CNN
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Former MLS and Gabon forward Aaron Boupendza has died aged 28 following a fall from the 11th floor of a building in China, local authorities confirmed.

The striker, who played for FC Cincinnati and Romanian club Rapid București, joined Chinese Super League side Zhejiang FC earlier this year.

The Hangzhou Public Security Bureau confirmed that officials responded to the player’s rental residence after receiving reports from the public of someone falling from a building at 1:14 p.m. local time on Wednesday.

“Our bureau quickly organized police forces to deal with the situation, and immediately sent the injured to the hospital for treatment. The injured was later declared dead in the hospital,” the bureau said in a statement posted on its official Weibo page, confirming Boupendza’s identity.

“After on-site investigation, visits and interviews of relevant parties by public security officers, and checking surveillance videos, it was found that he died after falling from the balcony of his rental residence, and a criminal case was ruled out,” the authorities confirmed.

Zhejiang FC said in a statement that it was “fully cooperating with the relevant departments to carry out the investigation.”

“All the staff of the club express their deepest condolences to his family,” the club added.

FEGAFOOT paid homage to the striker in a statement posted on X on Wednesday: “Aged 28, Boupendza will be remembered as a great striker, who left a lasting impression at the AFCON in Cameroon.

“FEGAFOOT and the entire Gabonese soccer community offer their sincere condolences to his family in this difficult time,” the statement concluded.

Interim Gabon president Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema said on X: “It is with great sadness that I learned of the tragic passing of Aaron Boupendza, a talented center forward who brought honor to Gabonese football. I offer my sincere condolences to his family and loved ones. May God bless his soul.”

CNN
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Chinese grandmaster Ju Wenjun secured her fifth consecutive Women’s World Chess Championship on Wednesday, defeating compatriot Tan Zhongyi in this year’s final.

Her win in Chongqing, China, means Ju has become just the fourth woman in history – and the first Chinese player ever – to win the world championship five times, joining an exclusive club consisting of Vera Menchik, Nona Gaprindashvili and Maia Chiburdanidze.

World No. 2 Ju won this year’s final 6.5-2.5, putting together a four-game winning streak to take a firm grip of the trophy after initially falling behind. She then held on to a draw in the deciding game to secure the best-of-12 match.

“In this match, initially the beginning wasn’t very smooth for me, but … I caught up on the score, I was playing more and more in the zone,” Ju said, per Chess.com.

Ju, 34, has held the world title since beating Tan in 2018. She went on to defend her title later that year before winning the following finals in 2020 and 2023 – the world championship is not held every year. She will now extend her reign into an eighth year.

While the result of this year’s final looks emphatic on paper, world No. 3 Tan pushed her opponent throughout but was ultimately not strong enough to overthrow who many now consider to be the queen of chess.

“I think, in this championship match, I exposed some of my weaknesses, and afterward in my training, I will continue to try to fix them if I want to continue in this professional chess player journey,” Tan said after the final, per Chess.com.

This year’s final was the latest high-stakes match between the two Chinese players. Tan initially beat Ju in the quarterfinals on her way to winning the world title in 2017. Ju then beat her opponent in the 2018 final before doing so again on Wednesday.

Ju will take home 300,000 euros ($341,000) for the win, while Tan will get 200,000 euros ($227,000) for finishing second.

CNN
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Barcelona Femení player Mapi León was banned for two matches after appearing to touch the groin area of Espanyol defender Daniela Caracas.

The incident happened in the 15th minute of the Barcelona derby on February 9 when León and Caracas were jostling for position in the penalty area.

“The FC Barcelona player, Mapi León, was banned (for) two matches by the RFEF (Royal Spanish Football Federation) competition committee,” Liga F, the top division of women’s football in Spain, told CNN Sports in a statement.

“Liga F is not going to make any further statement on this matter.”

León missed Barça’s 5-1 win over Sevilla on Wednesday and the 6-0 win over Atlético Madrid on Sunday due to her ban.

CNN has reached out to Barcelona, Espanyol and RFEF for comment.

After the initial incident, León had denied any wrongdoing and said in a statement shared by Barcelona that there was “NO contact with (Caracas’) private parts, and certainly no intention.”

Footage of the incident was widely shared on social media, and in a statement released the day after the match, Espanyol said “violated the intimacy of our player.”

Barça ended up winning the derby match 2-0.

León, who has played more than 50 times for the Spanish national team, is a key player for Barcelona, winning five league titles and three Women’s Champions Leagues.