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Tajik President Rahmon presented honorary taekwondo black belt
Tajik President Emomali Rahmon was presented with an honorary ninth-degree taekwondo black belt before wrapping up his visit to South Korea, according to taekwondo officials Thursday. Rahmon, who was on a four-day visit for the first South Korea-Central Asia summit as well as a bilateral summit with President Lee Jae Myung, visited Kukkiwon, the governing body of taekwondo, in Seoul earlier in the day. Yun Ung-suk, head of Kukkiwon, presented Rahmon with the honorary ninth-dan certificate and a
Sept. 17, 2026 -
S. Korea files official complaint for highlighting Japanese warlord in ceremony
NAGOYA, Japan, Sept. 17 (Yonhap) -- The top South Korean sports body said Thursday it has filed an official complaint with the organizing committee of the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games for highlighting a Japanese warlord that invaded Korea during a recent ceremony. The Korean Sport & Olympic Committee (KSOC) said it sent the same complaint to the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) on Wednesday, a day after a person dressed as Toyotomi Hideyoshi appeared in the welcome ceremony for the cruise ship Costa Se
Sept. 17, 2026 -
N. Korean sports minister arrives in Japan ahead of Asian Games
NAGOYA, Japan -- North Korea's sports minister and chef de mission for its delegation at this year's Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games arrived in Japan on Thursday, two days ahead of the official opening. Kim Il-guk, who also serves as president of the Olympic Committee of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), left Pyongyang on Tuesday and arrived at Chubu Centrair International Airport in Nagoya via China two days later. The DPRK is North Korea's official name. Kim was accompanied by several
Sept. 17, 2026 -
S. Korean delegation arrives in Nagoya
NAGOYA, Japan -- The main batch of the South Korean delegation to the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games arrived in the main host city in central Japan on Thursday, with their sights set on challenging the host country in the medal race set to begin this weekend. The Korean Sport & Olympic Committee (KSOC) said 122 athletes and officials from six sports arrived at Chubu Centrair International Airport in Tokoname, some 30 kilometers south of Nagoya. They are joining athletes in sports such as football, vol
Sept. 17, 2026 -
Can S. Korea turn surprise run into first Asian Games basketball gold in 12 years?
Few fans expected South Korea’s men’s basketball team to have a real shot at gold at the 2026 Asian Games. Four games and four wins later, expectations are beginning to change. Wednesday's victory came as a surprise. Jordan, ranked 41st in the world — 16 places above Korea — had reached the final at the previous Asian Games. Yet Korea took control from the opening tip and never looked back. Star forward Lee Hyun-jung led the way with 28 points in under 21 minutes, hitting six 3-pointers while ad
Sept. 17, 2026 -
Table tennis player, rower to carry nat'l flag at opening ceremony
Table tennis star Shin Yu-bin and rower Kim Dong-yong will serve as the flag bearers for South Korea at the opening ceremony of the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, the national Olympic committee announced Thursday. The Korean Sport & Olympic Committee said Shin and Kim will do the honors at the ceremony scheduled for Saturday at Nagoya City Mizuho Park Athletic Stadium in Nagoya, central Japan. Shin, 22, will compete in the women's singles, women's doubles, mixed doubles and the women's team event. Sh
Sept. 17, 2026 -
UEFA on track to find credible challenger to Infantino, vice-president says
MADRID (Reuters) -- UEFA remains on course to find a credible challenger to FIFA President Gianni Infantino and has not allowed its campaign for change to dissolve into wishful thinking, Vice President Laura McAllister said Wednesday. McAllister said the candidate for next March's election need not be European but must be capable of defeating Infantino, uniting soccer's confederations and delivering lasting governance reform. Speaking to Reuters at the World Football Summit in Madrid after UEFA'
Sept. 17, 2026 -
Team Korea’s young guns set sights on Asian Games glory
