games

Olympic Games Manifesto Sells For Record Of $8.8 million

December 19, 2019 5:24 pm

A new auction world record for an item of sports memorabilia was set Wednesday when the original Olympic Games manifesto sold for $8.8 million at Sotheby’s, the auction house said.

The 14-page manuscript was written in 1892 by Pierre de Coubertin, a French aristocrat and athletics enthusiast known as the “father” of the modern Olympics.

It achieved nearly nine times its pre-sale estimate of $1 million following 12 minutes of intense bidding at a sale in New York, Sotheby’s said in a statement.

“Today’s record result stands as …

Filipina Sprinter Takes 200m SEA Games Crown

December 7, 2019 4:05 pm

Filipina sprinter Kristina Marie Knott defeated Vietnam’s “Queen of Speed” Le Tu Chinh on Saturday to take her Southeast Asian Games 200m track title in the first night of track and field action at the stadium in New Clark City.

Pole vaulter Ernest Obiena added to the Philippines’ medal tally with a Games record jump of 5.45 metres — enough to qualify him for the Tokyo Olympics next year.

The host nation are in complete control of the medal table after a week of competition at the biggest-ever SEA Games, with 85 golds — streets ahead of Indonesia’s 50 and …

eSports Debut In SEA Games, But Olympics Remain Distant

December 6, 2019 4:35 pm

eSports edged further into the mainstream sports world with this week’s debut at the Southeast Asian Games, but the holy grail — Olympic recognition — remains stubbornly out of reach.

A much-hyped launch in Manila, starring rows of gamers in matching tracksuits and headphones, marked the first time competitive gaming has been a medal event at an Olympic-recognised multi-sport competition.

Yet the Olympic movement has made clear it’s “premature” to discuss embracing the “commercially driven” pursuit, and there is no indication that is about to change.

Gaming industry chiefs and experts see a lack of organisation — there is no …

Tearful Weightlifting Gold As SEA Games Bounce Back

December 4, 2019 4:40 pm

Philippines weightlifter Kristel Macrohon claimed a tearful Southeast Asian Games gold medal as the regional Olympics got back into full swing on Wednesday, a day after being battered by a deadly typhoon.

Macrohon posed alongside her “inspiration”, Olympic silver medallist Hidilyn Diaz, after winning the women’s 71-kg category in Manila in front of cheering Filipino fans.

The 56-sport SEA Games resumed a full programme on Wednesday, organisers said, after Typhoon Kammuri forced about half of Tuesday’s events to be rescheduled.

Four people were killed after the storm roared across the Philippines south of Manila, which is jointly hosting the Games …

SEA Games Organisers Say ‘Ready’ For Typhoon Kammuri

December 2, 2019 3:42 pm

Southeast Asian Games venues and officials in the Manila region are “ready”, competition organisers said Monday, as powerful Typhoon Kammuri churned toward the Philippines.

There was no talk of cancelling the Games as the storm headed for a swathe of the nation’s north that includes key competition hubs as well as thousands of athletes, and had already had an impact on the schedule.

Forecasters predict the typhoon will make landfall late Monday or early Tuesday hundreds of kilometres southeast of the capital, with intense rains and potent gusts of up to 230 kilometres (145 miles) per hour.

Manila’s airport …

Messi Toasts 700 Games With A Goal As Barca Make Last 16

November 28, 2019 4:29 pm

Lionel Messi marked his 700th game for Barcelona by scoring his 613th goal on Wednesday as the Catalans beat Borussia Dortmund 3-1 to go through as group winners to the Champions League last 16.

Messi celebrated his anniversary in style by putting Barca two up before half-time, between laying on a pair of assists for Luis Suarez and Antoine Griezmann in a comfortable victory at Camp Nou.

“He was incredible,” said Barcelona coach Ernesto Valverde. “It’s all about what he does and when he does it. It was a performance to put us through.”

England’s Jadon Sancho fired into the …

Olympic Chief Ensures Russia At 2020 Games

November 28, 2019 4:28 pm

Russia’s Olympic Committee will do all it can to ensure Russian athletes take part in the 2020 Games, its chief said Thursday, as the country faces a four-year doping ban.

“We will do everything in our power to ensure our team is in Tokyo under the Russian flag,” news agency RIA Novosti quoted Stanislav Pozdnyakov as saying.

He said there were no “objective obstacles” to the “vast majority” of Russian athletes fully participating in the Olympics.

The compliance review committee at the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) on Monday recommended a four-year sporting ban over falsified lab data it received from …