Thai Athlete, 105, Unrivalled but Not Lonely at World Masters Games 

Thailand's Sawang Janpram, the oldest competitor at the 2025 World Masters Games at 105 years old, wins gold medal in the men’s shot put for the 100+age group, in Taipei on May 22, 2025. (AFP)
Thailand's Sawang Janpram, the oldest competitor at the 2025 World Masters Games at 105 years old, wins gold medal in the men’s shot put for the 100+age group, in Taipei on May 22, 2025. (AFP)
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Thai Athlete, 105, Unrivalled but Not Lonely at World Masters Games 

Thailand's Sawang Janpram, the oldest competitor at the 2025 World Masters Games at 105 years old, wins gold medal in the men’s shot put for the 100+age group, in Taipei on May 22, 2025. (AFP)
Thailand's Sawang Janpram, the oldest competitor at the 2025 World Masters Games at 105 years old, wins gold medal in the men’s shot put for the 100+age group, in Taipei on May 22, 2025. (AFP)

Sawang Janpram is in a league of his own at the World Masters Games in Taiwan -- at 105 he is the oldest competitor and the only person in his age group.

It meant that Thailand's Sawang was all but certain to win gold in the men's 100-plus discus, javelin, shot put and 100 meters.

All he had to do was finish, and the former school principal reached the 100m line in his solo race in a very respectable 38.55 seconds.

"I'm proud he's brought honor to our family," his 73-year-old daughter Siripan, a fellow evergreen athlete, told AFP.

They are among 25,950 athletes from 107 countries at the two-week World Masters Games in Taipei.

Held every four years, the event brings together competitors aged 30 and over from all walks of life for the sheer joy of taking part.

This year's edition is more than twice as big as the 2024 Paris Olympics in terms of competitor numbers.

Sawang, a father of five, began exercising at the age of 90, inspired by Siripan and a desire to avoid becoming bedridden like his friends.

Three to four times a week, Sawang joins his daughter to trot on a beach near their home in Rayong in eastern Thailand.

"I sometimes like to walk, sometimes run," said Sawang, peering at AFP through aviator sunglasses as he explained his training regimen.

"Sometimes I do javelin throw, depending on what I have to do for competitions."

Other times, Sawang said he just goes to the local market.

It's proved to be a winning strategy, with the wiry centenarian winning more than 60 medals on the masters circuit.

Sawang added four more golds to his collection this week.

- 'Exercise makes life better' -

A smattering of spectators was in the stadium as Sawang competed in the shot put, his last event of the Games.

Before the first throw, Sawang lined up with other sprightly shot putters in the 80+, 85+ and 90+ age groups to be introduced.

Wearing knee braces, Sawang threw more than four meters on each of his five attempts, drawing cheers and claps from the younger athletes.

Siripan, who also won two gold medals and a silver in her throwing events, joined her father on the podium after he received his fourth gold.

"I'm so proud of my father that he can still do this and that he is strong," Siripan said.

"People admire him wherever he goes."

The next World Masters Games will be in Japan in 2027 after it was postponed twice during Covid-19.

Whether he competes there or in another masters event will be "up to my health", Sawang said.

Before athletics, Sawang used to work on his farm, where he grew durian and rubber trees.

Now he just focuses on sport.

"Exercise makes our life better and we get to meet friends who also exercise," Sawang said.

"It's like our lives are livelier and we do not feel lonely at home."



Sabalenka Apologizes for Outburst During Loss to Svitolina

13 November 2026, US, Indian Wells: Belarusian tennis player Aryna Sabalenka in action against Ukraine's Elina Svitolina during their women's singles group stage match of the FAGE WTA Finals tennis tournament at Indian Wells. Photo: Charles Baus/CSM via ZUMA Press Wire/dpa
13 November 2026, US, Indian Wells: Belarusian tennis player Aryna Sabalenka in action against Ukraine's Elina Svitolina during their women's singles group stage match of the FAGE WTA Finals tennis tournament at Indian Wells. Photo: Charles Baus/CSM via ZUMA Press Wire/dpa
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Sabalenka Apologizes for Outburst During Loss to Svitolina

13 November 2026, US, Indian Wells: Belarusian tennis player Aryna Sabalenka in action against Ukraine's Elina Svitolina during their women's singles group stage match of the FAGE WTA Finals tennis tournament at Indian Wells. Photo: Charles Baus/CSM via ZUMA Press Wire/dpa
13 November 2026, US, Indian Wells: Belarusian tennis player Aryna Sabalenka in action against Ukraine's Elina Svitolina during their women's singles group stage match of the FAGE WTA Finals tennis tournament at Indian Wells. Photo: Charles Baus/CSM via ZUMA Press Wire/dpa

Aryna Sabalenka apologized on Saturday for her angry outburst during her defeat by Ukraine's Elina Svitolina at the WTA Finals.

Television footage appeared to show the Belarusian swearing during Friday's round-robin match, with some social media users interpreting her remarks as being directed at Svitolina or Ukrainians. The loss eliminated Sabalenka from the season-ending tournament.

"My comment was not directed at Elina," Sabalenka said in a social ⁠media post.

"I was ⁠frustrated with a small group of spectators who were aggressively cheering my mistakes, and I reacted emotionally in the moment.

"That said, I should have handled my frustration differently, and I apologize to anyone I offended.

"Elina played a great match, ⁠and I wish her all the best for the rest of the tournament."

