The Shanghai Sharks extended their winning streak to 11 games in the CBA league. On the evening of March 25, Beijing time, in the first match of their four-game road trip during the 30th round, the Shanghai team defeated the Shanxi team 112-80. The Sharks started with Wang Zhelin, Zhang Zhenlin, Li Hongquan, and foreign players Goodwin and Lofton. Li Hongquan was hot from beyond the arc early, making all four of his three-point attempts within six minutes and scoring 15 consecutive points, helping his team take a 20-7 lead. Although Shanxi tried to catch up, the Sharks' offense remained fluid. Whiteside hit a buzzer-beating three-pointer, and the visitors made 7 of 9 three-point attempts in the first quarter, leading 37-22.
Early in the second quarter, consecutive three-pointers from Xie Liyongwei and Li Hongquan extended the Sharks' lead to 21 points at 45-24. The home team struggled from long range, while Li Tianrong added two more three-pointers, widening the gap to 56-27. By halftime, the score was 62-42, with the Sharks having made 12 three-pointers. Before the end of the third quarter, the Sharks went on a scoring run, capped by a Lofton buzzer-beating three, entering the fourth quarter with a 91-61 lead. The final quarter was largely inconsequential, and the Shanghai team secured an easy victory.
Li Hongquan delivered an outstanding performance, playing 19 minutes and 40 seconds, making 8 of 11 field goals, including 7 of 9 from three-point range, and all four free throws, for a game-high 27 points plus 5 rebounds, with a plus/minus of +25. Together with Li Tianrong, the "Li Flower Brothers" combined for 13 three-pointers. After the game, Li Hongquan said, "Everyone stayed focused from the first minute to the last. We knew Shanxi is a team strong in transition, but we limited them defensively and maintained our offensive rhythm."
Shanghai coach Lu Wei commented post-game, "First, it felt like the team took this game seriously. We executed well in two areas: assists, with very unselfish ball movement, and converting those assists into points, which was key to winning." He added, "All 12 players currently in our rotation are capable. The coaching staff provided detailed offensive and defensive instructions before the game, and the players executed them very well."
Li Chenyang Breaks National Record in Men's Pole Vault On March 25, at the 2026 National Pole Vault Special Event (Fourth Leg) held in Shanghai, Shandong athlete Li Chenyang set a new national record in the men's pole vault with a clearance of 5.86 meters, improving the previous record of 5.85 meters, which he jointly held with Guangdong athlete Huang Bokai, by one centimeter. Li Chenyang, who will turn 23 in May, has been in excellent form since the start of the season. He won all three previous legs of the national pole vault special event and achieved a mark of 5.82 meters in the third leg. In February, he also won the silver medal at the Asian Indoor Athletics Championships held in Tianjin. This victory not only set a new national record but also secured his sweep of all four legs of the national pole vault special event, demonstrating his consistently rising form and dominance in the field. Reports indicate that during the third leg a few days prior, Li cleared 5.82 meters, meeting the qualification standard for the Nagoya Asian Games. Public records show that in February 2025, Li cleared 5.85 meters at an international competition in France, breaking the previous national record of 5.82 meters set by his coach Xue Changrui in 2017. In July 2025, Huang Bokai, who finished seventh at the Paris Olympics, also cleared 5.85 meters.