The 2026 Asian Games, kicking off Saturday, will bring many of South Korea’s biggest sporting names to Japan, but some of the delegation’s most exciting athletes are still making a name for themselves. Park Jun-soon arrived in the Korea Baseball Organization League with plenty of hype and wasted little time showing why. Selected sixth overall by the Doosan Bears in the 2025 KBO draft, the 20-year-old played 91 games as a rookie and impressed both at the plate and in the field. His debut later es
Sept. 17, 2026 -
Meet the 6 sports making their Asian Games debut
Imagine taekwondo without physical contact, a racket sport played inside a glass-walled court, and football played across a curved table. These are among the unfamiliar spectacles awaiting even longtime sports fans at the 2026 Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, which kicks off Saturday for a 16-day run. Among the six sports making their Asian Games debuts is virtual taekwondo. Though it may sound like a video game, competitors will not be sitting in front of a screen. Wearing virtual reality he
Sept. 16, 2026 -
S. Korea blows out Jordan to reach men's basketball semifinals
South Korea breezed past Jordan 114-80 to reach the semifinals of the men’s basketball tournament at the Asian Games in Japan on Wednesday, moving within two wins of claiming its first gold medal in a dozen years. South Korea dominated Jordan in all aspects in the blowout quarterfinal victory at Aichi International Arena in Nagoya, central Japan, where forward Lee Hyun-jung led the way with 28 points on 10-of-15 shooting in just under 21 minutes of action. He drained six 3-pointers in 10 attempt
Sept. 16, 2026 -
Rodriguez ends Colombia career
Colombian soccer icon James Rodriguez has retired from international play at 35, ending a distinguished 15-year career with the national team. "Thank you for every match, every moment of joy and every tear, and every dream we shared," Rodriguez said in a video posted on social media Wednesday. "Wearing the Colombian national team jersey and representing my country was the greatest honor of my life." Rodriguez made his senior international debut in 2011 and went on to captain Colombia, recording
Sept. 16, 2026 -
PGA Tour sets relegation rules
The PGA Tour has finalized the relegation system for its Championship Series, which will launch in 2028. The tour announced Wednesday that the Championship Series, featuring its top players across as many as 24 tournaments, will have 120 players, with only the top 90 retaining their places for the following season. Twenty players who finish outside the top 90 will be relegated to the lower-tier Challenger Series, while the top 20 from that series will earn promotion to the Championship Series. W
Sept. 16, 2026 -
PGA Tour not contemplating path back for LIV players similar to Brooks Koepka
CEO Brian Rolapp said Tuesday the PGA Tour is not considering a path back for LIV Golf players like the program it offered Brooks Koepka and three other top players at the start of the year. LIV's future has never been more murky after the rival circuit filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy last week as it plots a new model no longer bankrolled by the Saudi Arabia sovereign wealth fund. Still to be determined is how many players stick around for the less lucrative "LIV 2.0." The other part of the equa
Sept. 16, 2026 -
Lionel Messi added to Argentina's roster for Oct. 6 friendly that team says will be farewell match
BUENOS AIRES (AP) -- Lionel Messi might have one last dance with Argentina after all. Despite announcing his international retirement, the 39-year-old Inter Miami star was included Tuesday in Lionel Scaloni's 28-man Argentina squad ahead of three home friendlies. Messi has yet to confirm whether he will join the team, but the head of Argentina soccer said the icon accepted the invitation for the Oct. 6 game against Benin in Buenos Aires for what will be a grand finale. "After a conversation with
Sept. 16, 2026 -
S. Korea beat Qatar in men's football behind midfielder's hat trick
South Korea defeated Qatar 4-1 to begin their men's football tournament of the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games in central Japan on Tuesday, a victorious start to their quest for a fourth consecutive gold medal. Swansea City midfielder Eom Ji-sung scored a natural hat trick in the first half of the teams' first Group D match at Nagoya City Mizuho Park Rugby Field in Nagoya amid heavy downpours. KRC Genk forward Kim Myeong-jun had South Korea's fourth goal in the 66th minute, while Marwan Sherif had the
Sept. 15, 2026