Adamson University ended the first round of the UAAP Season 87 Women’s Basketball Tournament, securing a solo third place following a 63-51 win against University of the East on Sunday, October 6, at the SM Mall of Asia Arena.The Lady Falcons delivered a stellar performance for their Season 87 campaign, closing out the first round with a 5-2 record. The last time they achieved this much success was when they finished third place after losing against De La Salle University back in Season 75 in 2012.“I’m very happy with how the first round went for us. It’s all about the effort of the players. On our part, we’ll just guide them,” said Lady Falcons head coach Ryan Monteclaro.The third quarter became a challenge for the Lady Falcons as they had to weather UE’s charges. The Lady Warriors kicked off the second half with a 16-6 run fueled with Ivy Yanez’s eight-point surge to cut the deficit to 47-37.However, Adamson was able to quickly regain their composure with nine unanswered points in the final period as their lead ballooned to 56-37 advantage eventually sealing the game to secure their fifth win of the season. Monteclaro fielded all of 16 of his players, with 13 of them getting on the scoresheet.Kim Limbago tallied 10 points on 4-of-5 shooting with three assists, two rebounds, and one steal for the Lady Falcons. Kim Adeshina supplemented seven markers, 11 boards, three blocks, one deflection, and one dime, while Angela Alaba contributed seven points, four rebounds, two assists, and two steals.Yanez led the Lady Warriors with 16 markers, six boards, three dimes, and one block, while Katherine Ruiz and Aliyah Ronquillo supplied 12 and 10 points, respectively, in the losing effort.

Seasoned senior chess players Chito Garma and Efren Bagamasbad will compete for the Philippines in the 32nd FIDE World Senior Championships in Portugal next month.The two Filipinos will compete in the Porto tournament from November 16 to 29 with the goal of achieving the Grandmaster titles.Garma, a two-time Olympian, is competing in the 50-and-up group, Bagamasbad in the 65-plus category, and another member, Mario Mangubat, has also entered the 50-plus division.In their appearance at the Philippine Sportswriters Association (PSA) Forum on Tuesday, October 8, Garma, Bagamasbad, and Philippine delegation member Marlon Bernardino discussed and assessed the country’s chances of contending against the world’s best senior chess players next month.“It would be nice to hear that you are a world senior champion and also a grandmaster,” said Garma in Filipino, who competed for the nation in the Chess Olympiads in Manila in 1992 and Yugoslavia in 1990.“This also serves as an inspiration to the young players because if we could do it, then they could, too,” he added.

June Mar Fajardo of San Miguel Beermen added another accolade in his collection when he received his unprecedented 11th Best of the Conference Plum, while TNT Tropang Giga's reinforcement Rondae-Hollis Jefferson was once again named Best import.The awards were given before Game 4 of the PBA Season 49 Governors' Cup Finals between Barangay Ginebra and TNT Tropang Giga.Fajardo became the first player in PBA history to win the BIC award 11 times, making it the most in the league.The eight-time MVP surpassed his teammate CJay Perez, Ginebra stars Japeth Aguilar and Scottie Thompson. He also topped Alvin Tolentino of Northport and Robert Bolick of NLEX to win the individual recognition. 'The Kraken' collected a total of 980 points (465 statistical points, 476 media votes, and 48 player votes), while Aguilar had 664 and Thompson 465.According to Fajardo, he didn't expect that he would win another recognition but he's thankful for the blessings that he received.

Filipino International Master Chito Danilo Garma defeated Lithuanian Grandmaster Maxin Novik to win his third consecutive win after the fourth period of the 32nd World Senior Chess Championship at Hotel Baleira in Porto Santo Island, Portugal.The 60-year-old Garma used his extensive knowledge of the white pieces to defeat the Lithuanian GM in 34 moves of the Sicilian Defense. "It was a tough match playing against the famous Sicilian Defense. I defended it well," said Garma, whose rank climbed from 6th to 14th place.

The San Miguel Beermen climbed-up from a 16-point deficit to defeat the Phoenix Fuel Masters, 107-104, on Tuesday, December 3, at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.Marcio Lassiter rifled his 15th point in the game when he was found by Juami Tiongson in the open corner after a solid pick given by import Quincy Miller to give San Miguel a 105-104 lead.Phoenix then still had a chance to get a knack at the basket with 2.3 seconds remaining but they threw the ball away forcing them to foul Beermen's Simon Enciso who sank both of his free throws.Fuel Masters import Donovan Smith still had a chance to force the game to overtime when he made an attempt at the backcourt with 0.7 left in the game but his shot only hit the board.

