SPORTS
October 6, 2014
THE ASIAN REPORTER n Page 9
FLEXIBLE RULES. South Korea celebrates by throwing their manager, Kim Kyung-
moon, in the air (left photo) after beating Cuba 3-2 in the gold-medal baseball game at
the 2008 Olympics in Beijing on August 23, 2008. Pictured at right, Japan’s Yu Darvish
pitches against Team USA during the Beijing 2008 bronze-medal baseball game. Team
USA won the game, 8-4. The adoption of a more flexible approach to the Olympic pro-
gram could allow for the return of baseball and other sports that have been dropped
from the games, according to the International Olympic Committee.
procedures first, how we can
make the composition of the
program more flexible, and
afterward we can discuss about
individual sports and disciplines.
But first we have to win the votes
in December,” Bach said.
Baseball and softball appeared
in the Olympics from 1992 to
2008, but IOC members voted in
2005 to drop them from the
program — the first sports to be
AP Photo/Elaine Thompson, File
INCHEON, South Korea (AP)
— The adoption of a more flexible
approach to the Olympic program
could allow for the return of
baseball and other sports that
have been dropped from the
games, according to Interna-
tional Olympic Committee (IOC)
president Thomas Bach.
Asked on the sidelines of
meetings at the Asian Games,
Bach declined to comment
specifically
on
baseball’s
suitability for the 2020 Olympics
in Tokyo. The sport is hugely
popular in Japan, as well as in
Taiwan and South Korea, adding
momentum to the drive to have it
reinstated.
However, Bach said that an
IOC vote in December on rules for
including new sports could open
the way for further talks on the
subject. He advocates changing
the rules to make it easier to drop
and add sports in order to
increase the variety and appeal of
the Olympics.
“We have to discuss about the
AP Photo/Kathy Willens, File
IOC: Flexible rules could allow baseball’s return
excluded since polo in 1936. That
decision affected about 300
athletes, half of them women.
The sports were eventually
replaced by golf and rugby
sevens, both of which will join the
program at the 2016 Olympics in
Rio de Janeiro.
Critics of the inclusion of
baseball and softball point to
their lack of appeal in Europe,
Africa, and the rest of Asia, as
well as a lack of competitiveness
because of the unwillingness of
Major League Baseball teams to
release players for national duty
at the height of the baseball
season in North America.
NFL says Abdullah should not have been penalized
SLIDING FEE. Kansas City Chiefs free safety Husain Abdullah (#39)
bows his head in prayer after intercepting a pass from New England Pa-
triots quarterback Tom Brady (#12), seated on the field at left, and re-
turning it for a touchdown during the fourth quarter of a National Football
League game in Kansas City, Missouri. Abdullah was penalized on the
play. (AP Photo/The Boston Globe, Barry Chin)
By Dave Skretta
The Associated Press
ANSAS CITY, Mo. — The National Football
League (NFL) says Kansas City Chiefs safety
Husain Abdullah should not have been penalized
for unsportsmanlike conduct when he dropped to his
knees in prayer after an interception.
The league’s rule book prohibits players from cele-
brating while on the ground, but spokesman Michael
Signora wrote in an e-mail that the “officiating mechanic
in this situation is not to flag a player who goes to the
ground as part of religious expression, and as a result,
there should have been no penalty on the play.”
The flag thrown in the fourth quarter of Kansas City’s
41-14 victory over the New England Patriots on Monday
Night Football led to criticism on social media, with many
wondering how it was different from players such as
former NFL quarterback Tim Tebow dropping to one knee
in Christian prayer.
Abdullah is a devout Muslim who took a year off from
football to make a pilgrimage to Mecca. He said after the
game that he knew before he even reached the end zone he
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would drop to his knees in thankful prayer after
intercepting a pass attempt by Tom Brady.
After he slid to the grass in Arrowhead Stadium, yellow
flags came flying from the officials.
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“I don’t think it was because of the actual prostration
that I got the penalty,” Abdullah told The Associated
Press afterward. “I think it was because of the slide.”
And that’s precisely the explanation Chiefs coach Andy
Reid said he received from the game officials. They had no
issue with the prayer, Reid said, only the celebratory
slide.
The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), a
civil liberties and advocacy organization, issued a state-
ment asking that the NFL take steps in response to the
penalty.
“To prevent the appearance of a double standard, we
urge league officials to clarify the policy on prayer and
recognize that the official made a mistake in this case,”
CAIR spokesman Ibrahim Hooper said.
Reid didn’t agree with the penalty, but he also didn’t
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