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Pinarangalan ng British Embassy sa Pilipinas ang siyam na Pinoy na  sumabak sa nakaraang 2012 Paralympic Games na ginanap kasabay ng  paglulunsad ng final leg ng Run For Pinoy Glory series noong Martes ng  gabi sa SM Aura Premier sa Taguig City. Ang lungsod ng London ang siyang naging host ng 2012 Olympic at  Paralympic Summer Games noong nakaraang taon. Sabay na gugunitain ng  British Embassy sa Pilipinas ang unang anibersaryso ng legacy na  iniwan ng 2012 Games. Sina Andy Avellana, Martires Burce, Roger Tapia at Isidro Vildosola ng  athletics; powerlifters Adeline Ancheta, Achelle Guion at Agustin  Kitan; Josephine Medina ng table tennis at Beariza Ma Roble ng  swimming ang mga lumahok sa nakaraang Paralympic Games. Ang huling leg ng Run for Pinoy Glory, na may temang A Gift To Our  Filipino Paralympians, ay gaganapin sa Setyembre 8 sa Camp Aguinaldo  grounds lungsod ng Quezon. Ang kikitaan sa naturang patakbo, kasama ang naunang ...

Brandon Rios is not only aiming to beat Manny Pacquiao but to convincingly win that will force the eight-time world division champion into retirement. Rios (31-1-1 with 23 knockouts), the former World Boxing Association lightweight, will face Pacquiao (54-5-2 with 38 KOs) on November 23 in a 12-round non-title bout at the Cotai Arena, Venetian Resort in Macao, China. The 27-year-old Mexican-American told FightNews.com that he wants to send the aging and struggling Pacquiao into permanent retirement. "One Mexican [Juan Manuel Marquez] knocked him out; this Mexican will retire him. I'm going to retire him after this," said the Lubbock, Texas-born orthodox fighter. Pacquiao appeared to be sluggish in his last two fights where he suffered a sixth-round KO loss to Marquez and a stunning split decision setback against Timothy Bradley prompting some boxing analysts that he has lost his killer instinct and age seemed to be catching up with him. Pacquiao, a still respect...

Team Manila Head Coach Ana Santiago believes there is no reason for them to repeat as Big League World Series champions even if there are only three members of last year’s winning squad left on the team. "Skills-wise mas may advantage kami ngayon compared to last year’s team. Six of my 15 players are pitchers who can also play different positions,” said Santiago. "They are quick and at the same time, seven are all power hitters. We are better prepared this time at kaya namin mag to repeat as champions. Balanced ang team kaya confident ako na makukuha namin.” "The only problem I see is how will my players react to the pressure of playing at the international level,” added the Adamson mentor, who tagged California, Michigan, and Puerto Rico as the teams to beat in the 2013 Big League Softball World Series from Agust 4 to 10 in Sussex County, Delaware. Santiago, who steered the Adamson Lady Falcons to a third straight and 12th overall University Athletic As...

Rising athletes from different elementary and high schools in the National Capital Region will again converge at the Marikina Sports Park in Marikina City for the 27th Milo Little Olympics. The two-weekend competition will be held from August 30 to September 1 and September 6 to 8. Athletics, badminton, basketball, chess, football, gymnastics, scrabble, sepak takraw, swimming, table tennis, taekwondo, tennis, and volleyball are the events to be contested. Organizers also added the biggest delegation, loudest cheer, cheer dance, best marching band and saludo, Miss Milo Little Olympics, and photo contest as side events. Three slots from the National Finals in the elementary and high school, boys' and girls' divisions, are also at stake. The deadline for registration is on August 19 at the Milo Little Olympics secretariat at the Marikina Sports Park, where the coaches and referees meeting will also be held on August 24 from 1 to 3 p.m. For more information, call or tex...

A look of disappointment was written all over Adamson University Head Coach Leo Austria’s face after a dying second unsportsmanlike foul was called on Gian Abrigo and cost the Soaring Falcons a potential come-from-behind victory over De La Salle on Wednesday in the 76th University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) men’s basketball tournament at the Smart Araneta Coliseum. Abrigo and Green Archers big man Norbert Torres were jockeying for position in De La Salle’s inbound play in the final 15.9 seconds of the game—with De La Salle on top, 67-65—when referee Francisco Olivar whistled the Adamson forward for an unsportsmanlike foul. That changed the complexion of the crucial stage of the game as Torres sealed the Green Archers’ win from the free-throw line. “It is very frustrating, that kind of call. I don’t know what has got into the referee who made the call,” said Austria. “[The referees] should have let the players decide the game. Imagine we were down by 16 or 20 ...