Filipina swimmer Quendy Fernandez notched four gold medals in the 11th BIMP-EAGA Friendship Games at the Ramon V. Mitra Sports Complex in Puerto Princesa, Palawan.The 19-year-old University of the Philippines student brushed off the scorching heat as she splashed her way to grab the girls’ 100-meter backstroke crown, registering a time of 1:07.21.Fernandez breezed past Lora Micah Moguis who clinched the silver medal with a time of 1:10.53, while Jann Maureen Doton clocked in 1:18.42 to nab the bronze honor.

The NorthPort Batang Pier won their third straight victory in the ongoing PBA Season 49 Commissioner's Cup after overcoming Magnolia Hotshots, 107-103, on Wednesday, December 4, at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.NorthPort relied on their defense to get the win. The Batang Piers tallied 15 steals and seven blocks, and also forced 24 opponent's turnovers.Import Kadeem Jack led NP with his double-double output of 30 points and 11 rebounds, to go along with two steals and two blocks.Arvin Tolentino and Joshua Munzon logged in 27 and 25 a piece to lead the local unit.Tolentino got four rebounds, one steal and a block. He also drew fouls from opponents 11 times, while Munzon added nine boards, three assists, and five steals to his name.

The Converge FiberXers climbed from a 17-point deficit to steal the game from Barangay Ginebra, 98-91, in the continuation of the PBA Season 49 Commissioner's Cup on Saturday night at the Batangas City Coliseum.Ginebra dominated the game in the first half and established a 57-40 lead before the break.But Alec Stockton and Schonny Winston took over in the second half to lead Converge to a third straight victory.Stockton was vital in the third period, scoring 17 of his 22 points. He also had six rebounds and eight assists.The FiberXers scored 33 in that quarter, limiting Ginebra to only 13.In the fourth quarter, Winston poured out the first seven markers as Converge established its largest lead, 89-78.

The Converge FiberXers tallied their fourth straight victory after defeating the Meralco Bolts, 110-94, in the PBA Season 49 Commissioner’s Cup on Wednesday, December 25, at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.Jordan Heading led Converge with his 30 points, five rebounds, and eight assists to notch their fourth straight win in the conference and improve their record to 6-2.“I try to approach this game like I approach every game, which is part of being a professional: You have a routine and you try to stick to your routine every single game. Obviously, there’s a little excitement but I’m used to it for as long as I can remember,” said Heading.The FiberXers even erected a 20-point margin, 94-74, with less than eight minutes left in the game, but the Bolts trimmed the lead to 102-88 with 2:57 left on the clock.However, Converge never looked back and secured the win with consecutive baskets from import Cheick Diallo, and big man Justin Arana.

The University of Santo Tomas Growling Tigresses remained unstoppable in the UAAP Season 88 women’s basketball tournament after a resounding 104–54 victory over the University of the Philippines on Wednesday, November 5, at the SM Mall of Asia Arena.With the win, UST improved to 10-0, solidifying its hold atop the eight-team standings while maintaining a remarkable 32.8-point average winning margin.“Our mentality remains the same — take it one game at a time, stay consistent, and improve every game,” said head coach Haydee Ong. “Of course, our last two games are tough ones against Ateneo and NU, but on Sunday we’ll prepare for FEU.”The Tigresses dominated from start to finish, opening with a 31-9 first quarter before taking a 55-27 halftime lead. Their advantage ballooned to as much as 53 points, 98-45, midway through the fourth quarter after a Breanna Pineda basket.Kent Pastrana led the charge with 25 points, five rebounds, three assists, three steals, and a block, finishing with a game-high plus-48 efficiency rating in just 20 minutes and 19 seconds on the court.“I think this is Kent’s best game. A 48 efficiency rating in 20 minutes with 25 points — I hope she can keep up those magical numbers,” Ong added.Rachelle Ambos chipped in 19 markers and nine boards, while Oma Onianwa tallied 11 points and 10 rebounds, recording a team-best plus-51 in just over 20 minutes of play.The loss was UP’s eighth straight, dropping them to 2-8 after a 2-0 start. Despite their slump, the Fighting Maroons still have a slim shot at the Final Four with Adamson, De La Salle, and FEU all tied at 4-6.Camille Nolasco paced UP with 17 markers and four boards, while Achrissa Maw added 10 points, five rebounds, three steals, and two blocks.Last season’s Mythical Team member Louna Ozar struggled once again, shooting 2-of-13 for six points, alongside five rebounds, four assists, and two steals, but also committing five turnovers.UST will look to extend its perfect run when it faces Far Eastern University on Sunday, November 9, at the Smart Araneta Coliseum, while UP aims to snap its skid against University of the East on Saturday at the UST Quadricentennial Pavilion.

