The International Olympic Committee said Wednesday it will recommend no international sporting events be held in Indonesia after the country barred Israeli athletes from the gymnastics world championships in Jakarta.
The governing body also said it was ceasing any discussions with Indonesia about hosting future Olympics.
An Indonesian government official declared earlier this month that Israeli athletes would be denied visas to participate in the championships, which started Oct. 19. Israel’s team included 2020 Olympic gold medalist and defending world champion Artem Dolgopyat in the men’s floor exercise.
“These actions deprive athletes of their right to compete peacefully and prevent the Olympic movement from showing the power of sport,” the IOC executive board said in a statement.
Indonesia is the world’s most populous Muslim-majority nation and has long been a staunch supporter of Palestinians. The scheduled participation of Israeli athletes had sparked intense opposition within the country.
The IOC executive board met remotely this week to discuss the situation in Indonesia and also the “recurrent global issue regarding athletes’ access to international competitions.”
The IOC said “all eligible athletes, teams and sports officials must be able to take part in international sports competitions and events without any form of discrimination by the host country.” It added that the fundamental principles that govern the Olympic movement include “non-discrimination, autonomy and political neutrality.”
It said it was ceasing dialogue with Indonesia over hosting the Olympic Games, Youth Olympic Games, Olympic events and conferences until the government gave “adequate guarantees” that all participants would be granted access to the country regardless of nationality.
In addition, it said it would recommend international federations do not stage tournaments, events or meetings in Indonesia until those guarantees were given.
The Indonesian Olympic committee has been invited to IOC headquarters in Lausanne, Switzerland to discuss the issue. (JapanToday)
Hugo Ekitike scored against his old club as Liverpool got back on track with a 5-1 victory at Eintracht Frankfurt in the Champions League on Wednesday while Chelsea, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich were among the night’s other winners.
The Anfield side came into their trip to Germany reeling after a run of four consecutive defeats which included a 1-0 loss to Galatasaray in their last Champions League outing.
They bounced back in style by coming from behind to hammer Eintracht, who suffered a second straight 5-1 defeat in Europe — having started their Champions League campaign with a 5-1 win.
Rasmus Kristensen gave the hosts the lead but Ekitike broke away to equalise against the team he left in July in a £79 million ($105.5m) deal.
Virgil van Dijk headed the visitors in front at a corner on 39 minutes and Ibrahima Konate made it 3-1 before the interval in almost identical fashion.
Cody Gakpo and Dominik Szoboszlai added further goals in the second half as Liverpool moved up to 10th in the 36-team league phase standings.
“I don’t know if it’s a statement but it is a win and something to build on,” Van Dijk told broadcaster TNT Sports.
Chelsea won by the same scoreline against Ajax at Stamford Bridge, in a match which featured an early red card and three first-half penalties.
Kenneth Taylor was sent off for the Dutch visitors before Marc Guiu and Moises Caicedo scored for the Premier League side.
Wout Weghorst pulled one back from the spot for Ajax but Enzo Fernandez and Estevao both converted penalties before half-time for Chelsea.
Tyrique George rounded off the scoring in the second half as for the first time in Champions League history three teenagers scored for the same team.
“We trust a lot of young players,” said Maresca after the goals for Guiu, Estevao and George. “That is the strategy of the club, but not only the ones that we buy. Also the ones from the academy.”
Chelsea have now won their last two European outings since beginning their campaign with a 3-1 defeat at Bayern.
Ajax, meanwhile, are bottom of the standings as one of only two teams without a point after three games — the other is Jose Mourinho’s Benfica.
Bayern are one of five teams with the maximum nine points as Harry Kane scored his 20th goal in 12 club appearances this season in a 4-0 cruise against Club Brugge at the Allianz Arena.
Lennart Karl, 17, got the opener before Kane, Luis Diaz and Nicolas Jackson also hit the target for the Bundesliga champions.
Madrid also have nine points following a hard-earned 1-0 victory against Juventus at the Santiago Bernabeu as England captain Kane’s compatriot Jude Bellingham scored for the first time this season.
The goal came just before the hour mark, with Bellingham converting the rebound after Vinicius hit the upright. Juventus have now gone seven games without a win.
“I’m very happy with the win, it was a very tough game with chances at both ends and we had to sweat for it, but it was an important win against a big team,” Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois told Movistar.
