End of an era: Lionel Messi prepares to hang up Argentina boots with monumental farewell

We are only 78 races and eight meetings into the 2026-27 season, but there are already signs that Nichola Yuen Hang-yiu could threaten a record that most thought would never be broken. Back in 2020-21, Jerry Chau Chun-lok posted the most wins by an apprentice in a single season, slamming home 58 winners at a strike rate of 12 per cent. Before that remarkable season, the record was held by Matthew Chadwick, who recorded 43 wins back in 2008-09, which shows just how imperious Chau was that...

Formula 1’s governing body has promised a full investigation into a ⁠software bug that caused chaos ⁠and forced the start of Sunday’s Bahrain ⁠Grand Prix in Malaysia to be aborted with drivers feeling like they were in battery-powered cars made of Lego. Ferrari’s seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton and Red Bull’s four-time champion and eventual race winner Max Verstappen were among several affected by the glitch on a formation lap after ‌torrential rain and a long delay at Malaysia’s steamy...

Midway through the Asian Games, China’s sports minister felt the need to issue a rallying cry despite the country again overwhelmingly dominating proceedings. A week into competition, the delegation had already racked up 125 gold medals, won more swimming titles than ever before and were so far clear of the rest that one American press outlet half-jokingly suggested changing the name to the China Games. In the final reckoning on Sunday, China’s tally was as follows: 169 gold, 89 silver and 83...

Pierre Ng Pang-chi is keen to maintain his spot at the top of the trainers’ championship when he unleashes an eight-strong team at Happy Valley on Wednesday night, headlined by hat-trick seeker Prestige Always. A noted fast beginner in his campaigns, including in 2023-24 when he finished runner-up in the championship, Ng has struck early with nine wins from the first eight meetings to sit one ahead of Cody Mo Wai-kit and Manfred Man Ka-leung. The 43-year-old has high hopes for his Valley squad...

The Hong Kong Cricket Sixes is set for a “quantum leap forward” after headliners India announced a squad for this year’s tournament composed almost exclusively of players who competed in the 2026 Indian Premier League. Bhuvneshwar Kumar, a veteran of 229 international appearances, will captain a side that also features his Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) teammate, and fellow reigning Indian Premier League (IPL) champion, Krunal Pandya, as well as the former India all-format bowler Thangarasu...

The Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) said ⁠that a near 20 per cent jump ⁠in revenue, strong viewership figures and ⁠a slew of world records proved the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games were a success, despite logistical problems plaguing the multi-sport showpiece. The Games saw a catalogue of mishaps, from athletes bused to the wrong venues to the North Korean national anthem being played for the South Korean hockey team. There were not enough beds for the more than 17,000 athletes and officials, a larger...

The Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya close on Sunday, bringing the curtain down on a fortnight of competition featuring some record-breaking performances. Among the best performers were the two athletes named Asian Games MVPs: 13-year-old Chinese swimmer Yu Zidi and Thai track and field sprinter Boonson Puripol. Yu, who won all three of her individual events with ease, said “I’m no prodigy” after being named the women’s MVP on Sunday. The schoolgirl, who looks poised to take the Los Angeles 2028...

What was meant to be a few glorious moments could spark policy reform in South Korea after post-match comments from a couple of gold-medal-winning footballers triggered heated debate. South Korea beat hosts Japan 1-0 at the Toyota Stadium to win their fourth straight – and seventh overall – men’s football title at the Asian Games, leading to 20 of the 23-strong squad earning exemptions from military service. While the exemption was not an exclusive perk for the country’s footballers but for all...

David Hayes would be more than happy to see a rain-affected Randwick track for superstar Ka Ying Rising’s important trial to “dispel that rumour that he doesn’t go on the wet”. The world’s highest-rated galloper headlines a seven-horse field for Tuesday’s 1,000m trial, which will serve as a key hit-out in preparation for the champion’s defence of his Group One The Everest (1,200m) crown on October 17. Heavy rain lashed Sydney on Saturday and while conditions are expected to clear in the lead-up...

The curtain came down on the Asian Games on Sunday, with officials hoping the fortnight in Japan would be remembered not for the chaos dogging every step but for the athletic performances that brought more than 150 world, junior and continental records. In keeping with the overall approach of the Games, the closing ceremony was a strange affair, one that felt a little like adults trying to be cool in a room full of teenagers. The fact it took place in front of rows and rows of empty seats at a...

Patience was indeed a virtue for trainer Frankie Lor Fu-chuen after quirky pair Horsepower and Mr Cool snapped huge 529 and 546-day losing streaks respectively at Sha Tin on Sunday. Horsepower had last tasted success way back in April last year, but it was not for a lack of trying. In 12 runs since that win, he had finished second on three occasions, and put the writing on the wall with a half-length fourth at Happy Valley on reappearance. The Harry Angel galloper was sent off an unconsidered...

In the third instalment of a four-part Health Matters series on traditional Chinese medicine, Aidyn Fitzpatrick speaks to a Hong Kong fencer studying TCM and local practitioners to see how athletes, both elite and amateur, are using TCM alongside Western medicine for smarter injury recovery. Fresh off helping Hong Kong clinch a bronze medal in the women’s foil team event at the 2026 Asian Games in Japan, fencer Janelle Leung Ya-lei – ranked 53rd in the world – knows the fine margin between peak...