For two straight seasons, Letran’s homegrown talent and guard Mark Cruz used to play behind the shadows of Kevin Alas and Franz Dysam. Now, the spotlight has been thrown on the five-foot-six guard after Alas opted to skip his final year with the Knights and the unexpected incident that happened to Dysam. Cruz had back-to-back 20-point games to help keep Letran undefeated in the 89th Season of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), earning him the league’s ACCEL/3XVI-Player of the Week honors backed by Gatorade. The 21-year-old Management major played his best game so far in Letran’s 87-68 demolition of Mapua, which is also the Knights’ seventh straight win. He finished with 22 points on an impressive 10-of-17 shooting from the field, eight-of-12 from two-point range. Cruz also grabbed 10 rebounds–nine at the defensive end– to go with five assists and four steals in 29 minutes of action. “Nakuha ko na ang kumpiyansa ko sa last game at nagsisilbing ...

The first round of the 76th University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) men's basketball tournament turned out  to be another painful one for the University of the Philippines Fighting Maroons. The boys from Diliman slumped to its seventh straight setback this season, a 57-62 loss from the University East Red Warriors on Saturday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.  It was also UP's 13th overall defeat dating back from last year's second round. UP Head Coach Ricky Dandan is fully aware of how his wards are trying hard just to earn a win but the Fighting Maroons' inexperience proved to be costly adding that  they manage to hang on and keep in step with their opponents for two to three quarters but could not close out the game. "I said it before that it will be a tough season since the level of competition is high. We're always there fighting, but could not close out the game and that points to our relative inexperience," said Dandan, who want...

Courtesy of ChessGames.com As a seven-year-old, Fide ( Fédération Internationale Des É checs or World Chess Federation)  Master Alekhine Nouri still enjoys playing outdoor games with other kids or with his game console at home watching movies. But Nouri, a first-grader who was named after four-time world champion Alexander Alekhine of Russia,  transforms into a different person every time he sits in front of a chess board, where he beats players older than him. And after two years since his father Hamed Guilaran Nouri, who also holds an FM norm,  taught him the basic moves and strategy of the game, the seven-year-old chess wizard has already earned  him the  FM title. Nouri was five when his father  introduced him to chess by going to various tournaments in Escalante City, Negros Occidental. He started competing in non-titled tournaments at age six. Hamed decided to quit his job to focus on coaching his son's young chess career and help a...

San Sebastian chief deputy Raymund Valenzona is finally relieved that Head Coach Topex Robinson will be calling the shots when the Golden Stags take on the Jose Rizal University Heavy Bombers on Saturday  in the 89th National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) seniors' basketball tournament . Robinson skipped the Stags' two games as he  joined the Alaska Aces on their U.S. trip as the team's reward for winning the Philippine Basketball Association Commissioner's Cup. Valenzona, the mentor of the still undefeated Staglets, coached four straight games [juniors and seniors] where he steered both teams to consecutive victories against season  host College of Saint Benilde  and Emilio Aguinaldo College (EAC). The Staglets are tied with defending champion San Beda Red Cubs at 6-0 after wins over the Junior Blazers, 62-52, and the EAC Brigadiers, 81-74. Valenzona then guided the Stags to a hard-earned 80-78 victory against the Blazers. "To God be the glory a...

ncaa,org,ph Letran College management plans to assign additional security personnel to its men's basketball team following the shooting incident involving the Knights' backup guard Franz Dysam and girlfriend, Joanne Sordan, on Saturday. Letran Athletic Director Fr. Victor Calvo, O.P., said they want to assure the safety of their players adding that he would also suggest the same precautionary measure to the nine other National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) schools. "It could happen to anybody.  We're planning to put additional security personnel with the team every game," said Calvo. He also wanted to get assurance from officials of The Arena that security will also be tightened around the playing venue. "San Juan police provided two security escorts to us after the incident. We need to make sure these players are secured since some of them are still teenagers," said Calvo. Calvo said Letran officials are letting San Juan police do...

Nonito Donaire Jr. admitted that a lot of things were going through his mind during his 12-round title bout opposite Cuban Guillermo Rigondeaux that resulted in a unanimous decision loss last April 13 in New York City. That loss cost Donaire his World Boxing Organization and World Boxing Association super bantamweight titles, despite knocking down Rigondeaux (12-0 with eight knockouts), the two-time Olympic champion in the 10th round. Donaire (31-2 with 20 KOs), in an interview by RingTV, said his wife Rachelle, who was then six months pregnant with their first child, and retirement were the things that bothered him before and during the fight. “I’m not taking away anything from Rigondeaux. But my mind wasn’t really 100 percent on the fight. I honestly didn’t care about it that much. Most of the time, I was thinking about my kid,” said the Talibon, Bohol-born Filipino-American fighter. Donaire’s wife gave birth to their first child, a boy, on July 16. He said that ...

