Carlo Paalam ousts world champ Makhmud Sabyrkhan, enters Asian Games gold medal bout

After Tuesday"s medal rush, highlighted by EJ Obiena"s gold in pole vault, the Philippines will continue its campaign in the 2026 Asian Games on Wednesday.

The reigning NBA champion New York Knicks have not decided whether to visit the White House and President Donald Trump this season, according to coach Mike Brown on Tuesday.

MANILA, Philippines — When two winners meet, it always ends up beautifully and results in a second to none situation. Asian pole vault king Ernest John “EJ” Obiena and longtime adviser James Michael Lafferty have been together through thick and thin over the past decade; and prior to Aichi-Nagoya 20th Asian Games men’s pole vault competition the two had their own playful competition challenging one another. A mere two days before EJ’s title-retention drive in Asian Games, Lafferty would be competing also in the Raw Powerlifting World Championships 2026 men’s 60-64 age group division in Ashland, Virginia, USA with a promise that Obiena needed to match. “I am so really happy for EJ for retaining the gold in the Asian Games plus resetting a new Asiad record. And I knew, I believed that he could do it of course, so we made a deal. If I won the gold in powerlifting, EJ had to win the gold as well at the Asian Games,” Lafferty, 63, said. “The loser, if there is one, would pay for a dinner in Dubai in October.” Lafferty captured three gold medals in men’s 60-64 age group, dominating the strict arm curl, bench press, and push pull, which is a bench press plus deadlift in a combined total. Over 500 lifters qualified from around the globe and competed across 4 days this past week. Well, there was no loser between the two gentlemen after Obiena rocked the Nagoya City Mizuho Park Athletics Stadium in Japan with a new 5.91 meters record that won him back-to-back Asian Games gold medals, since dominating the Hangzhou games three years ago with his prior 5.90m record. “EJ has proven himself the best pole vaulter in Asia for the second time. He is also a three-time Asian Champion, a two-time Olympian, fourth place among the best in Paris Olympics despite a spinal fracture that certainly impacted his performance. I honestly have never been more proud than of EJ and what he endured in Paris. He is the definition of toughness” added Lafferty. Lafferty is an American business executive and athletics coach who served already as chief executive officer for Fine Hygienic Holding, previously held regional CEO positions at Procter & Gamble, Coca-Cola Company, and British American Tobacco. That was the hidden gold medal wager of Obiena and his mentor. Two men, two friends, and confidantes agreed to a gold standard performance, and they did it and now both will share the bill in their upcoming dinner in Dubai. TMT

LOS ANGELES — The NBA will choose owners for a new Las Vegas team "in the very near future," with a whopping $12-13 billion price tag for the franchise rights plus the cost of a new arena, ESPN reported Tuesday. The basketball league is currently eyeing two new teams in Las Vegas and Seattle, bringing the total number of NBA clubs to 32, potentially as soon as 2028. According to ESPN, a shortlist of three bidders remains for the Las Vegas team, including one bid spearheaded by Walmart heiress Nancy Walton Laurie. Another is led by Canadian billionaire Steve Apostolopoulos, and a third by Vegas Golden Knights ice hockey team owner Bill Foley. The NBA Board of Governors voted to explore the Las Vegas and Seattle markets in March, with formal approval for the expansions expected by December. A purpose-built new basketball arena at the southern end of the Strip has been widely mooted for the Las Vegas bid, though Knights owner Foley has also proposed adapting his NHL team's T-Mobile Arena. Las Vegas already hosts the off-season NBA Summer League, and the T-Mobile Arena hosted the semi-finals and finals of the first three editions of the mid-season NBA Cup. But the city — which boasts the NFL Raiders franchise and will soon welcome an MLB side — has never had its own NBA team. The Seattle team would be expected to play at the Climate Pledge Arena, home to the Kraken ice hockey team and on the site of the home of the former Seattle SuperSonics NBA team, which relocated to Oklahoma City in 2008. A decision on Seattle team owners would take place at a later date.

Manchester City used "sham" commercial contracts as part of schemes to inflate revenue and understate costs by more than £900 million over nearly a decade, the Premier League said on Tuesday after an independent commission ruled the club guilty of serious breaches of financial rules.

