A Hong Kong surfing body has launched a petition urging the local government to relax its ban on the sport, saying doing so would allow the city to follow mainland China’s example of producing Olympic-calibre athletes.
Bryan Ng Yu-fong, chairman and founder of the Hong Kong, China Surfing and Standup Paddle Association, said the petition had around 300 signatures and was aimed at highlighting community support and enabling discussions on how it could be safely practised in the city.
Surfing is banned at public beaches in Hong Kong, leaving few places for enthusiasts to practise, but Ng believed the Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD) was keen to back the sport.
“We would like to approach the government with this petition, in a civilised way, and present them with evidence [about how people feel],” Ng said.
“We understand that sports need to be regulated, and we can help. It is a safe sport, and everywhere else in the world is doing it. Also, we now see that China is promoting surfing, so surely Hong Kong will want to follow their example.”
Bryan Ng said surfers in Hong Kong were frustrated by the ban on their activity. Photo: Handout
Surfing debuted at the Olympics in Tokyo in 2021, and mainland China sent its first athlete, the then 15-year-old Yang Siqi, to compete at the Paris Games last year.
A California bookmaker who took at least 19,000 bets from the former interpreter of Japanese baseball superstar Shohei Ohtani was sentenced to one year and one day in prison on Friday.
Mathew Bowyer, who pleaded guilty last August to operating an unlawful gambling business, money laundering and subscribing to a false tax return, was also ordered to pay more than $1.6 million in restitution.
The case against the 50-year-old was part of a federal probe into illegal sports gambling that led to the arrest of Ippei Mizuhara — the former interpreter for Ohtani who admitted stealing almost $17 million from the Dodgers star to pay off illegal gambling debts.
MANAGUA (Nicaragua) – Canada’s run at the FIBA AmeriCup 2025 has been powered by a versatile new weapon: 21-year-old forward Kyshawn George.
The Washington Wizards rookie committed to the program ahead of the tournament in Managua and quickly emerged as one of the stars, helping lead Canada to a 4-0 record and a spot in the semi-finals.
George, who was born and raised in Switzerland before moving to France for high school and later starring at the University of Miami, had previously put on the Swiss jersey at the U16 level in 2019.
However, his Canadian father is also a former basketball player, so he expressed his desire back in March to play for the team. George then switched and realized a dream.
“My dad always played for Canada, so it’s kind of my dream as well,” he said in an interview with FIBA Americas. “I think ultimately, it’s about me playing against the best players— with the best players. And I get the chance to learn and be at the highest competition possible.”
Although the learning curve can be steep. He’s adapting quickly to the FIBA game and its rigors, picking up lessons along the way.
“Just the physicality it takes,” he pointed out. “I’m 21 years old, playing against grown men, so the physicality is a bit different. Also, the value of the possessions. The game is shorter, there are [fewer] possessions, so every shot has to be a good shot. Every possession has to be a good possession.”
The No. 24 overall pick of the 2024 NBA Draft has thrived in Nate Mitchell’s starting lineup and is doing a little bit of everything to contribute to winning.
George is averaging 15.5 points while shooting 56.4 percent from the field and 52.4 percent from beyond the arc. He’s also filling out the stat sheet with 4.3 rebounds, 4.3 assists, 1.5 steals, and 0.8 blocks in just 24.5 minutes per game. George has already been named TCL Player of the Game three times, against Venezuela, Puerto Rico and Colombia.
He’s become the perfect complement to the team’s guards (Trae Bell-Haynes, Marcus Carr) and their interior stalwarts (Mfioundu Kabengele, Charles Bediako, and fellow NBA player Leonard Miller) while solidifying Canada’s status as tournament favorites.
He’s also improving his game in real time.
“I’m just working on some personal stuff,” George said. “Being able to handle the ball under pressure, deal with physicality better, and just being able to polish my game overall.”
Canada owns a pair of silver and four bronze medals, but has never won the AmeriCup Gold. With George’s all-around play, that drought might soon end.
American tennis star Ben Shelton has made strong runs in recent Grand Slams. There is no doubt that the world No. 6 had high hopes entering New York for the 2025 US Open.
Unfortunately for Shelton, those hopes were dashed due to an ill-timed injury during his third-round match against Adrian Mannarino on Friday afternoon.
During the changeover between the fourth and fifth sets, a teary-eyed Shelton sat on his bench and exchanged a look with his father and coach, Bryan Shelton. The elder-Shelton gave his son the nod to retire from the match. Mannarino won in four sets: 3-6, 6-3, 4-6, 6-4.
No. 6 Ben Shelton retires with an apparent shoulder injury after playing four sets of his third round match at the US Open.
Of course, this would be a huge blow to any player. It is especially painful for the 22-year-old Shelton, who made it to the semi-finals of the 2023 US Open and the 2025 Australian Open.
An emotional Shelton waved goodbye to the fans as he exited the court. A short time later, Shelton met with the media, where he described the severity of his shoulder injury.
When asked if he knew when he hurt his shoulder and if it happened before the match, Shelton shook his head, “No, I can’t pinpoint it. Didn’t go in with an injury. I’m not sure.” Shelton was asked if his team had plans to get any imaging done, and he concisely replied, “Yeah, we’ll see. Um… We’ll see.”
When asked how hard this was for him, Shelton sat up in his seat and struck a positive tone, “Yeah, I’ve got a lot to be grateful for, I’ve been pretty fortunate in my life. Blessings, talents, a lot of things God’s given me, and yeah, a small setback like this hurts.”
Shelton later explained, “Usually, I’ll play through anything and just kind of find a way, whether it’s sickness or injury. If I can stay out there, I can stay out there. I never felt anything like this before. That was kind of tough. I guess the uncertainty.”
When asked about the conversation with his physio in the fourth set, Shelton explained the focus was on alleviating pain, not weighing the decision of playing or not. In the final question, Shelton reiterated that the pain started in the fourth set, but he could not pinpoint when the injury occurred.
Shelton falls to 37-18 on the season. Mannarino will face Jiri Lehecka in the fourth round on Sunday, August 31.
The US Open singles tournament runs through September 7. Stay locked into Sports Illustrated’s Serve On SI for all of your tennis news from the court and beyond.
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