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☆ Esports made their 'tense and exciting' debut at this year's Asian Games
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-15 | by ( Polly Thompson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Esports, or professional video gaming, were an official sport at the Asian Games for the first time. AdvertisementAdvertisementEsports, or competitive video gaming, debuted as an official event at this year's Asian Games in Hangzhou, China that concluded earlier this month. Due to the event's popularity, esports tickets were sold on a lottery basis, with more than five million entering the ballot, according to Hangzhou Asian Games data. We're excited to see the landscape of esports events around the world expand," said John Robinson, president of US esport organization 100 Thieves. The Olympic Esports Series is "a global virtual and simulated sports competition created by the IOC, and in collaboration with International Federations and game publishers."

Persons: —, esports, Chris Liu, Liu, Esports, JADE GAO, John Robinson, Kim Gwanwoo, WANG ZHAO, Matt Woods, AFK, Grant Rousseau, " Rousseau Organizations: Asian Games, of, EA Sports FC Online, Singapore, Service, Professional, EA Sports FC, South Korea, Team Malaysia, China, Xinhua News Agency, South, Associated Press, Fighter, Getty, Olympic, IOC, International Federations, Guardian, Team Falcons Locations: Hangzhou, China, Thailand, Wuxi, esports, Asia, Pacific, US, South Korea, AFP, Los Angeles

[1/8] Asian Games - Hangzhou 2022 - Closing Ceremony - Hangzhou Olympic Sports Centre Stadium, Hangzhou, China - October 8, 2023 A view of the handover ceremony at the closing ceremony REUTERS/Marko Djurica Acquire Licensing RightsHANGZHOU, China, Oct 8 (Reuters) - China's eastern city of Hangzhou rounded off the 19th Asian Games on Sunday with a colourful and "joy"-themed closing ceremony after hosting the continental sporting extravaganza which organisers hailed as "one of the finest" ever. Taking place amid tight security the less-than two hour ceremony also included a handover to the hosts of the next Asian Games in 2026, the Japanese city Nagoya. The hosts' 201st gold left them two better than their previous best of 199 at the 2010 Guangzhou Asian Games. Organisers said 12,407 athletes from 45 nations competed in 40 sports at the Hangzhou Games, which were delayed for a year due to COVID-19. "We have hosted the most successful Asian Games in history" said Chen Weiqiang, Executive Secretary General of the Hangzhou Asian Games Organising Committee and vice-mayor of Hangzhou.

Persons: Marko Djurica, Li Qiang, jigged, Takashi Kawamura, Randhir Singh, Gu Shiau, Kazakhstan's Moldir, Chen Weiqiang, WADA, Martin Quin Pollard, Ian Ransom, Christian Schmollinger, Toby Chopra, Christian Radnedge Organizations: Hangzhou Olympic Sports Centre, Rights, Games, Nagoya, Mainichi, Olympic Council of Asia, energised, Bangkok Games, Hangzhou Games, Hangzhou Asian Games, Doping Agency, Olympic, Paralympic Games, Olympic Council of, OCA Locations: Hangzhou, China, Rights HANGZHOU, Nagoya, Nanjing, Aichi, Guangzhou, Jakarta, Japan, Macau, North, Korea, Olympic Council of Asia

WADA said North Korea was still non-compliant with its anti-doping code and the OCA had failed to enforce its sanction. "North Korea, the DPRK Korea, has also written a letter to them very lately telling them that the borders have opened and they can send the doping control officers for the testing which the WADA has agreed and they will be shortly sending it to the DPRK, to North Korea," Tiwari added. North Korea won 11 golds in Hangzhou, including in artistic gymnastics, shooting, wrestling, boxing and six in weightlifting. It was the first international multi-sport event North Korea attended since the 2018 edition in Jakarta. North Korea closed its borders for nearly four years because of COVID-19.

