United News of Bangladesh

French football star Kylian Mbappé has apologised for remarks apparently referring to China’s founding leader Mao Zedong as a dictator after facing a backlash and losing endorsement deals with three Chinese companies. “My comment was ill-judged, and I now understand that it hurt many people in China and in Chinese communities around the world,” Mbappé said in a statement on Tuesday. “I apologise to everyone my words have upset. This was absolutely not my intention. I have deep respect for the Chinese people and their history, and I am sincerely sorry,” he added. Chinese beverage maker Dongpeng, dairy giant Mengniu and cheese producer Milkground announced on Tuesday that they were ending their agreements with the footballer, saying they opposed “any words and actions that hurt national sentiment.” The companies did not specify the reason for their decisions, but their announcements came after a video clip of Mbappé discussing his favourite meme circulated on social media. In the clip, Mbappé refers to a video featuring a man he believes was a Chinese dictator. The video then shows an edited image of the footballer's face on the body of Mao Zedong wearing a blue suit. Football fans frequently use dictator-themed memes to joke about Mbappé's influence over his teammates and the teams he plays for. Images depicting him as Mao and other authoritarian leaders have circulated widely online. Mao led the Chinese Communist Party during its early years, won the civil war against the Nationalist Party and founded the People's Republic of China. While he remains revered by many in the country, his legacy also includes authoritarian rule and policies such as the Great Leap Forward, which contributed to a famine that killed an estimated 30 million people. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said that remarks and actions hurting the feelings of the Chinese people would naturally face opposition across Chinese society. Social media platform RedNote also criticised the remarks, saying its content partnership with Mbappé had ended on December 31, 2024, and that it would remove related promotional materials. His account on the platform was barred from accepting new followers on Tuesday. Mbappé has appeared in numerous Chinese advertising campaigns for products ranging from electrolyte drinks to dairy products. In one Dongpeng advertisement, he delivers a slogan in Chinese, while a Mengniu commercial features him alongside Argentine football star Lionel Messi. The controversy also gained traction on Chinese social media, where hashtags related to the termination of the brand partnerships topped Weibo's trending list. Calls to boycott Mbappé also trended, with some users criticising his remarks and urging him not to visit China.

The Bangladesh Sports Press Association (BSPA) on Sunday honoured Mustafa Kamal, veteran journalist who led sports coverage at private news agency United News of Bangladesh (UNB) for close to four decades, for his lifetime contribution to sports journalism. Another veteran sports writer, Major (retd) Shahabuddin Chakladar, was also honoured at the programme, held at a city hotel to mark World Sports Journalists Day, alongside the Max-BSPA Journalist Awards 2025. Aminul Haque, former national football team goalkeeper and current State Minister for Youth and Sports, presented the honours and awards. "Kamal bhai is an inspiration for our generation," BSPA President Rejwan uz Zaman told UNB. "UNB was one of the main sources of news when we started our careers, and Kamal bhai worked for UNB for a long time. He is one of the pioneers of sports journalism." Kamal joined UNB in 1988, the year of its birth, and worked there for 37 years straight, till October 2025. During his time at UNB, he covered the Mini World Cup cricket tournament held in Bangladesh in 1998, which was later renamed the ICC Champions Trophy, and the 2000 Sydney Olympics.  

Mallory Swanson scored her first goal since the 2024 Olympic gold medal match to help the United States earn a 2-2 draw against Spain in a women's international friendly on Tuesday night. Swanson scored in the 86th minute after Ashley Sanchez had pulled one goal back early in the second half. Spain had taken a 2-0 lead through first-half goals from Alexia Putellas and Salma Paralluelo. “The mentality of this team has always been that you stay with it. That's what this crest means,” Swanson said after coming on as a substitute in the second half. The match was the second of two friendlies between the teams. Spain, the 2023 Women's World Cup champions and the world's top-ranked team, won the first match 2-0 in Washington, DC, on Saturday. Spain has already qualified for next summer's Women's World Cup in Brazil, while the United States used the matches to prepare for World Cup qualifying later this year. Putellas, a two-time Ballon d'Or winner, marked her 150th appearance for Spain by opening the scoring in the 27th minute. She tapped in a pass from Clara Pinedo at the far post to score her 43rd international goal. Five minutes later, US goalkeeper Phallon Tullis-Joyce misplayed a ball forward, allowing Spain to attack. Putellas set up Paralluelo, whose powerful shot struck the crossbar before going into the net to make it 2-0. It was the first time since 2011 that the United States had conceded two first-half goals in consecutive matches. Sanchez reduced the deficit early in the second half with a shot into the far corner. It was her first start for the United States since a match against Argentina on Oct. 30, 2024. Sanchez has been in strong form for North Carolina Courage in the National Women's Soccer League, scoring a league-leading 20 goals in 27 matches. Swanson completed the comeback attempt when Michelle Cooper collected a long pass from Kate Del Fava and sent the ball across for Swanson to volley home. Swanson's previous goal for the United States came in the 1-0 victory over Brazil in the gold medal match at the Paris Olympics. She spent 2025 on maternity leave after giving birth to her daughter. “One of our big things in the game plan was finding those spaces in the box and being clinical in the box, and you could see that,” Swanson said. Lily Yohannes nearly scored a late winner for the United States in stoppage time, but Spain goalkeeper Misa Rodríguez made a diving save. “We always want to win. That's the type of team that we are, and I think if we had 20 more minutes, we definitely probably would have won,” Sanchez said. “But it was good just to get a tie against a team like that and come back from 2-0 down.” Spain controlled much of the match despite missing several key players. Aitana Bonmati was still recovering from a broken leg, while Vicky Lopez, Mariona Caldentey and goalkeeper Cata Coll were also unavailable because of injuries. Chicago Cubs shortstop Dansby Swanson, Mallory Swanson's husband, and tennis player Ben Shelton, who is dating US player Trinity Rodman, were among the spectators at Subaru Park.  

