XIANG PENG VS. DIMITRIJ | MEN'S SINGLES | WTT CHAMPIONS MONTPERLLIER 2026

 

FULL MATCH | CHENG I-CHING VS. HANA GODA | WOMEN'S SINGLES | QUARTERFINALS | WTT CHAMPIONS MONTPERLLIER 2026

 

ALEXIS LEBRUN VS. MANAV THAKKAR

 

DANG QUI VS. ALEXIS LEBRUN | EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIPS | QUARTERFINALS

 

EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIPS | DAY 8 | TABLE 1 | SESSION 1

 

BORGAR HAUG VS. ANTON KALLBERG | EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIPS | QUARTERFINALS

 

DARKO VS. JORDIC VS. FELIX LEBRUN | MEN'S SINGLES | SEMIFINALS | #EUROPESMASH | SWEDEN 2026

 

NORDIC ARENA | DAY 7 | EUROPE SMASH | SWEDEN 2026

 

ALEXIS LEBRUN VS. TOMOKAZU HARIMOTO | MS QF | #EUROPESMASH 2026

 

SORA MATSUSHIMA VS. WANG CHIQIN | MT - FINAL | #ITTF2026

HINA HAYATA VS. SUN YINGSHA | WT-FINAL | #ITTF2026

 

WANG CHIQIN. VS. OH JUNSING | QUARTERFINAL | #ITYFWORLD2029

 

PATRICK FRANZISKA VS. DARKO JORGIC | MT-R32 | #ITTFWPROLD2026

 

SABINE VS. MIWA | GROUPS | #ITTFWORLD2026

 

TRULS VS. ADAM | R32 | #ITTFWORLDCHAMPIONSHIP

AN JAEHYUN VS. FELIX LEBRUN | R16 | #WTTYOKOHAMA2025

 

FULL MATCH: ANTON KÄLBERG VS. LIN SHIDONG | #WTTFRANKFURT2024

HOCKEY, DIVING AND CRICKET AMONG SPORTS REMOVED AXED FOR 2026 COMMONWEALTH GAMES

Hockey, rugby sevens and diving are among the big-name Commonwealth Games casualties, axed from the pared-back Glasgow program in 2026.

The Games, relocated to Scotland after Victoria's withdrawal as host, will feature just 10 events, which is nine less than the previous edition held in 2022 in Birmingham.

Other sports to be left out include cricket, badminton, beach volleyball, mountain biking, rhythmic gymnastics, squash and table tennis.

Athletics and swimming were the only sports guaranteed a spot on the program, which also includes track cycling, weightlifting, 3x3 basketball and lawns bowls -- all of which include a para equivalent.

Netball, artistic gymnastics, judo and boxing round out the chosen 10.

Multiple sports including Hockey have been dropped from the Commonwealth games. Photo by Elsa/Getty Images

As a cost-saving measure, the 10 sports will be spread across just four venues -- Scotstoun Stadium, Tollcross International Swimming Centre, Emirates Arena and the Scottish Event Campus.

Athletes and support staff will stay in hotel accommodation rather than an athletes village.

The 2026 program will be officially released later on Wednesday.

The multi-sport event had been endangered since the government of Victoria pulled out as host last year, citing spiralling costs, which, it claimed, had blown the budget out to $6 billion.

Victoria paid $380 million in compensation to the Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF), of which $200 million will be directed to Scotland to cover its hosting costs.

That figure will be topped up by $4.5 million from Commonwealth Games Australia (CGA) to cover security, with neither the UK nor Scottish governments prepared to use public money -- though the former is said to be prepared to underwrite any additional security costs.

"This is a fantastic outcome for the Commonwealth sport movement," CGA president Ben Houston said last month.

"The Commonwealth Games are at the heart of Australia's performance pathway, often providing the launch pad for continued and ongoing success by Australian athletes.

"They are irreplaceable in terms of providing global competition and, in the absence of an Australian host, it was in the interests of Australian sport that we make an overseas Games a reality."

- AAP

CHINESE PADDLERS WIN MIXED DOUBLES AT ASIAN TABLE TENNIS

Kuai Man (L) and Lin Shidong of China win the mixed doubles title at the Asian Table Tennis Championships in Astana, Kazakhstan, October 12, 2024. /CFP

Lin Shidong and Kuai Man of China battled from behind to defeat Ri Jong Sik and Kim Kum Yong of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) 9-11, 12-10, 11-9, 15-13 in the mixed doubles final at the Asian Table Tennis Championships in Astana, Kazakhstan, on Saturday, winning China's second title at the continental competition.