Svitolina did not shake hands with Sabalenka after the match, maintaining her policy of not doing so with Russian or Belarusian opponents following Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine, which Moscow launched with Belarus as a staging ground.

Asked about her reaction to Sabalenka's apology, Svitolina called for mutual respect, acknowledging that fans' passions ⁠can ⁠sometimes run high.

"We've played many times with Aryna. She has her fans, I have my fans," she told reporters after her semi-final win over Linda Noskova on Saturday.

According to Reuters, she expressed hope that matches between the two of them would be respected, "because yes, sometimes in some matches that we've played, also been not great comments towards me in regards of the war."

Svitolina, the 2018 WTA Finals champion, faces Russian teenager Mirra Andreeva in Sunday's final.


Portugal Changes How No. 7 Is Written to Honor Cristiano Ronaldo

Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo celebrates after scoring the 1-2 goal during the FIFA World Cup qualifying match against Hungary, in Budapest, Hungary, 09 September 2025. (EPA)
Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo celebrates after scoring the 1-2 goal during the FIFA World Cup qualifying match against Hungary, in Budapest, Hungary, 09 September 2025. (EPA)
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Portugal Changes How No. 7 Is Written to Honor Cristiano Ronaldo

Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo celebrates after scoring the 1-2 goal during the FIFA World Cup qualifying match against Hungary, in Budapest, Hungary, 09 September 2025. (EPA)
Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo celebrates after scoring the 1-2 goal during the FIFA World Cup qualifying match against Hungary, in Budapest, Hungary, 09 September 2025. (EPA)

The Portugal football team is making a change to how the No. 7 is written to honor the recently-retired Cristiano Ronaldo.

Ronaldo, who wore the number and went on to make it his own as “CR7,” retired from international soccer last week, ending a remarkable career that spanned six World Cups, a European title, and the men’s all-time international scoring record.

“Time to debut a new 7. Because there’s one that will be eternal,” the Portuguese national team wrote on social media on Saturday. The post included a goat emoji to signify “Greatest Of All Time.”

It also included a video that showed a horizontal crossed line through the No. 7 as it’s commonly written in Europe, suggesting that Ronaldo’s successors will all have that cross to bear when they wear the number.

Portugal, already assured of reaching the quarterfinals, was hosting Denmark in the Nations League later Saturday.

The 41-year-old Ronaldo quit on Nov. 5 after falling out with coach Jorge Jesus. His last appearance with Portugal was Sept. 24 in a 1-0 home win over Wales in the Nations League.

Jesus kept him on the bench for the following match and said he didn’t plan to start him in the next one, so the superstar forward decided to leave the team’s training camp.

Jesus later said Ronaldo would be welcome back and the decision to return was up to him.


Ronaldinho Poised for Ravenna Start and, Perhaps, One Last Goal

Brazilian football legend Ronaldinho waves during Ravenna FC’s team presentation for the 2026-27 season in Marina di Ravenna, Italy, Aug. 20, 2026. (AFP)
Brazilian football legend Ronaldinho waves during Ravenna FC’s team presentation for the 2026-27 season in Marina di Ravenna, Italy, Aug. 20, 2026. (AFP)
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Ronaldinho Poised for Ravenna Start and, Perhaps, One Last Goal

Brazilian football legend Ronaldinho waves during Ravenna FC’s team presentation for the 2026-27 season in Marina di Ravenna, Italy, Aug. 20, 2026. (AFP)
Brazilian football legend Ronaldinho waves during Ravenna FC’s team presentation for the 2026-27 season in Marina di Ravenna, Italy, Aug. 20, 2026. (AFP)

Ronaldinho will roll back the years this weekend when the 46-year-old Brazilian starts his first competitive match in over a decade, and in the unlikely setting of an Italian third-tier derby the World Cup winner may realize his dream of scoring one last time.

The Brazil great and Ballon d'Or winner signed for Ravenna in June, also taking a stake in the club, but because he had not played since his final appearance for Fluminense in 2015, doubts remained over whether fans would ever see him in action.

Ravenna revealed ‌three weeks ago ‌that the former Barcelona and AC Milan player ‌would ⁠make his return ⁠in Sunday's home clash with local rivals Forli, and on Friday, manager Andrea Mandorlini told reporters that Ronaldinho would start the match.

"He will play from the start, there's no doubt," Mandorlini said.

"Then together we will decide how long he plays. He is one of the greatest players of the modern era. And we have to get a ⁠result. We always play with three forwards. He will ‌be one of the three."

Ronaldinho was ‌welcomed by the Ravenna fans in August, without committing to a return ‌to the pitch. He returned to Italy on Friday afternoon and ‌will have just one training session with his teammates on Saturday before making his club debut.

A temporary stand has been erected at the Stadio Bruno Benelli to cater for the crowd, and if this does turn out ‌to be one last hurrah for Ronaldinho, he may well get the chance to score his 300th ⁠professional goal.

"I ⁠scored my first Italian goal in the derby," Ronaldinho told Corriere della Sera, referring to his first official goal for AC Milan, which came against Inter Milan.

"It was a special evening that will remain in the memory of all AC Milan fans. It was September 28, 2008. I scored with a header, which is not my specialty. Who knows if I'll be able to repeat that feat tomorrow."

"... Returning to the pitch at 46 is the best move of my career."

Simone Rabbi will play alongside the Brazilian up front for Ravenna, and in Friday's press conference he said that if his side are awarded a penalty on Sunday, Ronaldinho will take the spot kick.