WITH THE country’s preparations for the hosting of the 30^th Southeast Asian Games encountering “challenges,” various sports stakeholders gathered on Wednesday at the Malacañan Palace to clear the air and call for unity to ensure the successful staging of the biennial regional meet.

THE power of the sport of football to bring people together and infuse positive change was once again showcased recently when stakeholders from Sweden met their counterparts from Davao for a series of training sessions.

JOHN Mark Lexer Galedo stayed on the Men’s Elite throne, Nichol Pareja drew the spotlight in Men’s Under-23 and the girls of Standard Insurance wielded the broom in the Women’s category of the individual time trial (ITT) races of the PhilCycling 2019 National Road Cycling Championships on Tuesday in Tagaytay City.

THE EVER-growing family of ambassadors of the Jordan Brand has added top National Basketball Association rookie pick Zion Williamson to its roster.

The first round of the Riga Grand Prix began last July 12^th. Sixteen players competed in a knockout tournament. Each round consists of two games of classical chess, with a time control of 90 minutes for the first 40 moves then 30 minutes to the end of the game, with a 30-second increment from move 1. If the match is tied two 25+10 rapid games are played. If still tied, there are two slow rapid (10+10) games, then two 5-minute blitz games with three seconds increment. Finally, if the two players are still tied, a single Armageddon game is played, where White has five minutes to Black’s four (with a two-second increment from move 61) but Black wins the match with a draw.

Fans can reasonably argue that truer words were never spoken when Tiger Woods said “I just want to go home” after an abbreviated stint at the British Open. Even with relatively benign conditions greeting Claret Jug hopefuls through the first two rounds of competition, the reigning Masters champion didn’t just fail to make the weekend; he got nowhere close to the cut line, a seven-over first-18 78 derailing his chances at Royal Portrush. And by the time he met members of the media for his post-mortem, he looked deflated to the point of uttering a sentence that threatened his status as the sport’s ultimate grinder.

THE PHILIPPINE Basketball Association Commissioner’s Cup title defense of the Barangay Ginebra San Miguel Kings is still alive after beating the Magnolia Hotshots Ang Pambansang Manok, 106-80, in Game Two of their best-of-three affair on Tuesday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum to book a spot in the semifinals.

THE JOSE RIZAL University Heavy Bombers notched back-to-back wins in National Collegiate Athletic Association Season 95 after topping the Perpetual Help Altas, 71-66, on Tuesday at the FilOil Flying V Arena in San Juan City.

THE INTERMITTENT weather during the weekend failed to whet the eagerness of the drivers of Cleanfuel-Motul Racing Team.

GO FOR GOLD Philippines is looking to bounce back next year after missing its shot to break the Guinness World Record for the most number of people dribbling simultaneously.

WASHINGTON — Washington Wizards owner Ted Leonsis made official the leadership structure of Monumental Basketball, the newly formed umbrella organization for the Wizards, Washington Mystics of the WNBA, Capital City Go-Go and Wizards District Gaming.

RAFFY SEPTIMO defeated Ryan Manglicmot, 7-3, to rule the Makati Pool Players Association (MAPPA) Predator-Volturi 10-Ball Cup 2019 on Sunday at the AMF-Puyat Superbowl and Billiards Center, Makati Cinema Square in Makati City.