Results of the Asian Games in Nagoya and protests in the match between Ireland and Austria

Chinese Wang Xiu defeated her compatriot Zhang Shuai 6-2, 6-1 to win the gold medal in the women's singles tennis competition today, Friday, at the Asian Games in Nagoya, Japan. This victory also gave her automatic qualification to participate in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.

The final match between the two Chinese players was like a confrontation between two friends, as Zhang (37 years old), who won two Grand Slam doubles titles during her career, serves as a mentor to many younger Chinese players, including Wang, 25 years old.

Speaking about Zhang, Wang said: “She is someone I have great respect for. All the experiences she went through represent motivation and encouragement for me as well.”

Wang added: “However, the highest level of respect I can show on the field is to give my best when facing her.” Such is the nature of sports and high-level competition. “Where your actions speak for you.”

Wang qualified for the final, yesterday, Thursday, after her victory in the semi-finals over the most prominent candidate for the title, the Filipino Alex Ella, ranked 18th in the world, who preferred not to participate in the China Open Championship currently underway in the capital, Beijing, in order to play in Japan and represent her country.

Ella won the bronze medal, the same achievement achieved by the other losing player in the semi-final, Kazakh Yulia Putintseva.

Wang also spoke about Zhang's influence on her, even before the gold medal match, saying after her win over Ella: “Zhang Shuai has always been a great role model. She is very generous in sharing her experiences, and is very supportive of younger players like me. “She represents the strong bond of the team, and plays a big role in teaching us how to support each other.”

This will be Wang's second participation in the Olympic Games, noting that two years ago she lost in the Paris Games in the third round to Poland's Iga Szwiłtek.

Taiwanese boxer Lin Yu-ting won an “exceptional” gold in the Asian Games on Friday, saying that she was “grateful that she was able to overcome the ordeal,” after she considered retiring following the great controversy that arose over her eligibility during the Paris Olympics.

The 30-year-old boxer defeated Chinese Yang Chengyu 5-0 in the women's 60 kg final in Nagoya, to win her second gold in the Asian Games, after being crowned in the 57 kg weight in Hangzhou three years ago.

Lin had revealed to Agence France-Presse before the start of the Games that she had considered retiring after winning gold in the Paris Olympics, but she wanted to continue her career, in part, to defy those who doubted her eligibility to participate.

She said after her victory in Nagoya that she was “waiting for that moment when the light breaks through the darkness.”

“It was not easy at all,” she added.

She continued: “It is rare that you finally reach that moment when you see the dawn, and I am very grateful to myself that I was able to get through all of that.”

Lynn and Algerian boxer Iman Khalif found themselves at the center of a widespread controversy over sexual eligibility during the 2024 Olympics, after current US President Donald Trump, Elon Musk, and writer Jay Kay Rowling, along with other figures, made comments about the issue.

The International Boxing Federation had excluded the two female boxers from the 2023 World Championship, after announcing that they did not meet conditions related to sexual eligibility, without revealing the nature of the tests they underwent.

But the International Olympic Committee allowed them to participate in the Paris Olympics, considering that they were victims of a “sudden and arbitrary decision” issued by the International Boxing Federation.

Lin and Khalif both won gold at the Paris Olympics.

Lin said that winning the Asian Games is different from winning the Olympics, adding that its "importance is enormous."

She spoke about a previous experience, saying: “I simply felt that I wanted to collect my things and quickly return home. This is the thought that was controlling me.”

She added: “I no longer have any hope.” “I am very grateful to the coach because he always believed in me, and always believed that good things would happen.”

Lin was supported by a small group of Taiwanese fans who made their voices heard in the modest Nishio gym.

Thanks to the large height difference between her and her opponent, Lin took advantage of her superior arm range to impose her control over the fight, and entered the third and final round with a clear advantage.

She withstood a late attack from Yang to win the gold medal, before quietly celebrating her coronation.

Lin said she decided to compete at the Asian Games at a higher weight because she was "not afraid of death."

She added: "That's how people are. You want to see a different version of yourself."

She continued: “Since I already have a very strong record in the weight of 57 kg, I also wanted to give myself a different challenge, and see how far I can go.”

Lin declined to confirm whether she intends to defend her Olympic title at the 2028 Los Angeles Games.

She said: “I believe that in the future we can also perform better, persevere until the end, and laugh at the end.”

Chinese Wu Yu, champion of the Paris Olympics, also won the gold medal after defending her title in the Asian Games in the women's 51 kg weight category.

Japanese Roy Yamaguchi gave the local fans a reason to celebrate, after he won gold in the men's 55 kg weight class.

A European Nations League match between Ireland and Austria in Dublin on Thursday was briefly halted twice due to pro-Palestinian protests.

In the 19th minute, fans threw tennis balls covered with stickers bearing the colors of the Palestinian flag onto the field.

The players left the field for a few minutes, before the match resumed.

In the 35th minute, a man entered the field waving the Palestinian flag, which led to the match being stopped again for a short period.

The match ended in a 2-2 draw.

Ireland's coach, Icelandic Heimir Hallgrimsson, said after the match: “No one is happy with these protests, but I understand and respect them.”

These events come in the wake of the controversy surrounding the Nations League match between Ireland and Israel on Sunday.

After lengthy discussions about boycotting the match in protest against the war in Gaza, the Irish players ultimately decided to play the match, which was held in Hungary, on neutral ground, in the middle of almost empty stands.

Irish players wore black armbands during the match, which they won 3-0, while the captains of the two teams did not shake hands or exchange the flags of the two countries before the start of the match.

The return match is scheduled to be held on Sunday again on neutral ground in Serbia, after the Irish Football Association considered that holding the match on its soil would be extremely sensitive.

On Thursday evening, about 200 protesters gathered outside the Dublin Arena, as part of a campaign called “Stop the Match.”

“I strongly oppose these two matches against Israel, because that basically means using sports to whitewash genocide,” said Joan Doyle, a 56-year-old primary school teacher who was among the protesters. “Sports are political.” It has happened repeatedly that people have boycotted sporting events.”

Mark Comey, a 26-year-old engineer, said: “Ireland should not co-operate with genocide. We have already played a match against Israel, which is committing genocide, and we have crossed the Palestinian barrier calling for boycott.”

Dublin officially recognized a Palestinian state in 2024, along with Spain and Norway, and repeatedly criticized Israel during the war in Gaza.