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Sarno lifts to fifth place finish at Asian Championship

DUE to failure to adjust to the biting cold, Vanessa Sarno hurt her knees and managed just a fifth place finish in the Asian Weightlifting Championships in Tashkent, Uzbekistan Wednesday.

The 20-year-old wunderkind from Tagbilaran, Bohol, who is being considered as heiress to Philippine lifting queen and Tokyo Olympics gold medalist Hidilyn Diaz-Naranjo’s throne, tried to fight off the pain but managed just a total lift of 228 kilograms — 100kg from snatch and 128kg from clean and jerk — in the women’s 71kg class that was good for fifth.

It was a far cry from her personal bests 249kg total, 108kg snatch and 141kg clean and jerk she registered in the IWF World Grand Prix 2 last December in Doha, Qatar where she wound up just fifth.

North Korean Song Kuk Hyang, who topped the Doha tilt, dominated the field with a 269kg (115kg snatch, 154kg clean and jerk).

Despite the finish, Samahang Weightlifting ng Pilipinas President Monico Puentevella said Ms. Sarno has moved to the top five in the world and should qualify to this July’s Paris Olympics. And to prevent potential injuries, Mr. Puentevella said he would ask the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) to allow their lifter, should they qualify to the quadrennial games, to fly in a week or less earlier to Paris to acclimatize.

“But I’m requesting PSC to fly our lifters one week before performing for acclimatization,” he said. “From 30 degrees to minus 0 degrees affected three of our six lifters. Dapat iba ang treatment sa Olympic aspirants than ordinary athletes.”

Weightlifting, of course, has delivered the country its breakthrough Olympic gold in Tokyo courtesy of Ms. Diaz-Naranjo and could qualify as much as four lifters to Paris including Ms. Sarno, Rosegie Ramos, John Ceniza and possibly Elreen Ando. — Joey Villar

Odds and predictions for Super Bowl LVIII

LAS VEGAS — The San Francisco 49ers are slight favorites to defeat the Kansas City Chiefs in Sunday’s Super Bowl, according to bookkeepers, with a record 67.8 million Americans expected to place bets on the National Football League’s title game.

The 49ers, who made a second-half comeback against the Detroit Lions in the NFC Championship, have clinched five Super Bowls.

The Chiefs, who eliminated Baltimore Ravens in the AFC Championship game, are looking to become the first back-to-back Super Bowl champions since 2003-04.

This year’s Super Bowl will be played in Las Vegas (LV), marking the first time the event is being held in the US betting capital of Nevada. — Reuters

Qatar beats Iran 3-2 in thriller to return to Asian Cup final

DOHA — Hosts and defending champions Qatar beat Iran 3-2 in a thrilling Asian Cup semifinal on Wednesday at Al Thumama Stadium where striker Almoez Ali scored the winner to set up a title clash with Jordan.

Iran opened the scoring when Sardar Azmoun scored with an overhead kick in the fourth minute but Qatar equalized when Jassem Gaber’s shot from range took a deflection and looped over goalkeeper Alireza Beiranvand into the net.

The hosts had the upper hand when Akram Afif danced into the box and scored a scorcher just before halftime but Iran leveled when they won a penalty for handball, with Alireza Jahanbakhsh putting away the spot kick to make it 2-2.

But with time running out, Mr. Ali — top scorer in 2019 — scored the winner for Qatar when he turned and fired into the bottom corner while Iran’s hopes of a comeback took a hit when Shojae Khalilzadeh was sent off late in the game.

Qatar will look to win their second title when they play first-time finalists Jordan on Saturday. — Reuters

China says Messi’s absence in Hong Kong match beyond ‘realm of sports’ as fury builds

LIONEL MESSI — REUTERS

HONG KONG — Chinese state media, Hong Kong politicians and fans swiftly condemned Argentine player Lionel Messi’s participation in a Japan match on Wednesday after staying on the bench just days earlier in a highly anticipated match in Hong Kong.

Many in the financial hub were dismayed on Sunday when the 36-year-old did not come onto the field during a much hyped Inter Miami match to a sell-out crowd with fans demanding answers and a refund.

Miami head coach Gerardo “Tata” Martino said Mr. Messi was deemed unfit to play in Sunday’s match in the Hong Kong friendly.

China’s state-controlled Global Times said Mr. Messi’s absence posed many questions on the differential treatment for Hong Kong.

“The match in Hong Kong became the only one in Messi’s six pre-season friendly matches on this trip where he was absent. The situation…has magnified these doubts and suspicions on the integrity of Inter Miami and Messi himself.”

Some mainland fans traveled 12 hours from Xinjiang to Hong Kong to see Mr. Messi, the Global Times wrote, with the disappointment of the government and fans “entirely understandable. The impact of this incident has far exceeded the realm of sports.”

