Zhang Yuanyuan and Sun Luping claimed gold in the women’s double sculls.

On Tuesday, China won one gold and one bronze medal as the 2026 World Rowing Coastal Championships concluded in Qingdao, Shandong Province. Zhang Yuanyuan and Sun Luping claimed gold in the women’s double sculls, while compatriots Long Zhentao and Yang Yujiao took bronze in the mixed double sculls.

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Zhang and Sun made a strong start in the women’s double sculls final, establishing an early lead before maintaining their advantage to the finish. The pair avoided collisions involving rival crews around the turning buoys to secure the title.

“The waves were really big during the race, and at one point I wasn’t sure how things would turn out. But we performed well throughout, and I’m proud that we were able to win for our country,” Sun said.

Zhang said the race demanded quick decisions when navigating the turning buoys, adding that winning a world title in her home province of Shandong made the achievement particularly special.

The 2026 World #Rowing Coastal Championships opened at Golden Beach, Qingdao.
Competitions run Oct 11–13 with 7 #coastalrowing events.#Athletes from 18 countries gather for this top-tier global sea rowing event. #sports pic.twitter.com/pmBVU2bF4f

— GoShandong (@DazhongDaily) October 11, 2026

Americans Kory Rogers and Christopher Bak won the men’s double sculls, overcoming challenging wind conditions. “You can’t tell on camera, but the wind is really strong today; the surface of the water is pretty flat, but you really felt that heavy, heavy wind. We kept pushing. You never know what can happen on a buoy,” Bak said.

France’s Alexis Fortier produced a late comeback to win the men’s solo title, edging Bak by just 0.79 seconds after recovering from an early setback. “I was involved in a clash at the second buoy and I lost some ground, then I managed to catch up person by person and got past. I never gave up and carried on to the finish. It went well and I’m very happy,” Fortier said.

The United States also won the women’s solo and women’s coxed quadruple sculls titles, while Italy took gold in the men’s coxed quadruple sculls and Finland prevailed in the mixed double sculls. The U.S. topped the medal table with three golds and two silvers and received the national federation trophy.

Qingdao will next host the World Rowing Beach Sprint Finals, beginning October 18. Beach sprint rowing, which combines a running start on the beach with a short rowing course, will make its Olympic debut at the 2028 Los Angeles Games.

teleSUR/ JF

Source: Xinhua

European regions and cities are calling on the EU to give millions of displaced Ukrainians legal certainty and a genuine choice between building a future in Europe and returning home safely. Their appeal comes as Russian attacks on Ukraine’s critical energy infrastructure intensify ahead of what is expected to be another harsh winter for the war-torn nation.

Temporary protection for displaced Ukrainians was set to end in March 2028. Eurostat data from July shows that almost 4,5 million non-EU citizens who fled Ukraine were benefiting from the mechanism, which was established shortly after Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022.

“Temporary protection was the right emergency response, but it cannot be the long-term answer,” said Antje Grotheer, Chair of the European Committee of the Regions’ (CoR) Working Group on Ukraine. “People forced to flee Ukraine because of Russia’s war need certainty about their future,” the President of the Bremen State Parliament added.

An opinion drafted by Grotheer and adopted by CoR members on Tuesday calls for timely, accessible information on legal options beyond temporary protection so that people can make informed decisions.

It notes that decisions on legal status are taken mainly at EU and national level, while their practical consequences are managed in cities and regions. Local authorities need predictable funding and administrative capacity to keep public services running and respond to housing pressures, the CoR said.

Grotheer demanded that cities and regions are given a voice in shaping the transition after the EU’s temporary protection runs out.

Preparing for winter

The opinion sets out three parallel priorities: supporting the inclusion of displaced Ukrainians in European communities, investing in their education and skills for the benefit of host societies and Ukraine’s recovery, and enabling voluntary, informed and safe return when conditions allow.

“It’s time now to realise that we should not only treat Ukrainians as vulnerable refugees; we should treat them as our partners,” said Ylva Johansson, EU Special Envoy for Ukrainians in the EU. “Their future is part of Ukraine’s future, and that future is in the European Union,” she added.

