Athletics

The 20th Asian Games are under way in Japan's Aichi Prefecture and the city of Nagoya, running from 19 September to 4 October. Around 11,000 athletes from 45 countries are competing across 43 sports. The Guardian has published a photo gallery from the event, showing scenes from the opening days of competition in Japan.

An approaching East Coast storm has forced sports leagues and organisers across the region to postpone, relocate or cancel scheduled events. The Athletic reports the disruption is affecting competitions throughout the area as teams and venues adjust to severe weather expected to hit the coast.

An AL West team is on course to reach the MLB playoffs without a winning record, something that has never happened in a full season. The Athletic reports the division's overall weakness makes it possible for a sub-.500 club to still claim a postseason berth, sparking debate about the format.

Paris 2024 organisers have confirmed that a small number of Olympic medals awarded at the Games have been affected by premature aging. Athletes whose medals are damaged can request a replacement through their National Olympic Committee. The announcement has drawn attention because the medals were meant to mark a once-in-a-lifetime achievement, and some observers are questioning the quality control behind the awards.

The 20th Asian Games open in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan in 2026, with athletics results and medallists being tracked live for fans following the continental multi-sport event. Coverage highlights the athletics programme, one of the Games' flagship disciplines, as athletes from across Asia compete for medals. The event is drawing attention as one of the biggest sporting occasions on the Asian calendar.

The Asian Games are getting under way in Japan, with coverage spotlighting ten athletes expected to make an impact at the multi-sport event. As competition begins, attention is turning to the standout names across athletics, swimming and other disciplines, with fans and commentators following how the region's top performers fare over the coming days.

Germany has chosen Munich as its candidate city to host the Olympic Games, which would mark the first time the country has hosted them since the 1972 Munich Games, which were overshadowed by the Palestinian terrorist attack that killed 11 Israeli athletes and coaches. Officials hope a successful bid would allow Germany to finally return to hosting the event more than five decades later, though the 1972 legacy looms over the plans.

Reports list the final results and placings from Fitness Olympia 2026, naming the athlete who won the title. Coverage focuses on who took the crown and how the top competitors finished in the official standings.

India take on Iran in the kabaddi final at the 2026 Asian Games, with India also meeting Japan in hockey and Indian athletes competing in athletics events. The clashes are drawing major attention from Indian sports fans, with hundreds of thousands engaging with live coverage of the day's action across the Games.

India's medal prospects for the 2026 Asian Games, to be held in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, are being tracked in a full table of the country's medals tally and winners. Interest centres on how India's athletes will build on recent continental results across athletics, shooting, wrestling and other disciplines when the Games get under way.

Singapore sprinter Shanti Pereira is aiming to reach the women's 200m final at the Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya 2026, where she is expected to face China's teenage sprinting sensation Chen Yujie. The matchup is being billed as a potential historic final for Southeast Asian sprinting, with Pereira among the region's most prominent athletes ahead of the Games.

Manchester City's legal fight with the Premier League over its financial rules continues to be described as sport's 'trial of the century'. The Athletic profiles the lawyers on both sides of the dispute, which centres on the league's associated party transaction regulations and allegations City breached financial fair play rules. City has denied wrongdoing throughout. The case is widely seen as a landmark test of how far football authorities can regulate club finances.

The Athletic has published a bracket forecast for the 2026 Major League Baseball playoffs, laying out projected matchups and team-by-team scenarios as the postseason approaches. The breakdown examines which clubs are positioned to reach October, the potential seeding paths, and what each contending team needs to do down the stretch to secure a spot in the playoff field.

Real Madrid forward Kylian Mbappe is expected to be sidelined for roughly two weeks, according to a report by The Athletic. The France international's absence comes as a blow to Real Madrid's attacking plans, and it also raises questions about his availability for upcoming France fixtures. Fans and pundits are reacting to how the club will cope without its star striker during his recovery.

India's Olympic champion javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra will not compete at the 2026 Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan. Reports explain he is skipping the event, depriving Indian fans of their biggest athletics star at the continental multi-sport Games. The reason for his absence has not been fully detailed, but the news is drawing wide attention given his status as India's most celebrated track and field athlete.

Data analytics company Databricks has agreed to pay $22.8 million for naming rights to the University of California, Berkeley's football field. The deal is being framed as more than a college sports sponsorship: Databricks was founded by Berkeley alumni, and the agreement signals how tech companies are deepening ties with university programs amid intense competition for AI talent and brand visibility.

Texas beat Tennessee on Saturday, and attention quickly turned to what the result means for the NFL Draft prospects of quarterback Arch Manning and edge rusher Colin Simmons. The Athletic examined how each performed and whether the win boosted or dented their standing among 2027 draft evaluators, a question fans and analysts are debating as the season unfolds.

Indian athletes are in medal contention on September 27 at the 2026 Asian Games. Young squash player Anahat Singh and Abhay are chasing gold in the squash events, while Tejaswin Shankar holds the lead in the decathlon and will look to defend it through the final stages of the competition.

Oregon quarterback Dante Moore was taken to hospital after taking a hit to the head during the game against USC, according to a report in The Athletic. The news is circulating widely among college football fans, with many awaiting updates on his condition and the severity of the possible head injury.

The trend refers to news that Manchester City has been found guilty, covered in an explainer by The Athletic via The New York Times. The headline frames three questions: what the ruling says, how serious it is, and what happens next. Beyond that, the available evidence only includes the headline itself, so the specifics of the charge, the verdict, and any penalties are not clear from the posts. It concerns the English Premier League club.

The Laver Cup, the team competition pitting Europe against the rest of the world, is back, and explainer coverage is detailing its unusual format: three days of matches where each win is worth one point on days one and two, and three points on the final day, with the first team to reach 13 points taking the title. The Athletic explains the event's standing in the sport, who has been selected to play, and what is at stake. Interest centres on the star-studded rosters and whether the event, co-founded by Roger Federer's team, still carries real weight in tennis.