Fiji scrambles to provide aid as cyclone toll rises

Maradona mourned, Kobe's tragedy: Sports deaths in 2020

Diego Maradona's death last month shook the world of sport in a year which began with the tragic loss of basketball hero Kobe Bryant in a helicopter crash.

AFP Sport looks at some of the sporting figures who passed away in 2019:

texsite-https://paiza.io/projects/R3bDuF6AESbzBphu4-Fmyw?language=php

Maradona's death brought Argentina to a standstill and caused a wave of grief in his adopted home of Naples. He brought joy to the southern Italian city by leading unfashionable Napoli to two Serie A titles and the 1989 UEFA Cup.

The passing of Maradona, who dragged Argentina to glory at the 1986 World Cup where he scored the 'Goal of the Century' against England -- as well as the infamous 'Hand of God' goal, led to three days of national mourning in his home country.

texsite-https://pastelink.net/2ecko

Kobe Bryant, 41

Bryant was killed in January alongside his 13-year-old daughter in a helicopter crash outside Los Angeles that also took the lives of seven other people.

texsite-https://paste.ofcode.org/3rCAbUKJ7x9SHSuxKAJ6BA

LA Lakers icon Bryant was a five-time NBA champion in a career that began in 1996 straight out of a high school.

He was a two-time Olympic gold medallist, helping spark the US squad to titles in 2008 and 2012.

Paolo Rossi, 64

texsite-https://controlc.com/9bd7b328

Rossi is a national hero in Italy for firing the 'Azzurri' to World Cup triumph in 1982.

He finished the tournament as top scorer after scoring six goals, including a hat-trick in a 3-2 win over flamboyant Brazil, both goals against Poland in the semi-finals and the opener in the final win over West Germany.

texsite-https://paste.laravel.io/4c0331d1-3f93-4726-b0d4-7dc43755814b

'Pablito' only played in Spain after returning from a ban for his part in the betting scandal.

Christophe Dominici, 48

France rugby great Dominici personified the fabled French flair with the oval ball, scoring 25 tries in 67 Tests for France, including eight tries across three World Cups.

texsite-https://0paste.com/118248

His second half try in the thrilling 1999 World Cup semi-final win over New Zealand is one of the most iconic in the history of French Rugby even though Les Bleus were soundly beaten by Australia in the final.

A long-time sufferer of severe depression, his suspected suicide shook the rugby world.

Angela Buxton

texsite-http://www.charlie-kosei.com/bbs.php

Two-time Grand Slam champion Buxton, who had Jewish heritage and was refused entry to tennis clubs her entire career, was a doubles partner and lifelong friend of Althea Gibson, whose 1956 French Open title was the first Grand Slam singles triumph by a black American player.

texsite-https://paste.ee/p/iTr80

Buxton won the women's doubles alongside Gibson at both Roland Garros and Wimbledon in 1956, the latter of which was the first All England Club title to be won by a British-Jewish player.

Silas Nkanunu, 87

texsite-https://pasteio.com/xva79jt1LNaa

Nkanunu was called the 'Mandela' of South African rugby, became the first black head of the game in the country in 1998 and was widely respected at a time of great internal conflict.

Nobby Stiles, 78

Stiles was described as the "heart and soul" of England's 1966 World Cup-winning team. Stiles was a tough-tackling midfielder and an integral part of the Manchester United side who in 1968 became the first English club to win the European Cup.

texsite-https://blog.goo.ne.jp/admin/entry/complete?eid=58c6b06bf83dc571174114b147a1c5e3&edit=new&sc=

His family claim the dementia he suffered was caused by the repeated heading of a ball.

Stirling Moss, 90

Moss was widely regarded as the greatest driver never to win the Formula One drivers’ world championship. He competed successfully in sports cars, touring cars and rallying, as well as the top levels of single-seaters.

texsite-https://note.com/jamica/n/n6e3e88c0b307

A fearless driver, Moss began competing in F1 in 1951 and was forced to retire after a huge crash in a race at Goodwood in April 1962 which left him in a coma for a month and partially paralysed for six.

Whitey Ford, 91

Ford was the New York Yankees' all-time wins leader, a six-time World Series champion and Hall of Fame pitcher. New Yorker Ford died in October reportedly surrounded by his family watching his beloved Yankees, a team he had supported since he was five.

texsite-https://www.peeranswer.com/question/5fddb1b919dcae7e2a597af9

Tony Lewis, 78

Lewis was one of the men behind the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern method used in weather-affected limited-overs cricket matches. He devised the method alongside fellow mathematician Frank Duckworth.

texsite-https://ideone.com/XtCQyv

Gerard Houllier, 73

The Frenchman put Liverpool back on track to domestic and European glory as manager from 1998 to 2004, winning a treble of trophies in 2001 and paving the way for the long-term recovery of a club he cherished.

texsite-https://www.wsearch1.com/link/92389/streaming

Michel Hidalgo,87

Hidalgo is best remembered for his eight years in charge of France, which culminated with the stylish team of Michel Platini, Alain Giresse and Jean Tigana winning Euro 84 on home soil. It was France's first ever major tournament success.

