It will be a busy timetable for the Philippine Basketball Association when it opens the 49th Season this Sunday, August 18 at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.In the season-opener Governors’ Cup, the league will have six playing dates for at least a month as they pave the way for two major international events that the PBA will play a major part.The first one will be the second window of the FIBA Asia Cup qualifiers while the second one will be the participation of San Miguel and Meralco in the East Asia Super League (EASL) that features a home-and-away format for the second season.

Choco Mucho kept its Premier Volleyball League (PVL) Reinforced Conference playoff bid alive after escaping Chery Tiggo on Tuesday, August 13, at PhilSports Arena.After coming from back-to-back losses to Petro Gazz and Capital1, the Flying Titans stayed in contention for the quarterfinals after overcoming the Crossovers in five sets, 25-16, 25-11, 23-25, 19-25, 15-12.

The Petro Gazz Angels soared above the Creamline Cool Smashers in a must-win Pool C match of the 2024 Premier Volleyball League (PVL) Reinforced Conference on Tuesday, August 13, at the PhilSports Arena in Pasig.Petro Gazz continued to turn things around in the second round of the PVL and shot down the streaking Creamline in five sets, 25-23, 25-19, 20-25, 23-25, 15-12.This victory improved their win-loss record to 3-3 and increased their chances of making the quarterfinals.Cuban reinforcement Wilma Salas paced the Angels with 34 points on 33 attacks and a block apart from 17 excellent digs, while Brooke Van Sickle registered 24 markers out of 23 attacks and an ace.

PLDT booked a ticket into the quarterfinals after eliminating ZUS Coffee in the 2024 Premier Volleyball League (PVL) Reinforced Conference at the PhilSports Arena Tuesday night, August 13.The High Speed Hitters have qualified for the quarterfinals after dominating the still-winless Thunderbelles in straight sets, 25-18, 25-14, 25-12.Russian import Elena Samoilenko led the charge for the PLDT High Speed Hitters, posting a game-high 14 points on 12 attacks and two blocks to go along with eight excellent digs and six excellent receptions, while Majoy Baron supplemented the offense with 13 markers on nine attacks, three blocks, and one ace.For Baron, who also nabbed the Player of the Game nod, the triumph was a way of having fun and being consistent. She also revealed that missing the Final Four last conference became their motivation to win their games.

Imports are essential for the league as they bring dynamics to each team that they play for and local players will have a glimpse on how to play with international players. In the Governors’ Cup, the usual third conference of the league that allows each team to get one reinforcement, will be the first conference to be held by the PBA this year.This year, the conference will have a 6’6” height limit for imports - a little difference from the 6’5” limit from last year.They will also bring excitement to the fans as some of the imports are former NBA players whom they can only watch from television before but now they can have a chance to watch them live in the basketball venues.

After crashing out of the W100 Landisville quarterfinals, Filipina tennis ace Alex Eala bounced back from her loss rather quickly after outplaying Julia Riera of Argentina in the first round of the International Tennis Federation (ITF) W100 Tournament in Cary, North Carolina on Monday, August 12.At the women’s singles Round of 32, the 147th ranked Eala overpowered the world No. 119 and eighth seeded Riera, 6-3, 6-1, in a 58-minutes match to move to the Round of 16.The 19-year-old Eala was fresh off a loss from the 2024 Kewer Jewelers Tennis Challenge in Landisville, Pennsylvania over the weekend, losing to Olivia Galecki of Australia in the quarterfinals, 6-1, 0-6, 6-3.Eala is either going to face Hina Inoue of the United States or her former doubles partner Oksana Selekhmeteva of Russia in the next round. The tournament serves as Eala’s final build up for the US Open Qualifiers set August 20 to 24 in New York.

The Office of the President prepares a simple yet meaningful heroes’ welcome once the 22 Filipino Olympians return to the Philippines on Tuesday.According to Reichel Quiñones, Chief of Presidential Protocol and Presidential Assistant on Foreign Affairs, two-time Olympic champion Carlos Yulo and the rest of the Filipino Olympians will arrive in the Philippines in the evening of Tuesday, August 13, via chartered flight, where they will be received by their families at the Maharlika Presidential Hangar at the Villamor Air Base in Pasay City.They will be welcomed by the First Family in Malacañang, and after that, an awarding ceremony and dinner reception will be held in a simple yet meaningful way for them.

