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CANDON CITY, Ilocos Sur — Alas Pilipinas fell to the brink of elimination in the 2026 Asian Volleyball Confederation (AVC) Women’s Cup after getting swept by powerhouse South Korea, 16-25, 18-25, 22-25, on Tuesday at Candon City Arena here.

Alas tried to turn to young guns Alyssa Solomon and Tots Carlos in the opening set then made adjustments, relying on Alyssa Valdez, Jovelyn Gonzaga, and Ces Molina — and even first-time national team campaigner Ara Galang, who played her heart out in the third.

Alyssa Solomon and Tots Carlos join Alas Pilipinas starters Ces Molina, Thea Gagate, Niña Ytang, Kyle Negrito, and libero Kyla Atienza vs South Korea.

But none of those combinations by Alas interim coach Shaq Delos Santos could stop the Koreans, who are relegated to the Women’s Cup after losing their spot in the Volleyball Nations League.

It may be years late to put the tandem of Valdez and Galang, who headlined the Ateneo-La Salle storied rivalry in the UAAP a decade ago, but the veteran outside spikers led Alas’ gallant stand in the third, where they even tok an 18-15 edge with Galang nailing the timely hits, followed by Valdez’s back-to-back aces.

Solomon gave Alas its last lead at 20-18. Before the Koreans, behind Kang Sowhi, nailed the telling blows to reach match point, 24-20.

Galang and Niña Ytang saved points for the home squad before Lee Juah delivered the game-winner.

“Sayang,” said Galang. “But I think we were able to keep up and stay close throughout the match. We just gave our best effort on that last point. It’s just unfortunate that it didn’t go our way.”

Kang had her way, leading the Koreans with a game-high 19 points for a 3-0 record in Pool A. Juah and Na Hyunsoo added 12 each.

Alas dropped to a 2-2 record, needing to win its final Pool A game against Chinese Taipei (3-0) on Thursday at 3 p.m.

The Philippines has a slim chance of advancing to the semifinals, needing to beat Taipei and another losing result from the latter against Korea in the AVC tournament presented by the PSC, POC, FIVB, Volleyball World and Candon City headed by Mayor Eric Singson.

Thea Gagate led Alas with nine points built on five attacks, three blocks and one ace. Ytang added eight points, while Valdez and Solomon chipped in seven apiece.

Galang finished with four points, all coming in the third set.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Dozens of mayors and other city leaders gathered in the ballroom of a Washington hotel on a snowy January morning this year gripped by anger and anxiety about the federal government’s increasingly aggressive immigration enforcement operation that included the killings of two U.S. citizens in Minneapolis.

And then FIFA President Gianni Infantino took the stage.

“For the first time in 250 years of history of the United States of America, well, you will not just be invaded but you will be conquered,” he said as the audience at the National Conference of Mayors largely reacted with silence.

“You will be conquered by soccer,” he added in an attempt to land the joke and get the crowd energized about the World Cup, which will be hosted jointly by the U.S., Mexico and Canada from Thursday through July 19.

Ahead of the tournament, Infantino has successfully cozied up to President Donald Trump, creating a peace prize that was awarded to him and frequently visiting the White House, including a stop last week, when he was photographed alongside the Republican president admiring changes outside the Oval Office.

Infantino has struggled with virtually everyone else.

In a deeply polarized country, few things unite elected leaders outside the White House quite like skepticism of Infantino and FIFA, the governing body for the world’s most popular sport. It’s a sentiment that cuts across the divide and spans from Washington to state capitals and city halls.

Ticket prices attract bipartisan criticism

There are mayors like Zohran Mamdani of New York and Karen Bass of Los Angeles, Democrats who’ve balked at ticket prices. Mamdani eventually secured 1,000 tickets for New Yorkers at $50 per seat. The attorneys general in New York and New Jersey, also Democrats, started an investigation into ticket prices last month. In New Jersey, Gov. Mikie Sherrill, another Democrat, demanded help from FIFA to cover millions of dollars in transit costs before ultimately turning to new advertising revenue to help cover the gap.

Despite his ties to Infantino, even Trump has criticized World Cup ticket prices, telling The New York Post he wouldn’t pay the $1,000 prices to watch the U.S. play its opening game against Paraguay.