Mr. Messi apologized to his Chinese fans on Weibo, a Chinese platform similar to X, just ahead of the Japan game on Wednesday, saying it was a real shame he was not able to play in Hong Kong due to an injury.

“Anyone who knows me knows that I always want to play… especially in these games where we travel so far and people are excited to see our games. Hopefully we can come back and play a game in Hong Kong,” he wrote in Chinese and Spanish.

The match in Hong Kong drew 40,000 fans, with spectators paying up to nearly HK$5,000 ($640) per ticket. In Tokyo, entire blocks of seating at the Japan National Stadium remained unoccupied, with just 28,614 tickets sold.

Hong Kong’s Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau said in a statement that, like the fans, it was very disappointed that Mr. Messi could not play in Hong Kong due to injury.

“However three days later, Messi was able to play actively and freely in Japan…the government hopes the organizers and teams can provide reasonable explanations.”

Sports lawmaker Kenneth Fok said the incident “sprinkled salt wounds” on Hong Kong fans, while senior government advisor Regina Ip wrote on X that “Hong Kong people hate Messi, Inter-Miami and the black hand behind them, for the deliberate and calculate snub to Hong Kong.” — Reuters

NFL-Football fans in Las Vegas embrace ‘Taylor Swift effect’ before Super Bowl

LAS VEGAS — Pop superstar Taylor Swift is no distraction to the upcoming Super Bowl — she’s an enhancement, excited fans in Las Vegas told Reuters on Wednesday.

The run-up to Sunday’s blockbuster clash between Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers has been dominated by stories surrounding the relationship between Ms. Swift and her boyfriend Travis Kelce, the Kansas City Chiefs tight end.

“Don’t get me wrong, I’m not a big Taylor Swift fan, but I think that it’s not her fault that they (TV broadcasts) keep showing her and I think she’s great for the game,” said Donna Collier, a 61-year-old football fan from Kentucky.

“More women need to watch NFL. We need to get more involved in sports. I think it’s great … so go, Taylor,” she laughed.

Alex Lindsey, a 53-year-old football fan from Kansas City was even more effusive.

“Well you know, she’s a superstar, a super, superstar.

“She will be in the house, in the building for the Super Bowl. But, I mean I love it. You know, it kind of takes away from the team a little bit. But you know what? It’s all good.”

It is still not known for sure whether or not Ms. Swift will attend Sunday’s showdown.

A regular at Chiefs games all season, she could miss the biggest game of all due to scheduling conflicts with her Eras Tour which has her performing in Tokyo on Feb. 10, the night before the Super Bowl.

Ms. Swift could get to Las Vegas for kick-off on Sunday but would then have to quickly get back on a plane for three concerts in Melbourne, Australia staring Feb. 16.

Most people were hoping she would make it.

“I mean we should all be so lucky that we’d have a significant other wanting to support us in our job, right?” said Joel Wafer, a 50-year-old football fan from Ohio.

“And that’s all Taylor is doing is supporting her boyfriend in what (he’s) doing. So I love it, I hope she has a great time.”

Pam Bortz, a 57-year-old ‘Swiftie’ from South Carolina, said the Swift effect was a boon for the Super Bowl.

“I think it is a wonderful thing. She is an awesome person and it just really adds to the excitement of being here for the Super Bowl,” added Bortz.

But not everyone was as delighted by the hullabaloo surrounding America’s golden couple.

“It’s a lot of drama, that’s what I think. It’s football, it shouldn’t be too much show,” said Rafael Aquinaga, a 61-year-old from Texas.

“I think it’s a little wrinkle but (I’m) a diehard 49ers fan so I couldn’t care less about Taylor Swift, seriously,” added 34-year-old Harpal Sheena. — Reuters

Impressions count

IN the National Basketball Association, impressions count. Take, for instance, Russell Westbrook, who was traded to, and ultimately bought out by, the Jazz this time last year. The Lakers first saw him as the key to a deep playoff run, effectively clearing the roster for his arrival prior to the 2021-22 season. And, then, when it became apparent that he was not the answer they initially sought, they relegated him to a sixth-man role in an effort to find something — anything, really — that would keep him productive. They even went so far as to part ways with champion head coach Frank Vogel in favor of supposed player whisperer Darvin Ham. As all and sundry know, it served only to add to his frustrations — leading to his departure.

In the case of the Clippers, they formed their own impression of Westbrook on the strength of positive feedback from former teammate Paul George. After making a clean break from the Jazz, he went on to sign with the Lakers’ same-arena rivals and subsequently found a home in which he felt welcome. Never mind that he got essentially the same playing time as with the purple and gold through the second half of the 2022-23 campaign. And it hasn’t mattered that he’s back as a reserve, with his exposure even more limited this season. As far as he’s concerned, he’s happy and right where he wants to be. As he told ESPN’s Ohm Youngmisuk the other day, “I felt like the joy [was] back [of] having fun playing again.”

