The Brazilian club Chapecoense returned to the site of its 2016 plane crash in Colombia on Friday, ten years after the accident caused by the plane carrying the team running out of fuel, to attend a memorial service for the 71 victims.
Only six people out of 77 on board survived, in one of the worst tragedies in football history, which occurred on the night of November 28, 2016.
Chapecoense was then on his way to play the first leg of the Copa Sudamericana final against Colombia's Atletico Nacional in Medellin, before his plane crashed on a mountain on the outskirts of the city.
Only three players survived out of 22 who were in the squad that were among the passengers.
The match was considered the biggest in the history of the South Brazilian club, and it was a favorite to win.
Chapecoense returned to Colombia this week to play a friendly match against Atletico Nacional on Saturday, and to attend a memorial service for the victims of the accident.
On Friday, the team will inaugurate a memorial engraved with the names of the victims.
They were joined on this trip by Helio Neto, a former defender who survived the incident.
Miguel Ramirez, a Colombian farmer who was the first to reach the disaster site 10 years ago, told Agence France-Presse that he still hears “the screams of people asking for help.”
Parts of the plane's structure are still visible near the crash site.
After the tragedy, Chapecoense was awarded the Copa Sudamericana title by the South American Football Confederation (CONMEBOL), at the request of its opponent in the final, Atletico Nacional.
The two teams met again five months later to compete for the 2017 Recopa Sudamericana title, which the Colombian team won.
Chinese runner Chen Yujie, 17 years old, confirmed that she knows "no limits" after she dominated the women's 100-meter final on Friday to win gold in the Asian Games.
Chen won in Nagoya with a time of 11.06 seconds, breaking the tournament record, and confirming the extent of her great talent. As for the Asian record for the race, it was set by her compatriot Li Shumi in 1997 when she was twenty years old, with a time of 10.79 seconds.
The young athlete, who will celebrate her 18th birthday in December, described this sweeping victory as “the best birthday present.”
But she doesn't intend to stop there. She said: “I am now the champion of the Asian Games, and I want to achieve more on the international scene, in the world championships and the Olympic Games.”
She added: “Now that I have become champion, my goal will be to defend my title in the future.” “I am now in the position of challenging others, instead of waiting for them to challenge me.”
Chen added, “I have no limits,” noting that she will also participate in the 200-meter race, within the Asian Games, starting Saturday.
On Saturday, the Chinese media praised what it hopes will be the beginning of a new era for Chinese speed, knowing that China has never won an Olympic gold medal in the 100-meter or 200-meter race. The official website of the Olympic Games described her as “the new star of speed.”
“I want to leave my mark on Chinese runners and Asian runners,” Chen said.
Despite her victory, the young woman admitted that she was nervous before the final. The teenager said: “My legs were shaking on the warm-up track,” after she led by 15 percent of a second over Singaporean Shanti Pereira, a two-time Olympic Games participant, who came in second, and by 27 percent of a second over Bahraini Eddyong Odiyong, who came in third.
She added: “I was very afraid that this would cause a false start.” “I thought a lot about it,” she said, noting that she had also beaten Pereira, 30, in the 200 meters during the 2025 Asian Athletics Championships.
John McEnroe, the former American tennis legend, believes that tennis players should be allowed to determine their own participation schedules, to help reduce absences due to injuries at the highest levels of the game.
The Italian world number one Jannick Sinner announced on Friday that he will not be able to return to the court as scheduled in the China Open next week, due to a knee injury, after he has been absent from competition since the Wimbledon Championship.
Spaniard Carlos Alcarras also missed the French Open and Wimbledon due to a wrist problem, while Britons Emma Raducano and Jack Draper were among a number of other players who were away from the field for long periods during 2026.
McEnroe told the British News Agency: “This is clearly a matter of great concern, when the best players miss important periods of the year in which they completely dominated the competitions during the past two or three years.”
He added: “Carlos did not participate in the French Open or Wimbledon, and that for me says all that needs to be said. "We don't want that to happen."
Eight of the nine 1,000-point Masters tournaments throughout the season are mandatory for most top-ranked players, along with four 500-point tournaments, while extending most Masters tournaments to 12 days has raised objections among players.
McEnroe, the former world number one, wants to make radical changes, saying: “This is one of the issues that must be dealt with. Should there be requirements, or should players be allowed to do what they see fit?
He added: “This would be, for me, the best for the sport.” “They will all want to participate in Wimbledon and the Grand Slams, because that is what people are asking for, and then they can schedule their participation according to how they think it represents what they can offer.”
Alkaras and McEnroe, the former captain of Team Europe, are in London this week to participate in the Laver Cup, a tournament similar to the Ryder Cup, bringing together Team Europe and Team World.
