Philippine News

MELBOURNE, Australia, January 11 ------ Australian Open prize money has increased by 16% on last year to a record total for the tournament starting Jan. 18. Organizers of the season's first tennis major announced their largest prize pool ever in local currency, with the total for 2026 set at 111.5 million Australian dollars (US$75 million). That was up from 96.5 million Australian dollars in 2025. The women’s and men’s singles champions will win 4.15 million Australian dollar

January 11 ------ Filipino boxing icon Manny "Pacman" Pacquiao was recognized for his outstanding career in sport during the World Sports Summit in Dubai in late 2025. Pacquiao was conferred the Global Outstanding Sporting Career Award last December 29 by His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Second Deputy Ruler of Dubai, President of the UAE National Olympic Committee, and President of the Gulf Youth Games and Chairman of the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Ma

MANILA, January 10 ------ The Philippines is set to host the Asian Beach Games in 2028. Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) president Abraham "Bambol" Tolentino said that after email correspondence and phone calls with Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) officials, the country will stage the Southeast Asian Plus Youth Games in late 2027 and the Asian Beach Games (ABG) in early 2028. The POC had announced the creation of the SEA Plus Youth Games and the Philippine hosting. “The Asian

MANILA, Philippines, January 10 ------ The Atlanta Hawks are finally moving on from Trae Young. The Hawks have traded Young to the Washington Wizards for CJ McCollum and Corey Kispert, ESPN’s NBA insider Shams Charamia reported. The 27-year-old Young, the fifth overall pick of the Dallas Mavericks in the 2018 draft before being traded to the Hawks for Luka Doncic, had an eventful stint with Atlanta. Through seven seasons with the team, he averaged 25.3 points, 9.8 assists and

MANILA, Philippines, January 9 ------ Alex Eala breezed through to the quarterfinals of the ASB Classic in New Zealand after a dominant 6-0, 6-2 victory over Petra Marcinko in Auckland. The Filipina tennis ace needed just a little below one hour and three minutes to grab the victory, which set her quarterfinal date against either Magda Linette or Elisabette Cocciaretto. “I’m very happy with the match, different conditions from the night session that I played the other day. Ov

LOS ANGELES, United States, January 9 ------ Shai Gilgeous-Alexander rescued the Oklahoma City Thunder with a game-tying buzzer-beater before finishing with 46 points in a 129-125 overtime victory against the Utah Jazz. The reigning NBA champions looked to be heading for a third straight loss after the Jazz inched into a 114-112 lead following Lauri Markkanen's layup with just three seconds remaining in the fourth quarter. But NBA Most Valuable Player Gilgeous-Alexander drain

January 9 ------ The Philippine men’s lacrosse team booked a spot in next year’s world championship after gutting out a 10-9 overtime win over Japan in the 2026 Asia-Pacific Men’s Lacrosse tournament in Wellington, New Zealand. Down by three, 4-7, entering the halftime, the Nationals dug deep and fought back with five goals in the third frame, enough to force an overtime despite another two strikes from the Japanese to end the regulation at 9-9. In the extended period, Nichol

January 9 ------ ONE of the biggest remaining names in PVL free agency is now off the board, as Ara Galang has landed with the Strong Group Athletics (SGA) stable. With the acquisition of the veteran opposite hitter, SGA has now made 10 player signings this offseason, capped by one of the most decorated and consistent attackers in both the collegiate and professional ranks. Galang also becomes the 10th former Chery Tiggo player to secure a new league home in less than a month

MANILA, January 8 ------ After not playing in the first game, Jeron Teng rose to the occasion and helped San Miguel knot the series at 1-1 against Ginebra in the PBA Season 50 Philippine Cup Semifinals. Teng, as well as nine-time PBA MVP June Mar Fajardo, towed the Beermen past Ginebra in Game 2, 93-84 at the Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City. Fajardo first anchored Beermen's comeback in the third quarter, as their side outscored Tim Cone's wards in that frame, 31-21, with the

MANILA, January 8 ------ Capital1 bared its newest acquisitions as the young franchise eyes a breakthrough in the 2026 Premier Volleyball League (PVL) season. The Solar Spikers amassed the services of eight new players—they first shared the signings of Shaya Adorador, Jasmine Nabor, Rachel Jorvina, and Ezra Madrigal on Tuesday night, and they completed the announcement earlier today, with Pauline Gaston, Cherry Nunag, Ysa Jimenez, and France Ronquillo joining the squad owned