Gilas Pilipinas forward/center Jack Danielle Animam will be playing for Energa Toruń, a Polish women's basketball club. Ahead of her debut in the Orlen Women's Basketball League this coming season, the management expressed their excitement to have her on the team. "We are delighted to officially announce that Jack Danielle Animam is the newest player of our club! Standing at 193 cm (6'4"), the center/power forward (born in 1998) will make her debut in the Orlen Women's Basketball League this coming season, writing a brand-new chapter in the history of basketball in Toruń," they wrote. Animam, consistently known as a double-double machine wherever she plays, is expected to play a significant role on her new team as they try to compete for a championship.

The long-awaited rematch between Manny Pacquiao vs. Floyd Mayweather Jr., originally scheduled for September 2026, has been postponed, according to Manny Pacquiao Promotions CEO Jas Mathur, made the announcement on Friday.Pacquiao camp stated the postponement was caused by volatile mix of federal lawsuits, scheduling overbooks, and financial gridlock completely surrounding the Mayweather camp.Among the the reported legal disputes is a lawsuit filed by Events company CSI against the american boxer, alleging he and his camp failed to fulfill the agreement granting the exclusive promotional rights for the rematch, and an exhibition match between him and former heavyweight champion Mike Tyson. The lawsuit reportedly involves at least $4.65 million for the american boxer to recover. The possibility of this rematch will likely happen on early 2027, should the Mayweather camp and CSI be fully resolve their internal contract disputes out of court.Furthermore, Pacman, who just came out of retirement last year and fought Marrio Barrios that ended in a draw, has begun exploring other options for his next fight this year. 

The Oklahoma City Thunder have signed Isaiah Hartenstein to a 3-year contract extension, retaining him to be a key part of the team until the 2028-2029 NBA season. The extension will pay him $75 million in new money for the next three years, with a total of $134 million guaranteed over the next five years with OKC.The German center's impact on this young OKC team has extended beyond the stat sheet, as he played a significant role in helping the franchise win the 2025 NBA championship. During his two years in Oklahoma, he averaged 10.3 points, 10.1 rebounds, and 3.7 assists per game as their starting center.

The Philippine Sports Commission has begun the preparations for the 11th Brunei Darussalam-Indonesia-Malaysia-Philippines East ASEAN Growth Area (BIMP-EAGA) Friendship Games scheduled in Puerto Princesa City, Palawan on December 1 to 5.The tournament aims to foster excellence and camaraderie in sports among young people in the sub-region.PSC commissioner Walter Torres on Thursday, July 18, assured the successful production of the games, which features athletics, archery, badminton, karate, swimming, sepak takraw, pencak silat, and e-sports.City Tourism Department (CTD) chief Demetrio Alvior Jr. said representatives from BIMP-EAGA visited the country last May to discuss the friendship games, as there are specific requirements that need to be met, particularly because most of the attendees will be Muslims.One of the requirements is halal certification, which Puerto Princesa City and Palawan currently do not have. However, according to Alvior, they are already taking measures to address this issue before the friendship games.“The only challenging part for us is accommodating those coming from Muslim countries since we don’t have a large halal restaurant here. However, we already have strategies in place to address this,”said Alvior.The CTD chief also mentioned that the federation handling the event initially wanted all food to be halal and uniformly served to all Muslim delegates, regardless of the hotel they are staying.“This is a significant and somewhat delicate event, but it is also a test to see if we are serious about advancing in sports. We need to participate in these major events to identify what we still lack and what needs improvement,” he added.Puerto Princesa City will host the BIMP-EAGA Friendship Games for the second time. The first was in 2003.Brunei Darussalam’s capital Bandar Seri Begawan played host in the last edition of the games. 