In an interview, Republican Sen. Todd Young of Indiana, who played Division 1 soccer at the U.S. Naval Academy, said FIFA has been “detached from regular people around the world.”

“It really is a cabal run by elites,” Young added. “They really have had problems with corruption over the years, and one really does get the sense that they may overlook their singular mission, which is to help grow the sport, especially among young people around the world who wouldn’t otherwise have the resources to access soccer.”

“Every good soccer fan who loves international football wishes Infantino would be a little less in the news and more promoting the game,” Rep. Rick Larsen, D-Washington, said in an interview.

A FIFA representative didn’t respond to a request for comment. FIFA’s skeptics said they were still enthusiastic about the 48-team tournament. Some lawmakers said Infantino was navigating a challenging political environment in the U.S.

Infantino is “doing the job he needs to do in terms of cultivating the Trump administration,” said Rep. Darin LaHood, R-Ill., the chair of the Congressional Soccer Caucus.

Sports are central to Trump’s second term

The World Cup kicks off a series of events that are central to Trump’s second term effort to burnish his image and legacy through his association with high-profile sporting events. He’ll hold a UFC bout on the South Lawn of the White House this month. It all culminates with the Olympics in Los Angeles in 2028, the final year of Trump’s presidency.

But the soccer tournament opens against the backdrop of an intensely divided political climate in the U.S. — with Trump at the center. Just 37% of U.S. adults approve of the way Trump is handling the presidency, according to a May poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.

Still, Trump is intensifying efforts to put himself in the middle of American life, particularly as the country celebrates the 250th anniversary of its independence. He has embarked on a massive renovation of Washington and plans to headline “The Great American State Fair” on June 24.

Trump plans to attend the NBA Finals between the New York Knicks and the San Antonio Spurs on Monday. As the head of state, Trump is expected at the World Cup final in July.

Trump’s World Cup challenge

But the World Cup presents a challenge for an administration that has placed aggressive immigration enforcement at the top of its agenda.

The most visible aspects of Trump’s anti-immigration measures, including high-profile arrests in cities like Chicago and Minneapolis, have largely calmed. And the administration has sought to strike a welcoming stance toward World Cup visitors, suspending, for example, a requirement that those traveling from countries that qualified for the tournament and have bought tickets pay as much as $15,000 in bonds to enter the U.S.

But the White House is still considering hard-line options to punish perceived opponents. Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin has threatened to halt customs processing at airports serving cities whose local governments resist Trump’s immigration policies. And intense clashes at a New Jersey immigration center about 10 miles (16 kilometers) from where the World Cup final will be held are a reminder of the tests facing the White House.

“I see the 2026 World Cup at the intersection of two really stark realities,” said Ashleigh Huffman, who was the chief of sports diplomacy at the State Department during the Biden and first Trump administrations. “Unprecedented opportunity to heal a country that is deeply divided and a world that is struggling. And unprecedented scrutiny. Everything that’s going on has the power to unite us, but it also is forcing conversations around access and human rights and immigration and who gets included in this celebration.”

Speaking to reporters in Miami last week, Andrew Giuliani, the executive director for the White House Task Force on the World Cup, said that “if you’re inside the country legally, then you have nothing to worry about.”

“We want people to be able to come here and enjoy this World Cup while also making sure that we can keep the country safe,” he said.

There are signs that the political divisions that course through so much of American culture also apply to the World Cup.

Democrats and independents are more likely than Republicans to say they plan to watch World Cup games, according to an Ipsos poll conducted in May. Earlier polling found Democrats were more likely to be “very” or “somewhat” interested in the matches.

While Republicans are less eager to tune into games, they feel a stronger sense of national pride than Democrats do from the U.S. team’s performance and participation in the World Cup. About two-thirds of Republicans said the U.S. team’s participation makes them proud to be American, compared with slightly less than half of Democrats.

But for soccer enthusiasts in Washington, the hope is that the tournament could provide a rare break from the constant partisan battle.

“There’s a real opportunity to use this platform as a stage for unity and commonality across nations,” Young said.

For Larsen, “when the whistle blows until the end, I’ll be yelling for red cards and cheering goals.”

