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☆ Saudi Arabia launches Esports World Cup - statement
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince, Mohammed bin Salman speaks with FOX News Channel, in an interview aired September 21, 2023, Neom, Saudi Arabia, Saudi Press Agency/Handout via REUTERS/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsRIYADH, Oct 23 (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia said on Monday it was launching an annual Esports World Cup, which will include the most popular games in the world and have the largest prize pool in esports history. The competition will be held annually in Riyadh starting summer 2024, a statement from Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman said. Clubs will compete across games from various genres to become the ultimate Esports World Cup champion, the statement said. Saudi Arabia's Savvy Games Group, owned by sovereign wealth fund PIF, said last year it will invest 142 billion riyals ($37.8 billion) in initiatives aimed at making Saudi Arabia a global hub for gaming. "The Esports World Cup is the natural next step in Saudi Arabia's journey to become the premier global hub for gaming and esports, offering an unmatched esports experience that pushes the boundaries of the industry," the crown prince was quoted in the statement as saying.

Persons: Crown Prince, Mohammed bin Salman, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Aziz El Yaakoubi, Ros Russell Organizations: Saudi, Crown, FOX News, Saudi Press Agency, Handout, REUTERS, Rights, Saudi Crown, Clubs, Sports, Thomson Locations: Neom, Saudi Arabia, Rights RIYADH, Riyadh, Saudi

☆ After blockbuster Microsoft deal, gaming giants are still sitting on $45 billion cash hoard
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-20 | by ( Ryan Browne | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

Public gaming companies currently hold cash and cash equivalents of $45.1 billion, according to a report from venture capital firm Konvoy. Publicly listed gaming companies had a fairly rosy year in 2023, on the whole. The VanEck Video Gaming and eSports ETF , which seeks to track MVIS Global Video Gaming & eSports Index, has climbed 20% in the year to date, according to Konvoy. Total venture funding into the video games industry in the third quarter of 2023 fell 9% quarter-over-quarter, to $454 million. That was when pandemic lockdowns were in full swing, and people had more time to spend playing video games indoors.

Persons: China's NetEase, hasn't, China's Tencent, Josh Chapman, Redmond, Chapman, Candy Crush, Konvoy's Chapman Organizations: Chesno Publicly, CNBC, Activision Blizzard, Electronic Arts, Nintendo, Bandai Namco, Public, Gaming, Esports, Big Tech, Microsoft, Google, Apple, Meta, Netflix, Sony, Activision, U.S, U.K, Markets Authority, Duty, Bandai Namco Entertainment Locations: Konvoy, Washington

☆ Esports made their 'tense and exciting' debut at this year's Asian Games
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-15 | by ( Polly Thompson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Esports, or professional video gaming, were an official sport at the Asian Games for the first time. AdvertisementAdvertisementEsports, or competitive video gaming, debuted as an official event at this year's Asian Games in Hangzhou, China that concluded earlier this month. Due to the event's popularity, esports tickets were sold on a lottery basis, with more than five million entering the ballot, according to Hangzhou Asian Games data. We're excited to see the landscape of esports events around the world expand," said John Robinson, president of US esport organization 100 Thieves. The Olympic Esports Series is "a global virtual and simulated sports competition created by the IOC, and in collaboration with International Federations and game publishers."

Persons: —, esports, Chris Liu, Liu, Esports, JADE GAO, John Robinson, Kim Gwanwoo, WANG ZHAO, Matt Woods, AFK, Grant Rousseau, " Rousseau Organizations: Asian Games, of, EA Sports FC Online, Singapore, Service, Professional, EA Sports FC, South Korea, Team Malaysia, China, Xinhua News Agency, South, Associated Press, Fighter, Getty, Olympic, IOC, International Federations, Guardian, Team Falcons Locations: Hangzhou, China, Thailand, Wuxi, esports, Asia, Pacific, US, South Korea, AFP, Los Angeles

The two-week Asian Games offer a glimpse at a changing Mongolia, a vast nation sandwiched between China and Russia with only 3.3 million people. And there's also a bronze medal in men’s 3x3 basketball, where Mongolia edged South Korea 21-20. Mongolia has just over 400 athletes at the Asian Games, less than half the size of large delegations from China, Japan or South Korea. She called herself “a novice” breakdancer but has practiced with at least one member of the Mongolian team, Gan-Ulzii Ganbalt. “My generation is trying to change the way Mongolia is seen," she said.

