organisers

Asian Cup preparations continue for January, but Asian Tour delays golf’s Saudi Invitational after Houthi attacks.

The Asian Cup football tournament is on track to take place in Saudi Arabia early next year, local organisers say, but golf’s Asian Tour has postponed the Saudi International indefinitely in the aftermath of a series of attacks on Riyadh.

Yemen’s Houthi group claimed responsibility for the deadliest attack, which took place on Saturday on Riyadh’s international airport. It killed 14 people and ⁠wounded more than 300.

Australia also withdrew its team from the urban cycling World Championships on Friday, citing safety concerns over travelling to Riyadh, where the event is scheduled to take place in early November.

The Six Kings Slam exhibition tennis tournament in Riyadh has already been moved from October to December while FIFA on Thursday postponed the FIFAe Finals 2026 video game competition in ‌Jeddah until an unspecified future date.

In that environment, serious questions were being asked about whether the 24-team Asian Cup could still go ahead in Saudi Arabia from January 7 to February 5.

Three Saudi Pro League matches, including one featuring Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr, were postponed this week while Al-Nassr’s Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Champions League game on Monday was delayed by an hour after Saudi Arabia’s Civil Defence said it had intercepted a missile fired towards Riyadh.

AFC chief Salman bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa said earlier this week that a postponement of the continental championships until 2028 was possible if necessary, but the local organising committee (LOC) said on Friday that it was sticking to the original schedule.

“Preparations across all organisational and operational areas are progressing according to the approved schedule, including work on venues, facilities ⁠and supporting services,” it said in a statement.

The LOC “will continue to monitor developments ⁠relevant to the tournament and ensure the appropriate conditions are in place for its successful delivery”.

Attacks in Saudi Arabia disrupt sport calendar

The $5m Saudi International, which is sponsored by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF), is the flagship event on the Asian Tour and had been scheduled to take place at Riyadh ⁠Golf Club on November 18-21.

“The decision to postpone was taken following an assessment of the organisational and logistical challenges associated with hosting the tournament and ensuring the event is ⁠delivered to a standard befitting its international stature,” an Asian Tour statement ⁠said.

AusCycling said its decision to withdraw the Australian team from the urban World Championships was made “with the safety and wellbeing of our athletes and staff our highest priority”.

The Australian government is advising travellers to “reconsider” trips to Saudi Arabia in general and Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport in particular “due to recent ‌security incidents”.

The Saudi government has invested heavily in sport through the PIF in recent years, and the Asian Cup was pitched as an early rehearsal for hosting football’s FIFA World Cup in 2034.

Chinese divers were unstoppable as the country’s sizeable overall tally of gold medals swelled to 150.

China’s divers extended their remarkable Asian Games unbeaten record stretching back to 1974 as a top Japanese official apologised for “inconveniences” that have dogged the continent’s premier sporting event.

Chinese divers were unstoppable once more on Wednesday as the country’s sizeable overall tally of gold medals swelled to 150 with four days left.

Hosts Japan are a distant second with 50 golds, ahead of South Korea with 24.

Chen Yiwen and Lian Junjie each won gold in the final two diving events to give China a 14th consecutive clean sweep in the sport.

China has won every diving gold medal since their first Asian Games appearance 52 years ago.

“Girls are every bit as capable as boys. We are pushing ourselves to perform more difficult dives, too,” said Chen, a double Paris Olympics champion.

“We do not train any less than the boys,” she added.

In tennis, the Philippines’ Alexandra Eala stormed into the semifinals, cheered on by fans who had come from far and wide to see their hero in action.

The world number 18 and favourite for women’s singles gold had to work hard early on to beat Taiwan’s England-born Joanna Garland 7-5, 6-0 in her second outing in Nagoya.

The winner of the tournament qualifies for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.

“Representing my country and playing these types of games, SEA Games, Asian Games and hopefully the Olympics, they’re very close to my heart and a big part of my dreams,” said Eala.

She plays China’s Wang Xiyu, ranked 85, next.

Taiwan boxer Lin Yu-ting, the Olympic champion who found herself embroiled in a major gender row at Paris 2024, is guaranteed at least a silver medal.

Lin outclassed Sitora Turdibekova of Uzbekistan 5-0 in the women’s 60kg class to surge into the final, putting her one win from a second Asian Games gold.

The 30-year-old thanked the medical team afterwards for treating the cut to her nose she suffered in the quarterfinals.

In football, South Korea scored an 82nd-minute winner in a 2-1 victory over China in the men’s semifinals.

They will face Japan for gold after the hosts pulled through against Uzbekistan 9-8 on penalties, the game having ended 1-1 after 120 minutes.

‘We must apologise’

Meanwhile, on Wednesday Nagoya’s mayor apologised to athletes for “inconveniences” at the games following a string of complaints.

The event has been marred by problems including a shortage of beds and issues with transport.

There are more than 17,000 athletes and officials, more than the Olympics, and countries have accused local organisers of mismanagement.

“We must offer our apologies to the athletes and others affected by these inconveniences,” said Mayor Ichiro Hirosawa, who is also acting chairman of the local organising committee.

“We must sincerely reflect on the mishandling that occurred,” he added.

Unlike past games, there is no athletes’ village, with participants instead sleeping in temporary wooden units, on a cruise ship and in hotels to save money.