Chinese tennis star Zheng Qinwen withdrew from the Wuhan Open on Monday due to a shoulder injury, a day after winning her first WTA title in two years at the China Open and celebrating with a karaoke performance for fans. Olympic gold medallist Zheng and French Open champion Mirra Andreeva, who lost to Zheng 7-5, 6-4 in Sunday's China Open final, both pulled out of the WTA 1000 tournament in Wuhan. Zheng said she had been feeling exhausted after a demanding schedule over the past six weeks, which included the US Open, the Billie Jean King Cup and the China Open. “Since returning from injury ... I have played a demanding stretch of tennis over the past month and a half, competing at the U.S. Open, the Billie Jean King Cup, and the China Open. My body is feeling very fatigued after this intense run of matches,” Zheng said in a statement released by the WTA. “I look forward to returning to the Wuhan Open next year and stepping onto the court in my best possible form!” she added. Andreeva, who has climbed to No. 3 in the world rankings, cited a change in her schedule as the reason for withdrawing from the Wuhan tournament. Zheng's victory in Beijing marked a major step in her comeback after a difficult year. An elbow injury caused her ranking to drop from a career-high fourth last year to 160th this season. She entered the China Open last week ranked 54th after receiving a wildcard entry. Following her title-winning performance, she is set to return to the world's top 30, according to the WTA. “I've been through a very tough year,” Zheng said in English during the trophy presentation. She also sang a pop song, drawing loud cheers from the crowd. Both players were replaced in the Wuhan Open draw by lucky losers — players who lost in qualifying but entered the main draw after withdrawals. Anna Bondar took Andreeva's place, while Camila Osorio replaced Zheng. The singles main draw began on Monday.

Golden State Valkyries head coach Natalie Nakase returned to the bench and led her team to a 71-60 victory over the Las Vegas Aces in Game 1 of their WNBA semifinal series on Sunday, two days after collapsing on the sideline due to what she described as exhaustion. “Just exhaustion,” Nakase said. “I ate and drank right after and felt better.” The 46-year-old coach said she consulted a doctor on Saturday, the day before the semifinal opener, and plans to take a proactive approach to protecting both her physical and mental health. Her players had encouraged her to take time to recover, following the same advice she regularly gives them. “I’m good. I had a little exhaustion, obviously,” she said, adding that her father had taught her an important lesson about balancing work and health. About 10 years ago, when she was uncertain about her career, her father advised her never to let her professional life come at the expense of her health or mental well-being. Nakase said the recent incident served as a wake-up call. She added that medical examinations had shown no apparent problems. During Sunday's game, Nakase spent some periods sitting on the bench, unlike her usual practice of standing for most of the contest. Assistant coaches Kasib Powell and Landon Tatum took turns supporting her as she struggled to communicate everything she wanted to convey. “I was all right, I wasn't my best but luckily I have an amazing staff,” she said. Nakase said she plans to manage her demanding work routine more carefully, potentially by wearing a heart monitor and taking other precautions. She already uses a tracking ring to monitor some health indicators. “Information for me is really important,” she said. “I just want to be proactive, be smart. I understand this job for me I love it, sometimes I love it too much to a point I overwork. I just want to make sure I'm being smart.” She said this could mean limiting additional video analysis sessions and following her daily schedule more closely. “It's taking the time and organizing my mornings,” she said, noting that changing game times and schedules had affected her usual routine. The incident occurred late in Friday night's 77-73 victory over the Dallas Wings at Chase Center, when the Valkyries recovered from a 16-point deficit. With 1 minute and 40 seconds remaining, Nakase went down near her team's bench, placing her head and hands on the court. Athletic trainer Katelin Knox helped her get back to her feet. Nakase remained in the game until the final buzzer but left the court with a staff member immediately afterwards as her players celebrated their comeback victory at midcourt. The best-of-five semifinal series pits Nakase against defending champions Las Vegas and their coach, Becky Hammon. Hammon previously worked with Nakase as an assistant coach from 2022 to 2024, a period during which Las Vegas won consecutive WNBA titles in 2022 and 2023. Hammon praised Nakase's work ethic, describing her as a tireless worker. “The stress this time of year is real, the pressure, you don't get a lot of sleep, you're not eating as well as your probably should, there's a lot of factors that go into that,” Hammon said. She described watching Nakase collapse as frightening but praised her determination to continue coaching. “It was kind of scary actually to watch. That little sucker popped right back up though, popped right back up onto that marker and kept it pushing. She's tough,” Hammon said.

