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Asian Games begin with Qatar basketball win, nine days before opening ceremony
Tokyo: The Asian Games began in Japan on Thursday with Qatar beating Iran in men's basketball, the first action in the continental multi-sport showpiece that has more participants than the Olympics. forestarrow.help
Over 17,000 athletes and officials are expected to take part in 43 sports at the Nagoya-Aichi Games -- which do not officially start until the opening ceremony on September 19 and will run until October 4.
Several events such as basketball, football, cricket, hockey and modern pentathlon will get under way before the opening ceremony.
Qatar held off a comeback from Iran to win their Group B encounter 59-35 at the Aichi International Arena in Nagoya in the first match of a men's basketball competition that will hold medal finals on September 20, the day after the opening ceremony.
"We know we need to win at least one game so we can qualify for the next round," said Qatar's Michael Lewis, the United States-born player who scored a game-high 21 points.
"Feels good to get some team camaraderie back, and now we have got to keep going."
Later in Group B, Taiwan beat Jordan 83-80.
Los Angeles 2028 Olympics qualifying spots are up for grabs in several sports at the Asian Games, which are returning to Japan for the first time since 1994.
Organisers hope the athletes will have a "unique experience" staying in accommodation ranging from a cruise liner and wooden containers to standard hotel rooms.
Officials are confident that the plan will not be affected by Japan's typhoon season, which is usually in full swing in September-October.
Weather has already caused disruptions, with record rainfall on Tuesday forcing hundreds of athletes briefly to evacuate their accommodation.
Rainwater also leaked into some competition venues, with more wet weather forecast for the coming days.
Among those in action at the Games will be Philippine tennis sensation Alexandra Eala and a pair of world-class teenage talents in 15-year-old Indian cricketer Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and 13-year-old Chinese swimmer Yu Zidi.
2.4 مليار يورو للأندية المشاركة في دوري أبطال أوروبا
سيوزّع الاتحاد الأوروبي لكرة القدم (يويفا) نحو 2.4 مليار يورو (2.8 مليار دولار) على الأندية المشاركة في مسابقة دوري أبطال أوروبا لموسم 2026- 2027، بما في ذلك مكافأة مشاركة تتجاوز بقليل 18 مليون يورو للفرق الـ36 المشاركة في المجموعة الموحدة، وفقا لوثائق نشرتها الهيئة القارية هذا الصيف.
أما الأندية التي أُقصيت هذا الصيف في الدور الفاصل وتم تحويلها إلى الدوري الأوروبي (يوروبا ليغ) فستحصل على مكافأة قدرها 4.2 مليون يورو.
Mike Fordham appointed International League T20’s Interim Chief Operating Officer
beIN Sports to air over 1,700 hours of Asian Games live coverage
Doha, Qatar: The 20th Asian Games 2026 gets underway on 10 September in the Japanese city of Nagoya and the wider Aichi region – and beIN Sports (“beIN”), the leading sports broadcaster in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), will deliver more than 1,700 hours of live, exclusive coverage across a bouquet of 16 channels, spanning 25 consecutive days from first preview to closing ceremony.
Up to 10,000 athletes will compete across 461 events in 43 sports at this year’s Games, which officially run from 19 September to 4 October, with competitive action beginning nine days before the opening ceremony. Alongside traditional disciplines such as track and field, swimming, and gymnastics, five new sports join the line-up. Padel, mixed martial arts, surfing, freestyle BMX, and teqball will all make their Asian Games debut in Japan.
Mohammed Al Bader, Managing Director of beIN Channels – MENA, said: “The Asian Games is the continent’s largest sporting competition, and we are proud to provide MENA viewers with comprehensive studio and on-the-ground coverage once again. beIN Sports is fully committed to showcasing the very best of talent from across Asia. We look forward to broadcasting more than 1,700 hours of coverage over the next few weeks with a special focus on the 1,000-plus Arab athletes expected to take part.”
beIN’s live coverage begins on 10 September with select games featuring Arab teams, building towards the Opening Ceremony on 19 September, with studio coverage starting at 09:00 MECCA and broadcast free-to-air on beIN Sports.
From 20 September, beIN will deliver up to around 100 hours of live coverage each day across beIN Sports 1-9, beIN Sports Xtra channels, and beIN Sports English 1 and 2. This will be complemented by a daily live multi-sports studio programme that will run from 09:00 to 15:00 MECCA, broadcast free-to-air on beIN Sports and beIN Sports News.
On 4 October, as part of the official closing ceremony, Aichi-Nagoya will hand the hosting mantle to Qatar as attention turns to the Asian Games 2030.
Messi to buy second Spanish lower league club
Barcelona: Argentina icon Lionel Messi has agreed to take over Spanish club Eldense, the second division side confirmed on Thursday.
Eldense, based just in-land from Alicante, will become the former Barcelona attacker's second venture into Spanish football ownership having bought fourth-tier Cornella in April.
The 39-year-old plays for Inter Miami and retired from international duty after Argentina's loss to Spain in the World Cup final this summer.
"CD Eldense can confirm that Lionel Messi has reached an agreement in principle with the club's current owners to acquire the shares currently held by Grupo TH Soluciones, which would make him the majority shareholder of CD Eldense," they told AFP.
"At this time, the transaction is pending completion of the final legal and contractual procedures, including the due diligence process, as well as the required authorisation from the Spanish Sports Council (CSD).
"For now, the club is unable to provide details on the financial terms of the transaction or set a definitive date for its completion, as the process has not yet been finalised.
"Once the relevant procedures have been completed and the necessary authorizations obtained, CD Eldense will officially report any developments in this regard," the club founded in 1921 added.