Tottenham Hotspur became the only one of England’s six representatives to fail to win this midweek as they were held to a 0-0 draw away to Monaco.
In Lisbon, Portuguese champions Sporting came from behind to defeat Marseille 2-1 in a game which hinged on a red card in first-half stoppage time.
Igor Paixao’s stunner put Marseille ahead, but Emerson Palmieri was dismissed for a second yellow for diving after a decision to award him a penalty was overturned.
Sporting used the extra man to equalise in the second half through Geny Catamo before Alisson Santos got their winner.
Nigeria superstar Victor Osimhen netted twice as Galatasaray beat Bodo/Glimt 3-1 in Istanbul, with Yunus Akgun scoring their other goal before Andreas Helmersen pulled one back.
Athletic Bilbao beat Qarabag of Azerbaijan 3-1 at San Mames, coming from behind after Leandro Andrade had given the visitors a first-minute lead. Gorka Guruzeta bagged a brace for the Basque side either side of a Robert Navarro goal.
Atalanta and Slavia Prague drew 0-0 in the night’s other game.
The next round of Champions League action in a fortnight will include clashes between Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern, and Liverpool and Real. (JapanToday)
Hoshoryu defeated fellow yokozuna Onosato in the final bout of the five-day exhibition Grand Sumo Tournament at London’s Royal Albert Hall to claim the champion’s trophy on Sunday.
The Japan Sumo Association’s first overseas tournament in 20 years proved to be a big hit in the British capital, with roughly 27,000 fans attending over the five sold-out days at the renowned concert venue.
British news outlets and social media were abuzz with images of the giant wrestlers sightseeing around London, where they mingled with local fans and onlookers.
Both grand champions entered the final bout unbeaten in a two-way tie for the lead, meaning the winner would walk away with the title.
Mongolian-born Hoshoryu, 26, used a strong belt grip to spin the 25-year-old Onosato around and usher him out of the ring from behind.
Rank-and-file wrestler Tobizaru started the day with a share of the lead but was knocked out of the race as he lost to komusubi Takayasu. The No. 15 maegashira, whose name translates to “flying monkey,” became a fan favorite in London as the underdog title challenger.
Onosato, who beat Hoshoryu to win the September grand tournament in Tokyo, delivered a brief farewell message in English at a closing ceremony for the first sumo tour to London since 1991.
“Hello everyone. London is great. Thank you and see you again. Goodbye,” said Onosato, keeping his address short and sweet.
Sumo association chief Hakkaku expressed his satisfaction with the tour, hailing it as a huge success.
“It was even better than I expected,” said Hakkaku, formerly yokozuna Hokutoumi. “I’m overwhelmed with emotion. It feels like sumo has been broadcast to the world.”
The London tournament featured wrestlers from the elite makuuchi division and was the sumo association’s 14th overseas tour. The first was to Moscow and Khabarovsk in what was then the Soviet Union in 1965, while the most recent was to Las Vegas in 2005. (JapanToday)
Super Eaglesgoalkeeper Stanley Nwabali has posted a cryptic message on Instagram days after tense on-field clashes with teammates during Nigeria’s 4-0 win over Benin Republic as Maduka Okoye returns from his two-month suspension, PUNCH Sports Extra reports.
The Chippa United stopper wrote on his Instagram story on Friday, “I never fake care anyone. What I give, I give from my heart. Choose a good heart. People change so fast…King VO9.”
The post comes just days after Nwabali was involved in flash incidents with his own teammates during the World Cup qualifier in Uyo.
First, he pushed Wilfred Ndidi, who tried to calm him down after he confronted a Benin player. At half-time, as the players trudged off the pitch, he was seen arguing with Calvin Bassey.
Victor Osimhen scored a hat-trick as the three-time African champions secured their place in the continental playoffs, but there were criticisms aimed at Nwabali and some of his antics, especially after his mistakes in a 2-1 win over Lesotho last week.
While a lot of observers called for Nwabali to be dropped, head coach Eric Chelle kept faith with him for the Benin game.
The goalkeeper’s cryptic message has sparked speculation about possible tensions within the squad, though the reference to “King VO9” suggests the post may have been supportive of Osimhen rather than critical.