Italian Angiolino Frigoni will be debuting as Alas Pilipinas men’s head coach in the first leg of Southeast Asian Volleyball League (SEA V.League) slated for August 16 to 18 at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.The 70-year-old mentor is a two-time Olympian head tactician for the Italian women's team in the 1992 Barcelona and 2000 Sydney games. He was formally named by the PNVF last June after being recommended by the Fédération Internationale de Volleyball (FIVB) last year.The Philippine National Volleyball Federation (PNVF), headed by President Ramon Tats Suzara expects Alas Pilipinas men's team to showcase quality competitions among fellow Southeast Asian nations in the single round robin three-day tournament.

Filipino fighter Danny “The King” Kingad will now get a chance in moving up the flyweight ladder where he will collide the former eight time ONE Flyweight MMA World Champion Adriano Moraes in a rematch at ONE 169: Atlanta at the State Farm Arena on November 8. Moraes captured the flyweight MMA belt in 2014 after 16 thrilling fights in the world’s largest martial arts organization. The 36-year-old Moraes’ most recently completed his epic World Title trilogy with MMA GOAT Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson, first scoring a stunning knockout victory in April 2021 before losing the gold to “Mighty Mouse” via KO in August 2022.Then last May of this year  at ONE’s blockbuster debut on American soil, the Brazilian suffered a hard-fought decision defeat to Johnson in their highly-anticipated third contest.Kingad, however, is also looking to avenge his loss to Moraes in 2017 when the Brazilian submitted him in the first round of their title bout at ONE: Legends of the World in front of a hometown crowd at the Mall of Asia Arena.Likewise, Moraes is seeking redemption after his loss to Johnson which saw him lose his belt. The Kingad-Moraes rematch is part of a stacked card that features the return of two-division MMA world champion Christian Lee, as he defends his lightweight title against Alibeg Rasulov also on November 8, 2024. 

Eleven members of the National Masters & Senior Athletics of the Philippines are set to represent the country in the World Masters Athletics Championship 2024 in Gothenburg, Sweden on August 13 to 25.Javelin thrower Danilo Fresnido, World Masters Athletics double gold medalist, will be leading the Philippine delegation for the 12-day biennial competition.Other members of the team include John Aguilar (100m), Ben Alacar (10km road run and 5km walk), Edward Kho (400m), Ninoy Marayag (triple jump and long jump), Drolly Claravall (hammer thrown and discuss throw), Riezel Buenaventura (pole vault), Nhea Barcena (half marathon), Brenza Zinampanan (100m, 200m, and 80m hurdles), Judith Stapes (pole vault and discuss throw), and the father of Philippine Olympian EJ Obiena, Edward Obiena (pole vault and discus throw).The competition will commence on August 13, Tuesday, with three athletes competing on the first day: Staples in pole vault, Zinampan in the 100m Women’s event, and Aguilar in the 100m Men’s event.Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) director Merly Ibay will be the official accompanying the team. 

The Filipino MMA star Joshua Pacio is now making progress in his recovery from knee injury, and focusing on rehab.Pacio had to trust his doctors and therapist for him to get back on the saddle. “The therapy is going well, and I’m making progress,” he said. “It’s a process, but I trust it. It’s still a long road, but I’m devoted to coming back stronger.” Pacio saidAlthough Pacio also continues to keep an eye on the ONE strawweight division. He heard his name on the lips of his old rival Jared Brooks weeks after he celebrated his interim title win against Gustavo Balart at ONE Fight Night 24. Jared Brooks bagged the ONE interim Strawweight MMA World Title against Balart. Brooks is eager to fight Pacio again to cement his status as the division’s best and to win his old belt back, but the Filipino has personal reasons for wanting the trilogy.   

Filipino-Canadian Kayla Sanchez and Filipino-American Jarod Hatch, who both represented the country in the Paris Olympics 2024, will join the Philippine Aquatics Inc. (PAI) national trials this month at the Teofilo Ildefonso swimming pool of the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex. A total of 61 Filipino swimmers based abroad have signed up to join some 500 local hopefuls for a 50 meter (long course) and 25 meter (short course) swimming championships slated on August 15 to 18 and August 20 to 23, respectively.The national trials will be the basis for the selection of the national team members who will see action in the Aquatics World Cup series, the 46th Southeast Asian Age Group Championships and the World Aquatics Championships next year.Sanchez and Hatch banner the list of foreign-based hopefuls together with former Southeast Asian Games champion Chloe Isleta, junior standout Heather White, and Teia Salvino. 

