CLARK, Philippines: President Rodrigo Duterte will attend Saturday’s opening ceremony of the Southeast Asian Games, the presidential palace said, a day after the Philippine leader apologized for the chaotic build-up.
The organization of the 30th edition of the SEA Games has been mocked and marred by complaints about transport, accommodation and food as thousands of athletes have flooded into the Philippines for the biggest-ever edition of the multi-sport event.
And the threat of an approaching typhoon — forecasted to hit the north of the country early next week — looms large.
Duterte had pledged a probe into the troubled run-up to the Games’ opening ceremony at the Philippine Arena, around 25 kilometers north of the capital Manila, after a rush of logistical problems and last-minute construction.
“I’m really apologizing for the country ... they (other nations) should know while they are still here that the government is not happy,” Duterte said in an interview that aired Friday.
“You cannot just cast away all those — the discomfort, the sufferings of the athletes, sleeping on the floors, getting hungry,” he added. “To the countries that sent them here, it’s a big deal.”
He also instructed organizers to release complimentary tickets to many of the 56 sports at the SEA Games to locals.
The Philippines was bracing for a typhoon which national forecasters warned was maintaining its strength.
PAGASA said Typhoon Kammuri — which is packing gusts of 185 kilometers per hour and maximum sustained winds of 150 kph (93 mph) — is presently heading right for Games venues in the north of the country and is expected to make landfall on Tuesday.
As the build-up woes cast a shadow over the Games, Indonesia clinched the first gold medal of the competition with a historic victory, bringing Singapore’s 54-year stranglehold on the men’s water polo competition to an end.
With only sailing, windsurfing and netball on the sporting schedule on Saturday, all eyes will be on the opening ceremony, which starts at 7 p.m. (1100 GMT).
Many of the details remain a secret, although the show’s director, Filipino writer Floy Quintos, shared a photo on Facebook of hundreds of performers in colorful costumes on stage.
“Yes, the show is a spectacle,” wrote the award-winning playwright, adding the image showed a people “united.”
“And the power of spectacle is one that has been used, worldwide by the powerful to further agendas. But it is in the hands of the spectacle’s creators to patch together some meaning, some cohesion, some message that goes beyond the political.”
This year’s Games in Clark, Manila and Subic, which run through to December 11, are particularly complex with a record 56 sports across dozens of venues that are in some cases hours’ drives apart, even before Manila’s notorious gridlock traffic is factored in.
SEA Games: Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte to attend opening ceremony
SEA Games: Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte to attend opening ceremony
- The organization of the 30th edition of the SEA Games has been mocked and marred by complaints
- Duterte had pledged a probe into the troubled run-up to the Games’ opening ceremony
Legacy showdown: Eubank Jr. and Benn finally set to settle grudge match
- More than three decades after their fathers’ fierce boxing rivalry gripped the UK, Chris Eubank Jr. and Conor Benn will at last meet in the ring this Saturday
- Their showdown has been long delayed, after Benn’s failed drug test scuppered plans for a 2022 bout
LONDON: More than three decades after their fathers’ fierce boxing rivalry gripped the UK, Chris Eubank Jr. and Conor Benn are set to finally meet in the ring this Saturday at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London.
Ahead of the highly anticipated clash, long delayed after Benn’s failed drug test scuppered plans for a 2022 bout, their rivalry was reignited on Tuesday during the fighters’ pre-bout “Grand Arrivals” at The Pelligon in Canary Wharf.
For both of them, this is about more than just victory; it’s about family legacies and settling unfinished business in one of British boxing’s most storied rivalries.
The tension between the two men crackled as they faced off, the long history between their families impossible to ignore. This is more than a fight; it is a continuation of a saga that began in the 1990s, when Chris Eubank Sr. and Nigel Benn fought two epic battles, splitting the loyalties of British boxing fans. Eubank Sr. won their first encounter, in 1990. The 1993 rematch ended in a bitter draw.
Their sons are now poised, perhaps, to settle the score, with both fighters promising fireworks. Eubank Jr., who has remained active in the ring since the previous plans were canceled said he is seeking “revenge” for the chaos caused by the 2022 fallout.
Benn, who has spent much of the past two years involved in legal battles to clear his name, insists he is ready to deliver a “one-sided beatdown.”
The lead-up has been far from respectful. During a press conference last month, Eubank slapped Benn with an egg in a mocking reference to the latter’s claim that contaminated eggs might have caused him to fail the drug test.
Saturday’s event is expected to draw 62,000 fans and features a packed undercard, including: Anthony Yarde vs. Lyndon Arthur (light heavyweight); Liam Smith vs. Aaron McKenna (middleweight); Chris Billam-Smith vs. Brandon Glanton (cruiserweight); and Viddal Riley vs. Cheavon Clarke (cruiserweight).
Fight week also includes many fan events, including: a media workout on Wednesday; a press conference on Thursday; the public weigh-in on Friday in Islington; and even a 5 kilometer charity run through central London on Saturday morning.
Adding a modern twist, fight night itself on Saturday will feature a theme inspired by the video game Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves, merging boxing with pop culture in an attempt to broaden the event’s appeal.
NEOM SC promoted to SPL after beating Al-Arabi 3-0 in Saudi 1st Division
- A brace by Ahmad Abdo, and a goal by Saeed Bin Rahma were enough to promote the Tabuk-based club to first-tier SPL
RIYADH: NEOM Sports Club were promoted to the Roshn Saudi Pro League on Tuesday after defeating Al-Arabi Club 3-0 in the Saudi First Division.