State Minister for Youth and Sports Aminul Haque has said the government will not take action against any individual over Bangladesh’s decision not to participate in the T20 World Cup held in India and Sri Lanka earlier this year. “Punishment alone cannot solve all the problems,” Aminul said at a press briefing on the government’s sports card at the Secretariat on Sunday. He said an investigation committee formed to examine Bangladesh’s absence from the tournament had indicated that the decision was made because of an individual or his personal wishes. “But the investigation committee, in the report it presented, clearly tried to say that Bangladesh did not participate in the cricket World Cup because of an individual or his personal wishes,” he said. Aminul said the government had already made clear that no individual would be allowed to make such a decision on behalf of the country in the future. “The country belongs to all of us. We have already sent the message that no individual should be allowed to make such a decision in the future,” he said. Bangladesh did not participate in the T20 World Cup held in India and Sri Lanka in February and March this year, citing security issues following the fall of the Sheikh Hasina government facing a popular uprising.  After the fall of the Awami League government led by Sheikh Hasina, she fled the country for India. During that time, the Indian authorities removed Mustafizur Rahman from an IPL team without giving an explicit reason. Before deciding not to play the World Cup, Bangladesh requested the ICC to relocate the venue outside India due to the political tension and security uncertainty at that time in India for the Bangladesh team. But the ICC did not accept the request and eventually pushed Bangladesh out of the World Cup.  After the BNP-led government came to power in February this year, Aminul formed a three-member inquiry committee to investigate the reasons behind Bangladesh’s non-participation in the tournament. The committee said Asif Nazrul, the then sports advisor under the interim government led by Professor Muhammad Yunus, was the person behind the decision. Asif Nazrul himself said it before the inquiry committee was even formed.

The Portland Trail Blazers have fired newly hired television play-by-play broadcaster Braiden Bell after inappropriate social media posts he made as a teenager resurfaced just hours after his hiring was announced. The team said Thursday night that the posts violated its policies and values. “The Portland Trail Blazers have zero tolerance for racist, sexist, or harmful comments,” the team said in a statement. “Social media posts made by our recently announced play-by-play broadcaster are in clear violation of team and league policies, as well as our values and expectations. Therefore, we will not be moving forward with this broadcaster.” Bell, 29, previously worked as the play-by-play announcer for the WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury and the G League’s Valley Suns. The Trail Blazers had announced his hiring Thursday as the replacement for longtime broadcaster Kevin Calabro. Within hours of the announcement, posts Bell made on X, then known as Twitter, in 2012 and 2013 resurfaced. KGW-TV in Portland first reported the posts. Bell apologized in a social media post Friday, saying he wrote the posts when he was 15 and that they did not represent who he is today. “I am deeply sorry for the language that I used on Twitter,” Bell said. “I do not take lightly any harm it causes now.” He also apologized to those hurt by his words and said he would continue to treat people with kindness and respect. The Trail Blazers acknowledged shortcomings in their hiring process and apologized to fans, saying they would ensure their new broadcaster reflects the team’s values. “We did not meet our own bar in this process, and for that we apologize to Blazers fans and to Rip City,” the team said. “We will do better.”