NEW YORK (AP) — In the NBA Finals, celebrity row property is worth $1 million.

The New York Knicks announced that was the winning bid in an auction for two seats for Game 3 on Monday night, the first NBA Finals game at Madison Square Garden since 1999.

The winning bid was split by the law firm Gibson Dunn and private equity firm Veritas Capital. The fundraiser benefited the Garden of Dreams Foundation, and the Knicks said it was the largest single donation in the history of the foundation, which works with MSG’s companies to assist children at need in the tristate area.

The seats are located in section VIP 10, row AA, seats 25 and 26, right off center court. It’s impossible to know what they would usually cost, because the team doesn’t sell them. Instead, they are given to the celebrity fans such as Tracy Morgan and Timothée Chalamet who are courtside fixtures.

Seats everywhere in the building are expensive. The cheapest upper-deck seats available Sunday night were going for more than $6,000 on secondary markets like StubHub, SeatGeek and VividSeats. The experience of being courtside went for more than $75,000.

Six athletes, four male and two females, in modern pentathlon have qualified for the 20th Asian Games scheduled Sept. 19 to Oct. 4 in Nagoya-Aichi, Japan.

Two poomsae and kyorugi athletes in taekwondo also qualified last week.

“We got the email from the organizers about the qualification of six modern pentathlon athletes and that’s another good news for our campaign. The opportunities to do better in Nagoya and Aichi continues to grow wider,” Philippine Olympic Committee president Abraham Tolentino said in a news release Tuesday.

The Philippines, which bagged four gold, two silver and 12 bronze medals in the Hangzhou 2022 (2023) edition, will be spearheaded by Paris 2024 Olympics gymnastics double gold medalist Carlos Yulo and reigning champion and record holder pole vaulter EJ Obiena.

“We’re hoping that more of our athletes will qualify for the Asian Games, where the competitions have gotten close to the level of the Olympics,” Tolentino, who also serves as cycling federation president, said.

One of the more welcome developments for the Asian Games was the qualification of the men and women teams in indoor volleybal.

Women’s beach volleyball is a shoo-in following the gold medal win in the Bangkok Asian Games in December 2025.

 Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) chairman John Patrick Gregorio has told the Alas Pilipinas to just focus on their campaign at the Asian Volleyball Confederation (AVC) Women’s Cup in Candon City, Ilocos Sur.

“There is a time for commercial volleyball, and there is a time for the national team. When it comes to Alas, we should always be on the same side and together,” Gregorio said in a news release Tuesday.

The PSC and Candon City Mayor Eric Singson hosted a dinner for Alas Pilipinas at the Hotel Van Gogh II on Monday. The team had earlier won over Kyrgyzstan, 25-9, 25-11, 25-17, to improve its 2-1 win-loss record in pool play.

Gregorio assured Alas Pilipinas that the PSC remains committed to supporting athletes and that the crisis in the Philippine National Volleyball Federation (PNVF) should be left to the Philippine Olympic Committee and volleyball’s world governing body, FIVB.

“We want all of you to just concentrate. Forget the politics of sports. Forget the politics of your federation,” he said.

Alas Pilipinas is competing in a 12-nation event despite the PNVF’s suspension by the FIVB, with the fallout deepening when nine PNVF board members withdrew support for federation president Tony Boy Liao.

The PSC had already frozen financial support to the PNVF for alleged breach of contractual obligations, among others.

Gregorio noted that the AVC Women’s Cup, presented by the PSC and the City of Candon, is a key event in a broader program highlighted by the country’s hosting of the 2029 FIVB Women’s Volleyball World Championship.

“This AVC Women’s Cup is a great springboard so that we can really excel in the next two-and-a-half years,” he said.

“There is no equivalent to the national team, there is no commercial league more famous than the national team. So please, with all your heart, we trust you, we know you can do it, I’m here to motivate you … so that our plan for Philippine volleyball can come true.”

Chinese Taipei and Korea sit in prime position for the semifinal spots, while Alas Pilipinas remains in the hunt as pool play continues. Defending champion Vietnam and Kazakhstan are dominating Pool B. 