Persons: —, Genghis Khan, “, breakdancing, Myagmarjav, ”, Mongolia’s, Chinzong Baatarsukh, there's, Tugstur Dashzevge, esports, “ There’s, Amarasana Chimeddorj, Majigsuren Organizations: breakdancing, Asian Games, Associated Press, Olympics, Soviet Union, “, Monaco, Mongolian Locations: HANGZHOU, China, Mongolia, Russia, America, Soviet, Ulaanbaatar, Asia, South Korea, Japan, Niger, Mongolian, Gan

"It's very special," said one of Taiwan's female breakers, 25-year-old Yang Jia-li, who added that breaking had massively boosted her confidence. Along with esports' debut as a medal event in Hangzhou, organisers hope "breaking" can help lure young viewers turned off by traditional Games sports. A counter-cultural art-form born in the streets of New York City decades ago, breakdancing is judged against broad criteria in competition. "But before the Olympics we've been doing competitions even in our (underground breaking) culture. “I'm getting used to it and I'm getting used to these sport rules.

Persons: breakdancing, Yang Jia, esports, Sun Zhen, Meng Changqing, Meng, Kim Heon, we've, Kim, I’m, “ I'm, ”, Sun, Ian Ransom, Ken Ferris Organizations: Asian Games, Paris, Sporting, Games, Asian, Thomson Locations: HANGZHOU, China, Eastern, Hangzhou, New York, South Korea

☆ South Korea breakdancing: Korean b-boys eye Asian Games and Olympic gold
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-05 | by ( Andrew Mcnicol | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

South Korean breakdancing team Jinjo Crew at the World K-pop Concert in 2021. Jeon Jiye, or b-girl Fresh Bella, will feature for the South Korean delegation at the Asian Games. The veteran, from the legendary Jinjo Crew, is a multiple world champion and Asian Games gold medal contender. There is added motivation after the country’s emphatic success in fellow Asian Games debutant, esports. “At the Asian Games, we will see all of this.

Persons: John Jay Chon, Breakdancing, Seo, –, United States –, Ronald Reagan’s, Han Myung, breakdancing, “, ”, Jeon Jiye, Fresh Bella, Jiang Han, Kim Heon, Korea’s, Kim, esports, We’ve, ” Kim, ” Kim Heonwoo, ’, Kwon Jang, Kwon, ” Kwon, we’re, We’re, Chen Po Chun, Chen Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, Korean, South, Asian, Summer, South Korean, World, Games, CNN, Getty, Asian Games, “ Locations: Hong Kong, Korea’s, Korean, American, South Korea, United States, Korea, Hangzhou, China, Paris, Bronx, Xinhua, South, Seoul, United Kingdom, Asia, Japan, somebodies

In the sports world, betting and gambling startups have started the last two years raising fewer and fewer funding dollars. While funding is harder to come by, startups are also facing changes in the world of sports business and technology. Insider recently released a list of the top VCs investing in sports and asked their founders, CEOs, partners, and directors what they would tell startups trying to break through. Chris GroveKey investments: Acies Investments and EKG Ventures are focused on sports, gambling, and technology. When we invest in a tech company, we have four criteria.

Persons: Tom Loverro, Cole Van Nice, Chris Grove, Chris, you've, There's, Courtside, Tom Brady, Michael Strahan's, Meredith McPherron, Alex Rodriguez, Topgolf Callaway, Brad Farkas, Steve Ahern, Lance Dietz, Craig Thompson, Michael Proman, Proman, Wayne Kimmel, SeventySix, It's, Lloyd Danzig, Sharp Organizations: Elysian Park, Acies Investments, EKG Ventures, Courtside Ventures, of Sports, Elysian Park Ventures, Club, Kinetics, PGA of America, HBSE Ventures, KB Partners, Mindspring, Scrum Ventures, Ventures, Japanese, Boom Entertainment, SeventySix, Vegas Sports Information, Inc, Entrepreneurs, Sharp Alpha Advisors Locations: Chris Grove, Chicago

Tottenham Hotspur striker Son Heung-min secured the exemption after his Korean team won gold at the last Games in Jakarta in 2018. K-pop star Suga, songwriter and rapper for the boy band supergroup BTS, began the enlistment process for mandatory military service last month, making him the third BTS member to go off to perform the military duty. The military service law was amended several years ago to allow selected K-pop megastars to defer their service to aged 30, but not to avoid it entirely, with a large section of the population against giving stars like BTS special treatment. "We have players (in the current squad) who have been exempt from military service by winning gold medals in past editions of the games, but... we also several players who have not yet avoided military service. "But of course, because a gold medal gives one an exemption, and we have many who haven't done their service yet... we should perform at our best and get the gold."

