Oscar Winner Yeoh Joins IOC Along with Seven New Members 

Malaysian actress and UDP Goodwill Ambassador Michelle Yeoh takes part in a press conference on road safety at European Union headquarters in Brussels on September 20, 2023. (AFP)
Malaysian actress and UDP Goodwill Ambassador Michelle Yeoh takes part in a press conference on road safety at European Union headquarters in Brussels on September 20, 2023. (AFP)
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Oscar Winner Yeoh Joins IOC Along with Seven New Members 

Malaysian actress and UDP Goodwill Ambassador Michelle Yeoh takes part in a press conference on road safety at European Union headquarters in Brussels on September 20, 2023. (AFP)
Malaysian actress and UDP Goodwill Ambassador Michelle Yeoh takes part in a press conference on road safety at European Union headquarters in Brussels on September 20, 2023. (AFP)

Michelle Yeoh, the first Asian actress to win an Oscar, joined the International Olympic Committee (IOC) on Tuesday after being voted in as a member at a ceremony in Mumbai.

She was one of eight new proposed members to join the Olympic body at its session in the Indian financial capital.

A former Malaysian junior squash champion, Yeoh won the Oscar for best lead actress earlier this year for her role in the film, "Everything Everywhere All at Once".

She got her Hollywood breakthrough when she was cast as the first ethnic Chinese Bond girl in 1997's "Tomorrow Never Dies" opposite Pierce Brosnan.

Yeoh, also a producer and a United Nations Goodwill Ambassador, starred in martial arts movie "Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon", the 2005 period drama "Memoirs of a Geisha" and the 2018 romantic comedy, "Crazy Rich Asians".

The 61-year-old is married to Jean Todt, the former head of FIA, the governing body for motor sport, which was recognized by the IOC in 2013.

She joins judoka Yael Arad, who won Israel's first Olympic medal, Hungarian businessman and sports administrator Balasz Furjes, Cecilia Roxana Tait Villacorta, a former Olympic volleyball medalist and politician from Peru, and German sports entrepreneur Michael Mronz as the five new individual members.

Furjes and Mronz have also led efforts, unsuccessful so far, to get the Olympics to Hungary and back to Germany respectively.

Sweden's Petra Soerling, head of the International Table Tennis Federation, and South Korean Kim Jae-youl, president of the International Skating Union, joined through their function as heads of an international federation.

Mehrez Boussayene, President of the Tunisian Olympic Committee, also joined.



Arsenal Closes the Gap on Liverpool after 1-0 Win against Chelsea in Premier League

Football - Premier League - Arsenal v Chelsea - Emirates Stadium, London, Britain - March 16, 2025 Arsenal's Mikel Merino scores their first goal past Chelsea's Robert Sanchez. (Reuters)
Football - Premier League - Arsenal v Chelsea - Emirates Stadium, London, Britain - March 16, 2025 Arsenal's Mikel Merino scores their first goal past Chelsea's Robert Sanchez. (Reuters)
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Arsenal Closes the Gap on Liverpool after 1-0 Win against Chelsea in Premier League

Football - Premier League - Arsenal v Chelsea - Emirates Stadium, London, Britain - March 16, 2025 Arsenal's Mikel Merino scores their first goal past Chelsea's Robert Sanchez. (Reuters)
Football - Premier League - Arsenal v Chelsea - Emirates Stadium, London, Britain - March 16, 2025 Arsenal's Mikel Merino scores their first goal past Chelsea's Robert Sanchez. (Reuters)

Mikel Merino led Arsenal to a 1-0 win against Chelsea in the Premier League on Sunday.

Merino's first-half header settled the London derby at the Emirates Stadium and saw second-placed Arsenal move within 12 points of leader Liverpool.

In another all-London clash, Fulham beat Tottenham 2-0.

Arsenal's title hopes have faded in recent weeks, but it closed the gap on Liverpool, which was playing Newcastle in the English League Cup final later in the day.

Merino rose in the 20th minute to flick Martin Odegaard's near post corner beyond Chelsea goalkeeper Robert Sanchez. It was enough to secure a first league win for Mikel Arteta's team since February 15.

Defeat for fourth-placed Chelsea means it missed the chance to extend its one-point lead over Manchester City in fifth and boost its chance of qualifying for the Champions League next season.

Arsenal, on 58 points, is 10 clear of four time defending champion City.

Spurs blow

Another setback for Tottenham is likely to increase the pressure on coach Ange Postecoglou heading into the international break.

Spurs, in 14th, have only won one of their last five in all competitions and this was a 15th league defeat of the season.

Rodrigo Muniz gave Fulham the lead in the 78th at Craven Cottage and Ryan Sessegnon doubled the home team's lead 10 minutes later.

Fulham is eighth and four points behind Chelsea in the race for a Champions League place.