Persons: Kim Kyung, WADA, Vinod Kumar Tiwari, It's, Tiwari, Martin Quin Pollard, Robert Birsel Organizations: North, Rights, Olympic Council of Asia, Hangzhou Asian, Doping Agency, Olympic, Paralympic Games, OCA, DPRK, North Korea, International Olympic Committee, Beijing, Games, Thomson Locations: Hangzhou, China, North Korea, Rights HANGZHOU, Korea, DPRK Korea, Jakarta . North Korea, Tokyo

☆ Asian Games: India’s Chopra wins javelin gold despite officiating howler
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-05 | by ( Story Reuters | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

The Indian eventually won the Asiad gold thanks to getting 88.88 metres on his fourth registered effort. Soon Chopra went over to speak to them to protest because he knew his was a “good throw”. “I fight (protest my case) with them because it was a good throw. I go there for six times.”Chopra was able to recover from the mistake to win the gold medal. “We just noticed that no result, no result, because they took it out and measured again the other on… sh*t happens,” Bartonietz said.

Persons: Neeraj Chopra, Kishore Jena, Chopra, “, ”, ” Chopra, Tingshu Wang, I’ll, I’m, Klaus Bartonietz, ” Bartonietz, It’s, Wu Yanni Organizations: Reuters, Hangzhou Asian, Olympic, Indian, Games

The Indian eventually won the Asiad gold thanks to getting 88.88 metres on his fourth registered effort. Soon Chopra went over to speak to them to protest because he knew his was a "good throw". "I fight (protest my case) with them because it was a good throw. And I asked them what happened, what happened? "So I was a little disappointed because it was a good throw, and there was a good wind behind me as well."

Persons: India's Neeraj Chopra, India's Kishore Kumar Jena, Japan's Roderick Genki Dean, Neeraj Chopra, Kishore Jena, Chopra, I'm, Klaus Bartonietz, “, Bartonietz, It's, ”, Wu Yanni, Martin Quin Pollard Organizations: Olympic Sports Centre, Hangzhou Asian, Olympic, Indian, Games, Thomson Locations: Hangzhou, China, HANGZHOU

Tottenham Hotspur striker Son Heung-min secured the exemption after his Korean team won gold at the last Games in Jakarta in 2018. K-pop star Suga, songwriter and rapper for the boy band supergroup BTS, began the enlistment process for mandatory military service last month, making him the third BTS member to go off to perform the military duty. The military service law was amended several years ago to allow selected K-pop megastars to defer their service to aged 30, but not to avoid it entirely, with a large section of the population against giving stars like BTS special treatment. "We have players (in the current squad) who have been exempt from military service by winning gold medals in past editions of the games, but... we also several players who have not yet avoided military service. "But of course, because a gold medal gives one an exemption, and we have many who haven't done their service yet... we should perform at our best and get the gold."

Persons: Lee, Kelley L Cox, Son Heung, Kwon, Suga, Faker, Lee Sang, Baek, chul, Kim Woomin, I’m, ” Kim, Choo Il Seung, I'm, Heo Hoon, Martin Quin Pollard, Eduardo Baptista, Ian Ransom, Toby Davis Organizations: DRX, League of, Chase Center, USA, Rights, South, Hangzhou Asian Games, North, Asian Games, Tottenham Hotspur, Korean, BTS, League, China, Qatar, Thomson Locations: San Francisco , California, USA, Rights HANGZHOU, China, North Korea, South, Jakarta, Korea, Hangzhou, Qatar, Beijing

☆ Asian Games: South Korea's Esports stars target medal success -- and a military exemption
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-26 | by ( Yoonjung Seo | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +15 min

For South Korean male participants, winning a gold medal in the Asian Games or Olympic Games not only brings honor but also grants them a military exemption. However, the mandatory duty can be waived for some athletes, in particular those who win an Olympic medal or a gold medal in the Asian Games. Seven games will be featured as official medal events at the 19th Asian Games, building on the success of the pilot event at the 2018 Jakarta-Palembang Games. The venue for the Asian Games esports competitions is state-of-the-art and an impressive sight to see. With its inclusion as an official Asian Games medal event, the possibility of esports becoming a part of the Olympic Games is a topic of growing debate.