Persons: Lee, Kelley L Cox, Son Heung, Kwon, Suga, Faker, Lee Sang, Baek, chul, Kim Woomin, I’m, ” Kim, Choo Il Seung, I'm, Heo Hoon, Martin Quin Pollard, Eduardo Baptista, Ian Ransom, Toby Davis Organizations: DRX, League of, Chase Center, USA, Rights, South, Hangzhou Asian Games, North, Asian Games, Tottenham Hotspur, Korean, BTS, League, China, Qatar, Thomson Locations: San Francisco , California, USA, Rights HANGZHOU, China, North Korea, South, Jakarta, Korea, Hangzhou, Qatar, Beijing

Sports has become a hot category for venture-capital investors in recent years. While other private investors like private equity firms have set their sights mainly on teams and leagues — looking to cash in on the rising costs of media rights and the growth of live events — early-stage investors are pouring money into startups innovating in areas like sports betting, esports, sports technology, analytics companies, NIL, and more. Insider is highlighting prominent venture-capital investors who are funding startups in sports. Insider compiled this list of investors based on our own reporting as well as nominations we vetted from readers and industry experts. Here are the 26 venture capital and other early-stage investors — listed alphabetically by company — that have made prominent investments in sports in 2023:

Persons: Brad Farkas, Pareek, Jake Paul, Joey Levy's Organizations: HBSE Ventures, trampolines

Asian Games - Hangzhou 2022 - E-Sports - China Hangzhou Esports Centre, Hangzhou, China - September 26, 2023 Players from Team China talk during the Arena of Valor Asian Games Version Final REUTERS/Ann Wang/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsHANGZHOU, China Sept 26 (Reuters) - China won the first gold esports medal in Asian Games history in the Eastern Chinese city of Hangzhou on Tuesday by beating Malaysia in the smartphone multiplayer battle game “Arena of Valor”, to delight fans in the world’s biggest esports market. the Chinese players shouted in a huddle on the stage just before the match began, triggering another loud cheer from spectators, before taking their seats for the "Arena of Valor" final. Thailand earlier claimed the Games' first esports medal by beating Vietnam for the bronze. The market generated $445 million in 2022 or 64.8% of the Asian esports market and China boasts 400 million esports fans, also the highest number globally, according to data from leading Asian video game market analysts Niko Partners. "Esports players are not just sitting on the chair.

Persons: Ann Wang, Tapping, Jiang Tao, Xu Bicheng, esports, Yvonne Yu, “, Xi Jinping, Serkan Toto, Niko Partners, Wong Kang Woon, Malaysia's, Martin Quin Pollard, Xihao Jiang, Ian Ransom, Ken Ferris Organizations: China Hangzhou Esports, Team China, of Valor, Rights, Malaysia, “, Valor, Asian Games, HK, Games, China Media Group, Research, Kantan Games, Thomson Locations: Hangzhou, China Hangzhou, China Hangzhou Esports Centre, China, Rights HANGZHOU, Thailand, Vietnam

☆ Asian Games: South Korea's Esports stars target medal success -- and a military exemption
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-26 | by ( Yoonjung Seo | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +15 min

For South Korean male participants, winning a gold medal in the Asian Games or Olympic Games not only brings honor but also grants them a military exemption. However, the mandatory duty can be waived for some athletes, in particular those who win an Olympic medal or a gold medal in the Asian Games. Seven games will be featured as official medal events at the 19th Asian Games, building on the success of the pilot event at the 2018 Jakarta-Palembang Games. The venue for the Asian Games esports competitions is state-of-the-art and an impressive sight to see. With its inclusion as an official Asian Games medal event, the possibility of esports becoming a part of the Olympic Games is a topic of growing debate.