Ashley Cooper, 83

texsite-https://jsfiddle.net/cnLobxk2/

The former Australian, Wimbledon and US singles titleholder was part of the golden era of Australian men's tennis in the 1950s, winning four major singles titles and four in doubles.

David Stern, 77

texsite-http://recampus.ning.com/profiles/blogs/sdfdrfgdzegfergf

Stern masterminded the NBA's growth into a global sports powerhouse while serving as commissioner from 1984 to 2014.

The NBA's championship games were not televised live in the USA when Stern's 30-year tenure began, but New Yorker Stern took the league to new heights and oversaw NBA stars taking part in the Olympics.

texsite-http://zacriley.ning.com/photo/dfgvddfgdfdf?context=user

Ray Clemence, 72

Former England and Liverpool goalkeeper Clemence was one of the finest stoppers of his generation, winning three European Cups and five First Division titles during 14 years.

texsite-https://caribbeanfever.com/photo/5488392-lion-wallpaper-hd?context=user

Viktor Ponedelnik, 83

Russian Ponedelnik scored the goal which won the Soviet Union the inaugural European championships in 1960, heading home in extra time to give the Soviets a 2-1 victory over Yugoslavia in the final in Paris.

texsite-http://network-marketing.ning.com/profiles/blogs/fdfdgfdgd-1

From vaginal warts to masturbation, taboo-breaking Singaporean podcaster Nicole Lim tackles topics that may make some squirm but has won a following in socially conservative Asian societies.

With her series "Something Private", she has tapped into a growing appetite for more open discussion about sensitive issues affecting women in the city-state and beyond.

texsite-https://webhitlist.com/forum/topics/xdsvfddfgdfgfd

It has featured interviews on subjects ranging from domestic violence to disabled women's dating experiences and intimate relationships involving multiple partners.

The podcast has racked up tens of thousands of downloads, mostly in Singapore but also in Indonesia and Malaysia, where traditional media shy away from covering topics often considered taboo.

texsite-

"I was trying to look for honest and open conversations around sexual health and wellness, but when you look at women's magazines that exist in this part of the world it's very lifestyle," the 24-year-old told AFP.

"Where's the platforms for tougher conversations or things that are more hard-hitting?"

texsite-

Although schools teach sex education using a government-provided curriculum, the programme has been criticised for its conservative approach that promotes abstinence before marriage.

Lim's aim starting the podcast last year was to discuss sexual health after a friend was diagnosed with herpes -- rates of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) are highest among those in their 20s -- and she realised she was in the dark about her own body.

texsite-

"It was quite shocking, I'm already in my 20s and I don't know anything about this STD that I could have gotten as well," said Lim, who launched the series after graduating from university and now runs it full time.

- 'Liberating, empowering' -

texsite-

The podcast, which features episodes around 30 to 40 minutes long, soon shifted to a broader range of topics.

During a recent recording session, Lim interviewed Noorindah Iskandar, a writer who lost her mother to breast cancer four days after her diagnosis.

texsite-

Driven by shame, a fear of doctors and a desire to not burden her family, Noorindah's Muslim mother had hidden the illness from her family, trying to treat herself with holy water instead.

The episode also dispenses advice about how women can check themselves for the disease.

texsite-

For Noorindah, the podcast is vitally important to "raise awareness about issues that are usually swept under the rug in Singapore".

"With continued discussion of these taboo topics, women feel less alone and know that it's something that's not 'shameful'".

texsite-

One of Lim's most popular podcasts features her candidly discussing her experiences with masturbation -- shocking friends and listeners.

texsite-

"When I was able to openly talk about my (sexual) experiences, it's very liberating, it's very empowering," she said.

Compared to the West, "we are a lot more hush, hush about (sex), we're not so open," she added.

In another of her episodes she interviews a gynaecologist who answers common questions about sexually transmitted infections, and a woman diagnosed with genital warts.

texsite-

- Progressive versus conservative -

Lim's open discussion of touchy topics in the face of deep-seated conservatism reflects a tension at the heart of Singapore -- a city-state that is outwardly ultra-modern but where many still hold traditional values.

texsite-

"We are a nation that's very progressive but there's also this Asian conservative side to us that we're kind of trying to reconcile," she said.

And her show, she hopes, could help shift mindsets and empower women in a society which remains deeply patriarchal.

"You see it in day to day activities like casual jokes that are made," she said, adding everyday sexism was a serious problem.

texsite-

Some in Singaporean society still think, she added, "that a woman should be in a certain role, a man should play a certain role."

Concerns about gender attitudes came into focus earlier this year after a number of university students convicted of sexually harassing or assaulting women were given sentences critics believed were too lenient.

In one instance, a 23-year-old spent just 12 days behind bars after he tried to strangle his ex-girlfriend during a vicious assault.

Lim also hopes her podcast can play a role in informing women about topics, such as breast cancer, they may have been too ashamed to ask about.

"When there's shame or fear or secrecy around topics that are unfamiliar or considered taboo, what if it happens to you one day -- what are you going to do?"