MANILA – Homegrown talent Ana Marie Aguilar topped the girls’ 7-10 division in the ICTSI Negros Junior PGT Championship at the Negros Occidental Golf and Country Club in Bacolod City on Tuesday to secure a place in the Elite Finals.

She carded a final-round 82 and a 158 total, capping an incredible two-week blitz after dominating the Bacolod leg in Murcia last week. Vanya Go had an 85 for a 159, while Jia Ho had an 81 to tie Zoey Mascariñas, who faltered with an 84, at 165.

“I definitely felt the pressure when I fell one or two down, but I just stayed confident and focused on my game,” said the 10-year-old Aguilar from St. Scholastica’s Academy-Bacolod.

Relying on her irons, precise chipping, and solid bunker play to stay in contention, she expressed her relief and excitement for the next stage.

“I’m so happy to qualify for the finals. Next, I really want to sharpen my chipping and putting to help the South team. I think the best way I can support my teammates is by continuing to elevate my own game,” she said.

Aguilar vaulted from No. 5 to No. 2 in the final standings with 40 points, joining top-ranked Soleil Molde (42) and the resilient Go (39) in the finals in Cagayan de Oro.

Meanwhile, Darren Ong also punched a ticket to the Ryder Cup-style national finals after claiming victory in the boys division.

Holding a 14-stroke lead after Monday’s opening round, Ong fired an 80 after a 76 but still won by 22 strokes on a 156 total over 36 holes.

Anthony Avila carded an 88 to finish a distant second at 178, while Joaquin Limjap took third with a 199 after a 98.

Ong jumped from No. 6 to No. 4 in the Visayas-Mindanao Series rankings. Gathering 35 points across the six-stage circuit, he dislodged the absent Thomas Ngo (26) to claim the fourth and final qualifying spot.

Ong thus joined Ethan Lago, Stephen Clementer and Lucas Revilleza to form the South’s youngest squad, ready to battle the North side on Aug. 17 to 20 at the Pueblo de Oro Golf and Country Club.

“I’m so excited to play in the grand finals. I’m going to practice hard to turn my weaknesses into strengths, but my goal is to keep playing pressure-free,” said the nine-year-old Ong.

“Everything just clicked today, especially my chipping and putting, though I still feel like I could’ve done better,” he added.

Ong promised to spark the lineup: “I’m ready to bring good vibes, high energy and strong cooperation to the South team.” 

The Scottish city will host the men’s events and the junior finals, while the Swedish venue will hold the women’s event in November, with the top teams advancing to compete for the world title in Canada later on.

World Curling’s recent announcement highlights the confidence placed in both venues due to their long-standing tradition and significant contribution to the sport. Curl Aberdeen has been a partner of the governing body in organising international events for a long time, and most recently hosted the 2025 Pre-Olympic Qualification Event. The will be the second time that the venue has hosted the World Junior Curling Championships, having previously held the event in 2018.

Meanwhile, Östersund has welcomed numerous World Curling competitions over the years, most recently the former European C-Division Championships in 2025.

The Men’s World Championship Qualifier in the Scottish city will be the first event, taking place from 8 to 13 November 2026. Just over a week later, attention will turn to Sweden, where the Women’s World Championship Qualifier is scheduled to take place from 21 to 26 November.

“I am delighted that both venues will host the first World Championship Qualifiers under the new competition structure. I am confident that they will help us deliver excellent events for our athletes, who will be striving to qualify for the World Championships,” said Eeva Röthlisberger, World Curling’s head of Competitions.

The new structure was introduced because the governing body believed that the previous system made it difficult for emerging nations to qualify for the World Championships, placing too much emphasis on continental competitions. The aim was to create a clearer, more global qualification pathway that offered greater opportunities to all member associations. Previously featuring only 13 teams, the World Championships have now expanded to 18. According to World Curling, the changes will result in a fairer and more inclusive system that offers increased opportunities for nations looking to develop their curling programmes.

Tom Brewster, manager of Curl Aberdeen, described it as “exciting to be part of the first World Championship Qualifier following the restructuring of the competition system’.

Jackie Lockhart, Curl Aberdeen’s chairperson, also welcomed the junior curling community — the future of the sport — to the club, where they will compete for a world title. The World Junior Curling Championships will take place from 6 to 14 February 2027.

