Cheer for Team S'pore on home ground, chase competition dreams and enjoy …
Ask Team Singapore athletes like Loh Zhi Zhi and Abielle Yeo of the men’s and women’s national water polo teams respectively, and they will likely admit that the energy of a home crowd can give them an extra boost when they dive into the water. And soon, local sports fans will have their chance to […]
Ask Team Singapore athletes like Loh Zhi Zhi and Abielle Yeo of the men’s and women’s national water polo teams respectively, and they will likely admit that the energy of a home crowd can give them an extra boost when they dive into the water. And soon, local sports fans will have their chance to create that electric atmosphere to cheer Team Singapore on as athletes take on the best in the trade at the World Aquatics Championships held on home soil from July 11 to August 3.
But the championships is not just for spectators – it is an opportunity for sports enthusiasts to participate in community challenges, enjoy interactive exhibitions and be part of sporting history as Singapore hosts this prestigious event for the first time.
Ranked second only to the Olympics in prestige for water sports, the event will see over 2,500 athletes from more than 190 countries compete in six aquatic disciplines – swimming, water polo, diving, artistic swimming, open water swimming and high diving – across various venues in Singapore.
This marks the first time the event is being held in South-east Asia, cementing Singapore’s position as a global sports hub alongside other world-class events like Formula 1 and the HSBC Women’s World Championship.
Cheer on Team Singapore, such as national swimmer Teong Tzen Wei as he represents the nation at the World Aquatics Championships 2025. PHOTO: WORLD AQUATICS CHAMPIONSHIPS
As the world’s top aquatic athletes vie for glory, the championships will also provide Singaporeans of all ages a rare opportunity to participate in high-performance sports.
The World Aquatics Masters Championships, running parallel to the main event from July 26 to Aug 22, invites recreational swimmers, former athletes and fitness enthusiasts, aged 25 to 80 and above to compete in their respective age categories on the same prestigious stages as the world champions. Some 6,000 Masters competitors are expected to try their hand at elite competition.
Mr Alan Goh, co-chairperson of the World Aquatics Championships – Singapore 2025 organising committee emphasises the event’s inclusive nature. “Whether you are joining as a spectator or participating in our community programmes, the championships will have something for you,” he says.
Open water swimming in action at the World Aquatics Championships 2022 in Budapest, one of six aquatic disciplines that will also feature when Singapore hosts this prestigious event for the first time in 2025. PHOTO: WORLD AQUATICS CHAMPIONSHIPS
He notes that this major sporting event also coincides with Singapore’s SG60 festivities, creating a dual opportunity to commemorate national achievements alongside exhilarating wins in the pool.
“We hope that the spirit and buzz of these championships will leave us a strong legacy that continues to elevate aquatics in Singapore and our region for years to come.”
Everyone can make a splash
For those who prefer a less competitive approach, the organisers will also host the SG60 Swim Challenge from April to June, welcoming swimmers of all abilities to join this nationwide initiative.
Participants can form a team of four to 10 and complete 60 laps collectively or swim up to six laps daily as individuals within the event period. All completed laps help accumulate points, which could give you a chance to redeem prizes such as staycation packages and championship merchandise.
The challenge also has a philanthropic aspect. Participants are encouraged to make a meaningful impact to the community by donating to SportCares through the GameOn SG60 web application. Donations to SportCares will help make sport more accessible to vulnerable members of society.
Mark Chay, former national swimmer and the organising committee’s co-chairperson, explains that the sporting event is not just about elite competition, but also bringing the joy of aquatics to all Singaporeans.
Team Singapore athletes and officials at the OCBC Aquatic Centre in preparation for the World Aquatics Championships, where they’ll have the opportunity to compete on home ground as Singapore hosts this prestigious event for the first time in Southeast Asia.PHOTO: WORLD AQUATICS CHAMPIONSHIPS
“Our initiatives and community activations unite people of all age groups and create an all-encompassing celebration of aquatic sports,” he says. “By making the championships accessible to everyone – from seasoned athletes to casual swimmers – we are fostering a sense of community and inspiring a new generation of aquatics enthusiasts.”
Multiple platforms will allow aquatics fans and newcomers to learn more about the competition, meet TeamSG athletes and leave their mark on history. The Trash to Treasure school initiative will collect aluminium cans from schools, which will be made into competition medals.
Says Mr Goh: “Through the Trash to Treasure initiative, activations in schools through our school roadshows, and our community roadshows in shopping malls, we want to involve as many people as we can to be part of our activities and celebrations.”
