The International Olympic Committee (IOC) elected its new president last Thursday, March 20, naming Kirsty Coventry as the first woman and first African to hold the position.Before becoming an IOC member, Coventry was a standout athlete for Zimbabwe, winning seven of the country’s eight Olympic medals. At 41, she also became the youngest person to assume the most powerful position in sports governance.The first round of voting did not proceed without issues, as numerous voters reported problems with the technological voting systems.However, the voting was quickly closed after the first round, with a winner already securing the absolute majority (50% + one vote) required.After a 30-minute break, Coventry was announced as Thomas Bach’s successor and the 10th president of the IOC. Of the 97 votes cast, Coventry received 49, while second-place candidate Juan Antonio Samaranch secured 28.“This is an extraordinary moment. As a nine-year-old girl, I never thought I would be standing up here one day, getting to give back to this incredible movement of ours,” Coventry said.She was initially expected to face a tight contest against IOC veteran Juan Antonio Samaranch Jr. and World Athletics president Sebastian Coe for the top job.Coventry emphasized her commitment to addressing inequality in sports, stating, “This also means strengthening women’s sports by protecting female athletes and promoting equal opportunities for women at all levels of our movement.”“This is not just a huge honor; it’s also a reminder of my commitment to every single one of you. I will lead this organization with immense pride and uphold its core values. I promise to make you all very, very proud and confident in the decision you’ve made today. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. Now, we have work to do—together. This race was an incredible challenge, and it made us better and stronger,” Coventry added.Meanwhile, her first major event to oversee will be the Milan-Cortina Winter Games next year in Italy, with the Opening Ceremony less than 11 months away. She will officially take up the role on June 24, following the conclusion of Thomas Bach’s 12-year tenure.

Renowned for his sharpshooting from beyond the arc, Rendell Dela Rea aims to fuel Masters Pinoy Pilipinas Basketball's campaign in the upcoming World Masters Tournament, set for May 17-30 in Taiwan.In an exclusive interview with Scoreline.ph, Dela Rea shared on what he can bring to the table when this Philippine team composed of 45 years old and above basketball players face the battle in Taipei.The sharpshooter out of Jose Rizal University (JRU) emphasized the team’s steady improvement as they familiarize themselves with Coach Arlene Rodriguez’s system.“Our camaraderie and teamwork are strengthening every day. We encourage each other and embrace our roles. We’re like brothers here—that’s our team’s advantage,” Dela Rea said in Filipino.“These practices are crucial. When we step onto the court in Taiwan, we need to be fully prepared. It would be tough to compete without proper preparation,” he added.

Filipina tennis sensation Alex Eala has etched her name in history, securing a spot in the quarterfinals of the Miami Open.The 19-year-old moved forward after Spain’s Paula Badosa, ranked No. 11 in the world, withdrew due to a lower back injury during their Round of 16 matchup on Monday, March 24 (Tuesday, March 25, Manila time).Eala’s stellar performance throughout the tournament already included massive upsets. She stunned the World No. 5 and reigning Australian Open champion Madison Keys, as well as No. 25 and 2017 French Open winner Jelena Ostapenko, to advance to the fourth round.

Good news to all boxing enthusiasts. This sport will get its spot back in the program of the LA Olympics in 2028. This good news was brought by the Association of Boxing Alliances in the Philippines (ABAP) after attending the World Boxing  board meeting last, March 18, 2025. Chairman and Philippine Olympic team chef-de-mission Ricky Vargas heralded this good news not only for the country and the Filipino sports officials but for the sport and all the boxers. “We are back in the Olympics with an international federation (World Boxing) recognized by the IOC (International Olympic Committee). The Philippines made a principled decision to leave AIBA (the old boxing governing body that lost IOC recognition in 2023). We took a principled risk to join (the new) World Boxing. We were first and got elected to the WB board. Now, wow, we are back in the LA Olympics, WB is getting its recognition from the IOC and is here to stay,” said Vargas. Now that boxing’s place in LA is all but a formality, the Pinoy boxers can go about their Olympic quest in 2028 without a cloud of uncertainty. The Philippines has captured four silver medals and six bronzes in the quadrennial Games and will continue hunting for the breakthrough gold in the next Olympiad.“It feels like boxing was reborn and is here to stay,” said Vargas.It can be recalled that the International Olympic Committee (IOC) set aside the inclusion of boxing in the upcoming 2028 LA Olympics due to the issues and controversies seen in the 2024 Paris Olympics, one of which was the gender issue.Meanwhile, Philippine Olympic Committee president Abraham Tolentino, for his part, said he had known all along that boxing would stay in the Olympics.“It’s expected because it’s a favorite sport played by all, it’s just a matter of time,” said Tolentino.The PhilCycling chief and Tagaytay City Mayor also said it was just fitting to have boxing since it was in the United States where the sport was first played in the quadrennial meet – in 1904.“It’s been in the Olympics since 1904, in the USA, and so for LA too,” Tolentino added.