Certainly, outsized expectations played a not insignificant part in framing impressions of Westbrook while he was with the Lakers. That said, there can be no glossing over the results. They sported a woeful 25-30 when he was shipped out, and then went 18-9 the rest of the way to jump-start a push to the Western Conference Finals. Needless to say, they were invigorated as much by the revamped lineup as by his mere absence from it. Meanwhile, he would go on to post just about the same counting stats in his new digs.

These days, Westwood is playing a crucial role with the Clippers in heavily regulated minutes. It doesn’t matter to him that he had essentially been asked to do the same by the Lakers. Perhaps it’s because he has already gone through the five stages of grief, ending with acceptance; his impressions of his standing are now on the bright side because he is informed by his experience. And while there can be no Do Overs, he at least knows well enough to make the most of what he has.

 

Anthony L. Cuaycong has been writing Courtside since BusinessWorld introduced a Sports section in 1994. He is a consultant on strategic planning, operations and human resources management, corporate communications, and business development.

Spain’s high court suspends $209 million fines on Apple, Amazon amid appeal

PEXELS

MADRID — Spain’s high court suspended 194 million euros ($209 million) in fines imposed on Amazon and Apple by the local antitrust watchdog in July, pending an appeal by the tech giants, an Amazon spokesperson said on Thursday.

CNMC, as the watchdog is known, fined Amazon and Apple for colluding to prevent dealers other than Amazon from selling Apple wares on Amazon’s websites in Spain.

Apple was fined 143.6 million euros and Amazon 50.5 million euros and both companies at the time said they would appeal.

The court decision to suspend the payment is part of the appeal process, the Amazon spokesperson said.

Amazon said in July that as a result of the deal with Apple, the number of discounts on Apple devices on Amazon’s websites increased.

The suspension of the fine does not anticipate the court will rule in favor or against the tech giants.

An Apple spokesperson did not immediately respond to request for comment.

CNMC said a contract signed by the two companies in October 2018 granting Amazon the status of authorized Apple dealer on its websites in Spain included anti-competitive clauses that prevented more than 90% of the existing retailers from selling Apple wares on Amazon’s market place.

Following these contracts, Amazon also reduced the capacity of retailers in the European Union based outside Spain to access Spanish customers, and restricted the advertising Apple’s competitors were allowed to place on its website when users searched for Apple products, the regulator said.

A similar case was opened in Italy against the two companies but was eventually dropped. — Reuters

Australians cheer law giving workers right to ignore after-hours work calls

REUTERS

SYDNEY — Australians on Thursday cheered new proposed laws that give workers the right to ignore calls and messages from their bosses outside of work hours, but some business leaders slammed it as overreach.

The “right to disconnect” is part of a raft of changes to industrial relations laws proposed by the federal government under a parliamentary bill introduced in parliament. The bill was passed in the Senate on Thursday but will need to go back to the House of Representatives to vote to approve some amendments.

“I think it’s a wonderful idea,” said Sydney resident Colvin Macpherson.

“We all need to relax, we all need to be able to switch off and not be disturbed by emails and phone calls in the middle of the night. Both of my kids are lawyers as well, so they work horrendous hours as it is and you get things coming in at night time,” he said.

Similar laws giving employees a right to switch off their devices are already in place in France, Germany, and other countries in the European Union.

The bill also includes other provisions like a clearer pathway from temporary to permanent work and minimum standards for temporary workers and truck driver.

“In general, I think the idea that you should be able to switch off when you get to the end of your work day and when you are at home doing your own thing over the weekend or on leave, that seems like a generally reasonable thing to me,” said another Sydney resident Ivan Karajas.

However, a joint statement from Australia’s chambers of commerce urged the Senate to carefully reconsider the implications of what it called a “rushed and flawed” legislation.

“Modern technology has provided flexibility to the workforce and many employees no longer need to sit behind a desk from nine to five,” the statement said.

“We cannot allow industrial relations laws to make it harder for hard-working business owners to generate the wealth we enjoy as a nation.”

Bran Black, the chief executive of the Business Council of Australia, told reporters in Canberra that the provisions were anti-business and come at a time when Australia can least afford it.

“Business is not opposed to the idea that people should be able to switch off, I know I like to switch off… but you need to be able to make sure that you get these policies right in terms of how they’re implemented and the type of consultation that is required to do that,” Mr. Black said. — Reuters

NU, 2GO ink collaboration for ApprenticeSHIP program

COURTESY OF SM INVESTMENTS

2GO Group Inc., a transportation and logistics solutions provider and SM Investments Corporation subsidiary, has inked a deal with the National University (NU) to provide maritime experiential on-the-job training for tourism and hospitality students.

The three-year partnership aims to equip students with needed practical work experience to ensure a successful transition into their professional careers upon graduation.