Nwabali has faced scrutiny in recent months, with his form becoming increasingly erratic. Flashes of his AFCON-era composure have been replaced by inconsistency and avoidable confrontations.
His judgment in high-pressure moments has often been questioned, and several on-field outbursts have only added to concerns about his temperament, though referees’ leniency has spared him disciplinary action.
The 28-year-old tragically lost both parents within a two-month span earlier this year, and he may still be dealing with the emotional toll of those losses.
Meanwhile, Okoye is poised to make his long-awaited return to the Udinese squad after serving a two-month suspension for betting-related offences.
The Düsseldorf-born goalkeeper, who had established himself as a reliable figure in Friuli before his ban, is now being backed to bounce back stronger as the Serie A side resume domestic duties.
Okoye’s return to club action inevitably raises questions about Nigeria’s goalkeeping situation ahead of the crucial World Cup playoff matches in November.
The 25-year-old could offer a calming presence that the Super Eagles have lacked in recent outings. His display against Russia in June, in what was a very intimidating atmosphere inside the Luzhniki Stadium, was a testament to his ability under pressure.
However, Nigeria can ill afford disruption ahead of November’s World Cup playoff semi-final against Gabon. Any shift in the goalkeeping hierarchy would risk unsettling a squad already chasing stability.
The more logical window for such a reassessment would be December’s pre-AFCON camp, when Chelle and his staff will have ample time to evaluate both men closely before making a definitive call. (Punch)
Novak Djokovic is withdrawing from next week’s Paris Masters, he announced on social media on Tuesday, just days after he stopped playing in an exhibition event because of a leg injury.
The 24-time Grand Slam champion has competed infrequently this season, appearing in only eight ATP Tour events outside of the four majors.
Djokovic, who is 38, reached the semifinals at the Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon and U.S. Open this season. From late May to late September, the only tournaments he entered were those last three Slams.
At his most recent official tournament, the Shanghai Masters, Djokovic was slowed by a sore hip during a semifinal exit.
He was one of the half-dozen men invited to the Six Kings Slam in Saudi Arabia last week. After an opening bye, Djokovic lost to Jannik Sinner, then faced Taylor Fritz to determine the third-place finisher but stopped playing after one set.
The ATP Finals, which Djokovic qualified for but skipped in 2024, are Nov 9-16 in Turin, Italy. (JapanToday)
Cristiano Ronaldo continued his astonishing goalscoring form on Saturday, netting his 949th career goal as Al Nassr cruised to a 5–1 victory over Al Fateh in the Saudi Pro League.
The Portuguese scored a stunner in the 60th minute, less than a minute after losing a spot kick.
Joao Felix also bagged another hat-trick as Kingsley Coman scored in the second half to take the table-toppers four points clear on the Saudi Pro League summit.
PUNCH Online had reported that the five-time Ballon d’Or winner is on the verge of achieving a milestone no male footballer has ever reached: 1,000 career goals.Al Nassr’s next game is on Wednesday against Goa in the AFC Cup. (Punch)
Paris Saint-Germain scored seven and both Barcelona and PSV Eindhoven hit six in big victories while Arsenal crushed Atletico Madrid 4-0 on a prolific night of Champions League action on Tuesday.
Erling Haaland was among the scorers in Manchester City’s 2-0 win at Villarreal as a total of 43 goals rained down across nine games.
However, it was champions PSG who stole the show with their 7-2 win at Bayer Leverkusen in Germany.
Desire Doue scored twice in between goals by Willian Pacho and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia for PSG in a first half which saw Alejandro Grimaldo miss a penalty and Aleix Garcia net from the spot for Leverkusen.
Both sides had a man sent off in the opening period, with Robert Andrich seeing red for Leverkusen and Illia Zabarnyi walking for the visitors.
Nuno Mendes got the French side’s fifth goal shortly after the break and Garcia pulled it back to 5-2.
Ousmane Dembele, on his return from injury and first appearance since winning the Ballon d’Or, got PSG’s sixth and Vitinha completed the scoring at the death.
“I am not yet at 100 percent. I wanted to play at the weekend and the coach told me to wait a bit, but I felt great,” Dembele told broadcaster Canal Plus.
It is the first time PSG have scored seven goals away from home in a Champions League game, and they are top of the standings after three outings in the league phase, with a maximum nine points and the best goal difference.