Ri and Kim made their impact felt by knocking out Japanese favorites Tomokazu Harimoto and Hina Hayata, and giving Chinese gold medalists Wang Chuqin and Sun Yingsha a tough battle at the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics in August.

The DPRK duo beat Paris 2024 bronze medalists Lim Jong-hoon and Shin Yu-bin of South Korea in the semifinals in Kazakhstan's capital.

Ri and Kim gave Lin and Kuai stymied in the first game, leading 10-6. Although the Chinese pair were resilient enough to cut the deficit to one point, they failed to reverse the momentum, and dropped the next game to trail 1-0 in the match.

The two sides continued to exchange leads in the second game, before Lin and Kuai tied things at 10-10 with a lucky bounce, and then converted back-to-back points to level the contest at 1-1.

Kuai Man (L) and Lin Shidong of China win the mixed doubles title at the Asian Table Tennis Championships in Astana, Kazakhstan, October 12, 2024. /CFP

After adjusting to the opposing duo's style of play, the Chinese pair tied the third game at 7-7, before surging into the lead. The DPRK side pushed back to level things at 9-9, but Lin and Kuai grabbed consecutive points to claim the game and seize a 2-1 lead.

China's paddlers earned two match points after jumping out to a 10-8 in the fourth game, but continued to miss out on the decisive play until the score reached 14-13, when Lin and Kuai refused to let the opportunity slip away again and secured the title.

- CGTN 

JAPAN REMAIN GREATEST THREAT TO CHINA'S TABLE TENNIS DOMINANCE IN PARIS

Japan's rising star Tomokazu Harimoto and reigning world champion Fan Zhendong of China will both be expected to feature prominently in the men's singles of the upcoming Olympic table tennis tournament. VCG/VCG via Getty Images

China's table tennis team head to the Paris Olympics on a mission to re-establish their complete dominance of the sport with a clean sweep of the gold medals on offer after their shock defeat by Japan in the mixed doubles event at the Tokyo Games.

Paris offers China's dream team a shot at redemption after Japan's Jun Mizutani and Mima Ito upset them in the first-ever mixed doubles final at the COVID-delayed Games three years ago.

The defeat marked the first time China had failed to win every table tennis title at an Olympics since South Korea's Ryu Seung-min claimed gold in the men's singles at the 2004 Athens Games.

It did not go down well back home.

"Team China puts in more effort than any team to be as prepared as possible, so failure is not an option," table tennis commentator Adam Bobrow told Reuters.

"If there's any final, men or women, in singles that is not two Chinese players, that will be massive news."

China have won 32 of the 37 golds and 60 of the 115 total medals since table tennis was introduced to the Summer Olympics in 1988.

The world's top four men and women's singles players are all from China, where the sport is a national obsession.

The extent of China's depth in talent has even allowed to leave Ma Long -- widely regarded as the greatest table tennis player of all time -- out of singles competition and reserve him solely for the team event. VCG/VCG via Getty Images

Such is the Asian superpower's strength-in-depth that reigning men's Olympic singles champion Ma Long will not defend his title in Paris.

Instead, Ma, the most celebrated player of his generation, who also won gold in Rio in 2016, will take part in the team event, with China's hopes in the men's singles resting on world number one Wang Chuqin and reigning world champion Fan Zhendong.

Top-ranked Sun Yingsha is the favourite for the women's singles title, but the Chinese contingent will face new and old challengers from neighbouring Japan.

Tokyo mixed doubles gold medallist Ito, known for her unconventional style, returns to lead a strong Japanese squad, while rising star Tomokazu Harimoto will be gunning for the men's singles title.

Harimoto's younger sister, Miwa, will also make her Olympic debut in the team event, but the Japanese pair will not be the only table tennis siblings competing in Paris.

France, with home-court advantage, are a dark horse in the team event, with all eyes on brothers Felix and Alexis Lebrun, who are 17 and 20 respectively.

The duo's rapid ascent to the top of the sport has captivated the host nation, as well as Liu Guoliang, who now heads the Chinese Table Tennis Association (CTTA).

Liu said the Lebrun brothers were a "prominent rival to China in the coming decade" in an interview with China's CCTV.

Alexis, who is ranked 16th in the world, 11 places below his younger brother, has one of the best records against Chinese players, said Bobrow, who described the older Lebrun as "creative and powerful".

"It's tough to have people on the other side of the table that play such an unpredictable style," Bobrow added.

The competition, which runs from July 27 to Aug. 10, sees 172 athletes battle across five events and will also mark the end of the storied international career of Timo Boll.

The 43-year-old German, a twice Olympic silver medallist in the team event, made his first Olympic appearance at Sydney in 2000 and will become only the sixth player to appear at seven different Games.

- Reuters