Persons: Suga, Oh, Wang Zhao, Son Heung, ” Shin, ”, esports, ” Kim Sa, “, ” Lee Kyung, Kwak, hyouk, it’d, ” Kwak, Thailand’s Teedech, Lee Sang, –, Michael Chow, Yoonjung Seo, Michael Jordan, ” Chow, Faker, JUNG YEON, Philip Fong, Rowan Crothers, “ I’m, I’ll, ” Crothers, Jess Bolden, Chow, Niko, Young Organizations: CNN, Gaming, Hangzhou Asian Games, Asian Games, Games, BTS, Asian, Getty, Premier League soccer, Tottenham Hotspur, Marine Corps, Republic of Korea Marine Corps, “ Times, CNN Sport, FIFA, Hangzhou, South Korea, Believer Company, Riot, South, Team Korea, League, “ League, SK Telecom, Riot Games, Microsoft Studios, Xbox, Studios, International Federation of, Phonographic Industry, EA Sports FC Online, PUBG, of Valor, of, Olympic, International Olympic Committee, Maekyung Media, Paralympic, IOC, Kodikara, International Federations, Niko Partners Locations: South Korea, Hangzhou, AFP, Seogwipo, Jeju, Republic of, Seoul, esports, Jakarta, South, . South Korea, Palembang, Asia

Earlier the Bangladesh women's cricket team beat Pakistan in the bronze match to claim the country's first Asian Games medal since 2014 at Incheon, South Korea. Cricket, which has hopes of becoming an Olympic sport, returned to the Asian Games this year after being omitted from the last edition in Indonesia in 2018. The South Korean did not disappoint his legions of fans on Monday, helping his Korean team beat Kazakhstan 1-0 in one of the preliminary matches in the 'League of Legends' category. GROUP PHOTOElsewhere on day two of competition, three North Korean marksmen refused to join their South Korean rivals in a group photo of medal winners after narrowly missing out on gold in a men's team shooting competition. "It was really fun," she said after her seventh-placed finish in the women's park, an event won by Japan's Hinano Kusaki.

Persons: India's Divyansh Singh, Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar, Rudrankksh Patil, Dylan Martinez, Lee Sang, Anna Prakaten, Panipak Wongpattanakit, Guo Qing, Hong Kong's Siobhan Bernadette Haughey, it’s, I’m, Japan's Hinano, Martin Quin Pollard, Ian Ransom, Peter Rutherford, Ken Ferris Organizations: Sports Centre, India, Hangzhou Asian Games, Games, Sri, Asian Games, Bangladesh women's, Pakistan, Cricket, Olympic, Korean, Kazakhstan, League, North, South, Tokyo, Russian Olympic Committee, Thomson Locations: Hangzhou, China, HANGZHOU, Sri Lanka, Guangzhou, Bangladesh, Incheon, South Korea, Indonesia, Uzbekistan, Philippines

After receiving their silver medal in the men's team 10m running target, their country's first of the Games, the three North Korean athletes first broke with tradition by declining to turn towards the flag during the rendition of the national anthem of the winners, South Korea. Then, during the customary group photo, where all medal winners bunch together for the cameras, the bronze medallists, Indonesia, joined South Korea on the top rung of the podium, but the three North Koreans, Kwon Kwang-il, Pak Myong-won and Songjun Yu, did not. During a brief, but awkward delay one of the South Koreans tapped one of the North Koreans on the shoulder and tried to speak to them, but the North Koreans kept silent and did not even look to their left where their rivals stood. The Hangzhou Asian Games is the first international multi-sport event North Korea is attending since the 2018 edition in Jakarta. The 1950-1953 Korean War ended in an armistice rather than a peace treaty meaning the two sides are still technically at war.

Persons: Jeong, Kwon Kwang, Pak Myong, Songjun Yu, Martin Quin Pollard, Dylan Martinez, Christian Radnedge Organizations: Sports Centre, North, South, Hangzhou Asian Games, Games, Koreans, Olympic Council of Asia, Hangzhou, International Olympic Committee, Beijing, Thomson Locations: Hangzhou, China, HANGZHOU, South Korea, Indonesia, North Koreans, North Korea, Korea, Jakarta . North Korea, Tokyo

☆ Asia Olympic body backs North Korea flag at Hangzhou despite WADA ban
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-24 | by ( Ian Ransom | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) banned the flag at all major sporting events, outside the Olympic and Paralympic Games, in 2021 after deeming North Korea had failed to implement an effective testing programme. Acting OCA President Randhir Singh said Asian Games organisers and North Korea were in discussions with WADA but that the flag was still "flying". "North Korea also has written to WADA as well, explaining their position," he told reporters on Sunday. At present the North Korea flag is flying and we will look into it and see what the future says. The Hangzhou Asian Games is the first international multi-sport event North Korea is attending since the 2018 edition in Jakarta.