“The millions of Ukrainians currently living outside the borders of our country are a huge human potential that Ukraine cannot afford to lose,” said Tetiana Yehorova-Lutsenko, President of the Ukrainian Association of District and Regional Councils (UAROR) and Chair of Kharkiv Regional Council.

The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) reported that 49 percent of Ukrainian refugees – down from 61 percent in 2024 – have expressed hopes or intentions to return one day, with security, housing and essential services among the key conditions.

Protecting Ukraine’s energy infrastructure has been a central part of the EU’s support since 2022. In a letter to CoR members, President Kata Tüttő and Grotheer warn that the attacks risk depriving communities of basic living conditions. The letter recalls that the European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen had described the attacks as “a strategy of terror”.

“Cities and regions must act before the arrival of the cold further aggravates the already difficult humanitarian situation,” the letter warned. It said regions and cities can deliver support in the form of energy equipment, used municipal vehicles, medical supplies or IT equipment.

This story was produced by the European Newsroom (enr) in cooperation with the European Committee of the Regions (CoR). The editorial responsibility lies with the enr. 

Press contact:

Theresa Sostmann
Tel. +32475999415

Theresa.Sostmann@cor.europa.eu

Formula 1 will return to Africa with the addition of the Rwanda Grand Prix to its calendar in the early 2030s, event organizers announced in a statement this Monday. A ten-year agreement will end the sport’s more than three-decade absence from the continent. The last race took place on March 14, 1993, at the Kyalami circuit in South Africa, where Frenchman Alain Prost won.

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The race will be held on a new circuit to be built in Bugesera, approximately 40 kilometers south of Kigali, the Rwandan capital. According to Formula 1, the facilities are expected to be ready by the beginning of the next decade, the scheduled time for the Grand Prix’s debut on the global calendar.

The track will be designed to meet the International Automobile Federation (FIA) Grade 1 standards, a requirement for hosting top-tier motorsport competitions. The project is part of a broader initiative for sports, tourism, infrastructure, and commercial development led by the Rwanda Development Board.

The venue will not be used solely for the race. Formula 1 stated that the complex will host international motorsport competitions, major events, conferences, and shows throughout the year, aiming to foster economic growth and long-term investment in the region.

In recent years, Rwanda has positioned itself as an African sports hub by hosting events such as the Cycling World Championships, the 2023 FIFA Congress, and the Basketball Africa League.

Africa, we’re back. 🌍

From the early 2030s, the African Grand Prix will join the calendar and take place in Bugesera, Rwanda 🇷🇼#F1 pic.twitter.com/c5gSRl7FNt

— Formula 1 (@F1) October 13, 2026

Rwandan President Paul Kagame highlighted that the agreement represents a long-term investment for the country. “This ten-year partnership is also an investment in Rwanda’s future. The Bugesera circuit, alongside the new international airport, will generate jobs, training, tourism, and new business opportunities for our country and our region for decades to come,” he stated.

For Formula 1 President and CEO Stefano Domenicali, the return to Africa marks a historic moment, as it will allow the competition to have a presence on every continent. “Africa has always been part of Formula 1’s future, and from the start, we were determined to return in the right way—with the right partner, a long-term commitment, and a clear vision to create a meaningful impact,” he declared.

The championship organizers maintain that Africa represents “one of the most promising growth opportunities for the sport,” with over 100 million fans. Furthermore, nearly 60 percent of followers in key sub-Saharan African markets are under the age of 35.

#Sports | George Russell (Mercedes) set the fastest time in the only free practice session for the Singapore Grand Prix, the seventeenth round of the Formula One World Championship and the season’s final sprint race.https://t.co/gRM4MmvLfV

— teleSUR English (@telesurenglish) October 12, 2026

Matson has christened the first of three new Jones Act containerships at Hanwha Philly Shipyard, marking another milestone in the carrier’s $1 billion fleet renewal program as the Philadelphia yard...