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John Cabang Tolentino delivered the first athletics medal for the Philippines, capturing the bronze in the men's 110m hurdles finals in the 2026 Asian Games on Sunday in Japan.

Junmilardo Ogayre's medal bid came to an end after he suffered a unanimous decision loss to Uzbekistan's Abdumalik Khalokov in the men's 60kg quarterfinals at the 2026 Asian Games.

NAGOYA — The Asian Games has crowned teenage champions before, but this edition has witnessed stunning successes by child prodigies, culminating in Yuki Kurihara standing atop the podium aged just 11. The Japanese primary school student demolished opponents three times his age on the way to a historic gold in eSports in Aichi-Nagoya. He is Japan's youngest Asian Games champion in history and almost certainly the youngest the Games have ever seen. Kurihara did not even react after winning Saturday's final in Puyo Puyo Champions, a puzzle game where players try to clear their screen of colored blobs by lining them up and popping them. The boy, who does not turn 12 until June and wants to be a train driver when he grows up, later explained that he felt "embarrassed." Kurihara's face was splashed across national newspapers on Sunday. There is no publicly available official list of the youngest medalists ever at the Games, which were first contested in 1951. But the introduction in recent editions of events intended to attract younger viewers has resulted in some eye-catching displays by children. In skateboarding, Taiwan's 12-year-old Ku Yong-yan took home silver on Friday in the "men's" park final. The winner, Japan's Izuru Nagahara, was a relative veteran at 15. Nagahara had anesthetic injections in his knee to dull the pain from injury before his winning run. Also in the skateboarding was Mazel Paris of the Philippines, who was just nine when she competed at the previous Asian Games. Asked what has changed since Hangzhou in 2023, the 12-year-old replied: "I got taller for sure." This week will see another teenage phenomenon enter the fray with India's 15-year-old cricketer Vaibhav Sooryavanshi. Abuse concerns But the presence of young children competing on the international stage against adults and under expectations to win for their country comes with a caveat. Kanae Doi, Japan director at Human Rights Watch, said ahead of the Games that "moments of triumph do not come easily. They are built on years of disciplined training, often beginning in childhood." "At its best, that journey should provide children with the joy of play and competition, along with opportunities for physical, mental and personal growth," she wrote in the Japan Times. "Many young athletes instead encounter physical, verbal and even sexual abuse in the very environments meant to help them develop." She said that in Games host Japan, children "frequently experience abuse in sports training within Japanese schools, federations and elite sports programs." In 2024, the International Olympic Committee released its consensus statement on youth athletes at the Olympic Games. It noted that 50 percent of common mental health conditions first emerge before 18. Adolescent athletes are also more susceptible to certain injuries, it said. Chinese swimmer Yu Zidi became the youngest medalist in world championships history last year with bronze aged 12. Now a teenager and hotly tipped to make a splash at the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics, Yu is one of the faces of the Nagoya Games with three golds, all in record times. But when it came to reporters swarming around her after races, she looked all of her 13 years. "Interviews are way harder than the race," she said. Under pressure Each sport has its own rules on minimum age. For World Aquatics, the minimum age for major international championships is 14 but exceptions can be made for younger swimmers if, like Yu, they are fast enough. Yu has spoken previously about struggling to balance her swimming with school work. Yu's team-mate Zhang Yufei, 28, a multiple Olympic gold medalist and world champion, said the youngster's stunning displays were no longer a shock. But she cautioned: "I hope she can withstand that pressure."

Former senator and chess enthusiast Manny Pacquiao took time to congratulate newly elected FIDE president Timur Turlov of Kazakhstan on Sunday.  Simultaneously, Pacquiao is pushing for the creation of a group that will usher in the new era in Philippine chess  Turlov's ascension to the top post as FIDE's eighth president has been viewed by Pacquiao as a welcome sign for change and development throughout the world, including the Philippines.  "The new FIDE leadership should bring brighter days for chess and I congratulate (FIDE) president Turlov. It's time to unite, gather around him, and support the sport," said Pacquaio, the only eight-weight division world boxing champion.  Pacquiao recently announced that he declined the vice president post handed to him on a silver platter by the NCFP, the local Philippine federation headed by long-standing president Prospero Pichay Jr.  Pacquiao, who plays chess with passion and regularity, has offered huge amounts of cash prizes for his annual international chess tournaments.  This year, Pacquiao said the NCFP received his money, hoping that the local chess body would sanction his tournament and have it FIDE rated.  The NCFP, however, allegedly tried to dictate terms and assign its own people to run the show for the Pacquiao chess tournament, bringing in arbiters from Manila instead of the available ones in the nearby regions. A stalemate ensued and the NCFP allegedly did not return the money to Pacquiao.  "I'm proposing to put the word 'united' in the new group that we are forming," said Pacquaio.  Professionals and community leaders from all regions in the country have also rallied to his call for change and unity. Noting the stagnation of chess development in the countryside, the group enumerated several areas of concern in Philippine chess Pacquiao also received numerous complaints of irregularities and has gotten support from lawyers, bank auditors and tournament organizers. "We're given one chance to make it good in this lifetime. It's time to make the right moves, like that on a chess board," said Pacquaio. Turlov was elected president of FIDE, the international chess federation at the FIDE General Assembly, alongside the ongoing 46th Chess Olympiad, in Samarkand, Uzbekistan.  At 38, he is the second youngest FIDE president ever elected, succeeding Arkady Dvorkovich, who served for two terms from 2018 to 2026.

