Former hurler Donal Óg Cusack claimed the Gaelic Athletic Association is "failing to market the national games and blames the culture of omerta that exists among players and managers." Media "blackouts and banal interviews have become common in the game." Cusack wants a "more open approach" and believes the game needs "characters." He said, "Inter-county now is like North Korea. I'm a bit embarrassed in terms of how secret it is. But, (unlike North Korea), if we had a successful missile launch, we'd do our best to cover it up" (IRISH INDEPENDENT, 7/12).
South Korean prosecutors said Thursday that they indicted two brokers for "attempting to fix a bout" at a UFC event in '15. According to the prosecutors, the brokers gave South Korean Bang Tae-hyun 100M won to lose against Leo Kuntz "in the first or second round of their lightweight contest." The scam, however, did not work, as Bang "apparently changed his mind at the last moment" and went on to beat Kuntz via split decision (YONHAP, 7/13).
Officials have "given assurances Hong Kong cycling will remain independent and a separate entity from China" despite the appointment of its head coach, Shen Jinkang, as chair of the Chinese Cycling Association. Hong Kong Cycling Association Chair Leung Hung-tak said, "Shen will obviously become a key person in the sport in both Hong Kong and China, but it doesn't mean Hong Kong will become a subsidiary of our Chinese counterpart" (SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST, 7/13).