As Paris concluded the spectacle that brought together 206 nations represented by 10,714 athletes excelling in their respective fields, the Philippines’ top sport officials are expected to gather together to discuss the mishaps that came into sight towards the end of the country’s campaign in the Paris Olympics in an effort to make sure the national sporting program doesn’t deviate from its next goal: the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.According to sources within Team Philippines, several officials, including high-ranking officers from two affected national sports associations, will make an effort to sort through the problems that afflicted the golf and weightlifting squads days before the closing of the Summer Games at the French capital. One of the issues that plagued Team Philippines is the “toxic environment” that weightlifter Vanessa Sarno blamed after she logged three failed lifts in the snatch category of the women’s 71kg competition and bowed out of the podium race swiftly.

Alas Pilipinas secured another bronze medal after prevailing over Indonesia in the second leg of the 2024 Southeast Asian (SEA) V.League on Sunday, August 11, at the Korat Chatchai Hall in Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand.Alyssa Solomon, Sisi Rondina, and Jema Galanza formed a potent combo to breeze the Philippines past Indonesia in five grueling sets, 20-25, 25-20, 16-25, 25-20, 15-10, for another podium finish in conclusion of the regional meet.Solomon and Rondina proved to be a lethal one-two punch on offense with 25 and 18 points, respectively, helping the Philippines battle back after trailing twice in the match.Alas newcomer Galanza saved the national’s fading medal hopes from 1-2 down with eight of her 14 markers in the fourth set as the Filipinas reached the podium for the second straight leg.Indonesia, which was the Philippines’ tormentor in the past three SEA Games, went winless in six games in two V.League legs despite the efforts of Megawati Pertiwi, who fired 31 attacks, three blocks, and two aces.It will be the turn of the Alas men’s team to play in the V.League starting on Friday, August 16, in the first leg held at Ninoy Aquino Stadium. The second leg is set in Indonesia starting on August 23.

Stephen Curry waxed hot in the Olympics men’s basketball tournament finals tallying 24 points on 8-of-10 shooting from behind the arc to lead Team USA in capturing the gold medal.The Americans became the Olympic champions for the fifth consecutive time after weathering the 26-point effort of France’s 20-year-old phenom Victor Wembanyama to grind out a 98-87 over the host team on Sunday early morning (PH time) at the Bercy Arena in Paris.Curry’s 24-point explosion included the four 3-pointers he made in the final 2:43 of play with one sealing the game with 1:19 remaining. It put the Americans up by 93-84. He also put the final nail in the coffin by draining one more with 30 seconds left - with his signature “night night” move where he puts his hands on the side of his face.

Nikola Jokic’s triple-double led Serbia to win their first Olympic bronze medal in the men’s basketball tournament when they defeated the reigning FIBA World Cup champions Germany, 93-83.Jokic scored 19 points, grabbed 12 rebounds and dished off 11 assists to secure the first bronze for their country in the Paris Games.Vasile Micic backed-up Jokic with his 19 points, and Bogdan Bogdanovic added 16 markers.Meanwhile, Germany was led by Franz Wagner with 19 points while Mortiz Wagner tallied 16.

Filipina weightlifter Vanessa Sarno capped her Olympic debut in disappointment after logging a DNF (did not finish) at the Paris Olympics women’s weightlifting 71kg class at the South Paris Arena early Saturday (Manila time).What looked like a promising Paris Games campaign came to a quick halt as the 20-year-old Sarno used up all her three snatch attempts at 100kg, 10kg lower than her previous personal and national record, to no success.

Filipina golfers Bianca Pagdanganan and Dottie Ardina exhibited their fighting spirit, displaying their clutch performances to end their respective campaigns in the Paris Olympics women’s individual stroke play at the Le Golf National on Saturday, August 10.Pagdanganan narrowly missed out on a historic medal for the Philippines as she finished at joint fourth with an impressive 4-under 68 in the fourth and final round. She was one stroke away from a bronze medal until China’s Janet Lin birdied in the 18th hole to seize the solo third and dash the Filipina’s medal hopes.

The Philippine Team, including the two-time gold medalist Carlos Yulo, that competed in the 2024 Paris Olympics will be back in the country on August 13.