The mood in the Swedish city is equally enthusiastic. Per Bergman, president of the Östersund Local Organising Committee, has promised to do “everything possible to provide everyone with an unforgettable experience’”

Meanwhile, the men’s World Championship is set to take place in Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada, from 27 March to 4 April 2027 and the Women’s World Championship has already confirmed its dates from 13 to 21 March 2027, however the host venue is yet to be announced.

The legendary snowboarder recently announced the second season of his global halfpipe circuit, The Snow League, which will open with a bold, first-of-its-kind event in the Southern Hemisphere: the World Challenge edition.

The competition will run from 18 September to 20 September at the renowned Cardrona Alpine Resort in New Zealand. Unlike the tour’s standard stops, which are contested individually, this curtain-raiser will use a regional team exhibition format, a shift designed to reshape the familiar rhythm of winter-sports competition.

A handpicked group of international athletes will be split into four squads of four: North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and The Challengers, a team made up of emerging talents from different nationalities. Each delegation will be mixed, featuring one man and one woman in snowboarding, alongside one man and one woman in freeski.

“Bringing The Snow League to New Zealand for such a unique team tournament is a huge step for our sport,” said founder White. “Cardrona has one of the best halfpipes on the planet, and the Southern Hemisphere gives us the perfect stage to kick off season two with completely renewed energy.”

New Zealand’s Minister for Tourism, Louise Upston, welcomed the agreement, which is backed by government event-attraction funding. “It’s a real privilege to welcome the World Challenge. This event won’t just be a treat for local fans, it will also showcase our spectacular winter conditions to millions of viewers around the world,” she stated.

While results from the New Zealand stop will not count towards the league’s overall individual standings, the World Challenge is positioned as an ideal prologue to the Northern Hemisphere tour. The 2027 regular season will feature three key stops at historic and Olympic venues: Aspen Snowmass (7 January to 9 January), Park City Mountain (21 January to 23 January), and the grand finale in LAAX, Switzerland (11 March to 13 March).

Among the major structural changes for year two, the league will expand its freeski field from 16 to 24 athletes, matching the snowboard quota and ensuring freeski is represented at every stage of the championship. Competition weekends will also shift to an extended three-day format, split into qualifiers, quarter-finals and straight finals, under the league’s popular elimination system.

On Thursday, the respective General Assemblies of both organisations approved a landmark step for national sport: starting next year, the two bodies will come together under a single structure.

Belgium thus becomes the sixth country in the world, after the Netherlands, the United States, Norway, Saudi Arabia and South Africa, in which the National Olympic Committee and the National Paralympic Committee merge into one organisation. In doing so from 1 January 2027 onward, the country hopes to underline its role as a trailblazer within the international Olympic and Paralympic Movement.

According to the statement, the merger is “the logical continuation of a partnership that has steadily grown stronger in recent years”. Joint training camps, a shared brand identity, and the successful campaigns of the Paris 2024 and Milano Cortina 2026 Summer and Winter Games had already shaped the notion that there is only one Team Belgium, now made official.

By bringing the two organisations together, COPB aims to strengthen support for all elite athletes, pool expertise, and further embed a high-performance culture across Belgium. Jean-Michel Saive, president of COIB, said the decision means they are writing “a new chapter in the history of Belgian sport”. It reflects, he added, the conviction that this collaboration “makes us stronger and allows us to push our limits together”.

The move builds on a relationship that is already deeply rooted. As far back as 1960, former COIB president Victor Boin played a pivotal role in the creation of what would later become the BPC. The link between the two bodies is woven into their shared history, and has only tightened in recent years.

“Our ambition to promote inclusion through the magic of sport is now taking on a new dimension. With this merger, we want to set an example for sports federations and for society at large”, added Ellen Van Camp, head of the BPC.

Over the past year, significant work has been carried out to map the objectives, needs and practical implications of such a merger. Athletes were closely involved throughout the process and are regarded as one of the driving forces behind the project.

COPB intends to give fresh momentum to Team Belgium and Team Belgium Paralympic, while also strengthening the social impact of Belgian sport. Implementation is expected to be gradual, with the ambition of further developing and aligning elite programmes, partner offerings and the brand architecture of both organisations. The decision marks an important step in a long-term process aimed at full integration at every level.

