came to a close, …
Virus, unrest highlight AP’s pictures of the year in Asia
From a military coup to protests and violence, the horror of surging virus fatalities to a crowd-less Olympic Games held in the specter of COVID-19, the photojournalists of The Associated Press in Asia captured the volatility of 2021 with powerful visu…
NHL skips Olympics again, cites COVID-19 uncertainty
It was just bad luck that Beijing landed the Winter Games in what turned out to be the time of COVID-19. But the decision to go ahead as scheduled rests squarely with the hosts and their International Olympic Committee (IOC) cronies. Here’s hoping that…
BBM-Sara UniTeam eyes sports to save children in Mindanao
ALARMED by reports that some 1.8 million youth in Mindanao are severely affected by the continuing unrest in the region, the BBM-Sara UniTeam said it will ramp up sports programs and other productive activities to keep children from violence and develo…
South Korean Olympic champion suspended over text messages
SEOUL, South Korea—Two-time Olympic short-track champion Shim Suk-hee has been suspended for two months over her text messages that authorities say “marred the dignity of athletes,” a decision that could bar her from attending the Beijing Winter Olympi…
USOPC STAYS NEUTRAL ON CHINA, PUSHES SALT LAKE CITY
INSTEAD of staking out a hard line position on the conflicts inherent in sending Olympic athletes to China, the leader of the US Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC) turned questions about the issues in the host country into a marketing pitch of so…
DELTA TO CHARTER US OLYMPIANS TO BEIJING
The US Olympic team’s airline partner will charter a flight from Los Angeles to Beijing to bring about half the American athletes to the Winter Olympics. US Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC) CEO Sarah Hirshland said Friday that the federation ha…
Shaq’s shortcut: Buy Bill Russell’s rings in auction
BOSTON—Basketball fans hoping to buy something from Bill Russell’s memorabilia collection should expect some big-name competition. Hall of Famers Shaquille O’Neal and Charles Barkley say they’re interested in bidding on items that Russell—a civil right…