Filipino tennis sensation Alex Eala pulled off a double title campaign at the W100 Vitoria-Gasteiz in Spain on Sunday, July 21, capturing the women’s singles title less than 24 hours after claiming the women’s doubles championship.The 19-year-old displayed her prowess as she earned her fifth International tennis Federation (ITF) singles crown after walloping Andorran standout Victoria Jimenez Kasintseva in the Women’s Finals of the tourney, 6-4, 6-4.Eala advanced to the singles championship round after defeating Yulia Starodubtsewa in the quarterfinals, 7-6, 6-4, and Maria Jose Portillo Ramirez in the semifinal, 6-2, 6-1.A day before the singles championship, Eala bagged the doubles title with France partner Estelle Cascino as they outdueled the Bulgarian-Latvian duo of Lia Karatancheva and Diana Marcinkevica, 6-3, 2-6, 10-4, late Saturday night, July 20.“This win means the world to me, it even made me ugly cry. I am so proud because this represents the culmination of so much hard work,” Eala wrote in an Instagram post.“Securing my biggest titles yet in both singles and doubles is a fairytale finish, and I am overwhelmed with emotion. This will always have a special place in my heart, and I leave here with a pocket full of great memories and the will to work harder.”This week marked the best week of Eala’s pro career as she achieved the rare feat of winning both the singles and doubles titles.The world No. 155 seized her first $100,000 tournament in the process. 

John Ceniza’s journey to the Olympics was one borne out of hard work, sacrifice, and literally carrying around different goods before being able to carry the hopes of a nation hungry for Olympic success.The 26-year-old Cebuano athlete is the first male weightlifter since 2016 who will be representing the Philippines in the Olympic Games.Ceniza secured his first ticket to the Paris Olympics after a strong performance in the 2024 International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) World Cup men’s 61kg event in Phuket, Thailand last April.Ceniza lifted 132 kg in the snatch category and then 168 kg in the clean and jerk. In total, he was able to register a total lift of 300 kilograms, toppling his personal best of 298 kilograms during the 2023 IWF Grand Prix II in Qatar.Ceniza’s powerful and outstanding delivery in these prestigious sports competitions rooted from his humble beginnings of being a freight loader or a ‘kargador’ as a source of his livelihood. He would carry bananas, coconuts, and firewood to sustain his daily needs.It was not until his brother introduced him to a different type of lifting - the sport of weightlifting, where he bagged his first-ever gold medal with a total record of 139kg in the 42 kg category of Batang Pinoy in Bacolod City in 2014.Because of his sheer determination to carry and build his weightlifting career, Ceniza built a whirlwind of international wins.In 2019, he nabbed silver at the Southeast Asian Games in the men’s 55kg category with an overall lift of 252 kg. A year later, at the men’s 61 kg category of the 2020 Weightlifting World Cup in Rome, he bagged the bronze medal upon carrying 269 kg.He is the third weightlifter from Cebu to represent the country in the Olympics after Elreen Ando in Tokyo 2020 and national team coach Ramon Solis in Seoul 1988.Bringing his experience and determination to the Olympic stage, Ceniza is eyeing to make history by becoming the first Filipino male lifter to win an Olympic gold medal.Ceniza’s shot at that coveted gold medal will be in the men’s 61 kilograms competition of the Paris games on August 7.