Persons: Suga, Oh, Wang Zhao, Son Heung, ” Shin, ”, esports, ” Kim Sa, “, ” Lee Kyung, Kwak, hyouk, it’d, ” Kwak, Thailand’s Teedech, Lee Sang, –, Michael Chow, Yoonjung Seo, Michael Jordan, ” Chow, Faker, JUNG YEON, Philip Fong, Rowan Crothers, “ I’m, I’ll, ” Crothers, Jess Bolden, Chow, Niko, Young Organizations: CNN, Gaming, Hangzhou Asian Games, Asian Games, Games, BTS, Asian, Getty, Premier League soccer, Tottenham Hotspur, Marine Corps, Republic of Korea Marine Corps, “ Times, CNN Sport, FIFA, Hangzhou, South Korea, Believer Company, Riot, South, Team Korea, League, “ League, SK Telecom, Riot Games, Microsoft Studios, Xbox, Studios, International Federation of, Phonographic Industry, EA Sports FC Online, PUBG, of Valor, of, Olympic, International Olympic Committee, Maekyung Media, Paralympic, IOC, Kodikara, International Federations, Niko Partners Locations: South Korea, Hangzhou, AFP, Seogwipo, Jeju, Republic of, Seoul, esports, Jakarta, South, . South Korea, Palembang, Asia

☆ Thailand win first esports medal as princess rides in
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-26 | by ( Ian Ransom | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Asian Games - Hangzhou 2022 - E-Sports - China Hangzhou Esports Centre, Hangzhou, China - September 26, 2023 Players from Team Thailand prepare before the Arena of Valor Asian Games Version Bronze Medal Match REUTERS/Ann Wang Acquire Licensing RightsHANGZHOU, China, Sept 26 (Reuters) - Thailand claimed the first esports medal awarded at the Asian Games on Tuesday in an event closely watched by Olympic officials as a princess of the kingdom made a royal entrance to the equestrian event. But an enthusiastic crowd of locals cheered on the Thais at the Hangzhou Esports Centre as they prevailed 2-0 in a best-of-three match for the popular mobile phone game developed by a Chinese tech firm. The players tapped their small screens furiously and communicated with team mates via headsets throughout a contest that stretched to nearly 40 minutes. If esports is the future of the Games, Thai Princess Sirivannavari Mahidol represented its past as she made a regal entrance on a horse named 'Es Fangar's Samba King' in the dressage team event. "Luckily our father is supporting us," said the princess, who represented Thailand in badminton at the 2006 Asian Games in Qatar and equestrian at Incheon in 2014.

Persons: Ann Wang, Sirivannavari Mahidol, King Vajiralongkorn, Zhang Boheng, Zhang, Takeru Kitazono, nation's, Lee Hye, kyeong, Kwon, Martin Quin Pollard, Peter Rutherford Organizations: China Hangzhou Esports, Team Thailand, of Valor, REUTERS, Rights, Asian Games, Olympic, Vietnam, esports, Jakarta Asian, Thais, Hangzhou Esports, Thailand, Games, South, Doping Agency, Olympic Council of Asia, OCA, Thomson Locations: Hangzhou, China Hangzhou, China Hangzhou Esports Centre, China, Rights HANGZHOU, Thailand, Bangkok, Sorawat, India, Qatar, Incheon, North, Jakarta, Communist, Korean

Earlier the Bangladesh women's cricket team beat Pakistan in the bronze match to claim the country's first Asian Games medal since 2014 at Incheon, South Korea. Cricket, which has hopes of becoming an Olympic sport, returned to the Asian Games this year after being omitted from the last edition in Indonesia in 2018. The South Korean did not disappoint his legions of fans on Monday, helping his Korean team beat Kazakhstan 1-0 in one of the preliminary matches in the 'League of Legends' category. GROUP PHOTOElsewhere on day two of competition, three North Korean marksmen refused to join their South Korean rivals in a group photo of medal winners after narrowly missing out on gold in a men's team shooting competition. "It was really fun," she said after her seventh-placed finish in the women's park, an event won by Japan's Hinano Kusaki.