The BPC’s merger into COIB encompasses all Paralympic components, including ties to the national and international Paralympic movement. The role of national para-sport federation, previously held by the BPC, will now be assumed by the Belgian Para-Sport Federation, which will continue to work in collaboration with G-sport Vlaanderen and the Ligue Handisport Francophone.

The European Broadcasting Union and the International Committee of the Mediterranean Games recently announced the renewal of their audiovisual deal to bring Taranto 2026 and Portimão-Lagoa 2027 free-to-air across Europe, North Africa and other markets.

The new agreement will allow EBU members to broadcast both events across television, radio and digital services, while Eurovision Sport, the organisation’s free streaming platform, will provide additional international exposure to strengthen the visibility of two of the region’s leading multi-sport events.

The renewal consolidates a relationship that began with the acquisition of the rights to the Oran 2022 Mediterranean Games and continued with the Heraklion 2023 Mediterranean Beach Games. Since then, the collaboration between the two parties has been presented as a tool to broaden the reach and profile of the competitions, strengthen their sporting narrative and reinforce their position among the world’s leading regional multi-sport events.

Taranto 2026 will take place from 21 August to 3 September 2026 and will feature a programme of 31 sports. The Italian event will combine established disciplines such as athletics, swimming, gymnastics and volleyball with sports that reflect the recent evolution of the programme, including 3×3 basketball, padel, skateboarding and roller sports.

A year later, the Portimão-Lagoa 2027 Mediterranean Beach Games will be held from 11 to 18 September, with a programme focused on beach and water sports, including beach volleyball, beach soccer, kiteboarding, open-water swimming and rowing beach sprint.

Iakovos Filippousis, secretary general of the ICMG, placed the renewal on a strategic level for the organisation. “The renewal of our partnership with the European Broadcasting Union is of strategic importance for the International Committee of the Mediterranean Games. It is not simply a broadcasting agreement; it is a strong alliance built on shared values, common vision and a deep commitment to bringing the Mediterranean Games closer to the people, especially to younger generations and new audiences,” he said Thursday.

Filippousis argued that cooperation with the EBU has already had a decisive effect on the visibility of its events. In his assessment, Oran 2022 and Heraklion 2023 showed how “the expertise, credibility and network, as well as the highest broadcasting standards of the EBU and its Members can significantly increase the viewership of the Games, strengthen their storytelling and offer athletes the exposure they deserve on a much wider stage”.

The secretary general also stressed that free-to-air coverage in numerous Mediterranean countries and in other territories fits with the ICMG’s mission to make its competitions more accessible, visible and relevant to all. According to Filippousis, the alliance helps to build a stronger platform for athletes, national Olympic committees, host cities and the wider Mediterranean sporting family, as well as contributing to raising the profile of the Games.

“The ICMG deeply values this strategic alliance and looks forward to continuing to work closely with the EBU and its Members in order to deliver outstanding coverage of Taranto 2026 and Portimão-Lagoa 2027, while further strengthening the legacy and future of the Mediterranean Games,” he added.

Andreas Aristodemou, director of Olympics at EBU Sport, linked the agreement to the ability of these competitions to bring audiences together through sport and celebrate the region’s diversity. “The Mediterranean Games continue to represent a unique opportunity to bring audiences together through sport and to celebrate the diversity and shared heritage of the Mediterranean region.”

Aristodemou also underlined the multicultural character of Games that bring together athletes and spectators from Europe, Africa and Asia, a dimension which, he explained, makes them especially significant for the EBU and its Mediterranean members. The executive said the organisation wanted to build on the success of its first phase of collaboration with the ICMG to continue expanding the reach of the Games and bringing more fans closer to the stories behind them.

“Together with our members and through our Eurovision Sport platform, we look forward to bringing Taranto 2026 and Portimão-Lagoa 2027 to our audiences across Europe, North Africa and beyond,” Aristodemou said.

The renewal forms part of the EBU’s broader commitment to the coverage of leading multi-sport events. With programmes that combine established Olympic disciplines with growing urban, water and beach sports, the Mediterranean Games continue to provide a platform for exposure for new generations of fans on the road to the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games.