BOCA RATON, Florida — Klay Thompson's legacy was secured long ago. He was part of four championship teams with Golden State, is one of the best shooters the NBA has ever seen, holds the league's single-game record for 3-pointers made and is surely headed to the Basketball Hall of Fame. He wants more. And that's why the Miami Heat pounced quickly when the 36-year-old Thompson was bought out by the Dallas Mavericks over the summer. They're convinced that Thompson still has much to offer and will flourish on a new-look Heat with Giannis Antetokounmpo teaming up with Bam Adebayo. “I want to be able to look back one day and say I gave it everything I had,” Thompson said Tuesday after his first training camp practice with the Heat, held at Florida Atlantic University. “And I think being with the Heat, it gives me that opportunity. They’re wholly committed to winning. And I've said this before: winning trumps any individual performance I’ve ever had. To be a part of a season of chasing that goal is special.” Thompson's resume is almost beyond compare. He's made at least 200 3-pointers in a season 11 times; that's second-most in NBA history behind his former Golden State teammate and “Splash Brother” Stephen Curry, who has 12 such seasons. With 2,899 career 3s, he's only 74 behind former Heat guard Ray Allen for No. 3 on the all-time list — and 101 away from the 3,000-made milestone, something only Curry and James Harden have surpassed. And here's one that not everyone might expect: Thompson — even without being a full-time starter — is also the only player in the NBA with at least 200 made 3s in each of the last four seasons. He made 202 last season in Dallas, despite playing a career-low 21.7 minutes per game. “What Klay’s done in this league, I think should be celebrated and respected in our locker room — which it is," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. “We can take from those experiences. And I think also he can be excited about this possibility of a new experience to be able to create hopefully something similar, but in a different way and a different locker room and different culture.” The general perception is that Thompson will play a role similar to what Allen played in the Heat era that featured LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh. If defenders help off Thompson, it's likely that they'll pay by leaving one of the best shooters in the world — someone who doesn't need much time to get a shot off — open. And if they don't help off him, that's just going to make life easier for Adebayo, Antetokounmpo and everyone else in Heat colors. “We've got former champions,” Heat guard Davion Mitchell said. “They know what it takes to win.” Thompson is about to enter his 14th season, not counting two missed because of injury. He’s a career 41% shooter from beyond the arc, is a five-time All-Star and has made at least 10 3s in a game on nine different occasions. And this summer, in a workout that led to a viral video from famed shooting coach Chris Brickley, Thompson made 72 consecutive shots from beyond the arc. “It’s a good feeling,” Thompson said, “but I would rather make 10 in a row in an NBA game.” The Heat would like to see that as well. They always have championship aspirations, but the changes to the roster this summer — adding Antetokounmpo, another knockdown shooter in Tim Hardaway Jr., Bobby Portis and Thompson, among others — make those hopes quite legitimate, even with Miami competing against a loaded Eastern Conference. “I hopefully one day get the chance to be in the Hall, but before that I still feel like I have so much left to give this game,” Thompson said. “The records even matter to me. I want to still climb up the record books because I’m such a basketball junkie. I grew up watching Ray Allen, Reggie Miller, and those guys inspire me to shoot the ball every single day. And the fact that I have a chance to pass Ray in a Heat uniform, that gives me so much motivation to keep going.”