Xiang Peng Secures Spot in London World Team Table Tennis Championships On March 25, the Chinese men's table tennis team concluded the second selection tournament for the 2026 London World Team Table Tennis Championships at the Chengdu training base. Xiang Peng won the championship, securing a spot on the team for the London Worlds. Seven players participated in the event. Through a draw, Wen Ruibo, Huang Youzheng, and Liang Jingkun were placed in the upper half of the bracket, while Chen Junsong, Xu Yingbin, Chen Yuanyu, and Xiang Peng were in the lower half. In the quarterfinals, Wen Ruibo received a bye. Huang Youzheng defeated Liang Jingkun 3-1 after being tied 1-1. Xu Yingbin swept Chen Junsong 3-0. Xiang Peng, after leading 2-1, was tied by Chen Yuanyu but won the deciding game narrowly 3-2. Both semifinals went to deciding games. Wen Ruibo, after trailing 0-2, won three consecutive games to reverse Huang Youzheng 3-2. Xiang Peng, down 1-2 against Xu Yingbin, regrouped to win 3-2. In the final, Xiang Peng started quickly, taking the first two games. Wen Ruibo pulled one back in the third. In the fourth game, both players held leads before reaching a 10-10 tie, after which Xiang Peng scored two consecutive points to win 3-1 and claim the selection tournament title. In the men's team's first selection tournament held earlier, Zhou Qihao had won the championship and secured his spot for the London Worlds.
Jiangsu Super League Assigns Sponsorship Slots to Small Businesses The 2026 Jiangsu Provincial City Football League selected sponsorship match assignments for small and micro-enterprises on March 25 in Nanjing. Through a public lottery draw, 32 small and micro-enterprises were assigned their specific sponsored matches. One enterprise each from Nanjing and Suzhou secured sponsorship slots for the final. To promote "win-win collaboration between brands of all sizes," further optimize the business environment, and stimulate market vitality and creativity, the league's organizing committee released a partnership selection plan for small and micro-enterprises at the end of January. At the provincial level, 32 enterprises were selected, each contributing 50,000 yuan in sponsorship and receiving rights equivalent to official sponsors. A total of 3,582 qualified enterprises registered successfully. At the end of February, the 32 enterprises were selected via a public draw. According to the plan, 26 of the 32 enterprises will be assigned to the regular season, with two sponsors every six matches. The remaining six will be assigned to the two knockout rounds and the final, with two sponsors per round. Specific match assignments were also determined by public draw. On March 25, under the supervision of the Nanjing Shicheng Notary Office, representatives from the 32 enterprises first drew sequence numbers to determine the order for a subsequent draw of match assignment envelopes, thereby finalizing their sponsored matches. Ultimately, one enterprise each from Nanjing and Suzhou drew the sponsorship slots for the final, while two Suzhou-based enterprises will feature in the first six matches. The organizing committee stated that it will continue to uphold the principle of "resource sharing and collaborative development," working with all parties to move forward. The league mascot "Su Dudu" will also visit the 32 small and micro-enterprises for promotional "store visits," supporting their development through online and offline campaigns.
Court of Arbitration for Sport Registers Senegal's Appeal On March 25, the Court of Arbitration for Sport announced that the appeal filed by the Senegalese Football Federation has been registered. The appeal seeks to "set aside the decision of the Confederation of African Football and declare Senegal the champion of the Africa Cup of Nations." The official announcement stated that CAS confirmed receipt of the appeal filed by the FSF against CAF and the Royal Moroccan Football Federation. This appeal challenges a CAF decision rendered on March 17, 2026, which ruled that the Senegalese national team lost the final of the 2025 Morocco Africa Cup of Nations by forfeit and awarded a 3-0 victory to the Moroccan national team. The appeal was registered at CAS on March 25, 2026. Its core requests are the annulment of the CAF decision and a declaration that Senegal is the champion. The FSF also requested an immediate suspension of the deadline for submitting its appeal brief until it receives the full reasoned decision from CAF. The CAF's March 17 decision only announced the verdict of its appeal committee without providing the full reasoning. CAS will form a specific arbitral panel to hear the case and will subsequently establish a procedural timetable. According to CAS rules, the appellant has 20 days to submit its appeal brief containing legal arguments, after which the respondent has another 20 days to file its answer. Given the current stage of proceedings and the FSF's request for a deadline suspension, specific procedural timelines and a hearing date cannot yet be estimated. CAS Director General Matthieu Reeb commented, "CAS is fully equipped to resolve such disputes with the assistance of professional and independent arbitrators. We are aware that teams and fans are eager to know the final outcome quickly, and we will strive to proceed as promptly as possible while ensuring the right to a fair process for all parties."
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