Several people were injured Saturday after a car drove into a crowd of supporters gathered on a road in Newcastle, north of Sydney, to cheer for the Newcastle Knights rugby league team, Australian authorities said. Officials had not immediately provided details about the circumstances of the incident or confirmed the exact number of people injured. New South Wales Ambulance said the incident occurred Saturday morning and that emergency personnel were treating several people at the scene. The Australian Associated Press reported that police arrested the driver following the incident. The supporters had gathered along the road to see off the Newcastle Knights team bus before the club's rugby league finals match scheduled for Sunday. Large numbers of fans had turned out throughout the week to watch the team train and show their support. Another sizable crowd gathered Saturday morning as the team prepared to leave for the upcoming finals match.

South Korea’s An Se-young strengthened her status as the world’s top-ranked women’s badminton player Tuesday by winning her second consecutive Asian Games gold medal. An defeated Japan’s three-time world champion Akane Yamaguchi 21-17, 21-9 in the final to claim the title. The victory adds another major achievement to An’s career. She is also an Olympic champion from the Paris Games and a two-time world champion. Badminton is hugely popular across Asia, where the sport is known for its fast pace, long rallies, diving saves and powerful overhead shots. An reached the final after beating China’s Chen Yufei in the semifinals, extending her winning streak against her Chinese rival to five matches. The South Korean star has also been outspoken about conditions within her national team. After winning Olympic gold in Paris two years ago, she said national training officials had made her compete despite a knee injury and criticized what she described as outdated training methods. An later threatened to compete independently but ultimately decided against leaving the national team system. Shuttlecock shortageWhile it has not affected competition at the highest level, the rising price and limited supply of traditional shuttlecocks have become a concern in badminton. China is the world’s leading producer of shuttlecocks, but a decline in poultry production in recent years, partly linked to bird flu, has reduced the supply of goose and duck feathers used to make them. The shortage has pushed prices higher and encouraged officials to consider synthetic alternatives. Earlier this year, the Badminton World Federation approved synthetic shuttlecocks for use in lower-level competitions. Players have noted that synthetic models have different speed and flight characteristics from traditional feather shuttlecocks. The BWF said the initiative is part of its long-term effort to assess synthetic shuttlecocks for possible use in elite-level competitions.

The Asian Games feature many sports that may be less familiar to audiences outside Asia, including kabaddi, sepaktakraw, wushu and kurash. Alongside popular Olympic sports, the Games provide a platform for traditional and regional competitions that have strong followings in parts of Asia but have yet to gain the same global popularity. Among them, kabaddi is perhaps the most distinctive. Believed to have originated in the Indian subcontinent, the contact team sport is hugely popular in India, where professional leagues attract millions of viewers. Historically, the game was used to develop strength, agility, breath control and self-defense skills. India won both kabaddi gold medals at the Asian Games, with the women's team beating Iran 37-34 and the men's team defeating Iran 40-34. Indian player Pawan Kumar said his team focused on protecting its lead after gaining an advantage. “Once we had the lead, we wanted to protect it,” Kumar said. “So we played safe and used the time available to us. That helped us maintain our advantage until the end.” Kabaddi is played without a ball, bat, goal or racket. Instead, players use tags, tackles and wrestling techniques. The sport was featured as a demonstration event at the 1936 Berlin Olympics but has not become a regular Olympic sport. It has similarities to games such as “Red Rover” in the United States and “British Bulldog” in England. Under the Asian Games format, two teams of seven players compete on a rectangular court. One attacking player, known as a raider, crosses the centerline and has 30 seconds to touch as many opponents as possible before returning to his or her own side without being tackled. A match consists of two 20-minute halves. Teams score by tagging opponents or successfully stopping a raider. Sepaktakraw: volleyball played with the feetSepaktakraw resembles volleyball but comes with a major difference: players cannot use their hands. Instead, they use their feet and other parts of the body to send a ball over a net about five feet high. Depending on the format, teams have two, three or four players. The objective is similar to volleyball — send the ball over the net and make it land on the opponent's side. The ball is smaller than a volleyball or soccer ball and is roughly the size of a cantaloupe or large grapefruit. The sport originated in Southeast Asia and is sometimes called “kick volleyball.” Wushu is also known as kung fuWushu, commonly known as kung fu, is the Chinese term for martial arts. It has been part of the Asian Games since 1990, when it was introduced at the Beijing Games. Although wushu has been proposed for the Olympics, it has never been included as a medal sport. The competition has two main disciplines. Taolu involves athletes performing choreographed routines that demonstrate martial arts techniques, while sanda is a full-contact discipline often described as Chinese kickboxing. Kurash traces its roots to UzbekistanKurash is a traditional form of wrestling with roots in Central Asia, particularly Uzbekistan. The sport includes several folk wrestling styles and is believed to have existed for thousands of years. It made its Asian Games debut at the 2018 Games in Indonesia, where Uzbekistan topped the medal table. Iran, Mongolia, Taiwan and India also won multiple medals at the event.