January 8 ------ LeBron James and Luka Doncic combined for 60 points as the Los Angeles Lakers went on a late scoring spree to defeat the New Orleans Pelicans, 111-103. The Lakers extended their winning streak to three games after James and Doncic both scored 30 points apiece in the Big Easy to keep up the pressure on Western Conference leaders Oklahoma City and San Antonio. The Pelicans, who are bottom of the West with an 8-30 record, had threatened to spring an upset after

January 8 ------ KAI Sotto has been ruled out of the 2026 Japan B.League All-Star Game in Nagasaki. The league said the Koshigaya Alphas' 7-foot-3 center won't be joining the Asia All-Stars team in the midseason game against a Rising Stars selection. Sotto has been out of action since January due to an ACL injury that also kept him from suiting up with Gilas Pilipinas last year. He hoped to make it in time for the All-Star event, but the announcement is taken as a sign that t

January 7 ------ ALEX Eala found no better way to open her 2026 campaign, surviving a two-hour and 40-minute thriller, 4-6, 6-4, 6-4, against gritty Donna Vekic in her WTA 250 ASB Classic stint in Auckland, New Zealand. After forcing a decider, the Filipina world No. 53 grinded through a tense third set that featured three deadlocks. Locked at 3-3, Eala wrested control, winning two straight games to regain the lead at 5-3 over the 29-year-old Croatian. Vekic pulled one game b

January 7 ------ The Charlotte Hornets thrashed the NBA champion Oklahoma City Thunder, 124-97 as Eastern Conference leaders Detroit delivered a statement win over the New York Knicks. The struggling Hornets, 12th in the Eastern Conference, dominated in Oklahoma City, where the league-leading Thunder suffered just their seventh loss of the season but their second in a row after a setback against Phoenix. Brandon Miller scored 28 points and Kon Knueppel added 23 for the Hornet

January 7 ------ ONE potential Gilas Pilipinas problem has self-corrected. Gilas naturalization candidate Bennie Boatwright has landed in South Korea to play in the KBL after being released by the Taipei Fubon Braves of the Taiwanese pro league, keeping him close once he's eligible for a call-up. Boatwright's naturalization finally got rolling in November as he attended hearings in Congress together with former UP Maroons center Malick Diouf, who is eyed to be eligible for th

MANILA, January 7 ------ Several professional volleyball players have parted ways with their original squads just before the 2026 season of the Premier Volleyball League. Some of them have already found their new homes. Leading the wild offseason was Eya Laure, who has been officially signed by the Choco Mucho Flying Titans, a year after leaving the now-defunct Chery Tiggo Crossovers. Laure joined the returning Caitlin Viray, Alina Bicar, and Jai Atienza, and is expected to s

MANILA, Philippines, January 6 ------ Alex Eala added another former champion and top-ranked player to her kill list for an explosive start to her 2026 season. Young guns Eala and American partner Iva Jovic pulled the rug from under the powerhouse and grizzled tandem of Ukraine’s Elina Svitolina and the returning Venus Williams of the United States, 7-6 (9-7), 6-1 in Round 1 of the 2026 ASB Classic at the ASB Tennis Center in Auckland, New Zealand. The 20-year-old Eala and 18

January 6 ------ BARANGAY Ginebra got a huge lift from Ralph Cu and Norbert Torres during a pivotal fourth-quarter stretch to overcome San Miguel, 99-90 in Game One of their PBA 50th Season Philippine Cup semifinals at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum. Cu and Torres led Ginebra's bench mob as they combined for six three-pointers, hitting two treys apiece during a 14-6 run which got the Gin Kings ahead for good against a top-seeded and in-form San Miguel squad. With RJ Abarrientos a

LOS ANGELES, January 6 ------ Devin Booker drilled the game-winning three-pointer in the final second as the Phoenix Suns rallied to silence the NBA champion Oklahoma City Thunder 108-105. The Suns erased an early 18-point deficit to avenge the worst defeat in franchise history -- a 138-89 loss to the league-leading Thunder in the NBA Cup quarter-finals last month. Booker scored 24 points and handed out nine assists and Dillon Brooks added 22 for Phoenix -- which had a career

January 6 ------ RAY Parks is coming to the Japan B.League All-Star break in top form. The Southeast Asian Games gold medalist was instrumental in Osaka Evessa's home sweep of the Kai Sotto-less Koshigaya Alphas at Ookini Arena Maishima​ over the weekend as they head to the midseason classic on a three-game win streak. Parks first put up 16 points on a 3-of-4 clip from deep, to go with seven rebounds, three assists, and one steal in their 86-56 blowout win on Saturday, before