ESPN on Disney+ now available in PH with NBA, UFC

Manila Times - Oct 19, 2026

MANILA, Philippines – Disney+ is bringing even more excitement to sports fans with ESPN on Disney+ now available in the Philippines with blockbuster matchups, unmissable moments and a wide line-up of live sports action for subscribers.  Available through the new Disney+ app and included as part of existing subscriptions, ESPN on Disney+ gives fans access to a dedicated ESPN hub via the ESPN navigation tab.  Launching alongside the new brand campaign, Ito ang Homecourt Mo!, ESPN on Disney+ welcomes sports fans in the Philippines to a new home ground for the games, stories and moments they follow every day.  Subscribers can access live events, on-demand replays, studio shows, documentaries and original programming together in one dedicated destination through ESPN on Disney+.  Production and coverage will be led by ESPN, delivering high-quality broadcasts, commentary and expert analysis across the sports season where available, alongside Disney+ general entertainment and family programming.  “The Philippines is an incredibly important sports market in Asia Pacific, with a deep-rooted passion for basketball and combat sports and a fan base that brings tremendous energy to the region's sports culture,” said Kylie Watson-Wheeler, Head of ESPN, Asia Pacific.  “As we continue to expand ESPN's presence across Asia Pacific, the Philippines plays a key...

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Russia to host 2030 world weightlifting champs in Olympic federation first
Oct 25, 2026

Russia to host 2030 world weightlifting champs in Olympic federation first

PARIS, France — Moscow was announced Sunday as host of the 2030 world weightlifting championships, the sport's governing body becoming the first Olympic federation to hand Russia global staging rights since 2022. No world championships in an Olympic sport, summer or winter, have been held in Russia since the start of the war against Ukraine. The 2025 world swimming champs, initially attributed to the Russian city of Kazan, were moved to Singapore. "Concerning the IWF (Senior) World Championships in 2029, it will be staged in Ahmedabad (India), and Moscow (Russia) will host the 2030 edition," the International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) said in a statement. IWF general secretary Jose Quinones added that "all the bids we received were excellent and we are sure that the championships in your respective countries will be a huge success". In a post on Telegram, Russian Weightlifting Federation president Aleksandr Vinokurov thanked the IWF "for their trust", with the 2030 world champs also serving as a qualifying event for the 2032 Olympic Games. "Russia has all the necessary experience and capabilities to host competitions of the highest level," he said. "Moscow has repeatedly staged major international sporting events and has modern infrastructure." The federation toasted its success in snagging the hosting rights. "The Russian Weightlifting Federation is the first Olympic sports federation to succeed in bringing a top-level official competition back to the country in many years," it said. The decision to name Moscow as the host is a ground-breaking one and comes in the wake of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) announcing a pathway for Russian athletes to compete in international competition. A state-sponsored doping program implemented, according to the World Anti-Doping Agency, at the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympic Games, and the assault on Ukraine launched by President Vladimir Putin in 2022 resulted in Russians competing in various guises at international competition, most recently as Individual Neutral Athletes. However, on July 7 Russia came in from the cold when the IOC eased restrictions on Russian athletes and opened a pathway for them to compete in qualifying events for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. A furious Ukraine filed an appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) requesting that the IOC decision be annulled.