China Caught Cheating at Sports, Again!

Remember all the controversy over the Beijing Olympics and the underage gymnasts? Well, that country is once again at the center of a cheating scandal, this time involving a girls soccer team that won an international terminal last week. Yeah, I know it's just soccer, but still. Here's more from WTOP:

A Chinese high school team that won an international girl's soccer tournament last week in Turkey had secretly bulked up its squad with players from the junior national team, the official Xinhua News Agency reported.
The team from Daping Junior High beat other high school squads from Turkey, Brazil, Sweden, and Italy in early round matches, before defeating a team from France in the semifinals and a German side in the final, Xinhua said.
While several of the junior national team players did attend Daping, the bulk of the team representing the school was made up of junior national team players who did not attend the school, according to the report issued late Thursday.
According to the official regulations posted on the International School Sport Federation's Web site, all players participating in the tournament must be enrolled full time in the schools they played for.

Yukon Soccer Association Suspends Three Teens Over Hazing Allegations

Okay, not the worst sports hazing we have ever heard of--being in covered with plastic wrap and having messages written on you by the players--but in Canada? We thought this kind of stuff only happened in the good ol' USA, Hazing Capitol of the World. Maybe this is one American export Canada would rather do without. Here's more from the White Horse Star:

The Yukon Soccer Association is preparing to deal with an appeal launched by some of the families of the under-14 players that were hazed back in October at an outside tournament. The appeal is in regard to the association’s investigation and findings in the matter where three players were humiliated in front of fellow teammates.

Concluding the investigation, which was completed in November, three players were suspended for an undisclosed period of time for their involvement in the hazing incidents that occurred while the team attended a national championship in Charlottetown. The suspended players were also required to apologize for their actions.

The YSA has formed an independent panel to help deal with the appeal process. “It’s not just about YSA or myself finding resolution, it’s about the families finding resolution,” said Johnny Nunan, president of the Yukon Soccer Association “The perfect outcome for me would be if all three kids (that were hazed) were playing soccer again.”

The hazing occurred late at night. Some of it involved being covered with plastic wrap and having messages written on the players. Nunan, who was appointed as president a couple weeks ago, said the appeal was filed in December and the YSA was hoping to deal with it then. “We were going to have another meeting with the parents in the beginning of December, but we were advised by the councillors involved that the families weren’t ready.”

He said he can’t discuss what parents want, but added the soccer association will respect the panel’s final decision.