Sportsinbrief

PBA TO HOLD 2016 ROOKIE DRAFT ON OCT. 30

ASPIRING PBA rookies take one step closer in achieving their dreams as all 55 applicants participate in the 2016 PBA Draft Combine this week. The two-day camp will be held at the Gatorade Hoops Center in Shaw. The aspirants will be pitted against each other as they try to make an impression in front of PBA coaches and scouts.The field will be divided into eight teams of six to seven players for the combine. Wednesday’s program will showcase their athleticism, agility, speed and other skills before displaying their skills on the court Thursday as PBA assistant coaches take over and pit them in a single-elimination tournament. The 2016 PBA Rookie Draft is on Oct. 30 at Robinsons’ Midtown in Ermita, Manila.

OPBF PREXY INVITES MALAYSIAN BOXING ASSOCIATION TO JOIN GROUP

The newly-formed Malaysian Boxing Association (MBA) is formally invited to join the Oriental Pacific Boxing Federation (OPBF), an affiliate of the World Boxing Council ( WBC). OPBF president Juan Ramon Guanzon of the Philippines sent a formal letter of invitation to MBA president Raymund Lew Lian Kew. The WBC OPBF is conducting a two-day seminar for referees and judges from October 29 and 30 at the Muay Fit in IOI Boulevard, Puchong, Malaysia. WBC OPBF is coming to Malaysia for the first time to recruit the first group of official referees and judges from Malaysia. It will be in preparation for the first OPBF championship in Malaysia slated in January.

MALAYSIA MAY DROP F1, CITING POOR RETURNS

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia may scrap its Formula One race after 2018 because of mounting costs, falling ticket sales and competition from other venues, sports officials said Tuesday, potentially halting one of Asia’s longest-running races. With TV viewership for the Malaysian Grand Prix also ebbing, officials are due to meet later this week to discuss the future of the race after its current contract expires.“The locals are not buying the tickets to watch F1,” Razlan Razali, chief executive of the Sepang International Circuit (SIC) where the race is held, told Agence France-Presse.“If there is no economic value, why should we continue? We better take a temporary break.” The race’s woes are the latest sign of trouble for Formula 1, which, according to official figures, has shed 200 million television viewers globally since 2008.

BERDYCH SUFFERS SHOCK LOSS IN VIENNA

Second seed Tomas Berdych suffered a shock defeat to unheralded Georgian Nikoloz Basilashvili at the ATP Vienna Open on Monday ( Tuesday in Manila). World No. 10 Berdych lost 6- 4, 6- 7 ( 5/ 7), 7- 5 to a man ranked almost 100 places below him, after more than two and a half hours on court. The defeat will hit Berdych’s hopes of reaching next month’s ATP Finals in London. The Czech is currently ninth in the race to London, which pits the top eight players of the year against each other. With world No. 7 Rafael Nadal injured and already out of the London showpiece, Berdych holds the final qualifying position, although with a slender 220- point lead over Belgium’s David Goffin, who is playing in Basel this week.

DU TOIT NAMED SOUTH AFRICAN PLAYER OF THE YEAR

Springbok lock Pieter- Steph du Toit was named South African Rugby Player of the Year on Monday ( Tuesday in Manila) at a ceremony near Johannesburg. He succeeds another second- row forward, Lood de Jager, as winner of the major domestic rugby individual award. After two injuryplagued seasons, Du Toit has been consistently impressive this year for Western Stormers in Super Rugby and South Africa in nine Tests. Apart from his line- out skills, the 24- year- old from Cape Town has been a formidable runner in loose play with three Test tries to his credit in 17 appearances.