TOP seed Alexandra "Alex" Eala of the Philippines looks to secure a podium finish in the 20th Asian Games tennis women's singles play at the Nagoya City Higashiyama Park Tennis Center in Japan on Wednesday. World No. 18 Eala faces No. 143 Joanna Garland of Taiwan in the quarterfinals with a victory guaranteeing the Filipino tennis ace of matching her bronze medal finish in the previous Asiad edition in Hangzhou, China back in 2023. Eventual losing semifinalists like Eala in Hangzhou are awarded a bronze medal right away instead of having to earn it in a battle-for-third match. The specific time and court for the Eala-Garland match had not been determined yet at press time. Despite the rain delay and her match being moved indoors, Eala began her gold medal bid in a dominant fashion as she dispatched world No. 517 Thai Patcharin Cheapchandej, 6-1, 6-0, on Monday. Eala, who received a first-round bye, is determined to win the gold medal. “Of course I want the gold, everyone wants the gold and I’ve worked hard," said the 21-year-old. "I'm here to compete like every tournament, I want to win but, you know, losses are possible. Losses are possible and they happen often. So if it comes to that I have to accept it and try to be better. But I would love a gold.” On the other hand, the 25-year-old Garland kickstarted her campaign with a 6-0, 6-0 win over Mongolian Martaa Chogsomjav in the first round and a 6-1, 6-1 triumph against Iranian Mandegar Farzami in the second. In the women's mixed doubles, Eala and Shaira Rivera were facing the Hong Kong tandem of Lai Ching Laam and Liu Kallista in the first round on Tuesday afternoon. A win by Eala and Rivera would pit them against the Chinese duo of Jiang Xinyu and Yang Zhaoxuan in the second round. Jiang and Yang received a first-round bye.

JAYUARD Alciso topped fellow Filipino surfer Toby Espejon, 11.64-8.90, in the battle for third place to claim bronze in the 20th Asian Games men’s shortboard in Long Beach Tahara, Aichi, Japan on Tuesday. Alciso scored 6.67 for his first wave and 4.97 for the second. Meanwhile, Espejon tallied 4.83 for his first wave and 4.07 for the second. Alciso delivered the 11th bronze medal for the Philippines. At press time, the country also had two golds and three silvers. Alsciso defeated South Korean Kanoa Heejae Palmiano in the quarterfinals, 7.24-10.76. The 21-year-old could not make it to the gold medal match after yielding to Indonesian I Made Pajar Ariyana in the semifinals, 12.37-13.60. On the other hand, Espejon outlasted Indian Kishore Kumar Anbarasu in the quarterfinals, 8.53-5.37. The 21-year-old fell to Japanese Kanoa Iragashi in the semifinals, 5.33-18.33, arranging an all-Filipino duel in the battle for bronze in the process. In women’s shortboard, Filipino bet Juralyn Espanola yielded to Indonesian Jasmine Michelle Studer, 6.64-10.67, in the quarterfinals.

THE Philippine sepak takraw women’s doubles team grabbed a silver medal after yielding to Vietnam, 8-15, 4-15, in the final of the 20th Asian Games at the Nagoya City Mizuho Park Gymnasium in Japan Tuesday morning. Jean Marie Sucalit, Abegail Sinogbuhan, and Nelly Jay Salon found no answer against the Vietnamese side of Nguyen Thi Thu Trang, Nguyen Thi Khanh Ly, and Le Thi Hong Lien especially in the second set. Unable to secure a breakthrough gold, the Filipinos nonetheless posted their highest finish in the tournament with a silver which is the Philippines’ third overall in the ongoing meet. At press time, the country also had two golds and 11 bronzes. Jean Marie Sucalit, Abegail Sinogbuhan, and Nelly Jay Salon started their campaign with a 10-15, 17-14, 15-11 win against Japan and a 15-12, 15-6 victory over India last Sunday. The trio ended its preliminaries with a 1-2 loss to South Korea to finish second in Group B. The Philippines defeated Group A leader Laos in the crossover semifinals on Monday, 15-12, 15-10, to advance to the gold medal match. “This is the first medal of the national women’s sepaktakraw team in the Asian Games,” said Sucalit in an interview with Cignal. “We’re so happy and we hope this serves as a motivation for our youth who play sepak takraw. They will be more eager to play because of this medal.” Salon said they’ve been wanting to really make history in women’s sepak takraw. “It’s overwhelming (to win a silver) because as I told them the whole year we’ve been training that I really want to make history for women’s sepak takraw since our men’s team already did (in the 2023 Asian Games),” shared Salon. “We’ve been hoping to make history as well for the women’s and it’s already here. I don’t know what to feel right now, should I be happy or cry out of joy.” The Philippine men’s regu team likewise made the podium on Monday, capturing a bronze medal with a 15-10, 11-15, 7-15 defeat to Malaysia.