From May to August, interactive exhibitions will tour major shopping centres across the island, offering opportunities to engage with the aquatics community and learn about the various disciplines featured in the championships.
World-class competition on home ground
Even for those content with spectating, there will be plenty to look forward to across the swimming, artistic swimming, water polo, diving and open water swimming events in the World Aquatics Championships and World Aquatics Masters Championships.
Catch elite athletes such as Canadian high diver Molly Carlson in action when the World Aquatics Championships comes to Singapore in July. PHOTO: WORLD AQUATICS CHAMPIONSHIPS
Team Singapore athletes will be competing on home soil, giving local fans a chance to cheer for their compatriots.
One such athlete is Abielle Yeo, the captain of the national women’s water polo team, who views the championships as a milestone for Singapore sports.
“It’s very exciting that we’re hosting such a large-scale event. It’s a good opportunity to showcase how far we’ve come as a sporting nation,” says the 26-year-old. “As athletes, it’s a rare opportunity to benchmark ourselves against the aquatic giants from outside Asia and also to learn from them.”
Her teammate from the men’s water polo team, Loh Zhi Zhi, shares similar sentiments. “This is most definitely a special opportunity for our country; not just for the athletes who will be getting to compete on the world stage, but for our community to witness this level of competition in person,” he says. “Hopefully, this is also a moment of inspiration for many of our young, budding talents to aim higher and a key milestone they can look back upon further in their careers.”
Loh Zhi Zhi (in white cap) of the men’s water polo team is looking forward to measuring his skills against the world’s elite in Singapore’s aquatic spotlight.PHOTO: WORLD AQUATICS CHAMPIONSHIPS
For these athletes, the home advantage is especially meaningful for national team members.
“Competing at home is indescribably special. To see friends and family in the stands and getting to hear their cheers above the crowd – there is nothing quite like it,” Loh adds. “I am really excited to be sharing this moment with my family, especially my two young boys.”
“We’re glad that our friends and family at home will have the opportunity to witness such an event in our athletic careers,” Yeo adds. “It’s always great to compete with the support from the home crowd.”
Beyond the national team’s participation, the championships will put Singapore in the global sporting spotlight, showcasing elite talent while inspiring future local athletes.
From catching the reigning champion US women’s water polo team in action to participating in community challenges, the World Aquatics Championships in Singapore offers something for everyone. PHOTO: WORLD AQUATICS CHAMPIONSHIPS
“The championships is one of the sport’s most watched events, featuring world and Olympic champions, as well as the next generation of rising stars,” says Mr Chay. “Getting to witness these athletes live in action is an opportunity that does not come by every day.”
The World Aquatics Championships – Singapore 2025 will be held from July 11 to Aug 3; the Masters Championships will run from July 26 to Aug 22. Get your tickets here.
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Arizona Western College has 14 soccer players sign letters of intent
YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY) – Arizona Western College had a big signing day as 14 players from the men’s soccer team signed letters of intent to continue playing at the collegiate level. Half of those are playing at the Division I level, while the rest are either playing Division II or the NAIA. Below is […]
YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY) – Arizona Western College had a big signing day as 14 players from the men’s soccer team signed letters of intent to continue playing at the collegiate level.
Half of those are playing at the Division I level, while the rest are either playing Division II or the NAIA.
Below is a list of the players:
Hiromasa Iwai – Radford University
Nael Redjam – Radford University
Diogo Silvestre – Mid-America Christian University
Fernando Carvalho – Emmanuel University
Jacob Quintana – St. Mary of the Woods College
Tupo Kyumba – Grand Canyon University
Haruto Horii – Withrop University
Luis Munoz Valencia – Arizona Christian University
Saneyuki Yamagat – Eastern Illinois University
Yves Sisse – Daemen University
Ebenezer Laryea – Oral Roberts University
One of those players is Yuma local and Cibola graduate Jacob Quintana, who is moving on to the NAIA level at St. Mary of the Woods College.
He shares what it meant to be apart of this squad for the previous two years.
“You know it meant a lot to me being the only guy from Yuma to play here as well and one of the only two players to play here as well,” Quintana said.
AWC head coach Kenny Dale explains how his goal is more than just winning championships.
“It doesn’t really matter in terms of a life experience moving on to a university and getting a bachelor’s degree and maybe an advanced degree is really more important than that,” said Dale.
Others players expressed their gratitude to the local college.
