The NCAA, the country’s oldest collegiate league, formalized its five-year partnership with television network GMA-7 Thursday.
The contract signing was held at Letran, the Season 96 host, as several officials attended the occasion, while others attended virtually to witness the contract signing.
The league is banking on the wide reach of the country’s largest network, which will allow viewers across the Philippines and around the world to catch the NCAA games on GMA News TV, GMA Pinoy TV, and via online streaming www.GMANetwork.com.
For this Season 96, the Kapuso network is set to broadcast the league’s traditional sports, including basketball, volleyball, swimming and athletics, as well as popular cheerleading competition.
Also, the final series of the men’s basketball will be aired on the Kapuso Network’s main channel GMA-7. (Waylon Galvez)
MMA stars to the rescue
Filipino mixed martial arts (MMA) stars have raised over P50,000 monetary funds for the victims of Typhoons “Rolly” and “Ulysses” last month amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Truth x Lakay Gaming, composed of ONE Championship icons Brandon Vera and Team Lakay’s Joshua Pacio, Eduard Folayang and Kevin Belingon, has joined forces with non-government organization Save the Children PH for a fundraiser called “eSave Natin ang Pasko” since Dec. 2.
The charity stream has already raised a total of P55,541.
“I think this is an amazing opportunity to give back to the people and the fans who have supported our careers,” said reigning ONE Championship strawweight king Joshua Pacio. (Carlo Anolin)
NBA to keep coaches’ challenge ‘replay’ rule
NEW YORK (AFP) – The NBA is keeping the replay rule allowing coaches one challenge of certain officiating decisions per game, the league said Thursday.
The coach’s challenge was introduced last season on a one-year trial basis.
The league said Thursday that the board of governors had approved a recommendation from the competition committee to retain the challenge going forward.
”Our coaches were receptive to the pilot version of the Coach’s Challenge, increasing usage and becoming more comfortable with the concept and strategic aspects as the season progressed,” Byron Spruell, NBA President of League Operations, said in a statement.
During the 2019-20 season, NBA head coaches challenged 633 calls in the regular season and 67 in the playoffs.
Russia doping ban cut to 2 years
LAUSANNE (AFP) – Russia’s ban from international sport was halved to two years on Thursday and its athletes were cleared to compete as neutrals, drawing condemnation from athletes and anti-doping advocates.
The Swiss-based Court of Arbitration for Sport cut the initial four-year ban imposed by the World Anti-Doping Agency, citing ”matters of proportionality” and the ”need to effect cultural change and encourage the next generation of Russian athletes”.
”The consequences which the Panel has decided to impose are not as extensive as those sought by WADA,” a CAS statement said.
”This should not, however, be read as any validation of the conduct of RUSADA (Russia’s anti-doping watchdog) or the Russian authorities.”
The CAS judgement comes after WADA hit Russia with the four-year ban last year for doping non-compliance after finding data handed over from its tainted Moscow laboratory had been manipulated.
The saga first erupted in 2016 when Grigory Rodchenkov, the laboratory’s former head, blew the whistle over state-backed doping at the 2014 Winter Olympics in the Russian resort of Sochi.