THREE teams try to join a crowded leaderboard in an interesting UAAP Season 89 collegiate men’s basketball Wednesday doubleheader at the SM Mall of Asia Arena. Asian Games silver medalists Kacey dela Rosa of Ateneo, Amyah Español and Victoria Pasilang of Far Eastern University, and Kennan Ka of the University of the Philippines return to their respective schools as the collegiate women’s basketball tournament features a triple-header. University of Santo Tomas shoots for its first back-to-back victories of the season when it takes on winless University of the East, which is trying to adjust under interim coach Paulo Hubalde, at 3 p.m. Defending champion De La Salle University seeks to regain its winning ways when it tangles with Far Eastern University, which is also gunning for a second straight win, in the 5:30 p.m. main game. Things are getting tight this early, with National University, the University of the Philippines and Ateneo locked in a three-way tie for first place at 2-1. After dropping its season opener to the Fighting Maroons, UST lived up to its preseason billing by beating the Green Archers, 80-75, last Sept. 16. Coach Pido Jarencio, who steered UST to its 18th and most recent championship in 2006, wants his troops to simply go with the flow and perform at their best. “Actually, there’s no pressure on us. For us, we’re just going to play. A lot of people are saying our team is strong, [but] our team isn’t really that strong. Sure, we managed to beat La Salle, but we’re not strong. As long as we work as a team, as a single unit, that’s where we’re strong,” Jarencio said. Hubalde, meanwhile, wants to get the Red Warriors back to basics and restore their confidence as they try to end a three-game skid. UE has been outscored by a combined 70 points in its three losses this season. “For me, I just want to boost their confidence. They have to know they can compete with this team. My main objective for the kids is to bring out their confidence,” Hubalde said. Chambers, meanwhile, wants his Tamaraws to temper their expectations after splitting their first two games of the season. Coming off a 93-70 win over UE following two weeks of rest, FEU hopes to avoid a repeat of last year, when it had to play catch-up after a difficult first round before falling short of a Final Four berth.

NEW YORK — Shohei Ohtani and the Los Angeles Dodgers seek a third consecutive World Series title but Boston and the New York Yankees own the spotlight when Major League Baseball’s playoffs begin Tuesday (Wednesday in Manila). The Dodgers seek a three-peat not achieved since the Yankees in 1998-2000 after winning 100 games over the six-month season. “It doesn’t change anything as far as our standing going forward in the post-season, but it’s still a nice feather in our cap to win 100 games,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. Six teams each qualified for the National League and American League playoffs, which start with best-of-three wildcard series play. The Yankees will host arch-rival Boston with the winner advancing to face AL top seed Tampa Bay in the best-of-five division series. Slugger Aaron Judge, recovering from a calf strain after missing 84 games earlier with a rib injury, aims to return against the Red Sox. The Yankees were 7-6 against Boston this season. “My goal is to come back as soon as I can,” outfielder Judge said. “Ask me if I’m going to be back I’ll tell you yeah.” Yankees manager Aaron Boone was more cautious, saying, “We’ll listen to the trainers and medical and see where we’re at.” Last-day qualifier Houston — the AL West winners with the worst record in playoff history, at 81-81 — will host the Chicago White Sox in the other AL series. The Astros won the regular season series 5-2. The winner meets Cleveland, which also earned a first-round bye. In the NL, San Diego will play host to the Chicago Cubs, who went 5-1 against the Padres, with the winner advancing to face NL top seed Milwaukee, which won an MLB-best 103 games this season. The other NL wildcard series sends Philadelphia, which survived four straight losses to qualify on the last day, against Atlanta, which went 9-4 against the Phillies. The winner will visit Dodger Stadium for a division series opener on Saturday. The Dodgers went 18-7 in September to enter the post-season on a hot streak. “As a group we played better baseball again and that’s what you want going into the post-season,” first baseman Freddie Freeman said. “Our pitching staff is amazing. Guys started to swing the bat better. Some of us still need to use these five days to figure it out. But a lot of good things happened over the course of the end of the season.” One concern for the Dodgers is the play of Japanese superstar Ohtani, who struggled in five games since returning from left knee and right biceps injuries. Ohtani, a four-time league Most Valuable Player, batted 5-for-21 with eight strikeouts and one walk over his closing stretch, ending the season hitting .275 with 30 home runs. “He came out of it healthy, so you just expect the ensuing days he feels even better,” Roberts said. “When you look out to Saturday, I think he’ll be in a good spot.”

