‘Bigger, better’ Blast Premier Rivals returns to Hong Kong, officials eye Asia expansion

South China Morning Post - Nov 10, 2026

Blast Premier Rivals returns to Hong Kong “even bigger and better”, and officials hope the city acts as a bridge to mainland China and beyond in the coming years. The esports event, which will see eight of the world’s best CS2 squads compete for a share of a US$1million (HK$7,841,460) prize pool, sold out the AsiaWorld-Arena last year when descending on the city for the first time. It was Hong Kong’s first esports event to be awarded the “M” Mark for major events, with more than 30,000 fans...

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SMB, Ginebra slug it out in sudden death for semis spot

Nov 9, 2026

SMB, Ginebra slug it out in sudden death for semis spot

MANILA, Philippines — The PBA Season 50 Governors’ Cup quarterfinal series between sister teams San Miguel Beer and Barangay Ginebra has gone down to one, final game. Game 5 between the Beermen and the Gin Kings is set on Tuesday at the Ynares Center in Antipolo, with the winner advancing to the best-of-five semifinal series against the defending champions TNT Tropang 5G. Game time begins at 7:30 p.m. George King, who struggled on offense in SMB’s 0-2 series start, has rediscovered his shooting touch, especially in Game 4, where he dropped 18 of his game-high 35 points in the third canto, combining with Chris Ross in a swashbuckling stretch run that enabled the Beermen to register a come-from-behind 108-102 win last week. Ross, fired up by his halftime verbal spat with Ginebra assistant coach Olsen Racela, scored 13 of his 20 in the third period, to go along with six rebounds, nine assists and five steals as he helped the Beermen overhaul a 17-point deficit behind a 46-18 third quarter exchange. “We haven’t done nothing yet, we just evened the series,” said Ross, the 41-year-old Fil-American guard, who hopes to help the Beermen achieve another “Beer-acle” run reminiscent of their record-setting 0-3 Finals comeback against Alaska to win the 2016 Philippine Cup title. “They won two straight we won two straight. We’re on to a decider. That’s usually how it goes when we play Ginebra. When we play Ginebra we go to a Game 6 or 7. We’re excited to play in the next game,” added the 12-time PBA champion guard. SMB coach Leo Austria knows they are in good hands with Ross still quarterbacking the SMB backcourt at his game, knowing he is a different “animal” so to speak come playoff time. “We all know that Chris Ross during the playoffs is a different animal, that’s evident,” said Austria. “He’s really focused on this game and I’m so happy he delivered a lot, especially in the time we’re trying to (make a run),” added the 11-time PBA champion coach. “He’s the key, he’s the leader of the team and he knows what to do.” For Ginebra, the league’s most popular squad wouldn’t want to be on the opposite side of history as one that blew a 2-0 series lead. Jordan Murphy, do-it-all guard Scottie Thompson, RJ Abarrientos, Troy Rosario and Japeth Aguilar, as well as Stephen Holt and big man Isaac Go will be at the forefront of the Gin Kings. Abarrientos hopes to also rediscover his shooting touch after being held down to just seven points on 2-of-13 field shooting in Game 4. The Gilas mainstay averaged 19.7 points per contest through the first three games of the series.