A brace by Ahmad Abdo, and a goal by Saeed Bin Rahma were enough to promote the Tabuk-based club from the second tier of Saudi football to the first-tier SPL.
Celebrating their promotion after their win, NEOM said on X: “With the determination of heroes, we made history. Officially, Neom Sports Club is promoted to the Roshn League.”
Italy’s Serie A fixtures rescheduled due to Pope Francis’ funeral
- Lazio were to play Parma in Rome on Saturday, which has been rescheduled for Monday
- Serie A postponed Monday’s matches after the Pope’s death
ROME: Italy’s top-flight Serie A soccer league has postponed Saturday’s three fixtures until Sunday due to Pope Francis’ funeral being held that day in Rome, it said on Tuesday.
Earlier media reports had suggested that Serie A might make an exception for Inter Milan’s clash with visitors AS Roma to allow Simone Inzaghi’s side additional rest time ahead of their midweek Champions League semifinal at Barcelona.
But the league has confirmed that the game at San Siro will now kick off at 1500 local time (1300 GMT) on Sunday.
Pope Francis, the first Latin American leader of the Roman Catholic Church, died on Monday aged 88. His funeral will be held at St. Peter’s Square in front of the Basilica of St. Peter before the burial in the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore.
Lazio were to play Parma in Rome on Saturday, which has been rescheduled for Monday at 2045 (1845 GMT), while Como’s home game with Genoa has been moved to Sunday at 1230 (1030 GMT).
Serie A postponed Monday’s matches after the Pope’s death, with the games rescheduled for Wednesday, and on Tuesday Italy’s National Olympic Committee (CONI) called for the suspension of all sporting events scheduled for Saturday.
Al-Nassr leave it late to defeat Damac and remain in the Saudi Pro League top 3
- 94th-minute winner gives them a 3-2 victory that moves them within 2 points of 2nd-place Al-Hilal
- Al-Ahli remain in the hunt for a top-3 spot after a 3-1 win at Al-Wehda that leaves them trailing Al-Nassr by just 2 points
There was no Cristiano Ronaldo in the squad but, in the end, that was no problem for Al-Nassr who defeated Damac 3-2 in dramatic fashion on Tuesday to move within two points of second-place Al-Hilal in the Saudi Pro League. A 94th-minute winner from Sultan Al-Ghannam secured the victory.
With five games left to play, Al-Ittihad top the table on 68 points, followed by Al-Hilal on 62 and Al-Nassr on 60. Al-Ahli are in fourth spot on 58 points following a 3-2 victory over Al-Wehda.
With Ronaldo being rested ahead of Saturday’s AFC Champions League quarter-final against Yokohama F. Marinos, Jhon Duran led the line for the Yellows but the goals came from less-likely sources.
It was home team Damac who opened the scoring, in the 18th minute, with an unusual goal. From a corner kick delivery, Abdelkader Bedrane produced a controlled header that sent the ball toward goal, only for it to rebound off the post, hit Ramzi Solan and bounce into the Al-Nassr goal.
It took just seven minutes for the visitors to equalize, courtesy of Aymeric Laporte’s fourth league goal of the season. Damac failed to clear a corner from the right and the Spanish defender hooked a shot through a crowded area and into the net.
Into the second half, and Ali Al-Hassan put Al-Nassr in the lead with 20 minutes remaining when he side-footed smartly into the top corner from close to the penalty spot.
The lead lasted just three minutes before it was canceled out by a goal of real quality. Dhari Al-Anazi found Nicolae Stanciu just inside the area, and the Romanian turned and fired an unstoppable shot into the top corner.
Al-Ghannam won it for Al-Nassr deep into added time, lashing home a loose ball from the edge of a crowded six-yard box.
Al-Ahli are still in the hunt for a top-three finish thanks to victory at Al-Wehda. The Jeddah giants took the lead after just six minutes after Ivan Toney headed a corner against the woodwork and Roger Ibanez was the first to react, bundling the ball home.
Galeno extended the lead just before the hour mark, and although Al-Wehda pulled one back, Riyad Mahrez sealed the victory just before the end. The Greens go into their Champions League quarter-final clash with Buriram United of Thailand on Saturday in a fine run of form, with three wins and a draw in their last four league games.
Alcaraz waiting on results from medical tests to see if he will play in Madrid
- “I feel fine physically,” the 21-year-old Spaniard said
- Alcaraz won the Madrid title in 2022 and 2023
MADRID: Carlos Alcaraz said Tuesday he is feeling fine but will wait on results from medical tests to decide whether he will play at the Madrid Open.
The third-ranked Alcaraz needed treatment on his upper right leg during his straight-set loss to Holger Rune in the Barcelona Open final on Sunday.
“I feel fine physically,” the 21-year-old Spaniard said. “I’ve had tests, and we’ll see what the results say. I’m used to playing with discomfort, so let’s hope I can play and enjoy Madrid.”
Alcaraz, who won in Monte Carlo earlier this month, is expected to have his opening match later this week. He is the No. 2 seed.
Alcaraz won the Madrid title in 2022 and 2023. He is in the same half of the draw as three-time champion Novak Djokovic, the fourth seed.
Alexander Zverev, who overcame Alcaraz for the No. 2 ranking in the world after winning in Munich last weekend, is the top seed in Madrid. Defending champion Andrey Rublev is the seventh seed.
