David Silva on the spot in Hong Kong, World Cup winner a hit for Supreme Sha Tin

Hong Kong tennis chief Michael Cheng Ming-git revealed plans to improve the skills of young players by sending them overseas to a training centre in Europe. Teenage players who were on the professional tennis path would be expected to spend several years playing at a higher level outside Hong Kong in Spain because “that is the only way up” in the game, according to Cheng. Spain was chosen as the location for the training centre because of its competitive environment and track record of producing...

David Silva said he would “not close the door” on the possibility of repeating his headline-grabbing guest appearance for Supreme Sha Tin this weekend, as the club’s ambitious owner acknowledged he would gladly keep doling out bumper pay cheques to keep the World Cup winner on board. Still, Jim Wong Chi-chuen, who has granted Silva a “seven-figure” Hong Kong dollar payday to play against BC Rangers at a sold-out Kai Tak Youth Sports Ground on Saturday, said that for the 40-year-old to commit...

Cristiano Ronaldo’s glorious Portugal career ultimately ended in acrimony. What a contrast to his great rival Lionel Messi, who also retired from international football this year, but only after leading Argentina to back-to-back World Cup finals. As has been the case throughout their record-breaking careers, it is impossible not to compare the two greatest players of their generation and, for many, the greatest of all time. While Ronaldo’s video message to announce his retirement on Thursday was...

Kozo Tashima first started playing football after watching the 1964 Tokyo Olympics, and since then he has dedicated his life to developing the sport’s growth in Japan. The 68-year-old is set to become the first person from Japan to run for the Fifa presidency after announcing he would stand against Gianni Infantino in football’s governing body’s election in March. Tashima has served as a football player, coach and bureaucrat and has a reputation for being a safe pair of hands. He rarely makes...

The World Fencing League is sticking to its guns in its quest to showcase the sport “in a dynamic format and grow its global fan base”, ahead of the trailblazing competition’s Hong Kong debut next year. Founded by Olympic bronze medallist Miles Chamley-Watson, the WFL staged a glitzy, sell-out inaugural event in Los Angeles seven months ago. But the league last month found itself in a squabble with the International Fencing Federation (FIE), after the global governing body issued a waspish...

It was not just the “basic stuff” on the court: Wang Xinyu also wants to improve the mental side after her season ended on Thursday at the Prudential Hong Kong Tennis Open. Tournament sixth seed Wang did not look at her best throughout the match as she lost 6-3, 4-6, 6-2 to Antonia Ruzic, failing to get past the second round on her third appearance in the city. The world No 81 Croatian, who is ranked more than 40 places below Wang, will now play Philippines sensation Alexandra Eala, who beat the...

Sports experts and former basketball executives believe that the partnership between the National Basketball Association (NBA) and leading prediction-market platforms Kalshi and Polymarket could be a double-edged sword if not properly managed and supervised. While there was an obvious consensus that the deal was about money, the flip side was that it could drive fan engagement up or down and even pose reputational risks to the league. The agreement was announced late last month, but without...

Pierre Ng Pang-chi is hoping Le Zonda has toughened up since his last run as his promising stayer faces the biggest test of his career in the Group Three Sa Sa Ladies’ Purse (1,800m) at Sha Tin on Sunday. The two-time Irish winner pre-import made quite the impression to cap off last season, breaking through locally at the seventh attempt when sweeping from the back of the field for a comfortable success at Happy Valley over 1,800m. He followed up with a similar performance a month later,...

Harry Kane said he felt “right at home” after he signed a two-year extension at Bayern Munich, keeping the Ballon d’Or winner at the club until 2029, the German champions announced on Thursday. The 33-year-old England captain joined Bayern from Tottenham in 2023 and has scored 156 goals in 161 games in all competitions. “I feel right at home at FC Bayern. I love the club, the fans and the city of Munich. We have a fantastic team and, in Vincent Kompany, a fantastic manager,” Kane said in a...

Saffie Osborne will get her first taste of what she labels every jockey’s dream when she makes her Hong Kong debut with a stacked book of 10 rides at Sha Tin on Sunday. The groundbreaking British rider arrived in the city on Wednesday night bidding to continue her meteoric rise, fresh from becoming the first female jockey to ride a British Classic winner after booting home Highwayman in September’s Group One St Leger. Rated one of the best up-and-coming young jockeys in the world, the...

The Japan Swimming Federation on Wednesday banned world champion swimmer Tomoru Honda until August 2028 over a high-speed car crash last year. The 21-month suspension for the 24-year-old effectively rules him out of the Los Angeles Olympics, with federation officials stating the decision will not be changed. The two-week Olympics start on July 14. According to the indictment, on the morning of November 21 last year in Tama, western Tokyo, Honda drove at speeds between 88km/h (55mph) and 108km/h...

Japan coach Hajime Moriyasu said on Wednesday that he would “accept reality” after the 2027 Asian Cup’s postponement from January to December probably cost him his last shot at winning the title before stepping down. The Asian Football Confederation said the tournament in Saudi Arabia would be pushed back almost a year because of “exceptional circumstances” in the region, following Houthi attacks on the host country. Moriyasu was due to lead Japan at the tournament early next year before being...