President Moon backs Chung to bring more joy to South Koreans

Chung HyeonSouth Korean president Moon Jaein has backed Chung Hyeon to bring more joy to his country after the youngsters inspired charge at the Australian Open came to a heartbreaking end in the semifinals on Friday The bespectacled 21yearold conqueror of sixtimes Australian Open winner Novak Djokovic suffered from blisters on his foot before retiring from the match while trailing 61 52 against 19times grand slam champion Roger FedererTiger Woods birdies his final hole to make cut in PGA Tour return Tiger Woods acknowledged that his long game was poor in the second round at the Farmers Insurance Open but said he was excited to make the cut and qualify for the final two rounds That is a far cry from the days when he considered finishing second to be a failure but reflects the new reality of a 42yearold who has hardly played in the past two years as he struggled to overcome back problemsUS to send record 242 athletes to Pyeongchang Games The United States will send the largest team ever to attend a Winter Olympics 242 athletes to next months Pyeongchang Games the US Olympic Committee announced on Friday Alpine skier Lindsey Vonn figure skating favorite Nathan Chen and speedskater Shani Davis the winner of four Olympic medals headline the team of 107 women and 135 men who will be seeking to earn the United States their 100th Olympic gold and 300th medalUSA Gymnastics board resigning amid sexual abuse scandal The remaining directors of the US gymnastics governing body are resigning in the wake of this weeks sentencing of the former national team doctor for molesting female athletes USA Gymnastics said on Friday complying with a demand by the US Olympic Committee The doctor Larry Nassar was sentenced on Wednesday to between 40 and 175 years in prison by a judge in Lansing Michigan following a week of blistering statements in court by his victims including Olympic gold medalwinning gymnasts Aly Raisman and Jordyn Wieber and other female athletesHe had pleaded guilty to sexual assault charges Big guns silenced as Spain Sweden reach Euro handball final Both favorites were knocked out of the European handball championship semifinals on Friday as Spain beat world champions France 2723 and Sweden edged Olympic title holders Denmark 3534 after extra time Goalkeepers took center stage in both games as Spains Arpad Sterbik called up as a late replacement for the injured firstchoice Perez de Vargas stopped three penalties while Swedens Andreas Palicka racked up a barrage of savesSuper Bowl a highstakes test for NFLs effort to tackle concussions At next months Super Bowl the National Football League is aiming to avoid a repeat of a December incident when fans watched Houston Texans quarterback Tom Savage return to the game just minutes after convulsing on the field from a brutal hit The NFL has changed rules ahead of the Feb 4 championship in Minneapolis pitting the New England Patriots against the Philadelphia Eagles requiring players who show signs of a seizure to be pulled from the game The league has come under criticism that it tolerated injuries as part of the sportIOC issues conduct guide for Russian athletes at Olympic Games Russian athletes who compete as independents at next months Pyeongchang Winter Olympics cannot grab a Russian flag or stage alternate medal ceremonies as part of conduct guidelines issued on Friday The International Olympic Committee which in December banned Russia from the Feb 925 Games in South Korea because of the countrys doping violations has invited 169 carefully screened Russian athletes who will compete under the Olympic flag as Olympic Athletes from Russia OAR Olympics South Korea skating chief apologizes for incidents Koreas skating union has apologized for souring the mood ahead of Februarys Winter Games after a coach was banned for life for striking a short track athlete and a speed skater almost lost her spot at the Olympics due to an administrative errorKim Sanghang president of the Korea Skating Union KSU said in a statement that it would take steps to avoid further problems as South Korea prepares to host next months Olympics in Pyeongchang Ruthless Federer makes final as chastened Chung quits Ruthless Roger Federer handed wounded Chung Hyeon an oldfashioned schooling before the overwhelmed South Korean quit with foot blisters trailing 61 52 in a damp squib of an Australian Open semifinal on Friday Federer was detained for only 62 minutes under the Rod Laver Arena roof as he set up a final against bigserving Croat Marin Cilic who pummelled another young gun Kyle Edmund on Thursday Survivors Wozniacki Halep set for high stakes showdown Simona Halep and Caroline Wozniacki will compete for high stakes in Saturdays Australian Open final having each needed to save match points to prevent a premature exit at Melbourne Park The winner at Rod Laver Arena is not only guaranteed a longawaited maiden grand slam title but also the world number one ranking in the game of thrones that womens tennis has become in Serena Williamss absenceCatch up on all the latest sports news and updates hereDownload the new midday Android and iOS apps to get updates on all the latest and trending stories on the go