Inter Milan and Arsenal are the other teams with a 100 percent record after three outings, with the Italians easing to a 4-0 victory at Union Saint-Gilloise in Brussels.
Denzel Dumfries and Lautaro Martinez both netted late in the first half before Hakan Calhanoglu added a penalty soon after the restart and Pio Esposito completed the scoring.
Meanwhile Premier League leaders Arsenal hammered Atletico at the Emirates Stadium, as Mikel Arteta’s side made it three straight wins all with clean sheets in Europe this season.
All the goals came in the second half, with Gabriel putting them ahead and Gabriel Martinelli getting the second before Viktor Gyokeres struck twice to end a run of seven club appearances without finding the net.
“Hopefully it’s the start of some beautiful sequence now,” said Arteta of the Sweden striker.
Haaland put City ahead against Villarreal in Spain and Bernardo Silva got their second goal before half-time as Pep Guardiola’s team moved on to seven points from three outings.
Norway superstar Haaland kept up his remarkable record in front of goal this season and he has now found the net 15 times in 11 appearances for City in all competitions.
“I see that things are looking good, we are playing a little bit better day after day and that’s a good sign,” Guardiola told broadcaster Movistar.
Felix Nmecha hit a brace as Borussia Dortmund won 4-2 away to FC Copenhagen, with Ramy Bensebaini converting a penalty and Fabio Silva also scoring.
Waldemar Anton’s own goal had brought the Danes back level at one point in the first half, while Viktor Dadason got their other goal late on. They are yet to win in the league phase.
Beaten at home by PSG last time out, Barcelona bounced back to thump Olympiacos 6-1 at Montjuic as Fermin Lopez starred with a hat-trick.
Lamine Yamal got his name on the scoresheet with a penalty and Marcus Rashford scored twice, with Ayoub El Kaabi’s spot-kick scant consolation for the Greeks.
Newcastle United got their second straight win in the competition by easing to a 3-0 victory against Benfica at St James’ Park.
Anthony Gordon got the opener and Harvey Barnes emerged from the bench to score twice in the second half, leaving Jose Mourinho’s Benfica as the only team to have no points having played three games.
PSV claimed a stunning 6-2 home win against Italian champions Napoli, despite Scott McTominay giving the visitors the lead in the first half.
An Alessandro Buongiorno own goal restored parity and Ismael Saibari put PSV ahead before Dennis Man scored twice and both Ricardo Pepi and Couhaib Driouech also found the net.
McTominay pulled another one back for Napoli, who had Lorenzo Lucca sent off.
The night’s other game ended in a 0-0 draw between rank outsiders Kairat Almaty and Pafos of Cyprus in Kazakhstan. (JapanToday)
NFF president Ibrahim Gusau has expressed confidence Nigeria will qualify for the 2026 World Cup via the Playoffs, while also backing Super Eagles coach Eric Chelle.
On Tuesday, the Super Eagles kept World Cup hopes alive when they qualified for the continental Playoffs next month in Morocco, where they will battle Gabon, DR Congo and Cameroon for a ticket to next year’s Intercontinental Playoffs in Mexico to produce two more qualifiers for the Mundial.
“We have started preparations (World Cup Playoffs), but the most important thing is the commitment and zeal of the players,” Gusau said while expressing his confidence in Nigeria featuring at next year’s World Cup.
“They have now realised that going to the World Cup is important to their careers, more than even how Nigerians look at it.
“We are getting all the cooperation we need for the government to ensure we are ready for the Playoffs and I know we will move on to the Intercontinental Playoffs.”
He said coach Eric Chelle has justified his appointment as Super Eagles coach by winning four of six World Cup qualifiers.
“Had we had a little resemblance of that record, we would not have been where we are today,” he said. (Nation)
That’s how long it took Nottingham Forest to fire manager Ange Postecoglou after losing to Chelsea 3-0 in the Premier League on Saturday.
As for Erling Haaland, he did his damage in a devastating five-minute spell in the second half, scoring twice more for Manchester City in its 2-0 win over Everton to move to 11 goals in eight league games.
City jumped to second place and was three points behind Arsenal, a 1-0 winner at Fulham thanks to another set-piece goal.
Postecoglou was removed after just 39 days in charge of Forest, which didn’t win any of its eight matches under the Australian after he replaced Nuno Espirito Santo on Sept. 9.