Persons: Tingshu Wang, Randhir Singh, WADA, Singh, Ian Ransom, Peter Rutherford Organizations: Hangzhou Olympic Sports Center, Rights, Olympic Council of Asia, North, Hangzhou Asian, Doping Agency, Olympic, Paralympic Games, Games, Hangzhou, International Olympic Committee, Beijing, IOC, Thomson Locations: Hangzhou, China, North Korea, Rights HANGZHOU, Korea, Korean, Jakarta . North Korea, Tokyo, Russia, Belarus, Ukraine, Moscow

HANGZHOU, China (AP) — The opening ceremony of the Asian Games on Saturday in China offered all the staples of a major international sports event. One big thing, however, was missing: real fireworks, the exploding kind that smell of power and burnt fuses. Instead, the high-tech games — billed of course as “green games” — offered electronic flash, 3D animations and a virtual torchbearer. Delayed for a year by the pandemic, the Asian Games are China's largest sports event since the country scrapped its zero-COVID-19 policy early in the year. China won almost 300 medals in the Asian Games five years ago and is sure to dominate again followed by Japan and South Korea.

Persons: Xi Jinping, —, Xi, Bashar al, Assad, Thomas Bach, King Norodom Sihamoni, Bach, Vladimir Putin, there’s, ___ Didi Tang Organizations: Asian Games, Sports Center, International Olympic, Olympic Council of, Hangzhou Asian, Xinhua, Olympics, China, —, Afghan, ___ AP Asia Locations: HANGZHOU, China, Hangzhou, Taiwan, North Korea, Hong Kong, Cambodia, Olympic Council of Asia, Russia, Paris, Beijing, Shanghai, “, Hangzhou Asian Games, Los Angeles, Brisbane, Australia, Japan, South Korea, Afghanistan, Washington, ___, asia

HANGZHOU, China, Sept 21 (Reuters) - China hopes to make a splash with the Asian Games, opening on Saturday, but nationwide excitement has been muted as the economy sputters and some locals question the cost of the sporting extravaganza. Organisers this week expressed confidence in holding a "magnificent" games, thanks to President Xi Jinping’s "important instructions" and great, broad-based efforts. "People care more about their own lives, and the Asian Games are not on the top of their list of concerns," Yan said. [1/4]A woman poses for pictures in front of statues of the three mascots of the 19th Asian Games Hangzhou 2022, near the Hangzhou Asian Games Village, in Zhejiang province, China September 20, 2023. "There's a saying online: 'The Hangzhou city government, when encountering even a dog, wishes they could catch it and give it a fresh coat of paint'."

Persons: Xi Jinping’s, Xi, Bashar al, Assad, John Yan, Yan, Jiang, It's, Mark Dreyer, Tingshu Wang, Wu Lili, Zhang, Jules Boycoff, it's, Dylan Martinez, Martin Quin Pollard, Xihao Jiang, William Mallard Organizations: Asian Games, COVID, Games, Sports, Beijing Olympics, Asian, Hangzhou, REUTERS, Pacific University, Thomson Locations: HANGZHOU, China, Hangzhou, Beijing, Zhejiang province, Zhejiang, Shanghai, U.S ., Oregon, West

BEIJING, Sept 12 (Reuters) - China unveiled on Tuesday its 886-strong team and its sporting and political goals for the Hangzhou Asian Games which start this month, a year later than planned due to China's COVID situation and restrictions. The Chinese team, who have topped the medals table at every Asian Games since 1982, should repeat that feat in Hangzhou, the director of the national sports bureau, Gao Zhidan, said at the team's launch in Beijing on Tuesday, state media reported. The Asian Games, also known as the Asiad, are like an Olympics for Asian countries and usually take place every four years. There will be 40 different sports, including athletics, swimming, cricket, dragon boat racing and esports (computer games) which for the first time will be a medal-winning event. Reporting by Martin Quin Pollard, editing by Ed OsmondOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Gao Zhidan, Gao, Martin Quin Pollard, Ed Osmond Organizations: Hangzhou Asian Games, Games, Xinhua, Asian, Thomson Locations: BEIJING, China, Hangzhou, Beijing, Asia

