Asia Sports Weekly News Bulletin – ISSUE 49 Week of 26 January 2026
(1) Chinese under-23 team win credit for ‘igniting new hope’ despite Asian Cup loss to Japan
Mainland youngsters concede twice in each half as Japan retain title; fans and executives draw encouragement for future.
(2) Hong Kong’s Kai Tak Arena to host League of Legends Champions Korea Cup esports event
The tournament will attract some of the biggest names and follows the city’s successful hosting of Blast Premier at Cyberport last year.
(3) China bans 73 people from all football for life, will punish 13 clubs ahead of 2026 season
Former Chinese Football Association president Chen Xuyuan, ex-national team coach Li Tie among those punished.
(4) Hong Kong fencing coach Greg Koenig backs Cheung Ka-long to regain form after slow start
The Frenchman has requested that the ex-world No 1 ‘be ready for the team event’ this season to help foilists qualify for Olympics.
(1) Chinese under-23 team win credit for ‘igniting new hope’ despite Asian Cup loss to Japan
(Photo Credit: Xinhua)
China’s U-23 football team fell to a 4-0 defeat against Japan in the AFC U-23 Asian Cup final on Saturday, missing out on the nation’s first continental youth title in more than two decades. Despite the heavy loss, the General Administration of Sport of China praised the team for “igniting new hope for the revitalisation of Chinese football,” highlighting their unprecedented run to the final after five previous group-stage exits and a 492-minute streak without conceding a goal earlier in the tournament.
Head coach Antonio Puche Vicente called for a balanced perspective, acknowledging pride in his team’s historic progress while stressing the need to learn from the loss and recognize the gap between Chinese and Japanese football. Defender Hu Hetao apologized for not showing “our best game” but expressed belief that future generations would build on this campaign. The defeat underscored ongoing challenges, with fans noting a “massive difference” in technical quality, positioning, and organization compared to Japan.
The final comes amid some positive structural signs for Chinese football, including a reported 25 percent rise in registered youth players over two years and a significant increase in amateur participants and coaches. However, fan reactions were divided: while some viewed the final appearance as a “miracle” and a starting point for renewal, others emphasized that China remains “20 years behind” in key footballing aspects and urged players to seek opportunities abroad to accelerate development.
News Source: https://www.scmp.com/sport/china/article/3341143/china-fail-show-best-game-asian-cup-final-humbling-japan?module=AI_Recommended_for_you_In-house&pgtype=section
(2) Hong Kong’s Kai Tak Arena to host League of Legends Champions Korea Cup esports event
(Photo Credit: Esports Association of Hong Kong, China)
The 2026 League of Legends Champions Korea (LCK) Cup finals are set to take place in Hong Kong from February 28 to March 1, marking the first time the prestigious Korean esports tournament will be held outside South Korea. The event will be hosted at the Kai Tak Arena, representing a significant upgrade for the city’s esports scene following the successful Blast Premier competition at Cyberport in November 2025.
The tournament has been granted M Mark status, a government recognition for major sports events, which underscores its importance to Hong Kong’s sporting and event calendar. Competition general secretary Aiden Lee described the hosting of the LCK Cup finals as potentially “a groundbreaking milestone for the global esports industry,” signaling Hong Kong’s growing ambition to become a key hub for international gaming competitions.
Chow Kai-hong, chairman of the Hong Kong Esports Association, noted strong public demand for more esports events in the city and expressed hope that large-scale tournaments like this would help build momentum and improve the local industry atmosphere. He also voiced a personal aspiration for Hong Kong to eventually establish its own professional esports league, highlighting the long-term developmental goals for the sector in the region.
News Source: https://www.scmp.com/sport/other-sport/article/3341510/hong-kongs-kai-tak-arena-host-league-legends-champions-korea-cup-esports-event?module=top_story&pgtype=section
(3) China bans 73 people from all football for life, will punish 13 clubs ahead of 2026 season
(Photo Credit: AFP)
The Chinese Football Association (CFA) has imposed lifetime bans on 73 individuals, including former CFA president Chen Xuyuan and former national team coach Li Tie, from all football-related activities following judicial rulings on match-fixing, betting, and corrupt refereeing. Thirteen professional clubs, such as Tianjin Jinmen Tiger, Shanghai Shenhua, Shanghai Port, and Beijing Guoan, will face point deductions and financial penalties in the 2026 season based on the scale and impact of their involvement in improper transactions. This crackdown follows a previous wave of lifetime bans issued against 43 players and officials in September 2024, highlighting the depth of systemic corruption within Chinese professional football.
Li Tie, a former Premier League midfielder with Everton, was sentenced to 20 years in prison in 2024 for crimes including accepting over 110 million yuan in bribes between 2015 and 2021 while serving as national team coach, offering bribes to secure the coaching role, and orchestrating match-fixing during his managerial tenures at Hebei Football Club and Wuhan Zall. Chen Xuyuan received a life sentence for accepting approximately 81 million yuan in bribes from 2010 to 2023, during his leadership at Shanghai International Port Group (owner of Shanghai SIPG) and later as CFA president. Both publicly confessed to widespread corruption in a 2024 state television documentary, with Chen stating that graft in Chinese football was “everywhere, in each and every aspect.”
The ongoing judicial and regulatory campaign represents one of the most extensive anti-corruption purges in the history of Chinese sports. The lifetime bans and club sanctions aim to dismantle networks of bribery and match manipulation that have long undermined the integrity and development of professional football in China. These measures reflect the government’s effort to restore public trust and clean up the sport, though they also expose the systemic challenges that have persisted despite previous reform attempts.
News Source: https://www.scmp.com/sport/football/article/3341630/china-bans-73-people-all-football-life-will-punish-13-clubs-ahead-2026-season
(4) Hong Kong fencing coach Greg Koenig backs Cheung Ka-long to regain form after slow start
(Photo Credit: handout)
Hong Kong’s two-time Olympic champion fencer Cheung Ka-long has had a slow start to the season, finishing 19th and 21st in recent World Cups and reaching the podium only twice in 12 competitions since his Paris 2024 gold. Despite a red card, a second-round exit at the regional championships, and a first-round loss at the World Championships last year, his coach Greg Koenig remains confident, calling Cheung “a top fencer in the world” who is “able to win the next competition” and urging patience as the 28-year-old regains motivation and focus.
Koenig emphasized that his primary focus for Cheung this season is performing well in the team event, which is crucial for Hong Kong’s qualification prospects for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. Hong Kong’s foil team recently secured its second World Cup victory in Paris and is currently ranked 5th globally, just 14 points behind 4th-placed Japan. Koenig aims for a top‑four world ranking—or to be the best Asian team—by the time qualification begins in September 2027, acknowledging that the return of a strong Russian team (competing as AIN) could complicate the race.
With two World Cup legs and the Asian Championships remaining, Koenig believes Hong Kong can overtake Japan and compete with regional rivals China and South Korea. He highlighted that the team has “two chances” to qualify for LA 2028: a top‑four world finish or being Asia’s top‑ranked team. However, he cautioned that Russia’s re‑entry could push other contenders down, making every tournament critical. Koenig, who recently gained Hong Kong permanent residency, stressed the long‑term process of rebuilding Cheung’s confidence while developing younger fencers, affirming that Cheung remains “too strong” to be displaced and will prove his form again soon.
News Source: https://www.scmp.com/sport/hong-kong/article/3341390/hong-kong-fencing-coach-greg-koenig-backs-cheung-ka-long-regain-form-after-slow-start?module=top_story&pgtype=section
