News roundup: CBA brawls, Yao, NBA TV, golf, doping
Tuesday, 14th April 2009 ~ Maggie ~ Link ~ Comments (0)
The last week has been a bit quiet here on CST. We apologize for that and bring you a quick roundup of some of the China's sports news from the past 10 days or so:Big fines in CBA playoff brawl
A total of 330,000 yuan ($48,290 USD) in fines were dished out to five players and two teams for a fight during a Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) playoff game last week. The Guangdong Tigers routed Shandong Gold, 126-79, in Game 3 of the first-round game. The CBA's been a little rowdy this year, and Chinese basketball officials blame it on new rules allowing for more physical play.
The fines, which were accompanied by short suspensions (two and three games for Guangdong players), don't seem to have hurt the Tigers, who went on to win their first second-round game over Dongguan, moving Yi Jianlian's former team one step closer to its fifth championship. The Guangdong roster includes NBA veteran Smush Parker and four members of China's 2008 Olympic team.
Rockets surging, Yao aching
The oft-injured Yao Ming gave Houston Rockets fans a scare when he sat out a game last week with a sore right foot. But 42-year-old center Dikembe Mutombo did exactly what he was brought in for, giving Yao a break and posting 10 points, 15 boards and four blocks last Friday in a win over Golden State. Yao returned to the lineup after tests showed his pain was just due to a bruise, and paced the Rockets with 22 points in a win over the Charlotte Hornets in their final home game. The Rockets lead the Southwest Division and are neck-and-neck with the San Antonio Spurs for third in the West.
NBA TV China
The NBA announced plans for two reality shows in China. The first will be a cheerleading competition airing on CCTV-5 (China's national sports channel) starting May 9. Brewing company Tsing Tsao is the NBA's partner for the show, in which the cheerleaders compete for a trip to train with an NBA cheering team. The second show, sponsored by China Mengniu Dairy, will be a basketball competition broadcast on Shandong Satellite TV. Airing on Fridays starting May 22, NBA Mengniu Basketball Disciple will feature young hoop dreamers competing for a shot at the NBA D-League.
Han gets assist in Sol win
Chinese striker Han Duan notched her first assist for the Los Angeles of the new Women's Professional Soccer league. The Sol beat Sky Blue FC (New York/New Jersey) to improve to 2-0. Han also had a shot on goal but came up short. The Sol play again on Sunday, April 19, against FC Gold Pride.
Doping swimmers suspended
The Chinese Swimming Association announced it would suspended five junior swimmers for two years for testing positive for anabolic steroids last June. The suspensions of Qu Jing, Liu Bingyao, Zuo Ziqiao, Fu Bo and Hu Shaozhi are retroactively effective to the date of the tests, meaning that they are already nearly halfway through their suspensions and will return with plenty of time left to train for the 2012 Olympics. Why did it take so long to issue the suspensions? That old excuse, "the Olympics." Ouyang Kunpeng, once China's top backstroker, was banned for life by the Chinese Swimming Association just weeks before the 2008 Olympics, after a positive anabolic steroids test.
Liang plays his way into fourth major
Liang Wenchong, China's most accomplished golfer to date, qualified for the British Open at a qualifying event in Singapore. Liang finished second in the qualifying tournament to earn a spot at the Open in July. Liang played in the British Open last year--it was his third Major and the first one in which he made the cut. He also played in last year's Masters and the 2007 PGA Championship (Liang makes British Open cut).
Women fail to qualify for China Open
Four women took part in qualifying competitions for the European Tour-sanctioned Volvo China Open, but none were able to qualify. Among the women looking to qualify were Wang Chun (China.org), who qualified for the Japan LPGA Tour in 2007, and Ye Zhaoying, once the world's top female badminton player (Reuters).
Tags: basketball, football, golf, Han Duan, Houston Rockets, Liang Wenchong, NBA, Ouyang Kunpeng, soccer, swimming, Tsingtsao, Yao Ming
Han strong in professional women's soccer debut
Monday, 30th March 2009 ~ Maggie ~ Link ~ Comments (0)
Jim Gabarra, head coach of the Washington Freedom, specifically identified Han in his post-game comments published on the WPS Web site: "Defending Marta and Han was a real handful, but I was happy." Han plays alongside Marta Vieira da Silva, widely known just by her first name. The Brazilian is the top female player in the world right now.
Han and the Sol play next Sunday in New Jersey against Sky Blue FC. To find out when she'll be in your city, check out the team's 20-game schedule here.
Han Duan image: Womensprosoccer.com
Tags: football, Han Duan, soccer, WPS
China women's soccer beats Sweden, 2-1
Thursday, 7th August 2008 ~ Maggie ~ Link ~ Comments (0)
China's Olympic soccer team poses for a team photo
"The home fans gave us great support," Shang said to Xinhua. "Maybe that is why so many countries would like to host Olympics."
The game's first goal came in the sixth minute when striker Xu Yuan followed up Zhang Na's shot, which had bounced off the left goalpost.
Xu, 23 years old, also assisted on China's other goal, punched in by Han Duan (韩端) in the 71st minute. Sweden's goal came from Lotta Schelin.
China plays its next game against Canada on August 9.
Tags: Beijing Olympics, football, Han Duan, Shang Ruihua, soccer, Tianjin, Xu Yuan
Women's Soccer in AFC Final
Friday, 6th June 2008 ~ Maggie ~ Link ~ Comments (0)
Under new coach Shang Ruihua, China's women's soccer (football) team has played its way into an opportunity to defend the AFC (Asian Football Confederation) Women's Asian Cup. The "Steel Roses" came back from a 1-0 start yesterday to beat Japan, 3-1. Wang Dandan came off the bench to score two goals in six minutes, and Han Duan scored the team's third goal.China will face North Korea Sunday in the final in Ho Chi Minh City. China has won eight of the last 10 AFC Cups since 1986.
Wang Dandan gets some love from her teammates.
Image: Yahoo! Sports
Tags: football, Han Duan, national team, Shang Ruihua, soccer, Wang Dandan