Barangay Ginebra secured a 73-66 victory over TNT in Game 5 of the PBA Season 49 Commissioner’s Cup Finals on Sunday night, March 23, at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.Scottie Thompson was named Best Player of the Game after delivering an all-around performance with 16 points, 10 rebounds, five assists, two steals, and one block. His relentless hustle on both ends of the floor—something that doesn’t always show up in the stat sheets—was key to Ginebra’s success.Justin Brownlee was also impressive. Despite dealing with a dislocated thumb and scoring only two points in the first half, the Gin Kings' import still managed to finish with 18 markers, 14 boards, five dimes, and one deflection.Japeth Aguilar and Maverick Ahanmisi chipped in 11 points apiece to support Thompson and Brownlee, while Stephen Holt played a tremendous defensive role against Tropang Giga import Rondae Hollis-Jefferson. Although Hollis-Jefferson managed to score 19 points, he struggled with efficiency, shooting just 7-of-26 from the field.

Filipina tennis sensation Alex Eala achieved the biggest milestone of her career, shocking World No. 5 and reigning Australian Open champion Madison Keys with a commanding 6-4, 6-2 victory in the Round 32 of the WTA 1000 Miami Open on Monday, March 24 (Manila time).With this historic win, the 19-year-old became the first Filipina in the Open Era to defeat a top-10 player, earning a spot in the Final 16 of a WTA event for the first time."I'm so blank," an emotional Eala said after the match, as Filipino fans in the crowd cheered and waved flags. "I'm thinking of my parents. ‘Mom and Dad, I got it!’ My God."  Keys, a seasoned Grand Slam contender, started strong and controlled the early exchanges, winning four of the first seven games. However, Eala turned the tide with a crucial break in the ninth game to claim the first set, 6-4.Riding the momentum, the young Filipina dominated the second set, breaking Keys twice—first at 3-2, then again at 5-2—before sealing the match in just 1 hour and 27 minutes.

EJ Laure has signed with Nxled for the ongoing 2024-25 Premier Volleyball League (PVL) All-Filipino Conference. The Chameleons on Monday afternoon, November 25, welcomed the decorated outside spiker.“We’re so thrilled to have you on board and can’t wait to see you light up this fresh start! We’re rooting for you on your return to the PVL court, EJ!” Nxled shared in a Facebook post.

Hong Kong Eastern walloped Phoenix to notch its debut win, 102-87, in the Philippine Basketball Association, or PBA, Season 49 Commissioner’s Cup at the Philsports Arena in Pasig on Wednesday, November 27.HK Eastern showed no jitters right from the start and just took care of business the rest of the way for a 1-0 start, while the Fuel Masters fell to a 0-1 card. Familiar faces led the charge for the Hong Kong team with ex-PBA import Cameron Clark and former Bay Area player Hayden Blankley starring on both ends. Clark, who has played for San Miguel and NLEX in the past, recorded a double-double with 25 points, 11 rebounds, two steals, and two blocks.Blankley poured in 18 markers, dishing out five dimes and three rejections after making his PBA comeback nearly two years after the Dragons lost to Ginebra in the 2022-23 PBA Commissioner's Cup finals.

Converge registered a resounding 116-87 victory over new-look Terrafirma to kick off their Philippine Basketball Association or PBA Season 49 Commissioner’s Cup campaign on Wednesday, November 27, at the Philsports Arena in Pasig.The FiberXers delivered 14 three-pointers in the game, including nine in the decisive second half that completely took the fight out of the Dyip. Converge established the tone by defeating the Dyip 34-16 in the first period. They also showed composure by overcoming Terrafirma's third quarter storm.Import Cheick Diallo, who played five seasons in the NBA, had an outstanding debut, dominating the paint with a monster double-double of 25 points on 11-of-13 shooting and 16 rebounds with two assists, a steal, and a block.“When we got Cheick, we know we are getting a high-motor guy, athletic, can jump out of the gym. What we saw now is what we expected him to play like,” Converge head coach Franco Atienza said.