Persons: India's Divyansh Singh, Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar, Rudrankksh Patil, Dylan Martinez, Lee Sang, Anna Prakaten, Panipak Wongpattanakit, Guo Qing, Hong Kong's Siobhan Bernadette Haughey, it’s, I’m, Japan's Hinano, Martin Quin Pollard, Ian Ransom, Peter Rutherford, Ken Ferris Organizations: Sports Centre, India, Hangzhou Asian Games, Games, Sri, Asian Games, Bangladesh women's, Pakistan, Cricket, Olympic, Korean, Kazakhstan, League, North, South, Tokyo, Russian Olympic Committee, Thomson Locations: Hangzhou, China, HANGZHOU, Sri Lanka, Guangzhou, Bangladesh, Incheon, South Korea, Indonesia, Uzbekistan, Philippines

HANGZHOU, China (AP) — The opening ceremony of the Asian Games on Saturday in China offered all the staples of a major international sports event. One big thing, however, was missing: real fireworks, the exploding kind that smell of power and burnt fuses. Instead, the high-tech games — billed of course as “green games” — offered electronic flash, 3D animations and a virtual torchbearer. Delayed for a year by the pandemic, the Asian Games are China's largest sports event since the country scrapped its zero-COVID-19 policy early in the year. China won almost 300 medals in the Asian Games five years ago and is sure to dominate again followed by Japan and South Korea.

Persons: Xi Jinping, —, Xi, Bashar al, Assad, Thomas Bach, King Norodom Sihamoni, Bach, Vladimir Putin, there’s, ___ Didi Tang Organizations: Asian Games, Sports Center, International Olympic, Olympic Council of, Hangzhou Asian, Xinhua, Olympics, China, —, Afghan, ___ AP Asia Locations: HANGZHOU, China, Hangzhou, Taiwan, North Korea, Hong Kong, Cambodia, Olympic Council of Asia, Russia, Paris, Beijing, Shanghai, “, Hangzhou Asian Games, Los Angeles, Brisbane, Australia, Japan, South Korea, Afghanistan, Washington, ___, asia

☆ Street Fighter, Resident Evil developer says it plans to tap on synergy between gaming and movies
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-22 | by ( Lim Hui Jie | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

After two years of absence linked to the Covid-19 pandemic, Paris Games Week is making a comeback in Paris. Tsujimoto pointed that Capcom releases new game titles every year to already existing franchises, such as Street Fighter and Resident Evil, "indicates that we have a strong and high quality catalog." watch nowCapcom is no stranger to the film industry, having seen a live action movie Street Fighter made in 1994 and Resident Evil made into seven films since 1997. "We have experienced the synergistic effects of doing so, whereby movies sell well and games sell well, when a game is made into a movie." We have experienced the synergistic effects of doing so, whereby movies sell well and games sell well, when a game is made into a movie.

Persons: Porte de Versailles, Haruhiro Tsujimoto, Tsujimoto, CNBC's Will, Capcom, Haruhiro, Hisashi Koinuma Organizations: Capcom, Paris Games, Paris, Chesnot, Getty, Marvel, Tokyo, CNBC, Capcom Pictures, Koei Tecmo Games Locations: PARIS, FRANCE, Parc, Paris, France, Chiba, Japan, Hollywood

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (AP) — The online sports betting company PointsBet committed three different types of violations of New Jersey sports betting laws, including taking bets on soccer games that had already ended, according to gambling regulators who fined the company $25,000. One aspect of the fine involved the company accepting bets in August 2021 on the outcome of five European soccer matches after the games had already ended. Political Cartoons View All 1171 ImagesAfter discovering the error, the bets were voided and the money from the customer's initial bets was returned, according to the gaming enforcement division. PointsBet blamed human error for the mistake, according to the gaming enforcement division. On Oct. 29, 2021, the company offered bets on a “League Of Legends” esports competition in which a player on one of the teams was 17 years old, under the legal minimum age of 18.

Persons: PointsBet, “ PointsBet, Peter's, Wayne Parry Organizations: CITY, New, New Jersey Attorney General's, Associated Press, of Gaming Enforcement, NCAA, St, Twitter Locations: N.J, New Jersey, PointsBet, Denver, www.twitter.com

Legacy media companies like Disney , Warner Bros. Netflix was the first streamer to report a loss in subscribers in 2022, sending its stock and other media companies spiraling. Media companies also have begun slashing content spending budgets. Yet streaming remains the focus for all of these companies as consumers rapidly cut the cord and opt for streaming. Legacy media companies scrambled to follow suit, unsure if the model actually worked.