BOSTON — Jayson Tatum’s one constant during his development into a star with the Boston Celtics has been having Jaylen Brown as a teammate. That partnership ended this offseason when the Celtics front office decided to trade Brown — the 2024 NBA Finals MVP — to the Philadelphia 76ers in what was largely a cost-cutting move that broke up the duo most responsible for leading Boston to the 2024 NBA championship. “The business of the NBA comes and plays a part at some point. And I’ve seen it in my almost 10 years in this league,” Tatum said during the Celtics media day on Monday. “For me it’s more so being grateful for what we accomplished and what he means for this city and to this organization. Just the ups and downs in our career that we were able to grow and learn from and made us the players that we are today. So really just being thankful for those nine years.” The closeness of the Tatum and Brown’s off-court relationship — or lack thereof — was a topic of conversation throughout their time together as teammates, especially as it became clearer that having two $300 million contracts on the books would be unsustainable for the team’s salary cap health going forward. The choice was ultimately to keep Tatum, sending Brown to an interdivision rival that has suddenly vaulted to a contender in the Eastern Conference after also picking up LeBron James this offseason. It has cast a brighter spotlight on Tatum, a six-time All-star and five-time All-NBA selection, as the unequivocal leader of the Celtics as he enters his first full season after tearing his Achiles tendon during the 2025 NBA playoffs. He said he’s ready to take on the challenge of leading new-look version of the Celtics, that got back Paul George in the trade and added big man Mitchell Robinson and guard Mike Conley Jr. “Yeah, very comfortable. This is Year 10,” Tatum said. “Leadership is about a lot of different things. Awareness is the biggest one. Self-awareness, awareness of the group. And just understanding we all have roles and we’re just kind of simply in this together. So it looks different from person to person.” Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla said the style of the team won’t necessarily change without Brown. “I don’t think that it’s necessarily the phrase ‘without Jaylen,‘” Mazzulla said. “Every year you’re getting new players, old players, the same players that you have coming back expand their games and they look differently. So it’s not as much what it looks like without one person or the other as much as it’s what’s our roster, how can we take advantage of the strengths and talent that we have.” Tatum reached the 16-month mark since he had surgery on his Achilles tendon and he said he’s ready to go after having to miss Game 7 of Boston’s first-round playoff matchup against the Sixers last season. “I feel great having this offseason to get stronger,” he said. “Get more explosive and just work on my body in totality. So, obviously feel much better than I did this time last year and I’m excited and thankful for that.” George ready to support Tatum If anyone knows what it’s like to try to return to the court after a major injury, it’s George. He missed nearly all of the 2014-2015 NBA season while with the Indiana Pacers after sustaining a compound fracture in his right leg during a Team USA scrimmage. He reiterated that he sees his role this season as filing whatever holes there are on the court. “Obviously, JT is the guy,” George said. “I’m there to support him in all facets. I’ve always prided myself on being able to not just do one thing, kind of wearing whatever hat that I needed to while still producing at a high level. That’s kind of how I view being here.” Robinson needed apology from Mazzulla Two years ago, during Boston’s conference semifinals loss to the New York Knicks, Mazzulla employed an intentional foul strategy against Robinson, a historically bad shooter at the line. Mazzulla joked Monday that he’d miss fouling Robinson now that he was one of his players. Robinson, who said he’s worked on his career 50.8% free throw shooting this offseason, said that his history with Mazzulla required a conversation between the two. “At first, we had a little issue because I’m like, ‘You’ve got to say sorry for fouling me,’” Robinson joked. “He apologized, and now we’re on the same team, so it’s going to be great, just building together and stuff like that. ... I feel like it’s going to be epic.”