If Justin Brownlee were to ask, Kai Sotto has the capacity and potential to play in the National Basketball Association (NBA).This was what Brownlee said after Gilas Pilipinas’ successful matches against New Zealand and Hong Kong last Thursday and Sunday night at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.According to the three-time PBA best import, Sotto's performance level in their past games proved that he is capable of competing in the type and class of play in the NBA.Apart from that, Kai also has a big advantage in having a 7-foot-3 height, and besides this, he has the strong physique and skills of an NBA player.“Man, I've been saying, I feel like he's good enough to play in the NBA. Yeah, in my honest opinion. Of course, he's got the height, he's got the size and the skill. But he's been through so much,”  Brownlee said. The six-time champion also said that Kai Sotto has great potential to be included in the NBA because of the qualities he has seen since he recently played with him. He also said that Kai will go far if he can play in the oldest professional basketball league in the world.“For me, it's just great to see, you know, a young player like him with so much potential and just to see him start fulfilling his potential. He's got a long way to go. You know, he's only in his early 20s. So, I'm happy for his progression and I'm excited to see what the future holds for him,” Brownlee added. It can be recalled that Sotto recorded 12 points, 15 rebounds, two blocks and two assists in Gilas Pilipinas' previous match against Hong Kong, while last Thursday in their match against New Zealand, Sotto recorded 19 markers, 10 boards and seven dimes.The wins of Gilas in window 2 gave them a solid hold of the lead in Group B with 4-0 win-loss record.After sweeping the second window of the qualifiers, Gilas is now qualified for the FIBA ​​Asia Cup to be held in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia in August next year.Meanwhile, Gilas will next face Chinese Taipei in the third window of the FIBA ​​Asia Cup Qualifiers on February 20 and Gilas against New Zealand again on February 23.

Converge FiberXers opened the Philippine Basketball Association Season 49 Commissioner’s Cup curtain with a victory against the Terrafirma Dyip, 116-87, on Wednesday, November 27, at the Philsports Arena in Pasig.The much awaited debut of former top overall pick of the special Gilas draft Jordan Heading has come to fruition already.Heading scored his first basket in the PBA off a tip-in in the 2:52 mark of the first period. He finished with eight points on 3-of-5 shooting from the field, four rebounds, and six assists against three turnovers in almost 24 minutes of play.The stats might not be as high as expected of the Filipino-Australian sweet shooting guard but enough to get the nod of Converge head coach Franco Atienza.

The FIVB Volleyball Men’s World Championship 2025 will begin on September 12 with the opening match between the host nation, the Philippines, and Tunisia at the SM Mall of Asia Arena.The 64th-ranked Philippine men’s volleyball team will play world No. 24 Tunisia, an 11-time African champion, to round out the largest edition of the global tournament.After its tournament debut, Alas will take a four-day break before starting its home campaign against the current African champion and world No. 20 Egypt.The host team will play Iran, the second-highest ranked Asian team, on September 18 to wrap up pool play in what may be a make-or-break matchup for a berth in the Round of 16.The remaining eight-pool, 32-team field will be divided across the Pasay City site  and the Smart Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City.Pools D featuring USA, E piloted by Slovenia, and H starring Brazil will play at the MOA Arena with Alas and Pool A.Meanwhile, Pool B with top-ranked Poland, C with second-seeded France, F with powerhouse Italy and G with fan-favorite Japan will stage pool play at the Big Dome.The knockout stage will take place in Pasay over eight days, from September 20 to September 28.

ZUS Coffee kept their momentum alive, logging its second victory against winless Galeries Tower, 25-22, 25-16, 25-19, in the 2024-25 Premier Volleyball League (PVL) All-Filipino Conference at the Philsports Arena in Pasig on Thursday, November 28.The Thunderbelles achieved their first-ever sweep since entering the league in the 2024 season with this victory.ZUS Coffee, once a consistent bottom-dweller, is currently tied for fourth position alongside Petro Gazz, Akari, Chery Tiggo, and Choco Mucho, all of whom have identical 2-1 records.

The Capital1 Solar Spikers won their first game of the 2024–25 Premier Volleyball League (PVL) All-Filipino Conference after prevailing over the Nxled Chameleons in four sets, 21-25, 25-21, 25-15, 25-18, on Saturday, November 30, at the Philsports Arena in Pasig.The Solar Spikers ended a three-game losing streak and improved their record to 1-3 after rallying from an eight-point deficit in the second set.With a 13–20 deficit, Capital1 was on the verge of losing the second set after losing the first frame. However, the arrival of May Macatuno, replacing Iris Tolenada off the bench sparked a change in momentum.

Farm Fresh stormed into the win column of the 2024-25 Premier Volleyball League (PVL) All-Filipino Conference after pulling off a major upset against Akari, 25-23, 25-21, 25-14, at the Philsports Arena in Pasig on Saturday, November 30.Louie Romero and Trisha Tubu spearheaded the Foxies’s offense, ending a two-game losing streak against heavily fancied Akari Chargers.