In a terse 39-word statement issued while the City Ground was emptying following the defeat to Chelsea, Forest said Postecoglou was “relieved of his duties as head coach with immediate effect” after “a series of disappointing results and performances.”
British media had already been linking former Burnley and Everton manager Sean Dyche with the beleaguered Postecoglou’s job. On Saturday, The Athletic reported that former Man City and Italy coach Roberto Mancini has been contacted by Forest.
Goals early in the second half by Josh Acheampong and Pedro Neto, and another by Reece James in the 84th minute, earned Chelsea a victory that prompted loud jeers inside the City Ground at fulltime and signaled the end for Postecoglou.
Postecoglou had been in defiant mood in recent weeks, even delivering a five-minute monologue on Friday in which he rejected talk that he was a “failed manager” and promised to win a trophy at Forest — just like he did at Tottenham last season before being fired.
However, Forest lost six and drew the other two of its eight games under Postecoglou. That included four losses from five in the league, scoring just one goal in the process, to leave Forest rooted in the bottom three.
Malo Gusto became the fifth Chelsea player to be sent off this season after collecting a second yellow card in the 87th.
Haaland has 23 goals in 13 games for club and country this season, having just come off a hat trick for Norway against Israel in a World Cup qualifier last week.
The striker has said he is in the best form of his career and it seemed inevitable he would make no mistake when Nico O’Reilly teed up a cross from the left in the 58th. Haaland leapt high and buried his header.
Five minutes later, Haaland peeled away from his marker in the box and met a cut-back from Savinho with a shot that went through the legs of defender James Tarkowski and past the unsighted Jordan Pickford in goal.
“He’s our key man, what can I say?” City manager Pep Guardiola said. “But at the same time, we cannot rely and do good things just with Erling.
“So our wingers, attacking midfielders and our other players have to make a step up.”
Jack Grealish wasn’t able to play for Everton under the terms of his loan move from City.
Make that 37 goals Arsenal has scored from corners since the start of the 2023-24 season.
The league leader’s 58th-minute winner at Fulham came from a familiar source, as Bukayo Saka swung in the corner, Gabriel Magalhaes flicked it on and Leandro Trossard converted at the back post.
It was a sixth win in eight games for Arsenal, which is seeking a first league championship since 2004 after being runner-up in the last three campaigns.
Fresh off his debut for France, Jean-Philippe Mateta scored a hat trick — including an equalizer from the penalty spot in the seventh minute of stoppage time — in a breathless 3-3 draw against Bournemouth.
Nick Woltemade’s latest goal for Newcastle — a deft flick between his legs into the corner — proved to be in vain in a 2-1 loss at Brighton, which had a goal in each half from Danny Welbeck.
Burnley beat Leeds 2-0 and Sunderland won at home to Wolverhampton 2-0. (JapanToday)
Red Bull’s Max Verstappen continued his late-season charge with a victory Sunday at the Formula 1 United States Grand Prix, while McLaren’s Lando Norris took a huge chunk out of teammate Oscar Piastri’s championship lead by finishing second.
Piastri was a distant fifth, which allowed Norris to pull within 14 points with five grand prix and two sprint races to go.
Verstappen, who got his third victory in four races, is also closing fast and now trails Piastri by 40 points in third.
Piastri and Norris are chasing their first career drivers championship. Verstappen is hunting his fifth in a row, and his dominant form of late has given him a real chance to get it. He also won Saturday’s sprint race after the two McLarens ran into each other on the first turn and crashed out.
Norris’ late pass of Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc for second earned him a crucial position as he chases Piastri and hopes to hold off Verstappen over the final stretch of the season.
Verstappen started on the pole Sunday and was never challenged for the lead. He built a 10-second lead by the halfway point as Norris and Leclerc drove a furious battle for second.
Piastri’s day never got going. He started sixth and quickly made up a spot in the first few corners but was stuck there for the rest of the race.
Piastri’s lead is rapidly shrinking under pressure. He hasn’t won since the Dutch Grand Prix on Aug 31 and hasn’t finished on the podium the last three races. Piastri started the race with a 22-point lead over Norris and 55 points over Verstappen.
The series next heads to Mexico City, where Verstappen has five career victories at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez. (JapanToday)
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