Persons: Mario Tama, it's, Steven Schiffman, NBCUniversal, Bob Iger, Ken Solomon, Solomon, Marc DeBevoise, John Hodulik, hasn't, —, Hulu —, Peacock, Max —, HBO Max, — Ryan Murphy, Shonda, Kenya Barris, David Benioff, Weiss —, Jonathan Miller, Shonda Rhimes, Presley Ann, Patrick McMullan, Bart Simpson, esports, DeBevoise, Peter Csathy Organizations: Netflix, Getty, North, Georgetown University, Legacy, Disney, Warner Bros, Discovery, Paramount, Media, Marvel, Tennis Channel, Sinclair, Companies, UBS, CBS, HBO, Max, Hulu, Integrated Media, Trek, Universal Studios Television, Getty Images Disney, Wars, Fox, Hollywood's, Creative Media, Charter Communications, ESPN, & $, + + Locations: Los Angeles, North American, J.J, Abrams, Kenya, Beverly Hills , CA, Georgetown

☆ Ukraine's army keeps outsmarting Russia on the battlefield, with cunning ruses and opportunistic attacks
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-15 | by ( Tom Porter | Mia Jankowicz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

"Deception has succeeded against Russian forces at all echelons and across all three service branches," the report said. A Russian drone had earlier damaged a tank there, and Afanasyev wanted to make sure it didn't happen again. AdvertisementAdvertisementThe company says over 250 of these decoys have so far been handed over to the Ukrainian military. In eastern Ukraine's Popasna, a base used by the mercenary pro-Russian Wagner Group was bombed to rubble by Ukrainian troops in April 2022. Ukraine's 110th brigade then "worked effectively to attack the Russian soldiers," he said.

Persons: it's, Ivan Oleksii, Oleksii, Cmdr, Oleksandr Afanasyev, Afanasyev, Vladimir Solovyov, Wagner, Igor Russak, Ukraine's, Huw Dylan, David Gioe, Joe Littell Organizations: Service, Royal United Services Institute, Russian, Getty, Kremlin, Wagner, Russian Wagner, Wired, Purpose, Center for Information Resilience, 25th Airborne Brigade, Modern War Locations: Russia, Ukraine, Wall, Silicon, Ukrainian, Russian, Kyiv, Makiivka, Lyman, Donetsk, St Petersburg, Ukraine's, Avdiyivka, Europe, Izium, Kharkiv, Kherson

☆ Unity discovers how real the revenue struggle is
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Edgar Su Acquire Licensing RightsNEW YORK, Sept 13 (Reuters Breakingviews) - Unity Software (U.N) is finding out just how hard the revenue game will be. The $14 billion company’s new plan to climb out of an unprofitable hole makes sense, but also faces considerable pushback. The strategy seeks to impose fees on video-game developers after certain revenue and install thresholds are met, eliciting a harsh response on social media on Tuesday. Unity may retain its customers, as switching suppliers can be a pain, but deeper-pocketed rivals such as Epic Games may see an opportunity to pounce. Silicon Valley’s revenue struggle is real.

Persons: Edgar Su, Robert Cyran, BoE, Jeffrey Goldfarb, Sharon Lam, Aditya Sriwatsav Organizations: REUTERS, Reuters, Unity Software, Apple, Unity, X, Treasury, UBS, Thomson Locations: Pico, Singapore, Asia

BEIJING, Sept 12 (Reuters) - China unveiled on Tuesday its 886-strong team and its sporting and political goals for the Hangzhou Asian Games which start this month, a year later than planned due to China's COVID situation and restrictions. The Chinese team, who have topped the medals table at every Asian Games since 1982, should repeat that feat in Hangzhou, the director of the national sports bureau, Gao Zhidan, said at the team's launch in Beijing on Tuesday, state media reported. The Asian Games, also known as the Asiad, are like an Olympics for Asian countries and usually take place every four years. There will be 40 different sports, including athletics, swimming, cricket, dragon boat racing and esports (computer games) which for the first time will be a medal-winning event. Reporting by Martin Quin Pollard, editing by Ed OsmondOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Gao Zhidan, Gao, Martin Quin Pollard, Ed Osmond Organizations: Hangzhou Asian Games, Games, Xinhua, Asian, Thomson Locations: BEIJING, China, Hangzhou, Beijing, Asia