Participating students will get their exposure to local hospitality and tourism expertise during a 7-day voyage onboard 2GO vessel where they will assist with the hotel and food and beverage (F&B) operations, as well as receive standard lectures from instructors on guest relations, housekeeping, and F&B, among others

The onboard learning program will focus on harnessing 2GO’s expertise in hospitality services, and participants gain firsthand experience in the vessel’s hotel management, which is important for those aspiring to pursue a career in cruise operations.

“National University is dedicated to providing top-notch educational opportunities, and the 2GO Group, Inc.’s internship program will enhance our students’ knowledge, experience and employability upon graduation,” said Renato Carlos H. Ermita, National University’s president, in a statement.

This initiative serves as a bridge for NU’s graduating class, connecting theoretical knowledge with practical insights into the service industry.

“Our commitment to education and leadership development prioritizes students’ smooth transition into the professional world,” said Sharon Musngi-Ngo, business unit head for Sea Solutions at 2GO Group Inc.

“This collaboration with academic institutions like NU will prepare and encourage more competent people to join the travel and logistics sectors,” adds Frederic C. DyBuncio, 2GO president and CEO and concurrent SM Investments president and CEO.

The internship program will run from January 2024 to 2027. — Patricia B. Mirasol

Britain needs superwatchdog to monitor regulators, lawmakers say

REUTERS

LONDON — A superwatchdog is needed as part of Britain’s post-Brexit reset to better hold “increasingly politicized” watchdogs to account, though without impinging on their ability to act independently, a report from the upper house of parliament said on Thursday.

The report was triggered by concerns in previous inquiries over the independence from government of regulators – who set rules and standards for aspects of British life such as education and care, as well as finance and utilities provision – and the clarity of their remit.

Some of Britain’s 90 regulators have too many duties and objectives, but without a clear sense of priority at a time of finite resources, the House of Lords’ Industry and Regulators Committee report said.

“Our report raises concerns about the functioning of the three-way relationship between the regulators, the government, and parliament, particularly the role and performance of regulators, their independence, and their accountability,” said Clive Hollick, who chaired the inquiry.

Government and lawmakers should make clear to regulators how objectives should be prioritised, given concerns over “increasing politicization” of regulation, the report said, which did not spell out any specific areas of concern.

“We are concerned at the perception that the appointment and reappointment of some regulatory leaders reflects their political loyalties more than their suitability for the role,” it added.

The report said some of the regulators had inherited additional responsibilities from EU institutions following Brexit, with implications for both resources and accountability.

It called on the government create a new independent statutory Office for Regulatory Performance – effectively a superwatchdog – that would be accountable to parliament, helping it check on the other watchdogs in a more systematic and thorough way and “plug the gap in regulatory accountability”.

Temporary “embedding” by parliament’s Treasury Committee of specialist advisers at financial regulators, such as on two occasions in the past, could be explored by other parliamentary committees to improve scrutiny, the report said.

Parliamentary committees should also play a greater role in scrutinising appointments at regulators, it said.

The lawmakers spoke to 15 regulators, including the Competition and Markets Authority, Financial Conduct Authority, and regulators for communications, schools, and energy.

The government has already begun reviewing UK regulators under its “Smarter Regulation” program, with accountability for financial watchdogs already reformed, with new parliamentary committees to scrutinize them. — Reuters

Thai central bank ready to cut rates if private consumption falls sharply

PERESLAVL FROM PIXABAY

BANGKOK — The Bank of Thailand (BOT) is ready to cut rates if consumption falls sharply, a senior official said on Thursday, a day after it kept monetary policy unchanged amid pressure from the government to ease.

“If we look at the numbers and private consumption falls sharply and there is a clear change – that is an important factor in considering key rates,” BOT Senior Director Sakkapop Panyanukul told a local television programme.

Cutting rates would have a long-term negative impact and would only have limited benefits to debtors, he said.

“Any cuts would be small,” he said.

The monetary policy committee on Wednesday voted to hold key rates at 2.50%.

Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin has repeatedly urged the central bank to ease monetary policy, saying small businesses and debtors are suffering at decade-high interest rates. — Reuters

Malaysia recovers over $4 million in 1MDB assets between 2023 and Feb 2024

KUALA LUMPUR — Malaysia has recovered more than 23 million ringgit ($4.83 million) in assets related to scandal-hit state fund 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) between 2023 and February 2024, its anti-graft agency said on Thursday.

The funds were recovered through court orders and the voluntary surrender of assets, the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commision (MACC) said.

Malaysian and US investigators estimate $4.5 billion were stolen from 1MDB, implicating former Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak, Goldman Sachs GS.N staff and high-level officials elsewhere.

Mr. Najib was sentenced to 12 years prison after being convicted in a case linked to the 1MDB scandal but had his sentence halved last week by a Malaysian pardons board. — Reuters

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