“The community, the people, you will always be in my heart, becuase it was always the start to a beautiful journey and my next college you got the good one the real one, I’m coming,” said Yves Sisse, who will be studying Criminal Justice at Daemen University.
Federal judge tosses NIL lawsuit against NCAA brought by ex-college basketball players
A federal judge dismissed an antitrust lawsuit Monday that had been brought against the NCAA by several former college basketball players, including Kansas standout Mario Chalmers, after ruling its claims fell outside the four-year statute of limitations. The lawsuit, which included 16 total players who played before June 16, 2016, claimed that the NCAA had […]
A federal judge dismissed an antitrust lawsuit Monday that had been brought against the NCAA by several former college basketball players, including Kansas standout Mario Chalmers, after ruling its claims fell outside the four-year statute of limitations.
The lawsuit, which included 16 total players who played before June 16, 2016, claimed that the NCAA had enriched itself by utilizing their names, images and likenesses to promote its men’s basketball tournament. That date in 2016 is the earliest date for players to be included in the House v. NCAA antitrust settlement awaiting final approval from a federal judge.
U.S. District Judge Paul Engelmayer pointed toward a four-year statute of limitations for federal antitrust violations, despite the lawsuit contending that the law continues to be breached by the NCAA’s use of the players’ NIL in March Madness promotions.
Chalmers famously hit a tying 3-pointer with 2.1 seconds left for Kansas in the 2008 title game against Memphis, a highlight that remains a staple of NCAA Tournament packages. The Jayhawks went on to win the championship in overtime.
“The NCAA’s use today of a NIL acquired decades ago as the fruit of an antitrust violation does not constitute a new overt act restarting the limitations clock,” Engelmayer wrote in the 34-page decision. “Instead, as the NCAA argues, the contemporary use of a NIL reflects performance of an aged agreement: a contract between the student-athlete and the NCAA under which it acquired footage and images of the plaintiff.”
[Related: NCAA passes rules to prepare schools to pay players directly]
Engelmayer also noted that the plaintiffs were part of the class in O’Bannon v. NCAA, the 2015 case that helped to usher in the age of NIL payments so the lawsuit was not demonstrably different from other settled cases involving the athletes.
There are a number of other active suits filed against the NCAA on similar antitrust and NIL grounds. Former Villanova Wildcat Kris Jenkins, whose buzzer-beating 3-pointer won the 2016 men’s national championship against North Carolina, filed one earlier in April on his own rather than joining one of the existing suits. As he told ESPN, “I feel like it’s different from those [lawsuits], and the NCAA has shown that it is different from a lot of other things that have happened in the past just because of the magnitude of the situation, the shot, the financial gains for the NCAA and the unlawful rules that they had in place that prohibited all of us from being able to benefit.”
The key to Jenkins’ case – that buzzer-beater that Villanova and the NCAA profited from – occurred two months before the June 16, 2016 cutoff that had the suit of Chalmers et al dismissed. However, Jenkins also played during the 2016-2017 season for Villanova as a senior: whether another judge will echo Engelmayer and say this was all part of an “aged agreement,” or that it’s indeed a different case, remains to be seen.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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Patriot soccer player Evans signs college scholarship
Henry County High School soccer standout Gavin Evans has signed scholarship papers with Kentucky Christian University. A goaltender, Evans has been on the Patriot soccer team for four years, making the All-District team as a junior and the All-District Tournament team as a sophomore. He ranked in the top 50 in saves in the state. […]
Henry County High School soccer standout Gavin Evans has signed scholarship papers with Kentucky Christian University. A goaltender, Evans has been on the Patriot soccer team for four years, making the All-District team as a junior and the All-District Tournament team as a sophomore. He ranked in the top 50 in saves in the state. “Soccer has not only improved my skills but also strengthened my character, showing me the power of teamwork, loyalty and perseverance,” Evans said. He plans to major in business at KCU, which is located in Grayson, Ky., northeast of Lexington. Pictured are (from left) KCU assistant coach Caleb DuBois (standing), his grandmother Pat Lewis, his mother Amber Harris, Evans, his father Brian Harris and KCU head coach Jeremy Miller.
NIL Crowdfunding Platform Fanstake Delivers College Athletes Cash
Fanstake recently raised $6.25 million in seed funding to continue building a platform that lets college sports fans crowdfund potential NIL payouts as a way to entice athletes to attend their school. College sports’ future financial structure remains uncertain as legal proceedings and legislative discussion continue amid the teardown of existing NCAA oversight. But regardless […]
Fanstake recently raised $6.25 million in seed funding to continue building a platform that lets college sports fans crowdfund potential NIL payouts as a way to entice athletes to attend their school.