☆ The Great College Pricing Sham
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-10 | by ( James S. Murphy | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +21 min

I use quotation marks, because merit aid is granted to half the students at public colleges and 84% at private colleges. Today the average merit-aid discount at private colleges is $23,000 — leaving the student to cover the remaining $30,000 or $40,000. At four-year public colleges, tuition now accounts for 52% of operational revenue, versus 48% from state funding. To make college more accessible, we need to make greater public investments — at both the state and federal levels — in higher education. James S. Murphy is a higher education policy analyst at Education Reform Now.

Persons: Joe Biden, YouGov, Gen, Gen Zers, You'll, Pell Grant, Dominique Baker, —, Getty, Ben Sasse, who's, Sasse, David Feldman, William & Mary, Ford, Feldman, they're, Sandy Baum, It's, There's, Baum, They're, Josh Shapiro, Spencer Cox, shouldn't, James S, Murphy Organizations: Insider, Harvard, of California, Southern Methodist University, Ivy League, U.S . News, Honda, Porsche, University of Florida, McKinsey & Company, University of Oklahoma, University of Kentucky, Ford, Apple, Fordham, Appalachian, William &, Technology, West Virginia University, WVU, Urban Institute, Google, Reform, Twitter Locations: United States, Italian, Appalachian State, America, Pennsylvania, Utah

But the Logitech G305 Lightspeed is proof that you can find a great entry-level mouse for a lot less. Here's why it's the best wireless gaming mouse you can buy on a budget. Great Price Logitech G305 Lightspeed Wireless Gaming Mouse The Logitech G305 Lightspeed is an excellent choice for entry-level users, casual gamers, and those shopping on a budget. Simple yet mighty, the Logitech G305 Lightspeed is a solid investment for casual gamers and beginners alike. Sarah Saril/InsiderThe Logitech G305 Lightspeed is a great purchase for entry-level users, casual gamers, and budget-minded shoppers.

Persons: I've, Price, Sarah Saril Organizations: Logitech, G305, Price Logitech, Lightspeed, Amazon, AA, Logitech G305 Wireless, Team Fortress

The nation’s best-known public universities have been on an unfettered spending spree. Over the past two decades, they erected new skylines, poured money into big-time sports programs and hired layers of administrators. Then they passed the bill along to students. The Gatton Student Center courtyard at the University of Kentucky. Photo: Jon Cherry for The Wall Street Journal

Persons: Jon Cherry Organizations: The Gatton Student, University of Kentucky, Wall Street

☆ M&A in sports technology is booming as dealmaking reaches new heights in Q2, a new report shows
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-14 | by ( Margaret Fleming | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The sports tech sector had one of its best quarters ever in Q2, according to investment bank Drake Star. The large number of new M&A deals, coupled with an influx of capital and a rebounding market, are driving growth in sports tech, Drake Star principal Mohit Pareek told Insider. In Q2, the biggest deal — and one of the largest ever sports-tech deals — was the April acquisition of WWE by Endeavor, the parent company of the UFC. Drake Star found 199 private-funding deals closed in Q2, up from 176 deals in Q1. Overall, though, less money was raised with the Q2 deals totaling $1.6 billion, compared to $1.7 billion last quarter.

Persons: Drake Star, Drake, Mohit Pareek, Pareek, —, BPEA EQT Organizations: Drake Star, WWE, UFC, Endeavor, IMG Academy, NeoGames SA, Media, FuboTV, Drake Locations: Sportradar

Discord has laid off 4% of its staff, a spokesperson confirmed to Insider. The August layoffs impacted Discord's marketing team heavily, a source familiar with the matter said. The company is undergoing a reorganization of "some business units." Discord laid off around 4% its staff on Thursday, a company spokesperson confirmed to Insider. Several employees who identified as Discord staffers working on graphic design and entertainment partnerships posted about the layoffs on LinkedIn and Twitter.

Organizations: The New York Times

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