Koreas to Field Joint Teams in Three Sports at Asian Games Two Countries to March Together at the Opening and Closing Ceremonies

Friday 43 Sports Friday, June 29, 2018 Koreas to field joint teams in three sports at Asian Games Two countries to march together at the opening and closing ceremonies

JAKARTA: North and South Korea will field The athletes from the Koreas will march joint teams in three sports-canoeing, rowing under a neutral Korean peninsula flag and and women’s basketball-at the Asian Games, under the “Korea” name. Further details organisers said yesterday, in the latest sign about logistics would come later, Sjamsoed- of thawing tensions. din added. “The meeting was very friendly The two countries will also march to- and enthusiastic, and was based on a spirit gether at the opening and closing cere- of togetherness of the two countries,” Sjam- monies for the showpiece event being held soeddin said. in Indonesia from August 18-September 2, The two Koreas formed their first-ever they added. unified Olympic team-a joint women’s ice South Korea’s national Olympic commit- hockey squad-for February’s Winter Games tee previously told AFP that the country’s in the South Korean resort of Pyeongchang. governing bodies for basketball, judo, canoe, It provoked a backlash in the South, on gymnastics, table tennis, rowing and soft the grounds that Seoul was depriving its tennis had expressed an interest in running own athletes of the chance to compete on combined teams. the Olympic stage. Ultimately the sight of Seoul and Pyongyang agreed this month North and South Korean skaters wearing to form unified teams for some sports the same jersey and passing the puck to JAKATA: This handout photo taken and released yesterday by the Indonesian Asian Games Organizing Com- though the specifics were only confirmed each other drew emotive responses from mittee (INASGOC) shows North Korean (L and 2nd R) and South Korean (2nd L and R) representatives posing Thursday after a meeting in Jakarta between spectators and quickly became an Olympic with mascots after a meeting with the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) in Jakarta. North and South Korea will the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA), Games favourite, despite the team being thrashed in field joint teams in three sports. —AFP organisers and representatives from the two all five of their matches. Koreas. Ties between the neighbours have been “We won’t add any more (sports),” warming since the Winter Olympics, with This month, Kim and US President Don- which will see about 10,000 athletes com- Games deputy chairman Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and ald Trump held a summit in Singapore. The pete in 40 sports-the second-biggest multi- told reporters after the meeting yesterday. South Korean President Moon Jae-in agree- three-team plan comes after the OCA had sport event behind the Olympics. The Games “We have to be strict with scheduling so ing at an historic summit in April to jointly earlier dismissed the idea of granting extra will be held in Indonesia’s capital and Palem- there will be no more changes.” participate in international sports events. places for unified Korean teams at an event bang on Sumatra island. —AFP

greens in recent weeks has prompted Woods Tiger eyes new to work with an Ardmore mallet putter rather than the Scotty Cameron model he used in 13 major wins and so far in his comeback. had a straightforward afternoon as he re- putter in bid to “What changed? I don’t know. That has Hamilton on high gained championship lead. He will do all he been the frustrating part,” Woods said. “I’ve can to avoid a repeat. end five-year had to just log in time and putt for hours to try Both Hamilton and Mercedes team chief to figure it out. I haven’t putted well for about in Alps as British Toto Wolff stressed after last Sunday’s win four tournaments now. I’ve struggled. Former that they can take nothing for granted in this win drought world number one Woods, ranked 82nd this icons left with yo-yo season, the Englishman saying he in- week, tested several kinds Wednesday but tended to stay grounded and to approach POTOMAC: Tiger Woods, bolstered by sur- didn’t guarantee he would use the mallet put- each race the same. prising power in his return from back surgery, ter this week. “I put it in early last week. Tried mountain to climb Wolff strove to play down any newly-per- has tested new putters while hosting the US a bunch of different shapes and sizes,” Woods ceived advantage in speed, thanks to the up- PGA Quicken Loans National in hopes of end- said. “I tried and tried to come up with some- SPIELBERG: Championship leader Lewis graded Mercedes engine. “Do we have the ing a five-year win drought. thing that I felt I could swing and trust.” Hamilton and his Mercedes team will be hop- best engine now?” he said. “Very difficult to The 14-time major winner plays his 11th Woods hasn’t played in his Washington ing for more of the same at this weekend’s say because when you look at the data, the event of the year, and only planned tuneup for event since 2015 because of back issues, but Austrian Grand Prix. After dominating last quickest car on the straight was Kimi next month’s British Open, starting Thursday recalls wondering last year if he might ever Sunday’s French Grand Prix to claim his 65th (Raikkonen of Ferrari), but we believe he was at TPC Potomac. “I’m pretty excited the way play again. “It’s basically a gift to be able to career victory, the four-time champion ar- maybe running a different aero configuration. I’ve hit the golf ball. I’ve done some things I play again. There was no guarantee I would rives in the Styrian Alps with a 14-point lead He added that both Hamilton and Vettel have haven’t done in over a decade,” Woods said ever play golf again, forget the PGA Tour. So in this year’s title chase and a sense of rein- enjoyed 17 points leads already this season Wednesday. “No one has had clubhead to go from that to here, I didn’t foresee that vigoration thanks to his updated engine. and forecast that their fortunes would con- speeds as what I’ve had on the tour this year happening, I really didn’t,” Woods said with a On another picturesque circuit with traffic tinue to swing on a race by race basis. with a lower back fusion. These are things that laugh. “I’m competing, I’m playing and I’m access problems this weekend, where power “I think what you saw in Montreal in com- I didn’t know I could do and all of a sudden having just a great time doing it.” Woods won will again be a major factor, Hamilton and his parison to Le Castellet is that marginal gains I’m doing it.” the 2009 and 2012 National crowns when the Mercedes team-mate Valtteri Bottas will start matter,” he added. “We fell back in Montreal What the 42-year-old American hasn’t event was played at nearby Congressional as favourites for Sunday’s race, albeit reluc- because we couldn’t bring the new power done lately, however, is show the sharp putting Country Club. This will be the first time Woods tantly. After a disappointing performance on unit and we were racing power unit number that saw him share second at the Valspar competes at TPC Potomac. one of Hamilton’s favourite circuits, at Mon- one for the seventh consecutive race. The Championship and fifth at the Arnold Palmer “It’s certainly a lot more difficult than what treal in Canada, their French triumph came on others introduced their upgrades... That cer- Invitational in March. I had envisioned,” Woods said. “They’ve got a day when chief rival and fellow-four-time tainly didn’t help.” While Mercedes, Ferrari “If I have the same putting stroke I had ear- the rough up, fairways in, it’s like a mini-Open champion Sebastian Vettel experienced an- and Red Bull ponder their prospects of big lier in the year with the ball-striking I’ve had, here. “You have to drive it well. You cannot other of his periodic days to forget. points hauls in Austria, it is a very different that would be where I want to get to,” Woods play out of this rough. You have to hit a lot of His opening lap collision with Bottas ru- story for one-time great teams McLaren and said. “Just got to put both those things to- fairways. The greens are tough to get to if you ined both of their races and ensured Hamilton Williams. —AFP gether at the same time.” Frustration on the don’t hit fairways.” —AFP