☆ North Korea to welcome China and Russia with military display after pandemic isolation
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-26 | by ( Josh Smith | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

MILITARY DISPLAYSImages from Russia's defence ministry and North Korean media showed Shoigu being greeted by North Korean defence minister Kang Sun Nam and Russian ambassador Alexander Matsegora at the airport, and rows of North Korean and Russia troops. The only defence treaty China and North Korea have is with each other. Amid international sanctions over North Korea's missile and nuclear programmes - which both Moscow and Beijing voted to impose - China has become by far North Korea's largest trading partner. Russia and China have rebuffed recent attempts by the United States and some European countries to impose new sanctions on North Korea. "If North Korea also sends a high-level delegation to China for the upcoming Hangzhou Asian Games, it means the resumption of high-level 'shuttle diplomacy' between North Korea and China since the COVID-19 pandemic," he said.

Persons: Sergei Shoigu, Li Hongzhong, Anthony Rinna, Travis King, Rinna, Shoigu, Kang Sun Nam, Alexander Matsegora, Wagner, Kim, Yang Moo, Dave Schmerler, James Martin, Schmerler, Kim Jong Un, KCNA, denuclearisation, Yang, Josh Smith, Michael Perry Organizations: Korean People's Army, North, Korean Central News Agency, KCNA, Russian, Communist Party, United Nations Security Council, Washington, U.S, Sino, NK, United, University of North Korean Studies, James, James Martin Center, Nonproliferation Studies, Reuters, Fatherland, Thomson Locations: Pyongyang, North Korea, China, U.S, SEOUL, United States, Russia, Beijing, Moscow, Korea, North Korean, Washington, Russian, Korean, Ukraine, Seoul, North, Hangzhou

☆ Alipay and WeChat Pay now accept Visa and Mastercard for all payments in China
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-21 | by ( Laura He | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

The move marks a revival of efforts by Alipay and WeChat Pay to accept foreign credit cards after they provided some limited access in late 2019. WeChat Pay is officially known as Weixin Pay in China. Alipay and WeChat Pay are dominant in digital payment services, accounting for a combined 91% market share. In 2019, Alipay and WeChat started allowing the use of foreign credit cards on their apps as Chinese regulators eased restrictions. A week later, an executive from Tencent said at a forum that the company would open wider its WeChat Pay system to international card organizations, such as Visa, starting in July.

Persons: Alipay, WeChat, ” Dennis Chang, Tencent, ”, Chen Qiru Organizations: Hong Kong CNN —, Mastercard, Ant Group, Visa, Club, Discover, World, Hangzhou, Alibaba, JCB, Greater China, “, Tencent Financial Technology, ”, People’s Bank of Locations: Hong Kong, China, Beijing, Chengdu, Hangzhou, Tianjin, People’s Bank of China

☆ Olympic chief: Don't punish athletes for their govts' acts
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Asked about the participation of Russians and Belarusians at next year's Paris Summer Olympics, IOC President Thomas Bach said: "We have a mission to unite all the athletes of the world in a peaceful competition. We have the responsibility not to punish athletes for the acts of their governments." Bach said the IOC was in no hurry to decide on their participation, joking that the deadline was "before the Games." Bach presented the IOC's position as an attempt to safeguard athletes' rights. The IOC said it was confronted with the "irreconcilable positions" of Russia and Ukraine on the participation of Russians and Belarusians at the Games.

Persons: Thomas Bach, Bach, Gabrielle Tétrault, Farber, Bernadette Baum Organizations: International Olympic Committee, IOC, Hangzhou, Games, Paris Olympics, Thomson Locations: LAUSANNE, Russia, Belarus, Ukraine, Russian

☆ Wimbledon 2023: Order of play on Sunday
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

Sports category · July 8, 2023 · 5:24 PM UTCAthletes from Russia and Belarus will be permitted to compete at the Hangzhou Asian Games to help them earn points to qualify for the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Organizations: Hangzhou, Games Locations: Russia, Belarus

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