College sports’ future financial structure remains uncertain as legal proceedings and legislative discussion continue amid the teardown of existing NCAA oversight. But regardless of upcoming changes, Fanstake CEO Greg Glass foresees schools needing to find new revenue sources to pay their players and fund their athletic programs, one way or another.
“The biggest thing for us was, how do you expand that donor base? Because today it’s just the high net worth, affluent alumni that are contributing,” Glass said. “Can you tap into the fanatical fan base beyond that?”
Courtside Ventures led the latest funding round, with participation from Will Ventures, Susa Ventures, Scrum Ventures, Myriad Ventures, Alumni Ventures and others. Fanstake previously raised a $3 million pre-seed round.
Fanstake has created pages for hundreds of athletes already, including all Division I football and men’s and women’s basketball players, where fans can pool financial offers contingent on a given player choosing to attend—or stay at—a certain school. For example, Louisville backers offered a combined $88,000 to Fanstake ambassador Nate Ament as the basketball recruit chose his destination. Ament ultimately signed with Tennessee; Volunteer Fanstakers had contributed $13,405, which Ament will receive in exchange for promoting Fanstake online.
Fanstake returns unsuccessfully staked money as account credits for future opportunities. Glass says about 18,000 users to date have combined to offer nearly $500,000 combined.
In the next phase of development, Fanstake is adding gamification elements, such as rewards that accrue as users offer players more money.
“We are focused on athletes getting fair market value as much as they possibly can get,” Glass said. “Getting the fans the ability to participate in a way where it’s engaging and fun for them ends up helping the schools.”
For Courtside Ventures, the investment is its first directly NIL-related play.
“We’ve been spending a good part of four years now looking at the NIL space and no exaggeration have probably looked at just about 100 different opportunities,” Courtside Ventures principal Cort Post said. “It was not until this one where we just, we kind of jumped on the opportunity of finally something that we felt could be venture scale.”
Post added that Courtside took comfort in Fanstake executives’ experience. Glass, along with Fanstake co-founders Alex Boisvert and Donnie Flood, previously led adtech company Bizo, which was acquired by LinkedIn in 2014 for $175 million.
“I don’t have a perfect answer for exactly what Fanstake will look like in the future compared to kind of their beachhead today, but we get comfortable with that,” Post said. “If you pair the right founder with the right market and enough disruption, they’re gonna figure something out that works.”
The Next NIL Powerhouse – Shaq Is Becoming The GM Of Sacramento State Basketball, Will ‘Assist’ Mike Bibby With Recruiting And NIL Deals
Look at Sacramento State, man. They are trying their absolute hardest to get into a major conference, they are throwing money into athletics and making hires like Mike Bibby for basketball: They then go and get Shaq to be the GM. That’s just smart business. There’s not a man on this planet who will do […]
Look at Sacramento State, man. They are trying their absolute hardest to get into a major conference, they are throwing money into athletics and making hires like Mike Bibby for basketball:
They then go and get Shaq to be the GM. That’s just smart business. There’s not a man on this planet who will do an ad deal faster than Shaq. Doesn’t matter what, he’s on every commercial just raking in money. Now you get him assisting with brand deals, NIL deals, recruiting, that’s how you become a powerhouse in the mid-major world. I say that loosely, because, well, Sacramento State simply doesn’t win.
What they should do is simple though. Load up on former NBA players kids. You already got Shaq’s son there. They should reach out to every single player they played with, see if they want some sort of role and make Sacramento State NBA university. Why not? You’re Sacramento State. It’s not like you’re competing for titles, go outside the box with it. Hell, just run back the 90s Kings and see what their kids are up to. That team fucking ruled.
Rocky Widner. Getty Images.
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Yeah, I know Peja’s kid just committed to Illinois. Hard to beat that out when Illinois is becoming a Balkan empire and you got Brad Underwood doing this:
It does feel weird seeing a Lakers star help a former Kings star. I know it was back in the day, but those teams shouldn’t be helping each other. I don’t care that Shaq and Bibby played for a combined 12 teams, I think of them as a King and Laker. All I know is they got me thinking about Sacramento State, so it’s already a win for them. Just send Shaq out on recruiting trips like it’s Blue Chips all over again. The man was made to be in this role for college basketball and just remember:
– Kendrick Perkins | First Take