Filipino Olympian and boxers Carlo Paalam and Eumir Marcial earned byes for the first round of their respective events as the brackets for the Paris Olympics boxing competitions were determined on Thursday, July 25.Marcial (men’s 80kg) and Paalam (men’s 57kg) advanced to the round of 16 as they both begin their golden quests on Wednesday, July 31.Paalam, who moved up in weight after bagging silver in the men’s 52kg category in Tokyo, will go against Ireland’s Jude Gallagher, a gold medalist in the 2022 Commonwealth Games.On the other hand, Marcial tangles with Uzbekistan’s Turabek Khabibullaev, who earned a bronze medal in the 2023 Asian Games in Hangzhou.The draw has also put Marcial for a potential rematch with Ukraine’s Oleksandr Khyzhniak three years after the Filipino obtained bronze following a split decision loss in their semifinal bout in Tokyo.Debuting in the Games, Hergie Bacyadan, meanwhile, got dealt a tough hand as she faces a tall order in the women’s 75kg after being drawn with top seed Li Qian of China for their round of 16 duel on Wednesday, July 31.Li boasts of impressive credentials, winning an Olympic bronze in Rio de Janeiro and silver in Tokyo on top of gold medals in the Women’s World Boxing Championships, Asian Games, and Asian Amateur Boxing Championships.Meanwhile, Nesthy Petecio (women’s 57kg) and Aira Villegas (women’s 50kg) begin their respective campaigns in round of 32.Villegas will be the first Philippine boxer in action as she fights Morocco’s Yasmine Mouttaki on Monday, July 29, before Petecio opens her bid of improving the silver she won in Tokyo against India’s Jaismine Lamboria on Tuesday, July 30.The boxing competition runs until August 10.\

In what appeared to be a continuation of a sad story overall for the Filipino judoka, Kiyomi Watanabe’s Olympic dream ended early as she fell quickly out of medal contention in the 2024 Paris Games.She ended her Olympics bid in a 51-second Ippon loss against China’s Jing Tang in the women’s judo -63kg Round of 32 at the Champ-de-Mar Arena in Paris, France Tuesday afternoon (Manila time).This is the second straight early exit for Watanabe, following a similar ippon loss against Spanish judoka Cristina Cabana Perez in just 38 seconds at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics in 2021.Watanabe is the third Filipino and first woman judo athlete to compete in multiple Summer Olympic Games, the last being John Baylon and Jerry Dino in the 1988 Seoul and 1992 Barcelona Olympic Games.Watanabe is a regional champion, having won in the Southeast Asian Games in 2013, 2015, 2017 and 2019.

Bianca Pagdangan and Dottie Ardina capped off the opening round of the 2024 Paris Olympic Games women’s individual stroke play in contrasting styles at the Le Golf National on Wednesday, August 7 (Manila time).Second-time Olympian Pagdanganan, who represented Philippines in Tokyo Olympics alongside Yuka Saso, started her bid with pars in the first three holes, but three costly bogeys in the fourth, fifth, and seventh holes saw her slipping in the rankings. The 26-year-old then found her rhythm and had birdies in the 12th, 15th, and 18th holes to go to an even par to end the day with 72 at joint 13th spot.Pagdanganan is currently in a logjam with defending gold medalist Nelly Korda of the United States, Tokyo Olympics bronze medalist Lydia Ko of New Zealand, as well as world No. 3 Amy Yang of South Korea, keeping her medal hopes very much alive.The other Philippine bet, Ardina, earned a 4-over 76 score, tying five other golfers in the 40th spot with four bogeys and a double bogey in the front and back nine proving costly in her opening-day campaign.Meanwhile, two-time US Open champion Yuka Saso, who is now representing Japan after playing for the Philippines in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, could not overcome an early double-bogey in the 7th hole for a wretched 5-over 77 outing and is tied with the three others in the 46th spot.The second round of the event will continue on Thursday, August 8.

Filipino Olympic golfer Dottie Ardina took to social media to recall and speak up about the uniform issues and equipment during the Paris Olympics. This, after a video of her raising concerns about the lack of proper uniforms and gears for the Philippine golfers during the Olympic stage became trending and center of controversy. Ardina says that the video was posted by her mother where she aired her frustrations over the lack of proper uniforms and equipment at the Games. She alleged that their official competition shirts from the Philippine Olympic Committee did not arrive and also, the alternatives provided for them did not comply with the rules of the International Olympic Committee (IOC).“Several boxes of apparel containing competition gear were sent through courier directly to Paris. However, the French customs held the package carrying the competition gear and despite the best efforts made by the officials, the gear was not released in time,” POC said in a statement.Ardina took it upon herself to buy the required apparel for her and her teammate Bianca Pagdanganan. The golf duo ended up using their own plain shirts, and Ardina shared patches with her teammate to match their outfits as best as they could.Despite the incident, Ardina says she has no intention to cause any trouble and told her story in the hope that future athletes will get the gear they need and is required of them - on time and in the proper configurations - in the 2028 LA Olympics.