The Philippine Volcanoes begin their ambitious quest for a slot in the Rio de Janeiro 2016 Olympics by competing in the four-leg Asian Men’s Sevens Series, which is also a qualifying event for the 2014 Asian Games in Incheon, South Korea. The series kicks off in Kuala Lumpur on August 31 and September 1 and will proceed to Bangkok (September 21 and 22), Mumbai (October 12 and 13), and Singapore (November 2 and 3). Volcanoes team manager Matt Cullen said that besides trying to keep the Philippines’ No. 3 ranking in Asia, they are also aiming to make it to Incheon and win a medal. “If we qualify and win a medal in the Asian Games then we can get a shot of earning an Olympic qualifying berth,” said Cullen. Japan is No. 1 in Asia, followed by Hong Kong. The Philippines—after the significant gains in last month’s World Cup in Moscow— is now third, ahead of South Korea and China. Cullen said the reintroduction of rugby sevens in the Rio Games will benefit the Volcanoes. ...

Brandon Rios, with his 12-round welterweight non-title bout opposite Manny Pacquiao four months away, fired the opening salvo as he expressed confidence to hand the Filipino southpaw’s fourth knockout loss of his career. And the 27-year-old Lubbock, Texas-born fighter has some choice words against the former pound-for-pound king Pacquiao (54-5-2 with 38 KOs). “Honestly, I think I can knock [Pacquiao] out, I have that kind of power in my hands. I feel stronger in this division and I'm ready to show my power. I'm going for the knockout,” said Rios (31-1-1 with 23 KOs) in an interview by BoxingSecene.com’s Miguel Rivera. Pacquiao has been knocked out three times in his 18-year boxing career, most recently a crushing sixth-round KO loss against Mexican nemesis Juan Manuel Marquez (55-6-1 with 40 KOs) on December 8, 2012. Pacquiao, as a 16-year-old bantamweight, suffered his first KO, third round, loss to compatriot Rustico Torrecampo on February 9, 1996, which ende...

Two-time Olympic silver medal-winning Coach Ryan Flaherty was tapped  by the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) to help the country’s  athletics program in time for the 27th Southeast Asian Games in  Myanmar. PSC Chairman Ricardo Garcia said Flaherty, whose  credentials include coaching the U.S. Olympic 4x100 and 4x400-meter  relay teams to the silver medal in the 2012 London Olympic Games,  promised to help the country’s athletes prepare in time for future  international and at the same time share new insights to all Filipino  coaches. “We are just waiting for the forthcoming arrival of Ryan Flaherty, who  if you can recall visited us months ago on our invitation from San  Diego. He is the relay coach of the US Olympic Team that won silver,”  Garcia said. He clarified that all Filipino coaches under Patafa  will not be replaced as Flaherty, a USA Track and Field Level 2 coach,  will study and observe the training of...

Vic Darchinyan's six-year wait to avenge his stunning fifth-round knockout loss to Nonito Donaire Jr. is over—he and the Filipino Flash will collide anew in November. The fight details—date and venue of the non-title bout—however, have yet to be finalized by Top Rank Promotions big boss Bob Arum. News of Donaire (31-2 with 20 knockouts) agreeing for a rematch against Darchinyan—instead of a rematch with Cuban super-bantamweight champion Guillermo Rigondeaux—first came out on Ghana sports radio’s Dennis Mirpuri’s Twitter account. ESPN boxing writer Dan Rafael later confirmed the news on his Twitter account that Donaire’s return fight will be against the 37-year-old Darchinyan (39-5-1 with 28 KOs). Donaire, who suffered a unanimous-decision loss to Rigondeaux (12-0 with eight KOs) on April 13 that cost him his World Boxing Association and World Boxing Organization 122-pound titles, is in shape by doing light workouts. Donaire knocked out Darchinyan, fifth in The ...

Jose Rizal University Coach Vergel Meneses admitted that his rookie-filled roster is still adjusting to his system early in the 89th National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) season. "We are still building our character since my team has 11 rookies. Even though some of them are in their early 20s, I still consider them rookies for they're not that experienced," said Meneses. "But as long as they play and embrace my system, we won't encounter any problems this season," added the former Philippine Basketball Association cage great, on the eve of their scheduled 4 p.m. Monday match against Emilio Aguinaldo College at The Arena in San Juan City. JRU opened with a 69-61 win over Mapua last month but the Heavy Bombers’ inexperience showed, especially in the end game, in their last three matches. The Heavy Bombers lost two nearly-won contests—against University of Perpetual Help, 70-78, and in overtime opposite league-leading Letran, 66-69—then needed...

Via  directionsonweb.blogspot.com The Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) decided it will no longer spend money to  repaint the Ninoy Aquino Stadium (NAS) for the 2013 International Basketball Federation (Fédération Internationale de Basketball, Fiba) Asia Championship for Men. This despite allocating  P200 million of its funds for the renovation of all sports facilities inside the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex early this year. PSC chairman Ricardo Garcia said it will cost his agency P3.5 million just to repaint the two-decade-old indoor sports arena. "We're trying to get a sponsor to get the repainting job done. We believe that repainting [NAS] won't change anything," said Garcia. "We feel that it will be better to spend P3.5M on other things, like for the needs of the athletes. What's important is all facilities inside [NAS] are in order," Garcia added. NAS is one of two venues to be used for next month's Fiba Asia, which the country is ho...