Philippine Esports team Sibol claimed a bronze medal after an 0-2 loss to  Indonesia in the semifinals of the Pokémon UNITE esports event at the Aichi Sky Expo Hall on Sunday in Japan. Kim Rey Salazar, Michael Vaughn Ocio, Lance David and head coach Albert Camp couldn’t sustain the momentum of a 2-0 sweep over Hong Kong in the quarterfinals against the Indonesians to settle for third place.  The Philippines could not sustain a good start in Game 1 to fall to Indonesia, 277-312, and suffered a beatdown in Game 2, 204-807. Nonetheless, Sibol raised the Philippine bronze haul in the Asiad to seven and 11 overall including two golds and two silvers

Bryan Bagunas shared that the Alas Pilipinas Men struggled in their loss to South Korea to open their 2026 Asian Games campaign on Sunday. But a battle outside the court also drew attention, as the veteran spiker opened up about the financial challenges faced by the national team.

The SIBOL esports team won a bronze medal in the Pokemon UNITE event, raising the Philippines' medal haul up to 11 medals in the 2026 Asian Games as of Sunday, September 27.

Tennielle Madis may have bowed out of the women"s singles competition at the 20th Asian Games, but the young Filipina is taking inspiration from Alex Eala as she prepares for her next event.

The SIBOL team bagged bronze in the Pokemon UNITE event after falling to Indonesia, 0-2, in the semifinals.

Kristel Macrohon was left just a few kilograms shy of the podium after finishing fourth in the women's 69kg weightlifting division at the 2026 Asian Games on Sunday in Nagoya, Japan.

MANILA, Philippines — Kristel Macrohon narrowly missed out on a podium finish after early execution missteps dashed her medal hopes in the 2026 Asian Games weightlifting competition on Sunday at the Nagoya City Trade and Industry Centre in Japan. Macrohon finished fourth overall with a total lift of 227 kg, placing just two kilograms behind bronze medalist Ingrid Grueso of Bahrain, who logged a 229 kg total (101 kg snatch, 128 kg clean and jerk). The Filipina lifter delivered a strong start in the snatch segment by clearing 102 kg. However, early struggles in the clean and jerk proved costly, as she needed multiple attempts before successfully clearing 125 kg. North Korea’s Kuk Hyang Song dominated the event to claim gold, setting a world record with a combined lift of 273 kg (121 kg snatch). Chinese Taipei’s Wen-Huei Chen captured the silver medal with a 232 kg total (106 kg snatch, 126 kg clean and jerk).

MANILA, Philippines — Errors proved costly for Alas Pilipinas as the men’s volleyball team pushed South Korea to the limit late in the match before succumbing in straight sets, 25-16, 27-25, 25-23, to open its 2026 Asian Games campaign on Sunday afternoon at the Park Arena Komaki in Aichi Prefecture, Japan. Following a slow start in the opening frame, the 115th-ranked Nationals found their rhythm and nearly stole the second set against World No. 25 South Korea. Offensives led by Bryan Bagunas helped the Philippines secure set point twice at 25-24, but back-to-back attack errors handed the Koreans a 27-25 set victory and a 2-0 match lead. The Philippines remained competitive in the third set, trailing by just one point at 21-20. However, an attack error from Buds Buddin alongside a Sanghyeon Lee service ace gave South Korea a late 23-20 advantage. Alas mounted a late rally when Joshua Magalaman blocked Shin Hojin’s match-point attempt, followed by a service ace from Leo Ordiales to bring the Philippines within one at 23-22. The momentum quickly swung back to South Korea after a service error by Ordiales and a match-ending block on Marck Espejo’s back-row attack by Junhyeok Choi. While Alas dominated the net with a 10-5 advantage in blocks, unforced errors heavily swung the match outcome. The Philippines conceded 13 service errors compared to South Korea's three. Bagunas paced the Philippines with 15 points off 13 attacks, an ace, and a block. Magalaman and Ordiales contributed 13 and 11 points, respectively, while Espejo added seven and Peng Taguibolos chipped in five. Setter Owa Retamar orchestrated the offense effectively, recording 33 excellent sets alongside two points. Sungjin Lim led South Korea with 12 points, supported by Donghyeok Im with 11 and Hanyong Jeong with eight. Youngseok Cha and Sanghyeon Lee added five points each. Alas Pilipinas now faces a crucial turnaround as they prepare to take on World No. 34 China on Monday. With only the top two teams from each pool advancing to the quarterfinals, the match serves as a must-win scenario to keep their playoff hopes alive before potential relegation to the classification round. The Philippines previously finished 13th in the group stage during the 2022 Asian Games in Hangzhou, China.